2x Anlagstests, 2x GK!

Our oldest and youngest dackel rocked it today! We were going to Sjöbo for a tracking practice, but last minute our trainer/judge asked if we would want to just take the test as she thought both dogs were excellent on their previous practice. So, we took the last minute decision to test both of the dog and boy am I glad that we did!

Both Freddie and Liina were stellar and managed their tracks in 13 min and we doing SUCH great work! Simon handled Freddie and I took Liina. Freddie was a total star and did exactly what he loves to do-TRACK! He worked brilliantly and years of practice made this Anlagstest look like a breeze. If Simon had let Freddie go the speed he really wanted to, then we would have all had a nice jog through the woods. He is a wonderful dog to watch and I would love to use him on real game tracking.

I think what was great about this last minute decision to do a test is that it didn't give me any time to be nervous that I would be handling the dog in a test for the 1st time. I am usually the organizer and track lay-er, but not the handler. The past few months have been totally nerve-wracking for me as now I have been dropped into the role of both show handler and now tracking handler. Liina didn't let me down though... that little girl has a great nose on her! Her mom and dad would have been so proud. :)

The woods were quite wet today since there was snow last week and rain on and off since then, so quite a few ponds and mud pits had formed. Honestly, they didn't seem to phase Liina (I on the other hand, was very, very happy I had decided to wear my tall rubber boots) and she happily moved forward through the whole track. At one point a large Hare jumped out in front of us, but I didn't see it. Liina followed after the fresh track for a few meters, but when I stopped, she looked at me, and went back to the last point she had the track and restarted herself without my help. She is really great about back tracking and checking if she is unsure. She doesn't need much encouragement-only the occasional "Suche" or "Hyvää."

The judge was so incredibly happy with the work that Freddie and Liina did and the critique was not only kind, but extremely flattering for us and the dogs.  

2x Anlagstest (Beginners class tracks), 2x PASSED with FLYING COLORS!

I can't wait to start these two in open class tracks!

PRA-Cataract Free!

Right before New Year's Simon was kind enough to take the boys to a wonderful eye Dr. in Lörrach, Germany for their ECVO eye tests. We had used this Dr. before for Baxter's first eye exam and admired her attention to detail and competence so when Simon took the dogs for the holidays, I asked if he would mind making appointments. Freddie was due for a new test and Baxter should have had a new eye test when he turned 3 on April 1st, but we figured why not do both at once.

I am happy to report that the repeat eye tests for both dogs show they have clean and healthy eyes free from PRA & Cataracts! The vet even remembered Baxter from when he first visited her a year and a half earlier. What nice service! :)

        

Freddie and Baxter outside Lucerne, January 2015

Snow dogs

Simon and I took separate holidays this Christmas, so while he was with the dogs at his parents in Switzerland, I was visiting friends in Reykjavik, Iceland, and spending time with my godchild in Helsinki. Both locations had tons (!!) of snow and I received a lot of great photos and videos of the dogs while I have been away that I thought I would share with all of you! Enjoy the photos and I hope you are all having a great start to the New Year!

Freddog

Liina-Puti

Baxi

rough-housing Barbwireds

SNOWWWWW!

Here comes Puti!

Follow me!

Wishing you a happy and healthy 2015!!

Merry Christmas!!

From Liina (Barbwired Champagne), Baxter (SEVCh, MultiJCh Barbwired Better than the Rest), and Freddie (J, HR JW2011 Fallilou du Sangre Bleu)

... and a few pictures that are still adorable, but didn't make the cut!

Back on Track

I know, I know, what an inactive blog, right? Well, as I stated before, the weather and multiple other factors (life, work) has prevented us from doing a lot of work with 2 of the 3 dogs in the house. Baxter had a great year earning a Swedish and Lithuania CERT as well as getting 2nd prize in underground (gryt) and his Tracking Championship (SEVCH). We neglected our brown dog a bit, though he worked his way towards a fabulous 1st prize underground late this summer, and we decided that it was his turn to go out and have fun! We are still trying to set up a natural underground test for him, but this has been easier said than done. In the meantime, we decided that Fred and Liina would go and do some practice tracks.

