December - Belconnen Dog Obedience Club

Belconnen Dog Obedience Club Volume E5 Issue E4 DECEMBER 2012
president’s note | agility matters | flyball update
obedience results | dances with dogs rap-ups | rally-o
dog of the year awards | companion results
apdt report | hitching the wagon
GROUND USE
etiquette
bdoc details
Use of the grounds is reserved
for financial Club members and
their financial dogs who are
attending regular classes (at
least 75% of the classes). BDOC
does not offer ground use only
memberships.
BDOC Committee
20012–13
President
Barbara Brown
No use of grounds during
scheduled class times, when
a trial is in progress, or when
the grounds are otherwise
booked. See the notice board
for scheduled class times in
obedience, agility and flyball.
Vice President
Jenny Thistleton
Treasurer
Maki Koyama
Secretary
Christine Bates
Training takes precedence at all
times – do not allow your dog to
distract others.
Committee members
Kate Slater
Dean Gardiner
Caroline Pappas
Ray Leckie
Pam McDougall
Kim Shrives
Bev Obringer
Corrina Wiggins
Do not enter a yard already in
use without first checking with
the current occupant.
Limit your use to 10 minutes if
others are waiting.
Handlers must always have their
dogs under control and be able
to recall the dog at any time.
Do not permit your dog to run
along the fences.
Do not leave your dog
unattended.
Office hours
Thursdays 7.00–8.30 and
Sundays 9.00–10.30 am
Address
Corner Flemington Road and
Sandford Street Mitchell ACT
Contact details
Phone
02 6241 7999
Email
[email protected]
Website
www.bdoc.asn.au
Newsletter
[email protected]
Newsletter contributions
Always remove your dog’s faeces
immediately from the grounds
and dispose of them in the bins
provided. This includes the car
parking areas.
CONTRIBUTIONS (photos, stories, advice) ALL VERY
WELCOME! If you have information and/or photos you
would like included in the next newsletter, email your
material to the editor [email protected]
MEMBERS, PLEASE NOTE:
The committee has deemed the two
paddocks to be a smoke-free zone
(rather than no smoking) but that
members can smoke in the car park as
long as they bin their buts.
Thanks for your co-operation
2 belconnen dog obedience club Volume E5 Issue E3 SEPTEMBER 2012 p r esi d e n t ’s n o t e s
b y B arbara B row n
Welcome to another year of dog
training. I have received many
emails from members keen to
get back to classes after the long
break. Many have said that this hot
Summer hasn’t been so good for
training with their dog but not to
worry – dogs rarely forget what
they have been taught. Just keep
those rewards coming and they
will quickly remember what they
can do!
A special welcome to our new
members. We hope you will have
many enjoyable classes training
with your dog.
Our small paddock was returfed
over the break and is now open
for business with a very smooth
surface.
Volume E5 Issue E4 DECEMBER 2012 Some wonderful members spent
many hours removing the fences
and gates so that the old weeds
could be removed, the ground
prepared and the new turf laid.
Then they turned up again to erect
the fences and gates. Some also
spent hours removing the lower
branches of the shrubs, watering
the areas that the sprinkler system
doesn’t reach and generally caring
for the new and old turf through
the hot Summer weeks. It has all
been worth it and the grounds
look fabulous.
One of the front garden beds was
removed and turned into parking
for disabled members or visitors.
We plan to renovate the remaining
front garden bed with new shrubs
and trees. So if you would like to
help with this project, please call
into the office and place your
name on the list.
We have had to use funds from
one of our investments to pay for
the turf replacement and we are
looking for ways to increase our
funds. The Christmas wine and
pudding fund raiser was a great
success and there are plans for
several other fund raising events
throughout the year. Committee
members spend many hours
organising these projects so please
support your Club by buying
tickets or goods.
Barbara
belconnen dog obedience club 3 a g ilit y m a t t e r s
by PAM MCDOUALL
An agility training day conducted
by Loris Cameron was held on
Saturday September 22. A dozen
people with a dog apiece attended
the training and practiced some
handling moves designed to
assist in undertaking some
equipment layouts in the fastest
and most efficient manner. Loris
also included distance handling
which was valuable especially for
those newer to trialling. A second
training session was held on
November 17 which focussed
on the Gamblers game. Eight
handlers and dogs participated in
this training evening, whilst a few
others aimed to attend but didn’t
make it in the end.
November 26 with a tunnel tangle
Normal classes and training have
been going on as usual. A new
intake commenced this session
and the handlers have done a
great job learning both foundation
skills and the equipment. Agility
classes for 2012 concluded on
a very experienced agility dog has
4 belconnen dog obedience club course which was a lot of fun and
a feast. Session 1 2013 commences
on Monday February 4. An email
will be sent out to classes towards
the end of January
Geoff’s trial results – Patricia
Woodman sent in a stack of
husband Geoff’s trial results since
August. We can’t print the detail
but suffice it to say Geoff is kept
busy running their herd of Golden
Retrievers. Young Kirsty gained
a Snooker qualification, slightly
older Elwyn has two Gamblers
novice Qs and a Q in strategic
pairs whilst Tammy gained two
Excellent Snooker Qs. Kayley, now
achieved ADO5 with recent 3rd
and 5th placings in Open Agility,
JDO3 with a 3rd placing in Open
jumping as well as a Master agility
Q and 2nd placing in Master
Snooker.
Congratulations to Barbara Brown
and Dazzle who are worthy
winners of the Agility Dog of
the Year 2012. Di, handled by
Sue Moore is the Novice Dog of
the Year and Anne Lewis’ Alvin
is the Excellent Dog of the Year.
Corinna Wiggins who has worked
very hard training her Border
Collie, Patch, was awarded the
Agility Encouragement Award.
Unfortunately Patch has developed
a problem which precludes
jumping – not good for an agility
dog. Corinna will continue with
her obedience training with Patch
and commence agility later on with
Milo.
Thank you to the Agility instructors,
to Charlie Giles our trial manager
and equipment fixer, to Liz Giles
who does lots for us behind the
scenes and all the dogs who help
us have fun during the year.
Pam McDougall
Agility coordinator.
