A day at the dog show - part 1

 It was already a hot, humid day, and we searched for a parking spot with some shade.   Pulling onto a section of grass that offered a sliver of shade, I parked and scanned the field.  Even though it was very early, all the exhibitors were busy walking and grooming their dogs.  Many had set up their grooming tables next to their vehicles, while others set up under the crowded grooming tent, hoping for some protection from the blazing Summer sun.

Hopping out of the car, my daughter and I quickly began setting up our grooming area.  As we had been traveling to shows for 20 years, we set up our area without comment, it was just routine for us now.  The first thing we set up was our canopy tent, to try to keep the collies as cool as possible, their comfort always came first.  Next the x-pen, water buckets and grooming table were set up.  Checking the time, we immediately started grooming one of the collies, even though it wasn’t yet 7:00 AM, on a dog show day there is little time to waste.

When one collie was ready, my daughter put the next one up on the grooming table while I headed over to ring 5, to pick up our exhibitor numbers.  It was an all breed dog show so there were 10 rings set up, where all the different dog breeds would be examined by the assigned judges throughout the day.  Finding our correct ring, I approached the ring steward, and politely requested our numbers.  He scanned his catalog, and found the numbers assigned to our collies and handed them to me with a murmured “good luck today.”   Grabbing two rubber bands, I thanked him and headed back to the car.

I took over grooming our second collie, while my daughter grabbed her suit and ran to the bathrooms to change.  Even though it was an outdoor show, and already 80 degrees, the handlers still tried to dress as professionally as possible.  As I was finishing up grooming, my daughter returned.  “Peyton is #10 and in the Open class, and Addison is #12 and in the bred by exhibitor class,” I told my daughter as she secured the numbers to her arm with the elastic bands.  She place Addi’s number 12 on top, as the bred by exhibitor class is always judged before the open class.  “How many breeds before collies?” She asked.  Looking at the judging schedule, I told her there were 5 Aussies, 2 Canaan Dogs, and 7 German Shepherds being judged in ring 5 before the smooth collies.  “We should head over in about 30 minutes.”

In nervous anticipation, we brushed the collies once again, making sure they looked their very best.  The time passed quickly, and grabbing the treats, we headed over to ring 5 with our girls.  Passing  ring 2, I watched the Dalmatians run in a circle, one after the other.  Arriving at ring 5, we could see the judge was just making his final decisions, and awarding Best of Breed to one of the German Shepherds and her ecstatic handler.  The smooth collies were to be judged next.  

At dog shows, each dog breed has multiple classes the owner can choose to enter.  The males are judged first, followed by the females.  The first class of smooth collies was called into the ring, “ puppy dogs 6 - 9 months into the ring in catalog order, “ the steward announced.  A bouncy, sable and white smooth boy was brought into the ring, followed by a more hesitant tri color.  Both handlers quickly set up their puppies, getting them standing correctly, waving treats at them to keep them attentive and focused.  “Take them around,” the judge directed the handlers.  Moving together, single file, both handlers moved the puppies at a quick pace in a circle around the ring, this was done to show their movement.  Stopping before the judge they quickly stacked their collies, to show off their outlines.  The judge approached the first collie, and gazing into the collies eyes, he gave a soft whistle to see the puppies expression.  He then asked the handler to show the bite, so he could determine if the collie had the correct scissor bite which is required for the breed.  The judge then ran his hands softly over the collie, checking for proper body structure.  Stepping back he visually examined the collie once again, before asking the handler to take him down and back.  The handler, adjusting the lead, began running with the collie to the corner of the ring, and then back to the judge.  I had to smile, as the young dog thought this was a fun game, and jumped up on the handler to express his joy.  The handler was patient with the puppy and the judge sent them around the ring, and examined the tri color puppy next.  He repeated all the previous steps, and then looking back and forth between the two, decided to award 1st place to the tri color.

The next classes were called, and the handlers led their collies into the ring, each hoping for that 1st place ribbon.  After all the class dogs were judged, each 1st place winner was called back into the ring, it was time for the judge to pick Winners Dog.  There were four smooth collies standing in the ring, and all four males were very fine examples of the breed.  The judge went through all the steps again, examining each collie, one at a time, and then having them move around the ring.  He returned to the table, wrote down a number, and picked up two ribbons.  Then smiling, he walked up to a pretty blue merle, “ you are my Winners dog today,” he said as he handed the purple ribbon to the collie’s handler.  He then turned to the tri color puppy, “you are my reserve winner today,” and handed the puppy’s handler a ribbon too.  Everyone clapped, and congratulated the blue merle’s owner.  

