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Potomac Valley Shetland Sheepdog Club, Inc.
Serving the Greater Washington Metropolitan Region (DC-MD-VA) since 1972
The Sheltie Seanachie
January 2015
www.potomacvalleyssc.org
and
www.potomacvalleyshetlandsheepdogclub.org
2015 Officers
Letter from the PVSSC Board
Please see page 2.
Cathie Skoog, President
[email protected]
2015 Resolutions
Linda McClure, Vice President
Karen Schwartz, Recording Secretary
Deborah Lauritzen, Corresponding Secretary
Jack Gurney, Treasurer
Here are some good examples from petmd.com.
Measure the dog food (do we even need to say
this?)
Try a new activity
Build in more play time
Update pet ID info
Members of the Board
Fran Beacham
Ken Schwartz
PVSSC MONTHLY MEETINGS
Monthly meetings are held on the 3rd Monday at 7:30 pm at
the Dunn Loring Fire House (2148 Gallows Rd, Dunn Loring,
VA) except for March and July (no meetings) and December
(Holiday Party). NEXT MEETING is January 19.
And we might add:
Brush up on training. You could consider a
group class or ask a club member to mentor
you in learning a new sport or activity.
Participate in events or play groups or anything
that creates more interaction with the world
around us.
Tired or Bored?
Meetings are open to the public. The Potomac Valley
Shetland Sheepdog Club welcomes Sheltie breeders and
fanciers, including those interested in conformation and
performance events, and pet and Sheltie Rescue owners.
Dogs sleep for various reasons – including boredom.
Most dogs require 14 hours of sleep but puppies,
seniors and large breeds require more – 18 to 20 hours
a day. Dogs wake more frequently than we do, so their
REM sleep periods are shorter. Longer total sleep time
may be needed to accumulate sufficient deep sleep
time.
http://dogshealth.com/blog/why-dogs-sleep-so-much/
THE SHELTIE SEANACHIE
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
Donna Richards, Editor
The Sheltie Seanachie is the Club’s Monthly Newsletter. It
provides a forum for sharing information, discussing issues
concerning the breed, and club activities.
Send brags and other items for the newsletter to the editor at
[email protected] or mail to Donna Richards, 1591 N Village
Rd, Reston, VA 20194. The Newsletter is sent to members
and friends preceding the meeting. If you would like to be
added to our distribution list, please email the above address.
Back issues of The Seanachie are available on the PVSSC
website.
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The 2015 board is focusing on continuing to grow the
membership and to have exciting programs to continue
our goals to strengthen the bond with our Shelties and to
improve the breed.
We are planning to host an agility match in
Westminster, MD in October. Holding a match
is an AKC prerequisite to being approved to
hold trials.
Our Fall Herding Trials will be held in
November.
December we march in the Scottish Christmas
Walk in Alexandria, VA along with the Northern
Virginia Sheltie Rescue. And we hold our
Holiday Party.
We all adore our Shelties and each of us has our
reason(s) for owning one or more Shelties. We hope to
enhance your Sheltie ownership by offering programs
about grooming, responsible dog ownership, improving the
breed, learning about Sheltie specific health related
issues, and assist "new" Sheltie owners to appreciate their
Sheltie to the fullest extent possible.
PVSSC is a club of its members. We value your opinion
so please, let us know what you would like to see going
on and we welcome your participation. As with
everything in life, you only get out of the club what you
put "into" it. We need volunteers to run our events, we
need your recommendations for programs, and we need
your support.
As an AKC club we have a responsibility to hold
sanctioned specialty shows, performance competitions
and educational activities to further the AKC and ASSA
goals and objectives.
This should be an exciting year! Mike O'Shea has
volunteered to work on scheduling some great programs.
Some highlights of our planned activities include:
Please NOTE: The ASSA National will be holding
activities the same date as our April meeting, Monday,
April 20, The board will be making a decision on
whether to cancel the April meeting or alternatives.