Volume E5 Issue E4 DECEMBER 2012 Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Session 5
( 8 weeks)
(8 weeks)
(8 weeks)
(7 weeks)
(8 weeks)
MONDAY
WEDNESDAY
MONDAY
WEDNESDAY
MONDAY
WEDNESDAY
MONDAY
WEDNESDAY
MONDAY
WEDNESDAY
Week 1
Feb 4
Feb 6
April 8
April 10
June 10
June 12
Aug 12
Aug 14
Oct 14
Oct 16 *
Week 2
Feb 11
Feb 13
April 15
April 17
June 17
June 19
Aug 19
Aug 21
Oct 21
Oct 23
Week 3
Feb 18
Feb 20 *
April 22
April 24
June 24
June 26
Aug 26
Aug 28
Oct 28
Oct 30
Week 4
Feb 25
Feb 27
April 29
May1
July 1
July 3
Sept 2
Sept 4
Nov 4
Nov 6
Week 5
Mar 4 *
Mar 6
May 6
May 8
July 8
July 10
Sept 9 *
Sept 11
Nov 11 *
Nov 13
Week 6
Mar 11
Mar 13
May 13
May 15
July 15
July 17
Sept 16
Sept 18
Nov 18
Nov 20
Week 7
Mar 18
Mar 20
May 20
May 22 *
July 22
July 24
Sept 23
Sept 25
Nov 25
Nov 27
Mar 25
Mar 27
May 27
May 29
July 29
July 31
Week 8
PARTY
April 1 & 3
June 3 & 5
August 5 & 7
October 7 & 9
Mon 28 Jan (Australia Day)
Mon 11 Mar (Canberra Day)
Fri Mar 29 – 1 Apr (Easter)
Thurs 25 April (Anzac Day)
Public
Holidays
Mon 10 June
(Queens Birthday)
Mon 30 September
( Family & Community Day)
Mon 7 October (Labour day)
Local agility
trials *
Mar 4 BDOC ribbon jumping
Feb 20 TDTC ribbon agility
May 22 TDTC ribbon
jumping
No training
belconnen dog obedience club 5 Sept 9 BDOC ribbon agility
Nov 11
BDOC ribbon jumping
Oct 16 TDTC ribbon agility
P RE SI DE N T'S REPORT 2011-2012
CO N TIN UED FROM PAGE 1
Volume E5 Issue E4 DECEMBER 2012 BDOC AGILITY Sessions Calendar 2013
be r ne s e b u ddi es
6 belconnen dog obedience club Volume E5 Issue E4 DECEMBER 2012 Photos
supplied
by ivana
leonard
can in e sp o r t s
wi t h o u r b e r n e se
mou n t a in d o g s
O bedience, A gilit y , D W D ,
C arting & Rally O ,
b y IVA NA L E O NA RD
Bernese Mountain Dogs (Berner
Sennenhund) originated in
Switzerland and are named for the
Canton of Bern. Historically, Berners
were used as general purpose farm
dogs. Their large, sturdy frames
and calm, confident temperaments
made them ideal for pulling carts
of milk to the cheese market,
driving dairy cattle, watching the
farm and acting as companions to
farmers.
I got my first Bernese Mountain
Dog in 1998, Oscar was a very
handsome boy and since he
was our first dog we were totally
clueless. We somehow managed to
get through obedience but never
had the courage to trial, let alone
attempt any other canine sport.
Basically we just enjoyed our dog .
We got our second Bernese Leo
in 2000. He was much more timid
than Oscar. We did obedience
with him as well but since he was
frightened of men and just about
anything else it was suggested
to me that we might like to try
agility. It took a lot of time and
patience but he eventually learnt
to love it and it really increased his
confidence.
Volume E5 Issue E4 DECEMBER 2012 After we lost Oscar to lymphoma
we got our wild child Arthur in
2004. Arthur was very smart but I
used to say he was my ADHD dog.
He wasn’t very good at reading
dog body language and seemed
to put out all the wrong signals to
other dogs and as a result didn’t
have too many friends. We took
Arthur to obedience classes but
he was always the naughty boy in
class. We tried Rally but it was too
stressful as we had to work off-lead
and he wasn’t very reliable off-lead
so we gave it away. Arthur was very
athletic and loved trying anything
new so I enrolled him in Agility.
He loved all the equipment and
was very quick to learn. He would
have been a great agility dog had
there been no other dogs in class.
We kept getting expelled from
class as he kept doing zoomies and
frightening other dogs – he was
a very big dog and while he just
wanted to play with the other dogs
he was really full on and so once
again we got expelled. We were
beginning to make progress with
Arthur when he died suddenly
aged only 4 ½. It was devastating
to all of us especially since our
older dog Leo had cancer and
we lost him aged 9 ¼ a couple of
belconnen dog obedience club 7 CA N I N E SP OR TS WITH BERNESE MOUNTAIN DOGS
months later. I used to call Arthur
my teacher dog. He taught me to
empathise with people who have
difficult dogs. I used to always
think that people who had dogs
with behavioural issues must have
either mistreated the dog or never
bothered to train him properly.
Arthur taught me that not all dogs
can be easily moulded into the
kind of dog we want. It’s important
to search for an activity or training
style which suits each individual
dog. Unfortunately I learnt this
lesson too late for Arthur and kept
battling with him instead of trying
to understand what activities
suited him and how to get the
best out of him.
book I could lay my hands on.
As a result Merlin is probably the
most happy-go-lucky dog I have
ever met. He is a little stubborn,
especially if there is another dog
around. He just has to socialise
with everyone he meets and while
in many ways this is a good thing
as he generally brings out the best
in most dogs, it’s often difficult to
keep his attention in class. We have
gone through all the levels of class
at BDOC and are currently in Gold
class. Merlin is also very athletic so
we started him in agility as well.
He seemed to enjoy some aspects
of agility. He loved the jumps and
once he got over his fear of the
tunnel, he loved that as well. His
undoing was the dog walk. He was
simply petrified of it. He is after all
a very long-bodied, long-legged
dog with no rear-end awareness
and the dog walk is very high for a
big dog like him to lose his footing
and fall. Nothing I did would
convince him to walk that plank.
