poodle papers summer 2006 part 2

The Poodle Papers / Summer Edition

9

Thank you!I would like to thank all of you who worked so hard tomake PCA 2006 the best National Specialty Show, ever.

So many commented what a good PCA this was; I as-sured them that it was easy when everyone knows hisjob and when everyone does his job so well. The showvirtually runs itself.

As always the Setup committee Chaired by DennisMcCoy did an outstanding job of getting the exhibi-tors into the building in short order. Next year we planthat exhibitors will be able to claim and enter their set-ups on Monday evening, thus, allowing Obediencejudging to begin at 8 AM on Tuesday morning or when-ever Susie wants. Thanks, Dennis, Terri, Betty, Karen,Kaz, Tony, Gail, Penny, Katy, and Jo Ann and every-one else who helped. You are a great team!

The year that Bill Grace decided not to attend PCAhad to be one of my most difficult years in getting theshow running smoothly. It just isn't possible to put onPCA without the hard work of the Graces and BradNoyes. Most don't know the countless hours that theyput in each day. You are indispensable!

Patty and Alice and Doug and Sam and their workersdo an incredible job with raffle and silent auction. Eachyear they raise thousands of dollars for the Club. Whata job you do! You are incredible!

Speaking of monies raised Nancy McGee out doesherself each year with shirt and pin sales, and Laz andAileen have better and better vendors each year. Theefforts of these three ladies basically paid for the beau-tiful sod we had this year and MANY other things.PCA as we know it wouldn't be possible without yourhard work! Thank you!

How beautiful the rings were this year. Missy yourimagination and creativity coupled with Steve's inter-pretation were perfect. I know that you have diamondsin your mind already for next years' 75th anniversaryshow. I love working with right-brained people! Thankyou for your ideas, creativity, innovation and inven-tion!

Dr. Knight took over judge's and foreign visitors'hospitality this year. Mike, it has never been better!

The Kingsley's and Lucille Perzan – what would weever do without you. All that silver polishing andbook sales make our show glitter in sales and tro-phies. Thank you for your hard work!

Thanks again to all.

Richard LehmanAsst. National Show Chairman

Ladies and Gentleman, The PCA Clinics were a roaring success. Optigen had 61 blood draws and Neonatal En-cephalopathy had 31 draws. There were no more swabs left forAKC,DNA,CHIC Repository and UC DavisAddison/Epilepsy research. Discounts were offeredfor OFA, forms were given, with a sticker,providinga 50% reduction for being connected with PCA. Furthermore, there was a discount given for VonWillebrands testing, again, associated with PCA. Whew................ My committee, Angela Reigert (a saint) GayleRoberson and Fran Rubinich, have my deepest ap-preciation for all their hard work. I missed you all desperately. However, there isalways 07.

Barbara Green (Delegate), last time I can use thatrefrain.

MOVING?MOVING?MOVING?MOVING?MOVING?Please if you have moved please email meyour new address so I can update it to keepyou getting the Poodle Papers. I only getone update a year otherwise so yourissues of the Poodle Papers will drop if Idon’t have an up to date address on you.Email [email protected]


PCA 2005

>

0


Page 21


Page 22DIFFERENCES IN THE VARIETIES

My experience in training all three varieties of poodleshas brought the observation that each variety is unique,and each variety has common traits, problems, and ad-vantages that are specific to that variety. These com-mon traits that might be of interest to a trainer who istrying to decide which variety to select, or one who istrying to make the most of the poodle he already has.

There is going to be a range of personalities in everyvariety, and often in every litter if the litter is largeenough. Examples of these spectrums are what one ofmy friends calls “stupid-friendly” all the way to shy,bold to cowardly, dominant to submissive, bomb-proofto sound-sensitive, and banking-off-the-walls energeticto couch-potato lazy. Levels of pain sensitivity varygreatly in every variety: some dogs require the equiva-lent of a baseball bat to get their attention, and othersrespond to the lightest tug on a leash. All are present inevery variety. It is up to the trainer to find the rightindividual to suit his taste, training methods, and goals.

