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March 2013 Volume 69 • Issue 2
In This Issue From the Editor .........................2From the President ...................3From the Treasurer ...................3AKC Delegate’s Report.............4Training Tips..............................5From the Training Director ........5
Brags......................................6-7Ace, the Mighty Norwich..........8-Simon’s Journey .......................9What is An Obichaff? ..............10Thanks & Acknowledgements 10Sarah Evans Starts Brag Wall 10
CDTC Show ’n Go...................11Trophies & Awards Report ......11Joan Adler Receives Award....12Have Dog, Will Travel .............13Class Schedules................14-15Events ......................Back Cover
CDTC’s Rally Training Group—Success in the Ring!By Josie McAuliffe and Dianne Harab
The rally training group was formed in 2010 whenDianne Harab and I wanted to practice for rallycompetition, but could not find many matches. I
was training Rocket for Rally Advanced and Dianne wastraining Reese. We met one Saturdayafternoon to set up a ring andpractice. We invited others to joinus as setting up the course requiresthe most effort. Pam Coblyn andFenway were our first invite! Then,Eileen Freedman, Brad Smith andCharma Edwards joined. Followingshortly thereafter, Vicki Lambert,Carrie Solomon, Jodie Jeweler,Mary Carson, Bob Reinhardt, SueFaber and many others also startedtraining with the group. Word hadgotten out!
Dianne and Reese earned theirRally Advanced title in 2010 andtheir Rally Excellent title in 2011.Dianne and Hershey earned their Rally Novice title in2011 and their Rally Advanced and Rally Excellent titles inMarch 2012. Rocket, my smart German shepherd, is stilltraining for his RA! He loves the training group, but getsvery nervous at trials. Then, in late 2010, I adopted Xena,and she has quickly earned her RN, RA, RE and RAE.
In 2011 Dianne started teaching a Rally Novice course. Ialso taught an Introduction to Rally course and after thestudents completed the class, we invited them to join ourSaturday afternoon rally training group. The group grew
and grew! We utilized all of the rings and set up a Novicecourse and a nested Advanced/Excellent course. Many of theattendees would come early and helped set up the coursesand then stayed late to take them down and put the ring
gating back in place. Several in thegroup would act as judges andgive pointers to the attendees. Itwas clear there was a spirit of vol-unteerism and camaraderie!
As a result, many have earnedtheir Novice,Advanced and Excellent titles. Earning these titlesis, in part, thanks to the collectiveskills of the group and the consis-tent practice it provided. Sincewe share our experiences withthe group—both the mistakesand the successes—we have alllearned from each other. It reallyhas helped us all, and we have
made some great friendships (bothwith the people and with their dogs!)
The training group consists of run-thrus for Novice, Advanced and Excellent. Courses are designed and trainingmembers are given time to walk through the courses priorto running their dogs. Members are not charged a fee andnon-members are charged $10 per session. The traininggroup takes place on Saturdays at 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm. Various members take charge in running the group.
Today the rally training group is running at peak capac-
ObichaffThe Monthly Newsletter of theCapital Dog Training Club, Inc.Proud Member Club of the
AKC Since 1938
continued on page 11
Josie McAuliffe and Rocket practice in the Advanced ring.
2 March 2013
From the Editor— by Pam Coblyn, Editor, Obichaff
“In times of joy, all of us wished wepossessed a tail we could wag.”―W.H. Auden
There is a lot to be joyful about at the CDTC and it has everything todo with the spirit of volunteerism and a sense of pride.
Thanks to Vicki Lambert and Eileen Freedman, our clubhouse lobbyis reorganized and refreshed, neat and tidy. I hope everyone appreciatestheir efforts and helps to maintain order and reduce clutter. Stay tuned—they’re not done. The rest of the clubhouse awaits...
The club now has a new Brag Wall! Thanks to Jeff and Dianne Harab, abeautiful framed show photo with ribbons of long time member SarahEvans and her field spaniels is the first installation. (see story on page 10).
Speaking of brags, I ran out of space on the 2-page spread reservedfor the Obichaff Brag page. This is a sign that our teachers are teachingwhat students need to learn in order to successfully enter competitionsand earn new titles. The obedience, rally and agility programs are thriving.And, let me add that when I watch other members at trials, they alwaysstand out for for their footwork, form and familiarity with requirements.Their dogs are well trained with the fundamentals and well prepared—even when the unfortunate NQ mistakes happen!
Finally, as I put the new class schedule together, I was struck by thenumber of Training Groups. We now have a total of seven! Some aresmall, some are large, but all fill a need. They help members prepare forcompetitions and work on particular training problems. Bravo to thededicated volunteers who organize and run our Training Groups!
So, there is a lot going on at CDTCto wag about and do the happydance. Have an idea? Please speak up and share it. Pitch in, volunteer, assistand reach out with a smile or a treat. This is your club...this is our club!
Obichaff is published monthly, except in January, for the benefit of members of Capital Dog Train-ing Club. Members are encouraged to submit articles that would be of interest to other members.All submissions to Obichaff must have the author’s name. Previously published material must in-clude permission from the publisher to use the material in Obichaff. The Editor has the right to edit for space, content and tone. If significant changes are made (i.e., morethan just for clarity, punctuation, spelling, etc.), the author will be given an opportunity to reviewthe edited article. Material published in Obichaff does not necessarily reflect the opinions of theEditor or of CDTC. Newsletters of other clubs may quote any part of this publication, providedproper credit is given and a copy sent to Capital Dog Training Club.
2013 Board of Directors
PresidentCarrie [email protected]
Vice PresidentEileen [email protected]
SecretaryNan [email protected]
TreasurerKen [email protected]
Training DirectorSuzanne [email protected].
Assistant Training DirectorAbigail [email protected]
Training SecretaryShannon [email protected]
Trial ChairBurton [email protected]
Trophy ChairKathy [email protected]
AKC DelegateJoyce [email protected]
Obichaff EditorPam [email protected]
Members at LargeVanessa [email protected]
Lois KieturLois Kietur [email protected]
Vicki [email protected]
Website: www.cdtc.org
Follow us on Facebook: Capital Dog Training Club of Washington, DC
Follow us on Twitter: @CapDTC
March 2013 3
Go Green—Obichaff Print Edition Opt-OutDon’t want to receive a copy of Obichaff in the mail? No problem. Just email Marian Hardy at [email protected] ask to have your name removed from the Obichaff mailing list. All club members subscribed to the CDTClistserv will receive notification when the PDF of Obichaff is posted to the web site.
