Hi, I am new to the world of showing and have been to a couple of open shows with my Australian Shepherd pup. I was wondering how you find out at which shows CC's are on offer for a particular breed......not that we're ready for that , just an idle wonder !

Hi Teeny
Our Dogs and Dog World are weekly papers available from your newsagents.They advertise all types of shows giving the classification details.You may have to place an order to be sure of a copy,W.H.Smiths and the big multiples stock them but as they do sell out quite quickly and if you are anything like me you`ll look forward to reading them each week.In fact its a race in our house who can get the paper first when its delivered.
Carole

If you buy one of the Annuals (Our Dogs and Dog World) the CC allocations for next year are given in there for each breed.

Hi
All types of dog show are advertised in the two papers-Our Dogs & Dog World.To find out if the champ shows have CC.s on offer you would need to send off for a schedule to find out if there are CC,s on offer for your breed.
Most of the champ shows have been and gone this year so your looking at next year if you want to enter.The first is manchester but there are no classes for Aussie shepherds at all.
Hope this helps,Archer.

Thanks to you all for answering my question. Anyone else out there got an Aussie ?

Christine.

Yes - we have one - and next year hopefully, we'll also be showing her pup! Where do you live - we're in SE Essex - and we show in, say a 50 mile radius - ie west as far as Uxbridge, south - Ardingly, east Clacton.

Loki is the typical Essex girl - all mouth and white stilettos :-) (and my daughter, daughter in law will kill me for that!!!!!)

Margot

Hi Margot,
We live in South Lanarkshire, not far from Glasgow. Our pup, Rhia, is a black tricolour with full white blaze and collar (though due to her swamp-monster tendancies, it's sometimes difficult to tell!) What colour is Loki ?
We have only been to 3 shows but she loves meeting all the other people and dogs and because I have been taking her to obedience classes, sits every time my husband stops in the ring. She's starting to get the hang of it now though!
We got her from the Gatenbys in Huddersfield. A bit of a trek but well worth it, she's a real character. What is Loki's registered name ?

Christine.

Loki is Wolfen's Bonnie Lass at Thorsoak - now we have our affix!! We might be doing the Scottish Champ Show next summer, if we go with our friends - its a bit of a long haul from down here in the Essex mud!!!

Actually, Loki thinks she's a labrador - so she's generally through all the muddy water she can find when we take her out. At the moment however, she is acting responsibly, and making sure her pups are okay!

She's a black tri - if you let me have your email address, I can send you some pictures - Im boring everyone with them!!!

Hi Lokis mum, nice affix. I remember that litter, I think they were all black tris if I remember rightly. I hope you hear the patter of tiny paws soon:)

Hi Lokis Mum, My affix is Thordell. Ja:)kie

Hi Philippa - no, we didn't get all black tris - we have 3 - 2 girls & 1 boy - but we also have a red tri girl, a red merle girl and two blue merles - 1 boy & 1 girl - and I don't know which one to keep!!!!........

Hi again, No, sorry, I didnt phrase that very well, I meant the litter that Loki came from, were all black tris. You have a lovely selection of colours and sexs in your litter

We have a seven month old black tri bitch. She is doing obedience and a little agility.
She is also a swamp monster !!

Daisy

Hi Daisy! Who did your black tri girl come from?

Hilda

Hello Christine,

I think I might have the brother to your Rhia! His name is Cody, black tri, born 17 April in quarantine (comes from Armatan kennels). He is doing really well in obedience, and he's been to one breed show - which we enjoyed, but because he's so incredibly friendly, as soon as the judge came near, Cody was jumping about trying to lick his face, etc! How do you cope with this, or am I the only one with this exuberance problem!

Hilda

Hello Hilda - welcome to the wonderful world of Aussies! At the moment we have 9 - but that includes Loki's puppies who will be with us over Christmas - so come January we will have 3 - we have Loki, Thor (her brother from Mum's first litter) and baby Venus in Blue Jeans.

Thor doesn't show very well - he doesn't "do" standing and posing for the Judge - when he was at Crufts (yes, he qualified in 2001) he sat down, offered the Judge a paw, then rolled over for his belly to be rubbed :-) :-) - he'd rather be out and doing things!

We're hoping to have Baby Venus out, so, once she has had all her jabs, we'll take her to ringcraft (something we didn't do with Thor & Loki) and, hopefully at least one brother and sister will also be shown - so hopefully we'll see them too.

Where are you, Hilda?

