introducing me and my hobby

Hey guys!

In the middle of my vacation I started to think if I would start writing a blog of my hobby, junior handling and "normal dog show handling". Yes, I have my homepage www.tipsuttajat.net, and it's still working even when I started writing here. Just felt like my homepage was an information-kind of site, and thought that if someone wants to, they can read my thoughts of the dogshows I've been to here. Could be a good way to think more deep also on my own handlingstyle and so on. We'll have to see how this goes on and if it succeeds, then you can read more about my weekends at dogshows here! Hope you enjoy, I will at least ;)

I can start with a little introduction into my hobby and me. I have two dogs at home, kleinspitzes, Nelli (FIN & N CH Tempore True Colors) and Ninja (LTJW-11 FRJW-11 JWW-11 EUJW-11 FIW-11 Tirhan Quantum Hoops). As you can see, they're showdogs, Ninja a bit more than Nelli. They're my most beloved dogs, of course, because they're my own, and I thank for both of them their breeders Esa & Laura Ruotsalainen. Ninja has achieved so much, though she's only 19 months old! Apart from all her winner-titles, she has won BIG-2 at an international show in Helsinki and BIS-4 Junior at Porvoo all-breed national show! What a girl <3


My first kleinspitz was called Tipsu (Sun-power's Tiara Tabitha). She could be lovely and she was truly a spicy girl, sometimes just too spicy, could bite and be aggressive. We tried to teach away this behaviour, but as she was shy from the beginning, it was hard. On summer 2010 we decided that it would be better for Tipsu to rest in peace and not be afraid of everything the whole time. So she past away June 22 2010. That was the most difficult decision to do for me, but I think and I hope it was the right thing to do.
Tipsu was born in 2002 and with her I started going to dogshows. She didn't win really nothing, because of her behaviour, but as you can think, there was a lot to do as a 9-year old child with a difficult and not reliable dog. Thanks to that, I've learnt more than no one can ever think, and I'm sure that has helped me trough these years of handling - the difficult dogs may not feel that difficult, when you've trained with a more difficult dog.

   

As said, I started when I was about 9 years old. I had some sim game kennel things on internet and there was these "sim game kennel dog shows". When you can do stuff like that on internet, why not in the real world also? Due to that I went to some unofficial shows with my kleinspitz. I participated in the "Child&Dog" category, we won a lot and somehow I had some good periods with Tipsu, and I got her a little more secure feeling when the judge judged her. One day we were heading for a "match show" as they're called here in Finland we were a little too late. The Child&Dog competition had already started. The woman behind the entry disk told me, that I could participate in the Junior Handling competition. I was still 9 years old, which meant I didn't have enough age to compete in that competition. The woman told me and my mom, that it was okay. I went to the competition. There were about 20 competitors. I didn't expect anything, I did a normal performance, it went pretty good I thought. The judge picked out some competitors she liked and there I was - in the top 5! wohoo, what an awesome way to start, under-aged. I got placed as 5th and I was more than happy.

That summer (2005) I participated in official junior handling competitions, always competed with my own Tipsu. She also went to the breed ring, getting Very Good and also one Excellent. Not much success, but what did I hope for? Well nothing! She was always shy, I thought it was good for her to get experience of different kind of people as she was afraid of them. In the junior handling we didn't succeed at all. Judges just told me to get a better dog. I thought that it was nice to have a little challenge, right?

I started to compete more and more, my first placement was in Tampere INT show march 2006, when I won the younger group with a lovely samoyed Snowy (Ikiliikkujan Snowy Mist). That was one cheering placement! I got placed many times that year and my hobby went up on my "whats-important-list" high! I have to thank Emilia & Matleena Myyryläinen for getting me started with this hobby.

Now, year 2012 has started. It's 4th of January. The first show of the year will be Turku INT show  21-22.1.
This year is my last year as a junior handler. Until this I've won lots of prizes, but more importantly I've made so many friends, that I can't imagine! This hobby, dogshows and junior handling gets people together. I love that! You can't achieve something you want, unless you have people there to cheer on you no matter what. And that's exactly what I have. My lovely friends, you all know who you are <3

 

Last year was pretty amazing... Won the World Championship in Paris with the lovely pharaoh Teah (Flower Of Sun Reedly Road Bahaar), got shortlisted to top 8 in Cruft's with an amazing australian shepherd Tinker (Allmark Muffin Muncher) shortlisted to top 6 in the European Championship with the same pharaoh, won the qualification-competition for the Finnish Championship with the lovely australian shepherd Reino (Glenhouse's Vau Megapup) and later got shortlisted to top 10 in the Finnish Championship with the pharaoh again and the list goes on. Could it have been better? I have to thank all of you, dog owners who have lent me your amazing dogs, without you there would be nothing!



The year before that, 2010, I won the Finnish Championship, and thanks to that I got the ticket for Cruft's and WW-11. Without that, I wouldn't even have went to those competitions. That year I got many placements and went to the Nordic Championships with our Finnish team, we got 3rd place and I got shortlisted to top 7!

 

I won't go on with the achievements more.. In this blog I will post more of this year and hope it will be the best year ever! We'll see ;) Ninja will start her career seriously, now that she isn't anymore in the junior class, and we'll hope that this year will bring us many glad moments!

Stay tuned, here we come 2012! Hopefully we'll meet at the shows!! :)

♥ Hilde  ♥