From the PresidentFebruary 2013
If you haven’t been to the clubhouse lately, or visitedour website, you may not know that we have madesome changes, hopefully for the better.
At the clubhouse, we have installed a CoolerSmartcold/hot water dispenser. This will replace our brokenwater fountain. The water is ultra-filtered and very refreshing. This is also a more hygienic method of dispensing water as water fountains can be notoriouscarriers of germs. On our website, we have added a PayPal method for payment of all kinds of fees includingmembership dues, class fees and donations to our Trophyfund. Speaking of the trophy fund, it’s not too soon tobe thinking about donations you may be interested inmaking in anticipation of our Obedience/Rally triallater this year. The premium will need to be drafted andsent out to the printer well in advance of the trial inOctober. If you want to make a donation to the Trophy
fund and ensure that it makes it into the premium, nowis the time to send it in.
Finally, as a reminder, we have our Agility trial comingup April 5, 6 and 7. We will need lots of volunteers tohelp make this event a success. Our Trial Chair, BurtGoldstein, has set up an on-line process for volunteering,(http://goo.gl/wEz37). However, if you find that processdoesn’t work for you but you want to volunteer, pleasefeel free to contact Burt or myself directly and we willget you signed up. In addition, Burt will provide anoverview of the various volunteer positions at our next
General Meeting on Tuesday, March 12 to help us better understand what the responsibilities are. Hope to see you all there!
Carrie SolomonPresident, CDTC
From the Trea$urer— by Ken Harringer
The club has added a new electronic payment option. If you need to pay for leashes/collars, arun-thru, a class, or wish to donate to our trophy
fund or renew your membership, point your browser towww.cdtc.org, and click the “Payments” tab. No user IDor password is necessary! With our electronic paymentpage, you can pay the club using either your credit card(earn miles!), or an “e-check.” E-check is just a banker’sfancy word for using your checking account.
Save a stamp! Save a tree!� Keep your envelopes in your house! Keep your cashin your wallet!
�Try electronic payment with your next payment tothe club!
We hope you find this a convenient, time-saving andcost-saving option. If you have any suggestions to make
our payment page more useful, pleasecontact me at [email protected] for your continued support ofthe club!
P.S: Since donning the Treasurer’smantle, when we enter the clubhouselobby for a class, members often buttonhole us regarding checks, prices, reimbursements,etc.All are important matters, but Bruno is not amused!He’s getting into rings late, and not getting his belovedwarm-up with Wooba. If you see a board or committeemember getting ready to enter a class, consider whetherjawboning them regarding club issues would be thebest preparation for their dog to perform well in theirclass. I have come to learn that all board and committeemembers are readily accessible by email & phone andeagerly reply at all hours. Thanks for your consideration!
4 March 2013
Before reporting on the AKC meeting and currentissues, I want to remind everyone we are in thetime period when members can start nominating
members for the AKC Good Sportsmanship Award.Guidelines and qualifications for written nominationswere in last years’7 February and March issues of ournewsletter. Written nominations must be 500 words orless and mailed to me by April 15, 2013. You should re-ceive confirmation from me that I have received yournomination. Please make sure the person you arenominating is going to accept it!
The Obedience, Agility, Tracking Committee Meeting� Doug Lundjen , the new head of the companion eventsdepartment, mentioned the AKC Board removed the 3-dayrule on Rally. Rally event can now be held within a yearof the obedience trial of a club.
� Discussions occurred about toy breeds going first before all breeds and about the judges’ schedule.
� Doug mentioned Herding clubs want to do obediencetrials. There was some concern about the 100 mile ruleif they do. He said his office will monitor.
� Doug emphasized the 30-day rule—exhibitors and dogstrained by judges can’t show under that judge for 30days. This includes dogs owned and handled by persontrained by judge.
�Tracking judges cannot handle any dog they own intheir tracking event.
�Assignment Limitations—Judges have a 2-day limitationon judging within a cluster.
� Discussion occurred about an obedience trial secre-tary entering their event. The majority of the memberspresent at the meeting stated that their clubs do notallow the secretary to enter.
�The jump height moratorium was lifted. Parent clubsare to send letter to Doug if they want the height loweredfor their breed with an explanation of the physiology ofthe breed in justification of their request.
� It was decided that AKC would not pursue the Triathlonin Companion Events.
�There are already over 1,000 applications for the CGCtitle. This was of Dec. 12, 2012. CGC will be a part of theFamily Dog Program.
� Some clubs have included in their events a My DogCan Do That activity for exhibitors and spectators. It isused as part of the club’s invite to club events/activities.
Low agility and rally courses are set up. Some clubs doit for free and some charge a small fee. They have a pho-tographer to take picture for dog registration for PAL.
�The companion events E-list was discussed. There are245 members. If anyone in our club would like to join,please contact me.
�There will be an Agility Advisory Committee Meeting inlate spring. The AKC Board will discuss the use of break-away tires. The Excellent B class was renamed the Masterclass on January 1. Clubs can have up to 12 trials a year.
The General Meeting:�At the Focus meeting, the new AKC Board Candidateswere presented and each spoke. They are Lee Arnold,Carl Ashby, Judi Daniels, Thomas Davies, Alan Kalter, GailLeBerge and Harvey Woodling. Arnold, Ashby and Kalterare currently on the Board and Davies was on a year agobut had to take a year off due to term limits. LeBergeserves on the OTA committee with me. Daniels is pastAKC President and a former Board member. Their biosare on the AKC website. Voting will be held at the MarchDelegates meeting. If anyone has a preference, pleasecontact me.
�Alan Kalter gave the chairperson’s report. He mentionedthat in conformation 30% of the entries are from theBred By Competitor category.
� Dennis Sprung introduced the new COO. His bio is located on the AKC website. He thanked clubs for coming to the aid of the Animal Humane Fund for theSandy disaster. Over $200,000 has been disbursed.
