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Ivan vom Schloß im Wald SchH2

"Ivan the Jerk" died due to gastric torsion late Christmas day night. He was a reactive, confident, belligerent, excessive dog who hit like a freight train in the Schutzhund bitework. He was a character, and Warren, especially, will miss him.

Ivan vom Schoß im Wald SchH2
Linus vom Schrebergarten x Una von der Zederau
07 February 1995 - 26 December 2006

Trial Report

Congratulations to High In Trial handler Debbie Dilley with Terra von Grunheide and to "Co" High In Trial Junior Handler Lily Westerhoff with Nike ot Vitosha, both with outstanding scores of 282.

Congratulations to club members with new titles!
Saga — Saga vom Grunewald SchH 2
Zouka — Bazouka van de Trinekesdreef SchH 2
Bekqa — Bekqa d'Ile du Chien SchH 2
Terra — Terra von Grunheide SchH 3

Congratulations also to Team Westerhoff and their new titles:
Ura ot Vitosha and Rosellen Westerhoff on their SchH 2,
Nike ot Vitosha and Lily Westerhoff on their SchH 3, and
Bull Mountains Nights First Light "Venus" and Coral Westerhoff on their SchH 2!

Bruce and Rosellen write:
Big Sky Schutzhund Club hosted its annual fall trial in conjunction with a helper certification seminar and evaluation on the weekend of August 26-27, 2006 in awesome Bozeman, Montana. Nine dogs participated all on either the Schutzhund II or Schutzhund III level. The lone out of club dog traveled from Colorado Springs, Colorado to participate. The presiding judge and teaching helper was Jim Elder from Washington State.

The dirt covered tracking field appeared at dawn with the track layers and tracking contestants at the ready. Thus the youngest contestant began the day with her companion and loyal friend "Venus" gliding to an impressive score of 97. Two by two and score by score the remainder of the field follows; one team falls short of the mark.

Sunshine and pleasant temperatures provided the setting for an outstanding demonstration of Schutzhund obedience by all on the field so graciously provided by our hosts.

We gather group and gun; flags for long down spots, create an order board, gulp some coffee, and enjoy the sportsmanship and camaraderie for a fine day at the Schutzhund trial.

This day gave witness to really nice obedience patterns as this veteran group of contestants experienced the bright spots and the shadows of each team; on their journey to titles and accolades a – plenty. However, one team here too hit a wall on the often times elusive quest for a title.

Three helpers there were in the corps standing for exam, evaluation and enlightenment. Beginning with a video presentation, followed by a reading assignment with a quiz and culminating with a hands on activity or two. The evaluation and certification of the helpers completed the process. The day ended with the protection phase of the trial for the out of state guest from Colorado.

Protection helper work is an endeavor that provides physical exercise, precision judgment of actions and is a great privilege to provide. The helper seminar added insight, valuable technical instruction and sound advise from a seasoned trial helper, with the knowledge of a trial judge to each of the club helpers knowledge and skills and abilities.

The joys of jute provided a well balanced and successful final phase to the trial. Not one team failed to meet the mark on this second day of the trial. The dogs did well, the handlers did well and the helper did his best to give safe-consistent work throughout and thoroughly enjoyed the morning.

A very successful weekend with good spirits, sportsmanship and Schutzhund. From the festive potluck to the good weather and most deserved titles. The final scores indicate the hard work of each team in every phase and attests to our commitment to the future of the sport.

Thank you for the enjoyable memories and the great weekend.

