GREATER VICTORIA DOG OBEDIENCE TRAINING CLUB NEWSLETTER APRIL

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1 1 GREATER VICTORIA DOG OBEDIENCE TRAINING CLUB NEWSLETTER APRIL GVDOTC COMING EVENTS: April 30 - AIOC Trial: Gt.Vic and NOSA Held at the Barn May 27 - Correction Match at the Barn prior to CKC trials - May CKC Trials Sept CKC Tracking Test at Woodwyn Farm Executive President Andrew Coss Vice Pres Judy Currie Secretary Evelyn Jancowski Treasurer Bruce Cale PR/Membership Betty Frances Training Carole Walker Trials Mary Harkness Blair Kilgour Entertainment Tracy Thomsen PRESIDENT S MESSAGE Those of you who did not attend the last General Meeting missed a wonderfully presented and informative presentation by Dr. Michael Boissevain on the sport of Schutzhund. His presentation cleared up many misconceptions that the casual observer has of this dog sport. Michael's presentation included the history, the different club designations and insights into the training regimen that is required to earn a title. The first misconception was that dogs must be aggressive. To compete in the sport of Schutzhund dogs must pass a stringent test at an early age to ensure that it is not aggressive. They do not allow aggressive dogs in this sport. To earn a title you must be proficient at three skills - tracking, obedience and protection work. It is a much more demanding sport than our traditional obedience. It was interesting to hear the number of breeds that have earned Schutzhund titles. Personally, I was surprised to hear that Goldens had earned titles in this sport. Michael's presentation inspired one member to see if she could have the first King Charles Cavalier Spaniel to earn a Schutzhund title (just kidding!). Michael, thank you for your presentation. We really enjoyed it. Over the last month we have had several long time trainers retire from the Club. I would like to thank Diane Smith and Terry and Vickie Gains for all their years of volunteering their time to train handlers and dogs at our Club. We will also miss the contributions Diane made as a CKC and AIOC judge. I hope we will still see you around the Club training and that you enjoy your retirement. With all the changes to the training Staff we were caught a bit short for trainers this session. I know the training committee is working hard to make sure this does not happen again in the future. If you have an interest in becoming a helper or you are a helper and want to become a trainer, please see Carole Walker for information on what is required to volunteer for these positions in the Club. I would like to welcome the following handlers and dogs to the Club: Carol Badeley Rhodesian Ridgeback Pearl Colette Roy Rottweiller Diva Maggie Clark Shelties Jazzie & Pheobe Dafeny Horne English Cocker Ajax Betsy Moyer English Cocker Gena Shan Thomas Flat Coat Retriever Dax

2 Plans are well underway for our CKC trial at the end of May and we are looking for help in several areas. If you can help on the weekend of May 28 th and May 29 th please see the following people to sign up: Ring Stewards - Gillian Anglin Raffle Organizer (one day only) Mary Harkness or Andrew Coss Assist in serving lunch to Judges and Stewards - Tracy Thomson. The Club is still in need of a Club Historian -someone to organize all the results from our trials and events. This would be a great Scrapbooking project for anyone that is interested. Please see Andrew Coss for more information. At the last General Meeting it was noted by the Trial Chair that the trend towards low turn out to AIOC trials and CKC trials continues. The low turn out results in the Club losing money on all these events. From the last Executive meeting we have suggested a number of ways that we could reduce or share the cost of these events. What it means to the Club is we are looking at expanding into to different areas of Dog Sport. Some of the dog sports we are looking at teaming with are Agility and Rally Obedience plus continue with our Canine Good Neighbour (CGN) program. We would add these events to our events to help bring more people in and reduce the overall cost it takes to host events like our 2 day 4 trial CKC Obedience Trial. I would ask the members of the Club to consider all these options and discuss them at the next General Meeting. Dog Superstitions: Most dogs are physically or behaviourally incapable of killing livestock. Packs of wild or stray dogs are responsible. Only savage dogs kill livestock. Only rogue dogs kill livestock. A dog won't attack other people s livestock if it doesn't attack its owner's livestock. Dogs will be covered in blood after an attack. Dogs will continue to kill because they have a taste for blood as a result of previous attacks. Dogs are killing for sport or fun. 2 Attacks on livestock only happen during the night. A trained dog will not attack livestock. Greeks thought dogs could foresee evil. Howling dogs mean the wind god has summoned death, and the spirits of the dead will be taken. A howling dog at night means bad luck or somebody close to you will be very sick or worse. Dog Quote of the Month. "Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace." - Milan Kundera Andrew CLASSES The next session of classes start March 29th and terminate May 17th for regular classes and intermediate grad. There will be NO CLASSES on the May 24th but Beginner Grad and hopefully another fun/correction match will be held on May 31st. Classes will resume Sept 13th. Carole Walker TRAINING CHAIR REPORT. The Correction Match held the night of Beginners Grad proved successful. We had participants from local AIOC clubs as well as a lot of our own club members, and as a result plan to hold the last one of the season on May 31st. I wish to thank everyone who came out to help, especially those who had attended the Executive meeting the night before and didn't get home to bed until probably midnight and then had to get up and go to work the next day. However, without EVERYONE'S help, from new members to old, the match would never have happened as successfully as it did so THANKYOU one and all. Just a reminder I still have CKC rule books for sale so for those of you just starting, please see me club night and you can have one for the low price of $7, of course, everyone else can have one for the same low price. Correct

