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| Winning BOB at 9 months old |
Following a telephone call last month I now feel I need to clarify a few things. To be honest the contents of the call has played on my mind quite a lot over the last few weeks; it's really made me think, especially about what I write here and about expressing myself more clearly.
Ok, Jezi was a difficult puppy, there was no doubt about that, but so was Tali, the intelligent ones are always harder to deal with. But Jezi is now a lovely beautiful and obedient young adult. Steve and I both agree that had Jezi not been part of a group of three sisters we would probably have never have had any difficulties at all. She was always respectful of the adults and not at any time ever, did we worry that Jezi would show aggression towards us, she simply never has done. Actually she never showed what I class as aggression towards any person. She did, and does bark in the home, but if anything for a period of time she was more nervous of strangers than anything. Now she's simply aloof with them!
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| RBIS in 2013 |
I actually blame myself for the stage of nervousness that Jezi went through, due to an unfortunate sequence of events I was concentrating on getting Ziva's over the upsets that had knocked her confidence during a very sensitive period of growth. I also had Danni and Enya to take out and about and socialise. Jezi had been the most confident puppy, basically, and sadly, she got left behind at the wrong time during a period when she should have been seeing the world. But lets not forget that by the time she was 9 months old Jezi was in the show ring. Handled by Tracy in the challenge she actually won her first Best Of Breed at that age. I have continued to show her and she is regularly handed over to friends to handle as I have Ziva to show in similar age classes. Jezi has cope wonderfully and as you may remember was recently RBIS with Paula handling her in the challenge. (Ziva had also won her class on the day and I handled her in the challenge) A dog with character issues would not cope in the show ring, especially not being handled by a stranger.
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| Today - just posing |
Jezi is really not a problem dog, we simply went through some difficult stages as she was growing up. Sadly on top of probably being hormonal, (She came in season when she was pretty young) she was a victim of out lifestyle and difficult circumstances at the time. Unlike her mother she may not be wiling to be a strangers best friend, but I don't care about that. Actually it's more typical of the breeds characteristic and mentioned in the standard that they are aloof with strangers. As far as the show ring is concerned, in many a judge's eye her colour will always go against her, but if she never wins another 1st prize again, who cares?
Jezi is a star, a comedian and a great character, Steve's special friend and we both adore her.
