A Year

Sometimes it is very difficult to judge what you accomplish in a year. In my work, *maybe* a paper is published or you can flip through a lab book, but with the dogs it is sometimes a bit easier.

The above picture are some of the results that Liina earned since March 2015. 

Now I need to figure out a nice way to display her prizes. :)

I'm very excited to see what the upcoming years will bring for my little dogs.

Road tripping to Gävle

So, once a year I have to do some sort of crazy show trip. This past weekend was that trip. When my boyfriend said that he had to head up sometime in the near future to Gävle, I immediately began looking for a show possibility. Low and behold, one of my favorite judges would be judging dachshunds at a hunting dog exhibition up there in early June. I confirmed that Liina would fit in the car with an arcade machine (the purchased item that helped initiate the trip) and Baxter could stay over the weekend with a friend since there was no need for him to spend all day at a show that he really didn't need.

Admittedly I was a bit nervous. We had showed at the local shows in Hässleholm two weeks earlier and had just so-so results- 2x Excellent, but without the final CK needed for the Champion title. It was a strange weekend though, especially at the International show where no mini wires were awarded with CK and the judge was in the dog's faces, poking at them all over, lifting them off the table to test the weight, really testing the mentality. Needless to say, I won't be rushing to either of those judges again.

So I still needed 1 CK for Liina to get her Champion title and was *hoping* that this long road trip would be worth while. So after a Friday night spent at my colleagues PhD defense party, we woke early Saturday morning, loaded the car, dropped off Baxter and started the trip up to the Gävle area. We made a few stops along the way. I think our favorite was at the ruins in Brahehus.

We were graciously hosted by our friends at Skogvetten's kennel in the little village of Järbo about 100km from the show grounds and similar distance from the boyfriend's arcade. Sussi decided to brave the show with her youngest female Hera and join Liina and I for a show day in Alfta at a hunting dog exhibition. 

We had lovely weather around 15-20C with sun and a little wind. It was a long day though as we were not up until very late (the last 20 dogs) in the ring, but we had to be checked in by 9:45am. So, waiting, waiting, waiting. It was a nice show and it was interesting to see new dogs and people.

I got a little nervous waiting around so long, but it was not in vain. There were not many minis (only 3; 1 male and 2 females), but there was still competition for me. Liina and I did our best and we were greatly awarded:

In Jaktklass: Exc1 CK CERT and finally Best Female-BIM! 

With that result, Liina finished her Swedish Beauty Championship! 

Better yet... she unlocked a LOT of other Champion titles! So little Liina is now:

SEU(v)CH, SEVCH, DKCH, FICH, NordicCH, LTCH, WUTCH!!!!

I was so proud and overwhelmed and excited. No, I didn't cry, but I almost couldn't believe it! My first Champion solely put on myself (OK, so FI, LT, and WUT were helped by Markku, but close enough! ;) ).  We will continue to show a bit and hope we can add some International titles to her name as well, but for now, we can rest as her first CACIB was in March this year and we must wait at least 1 year for the final result.

Everyone was tired after the show (Hera-above- was totally exhausted on the car trip home), but we were greeted back home with lovely dinner and company. 

The next day was already time to head towards home for work the next day. On the way down we decided to stop for lunch and sightseeing in Eskilstuna, where Andreas is originally from. I very much enjoyed the city. Big enough to feel like a real city, but still small and cosy, with a nice river front, shopping road, and little bits and pieces to see. After an impromptu Fika with Andreas' brother, we were back in the car and headed on our 6.5 hr drive towards home.

We stopped in Höör to pick up a very excited and happy to see me Baxter, said our thank yous and good byes and shortly thereafter we were home. It was a long, but fun road trip. It was nice to see the middle of Sweden and it was definitely as far north as I had been in the country. We all wound down on the couch, watching an episode of the Flash... or rather, drifting off to sleep while watching the Flash. All happy and content to be back in our house. :)

Sorry for the silence!

I just realized that I haven't written any posts since the end of 2015!

Very sorry everyone! Our life here in Sweden has been a little bit quiet. The dogs were supposed to be on show tour starting this month, but that won't happy until later in the year. I was in a small car accident earlier this year, spinning out on black ice and damaging my poor little car. Well, now I have a sporty, little Ford and dog show money has been pumped into buying our transportation. C'est la vie! There will always be later this year...

