Triple Crown of Training Classes Begin October 7th

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We’re doing something new this fall for our training classes. We’ll be offering three on Monday evenings, beginning October 7th and running through November 11th.

At 6 p.m. we’re offering a 40-minute beginning obedience course for people who want to make their dog easier to live with. This is not competitive obedience training, though it could certainly lay the groundwork for that. The instructor, Lori Genaw, wants to make sure that people who took this summer’s class know that they are welcome to come back to continue their training as well as newcomers who are just getting started. The cost of the obedience class is $35 for 6 sessions. We have a special offer for people who have adopted their dogs from the Humane Society of Preble County– you can take this course for just $20! The class is an hour-long, and is open to puppies and adult dogs. Handlers should be 10 and up, and we ask that minors be accompanied by at least one parent. For dogs that are ready at the completion of the course, you may have your dog tested for a Canine Good Citizen title. This is not only a nice accomplishment for you and your dog, but can ease your situation with home insurance.

At 6:40, we will offer a continuation of our Conformation classes. Classes last 40-minutes and will cover showing dogs on grass, showing indoors, stacking in front of a mirror, video feedback, cavaletti work, free-stacking, hand-stacking, gaiting, lead control and bait management. (Not all in same class! Over the course of six weeks! ) Dogs of all ages and levels of experience are welcome.  Handlers should be at least 10 years old, and we ask that minors be accompanied by at least one parent. Classes will be taught outside under lights and cover as weather permits, and will move indoors later in the course. The cost for Conformation classes is $25 for six weeks, or $5 per class if you just want to drop  by for one or two.

At 7:20, we will– for the first time ever– be offering a Beginner’s Course in Rally. The AKC describes rally as “a sport in which the dog and handler complete a course that has been designed by the rally judge. The judge tells the handler to begin, and the dog and handler proceed at their own pace through a course of designated stations (10 – 20, depending on the level). Each of these stations has a sign providing instructions regarding the next skill that is to be performed . . . Rally offers both the dogs and handlers an experience that is fun and energizing. The canine team moves at their own pace, very similar to rally-style auto racing. Rally was designed with the traditional pet owner in mind, but it can still be very challenging for those who enjoy higher levels of competition.”  Open to dogs who have basic obedience skills, six months and up. Handlers should be at least 10 years old, and we ask that minors be accompanied by at least one parent. Cost for the rally course is $25 for 6 weeks training.

All classes are free for members of Fort St. Clair Kennel Club. Maybe you should think about joining?

Classes are held at Preble County Fairgrounds, 722 S. Franklin St, Eaton, OH. The classes will begin the sheep pavilion, which is on the right hand side on the lane, across from the back of the grandstand.

If you’d like more information or to pre-register, please call Lori Genaw (937) 696-2585; or email the club at fsckc@earthlink.net.

 

AKC Sanctioned “B” Conformation Match October 20

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We’ll be holding our annual AKC Sanctioned B Match this year on Sunday, October 20th, at the Gem City Dog Obedience Club, 1654 Springfield St, Dayton. The match is indoors, climate-controlled and food will be available.  (You can click on the image of the flyer to make it bigger.)

Pre-entries are $7.50 each and should be mailed to Gary Sinck, 725 Xenia Ave, Dayton, OH 45410 and must be postmarked by October 14.  Entries will also be taken on day-of-show, between 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. (Day of show entries are $10)  Judging will begin at 12:00 noon.  Junior Showmanship will be judged first, followed by breed judging. There are three age divisions of puppy classes: 3-6 months, 6-9 months and 9-12 months. There are also classes for adult dogs who have not yet earned a “major” at an AKC dog show.  The match will culminate is Best Adult Dog in Match and Best Puppy in Match.

A few rules to be aware of:

  • Absolutely NO CHALK.  The facility is an agility club, with a specialized floor and chalk makes the floor very slippery, and could result in injury. If we catch you with chalk, we will ask you to leave. And we’d hate to do that, so please, no chalk. None. Nope, not even a smidgen.
  • No taped ears. This is an AKC regulation, and we are bound to observe it. They even go as far as to say that a judge is not allowed to judge a dog if the exhibitor removes the tape in the ring. So if your pup has taped ears, remember to take the tape off at home. We know they’re puppies, and the ears may not be “perfect” yet.
  • Professional handlers are welcome to handle their own dogs at this match. Client dogs are not permitted unless the client is on the end of the leash.
  • Entries MUST be on an official AKC entry blank. We have a downloadable one here (click the link). We will have entry forms at the match too.

The Judging Panel

  • Sporting     Larkin Vonalt
  • Hound     Skip Thielen
  • Working     Sylvia Jones
  • Terrier     Brad Reese
  • Toy     Brad Reese
  • Non-Sporting     Rick Mouser
  • Herding     Charlie Evans
  • Junior Showmanship     Dr. Tracy Leonard, DVM
  • Best in Match    Cindy Benson

A word about the “Ohio Virus”

Many of us in Ohio have been alerted to the presence of an unidentified virus that has stricken some dogs in the Cincinnati and Akron area. We have been in touch with the State Veterinarian who assured us that it would be safe to hold this match. (Unlike dog parks, which he has advised to avoid.) The Gem CIty facility is kept scrupulously clean; swept and mopped regularly. They know that the virus is spread by fecal contact, so we are asking you to be extra vigilant in picking up after your dog. The rate of contagion is very low– dogs in the same households have not been equally affected– and treatment of symptoms gives dogs an excellent prognosis.  Please know that if we believed that this match could endanger dogs in any way, we would not have gone forward with it. So come on out and have some fun. 

