A Rescue Dog's Christmas Poem

Tis the night before Christmas and all through the town,
every shelter is full - we are lost, but not found,

Our numbers are hung on our kennels so bare,
we hope every minute that someone will care,

They'll come to adopt us and give us the call,
"Come here, Max and Sparkie - come fetch your new ball!!

But now we sit here and think of the days..
we were treated so fondly - we had cute, baby ways,

Once we were little, then we grew and we grew
now we're no longer young and we're no longer new.

So out the back door we were thrown like the trash,
they reacted so quickly - why were they so rash?

We "jump on the children:, "don't come when they call",
we "bark when they leave us", climb over the wall.

We should have been neutered, we should have been spayed,
now we suffer the consequence of the errors THEY made.

If only they'd trained us, if only we knew...
we'd hav e done what they asked us and worshiped them, too.

We were left in the backyard, or worse -let to roam-
now we're tired and lonely and out of a home.

They dropped us off here and they kissed us good-bye...
"Maybe someone else will give you a try."

So now here we are, all confused and alone...
in a shelter with others who long for a home.

The kind workers come through with a meal and a pat,
with so many to care for, they can't stay to chat,

They move to the next kennel, giving each of us cheer...
we know that they wonder how long we'll be here.

We lay down to sleep ... and sweet dreams fill our heads..
of a home filled with love and our own cozy beds.

Then we wake to see sad eyes, brimming with tears -
our friends filled with emptiness, worry, and fear

If you can't adopt us and there's no room at the Inn -
could you help with the bills and fill our food bin?

We count on your kindness each day of t he year -
can you give more than hope to everyone here?

Please make a donation to pay for the heat...
and help get us something special to eat.

The shelter that cares for us wants us to live,
and more of us will, if more people will give.

Author Unknown

Newf's Clean Up (and not a drool joke either)

See attached photo from the Queensboro Kennel Club Show at the Big E Saturday, October 25, left to right:

Kathy and Sammy got leg 2 today in Novice B.
AJ and Tessie got leg 1 and placed 3rd in Novice B.
Claire and Brigand got leg 1 in Novice A.

Newfie's rule!

Kathy

Good News on H 5092 Anti Dog Bill

Subject: MA 5092 - Anti-Dog Bill
Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:43:53 -0400

Between 150-200 dog fanciers turned out for the hearing on the draconian H 5092 bill that called for Mandatory spay/neuter, breed specific bans, intact dog permits, draconian nuisance provisions, and inappropriately mandated vaccinations. Those speaking against the bill included members of the National Animal Interest Alliance, the Mass. Federation of Dog Clubs, many different AKC dog clubs and dog training clubs around the state, pet owners, the Mass. Veterinary Medical Association, the Animal Rescue League, the MSPCA, the Waterfowlers Club, a speaker representing Americans with Disabilities and his guide dog and numerous pet owners. Revere City Councilman Anthony Zambuto also spoke in opposition. The hearing was hours long and not everyone was able to speak but the message was loud and clear. At the conclusion of the hearing, Chairman Pedone, author of the bill, entertained a motion to send the bill to study. This was seconded and quickly passed. This vote means the bill is dead for this session. Hopefully our strong showing will make clear that Massachusetts fanciers will not support these kinds of bills.

Thanks goes to the hundreds of Massachusetts residents who sent letters, called, emailed, or faxed. We heard from members of the committee that they got your message. In fact they got hundreds of your massages! One Representative joked that he was sure he had heard from all 300 members of one club. To NAIA and the AKC Legislative Department goes our thanks for their considerable help. Special thanks to Phil Guidry for his efforts on our behalf. Thanks to Dr. Tom Davies, AKC Director, for participating in a meeting with the sponsor. Thanks to those who ,missed worked to be there and to all of the people who came from every part of the state. When dog fanciers work together, we can educate our elected officials that we are indeed the experts.

Training #3 at Beverly

Beautiful weather for the third session in a row. Our hosts, Randy and Mary Alice found some truly lovely places to cart at a park down by the ocean. As usual, the Newfs stopped traffic, kissed babies, and awed the neighbors with a 3-minute down. "My dog could never do that." Randy led us through the brick paths of the rose garden which contained some very sharp turns, some of the toughest maneuvering I've seen so far this year. Great experience; if we can do those, we'll do OK on that part of the test. Your dogs looked great guys and although the cart had a huge, real pumpkin riding in it, I didn't hear any complaints from the canine crew.

Amos looks good doesn't he? We rarely get that whole family together for a picture. I wish I had taken a picture of Amos playing nicely on the deck with the girls; nice to see.

Molly and her girls looked pretty happy too. Molly decorated the cart with pumpkins and fall leaves. Jersey kept her eye on the ball and was a great companion and Nellie won all our hearts and played nicely with the other girls; even Soph on a rope.

P.S., Sophie slept the entire way home, and is sleeping at my feet as I write this. She may not wake up until the morning (or supper, which ever comes first). She had her first outing pulling her new Meszaro cart with an after market paint job.

I'l let the pictures tell the rest of the story, most of these from Randy. Great work guy, these are really nice.

Pics from Training Session #2 in Sutton

Thanks Amos, you are a great host.

http://picasaweb.google.com/MidMassNewfers/AmosSHouse#

Opening Day 2008, Dunstable

Thanks for coming everyone. A good start to the season.

http://picasaweb.google.com/stoneridgefarm/OpeningDay200802#

NCNE Draft Workshop Sunday Oct 26, 2008

Don't miss out on this year's Draft Workshop at the Singletary Rod and Gun Club, 300 Sutton Ave, Oxford MA. Instructors are Sue Marino and Keith Mallinson

Deadline for registration and lunch orders is October 18.

