Any guesses?

Still a week to go but here is Miss Enya.....any guesses as to how many??

DPCC National and BCDPC Regional Specialty recap

I had been looking forward to the National weekend for so long and had such a good time! I only went for two days (Sat and Sun) of the six days of showing as I find six days is just too much....I get too tired! 

Chris had Friday off of work because of the holiday so before leaving we had a fun Easter egg hunt and gifties for the kiddies. I had a nice leisurely morning with a bit of a sleep in, slow packing which I love because then I know I haven't forgotten anything and a delicious breakfast. 

I got on the 3:15 ferry to take me to the mainland where I found the main road had been changed. There is now a highway 17 that skirts around all the traffic and congestion and easily hooks up with Hwy 1 to Chilliwack, I love it...everything is fast and straightforward.

I stayed at the Coast Chilliwack, a hotel I have stayed at a couple of times in the past and they are wonderful....attentive, very welcoming to the dogs and have a fantastic big grassy area right beside them which is perfect for walking dogs.

I think Hadley has been spending too much time with Libby...she thinks she's a bird dog! These Mallard ducks were everywhere!

Saturday was the BCDPC Regional Specialty and Am/Can Ch Braebrook's Remy Martin "Remy" showed very well and was Select Dog. Look at that handsome face...how could you deny him??

That evening we had a celebratory drink in the hotel bar and look at this....all the cognacs lined up together just like my boys! Hennesy is Bravo, Courvoisier is Cooper and Remy of course is pictured above. I thought that was kind of cool. :)

I was not very good about taking pictures this weekend so don't have very much to share in the way of candids...I was just too busy showing and socializing!

The DPCC National Specialty didn't have a huge entry this year but it was a good group and we all had a lot of fun. Lots of people attended the dinner with the judges which was a great opportunity to meet people you haven't met before and to catch up with those you have, it's one of my favourite things about specialties.

Remy again showed well and pick up an Award of Merit.

 And since we are talking about Remy I also have to share his New American Champion photo...didn't it turn out great?

Esquire's Haiku "Hadley" also did well. She started out a little rusty but did get better and was Reserve Winners Bitch at the National Specialty.

I particularly like this candid taken by Jolie Janssen.

I'm also very happy and proud to share that Bravo's son Coup (Ch Boland Coup de Foudre Holmrun CD RE) was High in Trial at the BCDPC obedience trial.

All in all a really fun weekend.

I want to say thank you so much to everyone who made it out to the show to say hello, it was so nice to meet you all, I'm going to have some very lucky upcoming puppies. :)

Speaking of puppies, Enya's x ray date is May 3rd. I'll post a picture just before, and I'd love to hear your guesses as to how many.

Doberman Weekend

I thought I would start this post with a handsome picture of Sandler (Ch Braebrook's Mission Impossible) and his buddy Pete that was sent to me via text a couple of days ago. Thank you for giving him such a great home Silvana!

As many of you may already know I will be in Chilliwack this weekend showing dogs, and it's not just any dog show....it's the BC Regional Specialty as well as the DPCC National Specialty so lots of Dobermans to see for those who love them. 

I have gotten numerous phone calls, emails and texts from people wanting to meet so that we are able to put faces to names and I would love to do that.

I am only there showing dogs on Saturday and Sunday, but I will be there all day both days so thought I would share the schedule here so you know where to find me.

The show is at the Heritage Park in Chilliwack which you can find on Google Maps here.

Saturday April 19th

BC Doberman Club Regional Specialty

Ring 2

Start time is 10:30am

Renaissance Dog Association all breed show

Dobermans

Ring 6

Start time is 2:15pm

Sunday April 20th

Doberman Pinscher Club of Canada National Specialty

Ring 6

Start time is 10:30am

Renaissance Dog Association all breed show

Dobermans

Ring 5

Start time is 3:00pm

I'm really looking forward to meeting those of you who I have only spoken to on the phone and if you have a Braebrook dog and would like to stop by the show I would love to see you again and give those pupsters some love.

See you soon!

Happy belated birthday to the Dirk x London litter!

The Dirk x London litter turned six years old at the beginning of this month, and how cute is this picture of Ch Braebrook's Coco Chanel Holmrun (middle) at her birthday party??

This litter boasts five champions including two winners at the DPCC National Specialty, and a CGN. There is also one other who is closing in on his championship which would bring the total to six.

Coco who is pictured above was the puppy I kept and while I had her I bred her twice, once to Ch Holmrun's Fred Astaire which resulted in three puppies who all finished their championships, one is a multi BPIG winner, a BPIS winner and a group placer, another is a Can/Am Ch who finished with three majors on specialty weekends in the US and is a BPIG and group placer in Canada and the third has his CGN, his pre novice obedience title and is training in tracking. Coco's second litter was with BPISS Ch Holmrun's Play for Keeps which resulted in a multi BPIG winner and some excellent companions one of which is Soter, the red boy pictured on the right side of Coco.