My poor little car. Luckily I am perfectly fine.

Liina and I went up to My Dog in Gothenburg early in January and happily came home with 2x Exc and 1xCK. It was a nice weekend and we are hoping that the next couple months will bring a few more nice results. :)

Liina and I at My Dog 2016

Baxter will not be shown much this year. I am hoping he can finish his few titles with Nikos later this year and then "retire" from the show ring. He has done enough... Exc1 in 11 countries is quite a great accomplishment for a small dog... especially when he is/was mostly owner handled. Maybe we will show a little bit more in Germany or Austria or Denmark, but no stress for my handsome boy. Now I am working on taking a little winter weigh (off both him and me!) and getting ready for this fall. We may have *finally* found a couple spots to try out Drev and I would love to try out Bax and see how he does. Otherwise, he will be a happy, healthy, pretty boy. :) Maybe we will start training viltspår again and go for trials in Finland or Denmark or Norway... maybe even Germany! We will see.

Bax and his BFF Leo

My goals this year are mostly for Liina. I would love to see her get her CH in Sweden. I would love to try her again on Gryt and see if a year away sparks her interest even more. I would love to do a small show tour with her and try for a Nordic Champion. I would love for her to get a CACIB and start her international Championship. I would love to start looking for her future husband (though this is a few years off). Lastly, I would like to keep training viltspår with her and try for the 40hr exam in Denmark later this year.

Finally... This is year is a big year as Freddie should have a date in summer/autumn! We will keep you all updated if and when tiny Freddie's will make their appearance. It should be an exciting pairing and a COI of 0%, a mix of German-French and Swedish lines. If you are interested in knowing more, let me know!

Freddie on holiday in Oslo

A lot of goals... We will see what 2016 brings!

Happy New Year!

After a day of moving all of my things and another couple hours of cleaning (knowing that tomorrow there will be MORE cleaning), I decided to sit on the couch with a beer and my dogs. It is giving me a great opportunity to look back, not only at 2015, but also at the blog and life.

This past month, my little blog turned 3 years old! I really can't believe it. What does 3 years give us?

• A new dog
• A Kennel name
• A new start
• A new website: Moniker
• A loaner dog and a confidence booster
• Show/working trips to 12 countries
• 17 Champion titles
• More than 25 successful working trials in 4 countries
• 125 posts
• More than 20,000 visitors to the site

 

2015 was a year of change. Simon and I parted ways after almost 6 years. Although the break up was difficult, we are on good terms and have continued to work together with the dogs. He of course loves them as much as I do. This collaboration led to 2 bloodtracking champions and an approved Gryteftersökhund (in homologation). I have debated changing the blog banner and information. The name of the blog (WHdackel) wasn't just for Wirehaired, but also represented our last names: W & H. Although our tag says "a couple and their dogs," I still don't feel it is totally wrong. The blog was made out of love for our boys and it will continue to function as a medium for me to report their awesome accomplishments and bitter losses.

2016 will continue to be a year of change. A new house, a new start, and, hopefully, soon a new job. Where will we go next? Who knows. Regardless, we will keep you posted!

Have a great start to 2016 everyone!

Liina is home!

After 3 months away, my little zwerg (Barbwired Champagne) returned home with me to Sweden. She was a good houseguest during her stay in Finland and came home with very nice results from the 5 shows she attended:

2xBOB

2xWinner

1xBOS

3xCERT

5xExc

4xExc1 CK

1xExc2

With these results, she should earn 4 new titles upon reaching 2 years of age. Not too shabby for the little girl.

Now we have a little bit of time to rest before the next shows start. Good to have you home my sassy little dog!

New Multi-Champion!

So as you all know by now, Iita (Barbwired Bella Bambina) is here in Sweden and staying with me for trials and show. Well, big news...

We passed our final tracking trial in 1st prize! Iita is a new Swedish Tracking Champion!!! Holy cow! It is one thing to work and pass with your own dog, but it brings a new confidence booster when you can pass with someone else's dog.

I am very lucky that Iita has the same personality as her brother and not only trusts me, but looks to me and wants to please me. She is very clever and a joy to have around. The one problem of her being so similar to her brother, is that Baxter is starting to get a bit jealous that he has to share "his" person with someone else. Let me tell you, I am not cold at night with a dachshund on each side of my feet!

