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Crufts Diary 2015 – Bitch Obedience Championships

By: Susan & Gemma Henshaw

Before today’s competition got underway we were informed that three of the teams would not be competing for varying reasons.

Unfortunately Michelle Newman’s beautiful GSD ‘Kanya Keep Kool’ is still recovering from an operation which she had to have on an injured tail, hopefully they will grace the green carpet here in 2016. Jodi Lunn and her WS ‘Longhalves Fast N Furious’ miss their debut here as the dog’s puppies are due today and Ann Northfield has also withdrawn ‘Iatka Star Performer’.

Getting started at 8.40am the judge and her ring party took up their positions at the side of the ring so that they could wish the teams all the best at the end of the parade, then the music of ‘Here comes the girls’ resounded from the speakers and the parade got underway, already quite a good crowd in the stands and each team got a very enthusiastic greeting, with the contingent from Wales making their presence felt.

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Crufts Diary – 2015 – Inter Regional Competition

By: Susan & Gemma Henshaw

So day one of crufts 2015 and for the obedience folk it’s the Inter Regional competition that gets four days of hopefully great obedience underway in the main ring in Hall 5.

Just before 9am and we had the judging party enter the ring ready for the parade of today’s teams, led in this year by the first team in the running order – the Midlands. People are beginning to take their seats in the stands and they greeted each team with enthusiasm and they certainly made themselves heard, especially the contingent from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

Once the parade had finished there was a short break before the introduction of the judge for today’s competition, Steve Barnes, who started competing in obedience in 1981 and began his judging career in 1985. His ring party were then introduced and they received a big round of applause as they entered the ring.

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Looking forward to the Obedience Championships 2015

By: Gemma Henshaw

With more and more people using the media of Facebook we are getting a great insight into the pre Crufts preparation of many of the teams lucky enough to be gracing the green carpet this year, whether it be the pre show training, new bling dog collars and leads or outfit buying and new hair do’s, it all adds to the building of excitement for Crufts 2015.

So before we all make the journey to Birmingham time to reflect on some of the teams who have made it through to the Obedience Championships.

We have a total of 24 teams qualified through in the Bitch Championship day, a couple more than last year, but a few less in the Dog Championships, 19 this year compared to 23 last year.

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Ticket Shows 2014 – Part 4

By: Susan & Gemma Henshaw

So the heaters are on as are the jumpers and its time to catch up on the qualifiers for the Crufts 2015 Championships

Sunday 24 August and the Wakefield DTC show, popular on the circuit judging by the lovely comments from judging parties and competitors. Large well spaced out rings with a good working surface and a friendly relaxed atmosphere around the ground. In charge of the Bitch ticket ring was Alan Gresty and his winner was Linda Rutherford and ‘Ob Ch Colliewood Confidential’, running at third in the ring and showing style and commitment, finishing their day off with a near perfect scent. Judging the Dog ticket was Andy Firth and his top spot went to Dot Watts and ‘Ziggdan Zyco’, their first ticket win of this year.

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Ticket Shows 2014 – part 3

By: Susan & Gemma Henshaw

Time flies we are already well into September and the nights are certainly drawing in, so time once again to catch up with the results from the Championship classes throughout July and into August.

Saturday 5th July and the first day of a two day show for Chadkirk DTC at Brabyns Park. A lovely venue with ample space around the rings and plenty of room for training and exercising the dogs. The judges’ catering was described by many as ‘sublime’ with compliments especially for the strawberry cream meringues. For the competitors good-sized rings with a level working surface and the committee must have friends in high places, as it was wall-to-wall sunshine for the weekend. Roy Page was in charge of the Bitch Ticket today and awarded his top honour to Lisa Brannan and ‘Moakies Mystical Moment’ who worked with ‘Confidence and commitment’. Judging the Dog Ticket was Marie Cartwright and her first place went to Janet Matthews and ‘Ob Ch Croftmist River of Krismoss’ always a force to be reckoned with at this level.

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Ticket shows 2014 – update

By: Susan & Gemma Henshaw

A sweltering July afternoon and as the dogs are flat out after their morning walk we have the ideal opportunity to sit down with a cuppa and catch up on who’s been winning in the Championship classes.

Saturday 17 May and the Scottish Kennel Club Show on the Royal Highland Showground at Ingleston, Edinburgh. Reading through some of the judge’s reports this is a show that truly knows how to look after its judging parties leaving them wanting for nothing. For the competitors, lovely big level surface rings, good catering and well run stays. Taking top honours under judge Steve Rutter in the Dog Ticket was an extremely delighted Andrea Little with ‘Borderlair Aerodynamic’, a first ticket win for this pair and with work of this quality it certainly shouldn’t be long before other wins at this level follow. Pat Wilson was judging the Bitch Ticket and she awarded her first place to Pat Watson with ‘Ob Ch Forever Magic It’s A Flicker’, who worked a round that was an ‘absolute delight to watch’.

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Solihull Dog Training Club Open Show

By: Susan & Gemma Henshaw

In this day and age where we often read of clubs that have folded or clubs that are no longer running their Obedience show it was so nice to look at the show diary for this year and find that Solihull Dog Training Club were running an open show again after a 15 year break.

So Sunday 29 June saw us setting off up the M40 towards Birmingham to the Woodrush RF ground at Forhill, having left the sat nav at home on the table we used the directions from the schedule, which were straightforward and easy to follow. On arriving at the ground we were informed that the top field, that is used for parking the vehicles in when Hatchford Brook hold their show here, had unfortunately not been mown and parking for today’s show would be either at the top end of the rings on the show field or on the hard standing around the clubhouse.

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Chalfield Show spotlight

By: Susan & Gemma Henshaw

An early morning start for us as we had a two-hour journey up the M1 to Rushcliffe Country Park in Ruddington, Nottingham for the Chalfield DTC 50th Anniversary show. The directions given on the schedule were very straightforward and coming off at junction 24 we were able to find the park with ease. We were met by a gentleman who directed us through the public area into the showground, which had plenty of parking space and enough room around the vehicles for tents etc, without being crammed in.

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Occasional series of articles on show venue’s we have visited

By: Susan & Gemma Henshaw

Friday 30 May and mid morning we load the dogs into the van, hitch up the caravan and set off across the country to Thetford in Norfolk for the West Suffolk DTS double show weekend.

A new venue for the show this year at the Thetford Rugby Club ground, which must be a testing time for the organisers, as you never know what might happen. Thankfully the only hiccup seemed to be the proposed Friday night fish and chip van letting them down, but Sarah Connell had managed to get a message out via the internet so most campers would have known and made other plans.

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Obedience Championship Scene 2014 Part 1

By: Susan & Gemma Henshaw

As we are now at the end of May and with the Crufts Championships fading into a memory it seems like a good time to catch up on what’s been happening in the Ticket classes.

Starting off with the Midlands Border Collie Club show on the 19 April, the first day of a double weekend from this club plus the bonus of the Border Collie Club of Gt Britain show on the same ground on Friday 18 April. The shows were held at Cattows Farm, Heather, Leics, which was a new venue for this year. The ground was quite rutted in some places but thankfully the better areas were kept for the rings, the clubs had worked hard to ensure their shows would go on and I am sure we have all worked on much worse surfaces. One good thing was that the camping, parking and the rings were all on one level, within easy reach of each other and there was an added bonus of some lovely dog walks in the surrounding area. From the judges comments the hospitality was second to none and the competitors were well catered for.

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