Hello Jackie,
How long have you had Aussies? I've had one other, a red tri, but could never show him - I tried, but he used to start growling at the judge as soon as they looked at him! Apart from that, he was a lovely character. Now we've got Cody, who luckily is incredibly friendly, so I can have a go at showing now! He does stand nicely, until the judge comes over - then it's like complete over-excitement as though he's seen a long-lost friend! I don't think I could breed puppies - I'd just keep them all!
I live in Prestatyn, North Wales.
Hilda

Hi Hilda,
Just out of interest, what breeding was your red tri boy?? Only asking because I had a similar red dog who did the same........
Enjoy your aussie, I now have two and am waiting till next year for number three!!!!
Gabrielle x

Hi Gabrielle! My red-tri was Glarenmoss Hotte Shotte (born August '97). His dam was Gefion Russett Cherry Bee and his sire Mareith Dolyndens Best, so he originates from some of the first imports. I have since read that some of these descendant dogs didn't have a terribly good temperament. Was yours from these lines as well?
Hilda

Hi Hilda, he had the same grandad on the sires side, Propwash Zinfandel at Gefion and his grandmother on the dams side was litter sister to Russett Cherry Bee (Russett Carmine) so the pedigrees are nearly the same from grandparents back. My boy was my forever dog, I adored him, but he was strictly a one person dog who was extremely protective. I did manage to re-train a lot of his bad habits. (I didn't get him till he was 4 years old) and he managed to do obedience, agility and some exemption shows. Totally different to the two I have now, who just have the best temperament and outgoing personalities, but he was special.........
Gabrielle x

Hi Gabrielle! Interesting to hear your red-tri boy was so closely related to mine (his pet name was Bracken) - he was also very protective - too much so, I think that was the problem! Very much MY dog, and I loved him to bits, though I found he had to know his place, but he did so well in obedience - he really enjoyed it. He was almost 7 weeks when I got him, and though he was brought up with children (I'm positive he would never have harmed one of ours), he did actually twice run out the front (separate occasions) - the first he nipped a boy on our drive, the second time he bit a boy hard on the shoulder and gave him a shaking. That did scare me, and I thought "this is a dog who's been brought up with kids, what is he doing?" - but as my husband said, I think it was a case of protecting our property. It's hard when you can't trust them though isn't it - and yet he could be so affectionate with his own. I do miss him, though our 8-month old Cody is a lovely boy!
Hilda

Hi Hilda,
Yep, my red boy was identical, nipped so many times I lost count. I don't know what had happened before I got him, but it left me with allsorts of problems to sort out. I don't regret a day of it though, he didn't have the ideal aussie temperament as they are usually very placid, even tempered and laid back. For all the bad times I had with him, I got love from him that was worth all the heartache a million times over.... I lost him last Christmas to a spinal tumour and there isn't a day goes by, when I don't miss him........ but the 3 dogs I have now, the 2 mad aussies and my GSD keep me busy. Just waiting for my ''twin'' Applethorn to breed me another red tri boy to add to the pack!!!!
Gabrielle x

Hi Gabrielle!
How old was your boy when you lost him? Our Bracken was almost 5, and he died with a brain tumour - very sudden, he wasn't ill, so at least didn't suffer - only I suffered afterwards! Thinking about the temperaments, your boy may not have come from a bad home or anything - I mean, Bracken had the best possible start - really well socialised, the children weren't mean to him or anything like that, and yet he had this streak in him. I hope you get on well with your two young ones - I have to admit it's lovely having a friendly-to-all dog!
Hilda

Hi Hilda,
He was 6 years old and had no illness except for the last 6 weeks when his back and front legs wouldn't move together and he seemed in a lot of pain. We tried hydrotherapy, rimadyl and a chiropractor before my vet suggested a milogram to see what was going on, with devastating results.
I believe he hadn't had the best start in life and ended up in rescue, but I also think having researched his pedigree, that a lot of his problems were possibly somewhere in his breeding. I couldn't trust him with anyone if I wasn't there, and he was very unpredictable, although I have to say, this is NOT usual for an aussie, they are usually good with most people, he was definetley an ''exception to the rule''.....
The two I have now, love everything and everyone, real happy girls....
Gabrielle x

Hi Gabrielle! Something else came to mind which I wondered if you had noticed the same - Bracken was incredibly noise-sensitive, and if anything noisy was going on, eg lawnmower, electric saw, he would just fly at the person using it (including me!) and give them a right good bite! Anything that made noise he wouldn't tolerate, and even used to give chase to a motorbike because of that (not that he ever caught up with it!). It just seemed a bit of an extreme behaviour really.
bye for now, Hilda

Just to join in - Thor (Wolfen's Appollo) absolutely HATES me using the my little stick blender - and howls when anyone uses a power drill or screwdriver - maybe it is a (male) Aussie thing. Loki (Wolfen's Bonnie Lass) - isn't the least bit bothered - but she really starts "yipping" if a little girl comes around, and she can't see her - or if I start talking on the phone to our grandchildren in my "granny" voice!!