Details and registration form are located at the link below.

http://picasaweb.google.com/stoneridgefarm/DraftWorkshop2008#

You will need to download these files to your pc and then print them. Or email Sue Marino directly at Susan Marino vnnewf97@charter.net

Cheryl and I attended Sue and Keith's workshop several years ago and highly recommend it.

Thank you Martha

Everyone likes to do business with really good people.

Martha, from All Things Biothane donated a very pretty yellow leash and collar which was won by one of our junior participants. The item walked away before she could pick it up and Martha heard about it and has sent the junior a brand new replacement with a few extras! What a kind thing to do! If you'd like to check out her website, please visit -
http://www.allthingsbiothane.com/.

We like to recommend business to very nice people!

Are You In Favor of HB 5092?

You may have seen information about a pending bill in the House that would greatly curtail the rights of dog enthusiasts. Many dog enthusiasts have written letters to their representatives, stating their opposition to this bill.

Among the many problematic provisions to HB 5092, are the following:

• Establishing unreasonable nuisance laws that can result in forced sterilization, banishment, or euthanization of dogs
• Allowing towns and cities to impose breed-specific ordinances
• Instituting state-mandated vaccination schedules instead of allowing schedules to be determined in consultation with the animal’s veterinarian
• Imposing mandatory spay/neuter of all dogs over 12 months of age; or, in the alternative, requiring the purchase of an intact animal permit at a cost of up to $500 per dog

Additional information can be found at:

http://forums.ukcdogs.com/showthread.php?s=e2069018398ec8ff034016f9eb1070a8&threadid=228199

and the bill itself can be read at:

http://www.akc.org/pdfs/canine_legislation/MA_ht05092_3_.pdf

Discovery Channel shows how dogs drink.

Here is a fascinating slow-motion look at how a dog REALLY drinks water:


http://videos.komando.com/2008/08/29/dog-drinks-water/

Thanks for bringing this to our attention, Joyce.

Water Trials Slide Show

Introducing "Ozzy"

Introducing "Ozzy"Ev Chauncey and I would like to introduce everyone to our new boy, Ozzy. He is 10 weeks old in this photo and coming home this Friday. He's a wonderful, big boy from Kloofbear Newfoundlands and brother to the already "famous" Nellie O'Connell! We'll be bringing him to meet everyone next week and for his reunion with his sister, Nellie!

Barb

Review: My Captain's Dog

The Captain’s Dog, My Journey with the Lewis and Clark Tribe, is a long, educational, entertaining, and easy read by Roland Smith. The book, while structured on passages from Captain Lewis’ expedition journal, is written from Seaman’s, Captain Lewis’ Newfoundland, perspective. Roland Smith’s canine expertise allows you to envision your own Newfoundland in the role of Seaman, whereas Captain Lewis’ actual passages ensure that you will learn something about the United States continental expansion history.

Roseanne Benson

Doggie Paddle - Boston Herald

The Boston Herald thought the trials were pretty cool too.

NCNE 2008 Water Trials August 16, 2008

The weather cooperated today, beautiful not hail.

I don't have full results, but Molly and Jersey Titled WD in a performance filled with confidence and style. Great job guys.

And, frankly, I predict MMN will have another one by close of business tomorrow.

Pictures are posted in our photo album collection at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/stoneridgefarm/NCNE2008WaterTrialsAugust162008

What is a Title?

Not just a brag, not just a stepping stone to a higher Title, not just an adjunct to competitive scores.

A Title is a tribute to the dog that bears it, a way to honor the dog, an ultimate memorial. It will remain in the record and in the memory for about as long as anything in this world can remain.

Few humans do as well or better in that regard.

And though the dog himself doesn't know or care that his achievements have been noted, a Title says many things in the world of humans where such things count. A Title says your dog was intelligent, and adaptable, and good natured. It says that your dog loved you enough to do the things that please you, however crazy they may have sometimes seemed. And a Title says that you loved your dog, that you loved to spend time with him because he was a good dog, and that you believed in him enough to give him yet another chance when he failed, and that in the end your faith was justified.

A Title proves that your dog inspired you to have the special relationship enjoyed by so few; that in a world of disposable creatures, this dog with a Title was greatly loved, and loved greatly in return. And when that dear short life is over, the Title remains as a memorial of the finest kind, the best you can give to a deserving friend, volumes of praise in one small set of initials before or after the name.

A Title is nothing less than love and respect, given and received permanently.

Author Unknown

Welcome Nellie

Hi
I would like to introduce a new member to our group. She is a sweet girl and is so much fun.

I forgot puppies didn't come fully trained so she has kept me very busy. I also forgot how sharp those little teeth are too!!
I'm sure next year at this time she will be towing a boat and taking a line!!!! HA HA

Her name is Nellie it was Lily but now it's Nellie!!!

Nellie came from Kloofbear. I can't wait for you all to meet her.

See you all at the water test!!!

Molly

New CGC

Water Training Video

Casta Newf has a nice little 4-minute video on Water work with Newfs.

Follow the link below to their site, scroll down and press "play".

http://www.castanewf.com/work.htm

Enjoy.

Otis, my main man

We have a boy named Otis who is just shy of 6 months old and we love him to pieces. This is our first Newf and I'm going crazy - right down to the bumper sticker and the vanity plate.

