Krazy for K9s

What a fantastic Friday night of certification testing!!! The following dog-handler teams had great success:

Handler-Dog Teams who passed the Therapy Dog International (and the CGC) evaluation:

Ciara Sitko and Riley

Julia Chesnut and Satchel

Kathy Holshey and Lulu

Caroline Harding and Ellie Mae

Cheryl Cass and Scout

Handlers with Dogs who earned the CGC title or certificate:

Gillie Tweddle and Winnie

Isobel Cobb and Abby

Lex Blanton and Gizzi

Emma Cantwell and Bonnie

Noah Thompson and Twyla

Sammy Thompson and Chuck

Leah Gjormand and Zoey

Alina Ampeh and Roxy

Izzie Wolter and Hoyt

Ioana Montel and Chaos

“That was great last night -- what a wonderful group!  The 4-Hers really worked hard and what impressed me most was even when things didn't go quite as planned, they showed great class and love for their dogs!!  I have seen many adults that can't do that!!  The volunteers were wonderful - they really helped make things go well, and especially thank the paperwork stewards - they made everything happen quickly and were just -- well wonderful!!!”  - Rose Miller, CGC and TDI Evaluator

http://odpoac.blogspot.com/

I wanted to reach out to my local 4-H clubs and see if anyone would be interested in gaining some community service points for their portfolio....The Old Dominion Pony of the Americas Club (ODPOAC), which is the Virginia branch of the national POA association, has a large show series scheduled over the weekend of June 21-23....we need your help to make this show run smoothly! Here is a list of our needs:

•Ring Stewards (knowledgeable of POAC rules and not related to exhibitors)

•Games Setup/Takedown

... ... •Jump Setup/Takedown

•Ribbon Givers

•Gate Masters

•Announcers

T-Shirts and training for staff will be provided! ....please contact me if intersted.

PS...stay tuned for future correspondance about a potential 4-H horse judging opportunity at this series as well! We are in the planning phase now, but if this is something that might interest you, feel free to drop me a line.

I’m writing to encourage our VA dog clubs to considertraining for the 2014 AKC Rally Nationals next year. Next weekend the very first Rally Nationals will be held, and the qualifying standard in rally isquite reasonable. Unlike agility & obedience where dogs must qualify basedon OTCH or MACH rankings or points, rally dogs may qualify at ALL levels, including Novice! Best of all, AKC has already announced the trial will be held on the East Coast-- and rumor has it that PA is the most likely location.

Some basic info:

2014 Trial Date:March or April 2014

Qualifying Period: Dec 1, 2012 through Nov 30, 2013

Qualifying:

--NOVICE: earn RN title during qualifying period plus3 scores of 90 or higher

--ADVANCED: earn RA title during qualifying periodplus 3 scores of 90 or higher

--EXCELLENT: earn RE title during qualifying periodplus 3 scores of 90 or higher

--RAE: earn RAE title during qualifying period plus 5double Qs & 3 scores of 100

Juniors compete against adults in this competition.

This year just 3 juniors are competing in Rally Nationals & despite the 100 dogs per class limit, there are just 28 Excellent dogs, 25 Advanced & 89 Novice dogs.

A Special Note About Upcoming Matches/Trials:

April 27: 4-H Hanover Co Match

-last September’s match was TERRIFIC, good for beginners, GREAT rosettes & prizes!

May 4 & 5 AKC trial at Dude Ranch (Pairs AND Team classes) 

-regular classes PLUS pairs & team at ALL levels.How FUN!!

-Greater Washington Bouvier de Flanders club, but is open to all breeds.

We would love to see some 4-H pairs &teams at this event. The premium is not online yet, we will send it out once we receive it.

Richmond DOC Changes:

-This AKC May trial has been moved from Fredericksburg to Richmond in late June with the VA KC shows.

Members from Krazy for K9s & Puppy Pals will attend the ODKC trial in Apr, Hanover match, May 5 thte rial at Dude Ranch & Mattaponi KC shows in mid-May (both days). We’d love to see you there! It's much more fun when we have a group of 4-Hers attending.

