Ferguson wins a trophy!!

Ferguson made his final showing of the season today near the IL / WI border. He is about 1 week shy of turning 1 year old. It's been very different having a male and watching his physical development (and he has a vastly different temperament to boot) from our female, whose physical development was "proportional" the whole way. We had about written Ferguson off (NOT as a PET of course!) as a conformation dog given his "middlish" placements this season. We THOUGHT he was starting to "come together" in his physical development, and we're very glad we took him to this show today!!

He not only made the top 3 in his class (3 trophies only per class ) but he was rated VP-1 (Very Promising, First Place). Even more exciting was the judges critique where the judge had NOTHING negative to say about his conformation, temperament or movement!!!

So we're pretty thrilled. And if you think the judging is complex under COP - try figuring out the "comparison to breed standard" of a German Shepherd Dog!! At any rate, I'm sure many of my friends here have already seen my trillion pictures of my babies. But in case not, here is a link to their respective "Brag Pages."

Thanks to all of you for indulging me once again.

http://www.godtw.com/Mittelwest/Kimba/DogsToWork.html Click on their names to see more.

DG

That's So Cool!.

OT -- But isn't that a full sized horse (Beth's pony)? What a beauty.

MM

Congratulation's to Ferguson! You sound like a very proud Mommy.

Mathman said:

That's So Cool!.

OT -- But isn't that a full sized horse (Beth's pony)? What a beauty.

MM

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Yep. One Ton of Fun. I don't have him anymore, but I sure have some AWESOME memories of competing with him. He is a Standardbred who at about 4 years old, "came of the racetrack" into the show horse world. He has an awesome temperament, and was very versatile in the "show horse world" in the Road Horse category. He showed successfully under saddle, to bike (the picture you saw) and to wagon.

There is deep tradition in the Road Horse category. While it doesn't mean all this today, originally "real working horses" were "dusted off" on certain weekends and "shown" at places like the county fair just for fun. (same was true back then for plow horses, and also "fancy" horses that pulled the carriages of the "wealthy." ) The historic tradition of the "Road Horse" is mainly the "fast horse" that people like doctors had (and needed) - allowing them to respond quickly to medical need (especially emergency) situations. But on their "day off" - they competed at the local fair grounds.

Of course in today's competitive world, these horses no longer have "real" jobs. But the tradition in small part remains. George (registered name - "The Secret's Out") was best in the "Road Horse to Wagon" category, which is closest to the original tradition - a strong, fast horse able to pull a big heavy wagon to get to an emergency with the doctor, and potentially move patient(s) back to a place for treatment in the wagon.

When I first bought George, there was a "horse to beat" who had dominated the wagon category for years. Owned by a person in the Anheiser-Bush family. Lots of money, lots of clout. After 3 years of trying and competing (and you think politics exist in figure skating??? ) We finally got 2 big wins over Autobahn. (the A/B horse - who was very good in addition to being very well connected!!)

My circumstances changed, and I sold George. He went on to even better owners than me from the standpoint of people who could afford to show him whenever and wherever. He obtained many additional National and World Championship titles. I feel honored to have been part of his life for a few years.

And Czarina, YOU BET I am one very proud mommy!!!!!!!

Thanks you guys!!

DG

That is very exciting news! Congratulations!

I just took a glance at my own furball. She's not a show dog but at the moment, she sure does seem happy licking her own feet!

RealtorGal said:

That is very exciting news! Congratulations!

I just took a glance at my own furball. She's not a show dog but at the moment, she sure does seem happy licking her own feet!

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While we're having a blast in our Newbiedom (Newbiedumb?) to the show world, our mutts give us equal pleasure. We have a terrific lady who comes to our house to take care of the critters at home if we can take them all with us to the dog shows. She always leaves a detailed hand written note for every visit! I was thrilled to see her write about our aging Beagle whom she hadn't seen in several months..."MY Buck looks really good! And he was so energetic running the yard!!" And about Cleo - "we played with her Red Ball, and had lots of fun. When I called her to come into the house, she came!!" Those moments are equally precious.

Just be glad your furball is happy licking her own feet. Imagine if she was happier licking YOUR feet. Many thanks for your kind congratulations!!! Our dogs really are our "kids" so we get really stupid about them most of the time.

