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Acknowledgements
While I have learned from many dog trainers over the years, a few stand out. Thanks to Glen Johnson, who early in the 80s taught me about inducive training. And also to Bill Dotson, who introduced us to Schutzhund and Search & Rescue.
Thanks Tracey Louper for letting me help teach classes, and being my friend and sounding board for new dog training ideas.
Special thanks to friend and mentor Michael Ellis. Michael is a gifted dog trainer and teacher, and almost everything I use and teach these days comes from Michael.
And thanks to Ivan Balabanov, who started our club, Big Sky Schutzhund Club, on the way to becoming thinking dog trainers.
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Yellowstone Valley Kennel Club Conformation Show
After the Blackfoot shows, we had one night home, then headed down to Billings for a conformation show I got talked into entering with Zappa Dappa Do. Of course, Zappa blew his coat in Blackfoot, and was pretty hairless for the show, especially compared with the other dogs. But, the judges looked at him with interest, and he showed well enough (especially considering he hasn’t had any training!), although he has to learn to keep his tail down, LOL! But he never puts a foot down wrong, and has a very nice head, so who knows? He might be a show dog.
Many thanks to Katelyn Scott, who handled him for two days, giving me a chance to take pictures. Maybe next year, when he’s more mature, in a better weight for conformation (he’s in working trim, with hip bones and ribs showing!) and with some coat, we’ll send him out on the road with Katelyn.
Zappa du Loups du Soleil, handled by Katelyn Scott
New on the show scene is a gorgeous bitch Bull Mountain’s Ember owned by a junior handler from Gillette. She went Best of Breed all three days, with a Goup 4 the first day and a Group 2 the second. Lisa Swarthout’s breeding strives for the total dog, and Ember’s a good example. She got her CD with high scores and is working in Open. Lisa, you should be proud!
Ember
I also got to spend some time catching up with my old friend Sherrie Scott from Spring Fever Aussies (and Katelyn’s mom). Against my better judgement, I think I put a mental deposit down on a pup next year. Sherrie is breeding Tabu one more time, if she can find the right male, and I want a pup from that litter. The trick is to find the right male — an all-around dog with instinct, ability, physical and mental soundness, not too much size or coat: a working dog with correct conformation. That all elusive “golden middle”.
I look at some of these show dogs and they couldn’t work for more than a few minutes, even if they had the instinct and drive. They are so heavy boned and heavy coated, they’d be useless in heat or burrs. My wish for you conformation judges: please remember what job the dog was bred to do, and make your selections keeping that in mind.