Good Luck!!

Good luck to everyone who has entered the Alberta Kennel Club Dog Show events this coming weekend.  There are over 32 specialties for spectators to see.  In addition to conformation, the club is offering obedience and rally obedience, plus agility trials..... and, of course good luck to our Due South Scent Hurdlers, who perform after Best in Show on Friday and Saturday.  My dogs will be pooped after a day of NADAC agility but I know our team will give it 100%!  
                           GO DUE SOUTH!!!!
A reminder that the Great Falls Dog Training Club has its entry close on August 13th for those who wish to join us Stateside.

Cranbrook closes August 6th so hurry, Murray, if you want to play at Cranbrook, always an enjoyable show.

Please join us at the Winchestser Cattle Co. Ranch 16 kms. south of Pincher Creek from Tuesday until Thursday to watch some all breed herding trials.  You will have the pleasure of seeing Australian Cattle dogs, Shetland sheepdogs, Belgian sheepdogs, Cardigan corgis, and German shepherds herd sheep.   

JUDGING SCHEDULE

AUSTRALIAN CATTLE DOG CLUB OF CANADA 

CANADIAN CARDIGAN CORGI CLUB

AUGUST 5, 6 & 7, 2014

JUDGES:  GLORIA GRAHAM, LYNN LEACH & KRISTIN THOMSON 

TUESDAY AUGUST 5, 2014

9:00 - GENERAL BRIEFING (***TUESDAY ONLY***)

FOLLOWED BY SPECIALTY STOCKDOG CARDIGAN CLUB AND CATTLE DOG CLUB HANDLER’S BRIEFING AND RUNS, THIS WILL BE FOLLOWED BY SPECIALTY ARENA BRIEFING.  

Runs will begin with Advanced.  Lunch break will be at Judges discretion.

SPECIALTIES (CARDIGAN CORGIS AND AUSTRALIAN CATTLE DOGS ONLY)

ALL BREED TRIALS

CANADIAN CARDIGAN CORGI CLUB

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2014

GENERAL BRIEFING AT 7:30, FOLLOWED BY TRIAL #1 HANDLERS BRIEFING

ALL BREED TRIALS

AUSTRALIAN CATTLE DOG CLUB OF CANADA

THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014

GENERAL BRIEFING AT 7:30, FOLLOWED BY TRIAL #1 HANDLERS BRIEFING

Winchester Cattle Co

Township Road 45 - A

Pincher Creek, Alberta

Directions to Trial Site

From Calgary:

Take #2 South, then head West on #3, then head South on #6 - Pincher Creek.  You will be skirting the edges of town so be sure that when you come to the traffic circle you go ¾ of the way around that will keep you on #6.  At the traffic lights, there is only one set, take an odometer reading as it is 16.5 K on #6 South to the turnoff.  You will be going South toward Waterton Lakes National Park. You will be turning west (right) onto Township Road 45 - A. It is a gravel road. Follow for 2k. As you come over the hill you will see the farm. If you go under a train trestle you have gone too far! Turn around come North and take the first turn to the west (left). We have a lot of deer, elk and moose in this area so watch for them when driving from Pincher Creek to the farm please. I will have bright orange Cardigan's marking the trail from the highway.

Neo the Newf Debuts

Once again the Spruce Meadows Prairie Dog entertainment group has a Newfoundland on course thanks to the Miller family.  Neo, gentle giant, was out to show the crowd that a well bred, well- trained, well- behaved dog is a pleasure to behold, large or small.  The tunnels that shepherds can whiz through require a  dog of Neo's stature to stretch out in order to go through but he did it!
Always an enjoyable show, the Prairie dogs have been a fixture at Spruce Meadows for over 25 years providing quality canine entertainment to the thousands of people who pass through the gates.  Good on you, Neo, for your part!

Old Dogs

I just looked around our kennel yard and discovered that my dogs are getting old.  And that there is nothing quite like an old dog.  They have different rules...... the usual rules simply don't apply.

Like the recall, for instance.  Needs modification if Token doesn't hear.  And so off I go in my slippers and housecoat doing the "can you see me dance" in hopes that she will actually notice my arrival and join me.

