Useful Retrieves

Last fall I posted a video about Quincy retrieving his food bowl.  Well I've finally gotten around to getting a video of both Sophie and Quincy doing this.  Having a dog that can retrieve is fun for both you and your dog.   Enjoy.

Coco is a New Champion!

On Friday we headed out to Fergus, Ontario to the Guelph and District Kennel Club All breed Dog shows.  The weekend started off very well with Coco going Winners Bitch and Best of Winners for a 2 point major.   With her sitting on 9 points I was really hoping we would also do well on the Saturday or Sunday. 

Well, it is with great joy that I can announce that today Coco finished her championship under Australian FCI judge, Mr. T. Horchner.  It was a fairly large entry of Barbet with 8 in the classes and 1 special.  Coco showed very nicely for me and she collected a 3 point major for going BOW/ BOS. 

Thank you to Pam Headon for allowing CH Bayport Coco Chanel to come and live with me.  She is a super sweet girl and it has been great fun showing her to her Championship. 

Sophie is a United Companion Dog

This weekend Sophie and I participated in the UKC obedience trials put on by the Maple Leaf Kennel Club in Georgetown, Ontario.  We had a wonderful time and came away with a shiny new title.  It was the first time I had ever tried UKC obedience and not all of the exercises are the same as the CKC novice exercises.  For instance she had to do her recall over a high jump and there is an honor during which she had to do a long down in the ring at the same time as the working dog performed his heel on leash and figure eight exercises.  If you’re interested in reading more about the exercises at each class level the complete Obedience Rulebook can be found online here

Pending UKC confirmation Sophie can now add the letters UCD (for United Companion Dog) before her name.  In order to receive this title the dog has to earn three qualifying scores at three different UKC licenced trials.  Thank you to our judges Isobel Hutton and Laurie Soutar!  It was a great time and a wonderful opportunity to show off the breed’s versatility!

For more information about the United Kennel Club have a look around their website at www.ukcdogs.com

Sophie and I with Judge Laurie Soutar after earning our final qualifying leg.

19th Annual All About Pets Show

Over the Easter weekend there is a large event that takes place at the International Center in Toronto, Ontario. The All About Pets Show  has been running for 19 years.  It is considered to be Canada’s largest premier pet showcase.  It has many vendors of pet products who participate yearly, breeders and breed clubs, kennel clubs and recue organizations are also present.  There are birds, cats, reptiles and other pets available on display for the public to meet and greet.  So many people pass through their doors that their website claims that “over the last 18 years, the attendance has averaged 27,500 visitors.”  Wow!

Club Barbet Canada was there to promote the breed and to allow the public an opportunity to meet our dogs and learn more about the Barbet.  Most people had never heard of the breed before.  I was there with one of my dogs each day of the show along with fellow Club members!  We all had a wonderful time.  Our dogs did a great job representing the breed and we were all very pleased with how many people enjoyed petting the dogs and chatting with us about what the Barbet is all about.  You can read more about our National Club’s participation in the event here .

Here is a photo of Coco and I from the weekend!

Woods Walk

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous lately and today the whole family went for a woods walk to one of our favourite parks.  I have not been very good at remembering that I've got a camera on my phone but today I remembered and snaped a few shots.  Enjoy the photos.

                                         And here is a short video of Sophie from our walk....

The Purina National

Janet Black Evans (Treebeard Barbets), Myself and Coco

We are back into our regular routine after a long weekend spent exhibiting at the Canadian Kennel Club’s Purina National.  This is Canada’s largest dog show and draws a large entry with exhibitors competing for Best in Show and a prize of $10,000.00!  This CKC charity event is always well attended and our National breed club, Club Barbet Canada sponsored a booster on the Saturday and had a booth in the Breeder’s Village.  It’s a great opportunity for the public to meet and greet the dogs and for our Club to share information about the Barbet.  

The day of our booster, Saturday saw the largest entry to date of Barbets for a dog show in Ontario at 15 Barbets!   Coco took Winner’s Female and it was a thrill to be able to strut our stuff in the ring with all the specials!  It was such an incredible feeling to see so many of our beloved breed gathered together.  You can read more about the weekend on our Club website at www.barbetclub.ca  

Coco did well on Sunday and was awarded Best of Winners under Japanese judge Mrs. Sumiko Ikeda for a 3 point major so that was very nice!

Michel Raymond (Barbu Gaulois) and Chocovan - photo VINCE TALOTTA/TORONTO STAR

Another highlight of the weekend was that Michel Raymond and his Barbet Chocovan were featured in the Toronto Star Toronto Star on Sunday March 11^th which also gave our breed some good publicity.  All in all it was an awsome weekend and we are all looking forward to our next big gathering in August for the National Specialty.

Top 10 Reasons Not to Get a Barbet

When I'm out with my dogs I encounter a lot of curiosity about the breed and I try my best to answer questions in a straightforward and matter of fact way.  Lately it seems I've been getting a lot of the same questions such as; what is a Barbet like to live with?  What's the grooming like? It seems that most people underestimate the potential mess and grooming that living with a Barbet entails (especially people that haven't owned a dog before).  I decided to write it all down and in the process came up with my  Top 10 Reasons Not to Get a Barbet  So if you're thinking that you might like to live with a Barbet I invite you to read my top 10 list and if you still think they sound like a good match for you...wonderful.  It's better to make a decision with as much information as possible than to find out that you've made a poor choice ...after you've brought your new puppy home.