Earthdogging - fun for the whole family

[bradl]

Dragged myself into work this morning after an exhausting but fun weekend earthdogging at Belden Farm in rural Turner Oregon. The dahlia farm across the street was ablaze with beautiful dahlias, the corn was fresh and sweet from the field, and company as always was delightful - folks getting 'down and dirty' with their terriers and Dachshunds. Cairns were VERY well represented. I won't report on the other Cairns' doings - they should join CTF and do that themselves! So this is my report for the Robinsend pack...

Barley - Barley will be 12 in November. She's already has her Master Earthdog title. We haven't been running her in Master in recent years but Peggy decided to enter her just for fun on Sunday's master test. Barley was braced with a Westie named QT and they both qualified. Watching Barley race around in the field was pure joy. I lurked in the woods to watch them work the den area and the Dachshund person I was standing next to simply could not believe that sporty little dog was nearly twelve.

Haggis - Haggis just turned 11. He's also a Master Earthdog. Dogs with master titles can enter any test they like, so we entered Haggis in Junior on Saturday just so he could have a bit of fun. We've been concentrating so much on Echo and Stella in recent times that we haven't really been running the older dogs. Haggis qualified easily. He was so excited to be in the tunnel that once he reached the rats he paused for just a moment, let loose a warbling arrRRooOOOooOOO and then commenced his usual loud, metronomic barking.

Echo - Echo (Haggis' daughter) is five and as I bragged up-forum, recently earned her Master title. Just to be a glutton for punishment, Peggy entered Echo in the Senior class - Echo did not qualify - instead of entering the tunnel and working the rats, she chose instead to spend her 90 second allotment munching on grass! These terriers will keep you guessing - it's a good reminder that these tests are not just "gimme's" - sometimes you pass, sometimes you don't.

Stella - at only 29 months, Stella (Echo's daughter) went into the weekend needing just one more qualifying leg to earn her Master title. On Saturday she was braced with our Border Terrier pal Migo. Stella is the most charming and happy hunting companion you could ask for and the 'hunt-up' portion of the test is probably my favorite part. Once in the den situation, Migo never made it all the way through the tunnel so did not qualify. Stella reached the rats in short order and worked like a banshee. She qualified and earned her Master title!

On Saturday, we ran Master again under a different judge. This time she was braced with another Cairn, Ceilidh. Again her bracemate did not qualify, but Stella did. Our club - like many earthdog clubs do these days - offers an extra, unofficial program for the master dogs. We call it Irondog and if a dog qualifies in BOTH Master AND Senior on the same day, they earn a small prize to commemorate the performance. Since Stella was a brand-new Master dog, we went ahead and entered her in Senior for the afternoon. After noodling around above ground for a while, she entered the earth and worked like a champ. Now the scary part - the rats are removed from the quarry end of the tunnel and the handler has 90 seconds to get their dog out of the den and into their arms. I called and called - Stella peeked out from the far end of the tunnel at me but then disappeared back underground. I called and called. She appeared at the entrance and as I reached in for her, I dislodged a big rock into the entrance almost on top of her! She retreated back into the tunnel. I removed the rock and called and called. She finally popped out and ran Cracker Dog around and round above the den, just out of my reach. Finally I knelt in the grass, outstretched my arms and called to her. She raced by me and I was able to scoop the little rascal up. I had ten seconds to spare. The judge said, "I'm writing on my scoresheet 'very happy worker.' With that, Stella qualified in Senior and earned her Irondog for the day.

All in all, a fun weekend and certainly a successfuly one for us! Next stop for Stella: the obedience ring.

Sorry for the long posting. Proud 'papa' just had to brag

[goforette]

Congrats on a very successful weekend But I wouldn't expect anything less from your dedicated and very talented group I loved reading about Echo, as I very much imagine that would be Hollie at such an event while Brystal took it all the way home with the same determined state she exhibits around our backyard. It's wonderful to hear about their many achievements!

[magadog]

Whoohoo!!!!!

Yea, (Frances/Stella)!

How can she go wrong-- she's got it all.

And of course there's the fail/safe pedigree. Super-earthdog prodigies Ch. Joywood's Thrill of the Chase, CD ME and Ch. Joywood's Geordie for MagaDog, CD, ME, CGC are the grandsires on each side.

Grandpa Geordie did a fun run of SE and the old lech still has it.

Grandpa Haggis ran the JE test again for an appeteaser-- he can't NOT pass that. . .

But Stella is the first "Fe"k-9 in the family.

Cairnzilla struck Big Time!

Brava, S. Frances!

Jill

My Blog

Post Script!!!!!

Oh, and then there is Caper, loser of nine pounds but winner of a bandanna and his first title-- a JE.

He is a Geordie son and a "Hagfish" nephew. . .

My Dog-Blog\

Bravo, Caper (aka Joywood Geordie's Caper, JE

Jill, Mag, Geord

All in the family!

[magadog]

Family Tree Members with (auxilliary) legs or new titles:

You must excuse the name inaccuracies because this is a detour from an essay I have that is due in about-- now--

Ch. KinLoch's Marywood, RE (I think) SE (two ME legs)

Robinsend Bit of a Thrill, SE (ME leg or two)

AmCan CH. KinLoch's Royal Troon, ME (JE fun-run Q)

CH. Joywood's Thrill of the Chase, CD, ME (JE fun-run)

Joywood Geordie's Caper (new JE!)