After a long 6 month wait we
finally took delivery of our sweet
puppy Merlin. I was determined to
do everything right with this dog,
having had a shy/nervous dog and
a wild child so we socialised him
extensively and were more careful
with his training and I read every
8 belconnen dog obedience club I preserved for a couple of terms
in agility and finally came to the
conclusion that Bernese Mountain
Dogs don’t live long enough to
force them to do something that
they don’t really love so I decided
to switch to Dances With Dogs
(DWD) in April. We mostly have
to train with our dogs off-lead
during DWD class so it was a bit
of a challenge at first since Merlin
had trouble focussing and drove
me crazy by running around the
paddock to socialise with the other
dogs and when he decides to run
off I have a terrible time catching
him as he can run a lot faster
than me and has great avoidance
tactics. Angela and Nicola, our
instructors for DWD taught me
some great techniques of getting
Merlin to focus and also how to
encourage him to prefer being by
my side and working rather than
running around and disrupting
the other dogs. I will be forever
grateful for their patience and
dedication. We have learnt some
cool tricks like getting Merlin to
weave between my legs (some
could say a dangerous exercise
since Merlin is so tall) and standing
on platforms such as a half whiskey
barrel, and doing spins in front
and at my side. In this class I am
learning to be aware of where my
dog is all the time. I am amazed
at the improved behaviour in my
dog. He is much happier to work
for me and as a result I feel more
comfortable handling him as I’m
not always panicking that he will
run off and play the fool. In class
we have learnt to put together the
movements and tricks which we
Volume E5 Issue E4 DECEMBER 2012 CAN I N E S PO RT S W ITH BERNESE MOUNTAIN DOGS
have learnt into choreographed
group and individual routines. At
this stage Merlin and I are still very
basic in what we can do and I keep
saying that poor Merlin is handler
impaired. I’m sure if I had more
confidence and consistency in my
signals I would be able to get more
out of him, however with time,
hopefully some of the behaviours
and techniques used by the
instructors and other students will
rub off onto us and we may one
day attempt to compete.
At about the same time I started
DWD I decided to start training
Merlin to do an activity for which
Bernese were bred – carting. I had
always thought carting would be
a fun sport to try after all it was
very popular with this breed in
the US, Canada and Europe. I had
been begging to my husband
for years to make me a cart but
my pleas fell on deaf ears. As it
happened, I decided to go to the
US in May this year for the Bernese
National Specialty in Gettysburg,
Pennsylvania. I put my name down
as a steward for the Draft tests.
The day of the draft test it poured
with rain and everyone got soaked
through to the skin and I was ankle
deep in puddles for the whole day
but I had the time of my life and
decided that this is what I wanted
to do with my dogs. Unfortunately
Carting is not as yet recognised
as a canine sport in Australia but
that’s no reason for not giving it a
try. At the specialty there were 2
cart-makers with various carts and
harness and all sorts of equipment,
DVDs and books for sale. By the
end of the week after checking out
Volume E5 Issue E4 DECEMBER 2012 all the carts and speaking to lots of
carting people I finally settled on
a cart from a lovely man called Bill
Wilczek. He has been making carts
for many years and I was impressed
at the workmanship of his carts. Bill
also runs carting workshops and
competes with his dogs.
The cart I finally bought is only
small but I thought it best to buy
one which is light and easy to use.
I also liked the fact that the cart
is easy to assemble and came in
a flat pack. I was able to bring the
cart back with me as luggage and
even managed to not have to pay
for any excess luggage. Since I was
travelling alone it was quite tricky
managing all the pieces of luggage
but it was well worth it when I
arrived home and I had all my gear
and was ready to go.
While my long-suffering husband
assembled the cart I watched all
the DVDs & read the books which
I’d also bought to make sure I
did it all correctly. My plan was
to start training 2-year old Merlin
and by the time I had it all sorted
out Hugo who was 5 months old
would be old enough to train.
Well, it didn’t work out quite as I
planned. Although I introduced
the cart very slowly and carefully,
Merlin was petrified of the cart
and wouldn’t go anywhere
near it whereas little Hugo kept
standing between the shafts as if
to say “well, I’m not afraid – what
about me?” Eventually I ordered a
harness for Hugo and after many
emails requesting advice from the
cart-maker Bill I decided to start
training Hugo first. We started by
attaching ropes to his harness
and pulling them along and
then attached a small log to the
ropes. Hugo had no fear and just
loved having a job to do. I took
the training slowly and carefully
so as not to spook him or worse,
injure him. By the time he was 6
months old I checked with my vet
and also with the cart-maker and
decided that it was time to hitch
belconnen dog obedience club 9 CA N I N E SP OR TS WITH BERNESE MOUNTAIN DOGS
Hugo to the cart. The cart is very
well-balanced and lightweight so
it was agreed that it was safe to
start. Dogs can learn to cart at any
age but must not pull any weight
until and unless they are physically
mature and sound. (For Bernese
Mountain Dogs, this means two
years of age.) Hugo took to carting
like a natural. He could go straight
and turn left or right and even
back up. I spent hours every day
for 2 months training with both
dogs at the BDOC grounds. I would
hitch Hugo and have Merlin walk
alongside us. Eventually Merlin
started to relax and became more
comfortable with the cart. I took
it very slowly as I was determined
not to undo all the good work we
had done. By mid-September after
3 months of training, Merlin was
pretty happy to be hitched to the
cart. I was ecstatic but exhausted
as carting had virtually taken over
my life. Fortunately I’m a stubborn
person and the more people kept
telling me to give up with Merlin
the more determined I was to
succeed. I thought I was the only
person in Canberra carting until
I was introduced to a lady called
Sue who has a lovely home-made
cart and had trained several of her
Rottweiler dogs over the years.
We started training together and
had our carting debut at the Hall
vet on 16th September. I was
pretty nervous as this was the
first time I had taken Merlin out
with the cart apart from the BDOC
grounds. Merlin did me proud
and concentrated on his job and
did a wonderful job except he
could only go forward and was
10 belconnen dog obedience club still very clumsy about turning, not
to mention reversing. So over the
next month I continued to train
most days and began refining
our technique & concentrated on
turning and reversing. It’s been a
long slog and there were times
when I thought we’d never get it
together but hard work has paid
off.