� Lee Arnold discussed the Animal Humane Fund’s rolein assisting battered women with pets. Grants have beengiven to women shelters that accept pets.
� Gina DiNardi, who was in charge of Meet the Breedsin October, gave a report. There were 35,000 dog lovers,163 dog breeds and 51 cats. Three US Senators signedon to be Honorary Chairs for the event.
� In financing, registrations are continuing to affect income. Dog registrations are down 50,000 a year. Litterregistrations are also down.
� Carl Ashby thanked the clubs that participated in thePresidents Challenge. For PAC $38,848 was raised andCanine Legislation received $52,166. Eighty candidatesreceived support and 70% of them won. Another Challenge will kick off in September 2013.
Delegates Corner— by Joyce Dandridge
March 2013 5
Don’t Miss the 2013 Sylvia Bishop Training Seminar!
Teaching a “Go” command at home theeasy way: Have a dog who just loves torace you down the stairs? Bonus points if
they can brush against your legs and make yourbalance precarious?
I used to teach my dogs to wait at the top ofthe steps after one of my big dogs was so badabout stair racing that I could have sworn he hadtaken out an insurance policy on me! I mentionedthis to Mary Jane Zarnowski years ago and she of-fered a different approach—she trained her dogs
to run down the stairs ahead of her instead ofwith her or behind her. What could be easier???!!!
This behavior is now standard for me with mydogs, all of whom know “Go” as a cue from ourdaily life together. Once they have a good under-standing of it from running down the stairs athome—which happens very fast indeed—ittranslates easily to running out ahead of me in theback yard. I reward them with a toy thrown out infront of their path. From this, I now have a commandto “send” my dogs in both agility and obedience.
Training Question of the Month—
How Do I Teach the “Go” Command?— by Shannon Hall, Training Secretary
Presented by Melissa McMunn and Donna Cleverdon at M & B Training Center, Westminster, MDMarch 28,29,30 , 2013
Cost: $475 - Working $225 - AuditorSylvia Bishop’s delightful presentation will demonstrate her highly motivational, common sense approach to training drive
and attention. You can enhance your dog's training using Sylvia’s unprecedented combination of fun and motivationusing just a simple buckle collar and YOU. If you are interested in a dynamic, thought-provoking seminar to stimulate
your training program, don't miss this chance to work with “The Bishop!”Contact Donna ([email protected]) or Missy ([email protected]) for more details and registration!
From the Training Director— by Suzanne Miller
Irecently had the opportunity towatch a Utility B class. The top 3scores were 199 ½, 198 ½, and
198. They went to an OTCH, a UDX2,and a UDX. It was awe-inspiring!These were dog and handler teamsperforming at the top of their game.I watched the dogs carefully for anysigns of stress and saw only joy andpleasure. The top dog, a Golden,smiled throughout the performance,wagged her tail constantly, and leaptto her person’s face level when returning to heel.
This is what competition dogtraining is supposed to be all about—joyous dogs working in tandem withtheir handlers. If our dogs aren’t
having fun, what are we doing tocorrect that? I struggle with thatdaily with my first dog who reallydoesn’t like obedience and wouldrather be out in the field or in theconformation ring. So I break downexercises to make them games. Youdon’t like the broad jump? Okay, howabout chasing a tennis ball or Frisbeeback and forth over it? Heeling isboring? What if we play chase andcrazy, zig-zagged heeling so you haveto keep alert?
I always tell my Basic class thatthe exercises and solutions will beslightly different for each dog andhandler team. We must adapt andadjust our means and methods to
each situation,to each newdog. But we still all have the samegoals—to work together in harmonyand joy as a team with our dogs. Emphasis on team.
I intend to keep sitting on thesidelines, watching Open B and Utility B performances. They are inspiring and prove that such partner-ships are possible with our caninecompanions. I would encourageeveryone who is training at anylevel in obedience to join me atringside. See what is possible, seewhat the ultimate looks like, andplot your own course accordingly.
6 March 2013
On January 25, at Oriole’s Timonium agility trial, Shannon Hall had theamusing experience of running two 20" dogs in Novice Fast, with only four20" dogs total. The other two were also being handled by one person. “So Iran Mimi Burton’sAussie, Miles, the other lady ran a Golden, then I ran myown Lab Susie, and the other lady ran her second golden. There was muchgasping for breath. I could not have done it without the gracious Betsy Gartland holding Susie at the start gate for me, while Mimi awaited Miles atthe exit gate. Much fun was had by all and Miles and Susie went 1st and2nd, with Susie finishing her Novice Fast title. Good times! Fast times!
Zephyr (Gracelann’s Saylor’s Breeze, CD),Donna Cleverdon’s standard poodle, wentto an APDT Rally trial on the weekend of Jan26-27, simply to get some fun training in thering. Zephyr brought his “A Game” and had
other ideas! He came away with a newtitle—Rally Level I—with placements for
every leg. Zephyr would have had a nice legon Level II the next afternoon on Sunday, but
his dopey handler missed a sign! We hopeZephyr earned lots of cheese sticks for that!
Brags—CDTC Members Bring Home the Rosettes!
Shannon Hall’s Susie picked upher NADAC Outstanding NoviceWeavers title (6 Q’s) and a 1st placeand her Superior Novice Tunnelerstitle (10 Qs) with a 2nd place. On to Open, Susie!
Dianne Harab and Hershey,(CH Bruce’s Ghost Of Selkirk) is inthe Top Ten Rally Novice fieldspaniels for 2011! High fives for the chocolate wonder!
Jo-Anne Riddle’s Ken-sie, (CH Merrie Munro’sDark Snapdragon), fin-ished her conformationchampionship on Thurs-day January 31, 2013 atthe Sand and Sea Kennel Club show inWildwood, New Jersey. Nice start to the newyear, Kensie!
Pam Coblyn’s border collie Fenway, (CH Tartan Bay Green Monster) nailedhis AXJ (Excellent Jumpers With Weaves)title with a swift 3rd place finish in alarge and competitive 20" class at Oriole’sagility trial in Timonium on January 27.Fenway finished this title with a 1st, 2ndand a 3rd placement!Can Fenway lookany more delighted with himself?