The traits that I want to cover are not the natural varia-tion of these types of traits, but are traits that are oftenspecific to only one variety. Because this is a big sub-ject, I will only tackle one variety at a time, startingwith…

TOYS

In my experience, toy poodles are the most difficult totrain and to compete with in the performance sports.Although toys and larger poodles of toy breeding prob-ably are the most popular of the varieties in the house-holds of America, they are seen the least in the perfor-mance sports. Trainers that choose to work with toyshave a level of determination and persistence that iscommon only to them! This is not because toys aredumb. Most are very clever. But toys tend to use theirintelligence to satisfy their own ambitions, not neces-sarily those of their trainers.

Toys are the most persistent of the three varieties asrespects working to get their own way. The toy poodlesI have owned could figure out how to get every morselof food present in any house—unzipping training bags,rifling purses, burrowing under crate mats, and open-ing cabinets and food-bin doors. No amount of correc-tion could dissuade one for long from his mission. (Thistrait also made my toy poodles the best trackers of any

of the varieties I have worked with—a half-mile ofrough terrain was no deterrent for the possibility of atreat.) Getting the toy poodle to be quiet when con-fined, or when told to, is not a job for the faint-hearted.It requires enormous determination and persistence.Therefore, arranging circumstances to avoid the startof problem behavior is always more successful thantrying to correct it once it starts.

Put the toys’ amazing ability to focus on what is im-portant to them, together with the difficulties inherentin training any tiny dog, and the toy trainer has his workcut out for him. I believe toys are physically the tough-est of the varieties. The level of correction needed tocause a toy to change his mind about something hewants to do is enormous. Many people believe toysare sensitive because they start screaming at the topsof their tiny lungs if their ear is tugged or the leashpopped. But it has been my experience that this is alearned behavior, not a measure of their discomfort.Most people quit correcting as soon as the dog squeals,so the smart little toy will start shrieking if he thinksthe trainer is ABOUT to correct him, then go right ondoing whatever he wanted to do, whether sniffing theground or refusing to obey a command when he hadsomething he would rather do. So, a set of ear plugsmight take up a corner of the toy trainer’s bag. A changein behavior should be the sign that the level of correc-tion was adequate--not the number of decibels created.Poodles, by and large, are a vocal breed, but I believetoys are the worst, or at least the hardest to discouragefrom it.

Because the trachea is so delicate in a toy poodle, andcollapsed trachea is a common problem in many toybreeds, care must be taken not to put collar pressure onthe windpipe that results in wheezing and gulping be-haviors. If traditional choke collars or even bucklecollars are used, the untrained energetic and determinedtoy may keep lunging into the collar, then start gag-ging. Because the dogs are so light, they go sailing ifthe trainer tries to jerk the leash hard enough to get aresponse. Because of these problems, I have success-fully used micro-pinch collars when training toys, evenwhen training them for conformation. I use a sleeve ofa nylon material to slide over the collar to keep it fromtangling in the hair. The toys will quickly learn to re-spect this collar, and will yield to the lightest pull onthe lead, avoiding the mechanical compression of thetrachea. These collars are also great hair-savers. Ob-

cont. on page 23


Page 23

viously, pinch collars cannot be used in competition,but I have never needed one beyond the very basic levelof training when teaching the dog to respect the lead,quit sniffing the floor, and pay attention. One oftensees toys (and other varieties) gaiting in the breed ringleaning on the collars, then gulping air and wheezing.I use a micro-pinch to quickly teach the dog not to dothis.

Toys are close to the ground. Therefore sniffing andgetting distracted by smells are big problems for them,and much proofing has to be done to dissuade a toyfrom sniffing the ground or the surface of agility ob-stacles. Other problems in training toys involve thedifficulty of teaching focal points when heeling. Thetoy is looking at legs going back and forth and tryingto figure out what to watch, whereas the larger dogscan watch a point on the upper body that does not keepdisappearing. Many trainers, especially portly ones,may not be able to see the dog at all when it is heelingor fronting in the proper place. Toys notice everythingon the floor, from dots and chalk marks that the judgesuse in obedience, to legs of agility jumps that stick out,and weave pole bases that they must jump over. It isoften hard to be competitive in obedience with a toydog, as judges often do not know how to judge heelposition on tiny dogs, and may not take them seriously.

