Category: News

Harley and Rōnin finished their 2016 NW trialing season this weekend at the UKC Nosework trials held by the For Your Canine Sports Club.  At under 9 months of age, Harley completed her four element Novice Nosework (NN) title with eight qualifying trials in this weekend alone to become the youngest ever Czechoslovakian Vlcak to title in Nosework.  At this point she has a 100% pass rate over 15 NW trials and tests.  She is also half-way to her Advanced Nosework title as well, only needing successful qualifications in Interiors and Containers.  Harley is now officially NN Borrasca Gaditana de la Manada de Tuky (and some, since I've left off additional element titles to save space..).

Harley <3
Harley <3

Rōnin started trialing on the Master level this weekend.  There are five levels of difficulty in UKC Nosework - Novice, Advanced, Superior, Master, and Elite.  On Saturday, Rōnin completed his last qualifying trial on the Superior level and finished his Superior Nosework title.  He also qualified in four additional trials this weekend, putting him halfway to his Master Nosework title.  Within his first year of trialing,  Rōnin has finished three levels and we have hopes that he can at least finish up his Master Nosework title in 2017.

All trial times, placements and details can be found on each dogs' profile here.  We are very proud of our dogs and our friends & co-owners, and already look forward to 2017.

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We are coming off the busiest weekend for all of the dogs at Greyfarer so far.  Over the weekend of October 29-30, all five dogs spent the Saturday and Sunday at shows and trials, with some very nice results!  Morrow, Ghost and Blu were at a series of dog shows qualifying for Grand Champion legs, while Rōnin and Harley went off to a series of detection/nosework trials.  It was also Harley's first trialing weekend at just 8.5 months old.

Harley's Pre-trial test
Harley's Pre-trial test
Novice Vehicle search
Novice Vehicle search
..and her weekend haul!
..and her weekend haul!

So starting out with the baby of the group, coming away from the weekend, Harley so far has a 100% pass rate from her three detection pre-trial tests and four trials on Novice Vehicles and Exteriors, owner-handled and titling in both!  She's such a good puppy and willing to work.  Her indications are not very strong at the moment, so time-wise her trials were not the fastest but once her indication is very clear we really believe that she will go far in her training.  Harley is now NE NV Borrasca Gaditana de la Manada de Tuky. 

Harley is a very confidant dog and had no problems with the trial sites or new environments, getting down to work right away and eager for her rewards.

Then there was Rōnin, who has always been more of a diva and temperamental and lackadaisical when it comes to trials.  He blew off his Masters Vehicle trials on Saturday without even trying, but rallied on Sunday to pass (with a 2nd place, even!) his Advanced Exterior trial which finishes his Advanced Nosework title.  He then further surprised us by passing and taking 3rd place in his Superior Exterior trial.  So even though Marius wanted to skin Rōnin alive on Saturday, he survived  😀 and with his newly added Advanced Nosework (AN) prefix 😆  In the span of 6 months Rōnin became the first CsV to title in Novice Nosework and now with his Advanced title.

Ronin <3
Ronin <3

And for Ghost, Morrow & Blu, it was a typical show weekend.  Lots of running about but this weekend Morrow had a handler since all the dogs are in the same class now.  Morrow did well handled by our friend Tony and was Reserve Champion 3x; Ghost was Reserve Champion 1x and Champion class winner and Best of Breed 1x, but the best of the weekend was Blu, who was Champion class winner and Best of Breed 3x!  We always enjoy the 2-day shows and staying at the site hotel with the dogs, just spending time together.  The details of all the shows and trials this weekend can be found on each dog's individual profile.

We have plans for another weekend or so of shows and trials for 2016 and as this year wraps up, we're happy with how the dogs are doing.  Little by little we are meeting our individual goals.  The dogs are (generally) cooperative and seem to enjoy getting out and doing things...Morrow was spinning in excitement as I was packing up our overnight show bag!  And finally, Happy Halloween!

it took way longer than I expected, but I did it!
it took way longer than I expected, but I did it!

