Posts tagged ‘Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla’
It’s all about Phoenix.
Although she scored some very nice Champ Show class wins last year, Phoenix has been very lightly shown since being awarded top HWV puppy just over 12 months ago as we have concentrated on Mingus in the show ring. Phoenix has also had to take something of a back seat on the blog too, so we thought the time was well overdue for a celebration of the world of Phoenix.
Phoenix in the meadow.
Phoenix has a hobby, and one that we’ve never got around to documenting on the blog before. She loves, and I do mean LOVES, for inanimate, “previously-still-things” – sand, soil, mud, and most especially water – to come alive and start to move. Of course she loves hurtling around after deer, pheasants, sticks, toys as much as the next gundog, but she saves her most intense concentration and her most excited response for when she gets to act as goalie and dives this way and that to catch “previously-still-things.” Mingus can be quite obliging, and when he’s digging in the soil or sand Phoenix invariably positions herself right behind to catch the flying dirt….
But Phoenix is a total water-baby at heart, so it’s no great surprise that her favourite variation, and one with which she is now semi-obsessed, is the flying water game:
Stalking...
Focussing....
Bouncing...
Back-Flipping...
Leaping...
A contented Phoenix, post-splash.
Mingus scores Hat-Trick. Four-in-a-Row.
UPDATE:
Following hot on the heels of his 1st at Crufts and then again at last weekends HWVA Championship Show, Mingus scored another first Junior Dog under judge Pam Blay at today’s W.E.L.K.S. Chamionship – giving him a hat-trick of three 1st places at three consecutive Champ Shows.
Mingus pre-show - looking quizzical in the garden.
Today wasn’t Mingus’ best performance and he was unusually fidgety and distracted in the ring – probably due to close interaction, immediately before entering the ring, with a bitch who’s kennel mate was in season …we won’t be making that mistake again!! – but, luckily his movement was as solid as ever and the judge took little time in awarding him 1st place.
Practising stacking with Mingus.
AND THEN…8 days later it was the National Dog Show Championship, another big entry of 67 HWV’s and Mingus’ final ever appearance as a Junior. Following the previous weeks rather unsatisfactory/wriggly behaviour in the ring we took a different approach with Mingus’ pre-show preparation. The result was one of his best ever performances; he stood immaculately, showing total focus and requiring just the lightest of touches to maintain his position – a total joy for his handler this time out!! – and his movement was as powerful and animated as ever, all of which brought him his 4th Champ Show first place in a row. The perfect way to exit Junior and move up amongst the big boys!
Belatarr wins Top Puppy of the year… again!
Mingus strides out in the ring.
Yesterday saw the long-awaited first ever Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla Championship Show, judged and extremely well presided over by Frank Kane – one of the country’s most senior judges, and possibly the ONLY British judge who could be said to be a household name outside of show households. This was the second ever show (the first being last months Crufts) at which CC’s (Challenge Certificates) were being awarded to the breed. The combined draw of Frank and the CC’s attracted a phenomenal 164 entries from 126 HWV’s spread across 23 Classes…without question the largest gathering of the breed anywhere in the world, which ably demonstrated that Wires have most definitely “arrived” in 2011!!
Hot dog (& handler) preparing the stack and nicely showing one of the secrets of his success - Mingus' powerful shoulders & upper arm.
...and stacked in the Junior Dog class.
The day was blisteringly hot, which certainly caused ongoing problems for both dogs and exhibitors, many of whom were wilting to various degrees.
First!
Mingus was up in Junior Dog – at 10:50 AM, but already boiling in the ring. Frank certainly put the class of 6 young dogs through their paces, moving them on four occasions to examine structure & movement from all directions, but we were absolutely thrilled to be awarded 1st place once again, consolidating on Mingus’ 1st in the same class at Crufts.
Mingus' 1st Junior Dog award.
We like a bit of silverware and Mingus received a natty engraved silver platter for his win too, but, much like the temperature, things were only just hotting up for him…
The annual awards were announced at lunchtime. At last years awards ceremony our Phoenix took Top Puppy and Top Scoring Puppy Bitch for the year. We knew that there was some very serious competition this year from, amongst others, two superb young bitches (from Herlinga & Morganna Kennels respectively) both of whom had excelled through the year at Championship and Open shows and who we knew would have amassed substantial scores….