And the schedule of in and out.... that changes.  Mesa dictates that immediately upon arriving in the house and doing a quick check of cat bowls and a search for rawhide parts, that she should be let out to lie in the cool grassy shade of the kennel, leaving everyone in the house on RED alert should a car turn into the drive way, where upon the race to catch Mesa before she rushes down the drive to greet the vehicle ensues.

Ownership of 'things' increases its bubble of propriety and the young dogs now stay 10 feet away from anything on the floor in front of old dogs, whether they own it or not.  Lip lifting is key to ownership.  No need to growl or get closer to object.  Just lift lip.   They know.

And the walks are different, too.  Rather than have "the girls" follow along in tow, we now make the pasture the most interesting place for walks, with 'stuff' dropped around so that it's more of a search than just a walk.   And sometimes it's a race to see who can find what in the least amount of time.
Doesn't matter.  There's always enough for two.... or three.

I thought of my friends and we each have at least one old dog.  Just got an email from LouAnne and a great picture of Never, her corgi, who has taken over the supervision of the greenhouse.  A new job for an old dog.

Time for more pics.....

Send us one of your old dog.

The Prez 

SAWHDA at NACA

Whoa!  Congratulations to Carol and Emily on their first leg towards the RAE title with an 89/100 in Advanced and a 98/100 in Excellent!  Not bad for someone who was "tagging along"...
 Joan and Zsuree not only Q'ed with High in Class Advanced A, but gained her RA title as well.  One of Zsuree's pups, Gemma, whom we met in Red Deer at the nosework test, earned a HIC Rally Novice A and her RN title. Very cool.
 And.... Maureen and Levi took the Rally Advanced B class with that ever exciting perfect score !!!!!!  Yayyyyy!
Best of luck today to everyone. 

While the ladies were struttin' their stuff at NACA, we in the South were enjoying the perfect day with friends and dogs doing scent hurdle, obedience, and rally in the sunshine.  It was a relaxing day and all the dogs provided us with some good performances.  We must do this again!
 Amanda took the best pictures to record the day! Thank you so much, and thanks to everyone for making the trip to Shadowbar! 
Thanks, Mother Nature, too.

Good luck to everyone at the Lethbridge show in Coaldale next weekend! Remember to pitch in where you can as the club is small but mighty and appreciates help.

The Prez

New Jackets for Scent Hurdle Team

Huge thanks to Gwen Unrau for undertaking the sewing of new jackets for our Due South Dogs!!
The jackets will be ready for our race dates in Lethbridge June 6/7.  Can't wait to try them on.
As well, our handlers will be sporting new white pinnies  (like the ones the handlers in specialties wear) with Due South embroidered on them.
With our scent hurdle rules looking at other dogs being allowed to run with our team in times of need, we can now offer the new dog's handler a bib to put over his original team outfit and he will become a Due South member just like that.  Magic.
 I am looking into having crests of our  SAWHDA logo made so we can have those sewn on the bibs, too.
 Hope some of you can make the practice and fun day at Shadowbar May 31st.  Last chance before the  show.

Happy to see that we will have a good number of team dogs racing at Lethbridge.  Beautiful venue.

The Prez

Clap for the Cardi's and BC's

Hands together for Lore and Daisy May and Remi as they attended the Dave And Trudy Vickland clinic and the AHBA sheep trials at Watrous, Saskatchewan, last weekend. And what a weekend. 
Despite the rainy conditions, Daisy May finished her Level  1 arena title with a High in Trial, and then completed her Level 1 stockdog title as well. Remi picked up one score in each class at the level 1. Fido got his title for level 1 stockdog and a leg on level 2. and went on to complete his level 2 arena title with ..... A High in Trial!  What a rush!!
Congratulations,, Lore!!!

Amanda is pleased as can be with the awesome performance in the field trials at Okotoks, this weekend.  Brit worked with some very tough sheep and held her ground and Leo managed to pen his sheep and get a first place in his class!!!  Working two dogs with such different personalities is taxing and Amanda manages to have just the balance needed to make it happen.

Look out sheeps!!!!

The Prez

SAWHDA Happenings