Robinsend Still Echoing (ME title and Iron Dog-- ME and SE on the same day)

Ch. Joywood's Geordie for MagaDog, CD, ME, CGC (SE fun-run Q)

Ch. Quail Creek Oregon Native, ME-- (double iron dog)

Ch. Quail Creek -- what's Rosie's name?-- (ME leg!)

Ch. Cairngorm's Kona (forgot reg name, sorry-- JE leg!)

Scotch Broom O'Rourke (JE leg-- I believe--)

AmCan CH. Seajay's Tigger, Too-- Intro Q!)

I have to get a list of a few others-- not direct relatives-- I know I have left some out.

But CH. Brumar's You're Gonna Rock My World, SE got her first ME leg. . .

and CH. Seajay Raisin the Roof (or is it Ruckus?), SE earned an SE leg.

Feel free to add and correct my errors of omission. . .Meanwhile, off to the "quarry."

Again. . .I really want to reach the "magic" 100 posts, Bradlee.

Say hi to "Mr. Stud" from his jealous brother.

Jill

My Terrier Blog

I will do an entry there, too--

CAIRNZILLA rocks and so do the others. . .

[bradl]

Here's the little varmint receiving her ribbon and new-title bandana.

For some reason she always pulls her ears down her head when she's getting a lot of attention.

[Flyboy]

I've always wondered what the Earthdogging was and after reading it I think we have a champion, lol.

He needs no encourgment to follow a scent, he follows rabit, squirrel and deer scents like a blood hound. (we take 2 to 3 mile walks in the woods every day.) And borrows? WOO HOOO!! He loves em!

Hollow trees, holes in the ground - I've had to pull him out of them!

I guess I need to look into this. We have no papers on Chewbacca because he was a rescue dog but looking at online pictures he seems to be Very, if not pure bred, Norfolk. Can we compete without the papers?

[bradl]

Flyboy, the ILP (Indefinite Listing Privilege) was made for this situation. From the AKC site:

If you have a purebred dog that cannot be registered with the AKC and have a desire to see what your dog can do in real competition, an ILP number is your ticket to the world of AKC events and clubs!

I find earthdog tests to be the most thoroughly enjoyable AKC event. Everyone roots for every dog; the dogs themselves are in heaven, the food is good and who doesn't enjoy standing around in fields and dirt with their dog?

[Flyboy]

Thanks! I'll do some research and see what's in our area and what training needs to be done if any.

[goforette]

Brad your little pumpkin is so sweet! I imagined her being bigger - she's so precious and tiny and obviously a talented little one I'd love to get Brystal into earthdogging - right now she practices her famous dig in Chris' armpit - digging to China in the kitchen fast and furious with such speed she'd be our talent in the family. Hollie I love to pieces although she'd probably stop just short of the goal ... HA! Gosh I can't get over how cute she is and I love the ears down- so humble about her success

[bubba]

Brad,

Do the people where this was held breed cairns?? Cooper is from Turner, Oregon (which is why I wanted to name him Turner) and the people who bred him lived out in an old Victorian farmhouse in the middle of farm country. I just can't remember the breeders name....I know she showed her dogs and had just started breeding and he came from one of her very first, if not the first litter. The vet and also our dog trainer thought he should have been a show dog, but we were interested in only a pet, not everything showing entailed, plus of course, we had him neutered.

If it is the same, what a small world!

pat.

[bradl]

The Belden's breed mini-dachshunds. I'm drawing a blank on any Cairn breeders in Turner. (PM me if you want to shoot me the name.) If you talk to them, urge them to get involved in the Cairn community or at least get their dogs on over to the Belden's and into the dirt Next OTEEC test at Belden's will be Mother's Day weekend. Greater Portland Dachshund Club is planning a test in February sometime. Brrrrrrr!

[bubba]

That's my problem.....I have been unable to find his paperwork (you know, I put it in a 'safe place' so it wouldn't get lost!) and I can't remember their name! Thanks though, if I do find it, I'll zap you their name. I'm sure anyone in that area would know them.....they had about 12 kids, most of whom are adopted.

pat.

[Flyboy]

Ok, that does it!! I've been wanting to do this and done some research but this is getting insane!!

Walking chewie in the woods lately he has started "tracking" more and more. Last night he got a scent so strong he went down on his belly sniffing the ground and crawled that way as far as I would let him towards some brush following a scent. I really need some books or something on what to do to train him. Does anyoone have any suggestions? I don't think he needs training to track, but to control him off leash. (or should I jsut get a long one?)

We had a hunter friend over one evening and I spoke to him about it. He had watched chewie in the woods on leash behind our house and simply said -" you let him off leash, you'll never see him again, all he wants to do is hunt!"

[tena]

Congrats to bradl and crew. It always sounds like so much fun...I wish we had earthdog here.

[Kathryn]

Yes, congrats to Brad and his pups for a great showing.

Earthdog competitions sound like SO much fun. I'm hoping when we get a second cairn we can try it out here in Minnesota. Allie is afraid of tunnels for some reason, though she is a MIGHTY hunter. The voles are in the backyard right now, and I can't let her out there or she'll root and dig her way to bedrock.