It was now time for the smooth bitches to be judged…

CH Black Hawk of Kasan

 When you research the history of the collie, you will find countless stories about the rough collie.  There are many well documented stories and books written about the famous rough collies that were imported and used as the foundation of the American collie.  I’ve found many articles written about the top winning rough collies of the past, and the top collie breeders of the past, but very little has been written about the smooth variety.   Even the beloved fictional books, like Lassie Come Home and Lad of Sunnybank, feature only rough collies.  So it’s easy to see why the smooth collie is overshadowed by the rough collie.

Hawk’s Pictures are from Facebook and Google

The smooth collie has never received the attention and adoration of the rough coated variety.  Both varieties share the same gentle and loving temperaments.  Both the rough and smooth collie make excellent family dogs, and are versatile companions who excel in herding, obedience and a wide variety of other dog sports.  They are both beautiful and graceful, and both possess the carefully developed intelligence that makes them ideal working dogs.  Both varieties are double coated, the only difference is the smooths have the shorter coat length.  

So in the hopes of helping people get to know the smooth collie better, I decided to share some famous smooth collies of the past.  The first smooth that has to be recognized is Hawk, or CH Black Hawk of Kasan.  He was whelped (born) on May 13, 1966.  He was owned by Sandra Tuttle of Kasan Collies, and his handler was Les Canavan.

Hawk was the first smooth collie to win Best in Show at the Collie Club of America National Specialty in 1970.  Hawk was a beautiful, tri color smooth collie, and also won the smooth Best of Variety at the National on 6 other occasions.  Hawk was the first smooth collie to win Best In Show at an all breed dog show as well.  He was so influential, that he produced 78 champion offspring!  With his winning record, and impressive list of progeny, Hawk definitely helped promote the smooth collie.  He inspired many people to take a closer look at the smooth collie, and he was one of the reasons my family started showing smooths.  I wish I  could have seen this handsome collie in person, but I am grateful for the legacy he left behind.

Dreams do come True

 When you begin to compete at dog shows, you either become obsessed, or you decide that it’s just not for you.  There are very few who fall into the middle, those who enjoy it, but are not committed to the sport.  When my family members first started showing collies, I didn’t understand their ardent dedication to these competitions.  This was partly due to a lack of understanding on how dog shows worked.  All the different classes can be a bit a confusing.  I have always been a dog lover, and loved to watch the Westminster dog show each Winter when it was on TV.  But on TV they only show the judging of the groups and the Best in show judging, not everything that happens beforehand.  (I think I may write a post, to explain all the classes, and how the dogs earn points and titles, for those who are interested in learning more.)

So not having much understanding or interest in dog shows, I didn’t undeestand why my family was excited about the competitions.  Then one day my 9 year old daughter went to a handling class with my sister, to learn about junior handling, and decided she wanted to try competing at dog shows as a junior handler.  We started going to shows, and had so much fun, that we ended up developing a serious interest.  Eventually, as we became more involved in the competitions, my sister gave us our first collie puppy….and we were hooked.

When you start showing dogs, you can’t help but imagine what accomplishments and titles you might achieve with your dog. As you watch the big winners at the shows, you may catch yourself dreaming of your own dog earning that kind of recognition one day.  I’ve had a few of those daydreams myself, and this past weekend one of those dreams came true!

On Saturday, my daughter showed our Addison in the bred by exhibitor class at a dog show.  Our Addi won her class, and then competed against the other class winners for Winners Bitch, and won Winners as well!  As there were so many smooth class bitches entered, this win counted as a major.  A dog or a bitch needs a total of 15 points to become a champion, but of those 15 points, they need to win two majors.  (That’s a win of 3, 4 or 5 points.) Addi had already won 7 points from previous dog shows, and this was her first major, so we were so excited!  This gave her 3 more points, so she now had a total of 10 points. 

Once the smooth judging was over, my daughter showed our rough collie, Rosie.  This was her first real show, so we weren’t sure how she would do.  And we were so happy when she won her class!  Then when all the class winners went back in, our Rosie won!  It wasn’t a major, but it was her first 2 points.  I had dreamed of going to a show and our collies winning both smooth winners bitch and rough winners bitch, but I never expected it would actually happen!  It was a very proud moment for my daughter and I.

