SEA ONLINE FUN DOG SHOW 2022 - RESULTS

Best In Show:  Golden Oldies – Annie

Reserve Best In Show:  Mission Impossible – Murphy

 

Lovely collection of photos of ‘pups’ having a great time.  Hard to choose – but I had to make decisions – so these are the pics in each category that I kept going back to!   Frankly they are all winners and show the bond we have with our lovely dogs.

 

Beach Babes: 

All the pics in the section were a delight.  There were many that I would like to hang on the wall – but I had to narrow it down to three.

1.     Annie – a stunning head shot – I loved the focus on the sandy face and the water and sand shimmering.   Lovely dog and lovely picture

2.     Winter – footprints in the sand.  Great photo somehow bringing together the day at the beach.

3.     Umka and Alyssa – It takes two – a delightful  shot demonstrating ‘teamwork’!

4.     Lottie

5.     Umka

 

Crazy Hair Day:

 

1.     Luca – channelling the famous multi-coloured ‘coos’ – I loved the patience on the Eurasier’s face which says ‘companion’ in the best possible way.

2.     Lux – Made me laugh out loud!  Technically very good to catch the droplets – but the expression was the clincher!

3.     Iris – a very fetching ‘neckpiece’ demonstrating the ability of the coat to attract all sorts of vegetation!  Model looks very content with the result and obviously enjoyed the process of collection.

4.     Umka and Alyssa

5.     Murphy

Early Birds and Night Crawlers:

 

1.     Lumen and Lux – Great composition and captured the moment – which can be hard. Rocks, sea, dogs with smiles – what more could you ask for?

2.     Enzo – very evocative and rather touching – capturing the quiet moment.  In years to come this picture will conjure up all the memories of a day well spent.

3.     Lottie – A very happy pup!  There is a joy here that speaks to the relationship between the subject and the photographer.  Made me happy.

4.     Lux

5.     Kai

 

Fur-ever-Fur-iends:

 

1.     Kodi and Jip – captures a moment of pure joy – and I couldn’t resist it.  

2.     Della and Friends – made me laugh – the happy expressions on all three faces 

3.     Pippa and Luca – Loved the expressions and the obvious bond between this ‘odd’ couple.

4.     Iris and Molly

5.     Della and Friends

Golden Oldie:

A lovely collection showing the joy that our older dogs bring.  I loved them all.

1.     Annie – The intense gaze, the kind eyes, the slight ‘silvering’ come together to produce the most lovely close-up.  I would love to be looking into that dear face.

2.     Bubbles – a happy, relaxed and totally unselfconscious Eurasier – and you just want to (very gently) get down to rub that tummy!

3.     Sheeba – the joy of movement.  This babe doesn’t let age slow them down.

4.     Mishka Boots

5.     Winter

Handsome Fellow:

A clutch of handsome fellows – all deserving the accolade

1.     Luca – what a hunk!  There is a chap who doesn’t need to be told he is handsome – he knows it!  

2.     Lux – the ability to still look like a handsome hunk even when caught in the rain.

3.     Vico – A very handsome fella indeed – relaxed and yet conveying a sense that ‘all is well’. 

4.     Lumen

5.     Enzo

 

Mission Impossible:

1.     Murphy – a wise dog knows when to beat a retreat!  Doing it with dignity is not so easy!

2.     Enzo – there is a delightfully ‘manic’ quality to the way this Eurasier is celebrating the day and the freedom of the beach.

3.     Umka – That is quite a leap – and exquisite form.  Agility talent.

4.     Mishka Boots

5.     Della and Friends

Pretty Lady:

1.     Forest – what a pretty girl making an even prettier picture!  A delightful capture with the wild flowers and grasses.  Charming.

2.     Della – How could you resist that face?  A beauty.

3.     Winnie – Looking for treats to put in her basket?  Lovely girl.

4.     Della

5.     Iris

 Top of the Pups:

All puppies are ‘cute’ and all of these are totally beautiful – so again, my choices were made by how many times I had to return to a picture!

1.     Lux – A picture that shouts ‘puppy’ – cute and full of mischief.

2.     Iris – the ‘mask’ stage – so beautiful.  This pup so intense and serious and full of enquiry.

3.     Lumen – I’m looking at you …  This is just  such a typical puppy pose of a pup that wants to be in the centre of things.

4.     Willow

5.     Vico and River

Winter Wonderland:

1.     Umka – made me laugh out loud!  Do you know it’s wet out here?   

2.     Iris – the joy of snow!  Perhaps a mouse under there …  Certainly enjoying the day.

3.     Sheeba – The patience needed when hunting squirrel … They always seem to think that if they wait long enough their quarry will come to them.

4.     Kodi

5.     Winter

 

The Rainbow Bridge:

No placings in this section – each and every picture represents the love, companionship and joy that our dogs bring to us and how the heartbreak of loss transmutes into the warmest of lovely memories. 

 

 

Thank you for asking me to give my opinion – I loved going through all of the pictures.

 

Penny Roberts

DOBO - FUN FITNESS FOR YOUR DOG

By Moira van der Heijden
Dobo is a sport that combines exercise and having fun. Some exercises are done on an egg-shaped Dobo ball, some on balance discs, and some on half balls. 

Dobo exercises are 

suitable for healthy dogs aged 5 months and over and can be practised by dogs of any size. The dog should never be forced, but all exercises are done at the dog’s pace and will. Dobo should always be enjoyable for both the dog and the handler. It include moves for both the dog and the handler, and some are done together. The aim is to improve balance, body coordination skills, muscle strength and encourage stretching. Most Dobo exercises include several muscle groups working together. Even seemingly static movements are designed to make the muscles work hard. In this article I concentrate on the dog’s part of Dobo, but by doing these exercises, humans get the benefits, too. Even something as simple as standing on a balance disc improves a large muscle group and your balance. Dobo exercises are particularly good for midriff, and they improve balance and posture.
 
