Edna is expecting...

 

In a couple of weeks we will be welcoming a litter of silver babies to the Marcasite household.

I am absolutely delighted. I have once again used Kareem aka Can.Ch.RBIS BBE Int'l.Ch.Violet Skies N A Noble Knight VA RATN ATD CGN RI RE NS PCD CD TDROM/AM RATN CGC TKA RATI RI RA

Kareem is a gorgeous boy and lives in Canada with Deborah Foster of Violet Standard Poodles. He is fully health tested with excellent results and possesses both brains and beauty - holding Canadian Champion and International Champion titles, as well as titles for obedience, barn hunting, and even several trick dog titles.

Having used Kareem before, I can honestly say he produces puppies with the most wonderful tempraments and I am in contact with several other owners of his offspring from across the globe.

Edna aka Lucy in Sky Grey at Marcasite (NTD SSH 2K9 BTC:48 TD-ROM) is mum to this upcoming litter and like Kareem is fully health tested with excellent results.

Edna has already produced two wonderful litters of puppies - in 2018 and 2020, so this will be her final litter.

Edna adores being a mum and is so maternal that she has previously taken on and produced milk for a couple of tiny foster puppies whose Mother had died during their birth. She even produced milk for her daughter Peggy's litter a couple of years ago!

Like Kareem, Edna holds several trick dog titles and she excels at obedience and agility. She is the most gentle, kind, intuitive dog and has even done some filmwork and modelling in the past.

I am very much looking forward to the pups arriving, so watch this space for lots of pictures!

A walk with Blu

 

A couple of days ago we met up with Blu, one of Edna's puppies from her 2020 litter.

Blu lives in the north of England with his family and his best pal Alfie the doodle, but they popped in to see us whilst they were visiting Devon on their holidays.

As you will see from our photos, Alfie, Blu, Stan and the girls had the most wonderful time playing together. We had a perfect day, in fact even the weather was perfect- a first in Devon for what feels like months!

It was such a pleasure to be able to spend time with Blu. He has grown into a very gentle, whistful soul and is a friend to all he meets. He really is a credit to his family and I am so very grateful to them for staying in touch and allowing me to follow along in Blu's adventures. As a breeder, there really is nothing better than knowing how much happiness one of your puppies has brought to a family.

I am super proud of the gentle, well mannered chap that Blu has become.

Imi and Rex try Canicross

 

Allow me to introuduce you all to Imi - she is 15 years old and the owner of Rex, a blue boy from our 2020 litter. 

Imi and Rex live together on a farm in East Sussex and although Rex is a family pet, Imi has really taken a shine to all things dog training and has achieved incredible results.

Rex has already gained his Kennel Club Good Citizens Bronze and Silver Awards and he is good company for Imi when she goes out riding too.

Recently, however Imi decided to try out Canicross - cross country running with Rex to keep him active both in mind and body.

Canicross is a hobby that anyone and everyone with a dog can do. It is not so much like the agility world; dominated by collies. Any dog can do it, from pomeranian to great dane.

It also has the benefit of being a very cheap way to train with your dog as you really can do it anywhere. You can also do it alone or as part of a club. 

The only real expense involved in Canicross is the harness - all dogs doing Canicross should be fitted with a purpose made harness - this is ensure their comfort and safety. 

There are some pictures of Rex wearing his harness below.

Imi and Rex had their Canicross taster session accompanied by a family member who is a very experienced canicross runner, but there are also many clubs across the UK that can help those who are interested in the sport to get started.

I know that our local club here in Devon is very friendly and organise regular fun runs, training sessions and competative racing for all experience levels.

After sending me all of these lovely photos and videos of herself and Rex enjoying their new hobby, I asked Imi if she might like to write a little something about canicross for me to share. Here is what she had to say:

'Hi, I'm Imi. Me and my lovely dog Rex have just started canicross.

I had never heard about it before my Auntie told me all about it. She and her German Shepherd Etna have been doing this sport for a while and have recently completed the first ever UK ultra Canitrail. The distance was 48km over very tough terrain. 

My Auntie spent a long time preparing for the race and after they crossed the finish line her dog was still rearing to go!

I feel lucky to have someone that's experienced and has knowledge in that field to guide me along.

Rex is a very active dog so when I heard about it, I thought why not give it a go. I'd encourage anyone who is interested in trying it, to just give it a go. Canicross is so much fun!

Some benefits of canicrossing (as per DogFit.co.uk):

Provides mental stimulation,

Builds confidence,

Improves mood and well being,

Helps reduce behavioural problems,

Increases bond with owner,

Encourages healthy bones, joint and ligaments,

Tones muscles,

Wards off disease,

Promotes healthy resting.

Canicross is a sport where the trainer and dog run together off-road, hands-free. Dogs of all breeds and sizes can do it as long as you respect the limitations of your dog.