DG

Congrats, Dirty Old Lady! I am looking at my show quality doberman and laughing.........she is a lovely creature, but I don't think a less intelligent critter has ever been made. She would be the spazzy, ADHD pup on the dog show circuit. But, I suppose that just makes me love her more. She is very sweet and loyal.
BTW, I know we touched on this subject (in a thread where it was completely irrelevant) some time ago, but we never finished the discussion. How long have you been showing? We have had several show quality dobermans, and showed one for about a year. It was such a different, interesting world and there are actually times that I miss it. It was such hard work though, and ultimately our dog became very unhappy with it. He actually seemed depressed.....but then again, dobermans are known for their emotional fragility. Anyway, once again, I am excited to hear that your dogs are doing so well!

BronzeisGolden said:

BTW, I know we touched on this subject (in a thread where it was completely irrelevant) some time ago, but we never finished the discussion. How long have you been showing?

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Do you ever miss showing your dobies? I agree with you - I wouldn't do it if my dogs didn't enjoy it. And LOL it's a lot less work to just enjoy them as family pets!! I do think if we get to a point where for whatever reason it would not be good to show our dogs, we would still go watch. Maybe.?. Did you show under AKC? I think there are similarities but also differences between AKC showing and the organizations we show under, which mirror the "German way." (for better or worse )

This wraps up our second season showing. It's really "just for fun" in the first year with the puppies. This was Kimba's second season - everything gets more serious as they get older. And she is down in KY with a trainer right now as she needs to get her Schutzhund (aka Chupperschnitzel ) titles so she can continue showing in the Working Dog class (for dogs over 2 years old). We really miss her, but she is with a really good trainer who has also become a good friend. Kimba will be trialing for her obedience title (BH) on December 2. If she passes that, then she will trial for her Schutzhund 1 title in late December or January which involves tracking, obedience and protection tests. Then we HOPE she can be ready to get her Schutzhund 2 title in February or March (a more advanced version of the 1) and also somewhere in there get her official Breed Survey done. (that just means that by the German standards for the dogs, she is considered a good quality German Shepherd for breeding).

THEN in April there is a national show in CT. If all of the above go according to plan, then she will show for the first time in the Working Dog class to hopefully get a nice show rating. Geez - I'm out of breath already thinking about all this!! If she gets either a V (Excellent) or VA (Excellent Select) show rating, THEN we will be busy picking a boyfriend for her.

Mean time, my hubby wants to learn with Ferguson to do his titling himself. So hopefully by next summer, hubby will be working with him on the endurance test (AD) then the obedience title (BH) and hopefully a Shutzhund 1 title before 2006 is out. Mean time, we will still be able to show him in the Youth Dog and Young Dog age groups at the shows.

It's going to be a nail biter of a winter with Kimba going here and there to get the important stuff done. Ferguson will enjoy the winter season on the couch with the Beagle and the Mutt. So that's the crazy show life around here!! I can see why people get into it and love to keep going. We've made LOTS of new friends and it's fun going to the shows and catching up with everyone.

At any rate, we're still having fun and looking forward to season #3 next year!! Who knows - maybe the Dog Show Bug will bite you again someday - you never know! :agree:

DG

DG,
sounds like Ferguson is well on his way to that conform. title. Am I reading the brag page right - that was at a specialty show? I think that makes the bragging rights even more special. Hope Ferguson enjoys his couch time and training Daddy time. (why should you have all the fun by yourself???)

Good luck on Kimba's title runs too. And keep having FUN!

Hi Doggygirl! HUGE congrats on your latest news!!! . Sorry I've been AWOL lately.... I've gotten out of the habit of posting and haven't quite gotten back into it. :sheesh:

I'm so glad to see that you're doing so well with your furkids, and that you're enjoying showing as much as I have been! I couldn't agree more about how much fun it is, and how the fact that the dogs enjoy it to the extent they do is what makes taking part in these sports such a blast.

My guys are keeping busy as well.... We're working towards Ike's CDX in obedience, and both boys are working towards their Rally Versatility titles as well (offered through the Canadian Association of Rally Obedience - Versatility is the highest level and is brand new, so working through the details has been interesting, to say the least!).

Congratulatory hugs, and cheers!
GoldenLady

Hi JO and Goldenlady!!

Jo, I've heard the term "specialty" before - I think that is related to the AKC showing, right? While the dogs all have to be AKC registered, (or equivalent registration from other countries) we haven't shown under the AKC organization - at least not yet!! We show under two other organizations - the GSDCA-WDA (German Shepherd Dog Clubs of America - Working Dog Association) and also the United Schutzhund Clubs of America. So it's all German Shepherds at the shows. Thanks for your congratulations - it was fun and VERY unexpected!! Of course those of you who show or have shown dogs are well aware of the "politics" (both real and imagined LOL) in the dog world. I really was impressed with the judge at this show when I realized he put Ferguson ahead of an imported dog from the judge's own kennel!! This was a small show, and it would have been quite easy for him to "take care of his customer." While it's fun to win, it's even more fun to show under a judge that you believe is placing the dogs as he truly sees them, and is not playing politics. So I would travel greater distances in the future just to show under they judge again, and get his critiques of my dogs for better or worse.