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By our wins and point counting, we figured Morrow had finished her UKC Show Champion title back at the end of July. But yesterday we got official confirmation of it in the form of a nice certificate. 🙂  And Morrow is certainly smug about it, it appears.........

Now we work on her Grand Championship and her sporting titles.  And with lots of luck in the next year perhaps some more points towards her international titles 🙂

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Rōnin finished his Superior Vehicle nosework search title in a series of 4 timed trials today. We are very proud of him! It is the 3rd level difficulty of 5 with multiple vehicles, target odors and hides. He also qualified 1st place High in Trial for one of the Master Interior (2nd highest of 5 difficulties) searches, so he needs just one more successful trial to finish his Master Interior title... overall today Rōnin successfully completed one title and placed twice 1st place High in Trial. We are really pleased with these results and his progress.  All the trial times and results can be found on his page here.

Czechoslovakian Vlcak are not the easiest dog to work with, but they do have their own style and strong points.. Rōnin definitely does not work as 'frantically' and he prefers to do things at his own pace, and if he feels like it.. of course. He was having a good day today despite his nonchalant approach. Trying to hurry him along only just earns you some judgmental looks, so a handler really needs to learn to read the dog, trust him, and let him work.

On the Superior level Vehicle search, there are five vehicles, 2 target odors and 2 hides, and in the Master level Interior search, each trial has two interior search areas with two or three hides using 1-4 odors.  The handler does not know the total amount of hides and there may also be blank areas which don't contain a hide at all.  On both these levels distractions like food and toys are also required on the search area.

Rōnin indicating the hide.
Rōnin indicating the hide.
Hides can also be elevated.
Hides can also be elevated.

And yet again, Rōnin becomes the first Czechoslovakian Vlcak to title at these Nosework levels and so we are doubly happy for him!  It's definitely a challenge to train a Czechoslovakian Vlcak, especially apparent since Rōnin's 'brother', a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, is also trialing in Nosework and isn't temperamental at all.  Czechoslovakian Vlcak may be classified in the Herding group in the FCI but they really do not train like a typical herder.....

 

Today Rōnin will get a nice raw dinner and some extra belly rubs for a job well done.. Congrats to Team Rōnin and Marius, co-owner and handler!! 🙂

Ribbon swag from today!
Ribbon swag from today!

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Morrow and I have been traveling in Europe since the middle of August until this past Labor's Day Monday. It was a really busy three weeks but we came away with fantastic experiences and memories of the CsV breed camps and competitions in Slovakia, Poland and Germany for this summer of 2016. This marks my eighth time in Europe for CsV and Morrow's second. Besides our personal experiences including a lot of food, wine, beer, traveling & sightseeing, we also have a bit of CsV news to relate.

We started our trip off with taking my other dogs to stay with our Blu and owners in Las Vegas, followed with a nice long layover to go on a playdate with two of the other dogs that make up Greyfarer - Rōnin and Harley.  The dogs had a good time together.  Harley is a loud-mouthed puppy who likes to bark until she elicits responses from other dogs 😀 she will be even more of a handful as she gets older with her attitude.  Rōnin has matured into a unmistakable man's man.  He is tall, built well, and has a standoffish and calm 'I'm the boss' demeanor.  It was great to see all the dogs doing well.  Much thanks to Jade and Marius!

After the playdate layover with Rōnin and Harley, Morrow and I continued onwards to Bratislava, Slovakia to visit with friends and attend the FCI Bratislava DuoDanube International Dog Shows over the weekend.  Morrow came away from the weekend rated twice with  V-ratings (excellent ratings) and the start of her Slovakian Championship - on Sunday she placed first in Intermediate class and received her first Certificate of Aptitude for Slovak Championship (CAC) and on top of that, a Reserve Certificate of Aptitude for International Championship of Beauty (rCACIB)!  On both days there were 30+ Czechoslovakian Vlcak in the shows (and more just as spectators) and we enjoyed watching them.  It was fun for us to receive these placements and titles and Morrow definitely did not disappoint my expectations of 'holding my hand' while we went around the ring.. ~_~