So Tuesday we went down to Sjöbo and did some practice tracks despite the rain and crappy weather. Actually, we were supposed to go on Friday, but a strong storm called Alexander put a halt to that. It is fine to be out in the woods in the rain, but high winds and hoping that branches don't land on your head is a whole other matter! We had set up 2 tracks, one 650m track with Fred and one 250m track with Liina, both anlagsklass level (2-5hr old). For Freddie this should have been a walk in the park as he has previously received 2nd prize in Schwhk/20 and 100 pts CACT in a SchwhK/40, but we haven't worked him much in the past year, so we just hoped that he would be as good as ever.
Well, we weren't disappointed. Freddie managed the 650m track in just 17 min and would have been even a bit quicker, but deer had recently been on the track. Freddie was "laut" and would have easily gone after the deer if we would have let him. We took a few minutes and allowed him to calm down and he was back at it. Freddie is interested in wildlife, just as much as Baxter, but very easy to read on the track as when he is off or "uninterested," he looks like a pointer; head up, very stiff. The thing which is great about Fred is that if you stop moving, he immediately goes back to tracking. So a little bit of obedience training with Fred and he'll be fine, he just has to remember exactly why he is out there.

The best treat of the day was Liina. I handled the little one and she was AWESOME! She was super interested in the blood, stayed really well on the track, went back and checked the line, took the corners without hesitation like a pro and plodded confidently and not too quickly (always moving, but not running) to the end of the track. I think that she was fortunate to get a great noise from her mom! She thought it was SO fun and was very proud of herself and her hoof prize. :) She is not yet 9 months old, so she can't officially be tested yet, but I see a bright future ahead of her in tracking!

We will have another round of practices with both of the dogs on 600m+ tracks a few hours old in January if the weather holds up and then testing starts again! Wouldn't it be great to have 3 Champions in the family?

Wandering in the woods on a non-rainy day here in Skåne

What Dachshunds were meant to do!

by: Shelley Ann Jackson & Jeff Crosby

It has been a bit lacklustre around here lately. Show season is over for us as we are choosing not to go to winner shows. We have arranging to do some Drev practice with at least Freddie-maybe Bax- and we hope to set up a Jaktprov with Fred. If all goes well, our brown dog could well be the dackel in this picture. We will keep you posted.

We are slowly but surely doing work with Liina, though it is currently mostly obedience as the weather has been crap. This weekend it was so windy it gave me a bit of anxiety and reminded me of the tornadoes back in Wisconsin. Not fun at all! When it isn't windy, it is quite wet and rainy. Needless to say, not the best weather for tracking training with a young dog. 

Liina is also growing up! She will be 7 months old on Friday. Where does the time go? I think her heat is coming as the boys have started to become quite interested in her and check her out every chance they get. The testosterone factor in the house is also quite high and the boys had a minor scuffle the other day. Both are perfectly fine, but there are a lot of raised tails when they are in a room together. To be on the safe side, we have everyone a bit separated to try and promote a little calm in the house.  

All in all it is ok over here. The days are becoming so short and we are getting less than 8 hrs of daylight around these parts, which will shorten even more in the coming weeks. On top of that, the weather is very grey and I am missing the sun. Sure I grew up in Wisconsin, but I have spent the better part of the decade in warmer, brighter locations (Boulder, CO & Basel, Switzerland), so I forgot what seasonal depression was. Just trying to keep busy and snuggle my pups. :)

Liina's first time in the ring

So our little Liina (Barbwired Champagne) comes from show and working lines. We have already started working her nose with short blood tracks and hoof drags as well as hunting the mice that have been sneaking into our laundry room since the weather is turning cold. She is really promising and definitely interested in her environment, so we hope that she will be promising for blood tracking and future hunting excursions.

In order to prepare for a future show career we also have to practice. We are still figuring out how to be good handlers with Baxter, so we figured that it would be a good opportunity to start Liina a bit early. She need to get used to the sights, smells, and sounds of a show venue as well as walking on a show lead, stacking, and being examined on the table. In the upcoming month there were 2 puppy shows near us and these unofficial shows would have a lot of different types of dogs and a great chance to practice with the little girl. So today we were off to the Puppy & Junior show in Hassleholm hosted by the Southern Poodle Club. 

Group photo!

Well, Liina's first time in the ring could have gone better. She was a little melty on the table and didn't understand why the judge wanted to touch her all over, though she cooperated with him and gave him kisses. She was very ok with him checking her teeth and tail though. I think that this is where our countryside living is a bit of a disadvantage. We need to get more people over here and have them handle her and feed treats while on the table. She also was a bit of a rocket in the ring for the first 1/2 a lap. Once she settled down, she looked very nice and comfortable walking. Her stacking was also really nice. Liina is a pretty natural self stacker, so a bit more practice to hammer in foot placement and she will be great there.

So, definitely things to work on, but I think that Baxter's first time in the ring was quite similar. It will get better with time and we always have things to work on.

Results from today... 

BIR (BOB) valp 6-9 months with Honor Prize!  No dachshund was placed in group- in Sweden, FCI group 4 & 6 and judged together- but it was still fun to watch Liina trot around the BIG ring. :)

Not a bad start for the little one!