I keep my cart permanently in my
car so that at every opportunity
I can take it out to various places
and hitch up one or both dogs to
get them accustomed to working
in different environments and
different surfaces and to proof
them to all sorts of situations. We
have taken the cart to Sydney
where we meet with our regular
Berner Buddies in Centennial Park.
The youngest Berner at this event
was 12 week old Tammy. Tammy
looked really cute sitting in the
back with proud Merlin pulling
her along. Merlin was a big hit
with the children at the picnic and
we gave them rides as well. I was
surprised that Merlin who does
have a tendency to panic plodded
along happily with his happy tail
held high and wagging the whole
time. I think he really enjoyed all
the attention and was probably the
most photographed dog that day.
We have taken the dogs and
the cart to several other charity
events and raised money by giving
children rides. Merlin loves his
job and takes it very seriously. He
even made the front page of the
Yass Tribune on 21st November
following the Cancer Charity
event in Bowning. Hugo, having
reached 11 months is now a typical
teenager and has decided that
it isn’t cool to pull the cart. No
doubt he’ll get over this stubborn
stage and will be happy to go
carting again at some stage, in
the meantime he’s got lots of
growing to do so I’m happy to
concentrate on obedience with
him. Sue and I have been invited
to take our dogs and carts to
help Santa distribute presents
and sweets to the children at the
ACT Junior Kennel Club Christmas
Extravaganza on 15th December.
I’m sure we’ll get lots of attention
as most people haven’t ever seen
dogs pulling carts and seeing
these happy confident dogs doing
a job well is a delight to all. So from
small beginnings, we are hoping
that others may be interested in
joining us and learning from our
experiences. It’s a lot of fun but
like all other dog sports requires
commitment and hard work and
the main priority should always
be safety for the dog, handler and
passengers or spectators.
We have also been watching
Charlie and his crew training
Rally O with interest so we have
decided to give that a try over
the Christmas break. The moral
of this story is – you need to try
every dog sport with your dogs
as you don’t know what suits their
temperament and individuals
skills and abilities until you give
it a go. All dogs are different and
it’s important to find out what
both you and your dog love to do
together.
Volume E5 Issue E4 DECEMBER 2012 FR OM THE PRESIDENT
Thank you
Dear BDOC Committee, Instructors and Volunteers
I would like to say a very big Thank You to everyone
who made the 2012 Assessment and Award evening at
BDOC a great success.
The contributions made by everyone just melded
together and made for a great night at BDOC. People
including whole families, dogs, kids, even a baby, - all
seemed to be enjoying themselves and isn’t this what
makes a great dog training club? I also think this was
the happiest group to ever undertake assessment and
maybe this is why so many teams passed.
• organising all the awards and trophies for
presentation,
• writing up and presenting the certificates,
• manning the office during assessment with new
people enrolling with bedlam going on,
• manning the shop likewise,
• organising and selling raffle tickets for our
generously donated raffle prize,
• organising the very successful pudding and wine
fundraiser - an enormous task and more about this
in the Newsletter,
The tasks needed make for a pretty long list:
• packing up and cleaning up after the event.
• arranging the scheduling for the evening,
WOW, I have probably left something out.
• organising the paperwork and human and dog
treats etc
Thank you for your contributions - small or large they
made Assessment/Awards night at BDOC a great
success.
• setting up the rings in the paddock
• setting up loud speakers,
• setting up lights,
• organising the food for the BBQ,
• operating the BBQ,
• organising Beginners games,
• marshalling the teams for assessment,
• standing out in the cold and assessing Bronze, Silver
and Gold,
A general thank you also to everyone for teaching and
assessing the BDOC teams throughout the year in the
Canine Companion Syllabus, and dog sports of Agility,
Dances with Dogs, Flyball, Obedience Trialling and
Rally Obedience, and for keeping BDOC running along
so smoothly and the clubhouse and grounds in such
tip top condition.
Barbara
• making the clubhouse sparkling,
Volume E5 Issue E4 DECEMBER 2012 belconnen dog obedience club 11 fly b a ll u p d a t e
b y CA RO L YN SH RIV E S
Flyball update for BDOC Newsletter
December 2012. The competition,
titled the Sunset “Santa” Claws,
had a Christmas theme and saw
18 teams from Canberra, Sydney,
Dapto and Milton/Ulladulla
competing – including 3 Bullets
teams.
The Bullets welcomed some
new starters, Baby Bullets, in
October. Approximately 12 new
dogs starting their Flyball careers,
with the skills development of all
progressing well.
The Bullets welcomed back a
number of dogs who hadn’t been
competing for a while – all of
whom had a great day of racing
– it was fantastic to see them all
back and in form. And we saw
another of our newer dogs earn his
first Flyball Title – congratulations
to Ollie and Flea. We also saw a
number of dogs from other teams
begin their Flyball careers and earn
their first Titles.
The Tuggeranong Dog Club hosted
a competition on 1 December
2012 as part of the Tuggeranong
Community Festival. Whilst a small
competition in the end, it was a
great way to introduce the newest
Bullet, Pez, to competition racing,
and with a great day of racing,
Pez earned his first Flyball Title –
congratulations to Pez and Melissa.
The Belconnen Bullets hosted the
final competition of the year at
the BDOC grounds on Saturday, 8
A huge thank you to all the Bullets
who helped the day be such a
success.
The Bullets would like to say
farewell and thanks for racing with
us to Deska and Tully, who after a
number of years of great racing are
now retiring from Flyball. It was
great running with you.
And finally, a big congratulations
to the winners of the 2012 BDOC
Flyball awards, and all the dogs
earning new Flyball titles in 2012.
All were well deserved, and many
hard earned.
DWD TRAINING VENUE
REQUEST
If any member has any
ideas or contacts for an
indoor venue we can use for
DWD we would very much
like to hear from you!
MEMBERS, PLEASE NOTE:
We are looking for a dog
friendly, reasonably large
room (min 12x15m) with
non-slippery floors that we
could use for competitions
and workshops.
12 belconnen dog obedience club The committee has deemed the two paddocks to be
a smoke-free zone (rather than no smoking) but that
members can smoke in the car park as long as they bin
their buts.
Thanks for your co-operation.