We will hold our obedience and rally trials January
31 and February 1. We can use your help at the
trials - contact Jack Gurney or Cathie Skoog if you
can volunteer.
Again this year PVSSC will be teaming with the
Shetland Sheepdog Club of Greater Baltimore
(SSCGB) in March to host our specialty shows
and sweepstakes.
April brings "fun day" at Keepstone Farm in
Berryville, VA. PVSSC has provided agility runthru's in the past, thanks to Mike & Ginny O'Shea.
This event is open to the public and there are
many dog venues, such as fly-ball
demonstrations, course luring demos and trial,
presentations on dog related topics such as diet,
herding tests and many more "fun" things folks
can do as a family and with their dogs.
April 18 - 25 is the American Shetland Sheepdog
Association (ASSA) National, being held in
Fredericksburg, VA.
In May we will team with the Blue Ridge Herding
Association (BRHA) to host AKC sanctioned
herding tests and trials at Keepstone Farm,
Berryville, VA. It is awesome to watch Shelties
herd ducks, sheep and even cattle - watching
these remarkable dogs using their instincts to
work the livestock.
Labor Day Weekend we attend the Virginia
Scottish Games and Festival at the Great
Meadows in The Plains, VA. We provide an
educational booth and our Shelties participate in
the Dogs of Scotland Parade. The festival
features Highland athletics, piping and drumming,
Highland Dance, sheep herding demonstrations,
Celtic Music, Arts and Crafts, foods and more!
(signed) The 2015 PVSSC Board
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American Shetland Sheepdog Association (ASSA) 2015 National
April 18 - 25, 2015
Fredericksburg, VA
The ASSA 2015 National
comes to our "back yard".
The events begin on
Saturday, April 18 and
conclude on Saturday, April
25. The National is great
fun, providing an
opportunity to be with
Sheltie owners from all over
the U.S., including Alaska,
California and Maine, and
being surrounded by adorable Shelties.
Please Note the following two points:
MB-F will be the Superintendent for the
obedience and rally trials, futurity,
conformation and junior showmanship.
There will be an active link from the ASSA
website when available.
The ASSA National will be holding activities
the same date as our April meeting, Monday,
April 20. The board will be making a decision
on whether to cancel the April meeting or
alternatives.
The last time the ASSA National was held on the
East Coast was in 2012 in Kissimmee, FL from
March 3 - 10, 2012. Three PVSSC members
attended and participated in the performance events:
Pam Roberts, Cathie Skoog and Debbie Lauritzen.
The week kicks off on Saturday, April 18 with Herding
Tests and Trials at Keepstone Farm in Berryville, VA.
The judges are Deborah Johnson and Roy Johnson of
Gladys, VA. The livestock for this trial are ducks and
sheep; no cattle.
The agility trials will be held at Hazelwild Farm in
Fredericksburg, VA. Judges are Judy Smotrel and Jim
Smotrel of Lynchburg, VA. The trials include Standard
Agility and Jumps with Weaves; no games.
Monday, April 20 events will be held at the
Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center. Events will
feature Futurity Judging and the "Parade of Veterans
and Titleholders". Scheduled for later in the day is a
Welcome Party.
Some other memories from the 2012 National
Deb Lauritzen and Jake
with the rally judge: CH
Cataway's Brave New
World, CGC (Jake)
earned the first leg
towards his Rally
Novice title.
Tuesday, April 21 will feature the obedience and rally
trials at the Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center
and the Parade of Rescue Performance Dogs. There
will be a morning symposium "To Preserve and Protect"
and in the afternoon there will be health testing.
The conformation judging will begin on Wednesday,
April 22 and end on Saturday, April 25 with the Junior
Showmanship Judging, Best of Breed, ASSA Breeder
Awards and the Parade of Winners.
Savannah earned the
first leg towards her
Jumps and Weaves
Novice title with a
perfect score of 100,
th
placing 6 among 29
other Shelties in her
jump class.