- Bruce & Rosellen

Anne writes:
Wow! What a great weekend. Having had an evening to reflect on it all, I am even more impressed (if that is possible) with how everyone did. Debbie and I had talked about the trial awhile back and she commented on how excited she was because of the great showing we were capable of having, and it came to pass. I take the time to look through club scores in the USA magazine, and it is rare to see handlers at club trials — especially with handler owner trained dogs — have a showing like we did. It is also so very clear to me that success in this sport is a "family affair" because as handlers, we can't do it on our own. We all owe a great deal of thanks to our training helpers who sacrifice their time to help all of us meet our goals (thanks, Warren and Bruce). Rhett, we also appreciate your willingness to come out and give us a hand when we need it. Many, many thanks to Warren and Sami and Bruce and Rosellen for providing the facilities for our training. Knowing that we have a place to meet and train is wonderful! Also, thanks to our fellow club members who are that extra pair of eyes during training. I think we are somewhat unique in that we do actively seek input from each other and respect the advice that we get.

But back to the trial. Bruce did a fabulous job of helper work. Thanks to Bruce and Sue for having stinky feet on the tracks. Debbie, thanks for handling the trophies and the gift bags (what a nice surprise!). Janice has our sincere appreciation for her work as trial secretary. Warren and Sami, your hospitality (as always) is very much appreciated; we know how much effort it takes to get things ready and to host the judge. Warren, your skills at the grill were awesome as ever. Jessica "the margarita queen", thanks for keeping us on track financially. Special thanks go to Derek for spending time with Gina! Joe, I hope you had a good time — your contributions to the potluck were fabulous and thanks for helping us clean up. And for all the competitors, again, WOW!! Debbie, Terra was downright impressive. Rosellen, Coral and Lilly, you guys are great — we are proud to have the "girls" out there with their "girls" doing such a wonderful job. Warren , I know that Harley can track because I have seen it; he sure did redeem himself with his obedience and protection scores. Sami, Saga had a fantastic day in spite of her injury; now on to her III.

- Anne

Thanks Anne, you had an outstanding weekend as well!

Debbie writes:
I just wanted to thank everyone for all of the hard work put into making this year's trial such a success. Thank you Sami and Warren for once again hosting such a nice event for all of us. I know it can't be easy to be inundated with people and their dogs for several days in a row, along with all of the preparations needed beforehand. Your great hospitality is much appreciated by myself as well as by the visiting participants and club members. "Thank you" also goes out to the Westerhoffs for putting up with us on Bruce's only full day off to help us prepare and train dogs. To the Jones and Westerhoffs, you truly are dedicated and your help over the years is very much appreciated!

I ditto Anne's recent e-mail on the event. This was an exciting trial for me to watch and show in as so many experienced and well-trained dog/handler teams were entered. I had been looking forward to participating for several months and as the time drew nearer, it was hard to wait! The scores help reflect the hard work that this group has put into their training and relationships with their dogs, but they aren't always a true measure. As we all know, every dog has his day and some days are better than others. Great sportsmanship from all of the competitors was evident throughout the event. I was proud to be a part of it!

Kudos to some great track laying by Sue and Bruce. The stinky feet were much appreciated! Bruce was a one-man dog-catching machine and I thank him for the great safe catches for all of the dogs entered. The food and fellowship was once again terrific. It wouldn't be the same without Warren's grilled loin, Janice's salad, Anne's lemon bars, Sami's guacamole, and everyone else's contributions.

I wanted to thank Thomas who made the drive from south of Denver, CO to trial with us in our seemingly remote location in Montana. Many of us here have made the journey to CO to trial and know what a loooooong trip it is just to trial.

What a pleasure it was for me to watch the junior handlers, Coral and Lily, do so well with their dogs. They were smooth in their handling and looked like pros out on the field. I think their mom, who was also showing a dog, was more nervous for them than they were!

- Debbie

Thomas Barriano writes:
Trial/Traveling impressions: The Blue Sky Motel is the way to go price wise. I'd also consider tent camping next time. I'd recommend anyone planning on trialing to get there a day early to get their dogs familiar with the permanent blinds and field configuration.

I arrived Thurday night and Warren met me at 8AM at the practice tracking fields. Jago took a couple of tracks to get used to the new surroundings and to get used to plowed dirt again. We went to the trial field in the afternoon and experimented with how best to run the blinds and try the jumps etc.