Directions

  • From US35: Take the N. Smithville Road exit and follow Smithville Rd. north all the way to the end. At the t-junction, turn LEFT.  Gem City Dog Club will be on your LEFT. It is set back off of the road, behind an auto-parts dealer. There are large colorful dog cut-outs on the building.
  • From Ohio 4: Take the Findlay Street exit towards downtown. (Left if you’re coming from Columbus area, right if you’re coming from I-75) Turn LEFT on Springfield St. Gem City Dog Club will be on your RIGHT. It is set back off of the road, behind an auto-parts dealer. There are large colorful dog cut-outs on the building.
  • From I-75: take the Ohio 4 exit. Turn RIGHT on Findlay Street, then LEFT on Springfield St. Gem City Dog Club will be on your RIGHT. It is set back off of the road, behind an auto-parts dealer. There are large colorful dog cut-outs on the building.
  • From I-70, east of Dayton: Take the Ohio 4 exit. When you are nearing Dayton, look for the Findlay St. exit. Turn LEFT on Findlay, then LEFT on Springfield. Gem City Dog Club will be on your RIGHT. It is set back off of the road, behind an auto-parts dealer. There are large colorful dog cut-outs on the building.
  • From I-70, west of Dayton: Take the I-75 exit. Then get off on Ohio 4. Turn RIGHT on Findlay Street, then LEFT on Springfield St. Gem City Dog Club will be on your RIGHT. It is set back off of the road, behind an auto-parts dealer. There are large colorful dog cut-outs on the building.
  • CLICK ON THE MAP BELOW TO MAKE IT LARGER.

Still Waiting for News

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The problem with television mysteries is that everything gets solved in an hour, and even leaves time for commercials. Even though we know real life doesn’t work that way, we still harbor expectations. But laboratory tests take time, some cultures grow very slowly, “weird” results might precipitate a whole new round of re-tests. We know they’re not twiddling their thumbs at the Department of Agriculture (nor at U.C. Davis) but there is still no news from the Department of Agriculture on findings regarding the “Ohio Virus.”

I called today and was told that they are still awaiting results. The minute we hear something, we will post it, I promise. In the meantime, please be alert for your dog suffering from a set of symptoms that may include vomiting, bloody diarrhea and possibly foaming at the mouth. If you see this, get to a veterinarian right away. (Remember that they believe the means of transmission is fecal.) If your veterinarian needs more information or thinks your case may be related, the telephone number for the State Veterinarian, Tony Forshey, at the Ohio Department of Agriculture is (614) 728-6220.

Some Updates to the Mysterious “Ohio Virus”

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This morning, the Ohio Veterinary Medical Association issued an email to all Ohio veterinarians with statements from the state veterinarian at the Ohio Department of Agriculture.  They have confirmed the presence of circovirus in one dog, but test results have not come in yet on the other seven, and it may be weeks before they are finished. Testing takes time, which is, of course, frustrating for everyone, since we all want answers.

Dr. Tony Forshey, the state veterinarian very strongly urged caution before jumping to any conclusions. He said, and I quote, “We don’t yet know the role, if any, that circovirus played in the death of that one dog. ” Nevertheless, people do jump to conclusions and it quite disappointing that some of the people indulging in speculation are out-of-state veterinarians. One of them is any anti-vaccine crusader who has been circulating the baseless rumor that dogs have contracted the virus from circovirus-contaminated vaccines.

The other is an “internet sensation” (“America’s Pet Advocate) who gained fame by sitting in a hot car with a thermometer to show that if you sit in a hot car parked in the sun in a place where palm trees grow that in twenty minutes it gets pretty hot in there. This time, he is circulating grisly necropsy photographs with big red letters heralding the arrival of a “killer virus” which he identified as circovirus. Very much jumping to conclusions, and he advised all who asked to “talk to their vet about circovirus.”

So far, the only deaths identified as caused by circovirus were in California last spring. Does that mean that these deaths are not circovirus? No, it just means we still don’t know, and it would be good for veterinarians to keep an open mind about what they’re dealing with. The fact of the matter is that many of these cases may be “normal” illnesses that vets are already familiar with:  parvovirus or coronavirus, camphylobacter, cryptosporidium, giardia etc.  Many of these have the same supportive treatment: address the symptoms while testing.

Because Dr. Forshey is certain that the means of transmission is fecal, you can best protect your dog by keeping him or her away from the fecal material of other dogs– he specifically mentioned avoiding dog parks. We will add pet areas at rest stops are also a haven for fecal-borne illnesses. Some individuals have taken to washing their dogs feet, with the thought that dogs perspire through their feet. Does it help? Who knows?  But like hand-washing, it can’t hurt!

And please, remember to pick up after your dog.

The OVMA email also mentioned that the Department of Agriculture is now compiling cases that may be this mysterious illnesses, and encouraged veterinarians to contact them if they believe they have or have had cases. Their number is (614) 728-6220.

Finally, as always, if your dog shows any of these symptoms: vomiting, bloody diarrhea and/or foaming at the mouth, get them to a vet. Don’t try to ride this one out, don’t try to treat at home. Dogs that get prompt treatment are recovering well.