Open class at Sundays show

Please note that there is an error on some of the entry forms for Sundays show at Roseisle. The Any Variety Open class has been missed out in the pedigree section. There will be an Open class and it will be held after Utility.

Read More..

My daughters are better at dog training than me

I have to admit that while observing a couple of my daughters working at training Cola this week I came to the conclusion that they are better at dog training than I am. They have more patience for it and they are more playful at it than I am.

I wonder if any of you other amateur adult dog trainers out their feel the same way about your kids?

For further regular people kind of info on dog training check out the following program:
http://tinyurl.com/dogschool.

Read More..

Companion show at Kintore

Here are a few more details on the Companion show at Farthing Croft, Clovenstone, Kintore on Sunday. Held in aid of Halfpenny Farm Animal Sanctuary.

The judge is Mrs Mickey Ramsay (Drumview), entries will be taken from 12 noon with judging starting at 1pm. £2 for first class and 50p subsequent classes.

Classes are - AV puppy, AV sporting, AV non-sporting, AV open, AV veteran, AV crossbreed or rescue, handsome dog, prettiest bitch, dog in best condition, dog the judge would most like to take home.

To reach the venue from the north, leave the A96 at the first slip road to Kintore, go under the bypass and head back towards Inverurie. Turn left at the sign for Clovenstone and it is approx 1-2 miles up the road. There should be signs for the dog show.

Read More..

Companion show at Insch

Donside Ringcraft Club held a well attended companion show at Insch last Sunday and it turned out to be a winning day for our whippets. Lizs Erin took Reserve Best In Show and John and Niamhs Mia was Best Puppy In Show.

There was also a good result in the working class, Junes Barney was 1st and Donnas River was 2nd.

By all accounts it was an enjoyable show with well filled classes. Well done to all the winners!

Thanks to Donna for the photos.

1st - 3rd in the working class

Donna and River

Read More..

Juniors at Richmond

Caitlin and Glenn both qualified for the Junior Handling semi-finals, which are held at Richmond Champ show, Guildford. This was a first trip down there for both of them and it turned out to be a very successful one for Caitlin when she was placed 4th in her class. Well done to you both on qualifying and congratulations on your place Caitlin!

It was to be a busy weekend for the Forbes family, straight after Richmond they headed back north for the long drive up to Lochaber!

Caitlin with Solo and Glenn with Poppy
Richmond 2010

Read More..

5 tips to reduce barking at home

We all know how it feels when the dog goes barking, especially at nothing in particular. The unending barks of a dog can drive you out of your skin. It is irritating. The worst part about a dog howling at nothing visible is that you cannot take care of the situation. If only you understood dog language, things would probably have been better. But I would offer five great tips to reduce your dog’s barking at home.

Tip number one is to find out why your dog barks. Yes, it seems impossible but it is possible. It may sound funny, but most of the time a dog barks, it does so because it has no other thing to do or say. Whenever it is not eating, or toying with a bone, then it could become fed up ad resort to barking.

Tip number two: we have now discovered the main reason dogs bark, and if we can solve a dog’s boredom, then in a large number of cases, we may just have eliminated unnecessary barking. To solve a dog’s boredom, you would need to give it some playtime. One such way is to go out jogging or on strolls with your dog. One great idea is to leave a big bone in its pen. You would be amazed how much magic this one does.

A third very important tip in reducing your dog’s barking is by discouraging it from doing so. Your dog must learn to know that you appreciate when it barks and needs your attention, but it must also know when it’s howling goes beyond the limit. My response to this is simple: I splash some water on my dog, and if she does not keep shut, then I know it has to be barking for a germane reason.

Now, one rule in training a dog is consistency. Dogs learn by continuous and repetitive exercises, followed up with treats and rewards. Anything short of that may never yield fruit. A good dog is trained to be fed, and would expect to be fed at a particular time of the day. A good dog owner would also keep his or her own part of the deal and feed the dog at particular times of the day. A dog barking may be a signal that it is expecting its meal or wants to pooh. That brings me to tip number four. Whatever it is you have trained your dog to do, keep your own side of the bargain.

If there is one thing a dog owner must never do to a dog, it is to scold it for barking. Dogs express themselves by barking and trying to prevent this can make your scared of you or make it a recluse. You only need to know why it is barking and make an attempt at solving the issue.

Finally, I unravel tip number five. Whenever your dog goes a-howling, give it a shoulder to lean on. Smooth its back, look around. It may be barking at a reptile or a croaking frog. Give it the “Stop” command and pat it on the head for obeying.

For more free Dog Training tips goto http://www.alldogcare.co.uk

Read More..

Companion show at Roseisle

We will be holding a Companion Show in aid of Willows Animal Sanctuary at Roseisle Hall on Sunday 15th May.

Entries will be taken from 11am and judging will start at midday. There will be pedigree, novelty and obedience classes with judging taking place in three rings. Linda Offen will judge the pedigree, Gladys McCulloch the novelty and Ian Dormund the obedience.

Refreshments will be available, with the usual pies, rolls and baking.

