The Adventures of Mookie the Mudi

Titles earned this month....    BARN HUNT RATI (Rat Instinct) (certificate) RATN (Rat Novice)   (certificate) Link to Mookie's titles         What is a title, really?  (...a must read!) September photos are in this album! September videos are added to this album! September started off with a great Labor Day weekend!  We did some SCENT WORK with friends, Mookie got to run with his bestie, Rhys, and he had another DOCK DIVING lesson!! This time we worked on swimming back in from a very short distance in the water and back up the ramp.  He actually started swimming rather than trying to keep his feet on the ramp and then he would grab his toy and run around on the deck.  (update on swimming...  did it another time this month and now will hold off a bit until spring maybe.) BARN HUNT !!  Yep it started!  Instinct (RATI) and Novice (RATN) titles!  Such fun! He got better each day and got 4 of 6 novice legs this weekend!  More info plus videos here! We do lots of leash walking in 2

Well I'm being dragged kicking and screaming to the CONFORMATION arena!  Mookie has been described as "scary handsome" so I really should find out what judges think of him.  I'm learning about AKC and UKC shows and also an organization not as widely known called the IABCA and have been assured that I don't have to buy a dress and white or light colored pants would be just perfect to show off a black dog.  Thank goodness, that could have been a deal breaker!!  lol Click here to go to Mookie's Conformation Photo Album Click here to to to Mookie's Conformation Videos AKC Conformation !!  It has started! September 2022!   Click here for the journey .... The  International All Breed Canine Association of America (IABCA)  is the first organization we competed in.  Mookie's papers didn't arrive until 2 days before the event but they listed him as pending registration and then 40 days are allowed to get full registration.   2022.8.6-7   First trial ever a

DOCK DIVING ...  or jumping into the water to retrieve toys!  What dog wouldn't enjoy that!  Well, lots I suppose but I was introduced to it because of Jake and Brita who loved the water and loved to retrieve so it was natural for them to combine the 2 loves.  Jake was the only one who participated in organized events and had titles in DOCK DOGS and NADD (North American Diving Dogs)!   SO..  because it was such fun I wanted a dog who could compete and I think Mookie is that dog and will learn to love it!  In the meantime, progress is slow and getting wet was just the first issue (drought in Hungary and he looked at rain the first time as if the sky was falling in).  We started our dock diving adventure in August of 2022.  Below, in reverse order is the progress he has made! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2022.9  We started going to Three Hounds Training Ground since the lure of an INDOOR pool was calling us! The first visit acclimated Mookie to the dock and he learned to come out of th

The official term for dog shows is conformation — as in, the act of conforming or producing conformity. While a dog show may look like a beauty pageant, it’s not. Dogs are not being compared to each other; they’re being measured by how closely they conform to the standard of their particular breed .  Why? Because the closer a dog’s appearance is to the breed’s standard, the better that dog’s ability will be to produce puppies that meet the standard. It’s also the reason why mixed breeds and spayed or neutered purebreds are ineligible to compete in conformation. As one of the most popular AKC events , conformation events range from large all-breed shows, with over 3,000 dogs entered, to small local specialty club shows that feature only one breed. And so begins our journey.... 2022 September   And finally we dipped our toes into an AKC Conformation show.  It was a small show by the Sheboygan Kennel Club and held at a fairground so a pretty relaxed location.  We hung out with friends,

 Dog love to sniff!  Dogs NEED to sniff!  And yes there are lots of things they can sniff for!  (Google is your friend with this!)   The sport of NOSEWORK  or SCENT WORK is a very cool activity for all dogs!  I started with Jake, by default actually, when I was having my knees replaced and needed to entertain him for a few winter months.  After researching the sport, I started taking online nosework classes from the Fenzi Dog Sport Academy and was immediately hooked on the training.  Jake's 5 year journey from zero to UKC Champion and AKC Master Elite and Detective is documented on his website, Rock Star Jake . Naturally, because I love the sport, I plan to teach it to Mookie.  The 3 venues we will start with are: AKC Scent Work UKC Nosework NACSW Nosework I've revisited the beginning classes I took and we are well on our way.  Below the photos, I'll document (in reverse order) the monthly progress of this adventure! Click here to go to Mookie's Scent Work Photo Album

Barn Hunt ...  dogs finding rats safely tucked away in a tube and then telling their handlers they found it.  That's it!  Sounds simple doesn't it?  Well, for some dogs it is and others, well, not so much.  This is from the Barn Hunt website: Barn Hunt is based on the traditional roles of many breeds in ridding farms, barns, crop storage areas, and homes of destructive vermin. Some breeds were specifically created to fill this role, and for many of those breeds, Barn Hunt provides their first true opportunity for responsible breeders to test proper working traits in their dogs. Barn Hunt is also open to any dog of any breed or mix who wishes to play the game and can fit through an 18" wide by bale-height tall tunnel And now you want to know more, right?  First thing, click here to check out the Barn Hunt website. I was introduced to the sport at the second trial offered in Wisconsin in 2013 with Jake.  He excelled in it and was one of the first 2 dogs in WI to reach the Ma