The dog runs in front and the runner guides him/her from behind using voice cues. Over the years it has become a more widely known sport. Canicross is the perfect sport if you like to be active with your dog and want build a stronger bond.'

Here are a couple of short clips of Rex and Etna doing their run. I can't imagine a more beautiful location to run at!

Although running isnt particularly my thing, Canicross looks like a really fun hobby and for anyone interested in learning more, Imi would recommend looking at either the Dogfit or the Canicross UK websites.

I am definately looking forward to following Imi and Rex on their Canicross journey and wish them both the very best of luck.

Crufts

Last weekend Peggy, Elsie and I ventured off to Birmingham to compete at Crufts.

At just 15 months old this was Elsie's first time at such a large show. She was such a good girl and took everything in her stride, working very hard for me indeed. 

Here she is holding her little duckie, whilst she was waiting to go and see the judge.

And here she is being seen by our judge who gave me some lovely feedback and commented on how pretty she is.

Elsie did not place in her class, but I was nonetheless very happy with her because she really did give it her all. Several dogs in our class decided that buckarooing instead of trotting around the ring was a good idea - can't blame them, it looked fun!

I could tell that my sweet girl really wanted to join in, but she knew she was there to work and showed off her impeccable manners perfectly.

Next in the ring was Peggy, and again she worked her little socks off for me.

The judge made us work really hard in this class and we had to run our dogs around the ring several times.

Ordinarily I'd have found this quite difficult, because of my asthma but having lost almost 2 stones to fit into the suit I wanted to wear, as soon as I started moving I could not stop grinning.

It felt great and my breathing was absolutely fine!

And somehow, in a very large class with several Champions in it, my little Peggy managed to bag herself a Reserve!

I honestly couldn't believe it and I'm still stuck somewhere between disbelief and stupidly excited!

Here's a video of our run.

I love how Peggy's tail wags the whole time we show. She really does enjoy it.

So I suppose we'll have to do it all again next year! 

Teachers Pet!

 

Elsie has gained her Teachers Pet (A+) title with Do More With Your Dog!

She is such a clever girl and works so hard for me.

I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again - I'd highly recommend the Do More With Your Dog Titles to anyone, no matter what age or breed of dog they have. Keeping our dogs minds working is so important and it is a great learning and bonding experience for both dog and owner.

Read more about them on their Website

A Walk With Pasha

 

Yesterday, Edna, Elsie and I went to Bridport for a lovely walk at Stonebarrow Hill with Pasha and his owner Helen.

This is the first time I have seen Pasha (formerly known as Richard Parker) since he left here at 10 weeks old.

I'd have recognised that little face anywhere! He is the spitting image of his Uncle Ozzie; Peggy's brother.

Pasha has grown into the most wonderfully kind and gentle boy. He is a registered therapy dog and has a very similar temprament to his sisters - laid back, yet intelligent. Pasha is a real credit to his owner who has clearly put a lot of effort into his education. 

We all had a great day walking around Stonebarrow and even had time for a quick blast on the beach before dinner at a harbourside restaurant. 

We will definately be meeting up again soon and exploring more of Dorset together. I'm hoping to be able to bring Peggy and Nancy next time too - they were stuck at home this time because of seasons.

Here are some pictures of our day.

Start as you mean to go on!

Edna has gained her BTC:48 title with Do More With Your Dog. 

This title involves a dog doing any 12 tricks in either 24, 48 or 60 seconds.

Try as I might, I couldn't get Edna's 12 tricks done any quicker than 32 seconds, but honestly I think that is impressive in itself.

For this title we did the following in quick succession: hoop jump, bar jump, pedestal stand, wall stand, jump, spin and twist, sit, paw, send to bed, down, come and orbit.

We have now begun working on Elsie's A+ title.

Goodwoof 2023

 

A couple of days ago I was invited the Goodwood Estate near Chichester, to participate in a photoshoot with two of the girls to help promote the Goodwoof event which will be held in May this year.

Goodwoof is a fantastic two day festival for dog lovers of any breed or mix. It is held outdoors in the sunshine and there are lots of activities for dogs and their families to do such as fantastic talks from health professionals, doggie yoga, canine massage, dock diving, agility and so much more!

Edna is a modelling pro so I decided to take her along with young Elsie, in the hopes that she would show Elsie what to do and how to behave in front of the camera.

The girls were joined by 8 other standard poodles and posed alongside Lord March, the Duke of Richmond. They behaved impeccably and did everything asked of them. In fact mine were some of the only dogs who did do what was asked of them! Some of the other dogs were a little...spirited to say the least 😂

It was an absolute joy to spend a day surrounded by so many poodles and we are looking forward to the event.

Here is an article all about it, as written by The Telegraph