The actual trial: Tracking conditions were ideal. A couple of things I came away with from Jago's track: Don't try to pick up any articles he misses (BIG mistake!). He also needs more work with stranger-scented articles. He'd only done it once before at his SchH II trial. I need to watch his tail to see when he is thinking and when he is just going through the motions :-)

Obedience: Jago needs more work on his long down. He is always restless and moving around. Also need to work on the voraus down. What ever creatures live in the bushes at the end of the field really got his interest :-) I need to tighten up the basics: fronts, finishes, heeling etc. and get him faster and more focused. Retrieves: the new design dumbells SUCK :-) Don't throw the SchH III dumbell near a pile of treats (horse pie) Be aware of how far the dumbell rolls, behind the A-frame :-( Schutzhund is different than Mondio Ring: You don't zero the exercise if you cross the departure line. You can give extra commands and only lose points.

Protection: Jago's best event as usual. Blind search was fine with no decoy on the field. When we have to heel past a decoy we get the old 1-4-3-6 search. Have to work on that :-) Also have to work on the regrips after the out/ down. I think I'll stop the decoy reward bites in training and use a tug more? Just have to balance his tendancy to look to me when I approach. I guess I'll heel him away, or maybe do a side transport before the tug? If nothing else: I've got lots of different things to work on before the Dobermann trial on 9/27.

You guys are great hosts and put on a great trial. I opened the gift bag on the way home. I was nicely surprised to see it was customized with some nice photos of Jago from the Front Range trial and a Jago-ish beanie baby. Way cool. Thanks for the opportunity to trial with you.

- Thomas

---

High tracking went to Zouka with a 99 V. The tracking conditions were ideal, the morning was beautiful and cool. Fortunately the air wasn't heavy with smoke as it had been earlier in the week. Harley, sadly, didn't feel like tracking, even after all the hard work and many hours Anne and Warren have been spending in improving Harley's tracking ability. Thomas Barriano's Jago also had some difficulties. Saga's track was the one where they'd had the goose party. Tracklayer Sue Geske had to continuously chase the geese back off the track as she was laying it. Saga lost points for investigating goose poop as possible food drops, and she performed most of the track with goose feathers stuck to her nose!

High Obedience was Harley and Ura tying with 94 SG. These are both young dogs with huge potential. Bekqa's youth showed during his obedience routine — he was a happy boy. His retrieves were his best exercise and were excellent. Saga's heeling was outstanding and Jim thought he was going to give his first V in obedience, but unfortunately Saga has developed a problem with her rear and was unable to come back over either the jump or the wall.

High Protection went to our High In Trial dog Terra, with a 97 V. Terra is powerful and strong and her outs were fast and clean. This is an awesome dog. After an unfortunate start with the blind search, Ura came back and really shined in the protection work. Lily and Coral both were outstanding handlers, especially in the protection work. Their quiet and calm handling were reminiscent of Ivan's, and should serve as a model for us adults.

Thanks to Bruce for his excellent helper work, and to Bruce and Sue for their tracklaying skills and stinky feet.

Thanks to Debbie for her efforts on the trophies, which were beautiful, and the competitor goodie bags. Apparently she found special little personal articles to put in each bag, along with photos she'd taken of each competitor's dog.

Thanks, Jim, you were an awesome judge and we all apprectiated the chance to either get to know you or to renew old friendships.
-sam
 

