Successfully kicking off the new year at a Dog Show!

This weekend I brought Dior and Callista out to the K9 Fanciers show in Ann Arbor, MI. There were a LOT of dogs; including a lot of poodles and shelties at the show! In fact, there were around 200 dogs entered on Saturday! It was fun to see so many of our dog fancy friends, ring steward for phenomenal judges, and spend a ‘girls weekend’ with Kate, Feia, Dior and Callista. They LOVED cuddling up close on the bed so much that I had to switch to the other bed to get any sleep, LOL.

9 month old Callista went in the ring with 6 mature poodles in the champion class on Saturday and 5 mature poodles in the champion class on Sunday. I was happy we were able to get around the ring without any severe puppy antics that could disrupt the show ???? – j.k. she was actually pretty good! We really only had some happy-puppy popcorn antics going around the ring. On Sunday, I asked Judge Cynthia Fellows for feedback and she said I needed to move faster. I was like, “Faster?!?, I have been slowing down so she wouldn’t hop”. I went into the next ring and took the longest strides I could manage, moving as fast as I could, and sure enough – the girl smoothed right out. Lesson learned!

Dior’s show results

Dior had a great weekend, and she is really maturing nicely. She took the champion class all four shows, and on Sunday she won Best of Breed. I never expected this as the competion was extremely impressive! But then she went on to earn a Group 4 out of 11 gun dogs! I am pretty sure I floated the rest of the day!

Dior is a Piper x Romeo October 2021 puppy and littermate to Valor.

We ended the weekend by delivering Kate to the AKC handler who said she should finish quickly. I already can’t wait to have her back home! And then I cuddled with puppies before crashing for a full 8 hours!

Title Acronyms Revisited: There Is More to Those Letters Than You Might Think

In June 2023, I wrote Title Acronyms 1-2-3: Avoid the Confusion to help explain some of the letters you see before and after dogs' registered names. CH, GCH, CGC, BCAT, TKN and the seemingly endless collection of other acronyms can be confusing if you aren't involved...

𝗦𝗢𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗭𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗗𝗢𝗘𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗠𝗘𝗔𝗡 𝗟𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗣𝗘𝗧 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗣𝗨𝗣𝗣𝗬

You take your new puppy to the hardware store. Within five minutes: “Oh my gosh! A puppy!” “Can I pet her?” “Can my kids pet her?” And suddenly three adults, two children and somebody's shopping cart are descending upon your puppy while you're thinking: Look at us...

BREEDING 101: 𝗦𝗔𝗠𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥, 𝗗𝗜𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗣𝗨𝗣𝗣𝗜𝗘𝗦! 🐩❤️

One of the things I enjoy most about raising a litter is watching the differences between the puppies emerge. They have the same parents, are raised in the same environment and receive the same early enrichment, yet they aren't identical in either structure or...

𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗣𝗢𝗢𝗗𝗟𝗘 𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗘𝗗. 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧’𝗦 𝗢𝗞𝗔𝗬.

One of the most useful things you can teach a Poodle is absolutely nothing. No puzzle toy. No training session. No walk. No game of fetch. No one entertaining them. Just...nothing. And for a breed as intelligent, people-oriented, and observant as the Poodle, learning...

Addison’s Disease in Standard Poodles: What the Latest Research Is Telling Us

Last evening, I participated in a presentation on current Addison’s disease research in Standard Poodles, presented by Steven G. Friedenberg, DVM, PhD, DACVECC, Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Friedenberg is both...

Breeder Corner: Which Tool(s) Should I Use?

If two dogs have a 0% COI, does that make them a good breeding pair? The answer is no—and that's where the art and science of responsible breeding come together. No single number, test, title, or opinion should determine whether two dogs are bred. Responsible breeding...

Canine Temperament and Cognition Evaluations

Understanding Canine Temperament & Cognition: What the Tools Really Tell Us Choosing the right puppy—or developing the right training plan for a young or adult dog—is not about finding a single “perfect test.” Instead, it requires understanding what different...

Dog Owner’s Guide to Social Media: Tagging Breeders, Co-Owners, and Sharing Responsibly

Showcasing Your Dog Online: Proper Etiquette for Tagging Breeders and Co-Owners In today’s world of social media, sharing photos and updates about our dogs has become second nature. Whether it’s a candid moment at home or a big win at a show, these posts help us...

Cleared by Parentage: How OFA Uses It, Why It Expires, and What It Means for Puppy Buyers

Cleared by Parentage: What It Really Means for Breeders and Puppy Buyers In the world of canine health testing, the term “cleared by parentage” (CBP) is often misunderstood. It sounds simple enough—the puppy is clear because both parents are genetically clear—but...

Stop the Confusion: What DNA Markers Really Mean for Your Dog’s Health

DNA testing for animals has evolved from the early days of blood typing and parentage verification to today’s precision genomic sequencing capable of identifying thousands of markers in a single test. In the 1950s and 1960s, laboratories like the Veterinary Genetics...