Cavalier Talk

Last night (8/12/08) Cruiser and I finally began our Canine Good Citizen class that I have been wanting to do with him for quite some time now. Since Cruiser is a champion already I don’t have to worry about confusing him with stand or sit. Show dogs need to learn to stand for long periods of time and therefore most handlers do not teach show dogs to sit. Obedience training is totally different and the sit command is used often.

We lucked out and have a class all of our own right now…maybe a few more people will enroll next week, but there is a testing day mid-September that our teacher (Miss Cathy) thinks we will be ready for, but we will see. Cruiser definitely has a head start since he already knows how to walk on a lead and he has always been such a quick learner. He is 3 1/2 yrs old now so his attention span will be much greater at this age making it much easier for me to train him. Luckily he doesn’t have any real bad habits that need correcting so we can just jump right on into our new training program.

Our homework this week includes working on our heel command. I now hold the leash totally different than in conformation and when we come to a stop from heeling we want Cruiser to learn to sit automatically so teaching him to sit is also in our assignment. Cruiser actually accomplished both these assignments within a couple of tries last night, but I will need to go over them with him daily so that he realizes that they are actually his new commands to follow when asked.

Once we get Cruiser through his CGC Test then we will head into some obedience trials and see how far we can go there. I want to learn several of the different activities that can be done with dogs like obedience, rally, and maybe even agility since not all dogs are show dogs, but I do believe all dogs can be obedience dogs and should be able to follow the leadership of their owner.

Cruiser is a very special dog with a huge desire to please me. He excelled quickly in conformation obtaining his championship title in just 4 months, which is unusual for a dog that didn’t have much training. I raised him as my pet and then one day just took him to a professional handler and turned him loose. Next thing I knew he won Best of Breed twice at his first show and had a major and 5 points under his belt without even blinking an eye. Cruiser spoiled me. He learns things and obeys commands as quick as snapping your fingers. I have had to learn more patience with my other Cavaliers through training because most of the time dogs do not respond as quickly as Cruiser has responded. I at least know the difference now when you get a dog that has more natural ability to learn versus having to train them to learn.

Right now I would have to say Sadie is the next Cavalier that could turn out similar to Cruiser. Sadie has a lot of natural ability and really catches on quickly. Her temperament test at 7 weeks of age gave a much dimmer outlook as she ranked a 6 which meant she was totally independent and would not accept correction very well…she has proven to me that temperament testing may be a useful tool to get an idea about a puppy at that particular moment, but molding a puppy still continues through their first year and I now believe no matter what the temperament a puppy has at 7 weeks that through puppy classes and regular training any dog can turn into a wonderful companion that obeys commands. (www.cruisincavaliers.com)

CHARACTERISTICS:
A pleasant intelligent person, helpful, considerate, attentive and of a sporting demeanor. Always willing to give advice and assistance to newcomers, or to others needing it. Attentive to the needs of the dogs being handled, and present each dog to its best advantage.

GENERAL APPEARANCE:
A neat, smart, fit looking individual, well-groomed, well shod and well-equipped, who moves freely both in and out of the ring. TEMPERAMENT:
Calm, confident, unhurried and friendly.

Another great day at the OKC Fun Match.

Star won 1st place in Open Class along with Best of Breed and then went on to capture 2nd place in the Toy Group.

Sadie won 1st place in 3-6 month puppy class along with Best of Breed and then went on to capture 1st place in the puppy Toy Group and we were able to exhibit in Best in Show.

We have had such a wonderful weekend and I highly recommend if you are wanting to learn more about showing to find some fun matches in your area to attend because they are really a whole lot of fun. (www.cruisincavaliers.com)

Left photo “Disney”, Middle photo “Sadie”, Right photo “Star” & Me!

We had a wonderful day at a fun match put on at the Oklahoma City fairgrounds by the Oklahoma City Kennel Club, Inc. & Jack Onofrio Dog Shows, L.L.C. We got off to a wonderful start when Sadie won 1st place in the 3-6 month puppy class and then Disney matched her with a 1st place win in the 6-9 month puppy class. When the puppies went back out for Best of Breed Sadie shined and took top honors, which in turn gave her the opportunity to exhibit in the puppy Toy Group. In the puppy Toy Group Sadie continued to do well and captured 3rd place making “momma Cindi” so proud.

Now it was Star’s turn and I guess she woke up ready to show because she really put on a show today. She won her class and then breed and then the toy group and next thing I knew we were entered in Best in Show…WOW! I have never been in group before so that was really neat to be in that line up with so many other cute toys, but now I found myself in the ring with really big dogs. The Toy Group is the last group in the line up of the 7 groups trying to achieve the Best in Show title. Therefore, when we first went out we just hung out at the end of the line. Once our turn came around to present to the judge Star was a trooper and stood on the table better than she has ever stood before. Once we finished our presentation we returned to the line up and the judge had all of us circle the ring together. When we returned to our original line up the judge pulled Star from the end of the line and moved her into the 3rd position. The judge then had us circle the ring again and when we returned to our original position she switched the 1st and 2nd position dogs with each other and then brought another dog from the rear up to 4th position behind Star and I and then had us circle the ring again. Once we returned to our line up the order was set. The judge personally thanked me and told me I had a beautiful dog and even though there isn’t any prize for 3rd place I was thrilled with the experience I had just had.

I can honestly tell you that fun matches are much more fun than the real conformation ring when you are a novice handler. Judges at fun matches will help you out and completely ignor the jitters that you get which can sometimes cause unfortunate bloopers during showtime. All the other handlers are also just as low-key as the judges so the pressure of real competition is lost, but your desire to win group or best in show is actually possible so you get to enjoy the thrill of wondering if you will make it all the way or not. Professional handlers and breeder/handlers that have been doing this for years already feel the desire to win best in show because they know how to achieve it, but novice handlers like myself just hope for the class win and wish for that winners title.

I also ran into one of my vet techs that works at Porter Hill Vet Clinic. She has been showing for a year now and shows Australian Cattle Dogs. I really enjoyed hanging out with her today and she took pictures for me so please check out each dogs personal page on my website where the photos are larger and more clearer. I was also informed about a training facility in Blanchard on Tues nights and sometimes on Sunday when they are not gone to a dog show. I will definitely try them out since they are much closer than the other class I attend in Midwest City on Tues nights.

Well I am a happy camper today and I can’t wait for my husband to get home from work so I can tell him all about our day and show off the ribbons our little babies won today.

Take care…(www.cruisincavaliers.com)