Bozeman, Montana			August 26-27, 2006			USA Jim Elder
	SchH 2		T	O	P	TSB	TOTAL
	Ura ot Vitosha	Mali	94 SG	94 SG	90 SG	"a"	278 SG	Rosellen Westerhoff
	Bazouka van de Trinekesdreef	Mali	99 V	87 G	89 G	"a"	275 SG	Anne Camper
	Bull Mountains Nights First Light	Mali	97 V	91 SG	84 G	"vh"	272 SG	Coral Westerhoff
	Bekqa d'Ile du Chien	Mali	98 V	80 G	93 SG	"a"	271 SG	Anne Camper
	Saga vom Grunewald	GSD	90 SG	73 S	87 G	"a"	250 G	Sammie Jones
	SchH 3		T	O	P	TSB	TOTAL
	Terra von Grunheide	GSD	93 SG	92 SG	97 V	"a"	282 SG	Debbie Dilley
	Nike ot Vitosha	Mali	98 V	92 SG	92 SG	"a"	282 SG	Lily Westerhoff
	Harley du Loups du Soleil	Mali	05 M	94 SG	96 V	"a"	--- M	Warren Jones
	Ascomannis Jago	Dobe	70 S	65 M	86 G	"a"	--- M	Thomas Barriano

Welcome to "Edel"

Janice now owns a fiesty, solid black, 8 week old male GSD. He was bred by Jeff Rentz in Utah, by Campino vom Munzspiel and out of Josera vom Kirchberghof. The pup loves to grab the chamois or tug and hang on for dear life. Rattle sticks don't phase him. Has a deep, full grip - as much as the little mouth can stuff in. Needless to say, at 8 weeks of age it's really hard to tell what he'll develop into. His name is "Edel" - German for "noble" with the call name Sirus — Janice says "he's my 'star'" .

Welcome

Welcome to new club member Joseph Brennan and Durus. Joseph, in his search for a German shepherd puppy, attended both the USA National Championships in San Jose and the Sieger Show in Carson City, Nevada, before deciding on the bloodlines he wanted. Seven month old Durus is a cool puppy and shows good temperament and character for the work — the two of you should go far. Welcome!
 

AUGUST TRIAL

Big Sky Schutzhund Club Trial

Helper Seminar and Certification

Trial: Saturday & Sunday — August 27th & 28th

Helper Certification August 27th

Judge & Teaching Helper: USA Jim Elder

Titles Offered:

SchH/VPG/IPO 1-3, Tr 1-3, OB 1-3, BH, AD, FH1, FH2

For more information and a trial entry form, click | HERE |

Helper Certification: open to any USA member. Fee - $15. Fee will be waived if you bring a dog that can be used in the certification.

TRACKING WILL BE ON PLOWED DIRT. FHs will include short summer dry-grass.

ADs will be run ONLY if there are 2 or more dogs. Deadline for AD entry is AUGUST 10th!

Schedule — ultimately depends on the number of entries and the weather.

The tentative schedule is:

SATURDAY

• 06.30 - Competitors meet at the tracking fields for SchH/IPO/TR tracking laying
• 07.00 - Tracking begins
• Breakfast after tracking
• Saturday afternoon - get out of the heat and attend the helper seminar.
• 17.00 (5 pm) - Helper certification
• 18.00 (6 pm) - SchH/IPO/OB obedience
• Potluck BBQ after obedience. BSSC will provide BBQ meats - bring a side dish to share. Beer, wine, margaritas available for a donation.

SUNDAY

• 06.30 - FH tracklayers meet at the tracking fields.
• 07.30 - ADs (if any)
• 08.00 (or after ADs) - Protection
• 10.00 - FHs (if any)

Two new titles earned at the Pacific Northwest Regional Championships!

Harley is now SchH 3 and Saga is SchH 1!

From the PNW Regional website

The 2006 PNW Regional Championship was a great success with a very respectful entry of 14 dogs, 12 Schutzhund dogs and 2 FH dogs. We had entries from Montana, Oregon, and Eastern Washington and from our good sports friends in British Columbia.

USA Judge Willie Pope did an outstanding job of evaluating the dogs. He demanded correct, attentive work and every participant knew they were in a Championship. As the Regional Championship is now a requirement to enter the National Championship, the bar needs to be raised for the Regionals and Will certainly did that while maintaining a competitor friendly atmosphere.