Addison

Then Sunday came, I got up at 5:00 AM, to get ready and drive to the dog show.  (Dog shows always start very early!) We arrived at the show and started grooming Addi, as smooth collies are always one of the first dog breeds judged for some reason.  My daughter took her into the bred by class, and Addi was perfect.  She was completely focused on my daughter and she looked beautiful.  They won the class!  Then when it was time, they went back in to compete against the other first place winners, and Addi won winners again!  This was her 2nd major, so we were beyond happy.  After winners were judged the finished champions, along with the winners dog and the winners bitch, get called into the ring.  The judge examines all the entries individually, and decides which dog or bitch is the best example of the breed, or “Best of Breed.” Usually Best of Breed is awarded to one of the finished champions, but that’s not what happened.  The judge kept looking at our Addi, and she ended up giving Addison Best of Winners, Best owner handled and Best of Breed!  This gave Addi 4 points, so she now has 14 points and both majors.  She only needs one more point to finish her championship!

Rosie

My daughter showed Rosie again in the afternoon, and Rose won reserve winners bitch.  (Which is kind of like winning first runner up). The judge kept looking between Rosie and another bitch, we could see she was having a hard time deciding, so it was very close.  While it would have been amazing to win rough winners bitch too, we were still appreciative of the attention and consideration our little girl received.  A dog show weekend is always fun, but this was a weekend we won’t ever forget.

Happy Holidays!

 I can’t believe how quickly 2024 has passed, only one day left of this year and we will be celebrating the arrival of 2025.  We ended this year with so many new titles, and some wonderful memories, but 2024 also brought sad times with the loss of our sweet Kori.  

For 2024 I brought back a tradition of bringing the collies to a local Nursing Home, to watch a Lassie movie with the residents.  Unfortunately only one other Therapy team were available to join us this year.  One year I was able to get 8 collies, it was so much fun!  But I am so grateful to Finn and his partner, Steve, for making time during the busy holiday season to join us.  Steve just recently had Finn tested to become a therapy collie, his wife had done visits with Finn a few years ago, before COVID.  

Finn is a collie I bred 8 years ago, he is the littermate of my Maizie and Sophie, which makes him Addi’s uncle.  He is also one of Kori’s sons.  It always makes me smile, when I see how he loves and remembers me.  They never forget the person who loved them first.

I’ve written so many posts about Lassie, and how the beloved movies and television series touched so many generations.  So it is the perfect movie to celebrate the holidays with the residents, as the seniors all grew up watching her.  I plan on doing this next Christmas too, and hope I can get at least 4 collies to join us. 

Do you have a holiday tradition with your dogs or cats?  Leave us a comment!

Christmas Card Day!

 So we’ve been out of touch, and didn’t sign up the collies for the Christmas card exchange, and they are not very happy with me.  But since today is the official Christmas card day in the Blogville, we are going to share ours here, for all friends and readers!

Sending warm wishes this Christmas from our pack to yours!

Time for the Holidays….but first, we have news!

And just like that, our 2024 dog show competitions are over!  But what a year it was!  We ended the year with 30 new titles, including two new Champions.  The collies made us very proud, and they had so much fun while doing it!  We are going to spend a couple weeks relaxing and enjoying the holidays, and catching up on our blog.  Then we will be starting 2025 off with two dog shows.

But first, we want to share our news from this past weekend.  

Saturday, under Judge Cindy Meyer, our ZuZu, Creekwood’s Fireheart, BCAT, FDC, FITB, won Winner’s for her 2nd major, then Best of Winners and Best of Variety over the specials! Then she followed it up with an Owner Handler Herding Group 4!  And we discovered it was a 5 point major, the highest a show dog can earn!

Then on Sunday, ZuZu won Winner’s Bitch and Best Op (Best of Opposite Sex to Best of Variety), which gave her 2 more points.  She now needs just one more point to finish her championship! It would have been nice to finish one more champion this year, but it was such an exciting weekend we won’t complain!

Video of ZuZu winning Best of Breed and then her Group 4 in the Owner Handler Group.

Top 10 reasons to own a Collie

When people choose a particular dog breed to join their family it can be for a variety of reasons.  For some, it’s a dog breed they grew up with and it’s connected to happy childhood memories.  For others, they may have fallen in love with the dog breed after reading a story or watching a movie, and after researching the breed, realize it fit their lifestyle and family.  I know many people who chose their dog based on the breed’s ability to perform a particular task, dog sport or service.  Still others may have chosen that breed of dog solely because of its appearance.  

