2008

Congratulations to Del & Tara for their new CD!

Del and Tara earned their CD with an average score of 196 1/2 and three consecutive High in Trials! Congratulations!

Announcing the new Pacific Northwest Region Blog

Click |HERE| to check out the new blog. Events, announcements, discussion, ideas — let's work together.

Summer Trial

Our trial is over for another year. Highlights included a visit from our dear friends, Bill and Carolyn Dotson, who were celebrating their wedding anniversary with a trip to a working Montana cattle ranch. Other highlights included junior handler Coral, who had borrowed Warren's dog Harley for a few weeks so she'd have a dog to trial ... and did an outstanding job repeating Harley's SchH1. We won't mention that she beat Warren's score!. Junior handler Lily with her young dog Roxie earned their BH on Saturday and then achieved their FH the following day with a very nice track.

Zouka, the little dog that could, got his IPO3! Congratulations to Zouka and Anne!

We had a visitor from Kentucky, Lindsay, with her GSD "Raiden" earn their BH; congratulations to them as well. It's awesome to meet new people in the sport from so far away.

Click on the thumbnails below to see a slide show of portions of the trial. More to be added as time allows...

*****Add pics from the trial

Trial Results

Rosemarie Elisabeth Gelhard 1936 ~ 2008

CLEARFIELD, UTAH- Rosemarie Elisabeth Gelhard, 72, passed away Monday, July 14, 2008. She was born on April 19, 1936 in Worms, Germany the daughter of Johann and Elisabeth Schwind Sum. Rosemarie married Eugenius Gelhard on May 31, 1953 in Worms, Germany.

Rosemarie enjoyed bowling, skiing, videotaping dog events and her husband's dog training sessions for many years. Surviving are her husband, Eugenius Gelhard, Clearfield; son, Raymond Eugene Gelhard, Layton; daughter, Veronica Smith, Lubbock, TX; two grandchildren, two sisters, Inge Zenker and Irmgard Miller. Preceded in death by her parents. Memorial services will be held Friday, July 18, 2008 at 2 p.m. at Lindquist's Layton Mortuary, 1867 No. Fairfield Road.

e-mail condolences to the family at www.lindquistmortuary.com
Published in the Salt Lake Tribune on 7/17/2008

Welcome to new members Tara Welch and Glenn Stephenson!

Glenn has been a friend of Big Sky Schutzhund for quite some time, and we're happy to welcome him to the club. Tara and her mali bitch Del bring energy and enthusiasm to the club. Welcome!

And Check Out This Website:

Dog Sport Awards. Not only do they have very nice awards, but you have to see Schutzhund Barbie!

http://www.dogsportawards.com/Schutzhund_Barbie.html

Great Seminar!

Let's see...it's late May and Michael's coming.  Yep!  It's snowing.

As usual we had cold, wind, rain, a rainbow, and sunshine. Great dog training weather.

Thanks again Michael for a great seminar. And thanks to our friends from Alberta and Minnesota who helped make the seminar a success. It was great to see you!

And thanks to all the workers who helped ready the training field. Unfortunately, we had a little wind problem shortly before the seminar... So much for the canopy.

Announcing the opening of K9FUNdamentals' Online Store!

Toys & Essentials for Performance Dogs!

Specializing in interactive toys of all kinds. Tug toys, toss'n'treat toys, fleece, fur, jute, French linen, leather, plush, sheepskin. Motivational toys for Schutzhund, obedience, agility, flyball, fun. Also leashes, collars, frisbees, buckets, shade & cooling, beds. Coming soon: General Cage crates and exercise pens.

Check it out at http://www.k9fundamentals.com

Danno Ot Vitosha

One of my favorite dogs of all time, Danno ot Vitosha, passed away on Thursday this week. His owner, Anne Camper, arrived home to find that he had died in his kennel some time during the day. A necropsy later that evening revealed the issues with his heart... none of which could have been diagnosed under normal vet checks, etc. He was about 10 1/2.

Danno did darn near anything you'd ask of him. He was my first exposure to what really classy heeling looked like. I take little credit and all of any blame for his bitework. The dog always came right down the middle, and I just wasn't good enough to catch him to one side; he knew it, and revelled in it! His tracking was the kind the made all the little hairs on the back of your neck stand up -- focused, intent, and full of joy! He was the most honest dog I've ever known, and was used to train puppies, other handlers, helpers, and more.

See you on the other side, old friend.
Warren

Memorial Day with Michael Ellis!