Terrain can be a problem for the toy dogs. Wrinkledmats, tall grass, or uneven dirt are not a distraction forlarger dogs at obedience and agility trials, but can dis-tract and slow down many toys. Some grass at outdoorshows (or PCA) is so tall it makes trotting difficult forthe toy, and every retrieve becomes a “blind retrieve”as the tiny dumbbells disappear into the grass. Onemust teach the toy to keep going out to find gloves,scent articles, dumbbells, and go-out targets, eventhough they see nothing from their vantage point. Grasscan often obscure the front edge of the broad jump,and the toy may not know he has arrived until he stepson the first board.

When doing agility, larger dogs readily spot the nextobstacle on the course, and head to it if the trainer hasgiven good directional information. The toy must betaught to move ahead with purpose “on faith,” as hisnatural field of vision ahead may only be 8 to 10 feet,not the 15 feet or more that is usually between agilityobstacles. The toy often sees only the handler’s feet,

and may not get information from arm and body move-ments that are out of his field of vision.

The toy trainer must remember that toy poodles looklike fluffy toys or vermin to larger dogs. One mustkeep constant vigil at trials and training classes to besure his toy does not get jumped by a bigger dog. Itmight be necessary to pull a toy poodle from a staygroup if a large dog nearby appears too stimulated byits presence.

Many people say that toys are more distractible thanthe other sizes of poodles, but I have found that toysare only distractible when doing something the trainerwants. They have perfect attention and focus whenperforming tasks of their own choosing, such as per-suading their owner to let them out of a crate, beggingor waiting for a crumb to drop when someone is eat-ing, removing the squeaker from a toy, or trying to geta choice chew bone from another dog. The successfultoy trainer is the one who figures out how to make hisgoal the dog’s goal. Toy poodles often lack what iscalled a “desire to please” (working for the trainer’sapproval) and a “work ethic” (work for the pleasure ofit). They do have an amazing desire to please them-selves. They need a reason to work. They might workto avoid a correction, or they might work to get a re-ward, but they usually don’t work for the sheer joy of it(a trait one often associates with border collies), or justto win the trainer’s approval (seen more often in min-iatures and standards). This is not to say that they willnot look happy and spirited when working, but to doso, they need a reason that is clear and present to them,and they need strong leadership from their trainers.

I have talked about the problems associated with train-ing toys, but have not touched on the advantages andpleasures. Absolutely nothing has more crowd appealin a performance venue than a happily working toypoodle. The toy poodles that I have shown each drewtheir own fan base, who oohed, aahed, laughed, andclapped when they performed. Obedience judges of-ten got so enraptured watching the cute antics that theyforgot to call their commands. It is impossible to showone without smiling. No matter how naughty they mightbe, they ARE adorable. When I turned over my scentarticles, that looked like tinker toys, to the ring stew-ards, they would start carrying on like people at a babyshower.

cont. from page 22

cont. on page 24


Page 24

Toys’ crates and training gear weigh little and take uplittle space. Agility and obedience obstacles can beminiaturized to fit small training areas. Toy poodleseasily fit under the airline seat. If competing in agility,the 8-inch class is generally the least populated, andthus it is easier to win placements than in other sizeclasses. (However, prepare yourself to get up early orstay late. 8-inchers will likely be first or last at eachagility trial!) Toys are often very resilient, and forgiv-ing of handlers’ mistakes. Crowding while heeling isnever a problem with toys. They learn early in life toget out of the way of moving feet.

Toys often make wonderful trackers, and they certainlyturn heads when they appear at the tests alongside thebig macho dogs, especially attracting attention whentheir talent becomes apparent.

I have found training toys to be rewarding and fun. Theprotective way that one feels about them due to theirdiminutive size stirs parental instincts and intensifiesthe dog/owner bond. And, darn it, they’re cute!!!

Joann Neal

CORRECTION: HUNTING POODLETURNS SNICKERS INTO ADMIRATIONWhile I was delighted with the article about GoBang published in Poodle Papers Spring 2006 therewas an error I would like to correct. In the news-paper article dated January 7, 2006 the writer mis-understood what I said. I told the reporter that wewould like to continue the tradition of MasterHunter with Bang, now that Pie and Nambe(Bang’s father and grandfather) were retired. Whatthe reporter said was now that “Eileen Jaskowski”was retired. Eileen and her beloved poodles aregoing stronger than ever and she is most certainlyNOT retired. It was just one small line, in an ar-ticle of hundreds of words, but I would not wantanyone to think Eileen won’t be a great supporterof poodles in the field and I’m sure you will seeher and her poodles at hunt tests for many years tocome!

