Report of 2009 Highlights for Dorndorf Longhairs
In Memorium
CH Walmar's Luke v Dorndorf L
11-2-97 - 9-15-09
Agility
Sep 6
Nutmeg v Dorndorf L MX MXJ RN OAC NCC EJC TN-N becomes the tenth Master Agility Champion dachshund in the 10th year of the AKC MACH program
Sep 12
FC Alpine Owl von Dorndorf TD SchwhKF SchwhK Wa-T BHP-G LH scores 95 in his first trial and wins the Novice A Jumpers with Weaves class
Oct 3
Brass Pax v Dorndorf, 15 months, scores 95 in his first trial and places 2nd in Novice B Standard Preferred
Oct 18
FC Alpine Owl von Dorndorf TD SchwhKF SchwhK Wa-T BHP-G LH earns 97 points and 1st place in the Novice A Standard class of 4 , 100 points and 1st Place in the Novice A Jumpers with Weaves class of 6 (Owl is more than 7 seconds under SCT), and 63 points and First Place in the Novice A Fast class of 3 at the Dachshund Club of America National Specialty Agility Trial
Dec 12, 13
MACH Nutmeg v Dorndorf L MX MXJ RN OAC NCC EJC TN-N is one of four dachshunds representing our breed at the 2009 AKC Agility Invitational in Long Beach, California
Conformation
May 31
FC Dackeldorf American Pie SL is V rated by Madame Agnes de France, President of the French dachshund club
(Pie is daughter of FC Alpine Owl von Dorndorf TD SchwhKF SchwhK Wa-T BHP-G LH)
Den
Feb 22
FC Nexus v Dorndorf L TD JE RN VC Wa-T BHP-G LH passes den test on fox at F3 Hunting Dog Workshop
Feb 22
FC Alpine Owl von Dorndorf TD SchwhKF Wa-T BHP-G LH passes den test on fox at F3 Hunting Dog Workshop
May 23
DC Nadja v Dorndorf L SE earns her first Master Earthdog leg
Dock Diving
MACH Nutmeg v Dorndorf L MX MXJ RN OAC NCC EJC TN-N finishes 12th in Top 20 small dogs at 2009 Cabela's National DockDogs® Championships
Field
Jan 4
FC Annie Ochre von Dorndorf is Absolute Winner of 92 dachshunds
Feb 7
FC Bob's Babe von Knobydox is 2nd of 20 Field Champion Bitches
(Babe is daughter of DC Nadja v Dorndorf L SE)
Feb 8
FC Audi Oslo von Dorndorf is Absolute Winner of 95 dachshunds
Mar 14
FC Audi Oslo von Dorndorf wins the Field Champion Dog class of 15
Mar 14
FC Annie Ochre von Dorndorf is Absolute Winner of 66 dachshunds
Mar 21
FC Audi Oslo von Dorndorf is 2nd of 22 Field Champion Dogs
Mar 22
FC Audi Oslo von Dorndorf is Absolute Winner of 93 dachshunds
Sep 11
FC Audi Oslo von Dorndorf is 2nd of 17 Field Champion Dogs
Sep 12
FC Bob's Babe von Knobydox is 2nd of 24 Field Champion Bitches
Sep 13
FC Bob's Babe von Knobydox is Absolute Winner of 69 dachshunds
Sep 14
FC Bob's Babe von Knobydox wins the Field Champion Bitch class of 20
Oct 31
FC Annie Ochre von Dorndorf is 2nd of 16 Field Champion Bitches
Nov 7
FC Audi Oslo von Dorndorf is 2nd of 21 Field Champion Dogs
Nov 8
FC Annie Ochre von Dorndorf is 2nd of 22 Field Champion Bitches
Nov 21
FC Annie Ochre von Dorndorf is 2nd of 7 Field Champion Bitches
Nov 21
FC Audi Oslo von Dorndorf is Absolute Winner of 64 dachshunds
Nov 22
FC Audi Oslo von Dorndorf is 2nd of 7 Field Champion Dogs
Nov 22
FC Bob's Babe von Knobydox wins the Field Champion Bitch class of 6
12-27
FC Audi Oslo von Dorndorf is #5 dachshund and #1 standard longhair in DCA Field Champion Merit Points Top 20 for 2009
12-27
FC Bob's Babe von Knobydox is #8 dachshund and #2 standard longhair in DCA Field Champion Merit Points Top 20 for 2009
12-27
FC Annie Ochre von Dorndorf is #16 dachshund and #3 standard longhair in DCA Field Champion Merit Points Top 20 for 2009
Obedience
Jun 13
Nutmeg v Dorndorf L MX MXJ RN OAC NCC EJC TN-N earns first Companion Dog leg with 1st Place
Puppies!
Aug 31
DC Nadja v Dorndorf L SE whelps three red bitch puppies by FC Audi Oslo von Dorndorf
Oct 30
Seiko v Dorndorf L is selected to remain here with me in Ohio
Nov 5
Sage v Dorndorf L goes to her new home with Maxine Brinker in Illinois
Dec 20
Sonic v Dorndorf L goes to her new home with Mike Suchodolski in Michigan
Rally
Jan 11
FC Arlina Ossie von Dorndorf earns 2nd Rally Advanced leg and wins the class
Jan 12
FC Arlina Ossie von Dorndorf earns 3rd leg for the Rally Advanced title and wins the class
Tracking
May 30
FC Alpine Owl von Dorndorf TD SchwhKF Wa-T BHP-G LH is first and so far only US longhair to pass 1000 meter DTK blood tracking (SchwhK) test
Oct 26
Axel Odin von Dorndorf has his first of several deer recoveries for 2009
Loads of Appreciation and Congratulations to all of the owners!