Margot

Hi Margot! Perhaps some dogs have more sensitive hearing for some reason - I just thought it was a bit weird! Our new pup isn't bothered by noise, so at least my legs will be safe when I'm mowing the grass!
Would love to see some pics of your Aussies - my email address should come up if you click on my name!
Hilda

Hi there

Margot I don't think its a male aussie thing at all to be noise sensitive as both my boys are SO laid back they are almost horizontal ... they don't bother about anything.

I agree with Gabrielle that there must be a noise sensitive line within some of our original breed lines in this country .. I can't really comment as my kennel isn't based on the original lines imported into the UK.

I must admit the boys never bother with any noise unlike Miss Flossie ( Trijem Secret Affair at deerhill) she drives me nuts during the summer LOL , 4 pm every day without fail howling at the Ice Cream Van ( Greensleeves is her favourite one ) LOL I swear its Cos she wants an ice cream LOL Sometimes she does it at the ambulance and police & fire sirens ..but not always ...

She is a lot more alert to noises , but NEVER agressive to any of them .. she is # 1 guard dog , she is the one that barks when strangers arrive .. ( might be something to do with the fact that Lorenzo & Bubba are de-barked ) but she is Alpha dog around the place both boys do as Miss Flossie tells them to .. but her temperament is Excellent , with strange dogs coming in mainly other aussies she is gentle and kind and will welcome all , she thinks its great when visitors come lots more doggies to play with ...

Dog Aggression is something I lived with when I had my Rotties they were dog aggressive great with people but hated anything else on 4 legs and wish to never live with it again, yes I worshipped the ground my old boy and girl walked upon , BUT it made owning a dog a misery always worrying about where we walked etc ... no thank you give me my Aussies anyday !!!

Temperament is a BIG thing for me ... ask Gabrielle I waffle on enough about it when we talk about dogs LOL ! Temperament & Genetic Health ( soundness of Body & Mind) are of # 1 importance to me when I am breeding.

You know its SO good to have some aussie people on here to talk to !

Anyway let me take this opportunity to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Very Happy & Successful New Year for you all in 2003

From All at Applethorn
Jayne & Wally
Lorenzo ( Am Ch Thornapple Climate Controlled) Bubba ( Am Ch Thornapple Diamond Rio ) Flossie ( Trijem Secret Affair at Deerhill) & Groucho ( Applethorns Storm Force)

Jayne.........We talk about dogs???????? LOL........
Ummm, yes, just once in a while :-)
Hope you have done all that Xmas shopping and all your ironing....... otherwise, will have to get the ironing board out when I come, not recommended when drinking!!!!!!!
Speak to ya soon,
Gabrielle and the girls xxxxxxxx

Hi Hilda,
Yes, he was extremely noise sensitive and hated any type of machinery and was hit by a motorcycle before I got him apparently. He nipped my husband when using the hoover, drill and lawn mower.
You may laugh at this, but a lady who I became friendly with in Holland, who helped me loads with Raffe, did a ''reading'' from a photo of his and told me things I didn't know about him, but I checked with his old owners and they were all true, including the fact he was extremely noise and light sensitive and had been involved in an accident with a ''bright light'', hence the motorcycle. She told me lots what had happened in his life before I got him, and knew something was wrong before I had had chance to tell her he had died....
I will send you some piccies of the girls and the old boy, they are all gorgeous I think.........
Gabrielle x

Sorry, just realised your name is Margot, not Jackie!

Hi Hilda, had me wondering when I said I have Aussies, even went back to see if I'd had a senior moment. Mine are all Norwegian not Shepherds but Elkhounds. Ja:)kie

Hi Teeny,
Yes, I have two aussie bitches, 16 month old. How old is your pup and what colour is it??
CC's are not yet on offer to australian shepherds, but hopefully if we keep up with decent entries at Champ Shows, it won't be too much longer before they award them to us.
What are you hoping to do with your pup?? One of mine is in training for agility and the other does showing and is training to do competitive obedience, so they keep me pretty busy out training 4 nights a week.
Good Luck with your pup and let us know how you are doing,
Gabrielle x

Hi Gabrielle,
Rhia is now 8 months old and black tri. We hope to do a bit of everything with her and just have fun. We go to obedience classes and she seems to enjoy it. Everyone in the club knows her and she always makes a point of saying hello !
christine.

Hi Christine,
Sounds like a typical well bred aussie, loves everyone and everything. My blue merle girl is amazing at agility and obedience, she is fast and accurate with a sharp mind. My red tri girl is excellent at obedience and is a real, ''I need to be near you dog'', full of cuddles and kisses. Two litter sisters, very different but awesome temperaments and character.
The litter Rhia came from, seems really nice, I know Sarah and very much like the pups she kept from the litter.
Have lots of fun with her, but as they say ''you can't just have one aussie'' says me who is on her second and third!!!!!
Gabrielle x

Hi All

So nice to see so many Aussie people on the champdogs site !