Memorial Weekend is fast approaching! If you're interested in attending our annual obedience and protection seminar with Michael Ellis, please let This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it know as soon as possible. For more information on Michael, click | HERE |

These seminars are always informative and fun! Don't miss it!

"Fall" trial August 2,3 with USA Nathaniel Roque

We will be offering the usual suite of titles, VPG/SchH 1,2,3, IPO 1,2,3, OB and TR 1,2,3, as well as FH 1 (and 2 if we can find room), AD and BH. Nathaniel is an excellent judge with a keen eye but a kind word for every competitor, and our club’s hospitality is well regarded (it better be… we’re WAY outta the beaten path!).

The entry form can be found | HERE |

A map to the Jones' training field and the tracking fields is available | HERE |

The AWDF Championship and Team Challenge

April 4-6, 2008 in Gadsden, Alabama

I attended the competition this year to participate in the annual AWDF meeting, to watch the competition, and to spend some time with the excellent slate of competitors that the AWMA fielded.

Coming from the frozen North where winter has yet to let loose its grip (it also snowed the day I got back) even the rain was a welcome change. And did we have rain. On Friday it alternately drizzled and poured. The final flight of the day was cancelled due to the possibility of strong winds and tornadoes that fortunately did not materialize. Saturday was also characterized by drizzle and rain. But by late morning on Sunday the clouds lifted and the sun finally came out.

This was truly a first class event. The caliber of training, the performance of the dogs, and the manner in which the handlers presented their teams was excellent. Judges and helpers alike commented on how impressed they were, and I agree. It was obvious that the AWDF event had matured to a competition that would be at par with any other national event in the country. Even though the weather could have been better for the humans, it was generally good dog training conditions.

The competitors that were deluged during obedience looked a bit miserable and a few of the dogs shook to remove excess water, but the field stayed relatively safe and slipping did not seem to be an issue. The only weather-related catastrophe was the FH tracks. These were held Friday afternoon and started right about the time the heavens opened up. Tracking was held on the same fields used for the last USA National event. The grass was green, lush, and about six inches tall in most locations. I watched tracking on Friday morning, where the only issue was that three dogs were given retracks because there were some problems with the tracklayers fouling neighboring tracks.

The obedience field was set up with the jumps back to back. The only two somewhat unusual aspects of the protection setup was that the back half helper’s sleeve was in the corner downfield from blind 6 on a chair, and this seemed to cause a few dogs some problems. The other interesting twist was that during the back transport the helper turned right towards the fence and the spectators and attacked right before reaching it. There were a number of competitors who were closer to the helper than five paces and there was no room for forgiveness in this situation. Front half helper Lotus Perkins did a great job of handling the dogs in these close quarters. With his speed and athleticism, the dogs had to take off on the escape bite to catch him. He was extremely consistent throughout the competition and gave each dog a chance to show its ability. Back half helper Jim Laubmeier was also very consistent and safe, even though the field was slippery with rain and mud and many dogs came in fast and straight.

High in Trial and High IPO 3 winners Mark Saccoccio and Joker du Loups du Soleil were a great team. Mark hasn’t had Joker for all that long but you wouldn’t know it from the performance. This dog has matured considerably since the AWMA Nationals where he won the helper’s choice award. There was a minor issue in protection on the long bite where Joker was apparently focused on the photographer rather than the helper, but back half helper Jim Laubmeier got the dog’s attention back where it needed to be. Second place winners James Honda and Aran had a stellar obedience routine in a virtual downpour. He was also one of the few protection routines where it also poured. Another notable team was third place winners Mike Deihl and Erriz, who had a powerful protection routine. In obedience, another crowd pleaser was Montell Brown and his Schnauzer Quentin who obtained a well deserved 97V in obedience. Les Flores’ Dutch Shepherd Aaron was most impressive in the protection work and definitely stopped the helper.

Fellow Montanan Rosellen Westerhoff and Ura also had a solid performance. Ura was one of the dogs who had a retrack. She was nearly done with her original track when things just didn’t look right from afar, but she went down on an article. She’d taken the exit from one tracklayer and end up on a leg of the adjacent track. After a few nerve wracking moments, the judge and tracklayers figured out what had happened and Rosellen was offered a retrack later that morning. This track went very well, especially for a dog that hasn’t seen any green grass for a very long time. In obedience, Ura missed her sit out of motion and the remainder of the point losses were for minor issues. The helpers appeared to push her particularly hard in protection but she rose to the occasion and put up a good fight. Rosellen and Ura came home with Highest Female Team and Female Malinois honors. Ura had two sons in the competition, Kaapo with David Thomsen and Kaden with Dre’ Hastings. Both of these very young dogs were a joy to watch. Kaden may have won it all except for some slight secondary obedience problems in protection. They ended up with the Youngest IPO 3 Dog trophy and 4th Place IPO 3.

