Home from another ‘annual’ adventure to Tasmania with Baby (Am Ch Aus Ch Calaban’s Dirty Dancing RE ET JC (Imp USA)) and Tortik (Supreme Ch Armahani Heliodorr Halu (AI) RA JC) which involved a substantial amount of very good food, a little bit of wine tasting, a little bit of gin tasting, and a couple of dog shows thrown in!! 

The big achievement for the weekend was Baby, who earned the forth CACIB she needed on Sunday for her International Beauty Champion (CIB) title!

​Baby is the second Finnish Lapphund in Australia to earn this title and the first through the agreement between the ANKC and the FCI.

We're very pleased to confirm that we will be welcoming the Moonstone babies in mid November!

Mother is the beautiful Kajo (Armahani Heliodorr Hohde (AI)), sister to our handsome brothers Benni and Tortik. Kajo normally lives with Trish in Perth.

Father is our old boy Alaska (Am Grand Ch & Aus Ch Teelikamentten Iikka (Imp Fin)) who I imported with Vanessa Brotto many years ago now, and who eventually made his way to show in the USA where he still lives. He was the father of our Bloodstone litter, and we're really looking forward to having his babies here again.

Back into the agility ring today. I’ll admit to being of two minds as to whether to go again, and changed my mind about 50 times!

After getting the all clear injury wise, we had a go a few weeks ago and Baby really didn’t want to jump at all and kept baulking. I really wasn’t sure if it was (1) still sore, (2) wind (was a super windy day and she hates jumping in the wind), (3) some bad associations with being sore before.

Another all clear health check and some value adding work, and I decided to try again - but then the wind forecast came.

She had three clear runs. Her first run she was happy, and committed, just a little unsure and unconfident, but getting more confident throughout. A draw to the wrong tunnel entrance and a bit of wasted time calling her off and redirecting her saw us 0.5 seconds over time. By the time of her third run she was getting tired but still happy and engaged and no sign of not wanting to jump. There was a judge in her ring however, and she had a couple of deviations where she thought they may be lost and need some attention and cuddles, so again some wasted time getting her back on track which saw us a second over. I didn’t feel so bad when I found out no novice dog passed that course!

But the second run was the kicker! A lovely lovely fun course which we both had a ball on. Quallie and first place.

So pleased she had a fun day throughout, some positive associations back jumping again (importantly in both trial and windy conditions). I just now need to keep working on building her confidence back up (and convincing her that judges in the middle of the ring are to be ignored and not for cuddling purposes).

I borrowed Uno (Armahani Jade Jalokivi) and Avicii (Armahani Lapis Lazuli Lurjus) for some shows this weekend, having the fun of two young boys playing non stop during out home time and Louis desperately trying to join in!

In this show ring, they both had some shining to do, Avicii gaining Best Baby Puppy in Group and the Ballarat Dog Club yesterday under judge I Hinde, and then Uno being shortlisted in group and then awarded Aus Bred in Group at the Bacchus Marsh & District Kennel Club today under P Cutler.

It was Avicii's last weekend in the baby puppy class, and boy is he looking ready to go up - no longer a cute little puppy he has some adolescence to get through now and a slow ride to maturity.  Uno I haven't had back in the ring very long, and we've been pretty much training from scratch, so I was super proud of how he performed both in the group and general specials ring. He's really starting to get the hang of what he is meant to do.  Hopefully there will be more fun with these two boys in the future.