West Volusia Kennel Club Dog Show

Karen and I headed out to Deland to attend the dog show and of course, root for friends and fellow breeders. I realize the entire weekend was filled with a plethora of different breeds but the Chihuahuas were our main attraction. With 27 entries, there were a lot to see and ogle over. Of course, we had our favs and became the cheer squad. It's not necessarily appropriate to make your opinions loudly known, but a "hoot-hoot" from time to time was tolerable.

For me personally, I took in all of the confirmation steps, watching for techniques and tips. Stacking Ace has been my weakest and I learned a few things to help us both! I really hope to get Ace in the ring before the end of the year. Realistically - It probably wont happen until next spring though.

Came To A Decision

My training sessions with Ace to get him into the show ring have been going great here at the house and our goal was to enter the Toy Dog Club Of Central Florida and Tampa Bay Chihuahua Club shows in August. Many of you know that I homeschool my children and my son is entering the 7th grade this year. The lesson plans and scope for his middle school lessons require a lot more of my attention than the last couple years so the goal was to complete the training for Ace before the school year kicked off. Unfortunately I haven't been able to bring him to the Conformation Classes all summer. I decided to bring him to a class this evening to see how he would do.

Unfortunately, the class was canceled. but the night wasn't a total wash! A very experienced handler was there and he did a bit of one-on-one work with him. He did great on the lead and fabo with his stack - it was when a "stranger" approached that it ALL became very apparent. I failed my lil man by not bringing him to these classes. He simply is not ready just yet. With the school year about to kick off, family comes first and that is where I need to put the majority of my focus. In the meantime, I will work with Ace on the weekends and shoot for more ring time around the first of the year.

Temperament Tests

Aimee at Boomerang Kennels performed a modified version of the Volhard’s Puppy Aptitude Test on Ginny's litter of puppies. We do the standard test on all of our puppies to help confirm temperaments and proper placements but our puppies have been raised with us and KNOW us. Having tests performed by a stranger was very appealing.

The puppies did SO awesome and Aimee was equally awesome! THANK YOU SO MUCH AIMEE!! It's good to know our results are in the same ballpark and of course, have a chance to give them even more socialization.

More Training

Ace and Colada went for their third obedience training session this morning and both have progressed very nicely. We humans actually have more work to do then the dogs. It has been brought to our attention that we need to be a bit more animated and excited over command following. Aimee attached the collar to to her arm and then our arm to essentially  show how our lackluster responses to their great feats will inevitably lead to disobedient - or very fat dogs. We currently treat them for doing the commands - They can't always expect a treat for sitting - So while we have a break until May when the classes begin again, we will do OUR homework. It's OK to act silly when it comes to our sweet Chis!!!

It Was A Chi Saturday!

Back to Boomerang Kennels to get more training from Aimee. This week both Ace and Colada got their fill. Ace needs a boost in his confidence so being held, fed treats and guided by strangers is our main tactic. Now Colada moved on with her lessons and now sits, comes, stays and lays down on command. Hot hot diggity - SO EXCITING!!!! Dewey came along for the ride and he was SUCH a good boy! After the other two were done, he had his chance to prance around the ring and show off that he is totally mommy's girl!

On a side note - anyone wishing to train their Chi needs to boil themselves up some chicken. It is what got both dogs to do exactly what we asked of them during their lessons. And while waiting for Karen to arrive with her newest Chi after our session, Colada did every thing she could to get to that bag of chicken!

Once Karen arrived, I got to see her latest and greatest addition - Riffy from the Davishall kennel. He is a cutie-patootie and  did his best during his session. The goal is for him to be her son's dog for Junior Handling.

Time For Obedience

With my daughter Alexis wanting to enter the show ring as a Junior Handler, I thought it best to start from the beginning and take her to obedience classes. We met with Aimee at Boomerang Kennels for our first class this morning.

Aimee is FANTASTIC! She had Colada - who hasn't received an ounce of training thus far - walking on a leash and even sitting on command in less than 5 minutes!

If anyone out there is looking for one-on-one, personalized training, Aimee is da bomb!!! At $10.00 a human-dog pair per one hour lesson is a fantabulous deal!

Ace Rocked It!

Last night was our first conformation class and I think we were both  a little nervous. Often times, a handler is hired to show a dog until they have reached champion. If we are going to enter the show ring, I wanted to be a part of EACH part - including the handling! So off to the class I went with my pride and joy, Ace.

Karen told me all about the Orlando Dog Training Club and the classes that they offer. She too is interested in conformation training, so she brought Chica. (Who happenes to be Bambi's mom - you know - his latest girlfriend)

Ace is such a flashy boy and did awesome showing off his gait. It was the stacking and examination by a stranger that we need to work on. We were given some of the most awesome tips ever and told that with a bit of work, the little man will do great! If some strange woman walks up to you in PetCo and asks you to feed her dog with the treat she is handing you - Chances are it's me! Please help the Ace-Man!

The experience itself seems to have boosted his self esteem too. He looks up at me with a little smile now, as though he and I have a new special bond that is only ours - Like he knows he special.  How cute is THAT?