Posts tagged ‘ringcraft’
A Tooth for a Tooth.
The Fateful Dental Exam....
At this weeks ringcraft class, one of the judges took a look at Phoenix’s teeth and informed us that she has two infant teeth growing alongside her adult ones. If they aren’t removed they could alter the shape of her mouth, cause all sorts of dental problems and most importantly, a lot of pain. There’s no way around it, Ms Phoenix is gonna have to go see the dentist…
…She’s going in to the vets for her operation on Tuesday. She should only be in for a few hours though, not overnight… 😦
The Business of Show.
We’re now in full preparation for Phoenix’s official first show – she’s in a graduate class at the 3 day long Taunton and District Canine Association Open Show in a couple of weeks where she’ll be showing amongst much older and considerably more experienced handlers and dogs. It could go either way: she’ll either show like a dream, or wreak havoc and chaos around her like an anarchist mob in a grump. It’s the not knowing that lends an edge to the whole thing….
Meanwhile Phoenix continues to grow apace and we’re hoping that she eventually slows down before morphing into a new breed: the GHWV (Giant Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla). This impression wasn’t helped any when we were approached by an admiring family when out walking recently. They said in an emphatic rather than questioning way: “She’s a Great Dane, isn’t she?”
Memorable recent canine HPR interactions for Phoenix have included numerous Weimaraners in a variety of shapes, ages and sizes, and a gorgeous pair of GSP (German Shorthaired Pointer) boys with whom she had a great romp whilst we owners all held a mutual appreciation meeting. She also took a particular shine to Merlin, the spectacular Irish Wolfhound whom we met at ringcraft. Merlin was rescued from a pub in Liverpool where he was being “kept” by a couple of teenage boys who mistakenly thought that because Wolfhounds were very big, they’d make good fighting dogs. Wolfhounds are *very* gentle and who knows what horrors would have befallen Merlin if he hadn’t been scooped up and delivered to his new and very loving home. It’s nice to hear of a happy ending for a change…
A.D.D. hits Show Ring Horror.
Ringcraft pre-stack positioning.
First proper ringcraft session for Phoenix under Judge Glenys Sykes of Daraquist English Setters. Phoenix was typically excited and indeed excitable in the midst of twenty-odd other dogs. She was highly praised for her spirit (!), although a little more control would certainly have made the evening less like a wrestling match and more like a dream walk in the ring…
…still, everyone was extremely complimentary (at least to our faces) and hopefully Tim’s handling skills will slowly improve alongside Phoenix’s concentration.
Ringcraft examination.
There were lots of really nice people at the session and we met some of the heavy hitters in the gundog show world .
Phoenix’s status as an only dog at home seem to mark her out as being notably more “animated” than any other puppies present, all of whom came from multi-dog households. Once again, all we can do is persist with her canine socialisation programme, and hope that we can get her as focused in the ring as she is at home.
Megadog.
Meet 'n' Greet
Ringcraft Day! Phoenix was invited to a meet ‘n’ greet at the Ilfracombe and District Canine Society, with a view to joining in the ringcraft training a little later on. We were warmly welcomed by Maria and friends, to an extremely busy dog and people packed town hall, where ringcraft practice was already in full swing. This wasn’t a quiet gathering or bohemian soiree, more like a full on dog-fest with over 30 canines and fifty people.
We were there for two hours where both Phoenix (and us) engaged in non-stop chin and tail wagging (respectively). Notable meetings for Phoenix included a gaggle of King Charles Spaniel puppies, a truly enormous dog Weimaraner, a lovely maternal long haired dachshund, various golden retrievers and a plethora of Staffies. All of whom were very happy to get to know Phoenix.
We had a high level of excitement all throughout the evening but Phoenix calmed down by the end of the evening. Extreme doses of dog seem to be working already.The other notable event of the evening was meeting the first (and perhaps only?) person to know what breed Phoenix was. He came over and said “I used to look after 12 of these”!
Belatarr Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla. 