Mingus & Handler having a team-discussion whilst awaiting their results...
As the tally of points was pinned up and the awards announced it became clear that one of these bitches had beaten the existing Puppy Show Points record by quite a large margin…but Mingus had managed to go ever further and, with his score of 581 points, took Top Puppy Dog, winning the Leiborschy Tankard, and then Top Puppy of the year, allowing Belatarr to retain the Leiborschy Flask that Phoenix won for us last year. In the process Mingus also set a new record for the highest score ever attained by a UK HWV show puppy. Needless to say we were brimming over with pride at our boys amazing achievements – what a day to remember!!
The two award certificates and more 1st's!
1st at Crufts!
The 3:15AM start could mean only one thing – it was the “Big Day”…..yep, Crufts had finally arrived.
A huge HWV entry of 104 – surely the largest gathering of the breed that has ever taken place outside Hungary? – converged on Birmingham’s NEC, with us amongst them.
Mingus hit the ring at around 09:15, keenly watched by his “Grandmas” (Jacqui of Morehay & Caroline of Starshot HWV’s) and did both them and us proud by winning his class and being awarded 1st Special Junior Dog, from a class of 6 dogs. All very exciting!
Another wonderful result to add to his tally, but also a real milestone in his Show career:
Mingus stacked in Special Junior Dog class.
Being awarded 1st in Class.
Mingus on the move
...and in the Best Dog Challenge.
Hips-Hips Hooray.
Following the extreme weather over the tail end of last year 2011 has (so far) been fairly quiet with not too much excitement here in the Belatarr camp.
Mingus has continued to do very well in his first handful of shows as an adult, and has added another three very handy BOB/BNSC’s to his scores over the last few weeks.
This last weekend also definitely proved to be notable too, as Mingus’ hip-scores & X-ray arrived…actually, they almost didn’t arrive at all since our postie somehow delivered them to the wrong address altogether, but our near-neighbour kindly brought them round (thank goodness!!).
And the scores on the doors were: 4/3 (total of 7), which is an absolutely excellent score for an HWV, and puts Mingus very nicely amongst the best of the breed, hip-wise. Cue happy grins and wags all ’round.
Here he is (nearly)stacked at last weeks Plymouth & District Canine Society Open Show, somewhere between getting Best NSC Gundog and being short-listed for Best Gundog in the group:
Semi-stacked
Snowbeards.
Mingus at the river.
Phoenix contemplates the new snowiverse.
Yes, like the whole of the rest of the UK, the snow has finally arrived here in Wolfvalley. Approx 6 inches fell overnight with mild drifting creating around a foot of depth in places, rendering the road/lane impassable (no change there then…) and once again transforming our valley garden into a “Winter Wonderland”; to whit:
Early morning sun across the garden valley.
The bottom of the garden.
The lane - a dog-only zone for today.
Arctic romp.
At the garden gate heading into the woodland.
Phoenix waiting at the gate...
Phoenix in a snowy point.
Phoenix catching snowballs.
Mingus makes snowy progress.
Mingus the Snowbeard.
My, what snowy eyebrows you have.
It's never too snowy to dig for voles.
But this is the result - A Yeti? or a small breed of Highland Cattle perhaps?
Phoenix in the Redwood Grove.
Our river - almost monochromatic today.
The weir & water glinting blue in the sunlight, as viewed through the trees from the bridge at the bottom of the garden.
Birch trunk in the snow.
Stop Press: Big Birthday Bonanza!
Celebrating his birthday in considerable style today Mingus attended his final ever show as a puppy – The Plymouth & District Kennel Association Open.
After a couple of frankly so-so performances, resulting from the influence of Phoenix’ season, Mingus pulled out all the doggy-stops today and was well and truly back on form in the ring, being awarded:
– 1st Graduate NSC Gundog (from a class of 6, all but 1 of whom were adults)
– Best NSC Gundog Puppy
– Gundog Puppy Group 1 (his fourth!)
– Reserve Best Puppy in Show (his third!)
all of which, needless to say, made for an exciting and wonderfully memorable birthday!
Another Birthday Bash!
Break out the bunting… no longer a puppy, Mingus is 1 today!