Volume E5 Issue E4 DECEMBER 2012 flyba ll 2 0 1 2
Volume E5 Issue E4 DECEMBER 2012 belconnen dog obedience club 13 fly b a ll 2 0 1 2
14 belconnen dog obedience club Volume E5 Issue E4 DECEMBER 2012 flyba ll 2 0 1 2
Volume E5 Issue E4 DECEMBER 2012 belconnen dog obedience club 15 bdoc annual
awards 2012
b y BA RB A RA B RO W N
BDOC Annual Awards for presentation 2012
The Annual Awards for the Canine Companion Levels
and the awards for achievements in the dog sports of
Agiliy, Flyball, Obedience Trialling and Rally Obedience
were presented at Assessment nbight on 6 December
2012
Awards presented:
BDOC DOGS OF THE YEAR FOR 2012
These are the most prestigious awards the Club can
bestow in the dog sports of Agility, Flyball, Obedience,
and Rally Obedience. The criteria for these awards
are that the dog must have been outstanding in its
performance in trialling and brought credit to the Club;
the handler must have been active in the Club and
contributed towards the running of the Club during
the year; the handler & the dog must have been a
16 belconnen dog obedience club financial member for the whole year of the award; and
the handler and the dog must have trained at the club
for the whole year. Recipients of the dogs of the year
do not receive the particular award more than once.
AGILITY DOG OF THE YEAR
DAZZLE CDX RN ADM JDM ADO JDO GDX SDX SPD
:handled by Barbara Brown
FLYBALL DOG OF THE YEAR
DIGBY AFCh:handled by Ross Miller
OBEDIENCE DOG OF THE YEAR
KILIAN (CH Saginor Kilian UD): handled by Alice
Petersen
RALLY OBEDIENCE DOG OF THE YEAR
Ava (BRANDYARK MISTS OF AVALON CD RA JD):
handled by Emma Osborn
Volume E5 Issue E4 DECEMBER 2012 BD OC AN NUAL AWARDS 2012
CANINE COMPANION AWARDS
These awards are open to members who have trained
in a Canine Companion level class during the year.
BEST LADY HANDLER: Tegan Farrelley with Archie
BEST GENTLEMAN HANDLER: John Doyle with Molly
BDOC TITLES GAINED IN DOGS SPORTS
FOR 2012
BDOC recognises the large amount of time undertaken
by members to train and trial their dogs in the dog
sports by presenting them with a small trophy.
BEST JUNIOR HANDLER : Ruby Martin with Molly
This year the following members and their dogs have
achieved these titles for their dogs:
MOST IMPROVED DOG: Carolyn Cooper with Stark
Lucy Williams & Duke (Cavregis White Knight) GDX SDX
AGILITY AWARDS
Lucy Williams & Mini (Marilyn Merlot) SDX SPDX
NOVICE AGILITY DOG OF THE YEAR
Julie Rebbeck and Raven (Ch Fireax Viva La Raven) JD
Sue Moore and Diamond JD AD
Julie Rebbeck & Shylo (Ch Redshift Shining Star) SD JDX
EXCELLENT AGILITY DOG OF THE YEAR
Sue Moore & Diamond AD
Anne Lewis & Alvin (Watersmeet Im Harry CDX RN ADX
ADO JDX JDO SD SPD GD)
Barbara Brown & Dazzle RN ADM JDM GDX SDX
AGILITY ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD
Corinna Wiggins and Patch
FLYBALL AWARDS
FLYBALL ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD
Christine Bates and Bo
FLYBALL MOST IMPROVED AWARD
Geoff Tracey and Ruby FD
OBEDIENCE TRIALLING AWARDS
ALICE PETERSEN TROPHY
Kath McQuarrie and Rocket (Ch Kyushu Rocketman
CCD)
STEVIE/TESSA PERPETUAL NOVICE SCORE TROPHY
Elaine Temby and Hope (AciJay Never Lose Hope CD
RN ET)
FORSVAR OBEDIENCE TROPHY FOR BEST OPEN
DOG OF THE YEAR
Elaine Temby and Haylen (Aust Ch Watervaal Winfrey
Konexshun CDX RA ET)
QUARRIEMAC OBEDIENCE TROPHY FOR BEST
UTILITY DOG OF THE YEAR
Alice Petersen and Kilian (Ch Saginor Kilian UD)
Volume E5 Issue E4 DECEMBER 2012 Anne Lewis & Alvin (Watersmeet Im Harry) RN ADX
ADO JDO
Emma Osborne & Ava (Brandyark Mists of Avalon) RN
RA SPD
Geoff Woodman & Kayley (Neut Ch Palkorra Ria Athena)
RN RA JDM3 JDO3
Geoff Woodman & Tammy (Ch/Neut Ch Perrecca Tralee)
RN RA SD
Geoff Woodman & Elwyn (Caerhays Glen Elwyn) RN RA
JD
Geoff Woodman & Xanthe (Ch Perrecca Xanthe) CD RN
RA
Geoff Woodman & Kirsty (Caerhays Glen Kirsty) RN
Geoff Woodman & Hamish (Caerhays Glen Hamish) RN
Tammy Watts & Link GDX AFCh
Tammy Watts & Rush AD JD SD SPD FD FDX
Rebecca Jones & Whip GD
Gabrielle Myer & Charlie RN RA DWDFS HTRMS
Carolyn Schrives & Ernie Miller EIC
Catherine Griffin & Frank (Saginor Frank Sinatra) AFCh
RN
Catherine Griffin & Felix (Saginor Bag O’Trix) FD FDX
FDCh
belconnen dog obedience club 17 B DO C ANNUAL AWARDS 2012
BDOC TITLES GAINED IN DOGS SPORTS
FOR 2012 (Continued)
Geoff Tracey & Ruby FD
Ross Miller & Digby AFCh
Charlie Giles & Ruffy (Ch. Tybeterr Break The Ice) CD RN
RA
Michelle Gilbey & Pepper FD
Michelle Gilbey & Wooly FMCh
Caroline Pappas & Tully (Tooneybank Small Talk) FMX
Alice Petersen & Kilian (Ch. Saginor Kilian) UD
Elaine Temby and Hope (AciJay Never Lose Hope) CD
RN ET
Elaine Temby & Haylen (Aust Ch Watervaal Winfrey