Everyone welcome, the more the merrier!

Read More..

New Year and time to catch up

Happy New Year to everyone!  Its nearly time for classes to start and about time this blog had an update!  So heres a catch up with some of last years happenings.

First of all, our Companion show in September.  We were very lucky with the weather, it was a beautiful day, which helped bring everyone out and led to a record amount of money raised for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.

Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to everyone who helped make the day such a success and particularly to our judges who had a very busy day in the sunshine.

Best In Show went to Morags Logie and Reserve Best In Show to Heathers Tilly who was also Best Puppy In Show.  Glenn was Best Junior Handler.

BIS line-up

 BIS, RBIS/BPIS

BJH

Triers obedience

Flyers obedience

Highers obedience

(Margaret and Ellie won this class but had to leave before the presentation)

************

Kilmarnock Open obedience show was held on the same day as our show.  Big congratulations to Fran who won the Novice class with Diva, a real achievement as its very competitive at that level.  

A very happy Fran and Diva

*************

We held an obedience match in October, thanks to Judith Owens for judging and to everyone who competed, especially all those who came over from Aberdeen.  

Judith set out interesting rounds to make things a little different and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

Class 1

Class 2

Class 3

**************

Thankfully we didnt have a repeat of last years snow and our Christmas party went ahead as planned.

Fancy dress

Skye was so pleased with her chew that her tail was just a blur!

This year the club made donations of £250 each to DAWGS and Mrs Murrays Home for Stray Dogs and Cats as well as the £600 raised from our show for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.  Ian Finney came on behalf of Hearing Dogs to collect the cheque and brought his lovely working dog, Cinders.

A donation was also made to Ellie Broadley from Keith whose family have been fund-raising in order to buy her an electric wheelchair.  We were very pleased that Ellie was able to come for the presentation.

**************

A test night was held on December 13th for Bronze, Silver and Gold.  Congratulations to all who passed and especially to Joy and Alfie whose perseverence finally paid off.  Looking forward to seeing you get your Silver!  

Ailsa had a great night with her Bostons, Chatter and Tara both passed their Bronze and Silver and Mookie passed her Gold.  I wonder how many other Bostons have achieved this?

Bronze

Silver

Gold

*****************

Congratulations to Margaret and Ellie who have been selected to be part of the team representing Scotland at the Inter-regional Obedience at Crufts! Its no mean feat and, as far as I am aware, Margaret is the first club member ever to achieve this.  Good luck, enjoy your time at Crufts and well all be rooting for you.

 **************

 

There were successes in the show ring for many club members last year, I think both Junes Benson and Elaines Zeta added to their collection of CCs.  Sues Elwood gained his JW and also took the RCC at the Papillon Club of Scotlands champ show in May, Rosa took RCC at SKC in August.  

At Midland Counties Frans Henley won the AV gundog puppy dog Dog World/Purina Pro Plan pup of the year stakes.

At Gundog Breeds Association of Scotland champ show in October Katie handled Shauns Dolce to win the puppy bitch stakes class, Katie also had success with Lara who won PG bitch stakes class.  Heathers Tilly won the junior stakes class.

Straight after Gundog Breeds was Banff, Moray and Nairn Limited show, Katie left her girls at home for a rest and let Chewie do the winning instead.  He took BOB, G1 and then RBIS!

If anyone knows of any other notable wins, please let me know.

Coming right up to date with Boston this weekend, Frans Henley won both his minor puppy and puppy classes and went on to take the RCC and Best Pup in Breed.  Congratulations!  What a great result for a youngster.  His sister, Shauns Dolce, did almost as well when she came 2nd in both of her classes.

Well done everyone, wishing you all the best of luck in the ring during 2012!

***************

Classes start back on January 24th.  Looking forward to seeing everyone!

Read More..

Why You Should Train Your Dog

Let me ask you a question, Do you think that training your dog will interrupt the wonderful relationship you share with him/her? Sure he/she does bark rather annoyingly when you take him/her out on walks, and you do have to lock him/her up during dinner parties given how it snarls and growls at your friends four year old, but that’s all ok, because that’s what dogs do right?

Ummm….not really.

Sorry to burst your bubble but in spite of not being a human being your dog too is expected to be polite. Sure his antics might seem adorable to you, you might think it’s cute when he jumps up at neighbors and scratches up doors, but your dog’s victims sure as hell wouldn’t agree with you.

You might think you do not want to exercise the sort of authority required to tell him to behave any better, and that’s all quite all right really. Being the owner of a dog doesn’t require you to suddenly transform into a whip swinging ring master and you are right in denouncing the pathetic idea of establishing who the boss is when dealing with an animal.

Where you are wrong, however, is in your basic understanding of dog training. You need to realize that training your dog is not about proving how much better you are than it, you are not trying to teach it ‘human rules’ and thereby attempting to make it more ‘human’, training is not a method of ‘humanizing’ a dog. What it is, in fact, is a way of improving the relationship you share with your pet, and of course a means of making it more sociable.