I had a great time. Thanks to Bruce and Rosellen for letting me share a room and for spoiling Ura a bit – dog withdrawal is a terrible thing. If you want details on the event, please get in touch. I’d love to talk with you about it in more depth.

Anne Camper

2007

Trial Info

The annual BSSC will be held 11-12 August 2007 with USA Judge Bill Szentmiklosi.

Saga is pregnant!

Saga vom Grunewald SchH2 OFA Excellent has been bred to Balu aus der Eichendforffsiedlung for August puppies. Balu was recommended to us by Michael Ellis and is one of Michael's favourite German shepherds in the country. Balu's pedigree speaks for itself, with Mink, Crok and Garry on his sire's side combined with Fero, Troll, Greif and Sagus on his dam's side. Balu is a strong, medium sized, dark sable male. He brings tons of prey drive and a serious working quality. His grips are always hard and full. Balu has earned "V" scores at the SchH3 level in tracking and protection. At the age of eight, Balu began playing in Mondioring, where he transfered his strong bite and fight to the full body suit.

Michael Ellis Spring Seminar

Memorial Weekend is fast approaching! If you're interested in attending our annual obedience and protection seminar with Michael Ellis, please let This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it know as soon as possible. For more information on Michael, click
| HERE |

These seminars are always informative and fun! Don't miss it!

PACIFIC NORTHWEST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

April 20-21-22, 2007

Spokane Valley, Washington

SV Judge: Franz Dörr

PNW Regional Champion
First Place, High Tracking, High SchH 3,
Rosellen Westerhoff & Ura • 99 - 91 - 86P = 276

Click | HERE | to go to the Regionals page for results and pictures.

Cool websites

Check out these informative websites for some great information on Schutzhund and training:

Schutzhund-training.com - Great articles about training and puppies. Check out the article on shaping a retrieve!

Schutzhund tracking.com - Great info about tracking, including videos

My Tracking Dog.com - Gary Roe - Canadian Kennel Club Tracking Representative

Ivan vom Schloß im Wald SchH2

"Ivan the Jerk" died due to gastric torsion late Christmas day night. He was a reactive, confident, belligerent, excessive dog who hit like a freight train in the Schutzhund bitework. He was a character, and Warren, especially, will miss him.

Ivan vom Schoß im Wald SchH2
Linus vom Schrebergarten x Una von der Zederau
07 February 1995 - 26 December 2006

1988

Sue Geske joined the club with her shepherd "Taiga".

In 1988, Rachel Murray and her Rottweiler "Bushwhak'n Ernie of Chutzpah" represented our fledgling working club at their first trial.

Rachael wasn't happy about the sufficient and never let training helper Warren forget it. Ernie wasn't a sufficient dog — far from it. It helped for all the club members to actually SEE a Schutzhund trial, and we went home with new goals and better ideas on how to achieve them.

1986

Strohs is Spoken Here

In the spring of 1986, Warren & Sam moved to Bozeman, Montana. They had been "playing" with Schutzhund back in California since the late seventies with mentor Bill Dotson. In Bozeman, they found a small but serious group of goal-oriented Schutzhund enthusiasts, and training started. The original group consisted of: Anne Camper, Ann Conley, Teri Rosgaard, Jo Sykes, Rachel Murray, Connie Waldo, Mary Jo Ames, and Sam & Warren Jones.

Anne Camper had two black dogs, Lasar and Zee. Lasar was the first CH UDT title in Montana, but he wasn't sure SchH was a proper endeavor for a dog. So Anne didn't even have a dog to work, but she was a dedicated member and came to all the training sessions.

Sam was working her Aussie "Maggie", while Warren had a young shepherd "Ryker" who would set the standard for tracking.

Rachael had three dogs: a boxer mix named Rhododendron who was a master at tricks; a Rottie named Anna Bananna, who would do bitework as long as she didn't step in dog poop or get ants on her feet, and Ernie, one of the world's great dogs. Ernie had heart and courage.

Connie had an DDR import shepherd named Queenie who was tough as nails and taught us what "civil" meant.

We called ourselves the "Bozeman Barkers, Biters and Beer Drinkers" (a name that wouldn't go over too well in the PC 90's). We also briefly considered the name "Middle Yellowstone-Gallatin Association for Working Dogs" or MYGAWD.

Although Conley pushed to have a USA recognised club, the rest of us were content to be an informal group of training and sport-friends.