Our helpers, Jeff Howard and John Kowalczyk tested all the dogs with safe powerful work and did a great job of showing all the dogs to the judge in a very correct manner.

Our tracklayer Jack Smith laid consistent tracks for all the competitors in conditions that turned out to be not as easy as they looked.

Cascade Working Dog Assoc. did a fantastic job of keeping us fed and watered through out the weekend. We had everything from made to order breakfasts to a delicious barbeque Saturday night to celebrate the trial and thank Will for his time.

By the end of the trial the dust had settled and the winners are:

Schutzhund 1
1st place	Cap vom Siegerhof	Lynne Lewis	266	HOT
2nd place	Saga vom Grunewald	Sammie Jones	264	HOT
3rd place	Eastlakes Leo v Radelsfuher		259	HOT
Schutzhund 3
1st place	Bobbi von Trostberg	Mo Sutherland	278	HOT
2nd place	Kanto vom Firecatcher	Kevin Combs	266
3rd place	Eumah vom Patiala	Hal Lymus	259	HOT
4th place	Harley Duloupsdusoleil	Warren Jones	247	HOT

HIGH TRACKING	Cap vom Siegerhof	97pts
HIGH OBEDIENCE	Bobbi von Trostberg	95pts
HIGH PROTECTION	Harley Duloupsdusoleil	90 pts
HIGH HOT	Mo Sutherland and Bobbi	278 pts

Congratulations to Mo and her dog Bobbi as the 2006 PNW Regional Champion, High in Trial, High HOT and High Obedience!! My goodness she took a lot of trophies back with her. We will take back the perpetual trophy though next year so keep it polished for us!!

My thanks to all who helped make this Regional Championship a grand success, most of all to the competitors who came from all over the region. Not all were winners but everyone gave it their all and those that were not so successful will return on another day at another trial!!
-Lynne Lewis

Big Sky and the 2007 Regional Championships

Tri-State Schutzhund Association in Spokane bid for the 2007 Regional Championships and Big Sky committed to assist. Dates are not known at the moment but will be determined by the tracking conditions.

Training weekend, July 29 and 30. We will meet for tracking at 7 a.m. both mornings at the Post Farm fields, use the Love Lane entrance. If you need directions, send me an email and I'll get them to you. Obedience and protection to follow at the Jones'. On Saturday, the temperature will dictate whether we work during the day or wait until evening. If it is hot, there'll be time to swim your dogs at the Cameron Bridge access on the Gallatin River . There will be a pot-luck dinner Saturday evening with beer and margaritas. On Sunday, we'll do a mock trial walk-through for those interested as well as training. The intention is to be done in time for folks to head for home at a reasonable hour so we will work through the heat with breaks. Please reconfirm that you plan to attend, when you anticipate arriving, and give me an idea of what you might bring for the pot-luck. See you next weekend! Anne

 

TRAINING WEEKEND Everyone, When we were all together at Michael's seminar in May we discussed the possibility of having a training weekend some time this summer. Since summer is here and quickly moving on, we looked through our collective calendars to find a date. It proved to be difficult - there is only one free weekend between now and the trial at the end of August - and that weekend is July 29 and 30. Consequently, mark your calendars and let us know if you plan to come. There will be limited camping at the Jones', and there is a KOA a few miles away. This is a training and social function. The intention is to train and hang out for the two days; tracking in the mornings, protection and obedience to follow with the timing depending on weather (mostly the heat). Potluck and possible campfire on Saturday night, consumption of alcohol also a possibility. I anticipate that we'd finish up early afternoon on Sunday so folks can head for home. Please RSVP so we can plan on the number of dogs and people. Hope you can make it. Anne

Michael Ellis Seminar

Once again it was a great seminar with excellent training and good times with friends. And, as always, the weather was hot, cold, sunny, snowy, with thunder and lightening (do you think anyone would go inside for safety even when peoples' hair was floating and I got shocked by my umbrella!?) wind, rain, hail and sun. Click | HERE | for pictures.