Today I took Taffy bite training with the helper Jakub Berdych for the first time, in the enjoyable company of Hanka Toušková and her Alger. Taffy and I have eventually completed just one round; the training field was quite crowded. Before it was our turn I got real cold and I guess the exercise with Taffy saved me from freezing to death ;-) Taffy tried real hard, although it’s still more of a playing than training though it looks good. Many thanks to Hanka for a great afternoon, all her advice, it was nice talking to her and the walk with our doggies was very pleasant.
Today I took our four-month-old Ginger with us to the regular training. Vlasta Kniha, our trainer, thought it would be a good idea for her to participate too, and I have to admit it was excellent, both girls had a great time and I also enjoyed it; protection training is pretty exciting compared to tracking :-) But I have to say Taffy has accomplished her very first nice track, we probably know now what does the trick with her ;-)
Taffy and I took part at the International Dog Show in Prague Letňany. Taffy competed in the junior class, but I reckon she did very well although she was awarded “just” V2. She was beaten by Bonny Rotgill, a female who had got beaten by us two weeks ago in Česke Budějovice. I have to say that there was the same judge :-) Well, we congratulate Bonny and what else can you say – luck is a fickle friend, sometimes you’re the lucky one, sometimes it’s somebody else. But Taffy made me happy; I don’t think we could have done any better. So, next time, we’ll try real hard! :-)
During the International dog show in České Budějovice Taffy was awarded with the V1, CAJC in YOUNG category! Jipiiiiiii! She was judged by Mr Antonin Tománek.
On Sunday in Brno Exhibition place she was not very sucessful. Taffy was not in the mood to perfom very well; because of that (and also because of bad carry on of her tail) she received a mark only V1, without CAJC. She was judged by Mr Otakar Vondrouš.
Today we had a beautiful journey to our Austrian neighbors in Siegendorf. On our way home we were accompanied by our second female Rottweiler dog, a girl, Candy Ginger vom Lippizzaner Wappen. I hope she will be healthy, beautiful and that we will all be happy together!
The regional show “Rybniky”, our second dog show, is not the most famous or prestigious but it provided us an opportunity to gain useful experience and for this reason the experience was a positive one.
Approximately 1 month ago I began to notice that Taffy was carrying her tail bent towards the backbone line, a common characteristic in the Rottweiler breed which, regrettably, can be also a disqualifying defect at a number of dog show competitions. In the junior competition there was an additional female Rottweiler; although Taffy received excellent overall reviews and marks, she was still classified 2nd due to the previously mentioned tail defect. In the end, she received the designation of “promising.”
I have my own opinions about this of course! It was only a couple of years ago that the tails of Rottweiler’s were cut off and now all of a sudden this tail carrying characteristic is all anyone cares to discuss in regards to the Rottweiler’s performances at these shows, particularly in the junior competitions. In Austria and Germany judges do not even take into account the manner in which the dogs carry their tails, so the question then becomes, why do they do it in the Czech Republic? When I questioned the judge at the competition as to how I could help Taffy improve in order to carry her tail in the correct way, he said that I should consult a professional dog trainer! How should I have responded to this? This man was a professional Dog Show Competition judge, why could he not give some simple professional advice to a dog owner who was, and is, simply eager to help her dog improve?
Today was Taffy’s 1st official dog show, the international dog show “Inter-dog Bohemia” in Mlada Boleslav. She is 7 months and 1 week old now and she was moved up to the Young Class, which is a level below the seniors. The judging is a little more lenient in this class of the competition as the dogs are still very young. These competitions are wonderful for dogs of this age because they are allowed to gain experience with the dog show environment, what to expect, etc. without all of the pressure of having to obtain perfect marks. Furthermore, once the dogs have done this a few times, they will not be made nervous by the “real” thing.
Taffy obtained the distinction of “Very Promising” during this competition. You can read more about this in the section entitled Honey Taffy Rotti Kingdom in addition to more of my point of view in the blog section of this site.
On Saturday, March 15th, we went on a journey to Slovenia Zuzemberk where the breeding station of the marridge couple Rojs, Rotti Kingdom is based. On Sunday, March 16th, we returned very excitedly with the newest beautiful addition to our family, our adorable and sweet little Honey Taffy Rotti Kingdom!