Sit Happens! APDT Winners

Huge congratulations to Sylvia and Jennifer who travelled to Calgary for the Sit Happens!
APDT Rally O trial last weekend with Julie the poodle and Abby the BC and Spencer the Jack Russell. 


Julie entered 8 trials Q’d in all 8, got her level 2 title, Q’d in all 3 of her Level 3 rounds but did not receive a title because there was only one judge. She'll get it next time for sure.  Julie finished the weekend with 6 second place, 1 3rd place and a qualifying score for points in Level 1.  



Jennifer didn't go for a new title but went for points. 


 Spencer, her Jack, was in all 4 trials. Level 2 he scored......201,200,196, and a 192 her Mr. Reliable! 


And Abby was in all four  Level One rounds as well as all four Level 2 rounds. Her scores in Level one were.....204,209,205,and a 208. She also got High Scoring Team Ribbon Level 1B for the second day with a 208. 


Her level 2 scores were..... 203,195,NQ, and her final round was a 206 I beleive I can remember what it was but I know it was around that. Abby brought home the High Score Team Ribbon in Level 2B on the second day again. 

We are so proud of these achievements as APDT is more difficult than CKC Rally. Although food is allowed on course and delivered only after stationery exercises, double commands are penalized.
Scores can plummet quickly in APDT. 


Weather permitting, we'll be able to congratulate the girls in person this coming Saturday as
the Cowley Hall is booked for us. 


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Non-shepherd weekend

Shar and I travelled to Calgary for the CKOC dog show with Drummer, Castle and Beckett.
It felt very weird to be going to a dog show in the van without a German shepherd escort, but as it turned out, it was a good thing.  The two shibas and the sheltie used our hotel room as a racetrack.
And, just our luck, Beckett came into season on Friday night.  We bought the pant outfit for her on Saturday and she was less than enthused with the entire idea, twirling and screeching and trying to bite me.  Sharlet had much better luck and cajoled the little monster into wearing the pants. Once they were on, Beckett was fine, but the idea of having her tail pulled through the hole in the pants was not her idea of fun at all. 
It was super to have the opportunity to work Castle in Advanced and Excellent Rally at the Fun Match on Thursday night.  Thank you, Judge Laurie, for allowing treats and clicks in the ring and for awarding us 100 in advanced and 99 in Excellent.  So encouraging.
On Friday night, Drummer tried the Open routine and except for a couple of small glitches all related to new venue and new people in the ring and all around the outside of the ring, he did all the exercises.  Sooooo proud of his 3 minute sit.  Whew.  Retrieve fronts and finishes were good, too.
Broad jump nice and straight over the boards.  Shar stayed at the hotel with the urchins.


Congratulations to MaryEllen and Tessa on the new CD title!!! Well done.  And to Ev and Bob who finished their poodle's Canadian Championship.  


We have had a wonderful run of luck with our resident Shiba Inu, Castle, who went Best of Breed two days in a row to end the weekend with 8 pts. towards his conformation Championship. Two to go.  Now we need to concentrate on his CGN work as there is a test coming up soon in Calgary. 
Speaking of the CGN, our club should host another one.  We had such fun at our last.  And I am sure that Andrea and Bill would come out to judge.  Let me know if you are interested in such a move on the club's part and we'll arrange it through the CKC.


Our SAWHDA advertisement in the Pincher Creek Town Booklet is beautiful!!! Glossy. Striking.
Yes!  And we have been asked by the organizers of the Fall Fair if we can put together a demo group of square dancing, barrel racing, and tunnel/jump relay racing to take place Sept 15th. We need eight people to commit to the time and we can do it.  Please let me know if you can make it.


We have seven dogs signed up for our Draft Dog Day on April 29th at Shadowbar Shepherds. Should be such fun. 


A reminder to everyone that we have the Cowley Hall booked for the following dates for club days:

Saturdays:  March 17th, 24th, and April 21st. Focus on obedience and Rally O. 

Scent hurdlers are welcome at 9:30 a.m. sharp... all levels.

Obedience : 10:15 beginning with Utility practice, followed by Open and Novice, & pre-novice.
Rally O:  11:30 or so.

Please keep in mind that no formal instruction is given .... these days are for practice and testing. 

I do believe that Daylight Saving time begins on March 11th, so remember to spring ahead!!! 

Won't it be wonderful to have evening light?

To those headed to Red Deer in the next few weeks, good luck to you all and a safe trip, too.

May all your dogs remain healthy and happy.

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Fun Stuff

Sunday, April 29th, 2012 

Presented by the Southern Alberta Working/Herding Association

Draft Dog Work from A to Z

Held at Shadowbar Shepherds, west of Lundbreck, Alberta, this workshop will give participants a chance to learn how to train their dogs to a DD title.

9:30 a.m. Theory....... time to grab a coffee and get your notebooks out.        

This part of the workshop is an introduction and overview of the  3 parts of the DD test. A refresher for those who already have a DD dog.

10:15 a.m.    A look at the equipment used for Draft work; what works and what doesn’t and why.  Hands on practice harnessing and hitching seasoned dogs, and 

adapting harnesses to fit.   Bring your cameras. 

11:15 a.m.   Information on how the various exercises can be taught from puppyhood.

        Time to practice with some beginning exercises with young dogs.

Noon:   Lunch break .... lunch provided

12:30   Field work...... Test time/practice time for dogs that already have some cart   experience.  A great opportunity to get advice for improving performance.

Although we will be based in a heated facility, much of the practical work will take place outdoors so participants should wear appropriate clothing and footgear. This is, after all, Alberta.     