Lad and my daughter

Unfortunately, if a dog is chosen because of its appearance, or because of a fictional character in a book or movie, it doesn’t always work out.  The dog ends up rehomed, dumped in a shelter or abandoned, through no fault of its own.  I love the collie breed for many reasons.  Many of my family members had collies, so I was familiar with the breed and already knew the wonderful qualities and quirks they were known to possess.  I grew up reading the collie stories written by Albert Payson Terhune, and watching the old Lassie movies, so I loved their personalities and beauty.  Sharing my life with collies has also taught me to appreciate the amazing versatility of the collie breed.  So far there hasn’t been any dog sports that my collies have tried that they haven’t enjoyed.  The breed is athletic, intelligent and eager to please, a combination that leads to their ability to earn titles in a wide variety of sports.  

But the collie is not for everyone.  They can be a very vocal breed, and love to express their opinions on every subject.  They will grumble, whine, sigh and moan to let you know their thoughts and feelings.  They also love to bark, as it’s a tool that was developed in the breed to aid in herding, it’s part of their nature.  A bored collie will bark at everything, and needs a moderate amount of exercise each day to curb this.  But they do have a great off switch, and are happy to snuggle on the couch with you after a nice long walk.  And they are a double coated dog breed, so they shed, a lot.  It’s very manageable, as long as they are given a good brushing each week.  And lastly, the collie breed was developed to be loyal to their families.  They are social animals who thrive with affection and close interaction with their humans.  This is not a dog that will be happy left alone in the backyard, and they will vocalize their displeasure for all the world to hear.

This video is being shared courtesy of Selene and Wren, of SnootsnStuff, please stop by their Instagram for more cute videos!

So why should you consider owning a collie? These are our top 10 reasons we love this dog breed so much:

1) Intelligence - the collie is an intelligent breed.  they have to be intelligent to be able to perform the tasks they were originally bred to do.  With this intelligent dog, you can expect them to get into some mischief from time to time.  I’ve witnessed my Scarlett hustle by, hoping to avoid notice, carefully gripping the edge of a stolen plate in her little front teeth.  I hung a set of bells on the back door, intending to eventually teach the collies to ring them when they need to go outside.  I didn’t need to teach them.  Clever Sophie noticed that when the door opened the bells would jingle.  It didn’t take her long to begin ringing the bells whenever she wanted to go outside.  Sometimes I have to hide the bells, because she rings them nonstop on nice days, when she would prefer to be outside!

2) Athleticism - the collie is a naturally athletic dog breed.  The collie was bred to herd sheep and drive farm animals to market.  This makes them great at a variety of dog sports, like agility, and when combined with their intelligence, makes the collie breed a very versatile dog.  But unlike other high energy dog breeds, they enjoy long naps, preferably in a patch of sunshine, and love just spending time with their families.

3) Affectionate - the collie is a very affectionate dog, with their own family.  They love to be by your side, and will show their love for you in a variety of ways, including following you from room to room, your very own collie shaped shadow!  Collies make wonderful therapy dogs, because they are naturally sweet and are happy to make new friends.  But they definitely prefer the company of their own families over everyone else.

4) Intuitive - the collie was bred to work closely with humans, so they have become very good at reading our emotions.  This makes them very insightful when determining what we need.  I have watched Scarlett go to great lengths to make me smile.  Sometimes she will grab a toy or a pillow, stand in front of me with a gently wagging tail, waiting for me to appreciate the gift she’s found just for me.  I’ve come to realize that she could sense when I was stressed or unhappy before I did, and would actively try to soothe or amuse me.

5) Empathetic - I think this is true of most dogs, and it’s one the qualities that make dogs so special.  Dogs make excellent therapy animals because of their ability to offer comfort to those in need.  And the collie is known for being particularly sensitive.  Their gentle, compassionate nature makes the collie excel at therapy work.  With their gift of empathy, they always seem to find the person who needs them the most.

6) Beauty - while all dogs are adorable and lovable, the collie is just one of those breeds that were gifted with a little something extra.  Their graceful, elegant appearance and striking markings, are definitely eye catching.  When I’m out walking my collies, or doing a therapy visit, people will always stop me to compliment them.  I’ve even had people stop their car to ask about them because of their beauty.  So if you don’t mind owning a dog that literally stops traffic, the collie may be the dog for you!