I've attached some pics taken a few weeks back. We look forward to meeting fellow Newfers in the area and will be attending tomorrow's water training in Dunstable.

Thanks a bunch!
Heidi

My dog has a hobby

We’re halfway through the year now (plus a couple of days) and having a few days off has given me some time to reflect a little on recent comings and goings and on this thing we do. In reviewing my New Year’s Resolutions, for example, I was a little bit surprised to see that ALL of them pertain to my dogs.

As I prepared to head out for a couple of vacation days, one of the new North Carolina people who works for me now emailed me to ask what my plans were for the holiday. So I proceeded to tell her about Livvy’s carting title this year, and about the Newfers, and about how the experienced trainers have taught us so much, and that we’re doing Rally, and Water Work and …. (I guess I did sort of run on a little – kinda like this sentence.) Perhaps I’m starting to bore office folk a bit (a lot?). I noticed no one else asked.

But the reason for this reflection is that she responded to my email with “What a great hobby!”. And while I absolutely know that she meant it positively, I took umbrage at that reply. After thinking about that for a while I realized that what offended me was the implication that my dog was my hobby. My dog is an integral part of my life, my family. My dog is NOT a hobby.

Cheryl pointed out that I had said the H-word to her years ago before I got interested in training my dogs and she was offended by my remark. I have absolutely no recollection of that, Senator.

I felt a little better when I phrased it to myself as “my DOG has a hobby”. That felt better …

It’s more of a sport, though, isn’t it? There are rules. We compete against standards when we qualify in Rally Obedience. We compete against other dogs in the conformation ring or when folks like Sue come within a hand’s width of a perfect score. And when things go well, we are nationally recognized as having done something important. I think it’s a sport.

So I guess it’s something like, “My dog and I participate in organized sports at the national level.” Now I’m proud again.

A sincere Fourth of July thanks to my fellow Newfers, without whom I might really only have a hobby.

I’d like to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Keep that puppy brain occupied

I don't know if you have tricks to occupy a puppy brain, but I use Kong with stuffed dog food (soak his regular dog food with water, put in Kong and freeze) as a part of meal, or Buster Cube with his dog food in it (it is a big ball or cubic plastic toy. When a dog rolls it, the kibbles come out from it). Our dogs work on it for long time, so they get tired by the time when they finish their meals. It is good brain exercise for a puppy. Our previous Golden loved Buster Cube. She actually preferred to get food from it than her dish (we put both Buster Cube and her dish on floor once. She chose Buster Cube.).

Kiko

Republishing "Working Dog Training Groups" from Mar-Jun 2008 Newfprints

Several of us admired the vision Sue presents in this article. With her permission, we reprint this article to ensure it gets the exposure we think it deserves.

Working Dog Training Groups: Fun, Experience and Friendship
by Sue Marino

The Newfoundland Club of New England is fortunate and unique in that it has several training groups of devoted people working with their Newfs around New England. I’m not sure that our membership knows how wonderful this is or its advantages so I wanted to spread the word.

It begins with a common interest; training Newfs for water rescue, draft work, obedience, etc. Several members in a geographical area decide to get together to train their dogs. Usually one member coordinates the dates and locations but by no means dictates the decisions of the group. The group decides as a whole how often to meet, suggests locations where they would like to meet or volunteers to host a day and what type of work they will do. The person who is coordinating for the group sends a group email to anyone who has said they would be interested in working with the group, listing the dates and places for the practices. Often the group also plans to have a pot luck lunch or send out for pizza after they work their dogs. It becomes as much a social gathering as it is a working practice. One great, unplanned, advantage (besides the obvious training advantages) when working with a group is the wonderful friendships that form.

One very important thing to remember if you think you would like to join a group is that if you take of the groups time you must give back. If you plan to work with a group you must plan to support the group. In other words, if you want to train your own dog for water rescue, members of the group will help you by paddling the canoe, rowing the boat, pretending to drown, etc. Therefore, after your dog’s session is complete, do not plan to pack up your equipment and go home or sit on the beach and watch. You must also plan to row, paddle, and “drown” for other people’s dogs. The same goes for draft work. Plan to help others carry their equipment or set up a course and pick it all up when you are finished. A group is set up to help the members accomplish their individual goals but every member must support the goals of the group as a whole.

There are definite advantages of working in a group. Your dog gets to work in different locations, with different dogs and different people which helps to prepare them to enter a working test. Even if you never plan to enter a test it offers great socialization skills for your dog. It is also a great source of helpful advice.

Another member of the group might have more experience than you or have encountered the same training problem as you and will be able to offer advice. They may notice a problem in your training of which you might not have been aware or may be able to help clarify or explain the rules of a test. They can also help you evaluate the appropriateness of your equipment. Any extra help will always enhance your dogs performance. Some members of the group might make plans to get together for extra training sessions on a weeknight when a test is approaching.

Working with a group gives you extra support, help, friendship and a built in cheering squad when you enter a test. It is great fun to be at a test, whether you are entered or just spectating, and cheer on the efforts of a member of your group whether they pass or fail.

It is also a great advantage to work with more than one training group if you get the opportunity. I have been fortunate enough to train with all of the groups in New England and even a few in New York. There is always a new approach you can try or a new way to solve a training problem. Something your group might not have noticed or thought of might be pointed out to you at a different group. Each groups members have different levels of experience and expertise so you never know what new tips you might learn. There should be no issues about lack of loyalty when it comes to training groups. If you are invited to train with a different group or choose to do so on your own, your own group should look forward to the experience you will gain and be able to share with them in the future.