In addition there will be ringside education classes and
several receptions. To review the entire list of events go
to the ASSA website at http://www.assa.org/. Click "on"
the appropriate link for a copy of the Performance
Premium; the premium includes a complete schedule of
events and entry forms for the herding and agility trials,
as well as the registration form to compete for the 2015
Best All Around Sheltie.
Mollie taking a jump in
Advanced Rally at the
2012 ASSA National in
Kissimmee, FL.
The Best All Around Sheltie Award evaluates Shelties in
four of five areas: breed, obedience, rally, agility and
herding. Preregistration is required.
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PVSSC Brags
Romeo ARCHMX2
Hanover, MD
Romeo with ARCHMX2 ribbon
Romeo and Bennett
Harrisburg Obedience and Rally
In November, Dayna
Dreger entered Gio and
Romeo in the
M.A.S.T.E.R. Pup WCRL
Rally-O trial in Hanover,
MD. Gio competed in
Veteran's class and took
1st place with a score of
208/210. Romeo also
competed in Veteran's,
finishing his RLV (Rally
Level Veterans) title with
Award of Excellence.
Romeo also earned the
final QQQ for his
ARCHMX2, making him
the second Sheltie ever
to earn this title!
Dayna Dreger has been busy. Romeo and Bennett
were entered at the Harrisburg Shetland Sheepdog
Club breed obedience and Rally-O trials in Red Lion,
PA on November 16th.
Romeo earned his first two RAE legs with scores of
98 and 85 in trial 1 and 96 (4th place) and 98 (3rd
place) in trial 2.
Bennett, who has her RN title already but is still
playing in Rally Novice B for the ring experience,
earned two more Novice B Q's. Trial 1 was a 1st
place score of 96. Trial 2 was another 1st place with
a perfect score of 100 AND her very first AKC Rally
High in Trial over a beautiful selection of nicely
working Shelties!!
Mollie Jumps with Weaves
Sunshine Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club
Mollie earned her Open Jumps with Weaves Agility
Title on December 31, 2014 at the Sunshine
Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club in Palmetto, FL. Mollie
belongs to Cathie Skoog.
PVSSC Obedience-Rally Trials
January 31 – February 1, 2015
PVSSC will be hosting our annual All Breed Obedience and Rally Trials at the Catoctin Kennel Club in Point of Rocks,
MD.
The judges for our trials are Sara Steele of Long Valley, NJ and Lynda Moore of Guilford, CT
We always need folks to work the tables as stewards. No training necessary. You will have fun and learn lots! Please
contact Trial Chair Cathie Skoog or Trial Secretary Jack Gurney if you can assist. Also think about entering your dogs in
the trial.
Follow Obedience and Rally Trial Updates
at our Facebook Page at
https://www.facebook.com/pages/PVSSC-Obedience-Rally-Trials/577492912373571
2nd Annual Spring Herding Weekend
May 9 – 10, 2015
Mark your calendars so you don’t miss the Potomac Valley Shetland Sheepdog Club (PVSSC) and the Blue Ridge
nd
Herding Association (BRHA) 2 Annual Spring Herding Weekend at Keepstone Farms.
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Balance Points – Sheep and Cattle
Know Your Ducks
At the November 2 herding trial, I watched several of the
cattle herding attempts while acting as scribe for the
judge. Those cattle are large and formidable. It was a cold
and windy day and they really just wanted to go back into
their pen. Convincing them to move was a really difficult
chore, and not many were having success. Since the
handler and dog need to work as a team, what should the
handler know about moving cattle?
Herding ducks is entirely different than sheep or cattle! This
is what you need to know.
http://www.workingaussiesource.com/stockdoglibrary/hardwi
ck_duckherding_article.htm
First, the cattle were not going to behave like the sheep
that were being used. The sheep at Keepstone were
mainly tame and would follow a handler around the course
if given the chance. One perfect sheep score was just a
stroll around the course by the handler, with sheep,
followed by the border collie. Instead the cows will prefer
to move away from the handler or dog, following a
principle called “balance points”. The handler needs to
understand the cow’s field of vision and how to use it.