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At the site of "z Pohraniční stráže" military kennel
View of the High Tatras
View of the High Tatras
Training at Pozna. Photo credit: Andrzej Adamczyk
Training at Pozna. Photo credit: Andrzej Adamczyk

While in Bratislava we traveled with our good friend Saša and her dog Frei Maly Bysterec for a few days of sightseeing.  One of the 'hidden' places we visited was the historic site of one of the former military kennel installations of "z Pohraniční stráže" near Malacky, Slovakia, where Czechoslovakian Vlcak were originally bred and refined.  We also toured Spis castle and the beautiful glacial mountain lake of Štrbské Pleso in the High Tatras before crossing over to Poland and meeting up in Krakow with our friends from "z Karpatskej stráže" kennel on our way up to the XV. Meeting of CzW owners & XIII. Hoky's Memorial at Pozna, Poland.

The Pozna camp which we originally attended for the first time in 2013 is one of the largest social gatherings for Czechoslovakian Vlcak and even with the hot weather we were pleased to see many of the dogs and owners in attendance from all over Europe - Czech Republic, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Spain...  Saturday was a day of training and the XIII. Hoky's Memorial obedience competition, divided into a youth division and advanced division based on age of the dog.  Morrow came away placing 6th overall out of 30-some entered teams.  She was somewhat absent-minded and not as focused with the huge amount of distractions but we are happy with how she did and how she behaved for the entire weekend.  Overall it was a great weekend full of good Polish food and spirits, conversations, and of course, lovely dogs.

Following the Pozna, Poland camp, we crossed over into Northern Germany for a few days of much needed rest and relaxation.  I really love Germany and Slovakia and the ability to go to zoos, on trains, in many restaurants with your dog without hassle, so we made the most of the opportunity and visited Hanover zoo and the Luneburg heathlands and some amazing restaurants with Morrow.  She was very impressed with the lions at the zoo, but her favorites definitely were the prairie dogs...... 😀

On the last leg of our trip, we took a very relaxing train ride down to Mannheim in the south-western region of Germany.  It is the heart of Germany's wine-country and also where our friends who manage the European Wolves at Kurpfalz Park live near to.  I was so pleased to be able to see the wolfpack there again, this time in the summer.  The Kurpfalz Park pack consists of four males.  I really love to see the wolves in their summer coat as it's much easier to study their overall build than in their massive winter coats.  Personally, it is important to review the general build of wolves in real life and to apply it to the relevant areas in the standardized description of the CsV breed, instead of depending on my own pre- and mis-conceptions of what or how a lupine build is like.  I'm very thankful to again have this opportunity to review some of these individuals up close.

Male European wolf in summer
Male European wolf in summer
European wolf Ninjo
European wolf Ninjo

On the last weekend, we attended the German CsV Camp weekend in Freudenburg am Main.  This year the German breed club held a social, their club meeting, the first FCI Derby Show, and a youth presentation and adult bonitation.  Morrow finished our Summer 2016 trip with an Excellent rating and first place winner of the female intermediate class on Saturday, as well as completing her Youth Presentation with a rating of VV - Viel Versprechend/very promissing - the highest mark for a young dog on Sunday.  The judge remarks critiqued her croup, longer tail, stronger rear angulation and visible forehead wrinkling, but also wrote the following (by English translation): "64,5 cm high (at withers), very beautiful typical female with a beautiful head and light eyes. Good pigmentation, correct ears, front, front assembly, good coat structure, color, mask, typical movement. Good temperament."  We are pleased with the assessment and satisfied also with the critiques.

Our Summer 2016 trip was not only 'work and no play' for Morrow.. she enjoyed a lot of swimming in the multiple lakes and ponds, drinking tons of rainwater (both of which we do not have here in California 😀 ), and seeing again her old friends and original birth family, both canine and human.  We also met the majority of the males I had set out to see in person so our trip was satisfying if only based on this.  Thanks to all of our friends new and old who made our trip not only possible but also filled with tons of adventures and misadventures, food, conversation, and hospitality.  I hope to meet you all again soon!

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Two days, four shows, three tests, one match and 42C (107F) - worth it!