Occasionally if the right home comes a long I will place an adult while they are still in their prime. Jay and Sherri who owned Soter had already proven themselves an exemplary home so Coco going to live out her life with them was a no brainer. I know she is loved beyond measure and they fully indulge me with the best updates and photos on a regular basis.

Both Coco and Soter are currently training to become tracking dogs. They live where competing in dog sports is very difficult geographically but Sherri continues to persevere and make it happen and I'm so proud of them.

Here are a couple of videos she has shared with me and agreed to share with you too .

This is only Soter's third track ever and as you can see he's very keen! I can't believe he manages to concentrate so well with those crows in the background.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6whPecdzaVw&feature=youtu.be

And here's Coco's third track:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGKAOkusZuA&feature=youtu.be

I know I always say it but I'm so thankful for the photos, videos and updates that my puppy people send...please keep them coming! :)

A CGN title for Enya and a fun day with the Tyee Kennel Club

Yesterday was the Tyee Kennel Clubs sanction match and bake sale, along with a whole lot of other things!

I stayed up way too late the night before making treats for the bake sale....the banana bread turned out great but the fudge....not so much, was a bit hard so it stayed here at home rather than going to a bake sale.

The weather was outstanding which was wonderful for all the activities going on outside (herding instinct test and CGN) and all events were held at the Cowichan Exhibition Centre which is a wonderful place for dog events.

The inside of the building is large and spacious with lots of entrances/exits.

Along with conformation there was junior handling which Ella was able to participate in.

There was a very good turnout of juniors which is always nice to see. The more youngsters getting involved the better as it keeps the sport alive.

I helped out showing some dogs, an Irish Setter puppy who I just adore along with some very pretty Scottish Deerhound puppies. I lost my photographer (aka Ella) to playtime with the other kids who were there so I don't have any photos of my time in the ring or Enya's CGN test, but I am very happy to say that Enya passed and can now officially add the title to the end of her name. For more information on the test and what is required you can click here.

Here's Enya taking a well earned break in the sun after we got home.....the perfect ending to a fun doggie filled day.

Happy 9th Birthday Lexi!

Nine years, wow....I can't believe my sweet Lexi is nine years old. Chris and I got her not that long after we were married and she has been a mainstay in the kids life. She adored Ella from the moment she was born and was quite protective of her as a wee one. In fact I had to put her in our bedroom when the neighbors stopped by to meet our new addition as she was growling softly under her breath and didn't want anyone touching "her" baby. She mellowed as Ella got older but was there for every little step in Ella's life. She would lay under the jumperoo and Ella would bounce off of her and once Ella learned to walk she would spend many hours pretending to show Lexi and they would run up and down the hallway together.

Endlessly patient, Lexi loves her kids and I trust her with them completely. She would never jump on them, never steal food from their hands, always walks slowly when they hang on to her lead and has made a wonderful dog for them to grow up with.

I showed Lexi two weekends as a youngster but she really didn't enjoy it and would drool and look generally unhappy the whole time. She is not a showy dog and if she was a human would definitely be an introvert personality. She likes to be home with her family and doesn't like too much pressure put on her. She did however make an excellent obedience dog as she has a very strong sense of right and wrong and never wants to disappoint you. She and I trialed together briefly and picked her her CD (Companion Dog) title with a nice High in Class win.

We had a fun little celebration today which the kids loved (who doesn't like wearing party hats??), and after snapping a couple of pictures...

She shared her birthday dinner with Sebastian. :)

I'm off to snuggle my birthday girl a little more......hope you're enjoying your four legged friends....as they get older you realize how very important it is to do that.

Breeding Announcement

I have more exciting news to share, the breeding kind which is always my favourite as it's the culmination of many many hours of research and study.

Am GrCH Gallant's First and Foremost v Ciden WAC "Brody"

is the stud dog we chose for our Ch Modadobe Sunset Dreaming "Phoebe".

Brody is a multiple BISS (best in specialty show) winner, won the DPCA Top Twenty event last year as well as went BOS (best opposite sex) at the DPCA National Specialty. Brody is OFA hips Good, vWD clear, thyroid normal, heart echo and holter normal, does not carry dilution and has full and proper dentition. From our long chats with both his breeder/owner and others who know him he has a wonderful easy to live with temperament, and most importantly he is producing extremely well. His pedigree can be found here.

Phoebe is our sweet and very beautiful Australian import who you can read more about here.

Phoebe was bred via surgical implant at the Mill Bay Vet Hospital yesterday and as you can see by this morning's photo (I love that her tail is a blur from wagging) she is doing just fine.