I like to hope that my regular group misses me when I am not at their training sessions but I love to take advantage of training with a different group. There is always something new to be learned or a different way to approach a training problem which only increases my ability to train my own dogs.

One other very important thing that training with a group will teach you is sportsmanship. I can’t remember when I last saw a member of a New England training group showing poor sportsmanship at a working test. We don’t allow it! Yes, we are all disappointed when we fail, especially if we have worked very hard to prepare but it is much easier to accept when your group members are there supporting you, sharing in your disappointment, encouraging you to continue and pointing out all the wonderful things that you and your dog did accomplish. Group members don’t tend to go around complaining and blaming the site, committee, stewards or judges for their failure. They accept the fact that things didn’t go their way that day, whether due to conditions or lack of training, and that they will work on their performance so that they will be better prepared to pass the next test. They also show that they still love their dog and don’t make excuses for their dog or chastise them. Just think about how that reflects on a person and their training group. If someone fails and says “Oh well, maybe next time” and gives their dog a big hug and tells them how wonderful they were for trying that day gives any judge, steward or spectator a great impression. Unfortunately this kind of sportsmanship is not always the
norm at tests. People who attend tests on a regular basis always express their surprise and admiration of our training group members when they witness their sportsmanship at tests.

I remember a very experienced judge and trainer stopping the test he was judging to witness the congratulations being given to a New England group member when they passed a test. A line of people had formed to greet this person as they exited the beach and each person had a handshake, hug or pat of congratulations to offer (even though the person and dog were very wet). He was amazed at the camaraderie of the group and said he had never witnessed it at that level anywhere else in the country. I am always so proud of our New Englanders when I see them loving their dog after failing a test and smiling as they leave the test area.

Of course I am also very proud of them when they pass a test! I know all of the hard work and dedication that goes into a passing performance. Our training groups tend to train for the fun and socializing first and the titles second which is an admirable practice and I think that is the basis of the wonderful sportsmanship that we see in New England. They know that the title is just the icing on the cake and
the bond that forms with your dog when working is the most important thing.

Thanks to all of the people who form our working groups and to those that take on the responsibility to coordinate the dates and locations. They are wonderful, dedicated groups of people and I enjoy training with all of them.

If any NCNE member is interested in joining or starting a training group they should contact Keith Mallinson, the NCNE Working Dog Secretary. Also, we are always looking for water sites that will allow us to train our dogs. If you know of any private ponds, state parks, public lakes, scout camps, etc that have areas where they might allow us to train please contact Keith.

Sammy's progress: You CAN train alone when you need to.

As you know, we've missed the last two water practices. So, not wanting to fall too far behind, we've been doing some land training.

First the paddle - I have been working on Sammy picking up the paddle and then retrieving the paddle in the yard. At first he couldn't seem to figure out how to pick up that flat thing on the ground. If it was on a rock, a bump, or laying on a tree root so it was elevated even just an inch - no problem. But on the flat, he just couldn't figure it out. But little by little, he got the idea and for the last two nights he has been shaking in his boots waiting for me to toss that thing so he can run and get it. He loves it. He grabs it, holds it high, and prances right back to me with it.

And as for the boat - as all of you who were at the first water practice this season saw, Sammy was very suspicious of that noisey boat and platform. So I started setting it up in the yard and having him jump up on it (it was more like a crawl actually). And then I laid a ground pole down and got way back and told him to jump! The jumps were great, but he did not like getting up on the platform - even when it was perfectly still. But again, little by little, and with lots of treat reinforcements, he is jumping up on that platform just great. I can even lay it on a little incline so that it wobbles a bit as he gets on and off and he seems to be just fine with that now. In fact, sometimes he jumps up all by himself when I didn't ask him to.

We've still got work to do - but I'm hoping that progress translates well when we get to the water. That was a very fun progression to watch.

So let's see, what's in NewfPrints this month?

Just spending a little quality time with the latest electronic issue of NewfPrints. A few very nice articles. One by Sue Marino about the value of training groups; I read that one twice. An article by Kathy Grim on the outstanding work some of the Newfers did in the Decorative Carting Event accompanies by a full page of nifty color photos. One article on Water Dogs at the Maritime Museum by Molly C’Connell and another about the Spring Fling by Oksana Jackim. Gee, makes me proud to be a Newfer.

What else … what else … oh you know, the usual stuff, Livvy did this and Livvy did that and ….. blah blah blah, oh yes here’s something worth noting. I see the name of someone we know listed under “Board Members”: sister to the brothers Grim I suppose.

Congratulations Kathy! If anyone deserves some recognition and if anyone will do a great job, it’s you.

My dogs, for two, are better human beings for having known you. And I recon there are other Newfers who would say the same for their dogs.

… yup, I know what I said.

Many Thousand Thanks from Livvy and Sophie.

Rally Novice Class A or B ?

I entered Livvy into Rally novice A. Iʼm thinking that is correct because neither she nor I have titled in Rally before. With one leg, weʼre eligible for class A arenʼt we?

Yes, that's right. The criteria are:
1. the dog may not have a Rally Novice or any Obedience title prior to the close of entries
2. The handler must own the dog or be a member of the owner's household or immediate family
3. The handler may not have previously handled any dog that has earned a rally or obedience title

You'll enter B when you want to enter rally novice but don't meet one of the above (for example, if you get your CD).