3 change would surely be appreciated as I tend not to carry cash with me. And a huge thank you to all members of the Training Committee who have donated so much of their time, not only on training nights but on those nights and days when we have meetings or have taken the time to plan out your classes, or for just being there, for without them, there would be no instruction. And last but not least, to Randy, who class lists everyone and then makes all those calls. Thanks again, Carole Walker - Training Chair ATTENTION EVERYONE, This is to advise the Saanich Fair grounds has a policy that dogs must be on leash. This is to be followed for various reasons, one of which being safety. There was a problem the last night of class for the session ending March 8th and that was 2 dogs at large in front of the barn, who when called by their owners would not return. This put them at risk as they got into the face of another dog who has fear aggression issues but was on leash. Remember, even though you love your dog and for all intense purposes, it poses no threat, you do NOT know the temperament of other dogs or the reason why, and this can lead to problems. For this particular dog, the barn is a safe place where no one can hurt him, in his mind. He has now been set back due to persons not following the rules. Signed, Training Chair, Carole Walker MEMBERSHIP Hi Everyone Show season is well under way and I hope everyone is having fun. Membership renewal is due by May 15 /05. Don't get caught without your 2006 membership cards at our May trial. Hope to see you all there. Please fill out the renewal form clearly so I can make sure all information is correct. Thanks Betty Francis PR/Membership 3 however, he also got High in Trial in the NOSA trial held the same day. On Good Friday, we all trooped up to Nanaimo for the Herding Instinct Test. Luckily the rain held off, though it was chilly, certainly colder than in this neck of the woods. There were many breeds represented, not all from the herding group. It was wonderful to see how the different breeds work the sheep. They all use their "eye" but in a different way than the Border Collie. Vary few of the dogs that day had even layed eyes on a sheep and some needed a bit more time to get the drift of what they were supposed to be doing. Some of the dogs, as in Shadow's case needed a working border collie to help show them the ropes, and sometime even that didn't work. It was fantastice to see the working dog then do a lie down and let the newbie do it's thing. Talk about honouring. Then it was time for Flint to get in there and show what he was made of. I'm told he works like a border collie. He got right on them, took a break to go visit with his Dad and then right back on them again and helped the judge move the sheep from place to place, he was very gentle with them too. And then there was Taylor, the smallest by far, but not the youngest. She got in there, forgot all about her Mom and Dad and went with the judge and worked those sheep without a care in the world. I was then given the go ahead to take over and boy you knew she was working them as the sheep crushed me to get protection from the dog as we were moving them around the ring. She finished the day by putting them back into their pen and going in with them. Thankfully she then remembered what "Front" was and I was able to get her back. They all came home with their Herding Instinct Certificates and think they were counting sheep long after they went to bed. Carole Walker, Proud Mom of those 3 blue merle shelties BRAGS As many of you know by now Flint did me proud in the GVIC AIOC trials on March 12th,

