12 Months of Age

At 12 weeks of age, I went shopping for the very first time.

I checked out the entire store

and chose my very first item to purchase.

At 12 weeks, my new toy and I were nearly the same size.

At 12 months, it's just the right size for a pillow.

At 9 weeks, I was slightly taller than the wild violets.

At 12 months, my knees are slightly taller than the violets.

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY

to my littermates

Stella, Charlie, Elsie, William & Bentley

Wednesday's Word: Uncle

at 3 months of age with Uncle Tyro

Vizslapalooza IV

On the last day of Vizslapalooza, Uncle Vadasz and I played with 2 lovely girls in pink collars (didn't catch their names or how far they had traveled to attend the event).

Vizslapalooza III

One day, Miska-Mom attracted the attention of a much younger V!

"I'm not interested, young man!"

"You may be younger but I can run much faster than you!"

"See Ya!"

"Miska, Miska, you're so fine.
Miska, Miska, why won't you be mine?!"

Vizslapalooza II

One day, Uncle Vadasz and I enjoyed racing around the field with Kodi (from Pennsylvania).

 

Snazzy collar, Kodi!

Vizslapalooza I

With 455 Vizslas entered in the VCA National Specialty plus a number of puppies not old enough to be entered there was no shortage of opportunities to play! I didn't get to meet everyone but I saw most of them over the course of the week and I had the opportunity to play with Vs from many states. One day, I had lots of fun playing with 5-mo-old siblings from South Florida:  Bossy, Lexi, Apollo and Blue. 

That was LOTS of FUN!

Wednesday's Word: Teeter

Field Dog Junior

May 19th

German Shorthaired Pointer Club of Canada

CKC Field Test

Earned the third leg to complete my FDJ today! It was a scorching 27c so it was nice to be able to go for a brief swim in the middle of my test.

Here are the 8 categories of the CKC FDJ test: 

Desire to Hunt:     keen desire to hunt without constant encouragement

Style of Running:  distinctive of breed

Pace:                  consistent pace matched to terrain & weather conditions

Range:                hunts at a range suitable for a handler on foot; adjusts

                         range based on terrain to search quickly & thoroughly

Pattern:              searches forward; intelligent use of wind & terrain

Control:              responds to commands & movements of handler without

                         excessive/repetitive commands

Pointing:             locates game & establishes point long enough to 

                         demonstrate its natural ability

Reaction to Shot: dog exhibits alertness & eagerness at the sound of gunfire

                         (once a point is established and the bird is flushed (flies

                         off), the handler fires a blank starter's pistol into the air)

The dog must receive a minimum of 50% in each category with an overall score of 75/100. 3 Legs are required under 2 different judges. Dogs are run individually and have a minimum of 20 minutes and a maximum of 30 minutes to complete the test. [In AKC, the comparable title is Junior Hunter (JH) and the tests are called Hunt Tests (as opposed to Field Trials which are competitive events) - there are other differences in how the tests are structured as well.]

 

Thanks again to Mike Wilshire!

And thanks to all the judges and volunteers who make these tests possible.

VSO Field Tests

After two successful days in the conformation ring, we drove somewhere completely new and I earned my first 2 legs toward the title of Field Dog Junior at the Vizsla Society of Ontario CKC Field Tests. The field tests were lots and lots of fun because I got to find birds and I got to get all muddy (can't do that on a "show" day).

May 13th
VSO CKC Field Test Highlights

All ready to go, Mike!  Is it our turn yet?

Wheeeee!

Bird!

Why are you flying away?

 Handler: Mike Wilshire     Judge: Mike Nelson 
Second Leg - Score: 97/100

Great big thanks to Mike Wilshire for his expert training and handling.

Many thanks to Elaine Hopkins for organizing the event and
keeping everything running smoothly and in an incredibly timely fashion,
to Liz Outram for hosting the event in such a lovely setting and 
to all the judges and volunteers who make these tests possible.

Wednesday's Word: Sister

with Sister Stella (at 3-1/2 weeks)

Hot Off the Presses 4

 Friday, May 11th

Forest City Kennel Club

Judge:  Mr. W. Pinsker

Best of Winners (1 point)

Best of Opposite Sex

Best Puppy in Breed

AND

 Saturday, May 12th

 Forest City Kennel Club

Judge: Mrs. J.L. Huntley      Handler: Rhonda Giannini

Winners Dog (2 points)

Best of Opposite Sex

That's 3 more points !!!

A great big thank you to Rhonda Giannini for her expert handling.

You'll have to check back for a later post to see what I did on Sunday

as part of "Multi-Tasking May".

VCA Nationals: Fancy Footwork

"Gait is one of the most important characteristics by which a conformation judge evaluates your dog.  ...  It is the handler’s job to make the dog shine.” 

- Vicki Ronchette, Positive Training for Show Dogs

Your style should be what you should have in everyday life: good posture, confident carriage, and a graceful gait. 

- D. Caroline Coile, Ph.D., Show Me!  A Dog Show Primer

 Even when decelerating, Alex's gait is in sync with mine.

Thank you, Alex, for helping me to shine!