Picking the correct spot within the animal’s field of vision
will influence the cow’s desire to move forward or back,
left or right. Also be aware that the dominant cow will
usually be in the middle of a line, not in front or the rear.
Hurrying the last cow in line will have no effect, since it
cannot push past the dominant cow in the middle position.
Noted animal behaviorist Temple Grandin summarizes this
in an article here.
http://www.workingaussiesource.com/stockdoglibrary/rorem
_ducks_article.htm
There are a lot of other fascinating herding-related articles
on this web site, so take your time and enjoy some of them if
this interests you.
Drafting and Pulling
When we think of Shelties, pulling a load is probably not
what jumps to mind. “Banner” the Carting Sheltie earned his
Draft Dog title with handler/owner Cheryl Butchko and is the
first Shetland Sheepdog in the USA to do so. Banner’s top
pull was 295 lbs.
Dileas Star Spangled Banner HIC, RE, NDD, ANDD, DD
(Dileas means “faithful” in Gaelic).
http://www.karenhocker.com/show_proofs.php?shoot=1263
&date=102211&class=415&s=405&np=45&nr=1124
AKC Breeder to Breeder Forum
http://www.grandin.com/behaviour/principles/flight.zone.html
Another document for cattle handlers notes that your best
piece of equipment is your voice. Use it to let the cattle
know where you are, to soothe and calm, or to assert
authority. However Dr. Grandin advises that loud noises,
yelling and whistling should be avoided. Cattle are
sensitive to high pitched frequencies and may respond to
noises we cannot hear such as machinery. Once agitated
or excited, it will take several minutes for the cattle to
calm, and as much as 20 minutes for a cow’s heart rate to
return to normal.
The AKC hosted a breeder to feeder forum in Florida during
December. Fortunately the presentations were streamed live
and also video recorded. They are available on Youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W7Z37UdwMY
This particular link seems to be the four hour continuous
video stream. Hopefully the AKC will edit the segments and
make the available individually as they have done for past
forums. See similar presentations from prior forums also on
Youtube.
AKC Community Canine
A group of cattle is frequently referred to as a mob.
Snow Safety
With several months of winter still to go, it’s time to
prepare for snow and ice if you haven’t already.
http://www.exceptionalcanine.com/theanimalrescuesiteifra
me/off_the_leash/keep_dog_safe_in_snow/index.html#.V
KiO4MmC9dI
There is now an advanced level of the AKC Good Citizen
test, called the AKC Community Canine. The AKC created
a video to explain the 10 steps required.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Abt6h6MI0Kw
More information is available on the AKC web site.
http://www.akc.org/dogowner/training/akc_community_can
ine/links.cfm
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Improving Neighborhoods for People
and Canine Friends
A study conducted at the University of Liverpool examined
dog owners’ reasons for not walking their dogs and
analyzed conditions that would make neighborhoods
friendlier to dog walkers.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140826100
849.htm
It is estimated that 40% of owners do not walk their dogs
daily. Reasons include misunderstanding how much
exercise a dog needs. People are also worried about their
dog’s behavior and potential embarrassment.
Neighborhoods can become more dog-friendly by
designating off-leash areas and planning for waste
disposal facilities. Increased walking can improve both dog
an owner health and increase dog-owner bonding.
Need to find walking buddies? http://dogs.meetup.com/
will show you groups within range of the zip code you
enter. Join, pick a group and monitor the suggested walk
times and places or submit your own suggestion.