Vanessa Andrew’s Norwich terrier,Ace, earned his MXJ on February 16 inhis final run at Dream Park. Despite thefact that Vanessa is still tasting dirt, itwas a great weekend!
March 2013 7
First AKC Q!Mimi Burton’s aussie, Miles,earned his first Q at his first AKCtrial at the Belgian Sheepdog trialin September, 2012 Miles earnedhis Q in Novice Standard withShannon Hall handling him. Boy,he sure made Shannon stay onher toes and work hard!
Jodie Jeweler’s Kelly (As ACheile O’Ros) earned hisRally Advanced title January27 2013 at the York CountyDog Training Club underjudge Karen Frese, with another 3rd place finish! Weplan to get Kelly’s RE, thenhis CD—then, who knows—maybe freestyle! (and hisCH.) Thanks to Lisa Daniel,and the Saturday Rally training group—especiallyJosie, Vicki, Carrie & Bob!We’d love to see Kelly dance!
Corky (Corcaigh O’LaoghaireO’Ros) earned his first twobreed Champion points andwas placed as Best of Winnersby judge Nikki Riggsbee, January 20, 2013, at the An-napolis Kennel Club. Jodiewants to thank Jeff Harab,Alex Smith & Benita Bottomsfor teaching her how to handleCorky to his best advantage!She hopes to earn titles atboth ends of Corky’s name!
Kathleen Sandy and Skye (Sandy’sSkye’s the Limit) earned his Novice Tun-neler’s title at the February 9, 2013 Periland NADAC trial. Giddyup, Skye!
On Sept. 9, 2012—the day she turned 15 months—Laura Rubin and her border collie Lucy, a.k.a. (Sagehill Phi BetaKappa), started her AKC agility career. By Dec. 8, just 3 months later, she had earned 6 agility titles: Novice and OpenStandard, Novice, Open and Excellent Jumpers With Weaves, and Novice Fast! As such, she is now Lucy OA, AXJ, NF.But, of course, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. Lucy is now working on her start line stay. Be a good girl, Lucy!
8 March 2013
An Ace in the Hole—A Mighty Norwich Takes the Agility Fast TrackBy Vanessa Andrews, CDTC Board Member At Large
W hat a difference a yearcan make! A year ago,Ace, my Norwich Terrier,
and I earned our first AKC agilitytitle (NAJ). This year, at the same trialin Timonium, we were working toward getting QQs and points toward his MACH.
As I reflect on our journey, I realizeit has been both fun and hardwork—two ingredients that aregreat motivators for both of us. Thatsaid, we are not always at the samepoint at the same time. Sometimes,he has pushed me.And, at othertimes, I have pushed him. But, to-gether, we have continued to learnand grow.
We constantly work on the basics.For example, at first, we spent a lotof time gaining confidence on theteeter and A-Frame. Now, we spendthat time ensuring that he doesn’tfly off of them without making hiscontacts.And, the weave poles arealways on our practice list, be itworking the entry, speed or moreindependence.
At the same time, as Ace becamemore self-assured and familiar withthe equipment and routine of trials,his attention started to wander ashe realized there were excitingthings, people and smells to explore(other than me!). So, I started work-ing hard at keeping him focusedboth inside and out of the ring. Thishas included some trial and error interms of our pre-run rituals—whento get him out of his crate, how wego into the ring and what rewardshe gets after his run.
Equally important has been our abil-ity to communicate and work as a
team. This has become especiallyimportant as the courses have be-come more challenging. My biggesthurdle is making sure I am givinghim both enough and the proper in-formation to enable him to do hisjob. In fact, Ace has started “yelling”at me when I confuse or give him awrong cue. It is amazing to thinkabout how even what seems likesubtle body language—deceleratingor turning my shoulders slightly—communicates so much to him soquickly. So, I work on being as inten-tional and accurate as I can, whichis not always easy when I am both
moving fast and trying to rememberwhere I am going!
All this said, if it weren’t for thegreat people (and dogs)—my in-structors, classmates and fellow han-dlers—I wouldn’t be spending thismuch time and energy on agility.Every step of the way, we havelearned from and had the enthusias-tic support of many folks fromCDTC. For those who are just start-ing out or are curious about agility,try a class and/or go watch a trial.Capital’s trial is coming up in Apriland it is a great opportunity!
March 2013 9
“Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) is an inherited dis-ease of the retina (the “film in the camera”) in dogs, inwhich the eyes are genetically programmed to goblind. PRA occurs in both eyes simultaneously and isnon-painful.”
Simon is now Simon Cinnamon RN NAJ NF CGC,plus a lot of NADAC and CPE agility titles. Gettingthat last leg on his RN was a relief, as AKC does not
permit dogs who are “without useful vision” to continueto compete, and Simon is on his way to being blind. Hehas an eye condition called PRA, diagnosed in mid-Sep-tember when I went to Dr. Smith, the eye specialist, toget a good baseline for the very tiny cataracts* my Vethad noticed earlier in the month. Dr. Smith’s responsewas that yes, he has tiny cataracts but there was nothingto do about them because he has PRA and would be to-
tally blind in 1 to2 years. This was acomplete shock,as we were trial-ing and qualifyingin agility. Hard toimagine that adog successfullyrunning coursescould possibly begoing blind!
Still, it did explaina few things: hehad slowed downin tunnels, hadhead butted closed
crate doors in dark spaces a few times and was missing afair number of front cross cues. I had chalked the firstand last up to being my fault, but in fact he couldn’t seewell inside the curved, dark colored tunnels so he wasvery sensibly slowing down, and he wasn’t catching myfront cross cues because they were a bit too subtle forhim. Okay, I can still take the blame for the crummy han-dling! Dr, Smith told me that if he was happily runningagility still, more power to us, and that I would knowwhen it was time to retire him. We all decided about amonth later that the time had come to retire him whilehe was still safe and he had some of the fastest, happiest
runs of his career at those last two trials.
