Good luck to our Due South Scent Hurdle Team as they head to Balzac June 20th to compete against four other teams and pick up some extra dog points before the LDKC Agility Trials in
July. Luckily, we were able to borrow a sheltie from Ann McMillan to round out our team as we shall be missing three of our team members, Julie, Max, and Jagged.
Good luck to Denise and Sylvia as they compete at Sit Happens! in Calgary to gain more titles and points in WCR with all their dogs. We shall miss your presence.
Also good luck to Jenn and Abby and Spencer.
Keep tuned !!!!
The Prez.
The Gang
Ain't We Got Fun?
Friday, June 19, 2015
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Weekend to Remember
On the May long weekend, SAWHDA members, Lore Bruder and I, Judi Snowdon, with my friend Sharlet Caroe, drove to Hope, BC, for the DownRiver Farms CKC Herding Trials. What a weekend.
For those who are not 'in the know' when it comes to the classes offered in CKC herding, there are two classes offered; Stockdog and Arena. There are three levels of herding in each of the classes, beginning with Started, then Intermediate, and last of all, Advanced on the way to earning titles.
A team has to earn three qualifying scores at each level in order to gain a title in that level.
The Stockdog class is comprised of various 'chores' that a dog would do around the ranch.
Things like gathering stock and putting them through footbaths or into pens or trailers or through chutes and then sorting them into various groups, gathering or driving 7 sheep here and there in as straight a line as possible from one area to another without losing control of the sheep or upsetting them.
The Arena herding is more prescribed than Stockdog and it has a defined number of activities that the dog must carry out. The dog gets the sheep from a Take Pen and then, depending on the level of competition, it must fetch or drive the sheep in as straight a line as possible from one point to another. At some point, the dog must exhibit a 'call off' the sheep and it has to put the sheep through fence line and free-standing obstacles and it has to repen the sheep, after holding them back from the gate.
Lore had Remi and Daisy-May and I had my husband's dog, Drummer all entered in the Intermediate Stockdog (on sheep) and Arena (on sheep) classes.
At the end of the weekend, Remi had completed his Stockdog Intermediate title with two 4th place ribbons. He had also gained a 3rd place in Arena work.
Daisy-May picked up two Q's towards her Intermediate Stockdog title with a 1st place ribbon and a Reserve High In Trial. She also gained 2 Q's in Arena work with a 4th place and she won the award for having both Beauty and Brains!!
Drummer received three High Combined Shetland Sheepdog awards and one High Scoring Shetland Sheepdog. He finished his Arena Intermediate title with a High in Trial, and took a Reserve High in Trial & two Q's towards his Intermediate Stockdog title which he could have finished as well, if his handler had hustled and shut the gate sooner. TIME!! Five seconds.... lost it by five seconds. Grrrrr.
Goes to prove that Sheepherding is not for sissies!!! Plus we get to play at Lore's Cardigan Corgi trials in July!!!
A professional photographer was on hand to take some pretty impressive photos of the dogs working. Lore's photos have some explanation to them so here goes:
Remi working 7 sheep in stock dog. Good distance.
Remi taking sheep through y-chute
Lore's loot. What a great weekend!
Drum and I waiting for the sheep to be sent out.
Drive done....phew!
Ready to gather, lift and fetch to post.
For those who are not 'in the know' when it comes to the classes offered in CKC herding, there are two classes offered; Stockdog and Arena. There are three levels of herding in each of the classes, beginning with Started, then Intermediate, and last of all, Advanced on the way to earning titles.
A team has to earn three qualifying scores at each level in order to gain a title in that level.
The Stockdog class is comprised of various 'chores' that a dog would do around the ranch.
Things like gathering stock and putting them through footbaths or into pens or trailers or through chutes and then sorting them into various groups, gathering or driving 7 sheep here and there in as straight a line as possible from one area to another without losing control of the sheep or upsetting them.
