Performance IntervieWs ~ A Celebration of performance accomplishments
An interview with Shelties Online
1. How did you get started in performance events?
Penny Larson: I got started watching my sister and her collies at obedience trials back in the '60s, then tracking tests and finally agility trials. When I got my first sheltie in 1990 I decided I wanted to try it, and we got a CDX and an NAJ. Ryan was my next dog and then Nick.
Kara A. Kolster, DVM DACT: I read training books and taught the cat "stupid pet tricks" long before I even had a dog. My first Sheltie went through pet obedience classes. When I got my second Sheltie, Mary Galloway (RyLadd Shelties) referred us to Linda Lundgren (Skoof Shelties) for puppy class. Most of the other people in class also had adult dogs who were competing in agility or obedience. I went to an agility trial to see my new friends compete and was hooked. I was lucky to start with a good dog who wanted to work, plentiful training resources, and to have a mentor in Mary, who was active in performance and conformation. That dog went from Novice A to MACH, with some obedience titles along the way. My current dog, Kelleigh, whose willingness to try anything led me to explore other venues.
Barbara Moeller: I bought Sampson IV, MX, MXJ, from a local pet store. He was so smart and so sociable, I had to find some events to participate in with him. So we took basic training classes and then I discovered agility there at the center. But Sammy was so bored with the trainer that I went to an agility trial hoping to find a better place to train and I did. So we moved to training with Eurodog and have been there ever since.
Jennifer Brautigam: I went to a local all-breed show and watched the obedience classes. I started
working with my 3-year-old sheltie, Banjo, on the novice obedience excercises. We went to a couple of matches and did okay, so, we moved on to obedience trials. Banjo completed his CD in three shows with his lowest score a 195. I was hooked.
Rachael Toren: Our first dog was a rescue puppy who needed obedience training, badly. Mom took him to obedience classes and soon realized that obedience was competitive; Then she had to have another obedience dog and I wanted one also. So, I borrowed one on which to put a CD and it spiraled out of control from there. Right now, most trials are a family affair, with both my parents running dogs as well.
Pat Sorrels: I got my first sheltie in 1974, and was planning to go backpacking in the summer of 1975. I thought he ought to have some training before we went. I started taking classes from the Greater Kansas City Dog Training Club, went to a couple of fun matches, and got hooked. Duffy was quite a character and enjoyed entertaining ringside. He developed arthritis before I got to utility with him. That was back when they had to jump one and a half times their shoulder height. I bought a bitch that next fall from Jody Chenoweth, a half sister of Ch. Thunderation, and in her first litter she gave me my first High In Trial dog and the mother of my first breed champion.
Dawn Fleischhacker: When I was young, my dad brought me with him to a local sportsman show and they had an obedience demonstration. I remember watching in awe as the dogs showed us their directed retrieving and scent discrimination skills. Unfortunately, at that time, none of the local clubs would allow children to handle dogs in class so I was on my own. I bought a bunch of books and tried training my cocker spaniel on my own. Unfortunately he left us do to kidney failure early in life. Shortly after, we purchased our first sheltie, Laddie, and by that time I was in my early teens so could bring him to classes. I have been hooked ever since.
Sue Wise: I got started after watching the obedience at the Grand Rapids Kennel Club show in Michigan in 1981. Not knowing much about training dogs or training classes, I bought a book on obedience training and the AKC obedience regulations and started training my Sheltie.
Jillian Ellis: My mom did some research after 12 years of listening to me beg for a dog and settled on a Lab pup. After 6 months of digging, destroying my sister's toys, eating 20 dollar bills, and not being house broken, my mom was ready to throw her out the window. The straw that broke the camel's back, though, was that she got out the door causing us to drive around the neighborhood for two hours looking for her; when we got back she was sitting on our back porch waiting for us. My mom said that was that and she had to go. I begged her to let me just take her to an obedience class at the place around the corner. We were lucky that the obedience school had a trainer, Gayle Persons, who let a 12-year-old handle an out-of-control 6-month-old Lab and also lucky enough that that trainer also had kids in 4-H, locally. After the beginner class she invitied us to come join
4-H. At that point I got involved in obedience and started competing with my Lab. I also got involved in grooming and handling through 4-H and met a wonderful woman, Amanda Inzinna of Canami Shelties, who was a volunteer with the group. She taught grooming and handling, would take me to shows and let me take her shelties into the breed ring. Eventually she became mine and my sister's mentor in shelties.
SHELTIE QUOTE
Prior to marrying me, my husband [Tom] was partial to miniature schnauzers. After living with shelties for more than ten years, he's now a true blue "sheltie man!"
May 5, 2012
Mejimo Shelties of Pennsylvania, is proud to announce a new litter, sired by CH Jesstar Merridon Silver Dust, out of Mejimo Geometric Echoes (a CH Enclave Night Echoes daughter). The breeding produced five puppies, including one blue merle male, four females -- two tricolors, two blue merles, whelped April 27.
May 5, 2012
Rosmoor Shelties of Connecticut, is proud to announce two new litters sired by GCH Rosmoor Mojave.
The first litter, out of CH Rosmoor Revenant (a CH Macdega Atlantis daughter) produced five puppies, including three males -- two tricolors, one blue merle, and two blue merle females, whelped April 29.
The second litter, out of CH Rosmoor Redemption, produced three puppies, including two males -- one tricolor, one blue merle, and one tri female, whelped April 28.