‘What’s the point of that?’ you might ask. Well, here is the thing. Most of us spend the larger fraction of our daily lives toiling in office, drinking our instant coffee, reading those balance sheets. The little time we get with our family and pets we try to merge with some sort of socializing. We go to the park for a stroll on a lovely evening after work, or to a friend’s house to watch a movie. If our dogs are unfriendly then on all these occasions we keep it back home, alone, such that in no time it’s in no way a part of our life at all.

Now, like human beings your dog too gets lonely, it gets lonely and depressed and awfully sad especially when it’s left all alone in a dark house where there isn’t anyone to pat his tired little head.

So you see ultimately due to your aversion towards training you keep your dog from enjoying the sort of company and activities it would like to.

Obedience training is a means of letting your dog cope better with it’s immediate environment. It grants every dog an easier life and makes them easier to live with. Training your dog will give you more opportunity to spend more time with your beloved pet, no matter where you are going and who you are going with.

So get in their and give your dog a nice pat and take it out for training. A few magic words like ‘heel’, ‘down’, ‘stay’, ‘come’ and ‘sit’, will change your relationship with your favorite companion forever. Good luck.

Read More..

New match date

Sorry for the short notice but our end of session match has been rearranged for 12th July. This means that the last training night will now be the 28th June. The Good Citizen test night will go ahead on the 5th July, as planned.

Read More..

How to Train a Puppy

As a dog trainer, I often get asked for helpful tips about how to train puppies. As I think of them, I will post them on this blog. Here are a few to get you started:

1)  Communicating with your dog.
Communication is needed in order to successfully train your dog.  Never be angry or upset when you start a training session, because a negative attitude could cause the dog to become apprehensive toward being trained.  Getting and keeping your dog’s attention is necessary during a training session.  Start by saying your dog’s name in a happy, upbeat tone of voice, promptly followed by the specific command you want him to obey.  If necessary, immediately enforce the desired behavior, and praise your dog.  In your initial training, if you are commanding the dog to move, at the same time you say your dog’s name, and the command, give a quick snap and immediate release on the dog’s leash.  Then continue by verbally encouraging him to obey.  Remember to always keep the dog’s leash loose.  An additional way to get your dog’s attention is to use a treat, but if you use treats, they should be used sparingly, more as a reward instead of being a bribe for obedience.  Praise works best and is always available.

2)  Be consistent in your training. 
Your dog learns through repetition, so always be consistent in your training.  Mean what you say and say what you mean.  Be careful not to give the dog a command that you do not mean or are not ready to enforce if it’s not obeyed.  If the dog does not instantly obey, and is not immediately corrected, he is still learning, but what he’s learning is that he does not have to obey when you speak.

3)  Keep your training sessions short and happy.
Dog obedience training should be a very enjoyable time for both you and your dog.   Use lots of praise and encouragement.  Ten to fifteen minutes twice a day is a good length of time to practice.  It is better to have a couple short lessons daily than to have one long session.  If the dog is not doing well on a particular exercise, change exercises, or end that training session by giving the dog something easy to do, and then praise the dog.

Read More..

Another best at Bon Accord for Benson

Bon Accord Kennel Association held their first open show of the year at Thainstone Mart, Inverurie on January 16th. Last year the walk across the car park was made difficult due to icy conditions, this year, thanks to lashing rain, the challenge was to get into the hall without dogs and owners getting soaked to the skin!

Once again Junes Benson took the top spot, his third big win in a row at Bon Accord shows. Last year he was Best Puppy at Thainstone and he also took BIS at the summer show in Seaton Park. Congratulations June and Benson!

There were a number of wins for club members, Ill try and remember them all but please let me know if Ive forgotten any.

Terrier - Cathys Sula won her class and went on to take the terrier group. Karens Ceilidh won her class and G3, Poppy was Best NSC and G4. Caitlins Solo won his minor pup class and puppy group 2.

Pastoral - Jennys Sadie took BOB and then the pastoral group.

Toy - Jills Chico was Best NSC and G2, Sues Rosa won her class and Gypsy was Best Toy Veteran.

Gundog - Sues Finlay and Logan both won their classes and BOB.

Hound - Liz took the whippet BOB and G3 but Ill have to find out which dog it was. Joans Bo was BOB and also G2. Erica and Dougs Willow won her class and BOB.

Utility - Morags Logie added another Best Import to his collection.

Ria won the JH 6-11 yr class, Glenn was 3rd. Caitlin was second in the JH 12-16 yr. There are also adult handling classes at this show and Morag took Best Lady Handler and then Best Overall Adult Handler.

Well done everybody!

Sula - Best of Breed and G1

Sadie - Best of Breed and G1

Pastoral group 1st - 4th

Toy group 1st - 3rd

Part of the gundog group line-up

Best in Show line-up

Benson

Read More..

Belfast Championship Show 2010

There werent many of us at Belfast the weekend of September 25 - 27, perhaps the thought of having to go overseas (plus the cost!) puts most people off. Classes in general were down in number.

I think the only win to report is Sues Elwood, who won his Puppy Dog class.

Elwood - 1st PD

Read More..