The Arena herding is more prescribed than Stockdog and it has a defined number of activities that the dog must carry out. The dog gets the sheep from a Take Pen and then, depending on the level of competition, it must fetch or drive the sheep in as straight a line as possible from one point to another. At some point, the dog must exhibit a 'call off' the sheep and it has to put the sheep through fence line and free-standing obstacles and it has to repen the sheep, after holding them back from the gate.
Lore had Remi and Daisy-May and I had my husband's dog, Drummer all entered in the Intermediate Stockdog (on sheep) and Arena (on sheep) classes.
At the end of the weekend, Remi had completed his Stockdog Intermediate title with two 4th place ribbons. He had also gained a 3rd place in Arena work.
Daisy-May picked up two Q's towards her Intermediate Stockdog title with a 1st place ribbon and a Reserve High In Trial. She also gained 2 Q's in Arena work with a 4th place and she won the award for having both Beauty and Brains!!
Drummer received three High Combined Shetland Sheepdog awards and one High Scoring Shetland Sheepdog. He finished his Arena Intermediate title with a High in Trial, and took a Reserve High in Trial & two Q's towards his Intermediate Stockdog title which he could have finished as well, if his handler had hustled and shut the gate sooner. TIME!! Five seconds.... lost it by five seconds. Grrrrr.
Goes to prove that Sheepherding is not for sissies!!! Plus we get to play at Lore's Cardigan Corgi trials in July!!!
A professional photographer was on hand to take some pretty impressive photos of the dogs working. Lore's photos have some explanation to them so here goes:
Remi working 7 sheep in stock dog. Good distance.
Remi taking sheep through y-chute
Getting ready to put sheep into foot
bath, slow and steady, lots of gate work.
Daisy holding sheep to the trailer
Daisy holding sheep in a chute. Lambs are not people friendly so they can pop out easily. A fine line to hold sheep just right. Reserve High in Trial for this run.
Daisy taking sheep through the y-chute
Lore's loot. What a great weekend!
Drum and I waiting for the sheep to be sent out.
Impaired Driving !!!!
Drive done....phew!
Ready to gather, lift and fetch to post.
Thank you to everyone who made the weekend so memorable. To DownRiver, to the judges, to the stock handlers, the clubs who offered the trials, the sheep, and of course, to our dogs.
"That'll do, Babe.
That'll do."
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Agility seminar April 25,2015
Perfect Pooches agility training presents instructor
Ramona Stirling from Calgary to teach from a NADAC perspective of agility.
This is a great chance to kick off your agility year.
The PREZ
9:00 - 11:30 - for our more Advanced Agility students.
12:30 - 3:00 - for our more Beginner Agility students
For those of you who are already attending classes (Sundays & Mondays) there is NO CHARGE except that we ask you to bring a food item for a Pot Luck Lunch to be held on that day 12:30 - 1:30. Perfect Pooches will provide beverages, buns, plates, & cutlery.
For those of you who are NOT attending agility classes currently the fee is $50 plus an item for the Pot Luck Lunch.
EACH PERSON NEEDS TO REGISTER IN ADVANCE!!
Complete the enclosed Registration Form and return to me NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, APRIL 24.
OWNER'S NAME_______________________
ADDRESS, PHONE #, & EMAIL ADDRESS
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
DOG'S NAME____________BREED(S)_______________
DESCRIBE WHAT SKILLS YOU WOULD LIKE HELP WITH (e.g. focus, forward motion, weaves, tunnels, jumps, contacts, speed, etc.)
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
Dress for the weather and because there will be times when your dog has to wait their turn, bring a crate so your dog can have a comfortable place to relax.
If you have any questions or concerns contact me.
Evelyn
You can text me at 403-315-3262 as well as email info@perfectpooches.com or phone 403-381-6890
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Congratulations
Congratulations MaryEllen Whyte and Tessa on their group 2 win at the Battle River Dog Show first time out in 2015
Thanks to Judge Michael Hill for finding this bitch from the Breed ring.
Sunday, February 8, 2015
What a weekend!!! Back-to-back seminars! Southern Alberta Working/Herding Dog Association, you have done it again.
Amazing instructors with so much information and the ability to make every participant feel encouraged and supported.
