Dog Shows
I enjoy having Bull Terrier puppies, but to be honest, two are too much! These girls need homes of their own. I entered Claire at the Buckeye Bull Terrier club’s supported shows in Canfield Ohio the first weekend in August. Claire (Nuance Next Time Around) went Winners Bitch for a 3-point major on Sunday under Gregory Anderson. I’m waiting for the win photos to arrive, but I was very proud of how well she did at such a big show!
Barn Hunt
These puppies enjoy Barn Hunt lessons so I entered them at the Michigan Barn Hunt Club trials August 18th in Howell Michigan. Although they’ve practiced at that location, there were some changes that made it more challenging than practice. We trained inside in a ring that is only used for Barn Hunt. The lower levels of the trial ran on the side of the building, where dogs had been walked and wildlife had been free to roam up until the day before. The photographer, ;was pointing her camera at the ring from up on a ladder.
Instinct Level Results
The girls did well! They both found the rat in the Instinct cradle, a situation they had never encountered before. Brook was awarded her RATI (Rat Instinct) title, Claire was playing her “keep away” game around the rat, and I mistakenly grabbed her by the neck skin to hold her while I put her leash back on. Grabbing dogs by the skin is called “scruffing” and is strictly prohibited in this sport. So no RATI for her, BAD HANDLER! Needless to say I learned that lesson quite well and was able to catch her using “flat hands only” in her later runs.
Claire Smokes the Novice Competition
Moving on to the Novice Barn Hunt course, my Bull Terrier girls did well. She did take time to cover the entire course, just never developed the required focus on the rat scent.. In the first Novice trial, Claire did her tunnel, climb, and found the rat in just over 10 seconds, giving her a first leg towards her RATN (Rat Novice) title. This was fast enough for her to also be awarded High in Class, she qualified faster than any of the 15 or so dogs in that trial. The second time around she found litter (no rat) and enthusiastically started carrying the tube around, so I had to call it, and she did not qualify. Need to work on that litter vs rat discrimination.
Brook is Getting Closer to Confident
Brook, on the other hand, was a little concerned about the photographer looming over the ring and just couldn’t focus on locating the rat. I was pleased that she did not mind being in a blind with strange people and dogs and didn’t seem to mind that both a judge and rat wrangler were in the ring with her. Her concerns about strangers are decreasing since starting her barn hunt training.
Looking for an Older Bull Terrier Puppy?
Both these girls are available. Please contact Cleo Parker for more information.
