Skåne Blekinge Taxcamp

Sorry for the long delay, but there hasn't been too much to report. Baxter returned home on the 28th of June and then from the 11th til the 19th Kennel Barbwired was in Sweden doing tracking trials with Baxter's brother and 2 of Liina's full uncles. They had great success and ended up with 5 new titles for the boys: 3x SEVCH (Swedish Tracking Champion), 2x FICH! Now their first breeding bitch Iiris (Baxter' s mom and Liina's grandmother) has 5 Working Champions out of her 11 total puppies: Austria-MultiCH/Winner, SEVCH, IT Working CH; Andau-FIJVA (Finnish tracking CH), SEVCH & Drevprov (Mäaj-1); Amadeus-SEVCH, FICH; Better than the Rest-MultiCH, SEVCH & multi-working trial; Blaze of Glory-SEVCH, FICH. Quite an accomplishment for such a small number of dogs from a relatively young kennel! Grattis! Onnea! Congrats guys!

Team Barbwired: Salla with Viljo, Markku with Max(left) & Pronto (right)
More info on any of the Barbwired dogs, check them out HERE

So this was my last week at work before a short holiday. I wasn't going to take holiday this year, but the weather in Sweden has been SO cold and rainy, that I needed to get away for a little bit. On Thursday my vacation started bright and early by driving up to Bassholma for the Skåne Tax Camp. It was the 1st time this camp was being held and, overall, everything was well organized and went smoothly. 

I spent my days at gryt training with Baxter-who hasn't been in the den since last year- and doing Permodjur with Freddie and Baxter.

Swedish gryt

The bear (Björn), Wild boar (Vildsvin) and Moose(älg)

Basically the Permodjur is a reaction test. The dog is put into a fenced in area with a bear, boar, or moose for upwards of 20 minutes to see how they react. The animals move via remote control, the pelts are all real, and all of the animals have scent. We thought it would be stimulating for the boys and just fun to try. Would I ever put them up against a real bear... no. I would also avoid the boar as they are usually a lot quicker than dachshunds, but with the Permodjur, it is a fun activity and the dogs leave unhurt.

Freddie was the real star! He is persistent, unafraid, but smart about how he works. He also can go, go, go! The 1 day that Freddie and Simon attended the camp he had 2 tests (one on bear, one on wild boar) and a tracking trial. He was awesome, but led to a very tired Freddie. 

Baxter also did well, but he isn't the natural hunter that Freddie is and he is a bit slower for the lightbulb to click on. When it does click, he shines, but he is slowly becoming a more self confident dog. He barked up the bear, but at a much further distance than Fred, and today he went in on the boar. He was slow to start and admittedly was more likely to go chase and bay at the boar when it was moving. He also did SO much better on the badger this year, working right against the bars a couple more practices and maybe a 1st prize is in his future...we will see.

For those interested, here are short clips of Freddie's boar and bear tests.

Mission Accomplished!

So June was a good month all around... well, except for the weather! Swedish summer has yet to appear and as of yesterday, it was still totally necessary to wear a jacket to work. WTF Sweden!?!?!

End result of this day... CAC, CACIB, BOB, BIG1 :)

So one great thing... Baxter is home! Oh how I missed my fuzzy boy! Don't get me wrong, I love Liina and Freddie, but Bax and I have a special bond. Liina is not especially happy that he is home. They play and wrestle, but she constantly patrols the kitchen and any food bowl on the floor (empty or full) is hers. We are working on her guarding. I can take things away with no problems, but she is a true bitch to both Bax and Freddie in this respect. She is still young and we are working on it.

2x Barbwired dogs... one standard and one mini

 I also did something for myself this month... I took a course, practiced, and studied my butt off for the Swedish Hunting Exam. It was a lot of firsts; learning about Swedish hunting laws, learning European animals, of which I had NO idea of the Swedish names, though sometimes I knew the German, not that it helped me, and learned to shoot a shot gun and a 308 class 1 rifle. As I am a true beginner, I didn't always put the guns flush to my shoulder, resulting in some gnarly bruises now. The written/theory portion for me was ok. I can learn and understand laws and facts fairly quickly (thanks to a bajillion years of schooling), but I was nervous about the shooting since it wasn't something that I could practice or learn on my own at home. I was a bit down after our 2nd session at the shooting range the day before the exam. I seemed to do ok on the rifle, but the stupid clay pigeon shooting, ugh. I felt hopeless. My class was small and a nice group of people, me and 4 guys. I said our class sounded like a bad joke, " An American, an Irishman, an Englishman, an Aussie, and an Italian walk into a bar..." Anyhow, the guys all had previous shooting experience, two of which having served in the military. After inconsistently shooting clay pigeons for 2 days, I thought I was getting the hang of it, but nope. Final practice and I was stuck with a "score" of 3/6, just not enough. I was discouraged but reminded myself that tomorrow was another day.