Thank you.Mia DiBenedetto

Whats in a name?How did you come up with your kennel name youuse? That question will be asked to breeders in eachvariety for the Poodle Papers . This issue we haveasked

Toni Sosnoff- AtalantaOur company Atalanta specializes in money manage-ment, and took it's name from the Greek goddess whoran the race for the golden apples. The imagery seemedright for the dogs. A mythological figure floating effi-ciently through space with a dog at the end of the leadsort of fits the picture of running the race for the goldenapples.

Debbie West-WestsongMy kennel name is Westsong. I got my first standardpoodle from my sister and her kennel name wasWindsong, I think from a John Denver song. When Ibred her I wanted my own name so I came up withWestwyn. Obviously the West part came from my lastname and the wyn part was a play on the word win,and it sounded good. As time went on though my sis-ter Donna and I coowned each poodle so it made littlesense to have two kennel name so we put our headsand kennel name together and came up with.....Westsong, a merging of sorts. Now my sister hasGerman Shephards and I carry on with the poodles, abetter choice I think.

Mildred Bartlett-MaestosoFrom the time I was very young I loved horses

as well as dogs. I was lucky enough to have a ridinginstructer from the Spanish Riding School of ViennaAustria, where the horses they breed and use are thegreat white Lipizzans. To a kid of my age,the historyof the breed and the story of the hardships the Schoolendured during World War II was very impressive. SinceI had great admiration for the ethics of their breedingprogram, as well as the beauty of the horses, I thoughtI'd like to use the name of one of their foundation siresas a constant reminder to always do my best for myanimals and my breed.

After some dialog with both my teacher, ErvinLustig and the head of the Spanish Riding School, AloisPodhajsky, I chose Maestoso since they both felt it wasthe branch of the "family" they liked the best.

This year I turned 70 and I still feel the sameway. The name Maestoso continues to remind me to"keep the faith" with my original desire to do my best.Guess I'm still a kid in that respect.

cont. from page 23


Page 25

THE POODLE CLUB OFAMERICA FOUNDATION

People make good things happen and during the2006 Poodle Club of America National Specialtya lot of good things happened so The Poodle Clubof America Foundation has a lot of people to thank.I know I'm going to miss people, but my apologiesin advance to those I omit.

Lynn Brucker gets special mention for her multi-year effort to maintain a Standard Poodle database.Lynn has annually created databases that she do-nates to the Foundation and the Foundation sellsto interested breeders. Lynn and Kathryn Foranvolunteer throughout PCA to explain and sell thedatabases. Lynn has made an extremely impor-tant contribution to Poodles with her databaseproject.

This year the performance events offered a raffleto support the Foundation. Judy Leister and Char-lotte Mitchell along with a great committee put ona fun event in which everyone could participate.Thanks to everyone who thought of the Founda-tion and donated to the raffle. Judy also continuedher Dudley haircut event that benefits the Founda-tion.

The silent auction during the conformation eventwas organized by Doug Chezem, Sam Crosley andConnie Green. Jan Hopper regularly helps staffthe silent auction table. Thanks also to the manypeople who donate items to the silent auction.

Every year, Mary Yeakey organizes theFoundation's educational seminar on Mondayevening of PCA week. This year Dr. ThomasGraves of the University of Illinois VeterinaryCollege updated breeders on the most current in-formation on diseases and genetic defects that af-flict Poodles. Special recognition goes to K9TVand Mr. John Thornton for their efforts in tapingthe Foundation programs and making them avail-able to the Foundation.

Allen and Janet Kingsley manage and distributethe videotapes of the Foundation programs. Theirhelp in this educational extension project is appre-ciated.

Barbara Green organized a great committee con-sisting of Angela Reigert, Gayle Roberson and FranRubinich to conduct the very successful blood drawclinic. Also, a special thanks to everyone who par-ticipated in any of the clinics offered during PCA.

Other people who deserve special mention includePat Forsyth who has helped write a number of im-portant articles that advance the work of the Foun-dation. Helen Sokopp, who helps in so many ways,this year learned the art of digital photography inorder to help in the preparation of new brochures.Mary Lebet and Sandy Marshall offered space inthis year's advertising mailing for a fund raisingrequest by the Foundation. Glenna Carlson, PCAShow Chair and Richard Lehman, Assistant ShowChair were very accommodating when it came toscheduling and executing PCAF events during thebusy PCA schedule.