Kathy

Water Training #3

Weather was perfect today. A breeze, not too windy and warm water. We had an inflatable raft and two Kayaks. We had a puppy that really didn’t seem quite ready to walk down that steep hillside over at the left. And then, suddenly Higgins decided he was “in” and off he went. Too cool. Great attitude on his part, while no one was looking, I got a kiss.

Nimbus impressed me when DoggieDaddy was out in the water calling for help, Nimbus decided he was “by dog gonna help”. But his Hu-Mom called him back clearly. He paused, he thought about it and … he came back. Very difficult, I’m very impressed.

Lonni was just awesome carrying the seat cushion in from the water. What confidence. To me the best part of all this stuff, even better than watching an advanced water dog go through difficult paces, to when I see a young one suddenly “get it”. When they absolutely know what they are about; know what’s wanted, know they can do it, and do it knowing that they did good. Sometimes I think they pause briefly at the short waiting for the applause. Lonni got lot’s of applause today.

Livvy, as always, had a great time because all the people and all the dogs tolerated her social butterfly stuff and were so very gracious to her. Thank you. She didn’t care for getting INTO the Kayak, but she had a great deal of fun paddling around with me. Some great coaching today, Lori and Molly. Many thousand thanks.

Understand that I missed a lot of good stuff going on while I was chatting or playing with the dogs, so folks chime in with other good material that I haven’t mentioned. Pictures always welcome.

If you click on the slide show below, it will take you to today's album where you spend some quality time with your particular darling.

A flatter bumper

I tried to post this as a photo on the yahoo site but was denied. Effie loved her bumper (and still does) It was her first toy. Although we saved it for "working" even when she was a puppy.

You can put it on yahoo or the blog just point people to it thanks

Mary Anne

How Old?

As we are very New-fers, please let me know how old Daisy (currently 5 1/2 months old) should be before she begins the group training days? Kathleen and I have brought her into a lake this week, and she took like a duck to water. We went out about 10 feet out and she swam out and circled around us about six times. The last couple she whined a little (was she afraid for us?). So we got out of the water to keep it a positive experience. We also bought her a wading pool for the backyard, and she hops right into it. Attaching a picture of Daisy too (she's the little Landseer).
Thanks in advance for the advice.

Lori Felch

Hi Lori
The earlier you start training the better. Have fun with it and enjoy your puppy.
In most training groups, the members bring lots of extra stuff you can use.

Molly

Cleo WON Best Costume at the Beverly Farms Library Dog Beauty Contest!

Cleo is pictured here with the judges. She is wearing her hot pink bikini and sparkly collar, and, of course, her winning ribbon!

http://www.mypethaven.com/dog_bikini_2.htm

Decorative Carting Take 2

At the Newfie Fun Day on June 8, 2008 despite some really steamy weather, the Newfers repeated their award winning decorative carting parade.

Candid Video From Opening Day

I finally got around to down sizing a few minutes of fun from our initial training session.

I Posted them to YouTube

Free 8 minute on line Clicker Training Video for Puppies

I’m not selling anything, I just happened to come across this video from the Karen Pryor group about teaching away bad manners on a puppy.  IF you decide to watch it, keep two things in mind:

 

1.       It’s video so it’s a large file.  If you connect over your phone, this may not be for you.

2.       If you decide to watch it, PLEASE watch it all the way through.  The important part is the last 15 seconds.

 

 

 

http://www.clickertraining.tv/product.html?item=FREE-25

 

Home Alone

... not a newf, but could be!

Mary Anne

Great Post Mary Anne,
Sophie gave the jump a 6 out of 10. She thinks she's the next American ...

Bob



These people were always finding water all over their pool deck and furniture, every time they came home, after being away for a few hours. They thought the neighborhood kids were watching for them to leave, and using the pool...However, they could never catch them doing it.

So, they set up their video cam and left. This is what they found out.

Water Training Kickoff

Great beach, great weather, great coaching.



I think it's pretty fair to say that everyone had a good time and there was a LOT of excellent performance on the part of the four legged newfers. Speaking just for myself, without some excellent coaching from Kathy, and support and encouragement from Terry, Molly and Ida, I never would have asked 1 year old ("I'm afraid of the water.") Sophie to jump off the back of Mike's excellent boat platform into water way over her head. Not once, but twice.

This is why it's so much less effecting training on my own.

Lani, you're my new best friend and I hope to spend a lot more time working with you on water rescue. You were awsome today and helping to hold you back until Daddy's hands gave the signal, was almost as much fun as working with my own dogs. I hope you'll let me work with you again. You seem to like me OK and I know I how much I like you. Gosh it's fabulous to watch puppies learn to master new difficult behaviors.

I had a great time. Mary Alice, lighten up on me will ya? I'm a very sensitive guy...

The beginning of our 2008 WATER TRAINING!

Woo Hoo! Here we go folks. It is time to start water training. Really it is the wet part that is starting, because everything we've been doing all year is going to be a great foundation for the work.

We are planning on getting together this Saturday. Cheryl is checking on the campsite in Dunstable. If, for some reason, that doesn't work out, we will find somewhere else. We'll have a boat available for our practices when we want it, so we'll get a lot earlier start on the exercises that need one than we did last year.

For the week leading up to our first step into the water, may I suggest that everyone do some initial land exercises to remind the dogs what we want from them? Let us all know how it is going with getting your dog to pick up their bumper. Even when dogs are great on the retrieve, sometimes it is hard to get them to pick it up at your feet once they've dropped it. So let's start there (and you know how frustrating that is when they've dropped it out of the water rather than delivered it to hand).