So on Sunday we traveled up to Markaryd to take our theory and practical exams. The theory exam was ok and consisted of 70 questions, which we were allowed to have translated. I think I could have done ok on the test even without the translation. Once it was confirmed that we had all passed with at least 60/70 questions correct (we all scored much higher than that), we were allowed to go for the practical test. It consisted of several parts. I and 2 of the guys were up first on the shotgun. We first had to pass a gun safety test, in which we had to pretend we were on a hunt and come up to several obstacles, such as a river, fences, people out in our hunting area. Once we had been approved, we could go shooting. The first shooting test was on a running hare. We had to get a minimum of 8 pellets into the target area. Then off to another gun safety area where we had to determine if the various animals that "popped up" were close enough to safely shoot and (hopefully) kill. All of these tests were fine and we all got our cards signed off with no issues. The final test was the clay pigeons. We were given 6 rounds of shot and had to hit 4 of 6 clays. I was so nervous as this was definitely my worst area (though not horrible). We did one round and it felt good. I hit about 8 of 12 clay pigeons and decided that there was no time like the present and to just go for the test. Well, it was awesome. I think I hit 11 of 12 clay pigeons! I was so elated that I ran to my instructor afterwards to give him a bit hug! I was so excited that not only had I passed the theory portion, but I could now officially hunt with a shotgun (my favorite). :) Next it was onto rifle shooting. We performed gun safety again and then I was the first in the group to take gun safety and start shooting. We did precision shooting with a 22 calibre rifle, then onto the moose. For this the moose is about 80-100m away standing. Once the first shot hits, the moose begins running, then stops, turns around and runs again. You have to shoot the moose while both standing and running and hit within the target 4 times in a row and then complete 3 sessions of this. There are 9 chances to complete it. It was my last test of the day and I was tired. My first 2 rounds were flawless and after a short break, I finished... passing all aspects of my hunting exam!

Booyah!

I am now licensed to hunt in Sweden! Now to just wait until deer hunting season!

Baxter's most successful trip

Baxter is finished with his show tour and coming home soon. 

Bax, BIG1 in Thessaloniki

In the meanwhile, here are his stats from his 2 month show tour:

12xCAC, 4xCACIB, 2xresCACIB, 5xBOB, 2xBOS, 2xBIG2, 2xBIG1

 He gained 4 national championships (LT, RO, SE, SRB), 2 international championships (CIB, CIE), 1 Grand Championship (SRB), Welt union teckel (WUT) championship, and has now open championships in AT, DE, HU, and GR.

He and Nikos were a great team and Baxter has gotten nothing but the highest compliments from judges and show people/friends alike. He will return to Nikos next year to finish HU and GR, but in the meantime he will be going on a diet (he was too well loved while in Budapest) and meeting with the badger this summer. I hope to have him in shape for hunting this autumn/winter. 

So excited my boy will be back home to snuggle soon!

Website Promotion and puppies!!

I am happy to announce that Freddie's breeder- Madame Dessinges- has started her own kennel website!

Du Sangre Bleu kennel can now be found here: http://dusangrebleu.chiens-de-france.com

Pages for Freddie's sisters Frieda and Fauve can be seen as well as a little page for my brown boy. :)

Currently, Frieda has puppies which were born on the 9th of May. The father of the litter is an extremely handsome and talented French male: CIB, CIT, WUTCH, French Working CH, CHCS, CACS NE 2010, , CHCP, VCF ST 2011 Dino de la plaines aux lievres
(view the pedigree here: Dino x Frieda)

Dino and Frieda are both regularly used in hunting in France. Both parents are OI free and non-carriers and PRA/CAT free. Additionally, both have been awarded Excellent in the show ring, with Dino additionally being awarded CACs and CACIBs.

The French and German blood behind these puppies is outstanding! If I only had room for a new puppy...

That being said, a few of the pups are looking for active show and/or hunting homes! Madame Dessinges speaks excellent English, so don't hesitate contacting her if you are interested.

Freddie's beautiful sisters Frieda and Fauve

Liina BOS and Junior BIS-4 in Kjugekull!

I have heard a rumor that there is always rain for the yearly dachshund show in Kjugekull. Last year Baxter was BM2 with CK and CERT and this year it was Liina's turn to shine. Liina and I were up and on the road at 6:30 this morning to join our friend Marianne and her puppy Laura for the taxklub show. It was the biggest club show I have ever been to with 133 dachshunds of all 9 varieties registered! The judges were great and moved along at a relatively good pace despite the adverse weather conditions. The day started and ended with sunshine, but there was quite a lot of rain in between. Regardless, good times, good friends, and good results!

Liina was shown in Junior class as a mini wire (measured today at 32cm) with 2 other female mini wires in the class. The judge loved Liina and awarded her Ex1, CK, Junior BOB! I was over the moon! We then walked for Best female and won! SO exciting!!! Then the heavens opened up and the rain poured down. Both Liina and I looked like drowned rats, but were awarded BOS (best opposite sex). :)

Evaluation Translation " Excellent type, size and proportions. Beautifully well balanced head. Good ears, eyes (though eyes could be a bit darker). Good bite. Very good forebreast and front. Excellent neck and shoulders, good ribcage depth and length. Beautiful back/pelvis and well angled back. Excellent coat quality and excellent movement

To top it all off, we walked today in the Best in Show Junior competition and placed 4th! So proud of my little dog and how well she did today! A little more practice and she will be a superstar. :)

Freddie's weekend at Ales Stenar

Simon had colleagues in town and Freddie went along as a "mascot." I received some great photos of the brown boy!