There were tears though on my part and a lot of mopingon his when I would go to class with Susie and leave himhome. Dave says he lies on the throw rug, staring at thegarage door while I am gone and refusing to move. Poorguy! So I decided to go ahead and trial for his RN to givehim something fun to do. It’s on leash, no jumps, seemedlike a plan. His first RN leg was nice and he outscored hissister Susie, who was finishing her RA. His second legwas sloppier but he still outscored Susie, who is handi-capped by having a mom who cannot read Rally signs.His third leg was the nerve-wracking one though, be-cause it mattered. I don't care if Susie qualifies (goodthing, since I NQ’d her by misreading signs!) because wecan just sign up for the next one, and the next one, andso on. But with Simon, I really wanted it, one last thing todo with my boy. Jim Poor was there and I told him hehad to wish me well because I wanted to buy that titlephoto from him!
It wasn’t the most elegant run ever, with some sign sniff-ing that led to tight leash penalties and a “what doesfront mean?” moment, but we were a happy team, Simonwagging and smiling the entire way around the ring, de-lighted to be there. A Q ribbon and a title ribbon, thatphoto shoot with the judge, and we are retired.As wewere playing fetch in the yard today, with Simon racingafter his toy and catching it in mid-air, I wonder howlong until he is “without useful vision” but I’m not sosure he will make it easy for me to tell. Cattle Dogs arethe best and blind cattle dogs rock, too!
* These are called toxic cataracts and are secondaryto the retina degeneration. Who knew?
Jim
Poo
r •
ww
w.ji
mpo
or.c
om
Simon sails over a triple jump!
Multi-talented Simon with his impressive collection of titlerosettes and qualifying ribbons in agility and rally.
Smiling Simon’s Journey is Anything But SimpleBy Shannon Hall, CDTC Training Secretary
10 March 2013
Have you ever wondered how our newsletter got itsname? If you’re like member Joan Danzansky, you mightnot have found a ready answer. “Ever since I joined theClub—about 3 years ago—I have been asking, andeveryone I have asked has referred me to someone else.And I’ve been through quite a few members!)“About 20 yrs ago we had this discussion. Some peoplethought that it meant Obedience Chatter. Someoneelse thought something else, but I don’t rememberwhat!”Joan AdlerCDTC Historian
“Obi is for obedience. And “chaff” is something aboutseparating the wheat from the chaff. Never made awhole lot of sense to me!”Judy CoslerFormer Editor, Obichaff
“It is a combination of “obedience” and “chaff”. Youknow what obedience is. Chaff is that which is dissemi-nated by the wind—spread around.”Donna CleverdonCDTC Obedience Instructor
“Of course - it comes from "obedience" & "chaff." Ifyou have access to earlier issues, you will no doubtcome across it somewhere. Now I don't know who itwas who actually came up with the name, but that'swhere it comes from.”Sandi AtkinsonLong time CDTC member and AKC/UKC Judge
It appears we have a consensus! It appears, in thestrictest sense of the roots of the name, our club’snewsletter is dedicated to spreading obedience. I’d liketo believe that CDTC has evolved to become a trainingclub dedicated to teaching dogs good manners.
Sarah Evans Begins Brag WallBy Jerusha Gurvin, Obedience Instructor
Sarah was aCapital mem-ber back in thelate 1980’s wellinto the 1990’s.She was train-ing secretaryfor several yearsand several awards dinners were held at her farmin Barnesville, MD where we all enjoyed ourselvesby her pool in her beautiful back yard.
To my knowledge her Field Spaniels, “Sophie”and “Bridget”, were the first Fields to earn AKC titles at Capital. They were of her own breedingand she went on to breed numerous CH FieldSpaniels through the years.
Sarah was very active with fostering dogs for theshelter during those years. In addition to fostering—I remember Frankie and the coon hounds—shehad Italian Greyhounds, tropical fish, loads ofbirds and several cats and a horse (for a while). Avisit to Barnesville was always an adventure!
Editor’s Note: Our new steel kennels came fromSarah Evans’ estate!
Just What Is An Obichaff?—by Pam Coblyn, Obichaff Editor
I want to give a big thanks to Alex Smith, Benita Bottomand Diane Sutton for sharing their expertise and taking anactive role in the Conformation Training Group.They havebeen a wonderful additon to our conformation program.
Alex has taken a total newbie Berner person under herwing. She has gone out of her way to instruct him on han-dling his Bernese Mountain Dog. The owner has gone tomatches and is now considering showing his dog in thebreed ring.Alex has acted as judge for most of our training sessions.
Benita provided the group with insight into getting youngdogs ready for the show ring. She has a positive fun ap-proach to breed handling.
Diane has been invaluable in providing training insightand her experience has been spot on. She is particularly knowledge-able about handling small dogs on the table and providedvaluable instruction.
CDTC is really fortunate to have these selfless people andI want to thank them for their efforts, assistance and advice.Without their help, the Conformation Training Group wouldnot have worked!
This is another fine example of CDTC’s training groupsand how they work hand in hand with our regular classes toimprove performance.
— Jeff Harab
CDTC Members Making A Difference—Thank You’s & Acknowledgements
March 2013 11
CDTC First 2013 Show ’n Go A Big Success!— by Mary RiceWOW what a Great Show ’n Go Capital had on February 3rd. Entries were as follows:
• Utility 18• Open 27• Novice 22• Beginner Novice 9
This was the first time we offered the Beginner Novice class and we had a lot of positive feedback. I know for March we will be repeating the Beginner Novice.
We had a profit of $304.00!
HATS OFF to our wonderful volunteers:• Front Table: Pam Marshall and Jodie Jeweler• Judges: Carrie Solomon, Lisa Daniel, Bob Reinhardtand Mary Helen Rice• Stewards: Eileen Freedman, Lisa Mulligan, Nan Marks,Suzanne Miller, Sandi Atkinson, Amy Cook, Pepper Guzman,Josie McAuliffe, Dianne Harab, Charma Edwards andSue Faber.
The next Show ’n Go will be March 3, 2013.Come jointhe fun and proof your team in time for the spring obe-dience trial season! Dont’t forget to sign up to volunteer!
ity and as a result modifications are being made to runthe training group more efficiently.As students completethe Rally Novice class they are joining the training groupto hone their skills and prepare for trialing.
In addition to our training group, Capital offers twoRally classes for this popular program:
� 8 week Competition Rally class on Saturdays from 12-1 pm, beginning March 2, 2013
� 8 week Novice Rally class on Saturdays 10-11am, beginning March 23, 2013.