This all red litter will be due on June 8th, please keep your fingers crossed that it takes, we are VERY excited about it's potential.

Breeding update and Braebrook happenings

I took Enya in for an ultrasound at 30 days post implant to see if there were any puppies in there, the ultrasound showed one. Ultrasounds are frequently off in regards to numbers, they are usually more for confirming pregnancy, but only seeing one is a little disappointing. It's better than none however so I'll take it. In the meantime keeping thinking puppy thoughts.

Enya is milking the whole pregnancy thing pretty well as you can see from this picture with the kids. It's ok, we're happy to indulge her. ;)

If you have a bit of time this Sunday and would like to check out some some fun doggy activities the Tyee Kennel Club has all kinds of good things happening. Have you thought about adding a CGN (Canine Good Neighbour) title to your dogs name? This is a great time to do it. Have you wondered how your dog would do herding sheep? Come on out and see if the instinct is there. Getting ready for an upcoming conformation show or obedience trial? This is the perfect time to come out and practice. Don't forget to bring the kiddies along too and let them get in on the junior handing so they can hone those dog showing skills. There's also a bake sale, and who doesn't like baked goods?? Truly something for everyone. Ella and I will be there with some of the four footed crew in tow and we hope to see you. The weather is supposed to be excellent too so don't let that stop you.

The following weekend is the Renaissance Kennel Club dog show and they are hosting both the BC Doberman Pinscher Club Regional Specialty as well as the Doberman Pinscher Club of Canada National Specialty. This is a weekend not to be missed if you're interested in Dobermans and yes, Braebrook will most definitely be there. Again, we hope to see you!

Having a field day

I had a wonderful weekend taking in my first ever field test hosted by the Vancouver Island Pointing Dog Club. First off I have to say how wonderful this club is, they are welcoming, encouraging and just plain wonderful to work with. If you are in the area and are even kind of considering getting involved in bird dog training with your pointing breed than I highly recommend you join the club and see what it's all about, you won't regret it.

Friday April 4th was the first field test and while I had my doubts that Libby was ready (we have only been out in the field working on birds a couple of times) I entered her anyway as a good way for the two of us to get some experience and to see what tests are all about. I packed up the kiddies and my Libby girl bright and early Friday morning and headed to the grounds which were about an hour from my house. I arrived with some time to exercise, potty and water Libby before our run and the club as a whole watched over Ella and Marshall while I went out into the field, which I am beyond grateful for (didn't I tell you this club is great?).

I was nervous but one thing about field tests is that they are pretty relaxed and you are able to talk to the judge as you go along which makes for a great learning experience. You are also really able to see the dog in action and how they work the wind currents for scent, how big they range etc.., and when they lock on point it's seriously exciting.

I didn't have anyone to take photos on the Friday and I sure wasn't going to try to take pics myself while I was working with Libby so there are no field pictures for that day but she had two bird finds, the first point was a little shaky but on the second one she locked on hard and we got the first leg of our FDJ (Field Dog Junior) title! To say I was thrilled would be an understatement.

Marshall and Ella played hard all day and really enjoyed themselves. 

They didn't last long on the drive home.....

Saturday April 5th was a field trial and while I had entered that as well I was halfway to the trial when I got a phone call from my vet telling me they needed Phoebe in for a progesterone test before noon (stay tuned for an upcoming blog post about all that!) so I had to turn around and unfortunately missed the trial which I was very sad about. The club has a Fin, Feather and Game lunch on their trial day and apparently it was excellent....I was really hoping to get the chance to try pheasant for my first time, but next year I guess.

 Sunday April 6th was the second field test and it dawned bright and sunny. 

I also had a photographer as husband Chris and the kiddies all came along to watch and support Libby and I. Chris never disappoints me with his picture taking and he always takes a lot so when he comes along to dog shows and trials I'm thrilled!

Libby had a little meet and greet with Weimaraner puppy Lacey. Libby is always good with other dogs, adult and puppy alike.

Pretty head shot with Ella.

A little Mariah and Libby loving before the test started.

Did you say birds??

Heading out to the field with the judge.

Libby was raring to go!

And go we did....hunt those birds little girl!

Quick point here before moving on...just some feathers.

 Here was the real point while I was getting ready with my starter pistol (the dog has to be ok with the gunshot noise in order to pass).

Walking in to kick the bird up to fly...

And my favourite shot of the day, all four feet way off the ground....she wanted that chukar!

Come back here bird! They don't have to be steady to wing at the field dog junior level, they just have to find and point the bird.

Trotting back after calling her off the bird (such a good girl for coming back...that is a real test in obedience).

 We passed! That was leg number two, just one more to go before she gets to add the FDJ title to the end of her name.

What a great weekend, I am officially hooked! :)