A good nights sleep is all you need! For the first time in the best part of 2 years I've slept through from 11.30pm ish till 7am ish, and I feel worse than ever! No seriously it was wonderful to wake up and realise what time it was, it's usually between 1am and 3am when I wake up for the first time in a night so the sleep can only have done me good. It just doesn't feel like it at the moment.Yesterday was quite a day, for Jackie and I and it brought back memories of how we use to show our "Lledfegin" bred girls and for me too the earlier Blaniks! For Ian it was a new experience and he loved it, his attraction for Kaiah was spot on and he really kept her going as I had to stay away for most of the class. Back ground music, outside attraction, owners running around the outside of the ring with squeaky toys and hooters was something we considered the norm then, but these days you can't as much as sneeze (I was going to say fart but changed my mind) at a Kennel Club show and someone is accusing you of outside attraction. But this was not a K.C show, this was a Regional event run by the GSD League of great Britain, with it's own rules and run very much in the way the breed is shown and judged all over the world. It really is a different ball game and though young Ross has already been in training for this Kaiah was kind of thrown in at the deep end.
Kaiah was in puppy bitch and if you were at a KC show you would say she was 4th out of 4. (I tend to still say that!) But at these event verbal critiques are given on the animals and grading are given from first to last. Kaiah was actually given the highest grading possible of the 6 gradings with the judge saying it was a class of "Beautiful puppy bitches." (The grading available are Very Promising, Promising, Less promising, Sufficient, Faulty, Insufficient) In her individual critique he said Kaiah was slightly "Fine" throughout and he would prefer more strength, but he also said that it would probably come with normal maturity and maybe having a litter in a couple of years would help. I could see that compared to the other bitches she was, less substantial shall we say? At only 26kg I have said she's the lightest frame bitch we've ever had here, but personally I'm very very pleased with her. To me she's ridiculously pretty and ultra feminine but not "fine." (I hate that word!) Of course I would be less forgiving of a male in a similar frame. Sex characteristics need to be obvious in the breed ... Boys need to be obviously boys! Anyway considering all Kaiah gave a super performance and I was really chuffed with her, even more so when last night the owner of the third bitch messaged me and said he though Kaiah should have gone up over his bitch .. especially as he has previously judged Kaiah and gave her BPIB.
Ross took the day in his stride, he dug holes in the mud, he pulled up clumps of grass and rolled where possible in any soggy spots! There was five entries in his class and he was the youngest. The class was assessed but not "Judged!" The judge giving a general impression of the class, having already said earlier that he didn't like sables (After putting one first) he said he thought all the pups had super potential and wished them well for the future. I must admit I was a little disappointed that there was nothing for the babies, not even a rosette. Previous similar classes that I've attended have always given a little something to the baby puppies .. and some of those where cheaper to enter!I was pleased that Ross' breeders got to see him. They seemed pleased with him and thought that he was very similar to how he was when we bought him, no drastic changes to conformation, he's just obviously bigger! The breeder husband said that he thought Ross would have a very "Thick" head as an adult. I must admit I laughed inside, not a term we would use, we say strong, masculine or even broad, but not "thick." Still I know what he meant! There were a few comments made about his hocks and how tidy he is on the rear pasterns, as I've said before I think normal moderate exercise for a puppy helps a puppy from becoming hocky, or if they do it quickly straightens things out.
The breeders husband also told me that he greatly admired me for the way I keep my dogs, which was probably the nicest thing anyone could have said to me. I have to admit sometimes with two delinquent youngsters it gets hard, especially for a period in the evening. Ross wants to play, I want to watch Enders and Ross usually convinces Sammi, Loki and Kaiah to play with him. The level of noise can become unbearable and the older dogs get totally fed up. Still it's my choice to have the dogs so it's like it, lump it and record Enders for when they flake out .. usually about 8.30pm!Yesterday I also got to see Kaiah's farther, Merlot who was waiting to go in the ring as we were getting ready to go home. He looked super and I was pleased to see him away from his home.
So yeah a good day was had by all and I will probably go again, but despite hard times for the breed I will also stick to the KC shows. We will not be pushed out by the "Alsatianists" and breed haters!!!
