11 + 5 =

16 Dogs

Oh My!

I will be the first one to admit that I've gotten used to Cavalier litters that I can count on one hand. A few days before Christmas, Lily the yellow Labrador Retriever reminded me what litters can be for our beloved Labs. In a word, BIG! Lily gave us 11 healthy pups--4 girls and 7 boys! Added to the 5 dogs that live in our house, that makes a temporary total of 16 pups!

Now 7 weeks old, the pups are getting ready to go to new homes next weekend. They have visited many new places (church, a local retirement home, and Paxton Street Ministries) and have been visited (by more than 100 DIFFERENT people).

Where will they go? One will become a mobility assistance dog. 3 will do therapy visits. 2 will probably compete in scent work. 2 will likely compete in Rally. 3 will help heal the aching void left when one of their relatives crossed the rainbow bridge. 5 will live in the Harrisburg area, 2 will be in the Philadelphia and Reading areas. ALL will be loved and cherished members of their new families! And that accounts for only 7 of the babies! (We currently still have 4 boys remaining....)

Our home will definitely become quieter and less exciting--I will miss the little snugglebugs--but will rejoice in the joy and happiness they will share with their new families!

Betsy



Puppy Travels: Here, There & Everywhere!

Congratulations! You've just finished your first puppy or beginner's class and you want to jump right into the next one. Hold your horses, or rather dog. Put Advanced Manners on your to-do list, but not yet. First up: Puppy Travels!

This fun-filled adventure class is perfect for young dogs just getting into obedience training. It's the next logical step that really clicks with young dogs. Advanced Manners is a wonderful class, which we highly recommend, once your pup is a little older and more mature.

Puppy Travels is a course designed to work on skills and self-confidence in multiple, public settings. During the course, we will hold the first class at Redfern’s Training Center, followed by 5 sessions held in local public areas. Goals of the class include attention in public, basic obedience in public, loose leash walking, increasing self-confidence when in new places or when meeting new people, and safe behavior in elevators.

Prerequisites for the course include successful completion of a Redfern Puppy or Beginners class and current vet clearances. Puppies must be under 12 months of age as of the first day of class.

For more information, and to register, visit our website here.

Year Round Dog Training = Year Round Fun

Don't let the winter cold put a damper on your training. At Redfern, we offer year round fun for you and your dog in our climate-controlled classrooms. Come out and play!

Classes are filling as quickly as they are posted. Head on over to the website now and schedule some fun for you and Fido. You'll be glad you did!

Redfern Alum Makes History

By Sharon Sipple

In December 2022, my Pekingese Reese became the first Pekingese in breed history to earn a Rally Champion (RACH) title. As a result, Reese was awarded the Top Pekingese Performance Dog for 2022 by the AKC Pekinese Club. (This was the first time they gave an award for performance!) A year later, Reese earned his 2^nd Rally Champion title. You may be thinking, “That’s nice, but what’s so special about it.”

I had never trained a dog before and was introduced to Rally Obedience during our Puppy class. I thought it looked like fun and would be a way to build a stronger bond with Reese. So, we took our first Rally Class at Redfern! At the end of the class, Betsy challenged me to compete. I figured we would try for our Novice title—and the rest is history! We kept going and here we are.

If you are unfamiliar with Pekingese, they are known to be stubborn. Many people make fun of them because of all their hair and their waddle. People are surprised when they see us in a Rally competition and tell me they never knew a Pekingese could do much more than sit and look pretty. We have inspired other Pekingese owners to try dog sports also. Reese was recently awarded the Top Pekingese Performance Dog for 2022. This was the first time they gave an award for performance!

For those not familiar, Rally is an AKC Companion sport. You and your dog work as a team to navigate a course containing anywhere from 10-20 signs describing a task/skill that the team must perform. The team starts out with 100 points and must end up with 70 points to qualify. (A judge evaluates the team’s performance and makes deductions for mistakes.) For Novice, Intermediate, and Excellent levels, you must get 3 qualifying scores to earn the title. For the Advanced/Excellent level, must qualify in both Advanced and Excellent classes in the same trial 10 times. To earn a Masters level title, the team must qualify in 10 Masters level courses.

To earn the highest level of Rally Champion (RACH) there are multiple criteria:

·      20 Triple Qualifiers (qualifying score in Advanced, Excellent, and Masters in the same trial). That means a minimum of 60 runs.

·      300 total points and 150 of those points must be in Masters. (Points are awarded for scores of 91 and above.

As you can see, to earn a Rally Champion Title, you not only have to qualify, but you must be able to consistently score 91 out of a possible 100.

If you would like to try something fun with your dog and (perhaps) earn a few titles along the way, try Rally! It is a very welcoming sport for newcomers. I enjoy it because it is not as formal as obedience. While on the course, you may talk to your dog as much as you want and can give both hand signals and verbal cues. Who knows……you may someday earn a coveted RACH!