Mingus in the meadow.
Deep red and ultra harsh, never stripped or trimmed - the near legendary(?!) Mingus coat.
Party time!
The thoughtful look.
"You Called?"
"Hmmm...this looks interesting."
Poised.
Misty morning log fetch.
Misty morning log retrieve.
Misty morning log/shin interface about to occur...
...sometime later.
Copper sun-glow.
Rapt.
Mingus in his element.
...and where it all began - a 6-week-old Mingus.
Happy 1st Birthday Mingus!
Seasonal Tribulations.
The lonnnnnng absence of any new blog entries can be attributed to Phoenix coming into season – her second, just shy of her 2nd birthday, and almost exactly 12 months from her first. How very orderly.
The big difference this time ’round, though, was that she was no longer the only canine in the household. Entering into unknown territory with an intact male and female living together, Phoenix (somewhat unexpectedly!) came into season just 24 hrs. after being awarded 2nd Limit Bitch at the Gundog Society of Wales Champ show.
We had been as prepared as we could be for the whole male/female excitement interface, and the possibility of having to separate the dogs from one another for a while, but in the event it all went relatively easily, and aside from two occasions when Phoenix was caged to allow Mingus to get some daytime snoozing done, they remained together throughout the whole time. Having said that we didn’t take our eyes off them at any time when they were awake, and obviously they slept in different rooms too, but the howling/screaming/hysteria that we were expecting (and that’s just from the humans) never came to pass at all.
They ate and exercised together just as normal, and, as soon as they were out of the house, they were invariably both far more interested in food/running/tug-of-war/swimming/chasing stuff etc. etc.
Vole hunting = business as usual.
Phoenix herself was pretty unaffected in terms of mood, but once she entered her receptive phase Mingus became much more tense and unsettled, finding it difficult to relax or rest no matter where he was.
Although this only lasted for a few days unfortunately the very peak of the season coincided with Mingus’ final Champ show as a Puppy – Midland Counties – where our boy was incredibly and unusually needy (howling if Tim so much as glanced at another dog!) distracted & fidgety and as a result was very unsettled and lean-y in the ring, temporarily forgetting how to stand or move properly…we think that’s what judges refer to as “throwing it away on the day.”
Then, after just 19 days, it was all over, and, as if someone had flicked a switch to off, both dogs immediately returned to their normal patterns of behaviour.
Of course Mingus (now 11 months old) is just a young-ling, and no doubt things will be a tad more “intense” next time around, but show-ring appearance aside, it couldn’t have gone more smoothly. A big relief!
Day 7 of Phoenix' season - on the trail with Mingus.
Critiques.
We’re just starting to receive the first of the judges Critiques from Mingus’ recent wins, and very pleasing reading they are too:
“Superb 10 months male. I could have taken him home. Expressive head, strong neck, shoulders well laid, deep chest, good bone, well angulated backend that produced a strong rear driving action. This was all topped off with a good harsh jacket. Pleased to award him Puppy Group 1 and Best Puppy in Show. A super boy, I shall watch his progress with interest.”
CAMBORNE REDRUTH CANINE SOCIETY OPEN – judge: Penny Sands
“A superb representative of the Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla carrying many of the characteristics the breed demands, nice biddable, expressive well-worked head, correct size, well-balanced in every department, covering the ground with purposeful, accurate ground-covering movement. I also awarded him Gundog Group 2 and Puppy Gundog Group 1.”
OKEHAMPTON & DISTRICT CANINE SOCIETY OPEN – judge: Mike Bryant
“Puppy of 10 months. Head with good beard, body well ribbed back with dark coat of correct texture. Moved well and really is at one with his handler. Best Puppy. Reserve Best of Breed & pleased to see him go Reserve Best Puppy in Show.”
CORNWALL GUN DOG CLUB OPEN – judge: Mike Lewin
“A promising 10 month old dog puppy with an excellent coat and head furnishings. Angulations good and balance each other. Correct height and length ratio in body. Deep chest, short and strong over loin. Moved soundly and with drive to win Best of Breed & Best Not Separately Classified Puppy & later PG2”
TAVISTOCK & DISTRICT OPEN judge: Eileen Hughes
Belatarr Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla. 