Safi is a new Canadian champion!

I'm very happy to report that in only two weekends of showing Safi is a now a Canadian champion! This makes her Am/Can Ch United's First Edition. She was shown by my friend Heidi Gervais who did a lovely job with her and in her words "she showed like a rock star!". I love hearing that. :) Safi is a very "up" dog, and is always on alert. To me she embodies the Doberman temperament laid out in the official breed standard: " Energetic, watchful, determined, alert, fearless, loyal and obedient". That is Safi to a T! I love this bitch(let's face it, I love them all. ;) ) and now that she has her dual championships I will continue on with her in performance.

Hope everyone had a great weekend. The weather was beautiful and sunny here, and looks to be continuing in that vein today. The sun is coming up over the hills right now and the sky is clear. It's cold out there, but I'm not complaining, makes for less muddy feet to clean up after. ;)

Showing, training and making plans!

Well, both my little ones came down with an awful cold/flu and after caring for them for two long weeks I ended up with a nasty sinus infection myself. Needless to say there was no dog show for us! I did end up sending Safi over to the Ladies Kennel Club show with a handler though and she did very well, winning all the points on both Friday and Saturday, putting her at a total of five(halfway to her championship) her first weekend out. Everything worked out so well with her handler that I am going to send her to the next show with the same handler and concentrate on getting things caught up here.

London and I have been attending obedience class as we work to get ready for an obedience trial in April in Victoria. After a lay off of the last few months she was a little rusty to begin with but is coming along very well. I train multiple times during the week, and really look forward to our Thursday class as it gives me a chance to see how she can perform with all the distractions being in a group of other dogs can bring. She is doing very well. :)

I have been playing with the idea of getting Lexi ready for some rally obedience trials as she really loves to work and rally is very fun for the dogs. You are able to talk to them during the trial itself, and it offers a real change of pace from structured obedience(which is also fun, just different). With Lexi already having her CD(Companion Dog) title in obedience, a RN(Rally Novice) title should be pretty easy for her. For more information about rally you can go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rally_obedience

Still on the continual search for a stud dog. This can be downright exhausting as there are just so many variables to consider. Not only do a need a pretty dog who is capable of winning in the show ring, but I also need a good temperament that is easy to live with, and train(no skittish dogs allowed at Braebrook!), and I need a dog who has passed all his health clearances, and comes from generations of dogs who have done the same. As if all that isn't enough I also have to find a pedigree that is compatible with my bitch's pedigree. I'll let you know when I come to a decision! :) I have found a few front runners that I am very excited about so it is just a matter of going over the details listed above.

The very best part of dogs is the day to day living with them. They are your companions, and all have their own special personalities. If you want to see a fun video of Phoebe that I posted to You Tube you can check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvDX4yXtToQ

Hope everyones year is going well and that you managed to stick to your resolutions! I have managed to stick to mine, although rousing myself out of bed at six in the morning can still be tough on some occasions. ;)

Gearing up for a new show season

I have put my entries in for the first dog show of the year here in BC, which is the Ladies Kennel Club of BC. The schedule is now up and there are seven class bitches so Safi and I will definitely have some competition. I am really looking forward to it, as it feels like it has been forever since I have been to a show.

I have started my current show dogs on a regular training schedule to get them ready for their time in the ring. Safi will be going to the shows until she completes her championship, and then will be taking time off to have a litter this summer. I should be able to get her to a CGN(Canine Good Neighbor) test this spring as well. This is a title that I like to have on all my dogs. It is open to all breeds(and cross breeds) and shows that your dog is well behaved and can be a good member of society. If you are interested in learning more about the test, a run down of each exercise can be found here: http://www.dogtraining.ca/canineGoodNeighbour.php

Bravo is my up and coming puppy. He is a lovely boy, but puppies go through all kinds of growth stages when they can look gangly or awkward, so I will see how he is looking as he continues to mature. He will be old enough to show next month already. Time sure does fly. :)

Phoebe is also back in training and conditioning to return to the ring selectively as a special(a special is a dog who has already completed it's championship, but continues to be shown). She is an exceptional bitch, but having come from Australia where they don't crop will hold her back with some judges. She will be shown to judges who know a good dog when they see one, and are willing to look past the drop ears.

I hope that those of you who read this blog and are located on the Lower Mainland will take the time to come out to the Ladies KC show. Please come by and say hello once I have finished showing(I tend to be quite focused before going in the ring. ;) ). The show will be at the Cloverdale Exhibition grounds in Cloverdale BC from Jan 28th to the 30th. I will be there on the Sat and Sun as I just wasn't able to get away on the Friday. For those of you with Braebrook puppies who you would like to bring by for me to see(I love it when you do! :) ) be sure to send me an e-mail and I will e-mail you my cell phone number so we can be sure to get together.