12-28 Seiko adjusting to life without Sonic

With no sisters left to play with, Seiko is forced to look for fun in the clothes closet. Here, she poses as Queen of the Hill - after a dig in the basket of dirty laundry.

12-27 DCA Field Champion Merit Points Top 20 for 2009
(Compiled by Tracy Freeling.)
Registered Name---Points---Placements---Size & Coat---Owner---State
1 Brooke
DC Town Farm Water Wings---388---13---SS---Michael Pitisci, MA
2 Carman
DC Siddachs Carman MW---304---13---MW---John Merriman & Sidney Stafford, NJ
3 Danika
FC Danika vom Nordlicht TD ME---288---16---SW---Cheri Faust, WI
4 Raina
FC BG's Love on the Line MS---240---12---MS---Robert & Gail Page, TX
5 Oslo
FC Audi Oslo Von Dorndorf---210---13---SL---Stanley Knoll, MS
6 Odie
FC Rosie's Odie On The Run---186---6---ML---Pete & Bonnie Mercier, NY
7 Muffin
FC BG's Midnight Sparks---170---11---MS---Robert & Gail Page, TX
8 Babe
FC Bob's Babe von Knobydox---161---11---SL---Tina Knoll, MS
9 Trooper
FC Rosie's Little Trooper---159---5---ML---Pete & Bonnie Mercier, NY
10 Nix
FC Nix Vom Nordlicht JE---157---10---SW---Lawrence Gohlke, WI
11 Darter
FC Melwyn Under Wing Darter ML---150---5---ML---Lorraine Simmons, VA
12 Buster
FC Clown vom Talsdeich---141---5---SW---Susanne Hamilton, ME
13 Lance
DC Wingover's Lancelot Du Lac ML NA NAJ---139---4---ML---Alice Moyer, PA
14 Rocky
FC BG's Size Isn't Everything---138---8---MS---Robert & Gail Page, TX
15 Ruckus
FC BG's Boogie Child MS---135---9---MS---Robert & Gail Page, TX
16 Ochre
FC Annie Ochre Von Dorndorf---133---7---SL---Laura Knoll, MS
17 Duditz
FC Melwyn Dreamcatcher ML---121---4---ML---Pat Warble, PA
18 Etta
FC Marta Etta of Hathor Farm SW JE---115---8---SW---Ronald & Marleen Yann, OR
19 Dixie
FC Anja von Moosbach-Zuzelek RN SE---112---4---SW---Sherry Ruggieri, NJ
20 Ely Mae
DC Sandar's Wyred for Westrose MWD RN---111---7---MW---Julie Couch, OR

It is interesting to note that the top six dachshunds represent the six US dachshund sizes and coats!
DC Brooke, owned by Michael Pitisci, repeats as Number One. She was also Number One last year.
Danika and Nix are littermates sired by Buster.
Raina and Ruckus are littermates whose mother is Muffin.
Muffin and Rocky are littermates.
Oslo and Ochre are littermates.
Babe's mother is half-sister to Oslo and Ochre.
Odie and Trooper are littermates.
Darter and Duditz are littermates.
Lance's mother is littermate to the father of Darter and Duditz.
Dixie's mother and Danika's and Nix' mother have the same father.
Bloodlines count!