So my "job" is now finished. We accomplished a whole lot in just 3 weeks... "unlocking" 4 championships (FI, LT, LV, WUT), earning 3rd Best Female with CK in hunting class and earning her Swedish Beauty Champion, and 3x 1st prize in blood tracking earning her Swedish Blood tracking Champion.

Iita came to me a great little dog and will be leaving as a multi-Champion! I am SO happy that I proved to myself I can be a good handler, both in show and in trial, and got to know this great girl.

Huge success for Baxter's nieces and nephews!

It has been a rather slow month in our dog world. We are waiting on shows (5 next month) and hosting Baxter's sister Iita. She will be my new project as a "temporary" show and tracking dog. It should be a fun time!

Barbwired Bella Bambina "Iita" winning her 3rd CERT as well as BOB in Finland

In the meanwhile this has been a fantastic month for Barbwired kennel and I am EXTREMELY proud that Iita's puppies are rocking it in the show ring around Europe!  All of these puppies are out of Iita's one and only litter (currently!) to WW-15, EUW-13, CH Lollipop della Val Vezzeno.
Just to recap...

Barbwired Ducati (here at 5 months old) was rated Excellent 2 in Junior class at his first show.

Barbwired Dolce Gusto "Viola" was awarded Excellent, CK and Best Female 3. Viola currently lives with mom Iita.

Barbwired Diatto "Väinö" not only totally handsome, but on his very first match show was BIS1 and at his first official show at 1 year old was Best male, CERT, and BOS out of 38 dogs!

12 months old

Väinö (right) with breeder Markku (Barbwired) and Gordon (Liina's dad on left)

And last, but not least, is beautiful "Pippa"- Barbwired Dietorelle. Pippa lives in Switzerland with my very good friend Rebecca. Earlier in August, Pippa was shown twice at the international dog shows in Innsbruck, Austria where she rocked the Junior ring and was awarded 2x Ex1, 2xCACA/J, and 1x 2nd best female! It was very stiff competition as there were 7 junior females on Saturday and 5 on Sunday. To make things even better, Pippa attended the Landessieger Show (Swiss Dachshund Club Specialty) where she won junior class earning the Landesjugendsieger title and went on to win BOB and BIS1!!! 

Amazing results from the pups in this litter! Not even in the adult classes yet and they are doing fantastic on show! Furthermore, these are only 4 of the 7 puppies, so it will be super interesting to see what happens in the future.

I can only hope that Iita and Baxter share the genetics for producing amazing puppies! Maybe in the future it will be Baxter's offspring rocking the rings. Only time will tell.

Congrats to all the owners and, of course, the breeders!

What a weekend! New Champion!

So as I alluded to in my last post, Baxter is with a handler friend of mine in Hungary for training and shows. So far he has met with great success, winning his class in all 3 of the shows that he has been in. So he now has show results also from Hungary and Serbia.

The greatest news came today though... Baxter's show results from this weekend (1 national and 1 international show): 2x CAC, 1x CACIB, 2x BOB, 1x BOG2, 1x BOG1!

Aside from the nice trophies, Baxter finished several titles: SRBCh, which then also finishing SEU(V)CH, LTCH, WUTCH and finally... C.I.B (International Beauty Champion)!

I am over the moon and so excited for my little guy! I of course cannot take credit for showing Baxter though, that awesome distinction goes to Nikos Papadopoulos (Sunshineland kennel) for doing amazing work with Baxter in such a short time.



So, many of you might wonder why Baxter is away from home touring central/eastern European shows. Well, the answer is a bit simplistic... Simon and I have decided to separate. It has been an ongoing process and I have now moved to Lund (you may have seen this on the contact page). There were elaborate plans this year to do a few big "show-cations" to try and finish Baxter's Championships and do practice showing with Liina. Since a single income does not lend itself to crazy trips on the other end of the continent, I had to evaluate my options. The result was that Baxter would spend the month of April (and maybe part of May) in Hungary with Nikos and his family, who are totally wonderful! He spends his days running around in the garden with other dogs, show training, and getting love from the family and the weekends showing. Although I miss my little man, it has made the stress of moving a lot easier since there was a lot of tension between the boys at the old house and they had to be separated the past 2 months. Freddie just is not good with 2 other dogs... 1 of either sex is ok, but 2 throws off the balance and makes him nervous and on constant guard. It is also giving me a better opportunity to train and bond with Liina, since Liina and Baxter will ultimately live with me in Lund. So there is the past 6 months in a nutshell. Thank you for continued reading of my blog! I hope for many more dog-filled years to come!