Why don’t you consider trying a Rally class? It’s an excellent way for you and your dog to build teamworkand have fun—handlers can clap hands, talk, whistle (even sing!) to them throughout the entire course without penalty!
Rally Training Group, (cont. from page 1)
Share your successes (and perhaps tales of hu-morous NQs) with your fellow CDTC members!
Meet people who you’ve seen only in passing—or maybe only know by their dogs’ names!
All members are invited and encouraged to attend!
Last year was my first year coordinating the awardsdinner. I was surprised at how many people thoughtthat the titles that they had earned weren’t “important”enough to be included! Are you kidding me? Novice ti-tles are precious titles. For many of us, it takes a lot ofwork to get to the point of even considering workingon a title—never mind actually earning one!
Let’s share the joy of our hard work and achievementswith the people who help make it possible—our instructors and fellow students.
See the awards form included in this issue to submityour 2012 titles!
Trophies & Awards!—by Kathy Sheehan,Trophy Chair
CDTC Awards Request Form
12 March 2013
Dianne Harab’s letter of nom-ination, for the LifetimeMembership Award, along
with the three letters of recommen-dation, were read at the February2013 General Meeting along withthe three letters of recommendation.
“I am nominating Joan Adler forthe lifetime membership award. TheP&P states that ‘A current memberwith 20 years of continuous mem-
bership who has contributed an extraordinary service to the Club’can be awarded this type of membership. Joan clearly demonstratesthis extraordinary service.
Joan joined Capital Dog Training Club in l979 and immediatelystarted teaching the subnovice class. She has been teaching this classcontinously for the past 34 years. She also has been teaching the util-ity class since Capital moved from the armory. After six months ofbeing a member, she was asked to be on the Board of Directors as aMember at Large. She has held other board positions including VicePresident and organized classes and has continously updated theP&P. She has been Show Secretary, organized seminars, organized ed-ucational opportunities programs for instructors on Sundays and hasserved on the Nominating Committee numerous times. Joan has beenthe historian since the 1990’s. She has been on the Bylaws committeeand worked on the Training Handbooks committee. Joan has beenawarded the 25 year award for teaching and also received the AKCSportsmanship Award. Joan has enjoyed judging, stewarding, andhelping other trainers and students. She has been active with the localGerman Shepherd Dog club, a member of National German ShepherdDog club,a member of Canine Training Association and has partici-pating in judging for CTA, and has been the local representative forNEADS (an internationally recognized service dog program). Joan hasall of the attributes that a club looks for when awarding a memberthe lifetime membership award. I am proud to be able to do so.”—Dianne Harab
“I am pleased and proud to have the opportunity to write a letterin support of Joan Adler’s nomination for Life Membership. Over hermore than 30 years as a member of the Club, Joan has given selflesslyto the organization in so many capacities. She has taught classes atall levels, mentored new instructors and countless new trainers, servedin numerous capacities on the Board and served as the historian and“organizational memory” for the Club.
In my years on the Board and especially as president, I foundJoan’s perspective, thoughtfulness, analysis, and wisdom to be invalu-able. She has kept us on the straight and narrow by maintaining thePolicies and Procedures—no easy task with our often non-processdecision-making process. She informed those decisions, even whenshe was not herself on the Board, a position she held for a number ofyears, with the perspective of past practices and precedents. Sheserved as a confidant and advisor even after stepping down from theBoard herself. I have benefitted greatly from her thoughtfulness and experience.
On a personal level, Joan was my very first Utility instructor atCapital. She tolerated my goofy Golden—a far cry from her very serious Shepherd—and yet managed to instill in me the skills and patience to work toward our goals. She worked with our trainingstyle and managed to get us to where she wanted us. I am forevergrateful for what I learned from her.
Joan Adler is a hard-working volunteer, a skilled and knowledgeabletrainer, a thoughtful and supportive friend, a major stalwart of thisClub, and a fine dog person. I am proud to support her nominationfor Life Membership of Capital Dog Training Club.—Suzanne Miller
While I currently serve as the clubs Secretary I write supporting thisnomination of Joan Adler in my personal capacity as a club member.Joan’s service to the club has truly been extraordinary. She joinedover 30 years ago in 1979 and almost immediately started teachingsub-novice obedience which she has done ceaselessly and wonderfullywell in all the years since. She has also taught Utility level obedienceduring some of those years. She has constantly stepped up to servethe club in many roles serving a number of years on the Board (manyas Vice President), serving as Show Secretary, serving on the nominatingCommittee, and organizing both seminars and classes. She has alsooften volunteered as judge or steward.
Notably Joan is quick to volunteer for tasks that are demanding, thatcan be fairly challenging, and that don’t involve the happy reinforce-ment of being actual training time. For example she has served as ourhistorian since the 90’s and has maintained our policies and proce-dures including tracking all motions: an invaluable resource for boththe board and the club membership. She has also worked on the clubby-laws and manuals; efforts that demand care, precision and patienceand that serve an important role for the club.
I’d like to add a personal note to this extraordinary record of Serviceto the club and the sport—Joan excels at the training that is our reasonfor being and she is ever generous with her time and insights. From myfirst days in the club to the present, I have benefited from her thought-ful insights and support. I know many newer members who, whetheror not they are in her classes, find that she is glad to help them withtraining challenges. For many of us who started competing after joiningthe club, Joan is one of the reasons we believed we could take that step.Because of all these contributions the club has recognized Joan Adlerwith a 25 Year Award and with the AKC Sportsmanship Award. I nowwrite in support of further recognizing her terrific service with theLife Membership Award.”—Nancy (Nan) J. Marks
“Joan Adler is a tremendous asset to the club. She gives tirelessly ofherself—teaching, setting an example with her training and cheerfullyanswering policy and history questions. She welcomes new teamsinto her classes, encouraging them to love the sport and excel withtheir dogs and she works hard with the green teams to keep themmoving forward towards membership and competition. We are veryfortunate to have Joan as a part of our club and she is very deservingof this recognition.”Shannon Hall
Joan Adler Receives Lifetime Membership Award!