Congratulations, everybody! Best Wishes for 2010!

12-25 Merry Christmas to all and balls for Karl!

It has been a colder and snowier December than we have had in awhile. Seiko and the younger adult dogs find it all exhilarating. For 13.5 year old Karl, on the other hand, the snow has been rather difficult as he struggles to maintain footing and to go in and out the dog doors. Last week, Karl, following a very generous offer from Jennifer Fry, went to live with Jennifer in her home in Columbus. He will stay in Columbus through the winter at least, sharing lap time with Jennifer's two standard longs who are 12 year old Griffin and 3 year old Gretel (half-sister to Seiko). Jennifer says all three dogs went to her parents home today where Karl received a present - a canister of his favorite of all balls - raquetballs. He then basically demanded that they roll a ball for him for the next hour and a half but he was humorous about it and they obliged. After dinner they left to drive home and Karl was asleep as soon as he hit the seat cushion. He is thriving with all the extra attention from Jennifer. I am grateful to Jennifer. Thank you.

12-21 Sonic is doing "great"

Mike took this photo while Sonic slept in his truck. By 4 months of age, Sonic and her sisters had already traveled over 1200 miles by car. They are old hands at rockin' down the highway!

Sonic explores her new yard where, on this day, southern Michigan has less snow than southern Ohio. Mike is happy that she slept in her crate all night.

12-20 Sonic goes to new home in Michigan


Sonic, 16 weeks tomorrow, met Mike Suchodolski today and they liked each other right away. Mike, an avid deer hunter, was looking for a dog to track deer and be a great every day companion. He lost his 13 year old English Setter bitch this summer and friends of his have setters so the idea of a dachshund with a setter-type coat really appealed to Mike. Many thanks to Jolanta Jeanneney for referring Mike to me. Mike is new to Sonic and dachshunds are new to Mike but they sure seemed to take to each other.
May you enjoy many, many adventures together.

12-13 Day 2, Dachshunds at the AKC Agility Invitational

Round Three was an Excellent Jumpers class.
Snoopy and Cheryl scored 100 points and ran in 37.80. After three rounds, they were ranked 17!
Mandy and Jamie scored 100 points in 42.00 seconds and were ranked 19!
Nutmeg and Maxine scored 100 points, ran the course in 33.88 seconds, and were ranked 36. Her great speed actually made Nutmeg the fastest dachshund in each round - and 18th fastest of all 8" dogs in this round - but she only moved up from 44th to 36th. You can see that the *one* quick mistake Nutmeg made yesterday was very costly. At this level of competition, only perfect scores are good scores.
Unfortunately, Bubbles and Denny lost five points in Round Three for a score of 95. Their time was 43.06 and their cumulative rank was 40.
I'm sounding like a broken record but I'm happy to point out that all four dachshunds ranked higher than more than half of the dogs in this class! Way to go!

Round Four was a hybrid Excellent Standard x Excellent Jumpers course.
Snoopy and Cheryl scored 100 points in 41.30 seconds for a cumulative rank of 12!
Mandy and Jamie scored 100 points in 40.56 seconds and ranked 13!
Bubbles and Denny scored 100 points in 41.52 and ranked 31.
And dear Nutmeg scored a big fat zero.
Here is Maxine's report. "We were waiting outside the ring to go in and Nutmeg was really pumped. She saw the flash of a camera from someone outside the ring who was taking pictures. She became very focused on that light. They'd made announcements asking people not to take pictures but this man was doing it anyway. Nutmeg really has a thing for flashes of light. When she was young, I'd shine a laser light on the wall playing with her and she'd go crazy trying to catch the light. Now she is obsessed with moving and flashing lights. I saw her looking where the camera had flashed and I thought oh no I'm doomed. Sure enough, we went into the ring, she jumped the first two jumps and then went right over to where the light had come from. I called her and called her but she was focused on where she'd seen the light and I couldn't get her back. I was so mad. Finally, I got her and we left the ring. Do you want a dog?"
She was kidding. I couldn't pry Nutmeg away from Maxine if I used dynamite.
But if I used a laser light...