If they've got that down solid, send them farther to get it and then mix it up with the cushion, the life vest, and the rope. Whatever you drop that is safe for them to pick up, ask them to do it. Keep treats in your pockets all week so that you can reward them when they do it right.

Report back!

I have been looking forward to this all winter!

Kathy

Certified Lifeguard Wanted

MidMassNewfers is looking for a certified lifeguard to be present while we train our dogs for water rescue at Camp Massapoag in Dunstable, MA. Compensation and scheduling is flexible but we are thinking of offering about $50 for a 2-3 hour session on the weekends. Since the lifeguard is only for insurance and liability requirements of the camp, this would be a great opportunity for someone who would be interested in training their own dog for water rescue with our group.

For more information email MidMassNewfers@gmail.com

Junior Division Water Rescue Exercises

The Junior Division of the Newfoundland Club of America Water Test

The Junior Division involves the following 6 exercises

1. BASIC CONTROL
2. SINGLE RETRIEVE
3. DROP RETRIEVE
4. TAKE A LINE
5. TOW A BOAT
6. SWIM WITH HANDLER

Many of these exercises can be at least partially trained in "ground school". Keep in mind that our puppies are very very "contextual" in their understanding of the world. There is no substitute for being in the water with the excitement and lovely "wet" etc. You really can't know how well they will do in the water until you see them perform in the water. Even then, different lakes, ponds, beaches may be very different to your dog. But a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. That first step can be on dry land.

In future postings, we'll open up discussion about each of these areas.

How To Download a Picture from MMN Photo Album

This description is correct for my PC, and the logic should work on yours as well, but some details may vary. Here's the way I download pictures from our album.

1. Open the photo album at: http://picasaweb.google.com/stoneridgefarm/MemorialDay2008

2. When the album opens, you’ll see Steve in a blue shirt with some great looking dog. You’ll also see all the other pics. Select one that you want (in this example, I’ll pick the 6th one (close up of two puppies working tandem) and click on it once.

3. That opens a new window with a much larger image of the puppies. At the right hand side are several windows. The second one has a link “download photo”. Click on that link

4. A “file download” window will open asking whether you want to open, save or cancel. In this example, I’ll select “Save”

5. That opens a Windows “save as” where I can select where I want the picture to be saved on my PC. This is where most people become uncertain. The pic is named “MemorialDay2008-06.jpg”

6. Save it where you want, perhaps to your “media” like a pen drive or the directory where you keep your pictures, or your desktop. It doesn't much matter where, but be sure you write down where you put it so that you can find it later. Then repeat for the other pics you want. I recommend you save them all in the same place.

If that doesn’t seem right, just let me know which ones you want (when you open a picture, Picassa refers to it as “Photo 6 of 17”). If you just call it #6, I’ll know what you mean. I’ll email those directly to you.

Bob

Memorial Day 2008

We all thank both Kathy and Mike for a great time. Weather, food, company, and surrounded by Newfs. What could be better than that? Sophie had the time of her life. Hannah, who is typically quite shy, reached out to other dogs and people today in a way we've been hoping to see for a long time. Molly noted a similar change in her dog and suggested aloud that it was because they began to think of all the other dogs and people as "family". Well said Molly.



And while we don't usually see many two-legged little ones around. We let one in this time and no one was sorry. What a cutie. Great with the dogs.

Sad and Disturbing

Extracted from a recent Newfer email. Quote without comment (there's really no words that seem to fit).

Cleo saw a human hitting its dog with a leash, today. Whipping, actually. She was horrified. I told the guy he didn't have to do that and he responded that was how the dog was going to learn.

Unbelievable.

Water Demonstration at Cape Cod Maritime Museum

This past Sunday a group of us helped celebrate the Cape's Nautical Heritage at the Cape Cod Maritime Museum in Hyannis. There was live music, demonstrations, artists, crafters, food and loads of kids activities! The biggest hit of the day was the 11 Newfoundland that participated in a water demonstration.

MacArthur, Roxie, Cleo and Jersey took turns retrieving articles, towing a small inflatable boat while John Adams narrated each exercise. Amos, Chauncey, Fiona, Abby, Nimbus, Lani and Bear moved in and out of the crowd greeting all. The crowd and Newfies loved it.




I want to thank everyone who came and helped with the demo. Lori and Terry drove all the way from New Hampshire, Barbara, Pam, Liddy, Roseann, Judy, Andy, Steve, Everett, Jim, and John, if it weren't for you the water demo would never have happened it was fun fun day.

Many Thanks

Pictures posted at: http://picasaweb.google.com/stoneridgefarm/MollyDemo

Molly

Out of Context?

So Tuesday night, at Rally training, we decided to try something new. Instead of working our way through an entire course as we had been doing for several weeks, we decided to work one station at a time. Be sure we got it right, and then move on. Sounded like a fine idea.

So we do some easy right turn, about turn, 270 turn and all is good. One sign at a time.
Then we approach a simple station where we start at heel, stop, and sit. We’ve done it 50 times. Heel is fine, “Livvy Ho”, no problem, she comes to an immediate full stop.

“Livvy … sit”. She stands there looking right at me with not a single move toward sit. I repeat, the command, she stands and looks. I turn around to face her and ask for a sit. She stares at me. I take a step toward her …. She goes into a “back”. How many times have I read that the day will come when your dog will just stand there as if she had never heard the command before. Is she being willfully stubborn or is it something else?