Becky

PuppyPals 4-H Club

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=36Z9RRjiQMA

Regular, plain braided:  this video uses 6 pieces of fleece - we usually just use three (the process is the same), but when you come across particularly thin strips of fleece in our scrap bags, using six is probably a great idea so the toy doesn't turn out too skimpy!   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHgXbv8709s

Box, gimp-style:  I particularly like the way they are finished -we usually do a big overhand knot, but this person does a finer single strandknot that looks very nice... I think either way is fine.  This video goes from measuring and cutting to finishing so you might skip ahead if you already have fleece strips!   The "trick" to making these tight is to pull each of the four ends very tightly before moving on to the next round of over/under (you will see her do this in the video - she pulls each one and then pulls them all a bit tighter and again until she's got them as tight as she can - this also make the toy even from top to bottom)  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqqO6ekHE_4

Round, gimp-style:  shown using gimp (boondoggle) and not fleece,but I just made one using fleece following the instructions.  This onedoesn't show how to begin it so either do a big overhand knot or take two very long pieces of fleece and lay the middle of one atop the middle of the other(it will tighten and look like the knot at the beginning of the video after youdo the first go 'round).  To end, leave enough fleece to tie an overhand knot or use the finer finish in the video for box, gimp-style above.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1EF2w4UzEc

~Mrs. Baugh

On September 26, 2012, the Krazy for K9s 4-H Dog Training Club was awarded the first Gilbert S. McCutcheon Friend of Frying Pan Farm Park Memorial Award in appreciation for outstanding commitment to Frying Pan Farm Park and significant contributions of time, support and guidance. Our special thanks to Frying Pan Farm Park for this great honor!

Congratulations to the following members of our 4-H dog lover's community who joined us for CGC/TDI testing on Friday, June 29th, 2012: Arielle Ampeh and her dog Kaila - passed the CGC/TDI certification exams Kira Baugh and her dog Riley - passed the CGC/TDI certification exams Cheryl Cass (parent volunteer) and her dog Scout - passed the certification CGC/TDI Brenda Shaver (adult volunteer) and her dog Penny - passed the CGC/TDI certification exams. 4-H Cloverbud parent/leader Ioana Montel and her puppy Chaos earned the CGC certificate. Special thanks to former 4-H parent Rosemary Miller who is a volunteer CGC and TDI evaluator for local 4-H dog clubs, and for the following 4-Hers who stewarded at the testing event: Krazy for K9s members Ciara Sitko and Alina Ampeh; Cloverbuds Kalina Montel and Jon Anthony Montel; and adult leaders Dian Thomas, Sheila Baugh, Anna-Rose Wolff and Karen Ampeh.

Abby Peach and her Australian Shepherd, Riley, of the Fauquier County Puppy Pals 4-H Dog Training Club were featured in the KidsPost article on Monday June 18, 2012 on agility. http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/dog-agility-training-is-fun-for-all/2012/06/18/gJQArpZzlV_story.html The story is here: Dog agility training is fun for all By — Kitson Jazynka, Published: June 18 Seventeen-year old Abby Peach opens her eyes at 5 on a Saturday morning. She’s barely awake, but her dog Riley’s eyes (one blue, one brown) follow her every move. The Australian shepherd’s legs are set to spring. He wants to know one thing: Will she grab the bag she packs only on agility trial days? Yes! Riley leaps up, whining, barking and wagging his nub (the place where his tail would be if he had one). Soon they’re on their way to compete in the fast-paced, paw-pounding, canine obstacle-course race called agility. “Riley has a mellow personality,” says Abby, who lives in Haymarket. “But on agility day he gets very excited.” That’s because agility trials are super fun. Dogs like Riley dash, weave through and fly over courses of 20 obstacles, including jumps, tunnels, poles, a high plank called the “dog walk” and a teeter-totter. Handlers like Abby run alongside their dogs, guiding them with hand signals and voice commands, including “jump” or “tunnel.” When Abby and 6-year-old Riley arrive at an agility trial, they walk the course, do a few warm-up jumps and wait for their turn in the show ring. When the timer buzzes, they take off. “It’s exciting and loud,” Abby says. “Some dogs bark through their whole course.” Afterward, Riley gets a pile of cheese cubes, dog biscuits or a spoonful of peanut butter as a reward. Then they relax for a few hours and do it all over again. The pair has competed in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and West Virginia over the past four years (sometimes 20 events a year), winning many titles and having a doggone good time. Abby’s goal is to qualify for the American Kennel Club’s National Agility Championship. “I’ve always liked working with animals and teaching them new things and creating that bond,” says Abby, who got started in agility when she was 13. These days, they practice about 10 minutes every day and attend agility classes twice a week. When she and Riley are not training, they go for long walks. Riley also loves to play fetch and swim in a pond near their home. “I love agility because I love to see my dog happy and excited and having so much fun,” Abby says. “That means the world to me. There’s nothing better than when we’ve both come across the line . . . knowing that we did well.” — Kitson Jazynka

Boots, a Cardigan Welsh Corgi, owned and loved by the Chesnut family passed away Tuesday, June 19th. He was a wonderful and smart boy, who loved to learn tricks and run agility. He was best buddies with Julia. He will be greatly missed by his family and his 4-H club.