 

Over the weekend we went up to Claremont to participate in the UKC show & obedience trial cluster organized by the Alaskan Klee Kai Association of America. It was a VERY busy weekend - in between showing, testing, and trialing with our own dogs, we were also stewards for the Rally-O and Obedience trials. The dogs had it better than us - they got to spend all their down time in the air conditioned hotel room while us poor owner-handlers got to run around in the hot sun helping out with the trial organization..

 

Blu and our co-owner Jade also came up from Las Vegas for the weekend. On Saturday, Morrow went Best of Breed twice and finished her UKC Show Champion title! We were able to move her up in class and on Sunday we had a Champion class.. it has been a few years since the last Czechoslovakian Vlcak Champion class had enough dogs qualifying to earn Grand Champion legs - Ghost earned his first Gr. Ch. leg back in 2012..

 

Łojma in Group competition
Łojma in Group competition

Total Saturday results:

 

Show 1 - Judge Mark Golden

 

Morrow // Łojma II z Peronówki - Junior class 1, Best Female, Best of Breed, Group 2

 

Show 2 - Judge Jeanne Hagar

 

Morrow // Łojma II z Peronówki - Junior class 1, Best Female, Best of Breed, Group 4

Blu // Wesen Girios dvasia - Champion of Champions

Ghost // Wintermoon z Lasów Preczowskich - Reserve Champion (Ch. Class 2)

 

Additionally, on Saturday Morrow and Blu both titled in the UKC Socialized Pet Obedience Test (SPOT).

 

Sunday results:

 

Show 1 - Judge Elizabeth McKennon

 

Morrow // Łojma II z Peronówki - Champion Class - no placement

Blu // Wesen Girios dvasia - Champion of Champions, Best of Breed, Group 2

Ghost // Wintermoon z Lasów Preczowskich - Reserve Champion (Ch. Class 2)

 

Show 2 - Judge Richard Klatt

 

Morrow // Łojma II z Peronówki - Reserve Champion (Ch. Class 2)

Blu // Wesen Girios dvasia - Champion Class - no placement

Ghost // Wintermoon z Lasów Preczowskich - Champion of Champions, Best of Breed, Group 1

 

Blu also did the SPOT evaluation on Sunday again and this time was rated Outstanding in all elements, becoming the very first Czechoslovakian Vlcak to title with SPOT-ON (Socialized Pet Obedience Test - Outstanding Neighbor) designation. And finally, she ran a Rally Obedience match in Rally Novice and qualified with 95 points and 3nd place in match!! This is the first Obedience and Rally-O events held by this club, and so they were unable to offer it as a licensed event, only as a qualifying match to hold licensed events in the future, but we are very proud of Blu. If the match had been a licensed trial, Blu would have become the first UKC Total Dog - Czechoslovakian Vlcak.

Wesen
Wesen
Wintermoon
Wintermoon
Łojma
Łojma
SPOT - Loading/Unloading exercise
SPOT - Loading/Unloading exercise
SPOT - Stay/Recall exercise
SPOT - Stay/Recall exercise

After this busy weekend we're finally home and ready for some rest and relaxation.  Ghost placed the overall highest this weekend with a Group 1, and Blu placed most times overall with match qualifications, 2 SPOT passes, and her first Grand Champion leg.  I'm very happy how all of our dogs did this weekend.  Thank you to the judges, and especially our borrowed handler Nichole for helping us out!!

Ghost // Wintermoon - Day 2 Show 2 - BOB, Group 1!
Ghost // Wintermoon - Day 2 Show 2 - BOB, Group 1!

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Our Rōnin passed his Temperament Test today with the American Temperament Test Society (ATTS).  He became the first Czechoslovakian Vlcak in the USA to pass and he did so with flying colors.  The elements of the exam are very similar to the temperament section of the breed-specific evaluation Bonitation so for others more familiar with that, the test will seem very familiar.  The details and description of the specific elements of the ATTS test can be found here  (the descriptions are also embedded in the video if viewing with a PC).