Round Five, The Final
Snoopy was one of 11 dogs to compete in this fifth and final round. She was the only dachshund because only one dog of each breed is allowed into the finals. Just seven of the 11 dogs scored 100 points to Qualify in Round Five and remain in contention for one of the four placements. Unfortunately, Snoopy wasn't one of them but all of the dachshunds and their handlers deserve enthusiastic applause!
Congratulations to Cheryl Holman and Snoopy for making it to the finals! And Congratulations to Jamie Sexton and Mandy, Deneice Van Hook and Bubbles, and Maxine Brinker and Nutmeg!
All of you represented our breed very, very well. You made us proud!

Postscript
Maxine has said that she will never play with a laser light toy with her dogs again! She isn't the only one. Many more dog owners have become aware that the 'hunting' of laser lights can turn from fun to fanatical. You can read one cautionary post on the terrier.com website.

12-12 Nutmeg has "Awesome" run at Long Beach
- MACH Nutmeg v Dorndorf L RN
Nutmeg and owner/handler Maxine Brinker of Illinois were one of the four teams that represented dachshunds at the prestigious AKC Agility Invitational this weekend in Long Beach, California.
The top five dogs in each breed are invited to the Invitational.
The annual competition got underway today as nearly 500 dogs ran the first and second of four rounds that will determine who advances to the finals on Sunday evening.

Round One was an Excellent Jumpers class.
Nutmeg scored 100 points and ran the course in 34.42 seconds, ranking 30th of the 91 small dogs competing at the 8 inch jump height.
Miniature longhair bitch Mandy and owner/handler Jamie Sexton of Tennessee ranked 37th with 100 points and course time of 35.61.
Standard longhair bitch Bubbles and owner/handler Deneice Van Hook, also of Illinois, ranked 41st with 100 points and course time of 36.28.
Standard longhair bitch Snoopy and owner/handler Cheryl Holman of Ohio ranked 45th with 100 points and course time of 37.36.
Thus, all four dachshunds finished in the top half of their class!

Round Two was an Excellent Standard class.
Mandy and Jamie Sexton scored 100 points and ran the course in 46.36 for a cumulative ranking (Round One + Round Two) of 21.
Bubbles and Deneice Van Hook scored 100 points and their course time of 48.12 found them ranked 25.
Just behind were Snoopy and Cheryl Holman with 100 points and course time of 47.48 for cumulative rank of 26.
Unfortunately, Nutmeg, who ran the course in a very fast time of 44.78, back-jumped one jump for a less than perfect score of 95, and ended the day ranked 44.
Again, all four dachshunds finished in the top half of their class! Congratulations on an Excellent day!

12-6 Puppy Tracking Update
Sonic and Seiko's track this evening was the second one this week (instead of the four tracks as usual). The first one was on Friday when we worked 275 yards in the dark. Today's track was 305 yards which we ran at nearly dark.
The track started by the birdhouse pole
50 yards to the pear tree, open left turn
65 yards to the woodsline, open right turn
65 yards to the big oak, right angle turn
50 yards toward the distant tree, open right turn
40 yards up to the crest of the field to another open right turn
35 yards to the hunk of meat at the end
Obviously, we practiced turns tonight!
But we also worked on distractions. I'd bought a Stanley space heater and had the 14"x 14" or so square black & yellow box as well as the clear plastic bag and two large styrofoam pieces it had been packed in. I put the box, the bag and the styrofoams at four different turns opposite the directions that the track went. I wanted the puppies to see strange things on the ground that they needed to track up to and work around. I also wanted their curiosity to entice them off the turns just enough so they could practice getting right back to the checks.
Seiko's attention was arrested by the bag near the pear tree as she temporarily considered what it could be. Sonic gave two barks at the box under the oak tree and waited to see if it would move. Night had fallen and I knew that it looked strange to her. It looked strange to me! I stood quietly and let them think things over for themselves. They pretty quickly decided meat was waiting for them out yonder and they'd better get themselves to it!


They did some outstanding work. I have been very pleased with our tracking sessions!

12-6 Oslo Does It Again!
- FC Audi Oslo von Dorndorf
Stan Knoll's Oslo is called back 3rd and places 3rd of 24 Field Champions at the Dallas-Fort Worth field trial as they finish up a third straight year amongst the top of the Top Dogs! Congratulations to both of you on your remarkable ability and consistency!