Art Show at the Dog Show
A Juried Fine Arts Competition dedicated to Canine Arts
Paintings (oils)
http://www.artshowatthedogshow.com/Paintings.html
Enjoy dog portraits including many by
Emily Sloviko of Thurmont, MD
Pat Burgee of Parkton, MD
M G Stout of Stafford, VA
Rachel Canada of Woodstock, VA
Cabell Gorman of Henrico, VA
Watercolors
http://www.artshowatthedogshow.com/WC.html
Drawings and Prints
http://www.artshowatthedogshow.com/DRPR.html
How Strong is Strong Enough?
One afternoon last November I found a dog running loose in
the neighborhood. It was a young male Rhodesian
Ridgeback. If you’re not familiar with the breed, these are
very strong and athletic dogs, weighing 70-80 lbs. He came
up to me willingly and I clipped a light leash on him, then I
went in my garage to call the numbers on his tag.
Unfortunately nobody answered either phone number. My
neighbor saw me walking the dog in the driveway while
hoping for a call-back from the owner. She came outside
and when she was in range I discovered this dog liked to
jump up on people to greet them, and I was unable to stop
him. When we located the owner and he was in sight, I was
not able to stop the dog from charging toward the owner and
jumping up on him also. I found some old weight-pulling
scores for a Rhodesian Ridgeback, they are: 835 lbs for a 74
lb dog on icy snow, or 2000 lbs on indoor carpet (same dog
at 76 lbs).
How fit do we need to be to control our dogs? WTOP
reported a story on December 28 of a Great Dane being
walked by a grandmother and four year old grandson. The
Great Dane pulled her down, broke free and charged a small
dog being walked by its owner who was an FBI agent. The
FBI agent shot and killed the Great Dane. The grandmother
was unable to control this dog, resulting in its death.
http://wtop.com/news/2014/12/fbi-agent-shoots-dog-glenburnie-park/
A well-trained dog minimizes the problem. If the Rhodesian
Ridgeback had been trained not to jump up on people or the
Great Dane did not pull his leash and break free, it would not
have concerned us. There is a lot of food for thought here.
We need to know our physical limitations as owners but also
when we place ourselves in unusual situations, and be
prepared and strong to ensure our dog’s safety and the
safety of others.
Suppose you had to lift and also carry your injured Sheltie,
would you be able to do so? It has happened to us. Carrying
a weight in your arms against your chest is referred to as a
Zercher carry in weight training. It’s also called a sandbag
carry since it’s often practiced using a sandbag. This
approximates how you would carry your dog in an
appropriate manner. A 25 pound bag of dog food would
make a good practice weight. Use good posture and
alignment.
Also pastels, photographs and other media. Enjoy!
To safely pick up and hold your dog, see this demonstration.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig4FcLmHOpc
How far would you make it?
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Do YOU Have a
NEW Email Address?
PVSSC Breed
Referral Services
For information on
puppy and adult Shelties,
contact PVSSC member
Jan Stanley
Send email address changes to
Debbie Lauritzen, PVSSC
Corresponding Secretary at
[email protected] to
assure you receive club news.
703-281-2828
[email protected]
or
January Events
Doey Blount
[email protected]
According to the AVMA, January is:
National Train Your Dog month
Walk Your Pet month
PVSSC Meeting January 19
PVSSC Obedience & Rally January 31 – February 1
Northern Virginia Sheltie Rescue
(NVSR)
Meeting Refreshments
Fran Beacham is our Refreshment Coordinator. Please
sign up with Fran to bring the refreshments to a 2015
meeting.
2015
January Meeting – Fran Beacham & Jack Gurney
February Meeting – Maribeth Keitz
March – no meeting
April Meeting – need a volunteer!
May meeting – Donna Richards
NVSR rescues, rehabilitates, and places lost, abused,
and abandoned Shelties where they will be loved,
protected, and well cared for.
Visit the NVSR Website http://www.nvsr.org/ to find out
about activities, dogs for adoption, to support their
activities, or even to see how you can volunteer!
Reminder, beverages are not provided; water is available
and there is a water/soda machine.
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