The Virginia 4-H Dog Advisory Council organized a 4-H Dog Training Camp on the weekend of October 29-30, 2011, at the 4-H National Education Center in Front Royal, Virginia.  The camp classes were focused on teaching use of positive training methodologies and how animals learn as well as practical applications for agility training and behavioral management of dogs.  A freak snowstorm passed through the region early Saturday morning, blanketing the training center in six inches of snow, making for treacherous road conditions, and many travel delays.  Then a power outage that lasted most of the day added further logistical complications for the campers.  Nevertheless, the majority of the enrollees persevered and made it to the camp safely and were patient and flexible as plans shifted to provide the best possible learning experience under the conditions. 

Janet Velenovsky, owner of Kaizen Pet Training & Behavior, provided the campers a lesson on learning theory and methods followed by a TAGteach discussion by Caryn Self-Sullivan of The Positive Quarter: Teaching People to Train Pets and People.  Campers then had a chance to give practical application of positive training methods to chickens by clicker training them in two-person teams with excellent coaching and discussion points provided by the instructors.  It was a fantastic learning experience for the 4-Hers.  Campers then attended a workshop on targeting with their dogs.

On Sunday, there was a very informative visit by members of Guiding Eyes for the Blind and some of their puppies-in-training.  They talked about what it is like to train a seeing eye dog and answered many questions from the audience about all facets of being a dog raiser.  Further, there were several agility classes taught by Averill Ring, owner of Mountain View Agility, including  shaping for agility, obstacle training, and handling, all utilizing clicker training skills.  Further, Nancy Liebhauser, owner of Mica Dog Training, offered classes on solving dog behavioral issues and on managing 4-H dog training classes. 

The 4-H Dog Advisory Council hopes to offer additional seminars on dog training in the near future.

Members of the Krazy for K9s 4-H Dog Training Club attended Celebrate Vale Day on Saturday, October 15, 2011 to promote 4-H clubs in the Oakton area.   It was a beautiful fall day, and many area residents turned out to enjoy the neighborhood fair with craft exhibitors, mum, pumpkin and apple vendors, home baked goodies (loved the pumpkin whoopee pies!!), and more!

Thanks to those helped!!  See the Oakton Patch article on the event featuring a picture of Briard Kaila with Supervisor Frey at:

 http://oakton.patch.com/articles/vale-fair#photo-8141594

Big pot of boiling water -- drop slices of fresh beef liver (easier to work with than frozen, but frozen works too) into boiling water and boil for about 15 minutes.

Place aluminum foil in a baking pan, spray with cooking spray, and place boiled liver slices on it. Sprinkle with garlic powder (not salt). Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 or 30 minutes. If the liver seems wet on the bottom side, turn over part way through the baking process and sprinkle the other side with garlic powder too.

Should be kind of leathery.

I wrap cooled slices in paper towels and store in a zip lock baggie in the freezer.

Mine go wild for it!!

Rose

I thought some of you might enjoy this little story of a rescue dog:

I Rescued A Human Today by Janine Allen

Posted by Janine Allen at Monday, November 17th, 2008.

I RESCUED A HUMAN TODAY by Janine Allen

Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her.

I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn’t be afraid. As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn’t want her to know that I hadn’t been walked today. Sometimes the overworked shelter keepers get too busy and I didn’t want her to think poorly of them.

As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn’t feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone’s life.

She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me. I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her. Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship. A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well.

Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms.

I would promise to keep her safe.

I would promise to always be by her side.

I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes.

I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven’t walked the corridors. So many more to be saved. At least I could save one.

I rescued a human today.

http://rescuemedog.org/dog-blog/i-rescued-a-human-today-by-janine-allen/

Written by Janine Allen CPDT, Rescue Me Dog's professional dog trainer. Janine's passion is working with people and their dogs. She provides demonstrations for those who have adopted shelter dogs, lends email support to adopted dog owners that need information beyond our Training Support Pages, and aids shelter staff and volunteers in understanding dog behavior to increase their adoptability. Copyright 2011 Rescue Me Dog; www.rescuemedog.org