Why Dobo for Dogs?
Dobo exercises improve a dog’s concentration skills. You can not balance on wobbly things if you don’t concentrate! The exercises are also fun to do, so the dog learns to follow your lead. The exercises improve a dog’s agility, balance and coordination skills; they strengthen the muscles – strong muscles support the sporting dogs, and tone the show dogs. The exercises also help the dog to stretch itself and help reduce muscle tension, and, doing these together supports and improves the dog-owner relationship.
 
How to Get Started?
Remember, the aim of Dobo is not only to exercise, but to have a good time with your dog. This is not serious training; it’s meant to be light-hearted and fun. Dogs enjoy exercise, and they enjoy doing things together with their humans. Usually it only stops being fun if people get too serious. This is your time together, enjoy it!
There are a couple of basic rules: Dogs must be well and fit; any illnesses and injuries must heal before you can start. If the dog has structural flaws or problems, it’s best to consult the vet before starting. Never force the dog, the dog can always decide whether to do the exercise and stop if he chooses. Initially, about 15 minutes should be enough. The ball must always be supported either by holding it against the wall, or between the handler’s legs. Dobo is not a competition sport, there is no pressure for success. Please note, that even fit dogs will need to build up gradually, as they use a variety of muscle groups, and the deep muscles are not usually regularly exercised. Although dogs naturally like Dobo, use plenty of easy-to-swallow treats as rewards (please make sure the dog has access to water). Remember to warm up before training; a 15-minute walk and doing a figure of eight through the legs, twists and turns, gentle stretching (never forcing) are good ways to warm up.
 
The Ball
To start with, the dog should get familiar with the ball, learn to lift his front paws on the ball, and maybe jump over it. When the dog is ready, he can climb onto the ball and adopt any position he finds comfortable. We can only train dogs on the ball when they feel safe and secure on it.

The Balance Discs and Half Balls
First, we teach the dog to place his front paws on the disc, followed by placing his back paws on the disc. The discs we use at Dobo are slightly larger and wobblier than regular discs. A Yoga or pilates balance board can be used, too. They are firmer, and therefore allow some moves that could be difficult on a wobbly surface. The same exercises can be performed on the half balls. The dog can also be taught to have all feet on balance discs or half balls. Using the half balls on this exercise allows the handler to place them accurately to encourage a natural and balanced standing position. This is also good practice for show dogs to learn to hold the stacked position.
Whenever you do any of these exercises, please keep an eye on your dog ensuring not to tire him too much. Allow breaks between exercises, and don’t forget to cool down after training.

Tricks
Some tricks can be performed during Dobo training. Giving paws: front and back; in sitting and standing position; lying on the side; bowing; figure of eight through legs; walking backwards, etc. Tricks are also fun to teach and can provide entertainment on a rainy day.

Dobo at the AGM 2022
We are planning to provide you an opportunity to try Dobo at the AGM. If you want to give it a go, please bring a flat collar and normal lead (not a flexi) and plenty of easy-to-swallow titbits/treatos. Remember that this is all fun and not serious business; some dogs are naturals, others take more time to learn, there is no pressure to achieve… Simply enjoy your dog!

DOBO - The Beauty of Dog Balance - experienced by a Eurasier

Cojanne is a Eurasier owned by SEA member Giò Taddei, who takes Dobo classes with her teacher, Siria Palazzo, a 3* degree instructor in Italy. Siria wrote an article for the Italian Eurasier Club newsletter in 2021, and Giò has kindly shared it with us.

Dog Balance, also known as ‘Dobo’, has a lot of physical benefits, but it also helps emotionally. That’s right. It is a discipline that is truly suitable for everyone, dogs of all ages, of any size, of any breed, or otherwise. 

I have had and am lucky enough to work with Cojanne, a wonderful Eurasier female, a breed still not very common in Italy. 

Cojanne at her DOBO class

“Cojanne, what struck me when you entered the gym, in addition to your beauty, which is unquestionable, was your gaze, which had so much distrust, but was also open to a lot of curiosity so as to understand where you were, what were all those coloured balls, and to me, as I was moving and handling the gear.

Carlo, your owner, presented you as a dog wary of people, reluctant to do new things; especially if you don’t like them, and don’t see the point in them. From there I said to myself: “A new experience begins for both of us”… 

You approached the Dog Balance Fit for the first time, and I was confronted with a breed that I had never worked with before. There, we were tuned from the first moment; we had given ourselves space to get to know each other, understand each other, and like each other… And then, off we go, we started working. 

The beginning of our work started right from the baseline, I built you low, ad hoc proprioceptive sensory paths to put you a little on the edge, and try to figure out your body knowledge, your skills, your temperament, your challenges and your ways of overcoming them. You used your physical abilities and intelligence to face everything, but avoided what you did not like; and I, more stubborn than you, knowing that you could do it without any problem, I urged you to persist until you got over that mistrust. 

Every new Dog Balance Fit lesson with you has always added progress, each time increasing the difficulty, so that you bring out the best skills and knowledge of your body, where you must focus on yourself, your movements, and your trust in me. 

What you take home at the end of each lesson is great results, because you face new things; first with your hesitant approach, but then you put your distrust aside, you believe it, and you know you can do it. Not only do you perform the proposed exercise, but you also perform it very well, as you have since the first moment, bringing home really good results. 

I really believe that the Dog Balance Fit is also helping you to deal with different things in everyday life, managing situations that bring you unease, and you overcome them with the skills you have acquired, and the greater self-esteem that this wonderful discipline gives you. 

We still have a long way to go, and new challenges to face together.”

By Siria Palazzo, Cojanne's DOBO trainer