Thank you, Amanda Labadie, for explaining what nose work is all about and showing us the steps that go into building a solid foundation for the sport. Pixel was the best demo dog, indicating her find with a solid down. All the dog/handler teams were successful and entertaining as each dog had its own way of "telling" us that it had, indeed, found the "find". Tails wagging, ears forward, ears out to the side, tail wag stopping,
feet on box, nose pushing on box, and not to forget Noelle's raised right eye brow... don't know how Sheena could miss that.
We loved the games and enjoyed each other's company a whole lot. The fact that lunch was included was also appreciated by all participants, some of whom came from as far away as Grand Prairie, Red Deer, Calgary, and Cranbrook to "play" hide and seek with dogs.
And, thank you Sheena Malone for taking us through the various methods of weaving that are out there for dogs to try. The gates and the wires and the 3x3's were really fun to learn and went from easy, easy, to a challenge. Big and little, newbies and dogs that already had a good
weave ethic were all on a level playing field when it came to the new approaches.
We got to try the weave-a-matics and found that while some dogs took to it naturally, others were not impressed with the method. Same with the wires. They took some getting used to for the dogs that were touch sensitive.
Throughout the entire day, we were given all kinds of pointers on handling and set-ups so that our dogs could be successful and pumped about weaving.
When time ran out (boo hoo) handlers interested in learning more about the 2x2 weaves were told to google utube 2x2 weaves k9 dancer, for the absolute best video and instructions for introducing and proofing the 2x2 weaves. This video, attached at the end of our blog, is stellar!
Thanks to all those who were able to stay to help clean up. As usual, the work was done in short order. To the SAWHDA organizers, you rock.
Gates
Now all that is left is setting up practice times so we can help each other. And isn't that what we are all about?
The Prez
Amazing instructors with so much information and the ability to make every participant feel encouraged and supported.
Thank you, Amanda Labadie, for explaining what nose work is all about and showing us the steps that go into building a solid foundation for the sport. Pixel was the best demo dog, indicating her find with a solid down. All the dog/handler teams were successful and entertaining as each dog had its own way of "telling" us that it had, indeed, found the "find". Tails wagging, ears forward, ears out to the side, tail wag stopping,
feet on box, nose pushing on box, and not to forget Noelle's raised right eye brow... don't know how Sheena could miss that.
We loved the games and enjoyed each other's company a whole lot. The fact that lunch was included was also appreciated by all participants, some of whom came from as far away as Grand Prairie, Red Deer, Calgary, and Cranbrook to "play" hide and seek with dogs.
Carolyn and Ben (the destroyer)
Lore and Daisy May
Donnie and Soleil
Darlene and Ben (7 seconds from start to find)
Laura and Sir
And, thank you Sheena Malone for taking us through the various methods of weaving that are out there for dogs to try. The gates and the wires and the 3x3's were really fun to learn and went from easy, easy, to a challenge. Big and little, newbies and dogs that already had a good
weave ethic were all on a level playing field when it came to the new approaches.
We got to try the weave-a-matics and found that while some dogs took to it naturally, others were not impressed with the method. Same with the wires. They took some getting used to for the dogs that were touch sensitive.
Throughout the entire day, we were given all kinds of pointers on handling and set-ups so that our dogs could be successful and pumped about weaving.
When time ran out (boo hoo) handlers interested in learning more about the 2x2 weaves were told to google utube 2x2 weaves k9 dancer, for the absolute best video and instructions for introducing and proofing the 2x2 weaves. This video, attached at the end of our blog, is stellar!
Thanks to all those who were able to stay to help clean up. As usual, the work was done in short order. To the SAWHDA organizers, you rock.
Working with wires
Weave-a-matics
Gates
2X2 weaves
The Prez
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
AKC Scent Hurdle Rocked!
First of all, let us congratulate our SAWHDA scent team, DUE SOUTH, on placing second at the AKC Scent Hurdle Races last weekend at Spruce Meadows! What teamwork. Thank you all for pulling together and working at the event as well. Deb says it ran smoothly and efficiently, thanks to all the team members being ready to race when needed.