Out of context, right?

Is she thinking, “Rally is a course with lots of signs and that other dog goes round and make turns and does lots of different and interesting stuff. Then we do the same thing. One sign in the middle of an empty ring isn’t Rally. I’m not sure what it is, but it’s not Rally. Maybe it’s carting. Oh, he wants a back.” Every other night we got to watch Cosmo the Bloodhound go through his paces first; he's good, he sets the stage for us. Tonight he didn't come. Context was different.

My trainer, from the corner of the ring, said "Livvy sit" and she promptly sat. I think we have some work to do on my communication signals. We're going to work on "Front" for a while until we get back in the groove.

Review: "On the Right Track"

ON THE RIGHT TRACK; GETTING STARTED IN THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF TRACKING
by Joyce Arivella,

Have you read this article in the current issue of NewfTide? I was interested to read it for two reason, first, Joyce wrote it and secondly, Sophie seems to like tracking and I'm trying to figure out how to start.

It’s a really nice introduction stating concisely in one place everything you need to get started. Having recently purchased and started reading Judi Adler’s book and sketched out my first training day, I have to say I would have started out the same way from reading Joyce's article alone.

Included references are familiar; sources I have learned to respect.

Joyce doesn't overwhelm for a first read, but gives enough detail that one should probably print it out and highlight a few sections. Very nice job, Joyce. Thanks for sharing.

Bob

Day Dream Believer and a Home Coming Queen

On Friday May 2, Livvy had the great joy of participating in the Veterans 9 and over confirmation class at the Nationals in Warwick RI. Watching these seniors trot around to scattered applause was, in its own way, the most awesome part of the week for us. All the Newfs had tails gently swishing from side to side as they trotted around. They looked good; age be damned.

Livvy, I noticed kept her tail going between runs. She was clearly having a great deal of fun. We got lucky, she picked up a cute little blue stuffed bear and a check that we used to buy her a burger at Micky D’s. We were even a little let down when we finally got home and all the excitement had finally ended.

But Livvy didn’t see it that way. Later that evening she suddenly jumped to her feet, picked up the blue bear and trotted around the family room with her head held high. She never trots around the family room because trotting might press the “puppy play” button and Sophie plays too rough. So why did she take that risk? Why hold her head high and trot in a circle. What was she thinking ??

[That’s a rhetorical question don’t you think?]

Livvy’s biographer

A Brief History of Oquaga Kennel

We thought you would like to take a few minutes to reflect on the 39 year history of Oquaga Kennel. The article referenced below is about Fred’s Aunt Theodora and Uncle Clifford Hartz. It has been reprinted from a 1976 Newftide.

http://www.ncanewfs.org/hof/dogs/oquaga.html

Fred actually remembers some of the dogs mentioned in this article. He still recalls some of the dogs - especially King and then Bess wining the National Specialty in 1950 when he was 8. He reflects further:

Didn't remember that "Topsail's Captain Bob Bartlett" was from Oquaga stock - but not surprised

Captain Bob Bartlett was the captain of Effie M. Morrissey - now Ernestina. He was certainly the most famous Newfoundland explorer - and owned Effie from 1925 until his death just after WW2. She was used for Arctic exploration until the war - then she served as a supply ship to Greenland and helped with charting the water up north for the war effort. Although Bartlett was the captain, the military attache was Commander Alexander Forbes. His family owns 3 islands (Elizabeth islands) near Woods Hole between the mainland and Martha's vineyard. They are kept very private. One of the family was a recent captain of Ernestina - so we had a few crew parties there.

And as if that weren't enough the Effie M. Morrissey/Ernestina is Massachusetts Official Tall Ship and is owned by the Commonwealth.

Fred, Mary Anne & Effie

NCA Nationals Results are in

Sammy and I are back home. What an exhausting week - but what fun. There is much good news:

• Maxine earned her Rally Novice B title, and in case anyone is keeping score, a 93 on both Sunday and Tuesday and a 94 on Wednesday
  
• Molly and Jersey got their Rally Novice Title


• Mary Alice and Fiona qualified in Specialty Carting


• Ida and Magic cleaned up. . . First place in their second leg Rally Adanced, First place in their second leg of a CD on Tuesday followed by a second place in the third leg on Wednesday completing the CD title, and a new Draft Dog title as well. Woo Hoo!!
  


• And the Mid Mass Newfers took first place in the Decorative Carting event, with Pam and Nimbus receiving the award for best individual cart. John did a great job as Narrator. I can't wait to see the photos.
  

But wait. . . There's more. . .

• The Mid Mass Newfers Team Obedience entry also took first place (Sue with Nemo, Molly with Jersey, Kiko with Louis, and Joyce with Splash).


• Livvy took 4th place in Veterans Sweeps 9+ in the breed ring and 3rd place in Veterans 9+


• Not to be outdone by the 9-o'genarian, Sophie took Second in Puppy Sweeps 12-15 months and is shopping for a new tiara with liver jewelery

Kathy

P.S. There could easily be more. If so, please send details and I'll get them added in right away. A growing collection of pics are in our album.
Bob

http://picasaweb.google.com/MidMassNewfers/NationalsWarwickRIApril2008

FYI everyone, Todd Bennett has been updating the website every day, lots of pictures
See: http://www.ncanationalspecialty.org/ "catch of the day" newsletter gives daily news, but also lots of candids
Mary Anne

And yet some more
http://picasaweb.google.com/Richard.Vernon8/NewfNational2008DecorativeCarting

First Flicks from Warwick

Lot's going on today and I missed a lot of the action, but good stories to be told soon. Please let me know what pics you can get and we'll post them out in the album.