March 2013 13
Have Dog, Will Travel—Taking the Show on the Road with Stevie— By Sue Faber
In the years I have been trialing my dogs, I did exten-sive traveling through the states of Virginia, Maryland,and Pennsylvania. Many times I would do weekend
shows and have to search for motels that accepted canines. I have compiled a list of motels with my reviewsof each one.
Hampton VirginiaMerrimac DTC hosts several trials a year plus a 4-dayObedience and Rally show every Memorial Day holiday.(There are other clubs involved with the MemorialDay show.)
1. Candlewood Suites, at 401 Butler Farm Road. Nicefacility. Pet deposit is $15 with an $10 additional eachnight. Kitchenettes with all amenities—just bring yourfood. Separate living room with a couch that pulls outto a full size bed. Try to book a top floor as the lowerfloors can be a bit noisy.2. Residence Inn, Newport News at 531 St. JohnsRoad. Very nice! There are 2-bedroom suites each withan en suite bathroom and pullout sofa. There is a $100pet deposit. You can split cost of rooms with two otherexhibitors. Also has full kitchen amenities and they include a free breakfast!3. Red Roof Inn, 1925 Coliseum Drive. Average—verypet friendly with no pet fees. I do not remember if theyserved breakfast.4. La Quinta Inn, 2138 W. Mercury Hwy. Pets allowed.No kitchen facility—on the small side for sharing but itcan be done!
Richmond VirginiaRichmond DTC, hosts several trials a year. I also wentto the Bouvier des Flanders Club show at the DudeRanch Pet Resort.
1. Holiday Inn Express, 9933 Maryland Drive. Freebreakfast and $25 pet fee. Nice!2. Residence Inn, 2121 Dickens Road. Has suites with1- bedroom en suite bathroom and a loft bedroom withan en suite bathroom as well. The couch is a pull-out forextra room. Full kitchen, dining area, and living room.Free breakfast. Pet fee is $75. Little older than most Residence Inns but very accommodating.3. Day’s Inn, 2100 Dickins Road. Nice rooms. Pet fee is$25. Good location for shows!4. LaQuinta Inn, 1301 Huguenot, Midlothian. A bit larger
than the La Quinta in Hampton and they include breakfast!5. Comfort Inn, 3200 W. Broad St. Pet Friendly, refriger-ator in room. Free hot breakfast.
Fredericksburg, VirginiaMany Shows are held either at the EXPO center orother training facilities.
1. Country Inn and Suites, 5327 Jefferson Davis Hgwy.I recommend staying on the top floor because it is extremely quiet. There is an efficient elevator which helpsin taking puppies out to potty. They offer several differentroom types. Can split a one bedroom king suite. Allkitchen amenities. No pet fee. They offer a free breakfast.The Country Inn and Suites offers more bang for the buck!2. Best Western, 3000 Plank Road. Near the EXPOCenter. Comes with small refrigerator and microwave.There is a pet policy of $10 per night.
Cumberland, MDThere is usually a large 3-day show in October. This isa wonderful time of year to visit.
1. Holiday Inn, off I-68 on South George Street. Thereis a pet fee. Large rooms to share. Very friendly hotel.Plenty of things to do in the downtown Cumberlandarea. If you are eating at an outdoor café with your dog,they will provide you water and shade.2. Best Western Braddock Motor Inn, Cumberland.Pets allowed with a fee. Free breakfast and there is arestaurant on site. This one books up early!
York and Red Lion PAVarious shows throughout the year.
1. Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham, 2045 LincolnHgwy. East, Lancaster. They have 2-bedroom suites witha sofa and refrigerator. Nice place and certainly largeenough to share. Pets are welcomed.2. Red Roof Inn, 125 Arsenal Road York. Nice place witha new design. They offer free breakfast and pets are allowed.3. Super 8, 40 Arsenal Road, York. They have refrigeratorsand offer a continental breakfast. There is a pet policy.4. Holiday Inn Express, York, PA. Very large roomsfor sharing. There are microwaves and mini-fridges. Petsare allowed with a fee of $15.00 per day under 60pounds. They offer a free breakfast.
I hope this is helpful as we all start into the 2013 Showyear!!!!
Day Date Time Instructor Time Class Instructor
14 March 2013
CLASS SCHEDULES
PUPPY KINDERGARTEN
Tues 1/15-3/5 6-6:50 pm Hathaway
Sat 2/2-3/23 9:00-9:50 am Solomon
BASIC
Mon 2/4-3/25 6-6:50 pm Crawford
Tue 1/5-3/9 7-7:50 pm Miller
Sat 3/16-5/11 4-4:50 pm Daniel
ADVANCED BASIC
Tues 1/5-3/5 7-7:50 pm Reinhardt
SUB-NOVICE
Mon C 9:30-10:20 am Adler/Dwyer
Thurs C 7:15-8:05 am Adler
Thurs C 7:00-7:50 pm Harringer
NOVICE
Mon C 7:30-8:20 pm Daniel
Tues C 7:00-7:50 pm Merchant
Thurs C 9:30-10:20 am Holt
Thurs C 6:00-6 s:50 pm Gurvin
CANINE GOOD CITIZEN PREP
8:30-9:20 CGC Prep Hall3/4-3/25
HEELING
Sat C 3-3:50 pm Larkin/Solomon
OPEN
Mon C 6-7:15 pm LaDieu
Tues Beg. Open 8-8:50 Miller1st/3rd weeks: 3/19-5/21
Wed C 5:30-6:20 pm Cleverdon
Thurs C 8-8:50 pm Harry
UTILITY
Mon C 8:15-9:15 pm Adler
Thurs C 6:00-7 pm (prep) Harry
Thurs C 7-8:50 pm Harry
FREESTYLEFri C 10:00-12:00 Ely/Kirsch
Sat 11-12:30 Guzman
RALLYThurs C 11:00-12:20 Daniel/Comp.Saturday, 3/23-5/18 10-10:50/Novice D. HarabSaturday 12:00-1:00 Atkinson/Comp.
3/2-5/4
Sat TG 1:30-3:00 McAuliffe/Lambert
TRICKSMon 12:00-1:30 Rosen
Sat 7:30-8:30 am Melchior
CONFORMATIONSat 10-10:45 J. Harab/Beg.