It's official! Baxter got his diploma!

Folks, we have our first Champion! This piece of paper makes me very, very happy.

So proud of you Baxter, my boy!

Working Championships in Sweden

So, I realized that I have never really written a comprehensive post about the hunting test which are performed in Sweden.


While there are many tests that a dog can do: Rally, Eftersök, BPH, Viltsvin, Viltspår, Gryt, Drev, Mantrailing, Agility- I will focus this post on the most common hunting tests that Dachshunds do here in Sweden and what it takes to become a Champion.

Let's start with Gryt Champion (Underground/den work):

In theory, this Championship sounds relatively easy to achieve, but very few dachshunds nowadays participate in Gryt here in Sweden as compared to Germany, Denmark, or Finland where den work still seems quite popular and many tests are performed each year.

The Swedish GrytChampion-SEJ(G)CH- is made up of 2 parts:
1.) Passing the Grytanlagsprov (den aptitude test) with a Kvalitet 1/1st Prize
2.) Passing the Grytjaktprov (basically the BhN (D or F) as in Germany- den hunting in the field) in 1st prize
In addition, the dog must be rated "Good" or better in exhibition.

To me, the underground aptitude test is something that I want my dogs to have. It proves to me that they can do something that the breed was originally bred to do: go into dark, tight areas, and be interested in working a badger or fox. Plus, a dog being able to fit into the artificial den puts a limit on the size of the dog. Neither of my boys are particularly small, but they are determined and agile enough to still squeeze themselves through a 13 x 17 cm space (5.1 x 6.7 inches). The Swedish den also contains a middle arm with a 60cm (almost 2 feet) vertical jump that both of the boys jumped up an explored during practice. For more information about the den set up here in Sweden, please check out this post: http://whdackel.blogspot.se/2014/06/training-with-badger.html

According to Taxen- the magazine of the Swedish Dachshund Club-in 2012  there were a reported 36 dogs that participated in the Grytanlagsprov and only 3 which went on to take the Grytjaktprov. There was a slight rise in 2013, with 51 dogs participating in the aptitude test and 6 in the den hunting trial. Now mind you I say "participating," just because you participate does not mean you pass. Indeed, at out trial this year only 5 of the 7 tested dogs passed their exams. This year only 4 of the 20 clubs hosted a Gryt test. It is a surprisingly low number, but den tests are in danger of being abolished all over Europe by activists, so I don't really expect to see an increase in the coming years. Hopefully den tests will continue and Dachshunds will continue to participate.

Next let's move onto Viltspår (Bloodtracking) Champion:

To become a Swedish Viltspår Champion-SEVCH- a dog must:
1.) Passing a Anlagstest
2.) Receive 3x 1st prize in Open class tracking exams
No exhibition score is currently needed as I believe even castrated dogs are allowed to participate in blood tracking trials.

An Anlagstest is basically an aptitude test to see if your dog is interested in blood tracking. The picture above gives a description/ gives you an idea of how the test is set up. 2 dl (200 ml) of cows blood is used on the track and "Blodupphåll" is a bloodless stretch and the track is left to age for 2-5 hrs. For the length of the test a deer hoof is dragged along with laying a blood track so the dog can technically follow the smell of a deer hoof as well as blood.

The judge takes the dog to the starting point and the dog is given a maximum of 30 min to work out the track with a deer hoof at the end. The judge looks for interest, the dog's working ability, tempo, and accuracy and in the end that dog either Passes or Fails. If the dog passes, it can then move onto the more difficult open class tracking exams.

The open class exams are a bit different from the aptitude test. The length of the track, amount of blood laid and hoof dragged is the same, but the time and how the track is set up is different. First off, the track is to be allowed to age for at least 12 hours (overnight) and be at least 600 m (650 yards) long. Instead of a clear mark to start the track, the dogs must search a 25 x 25 m "box" for the starting point. The judge brings the dog and handler to the edge of the "starting box" and tells them where the boundaries are and the dog must find the start and continue with the track. There are several bloodless stretches on the track, including at least 1 corner and a "back track" area (återgång) where blood is laid, then only the hoof is dragged back to the line/no blood, then after about 20 m the blood trail continues. Finally, 50-100m before the end of the track, the judge fires a shot to test that the dog does not react (similar to German Schussfestigkeit).  The dog is allowed 45 min to track and again the judge is looking for working ability, tempo, and that they are not bothered by gunshots.