Maybe now we can talk lots about our Furballs and Wiggle Butts .

Hi Hilda !

Hi to all you newbies so nice to meet you all I saw your Armatan puppies in quarantine, they are lovely puppies, closely related to my own Lorenzo ( Thornapple Climate Controlled) through the Heatherhill line.

I now have a new puppy of my own out of Lorenzo and my blue bitch Flossie , his name is Groucho ( yes my husband Wally named him after Groucho Marx ! LOL ) or for the showring Applethorns Storm Force , I have put a picture up on my champdogs site for you to see.

All my babies have been leaving for their new homes this week , the last 2 go to their new homes next Friday cry cry its a sad day but rewarding too as you get to meet and befriend some great people .

This is how I got to meet my best friend --Gabrielle !!! She has 2 of my previous nutters ( sorry aussie pups LOL )

Well just wanted to say hi to everyone.
Hugs
Jayne

Hi Jayne, (twin2),
''Nutters'' is the right word for these two, who have been trimmed and bathed tonight and have spent 10 minutes running amok in the waterlogged back garden whilst I was on the phone. Grrrr, they are mad, funny, clever, sometimes disobedient wigglebutts..... but I love 'em to bits.
Nice piccie of Groucho :-)
Gabrielle x

Spare a thought for us - our 7 "unmentionables" are with us over Christmas & New Year - I haven't DARED put up the Christmas tree yet - but it will be Fun.

Happy Christmas to all the Aussies & owners out there - and to everyone else as well!

Margot & Adrian

ps I'll have new pics by Christmas eve I hope!!

Hello Jayne!

Had to check out your website straight away of course! Groucho looks adorable - lovely markings! I look forward to the day when I can have another pup, but it'll be about 5 years (knowing how time flies, that won't be that long!). In the meantime, Cody will keep me busy - he's going to have a go at Agility starting next May, as well as flyball (have just bought my own BFA box - it's great). So by the time he's well and truly trained up, I should be ready for a new addition to the family!

Hilda

Aussies certainly are addictive. I can't wait 'til I can be in the position to get another one , but Tyler is too young at the moment (2 years old) for me to cope with a puppy, plus we have too many other dogs. I nearly cried when I saw the 2nd Applethorn litter advertised, cos I would just love an Applethorn bitch.

Hello 'Freeway' - addictive is right - I'm obsessed by Aussies! Have you had Tyler from a puppy? Age 2 is still quite young - our Cody is only 8 months, and though on the one hand I wish I could have another Aussie right now, I also think about what I want to do - which is mainly obedience, and ONE dog that is learning does take up quite a lot of time. And I know in about 5 years time I will get another Aussie, so that's something to look forward to. Mind you, if a red merle boy came along I might be tempted!
Hilda

Yes, he was a 7 week old bundle of red merle joy when I got him. He is the only puppy we have had so far (& there have been a few of various breeds) that hasn't put me off from getting another one. The only negative thing I can say about him is his temperament. He is shy of stangers initially (which is no good in the show ring) & can be aggressive to other dogs, but then he can be as good as gold with some dogs aswell which makes him very unpredictable. He, too, was very noise sensitive as a pup but has grown out of most of it (although still hates fireworks, but then most dogs do).

Hello Freeway, I know what you mean - my last Aussie was very wary of strangers, and used to growl at them (loved people he knew though), and he hated other male dogs (he was himself castrated). This got worse as he got older, to the extent that he attacked two dogs on separate occasions (both nice non-aggressive dogs), and one (being a boxer) actually scarred his leg with his teeth (I did feel terrible about it, and quite shocked as it was completely out of the blue). My dog was doing an agility run at the time, came over the final jump and just flew at this boxer. Fortunately our new Aussie is very friendly - dogs and people, and I would have another any day!
Hilda

Aren't they just Freeway!!!!!! I currently have 2 litter sisters who are 16 months old,(my 2nd and 3rd aussies) who are Applethorn babies, out of Flossie and Bubba. They are fantastic, superb temperaments, clever, funny, etc etc :-) I love them to bits......... After my first aussie, they are a breath of fresh air. Yes, this second litter was stunning, although Flossie did wait till I had got all the way home before she parted with the first pup, after me pleading with her, in her whelping box to please have them :-( .... They have all gone now. Groucho who Jayne kept is gorgeous as they all were.... Just need Bubba to produce me a red tri boy now, hopefully sometime next year with any luck!!!!! Either that or smuggle one back on the plane from the U.S. in April !!!!!!!!
Gabrielle x