Additionally, last weekend Rōnin also successfully titled in an additional element in his detection trials, Superior class Interior searches.  The Superior class is the 3rd degree difficult out of five, and includes multiple hides and target odors, distractions, and blank areas which the handler and dog must clear and announce correctly.  He also earned legs towards his Advanced Exterior and Superior Vehicle searches, with multiple time placements and even one High in Trial.  Of course, all the details and so on can be found on Rōnin's page here.

 

 

Rōnin is really growing into a well-rounded dog.  Congratulations also to Rōnin's co-owner and of course owner-handler Marius for a great job with a great dog.

Updated 27/9/2016: We received Rōnin's official point results and certificate in the mail!  Each dog starts off each sub-test with 5 points and points are either deducted or added.  Rōnin is a pretty neutral dog..

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Test results for Ronin.

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Today we received the last outstanding results for Blu's health testing and CHIC number!  Great results - FCI/OFA HD A2 (Good) and ED - Normal 0-0.  Pending the issuance of her CHIC number this week, Blu is now our new brood female.  Her full profile can be seen here.

Congrats to also her co-owner Jade & family!

 

Updated July 15, 2016 - Blu was assigned her CHIC number 114623.

RBIS Ch. WESEN Girios dvasia

HD/ED FCI/OFA: A-2 Good; Normal 0-0

DM: Carrier DM/N

DW: Carrier DW/N

Eye Clearance 2016

Cardiac Clearance 2016

Full Dentition

DNA Profile: Completed

 

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Two blog posts in a day... but it deserves a special mention...

 

Today Rōnin received his last required screening results and will be issued a CHIC number shortly - the CHIC and OFA database is synced weekly.

The official issue formality notwithstanding, Rōnin is now a new club qualified stud dog.

 

The entirety of his results and stats can be found on his page ...

Update July 1, 2016:  Rōnin's CHIC number was officially issued today, CHIC #114397.

 

Without further ado:

 

NN SC AI AV BIS Ch. DRAKE DARKSTAR Amant Gris SPOT

PennHIP: 0.27/0.27, 80th Percentile
HD/ED FCI/OFA: Good - A2, 0-0
DM: Carrier DM/N
DW: Clear N/N
Eye Clearance 2016
Full Dentition
DNA Profile: Completed

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Some more news from the weekend - Borrasca made her debut at the dog shows in McHenry, Illinois in the Novice Puppy (baby) class. It was a good opportunity to get a lot of socialization in for her and some acclimation to the ring. She's at a really awkward stage of puppy growth right now, all paws and knobby joints and ears.. 😀
 
The results for Borrasca Gaditana de la Manada de Tuky:
 
Judge Stephanie Mueller: Novice Puppy Class 1, Best Novice Puppy Female, Novice Puppy Best of Breed; and
Judge Sandy Shaw: Novice Puppy Class 1, Best Novice Puppy Female, Novice Puppy Best of Breed

Capture from our Tracking app.
Capture from our Tracking app.

At this event the Socialized Pet Obedience Test (SPOT) was also offered and Rōnin aced it becoming the first Czechoslovakian Vlcak to take and pass this exam. The SPOT exam is a basic good-manners/socialization test as its name implies; there are 10 testing stations including good leash skills, doorway manners, distractions, loading and unloading, grooming and so on. The full test details can be found here.

 

Saturday also marked a milestone in Morrow's tracking training - within 14 weekly sessions, Morrow successfully completed a 470 meter (513 yards) track with 5 turns aged approximately 1 hour. It exceeds the maximum length of 500 yards for the Tracking Dog (TD) test and the mandated 4-5 turns. We are still under the maximum age of a test-level track of 2 hours, but hopefully soon we will also meet that benchmark as well. I've been using an app created specifically for tracking with dogs and it's been really easy to keep track of our progress.

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And finally, our Blu had a spa holiday over at our place for the weekend. She's growing up to be a real sweetheart and has improved a lot in her confidence and temperament. As always, we were careful about tightly managing the initial meetings between the girls but everything went smoothly save for a few initial words. 🙂 It was nice to see Blu again doing so well. It was a busy but enjoyable weekend for everybody and congratulations again to our co-owners for all their work with our dogs.

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