Every once in a while, one hears of a collar accident. This past week I encountered two — Laev caught her martingale on a borrowed drop-pin crate, and a client’s dog caught her flat bucklet… 

It’s drizzly and cold today (about 45 degrees F) so I took Laev out and practiced heeling in the rain, downing on wet gravel and sitting in the mud. We were using a tug as… 

I was too busy and then too tired to post, so here’s a recap…. Friday was another conformation day for us (I didn’t have a dog ready for Obedience). This time Laev took third in… 

The UDC Temperament Test is not designed to give a complete picture of the dog, but it’s intended to demonstrate whether or not a dog behaves like a Doberman. The test has several forms, depending… 

Okay, today was just not what I expected. Today was Laev’s first conformation show — and Shakespeare’s, too, actually. I entered pretty much just for fun, to support the club, and so that I could… 

Huzzah! They both passed! Waah! My video camera and my computer are not talking. I have to wait until I get home before I can post the video. /sigh/ But I am terribly proud of… 

Well, here we are at scenic Purina Farms in Gray Summit, Missouri, for the 2006 United Doberman Club Nationals. The UDC is a working-oriented breed club, not affilitated with the AKC but with the AWDF.… 

Well, no, it didn’t last. It was a great week, though.

These are a couple of shots from Saturday, April 1. Laev sure does love her bitework…. This isn’t from more formal training, but just Laev’s first picture of a temperament test. We didn’t actually recreate… 

So Laev and I are running off the protection field, a sleeve clutched proudly in Laev’s mouth. About halfway back to the distant car (Schutzhund is good for my waistline), Laev steps on the dangling…