On June 21, Christine Hamilton, with her dog Yukon, Julie Starling with her dog Juno and K9 Clinic trainer Christi-Ann Vo attended the Northern Breed Fun Match 2009. The Fun Match was a first time event to introduce dog handlers interested in showing their Northern Breed and learning more about the carting, sledding and weight pulling sport. Events included, Husky Charm Obedience, Conformation for Siberian, Samoyed and Malamutes, Sled Dog, Show Dog Handling, Best in Show, Canine Good Citizen and Weight Pull. The Match was a great opportunity for The K9 Clinic dogs and their handlers to demonstrate their obedience and training!

There were over 150 people and over 67 dogs, mainly northern breeds. Other breeds were allowed to enter some of the events such as the Weight Pull, Handling classes and Sled dog class. Some brought their Labradors and other mixes of dogs. The K9 Clinic staff, Debbie with her dog Hannah and Nancy with her dog Tessa, showed up to cheer us on and participate in the Weight Pull event with their dogs!

All-in-all we had a safe and FUN-filled day with well-behaved dogs! Armed with our K9 Clinic knowledge of handling our dogs in a new environment and our tool bag of training tools, each of our dogs showed ease and confidence among so many dogs of various temperaments, people and FOOD smells! All K9 Clinic dogs showed very good behavior with very few mishaps. Well, with the exception of one little swim in the lake that the puppy Tessa couldn’t resist. Who could blame her? It was HOT out there! But she was safely recovered, thanks to Nancy’s patience and recall training.

And we can’t forget the runaway dog! One husky resisted being weighed in for the weight pull contest. Juno escaped three times, showing her fear of the sling used to weigh the dogs–or maybe she’s a typical woman who doesn’t like her weight publicly displayed. After one of her escapes from the sling, she took off running full speed into a deserted field. Remaining calm, Julie instructed the event host not to chase the dog and instead remembered her recall training. She stayed in one place and recalled her dog, who turned around and came right back to her! What do they say again about huskies not having good recalls? Thank you K9 Clinic!

The Adult Handling class was a combination of a lecture on how to show your dog and then a competition of showing your dog. The judge provided tips on how to introduce your dog to a judge and help him remain calm while being handled by the judge who inspects teeth and hind quarters. They also demonstrated how to use a “handler’s” collar and how to walk and run with your dog around the ring. At the end, we got to display our new found wisdom. The judge was tickled with all of our handling and thought we were all first place winners!  Though the judge was helpful, to us, her delight at our handling was no doubt due to the time and effort we’ve given to our dogs with The K9 Clinic.

It was fun, safe day for all of us and each of us took home some great placings.

Nikko handled by Christi-Ann
Best in Breed Adult Samoyed Spay/Neuter
2nd Place: Sled Dog
4th Place: Adult Handling

Yukon handled by Christine
2nd Place: Adult Handling
3rd Place:  Sled Dog
Weight Pull: 300 lbs

Juno handled by Julie
4th Place: Siberian Husky
5th Place: Sled Dog (beating out 6th place to a LABRADOR! Shocking!)
3rd Place: Adult Handling
Weight Pull: 500 lbs!

In addition the event included a tri-tip lunch for the people, a carting demo, a raffle and silent action for awesome doggie items like toys, blankets, beautiful artwork and other goodies.

Look out for local events like this and more if you’re interested in having fun with your dog. And remember the importance of obedience any time, any place for the safety of your dog!

 Sharon and her dog Houdini 

 Gail and her dog Honey

Dan and his dog Rolf

Coral and her dog ‘Poppy’
John and his dog ‘Eli’
Nan and her dog ‘Bilko’
Julie and her dog ‘Loki’
Hugh and his dog ‘Zack’
Doug and his dog ‘Casper’
Angela and her dog ‘Rocky’
Nancy and her dog ‘Tessa’