Konexshun) CDX RN RA ET
Sarah Harding & Bridget FM
Kim Schrives & Pia FM
Jill Campain & Levy (Ch Skyeclan Destinys Secret) RN
Ange Gintings & Coco FDX FDCh
Kath Macquarie & Rocket (Ch Kyushu Rocketman) CCD
Ian Kinsella & Champ FDX FDCh
Scott Geldhill & Willow (Callicoma Cobber) FDX FDCh
JD
Dorian Serrier & Leo FD FDX FDCh
Patricia Looker & Raglan (Ch Robmond Pantheon Blue)
CDX RN RA
Patricia Looker & Kinya (OC Kingsway Double
Jeopardy) RN RA
BDOC 2012 trophy for MOST IMPROVED DOG: Carolyn Cooper with Stark
18 belconnen dog obedience club Volume E5 Issue E4 DECEMBER 2012 a wa r d s 2 0 1 2
can in e c o m p a n i o n
b y CH RIST INE B A T E S
Session 5 passes
BEGINNER PASSES
Janette Mckenzie with Rocket
Grant Middleton with Jaspa
Lauren Preston with Bentley
Reine Roberts with Fudge
Cate Rolls with Brandy
Jacqueline Smith with Winnie
Janette Speldewinde with Ziva
Debi Taylor with Ellie
Andrew Thornhill with Maggie
Debbie Watson with Nina
Barbara Whiddon with Teddy
Paul Williams with Pepper
Natalie Winslade with Ziggie
Kate Woffenden with Hazel
Jeff Lefevre with Nelson
Clive Styles with Sheldon
Liam Colreavy with Benson
Suzanna Styles with Lola
Cheryl Lefevre with Beau
Sharun Kerr with Cazna
Brooke Olds with Rosie
Scott Walls with Bumblebee
Rick Sculthorpe with Harry
Anya Withell with Tilly
Amy Blyton with Brindy
Nancy Martin/Hylton Gardiner with
Sapeur
Andrew Denny with Morgan
Michael Mcguigan with Tully
Erin Colreavy with Hugo
Chris Tournier with Zulu Dog
Ling Jiang with Mylo
Laura Garvican with Harley
Panny Anastasiades with Saxon
Josef Arribas with Loki
Michael Drew with Ted
Nick Ahern with D’artagnon
Janet Angus with Goodsy
Geoff Bailey with Leya
Will Blake with Lola
Marcela Bonilla with Darcy
Claudia Boyles with Friday
Eleanor Brick with Feather
Heather & Mark Burness with Lucy
Marissa Byrnes with Leo
Sharon Choo with Sumo
Carly Conlan with Bill
Sam D’addario with Coco
Cara Dalton with Benny
Lyn De Klerk with Hjarrah
Aaron Domui with Pepper
Jenny Drake with Ruby
Roan Dunstone with Wolfie
Martin Edgoose with Ami
Rochelle Epple with Occie
Matt Foong with Ollie
Fiona Fraser with Mirri
Charlie Giles with Otis
Pip Golley with Miles
Julie Grehan with Cinder
Angela Hagedorn with Jazzmine
Madeline Harrop with Bear
Tony Haydon with Dozer
Margo Hellyer with Rory
Raechelle Henderson with Dash
Sarah Heritage with Charley
Jonathon Hicks with Moya
Yuko Hood with Jessie
Wayne & Harry Huckstepp & Reed
Sage
Belina Hughes with Tilly
Jay Humphry with Walker
Paul Joice with Smudge
Nancy Kaur with Kuiper
Hayden Kelley with Marley
Matthew Knobloch with Samson
Natalie Marchall with Xena
Daniel Mariadas with Laika
Kellie Mcinnes with Coco
20 belconnen dog obedience club BRONZE PASSES
Karina Bailie with Bronx
Kimberly Bradbrook with Dexter
Ellanie Connors with Riley
Jennifer Davis with Rilli
David Delchau with Cooper
Kimarny Favell with Pepper
Stephen Fearne with Chief
Ben & Michelle Gilby with Patch
Luke Kay with Angie
Ivana Leonard wtih Hugo
Peter & Michael Liehne with Rex
Laurence Mandapat with Phoebe
Michelle Markezic with Buffy
Tristan McClelland with Mojo
Monique Mendez with Ruby
Natasha Milligan with Odin
Gill & Grant Morphett with Ralph
Elizabeth Regan with Luna
Richard Sculthorpe with Captain
Shelley & Julian Seddon with Obi
Adam & Kimberley Smith with Henley
Claire Streatfield with Quinn
Julia Taylor with Eddie
Thai Tran with Gumbo
Samantha Van Bruinessen with Nova
Dadong Wang with Prince
Dave Wheeler with Wilbur
Anthony Wickens with Harry
Naomi Williams with Bruiser
SILVER PASSES
Linda Arnold with Gilbert (Gilby)
Tim Combe with Sam
Vanessa Ericson with Archie
Martin & Janice Gardner with Bella
Neil MacDonald with Abby
Verity Sidman wiht JD
Nikola Streiber with Jet
Fanny & Alec Thorton with Mosi
Heather Walker with Ellie
Jacquie Welsh with Chief
GOLD PASSES
Andrew & Deb Braddock with Oscar
Gary Campbell with Gem
Rebecca Delaney with Lola
Pam McDougall with Crackle
Lizzie Reed with Sally
Volume E5 Issue E4 DECEMBER 2012 photo supplied by angela hagedorn
photo:
pam mcdougal
L
dances with dogs
b y ANG
P A M EMLCAD &
O UNICCO
G A L LL A
JINGLE BELL, JINGLE BELL,
JINGLE BELL ROCK
Tulips, commencing work
on The Circus Theme and
developing a routine to Always
Look on the Bright Side of Life.
Group work is challenging
as handlers not only have to
worry about what their dog
is doing and keeping them
engaged and appropriately
rewarded, but making sure
they themselves are in the right
place at the right time (which
is often the more challenging
aspect).
Hello humans and furry feet –
hope everyone is getting into
the Christmas spirit and looking
forward to a break over summer
(from work but not from dogs of
course!).