Now a big part of the test is that it is performed in an area that is rich in wildlife. Here in Skåne that means several types of deer, wild boar, moose, fox, badger, hares, etc... We have seen all these animals, or tracks of these animals, while out blood tracking. Simon has encountered a herd of deer and a very large boar during his tracking exams. These are definitely distracting and for some dogs more than others. For us, getting Baxter to focus on the track more than the animals was a huge challenge as he much rather explore the forest and chase after all the animals, then follow a silly, old cow blood trail. 

In Sweden last year 1140 dachshunds participated in blood tracking exams, which accounts for roughly 50% of the dogs taking blood tracking exams in Sweden. It is a HUGE number. Blood tracking is by far one of the most popular activity being done with dachshunds in our area. I commend the Swedes for their forward thinking of allowing everyone to work with their dogs and not just those with hunting licenses. I know many people that have gotten their dogs 1st and their hunting licenses later. I will definitely be in that group and am excited to have well trained partners to hunt with me. Blood tracking is a great way to learn more about the dog and work as a team, plus it gets you out in nature! What more could you want? 

The last of hunting championships that a dachshund can get in Sweden is the Drevprov-literally translated "Drive test." This is the test that I know the least about at the moment, but the Drev season is starting now, so I hope to be able to write more about this in the future.

For more on Drev and dogs used for that purpose, I would highly suggest checking out the blog from Kennel Jaktvallens here in Sweden.

Swedish J(D)Champion
A dog must:
1.) Receive 3x 1st prize in a Drev exam
2.) Receive a rating of at least "Good" at an exhibition.
In order to get 1st prize a dog must:
Run/trail a hare or rabbit for 45 min or a fox, roe deer, or crown deer for 60 min or 2x 45 min.

The dog is judged on criteria such as searching ability, hunting ability, hunting drive, voice, etc...
From what I can gather, this test is a combination of the German "Stöber/Waldsuche" test and a very long spurlaut/sichtlaut type of test. Either way, it will be exciting to see and finally understand what is involved in this test.

This is a much more popular test than Gryt, but not nearly as popular as blood tracking. According to Taxen, 625 drev-tests were performed in Sweden last year. Sorry for my lack of pictures of dachshunds decked out in Drev gear!

One reason that I think there are so many trials performed in Sweden has to do with exhibition grades and championships. For example, to enter working class in a Swedish exhibition, one must pass an anlagstest. If you then get 3x CK (Certificate Quality) in hunting class, you qualify for a Swedish Show champion. To become a champion from a class other than hunting class, the dog must essentially be BOB or BOS at 3 shows, which is much more difficult. Though even if you get the CERTs or CKs, you still need a result. To be a Swedish show champion as a dachshund, the dog must also get either: 1st prize in Grytanlagstest  (G) or 1st prize in Open class blood tracking  (V) or 2nd prize Drevprov (D) or pass anlagstests in both blood tracking and 2nd prize grytprov (KoV). So being pretty isn't the only thing, the dog has to be able to work as well.

Well, that is my (more or less) comprehensive guide to what I know thus far about Swedish dachshund-related hunting tests. Even though the nordic countries all do very similar hunting tests, each are a bit different, with different rules or ratings or requirements, therefore I won't get into them now. Maybe another day...

Introducing our brand new Blood Tracking Champion!

Even though the weather has been rather grey and gloomy, we thought it was best to try and do a few more blood tracking tests before the autumn turns to winter. With luck we only needed one more 1st prize, but of course the elements, loads of wildlife, and the upcoming hunting season could turn an ordinary test into something more. We made a list of recommended tracking judges in our region and tried to figure out who was available. Simon tried his first choice, Görel, who we have been to before. Although Görel thought our boy did good work and was promising, his other test with her was not quite up to par. Too many animals in the woods (deer, boar, foxes) and a ripped up path got him once 0 and one time 2nd prize. Despite this, we really liked her as a judge as she is brutally honest, but really helpful in explaining what more to work on to make the dog-and ourselves-better. That being said, she is by no means an easy judge to please and the dog really has to be good to do well with her. She claimed that maybe there were "trolls in the woods" (a bad translation of a Swedish saying) that were being mischievous and throwing us off while tracking at her place.