 Weekly (now monthly) progress reports (in reverse order)! 2022.9 A September to Remember 2022.8 August - Summer Days 2022.7 July - Jumpin' July 2022.6 June - Getting out and about! 2022.5.23-29 - Week 2 -  Learnin' is such fun! 2022.5.22 The first FULL week! 2022.5.15 What he's learned so far!  (the first 4 days)    

Titles earned this month (hopefully this will be a regular heading!) : IABCA NatBACH  (National Baby Champion) IntBACH  (International Baby Champion) HBACH  (Honors Baby Champion) AKC  VHMP    (Virtual Home Manners Puppy) VHMA (Virtual Home Manners Adult) TKN  (Trick Dog Novice) TDI   (Trick Dog Intermediate) Link to Mookie's titles         What is a title, really?   (...a must read!) August started off with the IABCA Conformation Show  and the best thing is to just link to the details !     Then, about the same time, the Hungarian Kennel Club released Mookie's paperwork after sitting on it for a month so now I'm able to apply for an AKC and UKC registration number!  This means that he can start doing age appropriate activities (manners, tricks, scent work) and earn some titles!    AKC...  most communication with the AKC takes forever or never happens.  Not this time.  4 working days after I emailed them the application for a number I got it!  (subject to final verificat

The International All Breed Canine Association of America (IABCA) began more than twenty years ago with the intent of making an International Championship Title available to the American public while not exposing the dogs to the danger and inconvenience of international travel.  International Dog Shows are held in accordance with the regulations and guidelines that have been established by IABCA. These guidelines provide for a WRITTEN CRITIQUE FOR EACH DOG ENTERED and a rating number of how well the dog conforms to the breed standards. These standards are based on the ' country of origin ' for each breed, if possible. 2022.8.7-8 Mookie's first adventure in the world of CONFORMATION shows started with this organization. Because the Badger State Sieger (as it's called in Wisconsin) is held at the Winnegamie Dog Club 20 minutes from my house, I had no excuse and had to enter it!!  Mookie was born February 9, 2022 so he was just under the 6 month age limit and was in the

Tricks are FUN and the AKC has a program to earn a Trick Dog titles!  Jake earned Trick Dog and Stunt Dog titles through Do More With Your Dog  so I know how much fun they can be to do. MANNERS!!  (titles earned in August of 2022) Before we can do tricks, however, it's important to learn MANNERS !  The AKC has Virtual Home Manners titles that ease a dog into the Trick Dog  (5 levels of titles) and the Canine Good Citizen programs (CGC, CGCA, CGCU) with two levels of titles: Virtual Home Manners Puppy (VHMP)     (Link to video)   (View certificate) Virtual Home Manners Adult (VHMA)     (Link to video)   (View certificate) The puppy title was videotaped by Jackie K at the Winnegamie Dog Club and it went well. It was so easy that I decided to video the adult title at home and submit it to her.  Jackie is an evaluator for these titles plus the Trick Dog and Canine Good Citizen titles. TRICKS!!   With the Manners titles behind us, I looked at the list of novice tricks and choose the

Neenah WI is such a cool place!  I lived there for a few years and, before I had dogs, kept my J24 sailboat in the harbor and participated in the regular races held by the Neenah Nodaway Yacht Club .   Anyway, I decided to take Mookie to explore so we started out hanging out on Main Street.  Mookie was wearing his "In Training" vest ("in training" to be a perfect dog who can go anywhere and hang out.) so the Saturday morning shoppers smiled and walked by.  Some folks with dogs sat on a bench opposite our bench which didn't faze Mookie in the least.    Next we went to the local pet store " Lucy's Closet Pet Boutique " to do some browsing and sure enough, Mookie found a new stuffy to add to his collection.  He showed interest in the treats but most likely figured a furry friend would last longer!        Off to the dock we went skipping the Farmer's Market where the crowds looked overwhelming to both of us.  First we walked on the permanent dock

JULY is definitely JUMPIN' for this pup!  He's becoming a teenager and LOVES everything about life!!   Being the super smart mudi that he is, he has figured out how to open the double lock lever handle on his playroom gate and knows that if he pulls the bungie cord I use to secure it, it will loosen and perhaps fall off!   He and Jake are getting along well and I can even trust him to not body slam him or jump back and forth over his head!      July photos are in this album! July videos are added to this album! I wake up every morning thinking about what I can train Mookie today and how much fun can we have!  Generally, I have a plan the night before so I don't have to think of something new and I write everything down that I want to add to his training program or adventures.  We continue with all the adventures we started last month and work at adding more!      Sometimes, adventures present themselves in your front yard such as the day that I had 2 very large trees cut do