4 CGN TEST AUG. 6, 2005 The CKC has approved our CGN Test slated for August 6th, This test will be held in conjunction with the Vic City point/obedience show the same weekend. Once again I shall be looking for assistance from club members, who in return, will be able to put their dogs thru the test for a reduced fee of $10. If you are unable to take advantage of the offer, please consider helping anyway, as the test cannot be held without your help. In return, your lunch will be provided. I can be reached by at ca-walker@shaw.ca or by phone, , and please leave a message if I don't pick up. Haven't taught the dogs to do that just yet! Thanks so much in advance, Carole Walker TRIALS COMMITTEE REPORT AIOC Trials Our first AIOC Trial of the year was held on March 12 th, 2005 in conjunction with NOSA. Our judge was Leslie Gardiner; Janey Turner judged for NOSA. We had a very nice trial with 24 entries, up from our October, 2004 trial but down from this trial one year ago. Nine Greater Vic. Club members entered the trial and five were successful in receiving a qualifying score. High Greater Vic. and High Herding Greater Vic. member was Carole Walker with Sheltie Flint in the Novice B class; Second High Greater Vic. member was Betty Francis and Dylan in the Novice A class. Daniel Schnitka and Labrador Bramble won the High Opposite Sex Handler trophy and the High Sporting Dog Cup in the Novice A class. Betty and Daniel had the same score and Betty just edged Daniel in the run-off to win the class. The full trials report appears in this newsletter. We will be hosting next month's joint trial with NOSA and the Entertainment Committee would appreciate volunteers to help in the kitchen. Any members wishing to learn about ring stewarding at this trial should contact Gillian Anglin who would love to hear from anyone who is interested. 4 Many thanks to those who worked at the trial and ensured the day was a success: Tora Thyvold who, as always, looked after the registrations so splendidly; Gillian Anglin, our Chief Ring Steward, for organizing the stewards and for being there, despite a rotten cold; Jean Barrick, Amalie Bush and Margaret Cale who so capably ring stewarded for the day. Thanks also to Judy Currie for looking after the trophies and ribbons and ensuring they got to the trial. Our thanks also to Leslie Gardiner for judging the trial and a round of applause for all the GVDOTC members who came out and entered the trial. Unfortunately we have to report a net loss of $96.32 which is attributable solely to the low entry. CKC Trials The Premium List for this year's trials has now been mailed. If you have not received a PL in your mail they are available on training nights in the Barn. The trophy list was on the Club notice board for all of February but many spaces remained unfilled. Eventually, all spaces were filled but only due to the generosity of several club members giving more than one award. Perhaps the matter of prizes in support of the CKC trials is one that the Club should review and discuss - is it still reasonable to be offering prizes at our trials? For everyone's information our official judges this year are: Jeff Lunder and Norma Schaffer. We are delighted that Betty Ruff has accepted our offer to judge the Unofficial classes and, by her insistence, at no charge to the Club. There are some changes in the premium list that we wish to report. Because of the substantial loss on the trials this year, and the concern in the Club about the loss, we took a hard look to see if any more savings could be made. This was a difficult task especially given the fact that many Club members were so generous in donating not only time, but also hard cash, to last year's trials. Last year there were no secretarial charges, no charges for the Officials lunches, no charges for printing of name-tags and other needed signs, and, all the flowers that made

5 the Barn look so lovely were donated. Had the raffle not been held, our loss would have been greater by $ Ultimately, we made the following decisions: The Club will not be giving a $20.00 prize for the Highest Score in each official class; this will potentially save the Club $ We will attend to the set-up ourselves and save the $30.00 set-up fee. We have dropped the High in Trial one-way ferry fare for a mainland entry; this will potentially save the Club around $ Rather than a Correction Match on the Friday evening, we are offering a Rent a Ring. Individuals will be able to rent a ring for a set period of time in order to practice run-throughs and to correct their dog. See Mary for further information. Gillian Anglin is actively seeking ring stewards and runners so please let her know if you are able to help. The Entertainment Committee will be providing the lunches for all the officials - please see Tracy if you would like to help in the kitchen. Raffle - if we wish to have a raffle at the CKC trials this year we need a volunteer to look after organizing one. If anyone would like to do this, please let us know. Join the Trials Committee - we are still seeking Club members who would like to join the Trials Committee - don't be shy - we will happily mentor new people on the ins and outs of organizing our trials. Mary Harkness and Blair Kilgour Co-Chairs, Trials Committee THANK YOU A heartfelt thank you to everyone for your support and sympathy extended to me during this sad time in my live, losing my son, James Reece, at the age of 58. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated. Jean Barrick Deadline for next newsletter May 6, 2005 Jean Barrick e.mail - topcee@shaw.ca 5