Registration fee:  $20.00 for 2012 members of SAWHDA

                  $25.00 for non-members of SAWHDA

Participant’s Name: SAWHDA member __

Address & phone no.: 

Dog’s name and age:

Email form to shadowbr@telusplanet.net 

Sad news

A sad time for Brenda Bando as she said goodbye to her wonderful sheltie, Tug. 
Our hearts go out to her at this time as we have all been there and understand the grief
the loss of a dog can bring to a family. 


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Club Days for March/April

Time to book our Club Days for March and April while trying to avoid Dog Show weekends and Agility trials.  An email has gone out to members asking them to check their calendars and reply with the Saturdays or Sundays that work best for them.
A reminder that Ev and Bob are putting on a fun match Saturday, February 18th, at Perfect Pooches in Coalhurst.  Cost is $5.00 per dog per class.

Rally O       9:00 a.m
Obedience  11:00 a.m.

Puppy Sweeps 1:00 p.m.
Conformation   2:00 p.m.

Hope to see your there.

                                            AKC Pic.  Castle  New RN, HIC x2 & Perfect Score!
                                       Thank you Sarah-Jane Petti and Pat Kopek for recognizing
                                                 the effort put forth by this young dog.
                                        You gave him room to work and this is so important to
                                                           a successful performance.

PS.... If you are wondering why Pat has ALL the ribbons, it's because Sarah-Jane couldn't
make the photo shoot and so she became the victim of  'cut and paste' . Tee hee.

Congratulations Nikki & Bailey on your new RN title and your

High in Class score of 99/100. 

Way to be! 

AKC show successful for SAWHDA members

 What a fabulous weekend at the AKC show in Calgary. Shar, Deb and I stayed at the Blackfoot Inn, as usual, and, as usual, the stay was five star. Thanks to Nikki, we arrived at the show on Friday morning and our crates were already in place just outside the Rally Ring.  Bonus. 
 The schedule was perfect, allowing us lots of time between the rally and breed rings. 
 At the end of the day, Nicole and Bailey, with a 97 score, were HIC in the Novice B class with Castle right behind with a score of 96.  The course was really nice. 
 Ryder picked up a double towards his Rally RAE IV with a 90 in Advanced B and a PERFECT SCORE in Excellent B. (8 entries). 


 Off to the breed rings with the shiba babies and surprise, surprise!!!! Castle took Best of Breed over his sisters and a stunning red shiba girl and Beckett went Best of Opposite.  Two points each from Judge Charles Trotter.

 Saturday morning we were off and running again and this time, Nikki and I swapped marks with Castle going HIC in Rally Novice B with 97 and Nikki and Bailey taking the 96. 
 Sarah and Gyppie were HIC in the Rally Advanced B trial with 99, and Shar and Ryder picked up another set of RAE marks with a 94 and 98.  In the Rally Excellent A trial, Tina and Jethro, their first time in Rally excellent, got the HIC with a score of 99.  No pressure for Drummer and me.....as my buddies made sure I knew that there was an award from the Alberta Shetland Sheepdog Association in conjunction with their specialty.  What a dog!!  First time in 
Rally Excellent and voila!  Perfect score. HIC and top scoring sheltie. 


 Off to the breed ring again with the shibas and once again Mary Ellen was able to hand Castle off to me after taking Winners bitch with Beckett.  And once again, Castle was Best of Breed and Beckett Best of Opposite for 2 points each under judge Robert Whitney.

 Scent hurdle was a blast and we were super proud of the Lethbridge team as they ended the evening in second place. They rocked!  We came last but picked up some points towards our next titles and the team, for all that we have not practiced together as a complete team for a bit, held it together and all the dogs did their best.


 Sunday we breezed into the building with 15 minutes to spare before Novice Walk-throughs thanks to a train across the crossing which made us detour.
Nikki and I wanted that RN title sooooo bad.  We had 11 entries in our class and Judge Sarah Petti had a beautiful course (mostly heeling which I LUV) set out for us.  And we did it!  Castle was not only HIC but HIC with a PERFECT SCORE!
Not bad for a 6 month old puppy who hasn't been off the farm for a fun match. 
Nicole and Bailey were right on our heels with a 99. We were ecstatic to say the least.
 In Rally Advanced, Shar and Ryder qualified with 97, & Judy Hunt and Kona qualified with a 92. 
Tina and Jethro picked up their second qualifying leg towards their Rally Excellent score with an 88 after a glitch in the jump height which resulted in them having to stop in mid course to have it fixed.  By then, the rhythm was off and things just didn't come back together.
Lucky me. Drummie zipped along what was a very challenging course for excellent with an offset figure eight, a broad jump, a spiral right set close to a high jump and a sit for an honor...blehhhh! We came away unscathed with a score of 97 and another HIC.
   In the breed ring, Best of Breed went to the pretty red female shiba and Castle was Best of Opposite. No points but he showed well. Thanks again, Mary Ellen, for stepping in for Deb.
 I love the AKC shows as they always offer a variety of dog sports. The rally and conformation rings were organized and the atmosphere of the show was friendly and fun.  
 We had lots of people wanting to come out to Cowley to 'play' in our club.
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AKC Today

SAWHDA members did well today at AKC. In the breed ring, Castle, Asgoodasitgets At Mt. High, went WD, BW, and Best of Breed at the AKC show for two points. His sister, Beckett, Mountain High Go Black Gold, was Best of Opposite sex for two points. Castle's performance in the Rally obedience ring won him a second place with a score of 96. High in Class Went to Nicole Wiebe and her Bernese Mt. dog, Bailey with 97. There were 7 dogs entered in the Novice B class.
Thanks to Mary Ellen Whyte for handling the pups in the conformation ring.

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