The officers and directors of PCAF come early andstay late to accomplish the work of the Founda-tion. Their time, talent, and advice is greatly ap-preciated. This year the Foundation's board au-thorized donations to the University of Wisconsinto help fund a 7 year study on rabies vaccine. Theyalso authorized additional donations to the Uni-versity of California Davis to continue their workon Addison's disease and epilepsy.

Of course, everyone who contributes to the Foun-dation makes an important commitment to help-ing improve the health of Poodles. Thanks to eachof you. Also, a special thanks to all of the scien-tists and health professionals who work on the re-search projects the Foundation funds.

Michael Wahlig


Page 26

Obedience and Rally report:

This year marked a banner obedience and rally entrywith a total of 244. The best part about it is that wewere able to have 4 obedience and one rally ring goingat the same time so we finished with all judging before5:00pm. We added several non regular classes this year,including grad open, veterans, and versitility whichwere well received. And once again, the Team compe-tition had us in stitches, with one of the teams dressingup to look just like their dogs. Although they didn'twin the competition, they certainly took first place forcreativity, and they definitely had the most fun!

Bill Huffman, Marie Huffman, Ken Nagler, and EvelynVanuden were our obedience judges this year. Theyand our most able stewards kept the trial moving smoothand calmly. Thanks to all of them!!!!!!!! Our Rallyjudge, Marilou McCloskey, had the largest entry, butstill was able to finish in a timely manner. She handedout 3 perfect scores of 100 from the Advanced B classand 2 from the Novice B class making it the most 100'sshe had ever given at one trial. Actually she said shehad never given out more than one 100 at any giventrial she had judged in the past. She said the quality ofthe dogs was exceptional and this was her very bestjudging assignment ever.

Ann Mandelbaum handled the duties of the chief ringsteward like the pro that she is. Many of the stewardsthis year were also competing so she had alot of jug-gling to do. But due to her expertise, every ring had afull panel of stewards at all times. She also took thereservations for the obedience dinner and organized thatfor us.

Once again our judges and stewards were in good handswith Holly Schroth, our hospitality chairman. She pro-vided drinks and goodies whenever needed to keepeveryone happy.

The performance raffle was in full swing during theobedience and rally trial with lots of goodies to win.All of the proceeds go to the PCA Foundation so it isfor a great cause. Thank you to everyone who workedit and bought tickets for it.

The judges had beautiful flowers and gift baskets intheir rooms to greet them when they arrived and I se-lected a personalized all weather clip board for each of

them as their judge's gifts. As many shows are out-doors, these special clip boards will keep their paper-work dry in the future.

The food was exceptionally good this year at our pastadinner at the end of the day. And the best part about itwas that we were eating by 5:00pm. Anyone that didn'tget to taste that chocolate mousse really missed out!

The biggest thanks goes to Glenna Carlson, the Na-tional Show Chairman, for listening to me all year long,taking my suggestions and making them a reality. Eachyear our Trial improves and that couldn't happen if itwasn't for Glenna's understanding and willingness tomake it work. Thank you Glenna!!!!!!!

The High in Trial winner was:

#17 OTCH Ridgewood Quintessence UDX, owned byTatiana M. Negro, with a score of 198++ from the OpenB class and winner of the 3 way run off for HIT. Tatianaretired the Helene Whitehouse Walker Memorial Tro-phy, established in 1972, by winning High in Trial forthe third time. She has graciously offered to donate thenext challenge trophy for us.

The High Combined winner was:

#17 OTCH Ridgewood Quintessence UDX, owned byTatiana M. Negro, with a combined score of 396.

The second highest scoring winner was:

#112 Sanew's Abundance of Energy MX MXJ CD,owned by Shirley Barkan, with a score of 198+ fromthe Novice B class. She was the second place winnerof the 3 way run off for HIT.

The highest scoring AKC breed champion was:

#78 CH Jax Minister of Magic CD, owned by AnnHelm, with a score of 196.5 from the Novice B class.

There was no High Combined winner without an OTCHthis year.

Thank you everyone, for making this another success-ful year! And now it's onto 2007!!!!!!!!!!!

Susie Osburn


Page 27

poodle papers summer 2006 part 2

Documents