So Simon scheduled a test today, but I told him that if it didn't go well, then maybe it was time to try out new grounds with another judge. Well, despite a runner in the woods early in the track, a lot of fox holes, and a HUGE boar directly on the track 1/2 way through, Bax managed to pull through and earn his final 1st prize!!! Görel said that the 1st half of the track with corners was perfect and the best work that she had seen from him and that she was impressed that even though Bax was obviously flustered by the presence of the wild boar-Simon had to take a minute or two and calm him down-he managed to get back to tracking, and made it in good time to the end (25 min total tracking time).

I waited in the car because I forgot my waterproof shoes and I didn't want to distract the dog. Simon and the judge were SOOO mean in keeping the results from me until we were back at the judge's house. Oh my gosh was I excited!

So I am pleased to announce a new CHAMPION in our household:

(Svenska Viltspår Championat/Swedish Bloodtracking Champion) 

SEVCH Multi-Junior CH Barbwired Better than the Rest

Baxter and Simon after our test results!!

Good News from Switzerland

We received an e-mail the other day that Simon was the best Hundeführer (dog handler) in the hunting group in the SDC for 2013! Combined, the dogs had a total of 440 points and tests in 3 countries- Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. The point score should have actually been 540, but Freddie only had 1 of his 2 fox trials in Italy counted, but that doesn't matter.

I hope to get a picture of the real award soon

Now that we are in the north, the tests are a bit different and it is a bit like starting over again. Regardless, we are already in contact with our local dachshund club and gearing up for blood tracking and checking out how the underground tests are run (with a badger!). We will also be taking part in a dachshund camp in Finland this year to practice and take part in more hunting exams. I'm so proud of the dogs and all that they have accomplished this year and while the dogs are still young, as in April, Freddie will turn 4 and Baxter 2. Additionally, we are currently taking the first steps to getting our hunting licenses. Hopefully in a year's time, we will be licensed and able to do hunting tests all over Europe. Here is to many more exciting years to come!

Freddie, Simon, & Baxter 

Water retrieving practice with his favorite dummy duck

Spurlaut practice in the Pfalz

Prizes from our most recent trip to Italy

   

Baxter goes Best of Breed

We had one goal for today when we signed up to go to St Gallen for the dog show. Our goal was to get Bax the last CAC/J needed for his Swiss Jugend Championship (SKG-JCh). Well, I am happy to report that not only did Bax get the last CAC/J that he needed, but he went Junior BoB and Best of Breed in Wirehair Standards! He then went on the walk for Junior Best of Show and Best in Group IV. By the group IV time, he was about done with showing for the day and instead wanted to run and sit down. I can't blame the little guy, I mean he is only 13 months old. Regardless, Baxter had a fan club and got a lot of cheers when he won BOB against 3 champion dogs.

The little certificates are nice, but ribbons would be nicer. ;)

We are now home. The boys are sleeping and Simon and I are enjoying our celebratory prosecco. Have a great weekend everyone!

Baxter is now a multi-Junior Champion!

Simon and I never thought that we would be going to dog shows when we picked up Freddie almost 3 years ago, but well, it ended up happening.  Well... not with Freddie. As I've mentioned, Freddie is over the weight limit for the DTK (a bit over 10 kg), which doesn't mean that he can't be shown. It just means that he can't be shown in German speaking countries, which happen to be the ones closest to us.

When we picked out Baxter, we knew that his parents were both heavily titled show dogs (they both also have hunting trials, etc... but both are multi-Champions, multi-winners) and his breeders/our friends, would like for him to be shown. We decided to go to a few shows within a 2 hour drive to see how the little guy would do. So far, so good! Baxter is a very promising young dog in a lot of ways. Now that he has some show titles, we're hoping to add in some hunting trials. :) This weekend will be his second Spurlaut practice up in Rheinland-Pfalz. I'm quite excited as it is supposed to be sunny and over 15C (over 60F) all weekend! YAY!

Anyhow, Baxter has now been shown at 5 shows in 3 countries under 5 different judges. He has been 5x V1, 2x Junior Winner and has earned 3 titles: Lux-JCh, SDC-JCh and WUT-JCh. We are so pleased with him! We are of course wishing for more good ratings in the future and a long show and hunting career for this little guy.