Summer has certainly kicked in
over the last few weeks and after
enjoying a few lovely Saturday
afternoons, it quickly became time
for the DWD class to change to
an earlier timeslot to avoid the
heat! We hope to train at 9am
most Saturdays over the next few
months as everyone has been so
keen to continue classes over the
break.
• Individual routines – each
fortnight the class is given a
30 second piece of music to
choreograph a short routine
for their dog which they then
perform for the class.
Classes have continued to focus on
four areas:
To celebrate our achievements
over the year – which included
commencing classes in April,
having dogs that enjoyed training
more than doing zoomies,
improved handling skills and
repertoires, and getting out for
over 10 public demonstrations –
we held a Christmas Party morning
tea after class on 1 December.
Gabe Meyer’s husband, John,
took some fantastic photos of the
dancing paws while they enjoyed
being ‘carted’ by Ivana Leonard’s
Bernese Mountain Dog, Merlin, or
sitting in the ‘snow’. The morning
was spent putting together
some moves to Christmas music
which put a smile on everyone’s
• Developing behaviours
– last week we started on
skateboarding which both
handlers and dogs are
thoroughly enjoying, and we
are also gathering an interesting
selection of platforms – from
picnic baskets to wine barrels!
• Group ‘chorus lines’ – each
handler and dog perform a
sequence of 2–3 behaviours
(around 10 seconds) in a tag
team line up. This is great to
build up confidence without
too much pressure.
• Group routines – we are
honing Tip Toe Through the
22 belconnen dog obedience club face – http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=_b8PtvCwTOw
The Canberra DWD group was
invited to perform at three events
this session. First up was the
Hall Veterinary Surgery’s 30th
Birthday celebration on Sunday
16 September. This was the first
public performance for many of
the dancing paws who conducted
themselves amiably, even though
they had a mega challenging
environment of people and dogs
being very close by as well as
cake crumbs scattered through
the performance area and many
spectators enjoying a sausage
sandwich during the performance
as well! We performed a chorus
line to keep it short and motivating
for the dogs and low stress for
the handlers – http://youtu.be/
O8mflwlvlLw
We were invited to perform at Tulip
Top’s ‘Pooch Party’ on Saturday
29 September. Unfortunately
a wild and woolly day kept most
people at home. However, Tulip
Tops is in such a sheltered spot it
was quite pleasant as the clouds
parted. This was the group’s first
performance of Tip Toe to the
Tulips after just a few practices
- http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=qoa9qrbZNLo
Our last performance this year
was at the Fraser Primary School
Fete on 10 October. It was a lovely
outing and we were provided
Volume E5 Issue E4 DECEMBER 2012
BD OC dances w i t h dogs
continued
with a fantastic performance
space on their soft-fall covered
basketball court. Kids and parents
alike enjoyed the show where
we did our Chorus Line, Tip Toe
and several individual routines.
Unfortunately a flat video camera
battery meant that we didn’t end
up with footage.
DogsNSW held their final
competition of the year at Erskine
Park on 9 December. There are
four levels in both Freestyle and
Heelwork to Music – Starters,
Novice, Intermediate and
Advanced. Gabe Meyers competed
with her cavoodle, Charlie, in
Novice Heelwork to Music. She and
Charlie gained two first places in
Novice Heelwork to Music with
“Road to Camelot” and have two
qualifying scores out of three for
their Novice HtM title
At the 25 August DogsNSW’s
Double Competition, Angela
Hagedorn’s Pepper (Eweturn
Knight Errant) gained his Starters
Title in Heelwork to Music with a
1st place while Rosie (Arajoel Zara)
received two 1st place passes in
Intermediate Heelwork to Music and
also gained her third pass and Title
in Novice Freestyle, also receiving a
first place.
Good news too that Niccola
Hardaker’s Welsh Cardigan Corgi,
Shandy, is on the mend after some
health worries and hopes to be
back in full swing in 2013.
I was very excited to join DWDers
from Brisbane, NSW, Adelaide,
Perth and even Greece, on 19 and
20 September at a Michele Pouliot
Workshop hosted by the Dances
Volume E5 Issue E4 DECEMBER 2012 with Dogs Club Queensland. Maki
Koyama did likewise, but headed
south to Melbourne to see Michele.
My two Border Collies Pepper and
Rosie joined me for the long drive
and a week of mum’s tick, snake
and cane toad paranoia.
Michele was amazing. There were
many training tips for preparing for
competition performance as well
as honing behaviours. One of the
key take aways was ‘clean training’
– clicking (or marking) with no
‘extra’ signals – not even moving
your eyes toward the food!,
moving the food location around
your body, and moving the clicker
location – all things that will help
the dog focus on performing the
behaviour rather than focussing on
your non-verbal ‘by-line’.
Michele’s favourite saying was a Dr
Phil-ism, “How’s that working for
you?” If the answer is ‘good’, then
great, keep doing what you’re
doing. If it’s “not good” or “good,
but…” then you need to change
what you are doing. It is amazing
how often we aren’t getting the
result we want, but we expect
the dog to suddenly ‘get it’ while
we never change our teaching
method!
There have been some new
additions to the dancing paws
family with BABY DANCING PAWS!!!
On my return from Brisbane
I brought back baby Jazzmine,
a black German Shepherd Dog,
bred by a DWD Judge in Brisbane.
Jazzmine thoroughly enjoyed
attending Beginners (Puppies)
during session 5 as well as puppy
class at our local veterinary surgery
and also at the RSPCA. Having had
an un-socialised German Shepherd
(my first dog some 20 years ago)
I know there is no greater value
than good socialisation over the
first weeks, months and years.
Niccola also welcomed a baby
in early December, little Zimri,
a Welsh Cardigan Corgi just like his
big sister, Shandy. Zim is already
proving quite tenacious, he and
Jazz are fast becoming ‘besties’
even though he is about the size
of her head! For those looking
to add to your furry families, the
most important rule is to make
sure you meet both parents – the
‘apple’ doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Niccola did quite a lot of research
on puppy selection which I believe
will be shared with you in a later
newsletter.
Pepper provided some
entertainment for Jazzmine’s
puppy class at the end of the
week 7 class with an impromptu
performance to Cuban Pete http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_
K8ZaWIdOE We hope to see many
of these young-uns enjoying DWD
in the very near future!
