Wysiwyg
(Ch Springfarm Dance Time) 

German Spitz (Mittel)

Wys is retired now , going rather deaf and sometimes getting things mixed up a bit. She won well in the show ring, being top winning bitch in her breed in 1999, including the bitch CC at Crufts that year.

She competed in agility and open obedience with a number of rosettes to her credit. She also did a lot of training for working trials, including tracking, which she took to with enthusiasm.

Twice she was part of the heelwork to music display team at the prestigious Contest of Champions, more used to seeing champions being show dogs rather than strutting their their stuff to 'Singin' in the rain' as Wys did!

Bred by well known Crufts obedience prize winner Sally Johnson, Wys bears the prefix of some very well known but somewhat more proficient obedience dogs! Wys bears the distinction of being the first (and only?) British show champion to be clicker trained and was one of the first 2 dogs in the country to be 100% clicker trained from puppyhood.

Poppy
Border Collie

A 'pet shop special' Poppy came to me with a severe aggression problem when she was close to being put to sleep. Poorly bred on a puppy farm in Wales, she was sold to an unsuspecting and well-meaning first-time dog owning family in Surbiton. Stupid advice based on a misdiagnosis that she was a 'dominant'  dog and totally inappropriate handling by the "expert" they brought in to give them help, turned her into an even worse snarling, reactive fear biter.

She no longer bites so easily as she did, but she has her moments when you know she will never entirely get over her early experiences.

Never buy from a  pet shop or a puppy dealer folks or you might get a Poppy!! 

Peg (Rakatak Rhapsody'n Black)
German Spitz (Mittel)

Peg was a very special little dog and a real character that never failed to make an impression, albeit not always a good one! She was the first clicker trained dog in the UK and some people might remember the long discussions on click-l with Karen Pryor and Gary Wilkes about how to teach Peg to knock over a toadstool.

She won me out of Beginners obedience (a rare feat to win out of Beginners with such a small, non-working breed, especially totally food trained) and gained places in Novice before she was retired due to ill health. There were few, if any, Border Collies that could beat her for attitude and commitment!

She also won me out of Starters agility and made the Barbour Mini Pairs final 2 years in succession. She was feisty, independent, and incredibly clever. If I hadn't already committed myself to non-coercive training techniques she's the dog who would have made up my mind for me!

Oh, and she also qualified for, and won a VHC at Crufts!

A very special dog in every way and much missed.

Dylan and Winston

German Spitz (Klein)

Dylan(left) and his alleged brother, Winston (right), are the latest additions. They came to me from German Spitz rescue for some rehab work with a view to them being permently rehomed eventually.

Dylan particularly was very scared of being handled, and both had obviously been very badly treated especially round stairs and doorways. They weren't housetrained and spent every moment physically close to each other, curled up in the crate they seemed to need for security. After 3 months working with them to rebuild their confidence, they were rehomed.

Unfortunately after only a few days in their new home they escaped.

Dylan was caught immediately, but Winston stayed on the run for over 3 weeks and for a few weeks my life was turned upside down as I travelled to and from Newcastle to search for him whenever I could. He survived rain, temperatures 4 below zero, being chased by numerous dogs and even a hawk. He was seen going under the body of an articulated lorry and being chased off a motorway by the police. He also survived two weekends of fireworks since he had been unlucky enough to escape on Guy Fawkes day. How he managed to get through it all is a something of a miracle although he was traumatised and has never quite recovered.

Both dogs came back to me and are now permanent members of my doggy household. Dylan has blossomed and is a lively and a typical outgoing little Spitz, occasionally rather bossy, although he still doesn't really trust people who try to pick him up. Winston is sweet natured, keeping his head down and out of trouble, never happier than when he has some toy in his mouth.

Three little Spitzes...left to right...

Wys (Ch Springfarm Dance Time), Abi (Brykin Balalaika) and Peg (Rakatak Rhapsody'n Black).