Congratulations to the dog/handler teams that now have new titles. I love that Kelly has already send the Certificates from CSHDA to us. If you wish to get the formal certificate from the CKC, it costs $20 & gst. This is a CKC recognized title. If you are happy with our CSHDA certificates, that is fine.
Our next race is in Calgary on February 14, 2015.
Congratulations to Castle and Drummer on being invited to attend the USA Rally National Championships at Grey Summit, Missouri, in March of 2015. Good for you, boys.
Our SAWHDA Nosework seminar is February 7th starting at 9:30 a.m. at the Cowley Hall.
A small lunch will be provided. A reminder to participants that payment is due by January
31st to SAWHDA, by cheque or money order. $50 for members and 75$ for non-members.
All material is provided.
This workshop will be followed by a Weaves Workshop on February 8th at the Cowley Hall starting at 9:00 a.m. Five different methods will be demonstrated and participants will have the opportunity to try their dogs on each.
Cost is $35.00 for SAWHDA members and $50 for non-members.
The Prez
Congratulations to the dog/handler teams that now have new titles. I love that Kelly has already send the Certificates from CSHDA to us. If you wish to get the formal certificate from the CKC, it costs $20 & gst. This is a CKC recognized title. If you are happy with our CSHDA certificates, that is fine.
Our next race is in Calgary on February 14, 2015.
Congratulations to Castle and Drummer on being invited to attend the USA Rally National Championships at Grey Summit, Missouri, in March of 2015. Good for you, boys.
Our SAWHDA Nosework seminar is February 7th starting at 9:30 a.m. at the Cowley Hall.
A small lunch will be provided. A reminder to participants that payment is due by January
31st to SAWHDA, by cheque or money order. $50 for members and 75$ for non-members.
All material is provided.
This workshop will be followed by a Weaves Workshop on February 8th at the Cowley Hall starting at 9:00 a.m. Five different methods will be demonstrated and participants will have the opportunity to try their dogs on each.
Cost is $35.00 for SAWHDA members and $50 for non-members.
The Prez
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Christmas Fun Day at Cowley
Just got the photos from our Christmas Fun Day... thank you so much, Lore.
We really had a great day, from the games at the Cowley Hall to the luncheon put on by the Back Country Outhouse Restaurant in Cowley.
Congrats, Lore, on winning the 50/50 prize!!! Our part of the winnings will go towards our Christmas do for 2015!!!
Enjoy the pictures and remember to pay your 2015 membership asap so you can also enjoy the discounts for club days and workshops.
Novel Rally is nothing like Novice Rally.
Every exercise is proofing for your dog and entertainment for the rest of us.
Here's Carol doing the hula hoop exercise while Emily sits in wonder....
Getting the dog to step up onto an inverted bowl was more difficult than it seemed.
Recall through the 'narrows' and
then handler returns to heel.
We even offered a chance for dogs to do some
'nosework' and all of them had successful strikes on box #3!!
Easy to see that we are an easy-going group. Check out the dogs' posture. So relaxed.
Bailey was the entertainment for the day! She was soooo excited to do the go-back to the treat bowl that she lost her cool and tore through the door, onto the stage, off the stage, across the hall and ended up with her feet on the kitchen counter!!! Here she is barking at Nikki because she thinks heeling is over-rated.
Once again, it is good practice for dog shows to have your dogs relax while waiting for their turn in the ring. Here are Tubby's dogs waiting patiently for their turns.
We had a flyable machine and a pitching machine set up so dogs could try out their luck at catching a ball. Justice was not about to share his ball with Shar.
Once the games were done, our band of merry-makers moved to the Back Country Outhouse Restaurant for an enjoyable catered Christmas dinner. Fun, good friends, and lots of laughter accompanied the meal and it was great to have everyone together.
Moira and Leo, host to "Top of the World" summer party, joined the fun, having just returned from a tour of Europe.
The last 50/50 draw of the year was won by Lore and it was over $50!! Not bad for a little club.
As the old year comes to a close, and we focus on the new, may all of our members find peace, health, and happiness in 2015!
God Bless.
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