Club Members are always welcome
at classes – feel free to bring your
furry foot along to try a class or
two or just bring yourself and have
a look at what we do.
As always, clicks and treats
BDOC DWD Coordinators:
Niccola Hardaker and Angela
Hagedorn
belconnen dog obedience club 23 around the grounds
SE SSIO N F IV E 201 2
24 belconnen dog obedience club Volume E5 Issue E4 DECEMBER 2012
a ro u n d th e g rounds SESSION FIVE 2012
Ph o to s o n th is p age supplied by Maki Koyama
Volume E5 Issue E4 DECEMBER 2012 belconnen dog obedience club 25 photo:
BDOC
S@A
MEMBER
P DT C O N
FERENC
E DINNE
R
apdt
con fe r e n c e
b y GA B E M E YE R
On the 26th, 27th and 28th October I, along with Angela
Hagedorn, Jenny Thistleton, Lesley Hayes, Niccola
Hardaker and Maki Koyama, attended our second
annual conference of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers
(APDT) in Sydney. The conference provides a forum for
trainers to associate with one another and discuss topics
of mutual interest. It is an organisation of individual
volunteer and professional trainers who are committed
to becoming better trainers.
The past two conferences have been held at the
Bankstown Sports Club in Sydney. This conference is for
everybody involved with dog training. International and
local trainers, vets and animal behaviourists, are invited
to come and speak at the conference. The enthusiasm,
knowledge and latest dog friendly positive training
techniques are amazing!
26 belconnen dog obedience club Over the past two years we have been lucky enough
to hear Kay Laurence, Dr Sophia Yin, Grisha Stewart,
Pat Miller and many more experts share their
experience and words of wisdom. What I love about the
presentations of these experts, is that they often have
video footage of their techniques. It is great to see how
effective these methods are when applied correctly.
The following link will allow you to have a look at the
APDT website: www.adpt.com.au
Most of us hope to be able to attend the conference
again next year, and would love to see some more
BDOC folk join us.
Gabrielle Meyer
Volume E5 Issue E4 DECEMBER 2012 Financial members this is your space. You are entitled to place advertisements for
free. Just email your requests directly to the editor: [email protected]
Thank you to instructors:
Thank you BDOC Instructors
and volunteers – we can’t do
it without you!
Di Adams, Jodie Boyd, Cliff
Brock, Barbara Brown, Jill
Campain, Meryl Causebrook,
Elan Chesher, Lyn Clyde,
Jenny Drake, Di Easter,
Charlie Giles, Ange Gintings,
Niccola Hardaker, Angela
Hagedorn, Mike Hall, Lesley
Hayes, Maelyn Koo, Susan
Killion, Anne Lewis, Patricia
Looker, Pam McDougall, Nikki
MacLean, Poppy Mclean, Ross
Miller, Pauline Murphy, Emma
Osborn, Caroline Shrives,
Shirley Stewart, Jenny
Thistleton, Dai Thomas, Peter
White, Geoff Woodman.
A huge thank you to all our instructors
in our Canine Companion classes,
Obedience Trialling, Agility, Flyball, Rally
Obedience, and Dancing with Dogs classes
for giving up your time in Session 3, 2012 to
take classes and assess teams on assessment
days. We can’t do it without you.
MEMBERS FEATURE PHOTOS
Thank you also to our
assistant instructors for
Session 3: Teghan Farrelly,
Elizabeth Regan, Carla Day.
Thanks to our other
Volunteers
We also give grateful thanks
to many other members who
are not on the Committee,
for regularly taking on tasks
that assist the Committee
to keep BDOC running
smoothly. Thanks to Liz Allen,
Ivana Leonard, Elke Rosch,
Mia Ostenberg, Gerry and Jo
Corrigan.
A special thank you to Anne
Robertson (from CDC), for
renovating our rose bed and
pruning our roses.
Volume E5 Issue E4 DECEMBER 2012 Two December pups - Angela’s shepherd and Niccola’s corgi
Volume E5 Issue E3 SEPTEMBER 2012 BDOC Session Training Dates 2013
Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Session 5
( 8 weeks)
(8 weeks)
(8 weeks)
(8 weeks)
(8 weeks)
Thursday
Sunday
Thursday
Sunday
Thursday
Sunday
Thursday
Sunday
Thursday
Sunday
Week 1
31 Jan
3 Feb
11 April
14 April
13 June
16 June
8 Aug
11 Aug
17 Oct
20 Oct
Week 2
7 Feb
10 Feb
18 April
21 April
20 June
23 June
15 Aug
18 Aug
24 Oct
27 Oct
Week 3
14 Feb
17 Feb
25 April
28 April
27 June
30 June
22 Aug
25 Aug
31 Oct
3 Nov
Week 4
21 Feb
24 Feb
2 May
5 May
4 July
7 July
29 Aug
1 Sept
7 Nov
10 Nov
Week 5
28 Feb
3 Mar
9 May
12 May
11 July
14 July
5 Sept
8 Sept
14 Nov
17 Nov
Week 6
14 March
17 March
16 May
19 May
18 July
21 July
12 Sept
15 Sept
21 Nov
24 Nov
21 March
24 March
23 May
26 May
25 july
28 July
19 Sept
22 Sept
28 Nov
1 Dec
4 April
7 April
30 May
2 June
1 August
4 Aug
Thursday 26 Sept
Assessment day for all
Week 7
Week 8
Assessment Day
No training
Public
Holidays
Thurs 7 Mar & Sun 10 Mar
Thurs 28 Mar & Sun 31 Mar
(Easter)
Mon 28 Jan (Australia Day)
Mon 11 Mar (Canberra Day)
Fri Mar 29 – 1 Apr (Easter)
Thurs 25 April (Anzac Day)
Thurs 6 June & Sun 9 June
Sun 29 Sept
Thurs 3 Oct & Sun 6 Oct
Thurs 10 Oct & Sun Oct 13
Mon 10 June
(Queens Birthday)
Mon 30 September
( Family & Community Day)
Mon 7 October (Labour day)
Thursday 5 December
Assessment day for all with
Club BBQ & Awards