12-6 Double Qs #24 and #25 for Nutmeg!
- MACH Nutmeg v Dorndorf L RN
Another wonderful weekend for Maxine Brinker and Nutmeg as they once more qualify with perfect scores in both Excellent B classes each day! Wowee, you two, congratulations!

12-5 Oslo Places in Large Class at Dallas-Fort Worth!
- FC Audi Oslo von Dorndorf
Oslo is called back 3rd and finishes 4th of 27 Field Champions at the DFWDC field trial in Ladonia, Texas! Congratulations to Stan Knoll and Oslo!

12-5 FCI: Send Trimmed Longhairs Out of the Ring!
An FCI ruling came out in late October telling judges not to judge longhairs whose neck hair has been clipped or trimmed!
I would love for such a ruling to come from AKC via DCA, too, but it will never happen. We all like to groom too much.
I believe US dachshund exhibitors began grooming the necks of longhaired dachshunds because many of the top dogs were being shown by professionals - who also showed dogs from the sporting group. Trimming the necks of the setters and spaniels as they did, professional handlers decided longhaired dachshunds would also look neater trimmed up and give them an edge. Unfortunately, "neatening" became an all-out assault on neck hair to the point that many exhibitors today use clippers. The use of clippers on longhaired dachshunds was virtually unheard of 20 years ago.
It has never been clear to me why the neck hair of the longhaired dachshund, teckel, or badger dog, is thinned, scissored, or clippered for the show ring, other than "everyone does it." Our own AKC Standard by which our dogs are supposed to be judged states, "The sleek, glistening, often slightly wavy hair is longer under the neck..."
Heavy grooming certainly does not make our dogs better dachshunds. I am glad that the VDH sees the fallacy of breeding for hair in the whelping box, then cutting it off for the show ring!
Many thanks to Marie Gadolin of Sweden for making me aware of this.

12-4 Music Page Deleted
I checked on the You Tube links on my Music Links page and found one-third of them no longer available. It was fun while it lasted but I have deleted that page.

12-3 Sage asleep with Disco
Sage is pictured with Disco whose registered name is CH Bar-Bax Life's A Dance AX OAJ. He is owned by MACH cocker spaniel exhibitor Becky Cembrowicz who frequently travels to trials with Maxine Brinker.

12-2 Dog Food Analysis
This is a link to an excellent site with evaluations and ratings of dog foods. I've emailed it to some people in the past month and given it to a coworker. Thought I'd post it here.
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/

12-1 Nutmeg's Weekend Stats
- MACH Nutmeg v Dorndorf L RN
Maxine Brinker forwarded me the report being sent to AKC for Nutmeg from this weekend's agility trials. It shows just how terrific their performances were!
27-Nov-2009 JWW-EXB-REG - 8 Inch - Judge: David Hirsch Distance: 142 yards - SCT: 44 seconds Score: 100(Q) - Time: 32.22 seconds - Mach Pts: 11
28-Nov-2009 JWW-EXB-REG - 8 Inch - Judge: Tom Slattery Distance: 137 yards - SCT: 42 seconds Score: 100(Q) - Time: 31.38 seconds - Mach Pts: 10
STD-EXB-REG - 8 Inch - Judge: David Hirsch Distance: 177 yards - SCT: 74 seconds Score: 100(Q) - Time: 59.80 seconds - Mach Pts: 14
29-Nov-2009 JWW-EXB-REG - 8 Inch - Judge: David Hirsch Distance: 152 yards - SCT: 47 seconds Score: 100(Q) - Time: 35.96 seconds - Mach Pts: 11
STD-EXB-REG - 8 Inch - Judge: Tom Slattery Distance: 162 yards - SCT: 69 seconds Score: 100(Q) - Time: 51.06 seconds - 4th place - Mach Pts: 17
Nutmeg scored 100 out of 100 points to qualify in five of the six classes she ran in. (Only the qualifying runs are reported.) For every class in which she qualified, Nutmeg earned one MACH point for every second under Standard Course Time (SCT) that she ran. You can see the SCTs and Nutmeg's times above. So she qualified in five Excellent B classes in three days, averaged more than 12 seconds under STC, earned two Double Qs and a 4th place, and accumulated another 63 MACH points!
This was in competition with a variety of breeds of dogs measuring under 11" at the shoulders. This kind of accuracy, speed, and TEAMWORK does not come easy. Maxine and Nutmeg have worked hard together for years. It is wonderful to see them enjoy this kind of success in agility which they both love to do!

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