Here is a link to the show schedule:

http://www.westerndogshows.com/SCHED/2011%20Ladiesschedule.pdf

I hope those of you with dogs are enjoying them. Remember there is a fun sport out there for everyone, and it is a great way to bond with your dog. If you need suggestions, or already know what you would like to do but are having trouble getting started be sure to drop me a line as I would be happy to help you out.

Happy New Year!!

I know I am actually writing this blog entry on January third, but because New Years Day fell on a Saturday this year it didn't really feel like the New Year started until today.

I feel like 2011 is going to be a good year. There are lots of good things planned for the dogs and Braebrook, the biggest one being an impending move. Now if only the house would sell and we could get that plan in motion...... It will happen, I just have to be patient. Living in limbo can be difficult. You don't really want to do anything permanent as you could be moving at any time, so you just live each day as tidy as you can, ready to pack up kids and dogs at a moments notice for a house showing. I will be glad when it's done!

I have my first dog show of the year coming up at the end of this month. I am looking forward to getting back in the ring. I haven't shown a dog since June when I finished Phoebe's championship at the Nanaimo Kennel Club dog show. That is a long time for me, but with the things that are planned for this year I think it will be a good thing that I rested up. ;)

There are two exciting breedings planned for Braebrook this year. I am still sorting out stud dogs etc, but will post the information to the website once I have made my final decision. I have several people on a wait list already so if you might be interested in a puppy please send me an e-mail or give me a call so we can get the ball rolling.

Must run and feed the hounds. I was up at 6am this morning as part of my New Years resolution of "early to bed, early to rise and get more outdoor exercise". Yes, I know it rhymes, but it makes it easier to repeat to myself. ;) I'm watching the sun rise as I type this so I am on the right track.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas holiday and has lots of great things planned for 2011.

I leave you with this quote from Walt Disney: "If you can dream it, you can do it".

Not a bad quote to start the New Year with.

Rita Mae Brown

I recently started reading a series of books by the above author and have enjoyed them so much I just had to share. They main character is Jane "Sister" Arnold and she is MFH(Master of Foxhounds) of the Jefferson Hunt Club. The stories are essentially murder mysteries but they are so much more than that as well. I love reading about the beautiful countryside in Virginia and the care of and connections made with the foxhounds and horses. I have been having a hard time putting them down at night(which is about the only time I get to read) and am nearly through the fourth book in just a couple of weeks. If you get a chance I suggest you try a read. Here is a link to all the books in the series:

http://www.ritamaebrown.com/content/books_ja.asp

Things are going well here at home. All the dogs are in lovely condition and enjoying their runs outside, followed by a sleep on one of the many dog beds spread around the house.

Hope your Holidays are going well. Only seven more sleeps as my daughter would say! :)

Michael Ellis

There are so many ways and methods to train dogs. Most types of training nowadays leans towards positive training thank goodness. Gone are the days of popping collars and jerking chains to get your point across. Granted, this method worked for many dogs but generally that was because they wanted to avoid another correction not because they wanted to work for you.
My very favourite trainer is Michael Ellis. Having been involved with training working dogs in the working dog sports(schutzhund, mondio ring, french ring etc..) he really understands how their minds work. He uses marker training(this is when you "mark" a correct behaviour..some people use a clicker to mark, others use a voice command), and mostly positive methods. There is some compulsion(correction) in his training but very little and I believe that dogs need this. It helps them to learn to handle a little bit of stress, as well as helps them learn more quickly.
If you are interested in learning more about Michael Ellis's methods here is a link to him giving a lecture at the beginning of one of his training seminars: http://leerburg.com/ellislecture.htm
He has several DVDs(yes, I have them all) and they can be ordered here: http://leerburg.com/dvd.htm#ellis
He has definitely brought my training to the next level.
Happy training everyone!

Vaccinating

I decided to post about my views on vaccines after having a conversation about this with one of my puppy people. It was a good and open conversation but it made me realize that perhaps I need to make my puppy people and potential puppy people a little more aware of my views on the subject.

With my own dogs I vaccinate minimally, usually doing two sets of puppy vaccines(the most important of which is for parvo and distemper) and then if they end up going across the border for any reason than I also do a rabies vaccine, but I try not to do this before they are one year of age. After that I don't vaccinate anymore and turn to titre testing if need be. This measures their immunity levels and if they are low than they can be boosted with a nosode, or they can even be revaccinated.

For those in the area there is a great seminar coming up in Nanaimo BC given by Jean Dodds DVM. Here is a link to more information if you are interested in attending: http://www.nanaimokennelclub.ca/files/Dr%20JeanDoddsSeminarFlyerNov20-2010.pdf

And for more information on Jean Dodds herself as well as her vaccination protocol you can go to this link: http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/ and: http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/VACCINE1.HTM

Hope everyone is getting out with their dogs to enjoy this beautiful sunny day today!