Goldenlady!!!! It's so good to see you here again!!!! Congratulations on your progress with your doggies. It sounds like you've had a very busy summer. Good luck in your quest for the the CDX and Rally Versatility titles.

I will be a nervous wreck on the day Kimba will be going for her BH. I talked to her trainer yesterday. She's truly ready with all the skills. Probably the most worrisome part is the long down. While one dog does the field obedience routine, another dog has to stay in a long down off leash with the handler something like 10 meters away, with their back to the dog. Then they trade places and the other dog does a long down while the other does the routine. They also test temperament with gun shots during the long down. Kimba is not gun shy, but she's very energetic and probably one of the more challenging aspects of training for this has been just getting her to stay in the long down no matter what else is going on around her.

Hubby and I won't be at the trial - it's probably better that way. So we'll have a huge nail biter going on waiting for the phone call!!

Thanks to everyone for your words of support!! And good luck to everyone who competes, and big hugs to all the couch potatoes too!!

DG

Yes, specialty is a show for one breed, so it will be all dobies or whatever. I know there are a bunch of organizations that specialize and I pretty much figured groups like schutzhund are very close and full of people and dogs that are quite competitive, so it still counts as extra special to get that encouragement from that judge. Especially knowing that he played no favorites.

Should we take up a collection and send you press on nails while you wait for Kimba's trial????

JOHIO2 said:

Should we take up a collection and send you press on nails while you wait for Kimba's trial????

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I don't know what press on nails taste like. Maybe chocolate would be better?

DG

Doggygirl said:

I don't know what press on nails taste like. Maybe chocolate would be better?

DG

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Okay then - how about chocolate press-on nails?

Sounds like Kimba's training is really going well!! As for the stays, it's amazing just how long those exercises can seem to go on, isn't it? It's a different scenario from what you're describing (which is an "honour" exercise type of concept), but we're currently working on three-minute sit stays and down stays with the handlers out of sight (usually in a different room). So while my guy will have to do his stays with a variety of distractions going on around him, including other dogs trialing in the other rings, I won't be there to see what he does - or doesn't do. Getting back to the subject of Kimba, it's terrific to see that she's doing every bit as well as it seemed she would, right from all the potential she showed as a young pup. She is really doing you and your hubby proud!!! :agree:

Cheers!
GoldenLady

GoldenLady said:

Okay then - how about chocolate press-on nails?


Cheers!
GoldenLady

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Now we're talkin'!! Yes the long stays are rough. Sometimes the judge has the host club set up a blind where the handler has to hide totally out of sight of the dog. I've seen this more in the obedience portion of the SchH 3 level than the lower levels. I hope they don't do that, but it's one of those things that's up to the judge. Three minutes can be a VERY long time while doing that exercise!! I haven't timed the length of the obedience routine, and it varies a little bit depending on the dog/handler team and also the judge. There are phases to the routine and between each phase the judge pauses to make a few notes and then gives a signal when it's time to continue. I'm guessing probably about 5 minutes but it seems like forever.

The last part of the BH is a traffic test where Kimba will just have to heel with Cindy and joggers and bikers will pass them by from the front and from behind and Kimba will have to stay calm and not bark or lunge or anything at the bikers / joggers. She will also have to be walking along and a car pulls up sort of "faking" a situation where someone stops to ask directions. The judges have some discretion with the traffic test exercises too, but probably the toughest one I've seen is where all the dogs who are trialing are "tied out" and their handlers have to hide completely out of side. Then one at a time, the handler/dog teams have to walk past all the tied out dogs with no handlers around to correct them. All of the dogs have to mind their manners.

I'm still most worried about the long down though.

DG

Doggygirl said:

I don't know what press on nails taste like. Maybe chocolate would be better?
DG

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OK, DG. Do you think we could get funding for a company to make chocolate press-on nails??? Think what a market there could be!

JOHIO2 said:

OK, DG. Do you think we could get funding for a company to make chocolate press-on nails??? Think what a market there could be!

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Especially on FS boards with the Oly's approaching!