7) Trainability - Collies are very easy to train, often learning from each other as well as their humans.  My rough collie, Ryder, began doing the classic “Lassie” wave as a puppy.  We thought it was adorable, and lavished him with praise, so it became one of his methods of asking for a treat.  He was the only one of our collies that did this, and we never taught any of the others to do it, as it became his own special trick.  What we didn’t realize was that Scarlett, showing her high intelligence, was watching.  And one day, when we had Ryder sit and do his wave, a trick we dubbed “show us Lassie,” Scarlett hurried over and sat right next to him…and started waving her paw in the air!  She had been observing what Ryder was doing, when we asked him to “show us Lassie,” and how it earned him praise and cookies, and wanted her fair share!   And while Scarlett is incredibly special, most collies are easily trained with gentle, positive training methods.  I recently came across a Facebook post honoring a collie that has earned an incredible 69 titles!  I honestly believe there isn’t anything this amazing breed can’t be trained to do!  There are collies doing search and rescue, Barnhunt, agility, obedience, Therapy visits, service work, herding, dock diving, carting, and so much more!

Beautiful, clever Scarlett

8) Easy to groom - Collies are very clean.  I mentioned above that they do require a weekly brushing, and when they are shedding, there will be increased sweeping and vacuuming around the house.  But in general, collies are a pretty clean dog breed.  Mine will avoid puddles, as they don’t like to get their snowy, white paws dirty.  And unlike other breeds, like doodles, they don’t require expensive trips to the dog groomers every couple months.  I bring my collies to a “do it yourself” dog wash, and for $12, I get the use of a raised tub, dog shampoo, towels and a blow dryer.  If the rough coat seems like too much brushing, there is always the shorter, smooth coated collie.  But both the rough and the smooth are a double coated dog breed, so both will still require that weekly brushing to maintain their beautiful coats.

9) Great with children - the collie is often pictured with children, and there is a reason for that.  They are devoted companions, and they are very affectionate and protective of children. Their playful nature makes them an ideal best friend for a child.  They are always ready to lend a sympathetic ear to a child’s woes, and are happy to be a shoulder to cry on.  While it’s true they may try to herd children, or other family members, with some training and guidance this can be managed.

My grandson, getting comforted by Ryder

10) Real life heroes - collies are known for their brave and heroic acts.  Don’t believe me?  Please check out this post, which shows just a handful of times a collie has saved the day!  Recently a collie named Rowdy risked his own life to save his family’s four year old child, click here for his story.  You have to love a hero!

With their stunning beauty, collies can be found in all forms of art.  And with their brave and loyal hearts, as well as their fun loving, impish sense of humor, they have been celebrated in books, film and television.  They are an ideal family dog, are one of the top breeds chosen as service dogs, and with their intelligence, they make a very versatile companion for anyone interested in competing in dog sports.  If you haven’t considered a collie for your next best friend, please research the breed and see if they would be right for you.  The Collie Club of America has a great resource to learn more, please click here.

The collies are getting it done!

Fast CAT in our area is over for the season, so we have been concentrating on both dog shows and Barn Hunt, and have some happy news to share.  

We recently did a Barn Hunt competition, the first in many months.  We took Sophie and Sorsha, my daughter’s collie.  Sophie ran out of time the first run, but quickly remembered what she needed to do. On her second run she did the tunnel, climb and found the rat, qualifying her for the first of the ten required wins to earn the next title, RATNX.

Sorsha on the other hand remembered exactly what to do, and she was so fast she earned both her RATN title and went High in Class.   Then she qualified again on her second run, earning her first out of the ten Qs for the next title RATNX!  It was so much fun getting back into Barn Hunt, we forgot how much the collies enjoy it.  And Sorsha’s RATN was the 27th title our collies have earned this year, they have made us so proud!

We have a four day dog show coming up, and Addi and ZuZu are both entered.  Addi is entered all four days, and ZuZu is entered for two of them.  If ZuZu goes Winners on two of the days, she could potentially finish her championship, as they are both 4 point majors.  If she wins just one of the days, it will give her a 2nd major, and she will just need four single points to finish.  It would be amazing to have a third collie finish her championship this year.  It’s beyond what we hoped for back at the start of the year.  Addi could also finish, if she wins two of the majors instead!  Not sure what will happen, but the possibilities are very exciting! And Addi’s recent show picture came.  We had to do it without the judge, as she had a full schedule. (She was covering for the original judge who was absent). But I loved the background and wanted a picture, so we went ahead and did the picture anyway.  Addi had won Winner’s bitch twice that weekend, giving her two more points towards her championship, so we needed a new picture to celebrate.