2nd great track for Freddie

Freddie and Simon went for a blood tracking exam today in Sjobö and it couldn't have gone better. With a time of 17 min and high praise from the judge regarding his work, Freddie was awarded 1st prize in Open Class! Hard work and extra practice to focus paid off for our oldest boy. :)

Big Congrats Freddie my boy! Let's get that last 1st prize!

Doesn't he look so proud of himself?

National Purebred Dog Day

Even though I am not in the US to celebrate purebred dog day, the dackel and I want to show our support!

My dogs were bred not only for their looks,  but for purpose. ALL of their ancestors have participated in and passed a variety of working trials in order to maintain the purpose and mentality of the breed. Their parents were carefully selected for their working attitude, beauty, personality, and mentality. I can tell each of their ancestors back AT LEAST 4 generations, and in most cases even out to 8 generations. You want to tell me all of my dogs are inbred? Well 2 of my 3 have a 0% COI in 4 generations, meaning they share NONE of the same descendants. Freddie is slightly higher (though still VERY LOW) as his great grandfather was used 2x in his pedigree. Most people don't have as detailed a family tree as most purebred dogs, nor can they claim that somewhere in their past their isn't some sort of "inbreeding." 

Baxter (top-2 months), Freddie (middle-3 months) and Liina (bottom-4 months) as puppies

Each of the dogs has their own distinct personality and abilities. Baxter is a show dog with a LOT of hunting drive and promise in both tracking and underground, Freddie is a hunting machine with an excellent drive and a strong, elegant body and Liina is an upcoming shining star who is a natural tracker, with a lot of good looks and attitude. Many, many thanks to all of the ancestors and careful, responsible breeders for taking the time to show, test, and plan for their future generations! 

Someday I will join the ranks and carry the torch of responsible breeders everywhere.

For now though, I am going to go snuggle my dogs. :)

Happy Friday!

Liina (Barbwired Champagne) would like to wish all our readers Happy Friday! Enjoy the weekend!

Happy Birthday Barbwired "C" Litter!

11 months old

The last of my little pups is having a birthday. Today Liina turns 1 year old. She is such a funny little girl and you can definitely see a lot of both her parent's in her. She has her vocalizations and funny demeanour from dad and her toothy kissing and attitude from mom. At 1 year old she is really an accomplished little dog! She has already finished her Swedish blood tracking championship (we are just waiting-impatiently- for a matter to be sorted out by the SKK so it can be confirmed) and received Ex1 JBOB, CK, Best female 2 in her first ever official show! How exciting! I will start working her on the badger this May and if she is anything like her parents, she should excel at this as well.

She is a special puppy for me because I met her when she was just 10 days old and watched her grown up!

She became fast friends with the boys, though Baxter is her favorite playmate (he lets her win!)

Liina and her sibling before their eyes opened

Pile of puppies! Liina is belly up on the bottom of the pile

Liina Puti traveling back to Sweden with us

4 month photo (bottom) & 9 month photo (top)


Soon I hope to add a 1 year old photo!

I couldn't be happier with this little girl. She is a little demanding, but very worth it as she really just wants ALL of the love and attention. ;) 

Happy Birthday Liina! Let's make the next year even better than the first!

My Silly Brown Puppy turns 5!

Today is Freddog's birthday!! Can you believe that he is already 5? I sure can't. He has become such a big part of my life and is one of the reasons that I am as involved in dachshunds as I am. For a "companion dog" we have been super ambitious dog owners and Freddie has taken each challenge with stride. He was the perfect dog to start doing trials with and I am happy to report that he has never failed a trial. Some days are better than others, but he got a lot of great instincts from his wonderful parents. Of course a good dog like that is also key to motivate new owners to keep going and do crazy trips for trials in Germany and Italy. ;)

He is a funny boy who would sooner kiss someone to death than anything else. Food is the best motivator (as it is for many dachshunds) and he will do just about anything for a treat. His kind nature is one of the reasons that I fell in love with dachshunds. To this day he still acts like a big puppy, bringing toys and jumping with joy when you come home from work.

Although he never made it big in the show ring, he has earned a Exc1 with VDH-CAC in working class as well as a junior winner title. Where Freddie has excelled is in hunting trials. His current results are from 3 countries:

Germany: Sfk, Sp, BhfK/95, BHP1, BHP2
Italy: BhFK/95(100pts), Fbja (100pts, RRCACT), SchwhK, SchwhK/40 (100pts, CACT)
Sweden: Grytprov Kval 1, 1st prize open class blood tracking

Hopefully we will get the chance to finish some working trials here in Sweden this year to earn him working championships, but we will see. He is a passionate hunter and ready to go whenever we are.

So once again... Happy birthday my wonderful brown pup! I hope that we share many, many more!!