6 Greater Victoria Dog Obedience Training Club Double Club A.I.O.C. Trial with NOSA Saturday, March 12, Location: RCMP Barn, Saanichton Judge: Leslie Gardiner Results (of GVDOTC Trial only): Total # Entries Total # GVDOTC # GVDOTC # Qualified Entries Qualified Novice A Novice B Open A 1X Open B Utility TOTALS X = Exhibition only. Total number of visiting clubs: 6 Qualifying dogs (*GVDOTC members): Novice A - *Betty Francis and Dylan (Sheltie) 188 GVDOTC *Daniel Schnitka and Bramble (Lab.) 188 GVDOTC Novice B - Janey Turner and Roan (Golden) 191 Lakewood *Carole Walker and Flint (Sheltie) GVDOTC *Andrew Coss and Honour (Golden) GVDOTC Laura Hughes and Seeker (Sheltie) 178 NOSA *Vicky Gaines and Obi Wan (Lab.) 170 GVDOTC Open A - No Qualifiers Open B - Judy Wallace and Cariad (Border Collie) Lakewood Utility - No Qualifiers Trophy Winners (GVDOTC members): T.M. Jones Cup (High Gt.Vic.in Trial): Carole Walker and Flint Second High in Trial Trophy Betty Francis and Dylan 188 S.P.C.A. Cup (High Opp. Sex Handler): Daniel Schnitka and Bramble 188 S.P.C.A. Cup (High Junior Handler): not awarded Flash Memorial Cup (Working/Herding): Carole Walker and Flint Highest German Shepherd Dog: not awarded High Sporting Dog Cup: Daniel Schnitka and Bramble 188 Rosette Winners: High in Trial: Janey Turner and Roan (Golden) 191 Lakewood High Novice A: Betty Francis and Dylan (Sheltie) 188 GVDOTC High Novice B: Janey Turner and Roan (Golden) 191 Lakewood High Open A: No Qualifiers High Open B: Judy Wallace and Cariad (Border Collie) Lakewood High Utility: No Qualifiers High Visitor: Janey Turner and Roan (Golden) 191 Lakewood Report prepared by Mary Harkness Greater Victoria Dog Obedience Training Club

7 7 Membership Application/Renewal Form G.V.D.O.T.C. membership fees are paid annually and are due by May 15th of each year. Membership is mandatory for everyone attending classes with the exception of those in the Puppy K or Beginner class, though you do not have to be training to be eligible for membership. Club membership entitles you to enter your dog at any of the A.I.O.C. (Association of Island Obedience Clubs) Trials which are held by the Island Clubs throughout the year. These events are posted on the notice board. The Club also holds an annual Christmas Party at which awards are presented. When you achieve a Club CD with your dog, you receive a plaque and each award earned entitles you to a bar with the title inscribed to attach to the bottom of the plaque. There is also a monthly newsletter. To keep costs down we would ask that you accept to receive the newsletter via . If you choose, it will be available to be picked up at Club on the first week of every month and for those who would prefer to receive it via snail mail please enclose a further $5 to cover cost of mailing. A copy of the Club by-laws are available on the web site. Also Please consider volunteering to help with Club functions. Are you a member in good standing of any of the following Clubs? C.K.C.. Yes. No Breed club. Yes. No Dog sport club. Yes. No Breed of dog Dog s Name:. I opt to receive the Club newsletter via: Yes. No 2. Pick up from Club. Yes. No 3. Snail Mail ($5 enclosed). Yes. No *Fee Schedule $10.00 Individual ordinary membership. $ 5.00 Additional members in the same household. *(All Fees payable to G.V.D.O.T.C.) $ 5.00 Junior membership (Under 16 years of age). Please indicate junior member by name. $ 5.00 for mailing newsletter. Please Print Clearly: Name Address City Postal Code Telephone Date Amount Enclosed $ Cash/Cheque Signature Please complete and return to G.V.D.O.T.C. c/o Betty Francis, 2819 Rockwell Ave. Victoria BC V9A 2M8 Or Leave in the front of the grey membership box in the kitchen, club night and pick it up the following week.. Will pickup membership from membership box in kitchen, club night.