AGILITYWed Start 2/6 6:30-7:20 pm Coblyn
Wed Start 2/6 7:30-8:30 pm Briefel
Sun Start 2/6 11:00-1:00 pm deBremond
Sun Start 2/6 5:00-6:15 pm Carter
Sun Start 2/6 6:15-7:30 pm deBremond
Sun Start 2/6 7:30-8:45 pm Hall
TRAINING GROUPSMon C 10:00-12:00 Ely
Mon C 1:30-3:00 Cleverdon
Wed C 9:30-10:30 am McCown
Wed C 12:00-2:20 pm Spodak/Ob.Skills
Thurs C 10:30-11:30 am Holt
Thurs C 12:30-1:20 pm Goldstein
Sat C 1:00-3:00 pm McAuliffe, et.al.
FLYBALLSat C 6:30-9:30 pm Lindberg/Dwyer
BUILDING CLEANINGTues C Before 8 am and 1-4 pm
Montgomery Cleaning Co.
C = Continuing Class
March 2013 15
Time Class Instructor Ring Time Class Instructor Ring
CLASS SCHEDULES
MONDAY
10-12 pm Freestyle TG Ely 1-2-3
12:00-1:30 pm Tricks Rosen 1-2
1:30-3:00 Jumping TG Cleverdon 1-2-3
6-6:50 Basic, 2/4-3/25 Crawford 1
6-7:15 Open LaDieu 2-3
7:15-8:05 Sub-Novice Adler/Dwyer 1
7:30-8:20 Novice Daniel 2/3
8:15-9:15 Utility Adler 1-2
8:30-9:20 CGC Prep Hall 33/4-3/25
TUESDAY
1-3:30 pm Building Cleaning
6-6:50 PuppyK,1/15-3/5 Hathaway 3
7-7:50 Basic, 1/8-3/5 S. Miller 3
7-7:50 Adv. Basic,1/15-3/5 Reinhardt 1
7-7:50 Novice Merchant 2
8-8:50 pm Beg.Open Miller 31st/3rd weeks: 3/19-5/21
8-10:00 CDTC Meetings Bldg.2nd and 4th Tuesdays
WEDNESDAY
9:30-10:20 am Novice TG McCown 1-2
12-2:20 pm Ob. Skills TG Spodak 1-2
5:30-6:20 Open Ob. Cleverdon 1-2-3
6:30-7:20 Agility Handling Coblyn 1-2-3
7:30-9:00 Agility Comp. Briefel 1-2-3
TG = Training Group
THURSDAY
9:30-10:20 am Sub-Novice Adler 1-2
9:30-10:20 Novice Holt 3
10:30-11:00 Rally set-up 1-2-3
11:00-12:20 Competition Rally Daniel 1-2-3
12:30-1:20 pm Open/Utility TG Goldstein 1-2-3
6:00-6:50 Novice Gurvin 1-2
6:00-6:50 Utility Prep Harry 3
7:00-7:50 Sub-Novice Harringer 1
7:00-7:50 Utility Harry 2-3
8:00-8:50 Open Harry 1-2
FRIDAY
10:15-12:30 Freestyle Ely/Kirsch. 1-2-3
SATURDAY
7:30-8:30 am Tricks Melchior 2-3
9:00-9:50 Puppy K, 2/2-3/23 Solomon 2-3
10-10:45 Conformation TG J. Harab 1
10-10:50 Basic, 1/5-3/9 P. Miller 2-3
10-10:50 Rally Novice, 3/23-5/18 D. Harab 2-3
11:00-12:30 Freestyle Guzman 1-2-3
12:00-1:00 Competition Rally Atkinson 1-23/2-5/4
1:00-3:00 pm Rally Training Grp. McAuliffe/Harab 1-2-3
4-4:50 pm Basic, 3/16-5/11 Daniel 1-2
6:30-7:30 Beg.Flyball Lindberg 1-2-3
7:30-8:30 Intermediate Flyball Dwyer 1-2-3
8:30-9:30 Competition Flyball Dwyer 1-2-3
SUNDAY
Obedience Run-thru March 3 1-2-3
11-1:00 pm Agility Intro 2 deBremond 1-2-3(not on run-thru days)
5-6:15 Agility Handling A Carter 1-2-3
6:15-7:30 Agility—Intro deBremond 1-2-3
7:30-8:45 Agility—Beginner Hall 1-2-3
ObichaffThe Monthly Newsletter ofCapital Dog Training Clubof Washington, D.C., Inc.
Pam Coblyn, Editor2758 Garfield AvenueSilver Spring, MD 20910-1823
Originators of AKC’s Braceand Graduate Novice classes
Important Dates at Capital
General Membership MeetingTuesday, March 12 at 8 pm
Obedience Show N’ GoSunday, March 3
AKC Agility TrialApril 5 - 7
(Entries opened Jan. 4 and close March 22)
Clubhouse Phone: (301) 589-2583Information phone for the public (refers people to Capital’s website): (301) 587-K9K9Yahoo! Group: groups.yahoo.com/group/cdtcWebsite: www.cdtc.orgClasses: www.cdtc.org/classes/classes.htmlEvents: www.cdtc.org/events/events.htmlFacebook: Capital Dog Training Club of Washington, DCTwitter:@CapDTCObichaff email: [email protected] Site: www.CapitalDTC.blogspot.com
CDTC 2013 Agility Trial Is Just Roundthe Corner!The premium list for the CDTC 2013 Agility Trial is posted on our website. Registration opened on January 6 and all of
the information is included in that publication. Friday has already filled—enter the weekend as soon as possible!
All Capital members are urged to come and help put on this event. You will find information on our website with a link toa Google Drive spreadsheet to sign yourself up for whatever tasks and whenever you want to volunteer. Set up, ring crew,
bar setters, leash runners, chute fluffers, gate crew—all are needed. Plus, competitors need a cheering crowd!
Please come and support our club! Make new friends and see old friends. This is the largest event that our club hostsfor the entire companion dog community. We want you to be a part of it! Come experience the excitement of an agility
trial—high stakes, fast dogs, new competitors and lots of fun and good times.
Questions? Please ask Burton Goldstein, CDTC Trial Chair.