Team Obedience?? Tool cool. Send results soonest.

http://picasaweb.google.com/MidMassNewfers/NationalsWarwickRIApril2008

Simple Harness

Hey Joyce,

How about this little practice harness? Do you think this would be appropriate for tracking?

Results from Springfield

• Joyce and Splash qualified in Rally Excellent on Saturday. That was Splash's 2nd leg score 91. Hoping for a title tomorrow. He was such a good boy today in and out of the ring. It was almost 3 when we left and we'd been there since 8:30. A long day for him. I'm a proud Mom.
• And on Sunday, Splash earned his RE. Score was 84
  
• Kathy and Sammy qualified in Novice B (first leg) and got highest scoring newf in Novice (we were the only newf in Novice but that was still fun).
  
• Just to put some icing on the cake, Sammy was awarded his TDI
  
  A good weekend for newfs. . .

Go NEWFERS !!

Book Review: Calming Signals

On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals. Wenatchee, Washington, 2006, Dogwise Publishing by Rugaas, Turid

Major Author's Message: Wolf communication is not limited to aggression and dominance communication. Wolves are often in the business of trying to resolve conflicts. They have a repertoire of what are sometimes referred to as "cut-off" behaviors because stop an interaction before it can escalate into something dangerous. She prefers to call these "preventive behaviors". Wolves are very clear with all their signals, they speak in all caps. Like SHOUTING in email I suppose.

Rugaas argues that domestic dogs have these language elements too but they are somewhat more difficult to see because dog language is more subtle than the wolf, more like whispering in email.

A few examples of calming signals include:

• Head Turning
• Quickly licking the nose
• Freezing or moving very slowly
• Yawning and sniffing the ground
  

Many of these are extremely quick; blink and you'll miss them.

This booklet is quick to read and generously illustrated with color photos which complement her descriptions nicely. Each section also contains one or more little vignette that illustrates an real life situation where dogs used these calming signals successfully. Having identified some of these behaviors, Rugaas suggests that we can use them to our advantage when we want to prevent a situation from escalation.

21 Rally Myths

Hey Folks,

Kathy shared her copy of Front and Finish with me and pointed out the article on page 48 “The Rally Station” which busts 21 Myths several of which I had heard at evening training.

You might find the article useful as well.

I went out to visit Front and Finish to surf around and found that they have the April 2008 issue on line in their free library.

http://frontandfinish.com/webstore/index.cfm?fuseaction=feature.display&feature_id=52

I thought it might interest you as well.

Many thanks, Kathy a good read. In fact, several of the articles were very interesting.

SIG: The Telephoto

Let’s talk one camera feature.

When you’re getting ready to purchase a digital camera, one of the problems that people run into is that there are SOOOO many options. Which ones matter and which ones don’t.

As with most questions in life, “it all depends”.

However, in taking Newfie pictures over the years, I have found that some features become pretty important. One that I use all the time is the telephoto lens.

Telephoto lenses work like a binocular.

There is your darling kitty happily sleeping in the basket across the family room. “Oh he’s so cute. Quick darling (she always calls me darling) take his picture.” What cat? Oh, way over there?

I could walk over, but that might wake him up and I want the picture with him sleeping. Whatever can I do?

To the rescue comes the telephoto lens.

On my pocket size Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3, I have a 10x mechanical zoom built in. I just posted two pictures, one Zoomed out all the way (what cat?) and one shot from the same spot zoomed all the way in.

http://picasaweb.google.com/MidMassNewfers/MMNPhotoSig

It’s great to have zoom when you want to take pictures of a dog in the ring and you have to stay on the outside. I like my 10x zoom. It was one of the things that I looked for when I purchased the camera.

Geek Peek: Please note that I’m talking about “Optical” zoom here rather than software zoom. Two different things.

Re: Hot Dog! A treat tip!

Target training is used widely in zoo animal training. Trainers and
care givers can move tiger, hippos, crocodiles, whatever animal easily
and safely, so they can clean cages !!! If an animal needs injection
or blood taken for medical care, we can ask an animal to touch a stick
or cage door, so we can do our job without giving the animal
stress/sedation. When I had Maya's litter, I taught them to touch a
stick or my hand. In an obedience ring, I tell my dog to touch my
hand to keep their attention to me between exercises. I haven't
tried, but I thought about training my dog to keep nose close to/touch
my left elbow at heeling.

Kiko

Target Stick Training

Here's a You Tube video of target training a horse. I was interested because it seemed to me that once I have my dog trained to follow a target stick it should be much easier to communicate where I want her to go when I do Rally moves. Livvy understands quite a few of them, but others she simply has no idea what I want her to do. I thought if I could be more clear to her, it might be less frustrating for her.

Livvy is not picking it up immediately, but I have Sophie Rose following the target stick on the second lesson.

Re: Hot Dog! A treat tip!

Okay - now I need to know what target stick training is?

I've found (thanks to Joyce's suggestion) that the Shaws brand chicken hot dogs are not greasy at all

once microwaved. Tasty too!

Terry

Hot Dog! A treat tip!

Hey Kathy,

 

Nice tip.  I started doing a little target stick training with a clicker and I was using small pieces of hot dog to “charge my clicker” and it was working pretty well.

 

But you were right, microwaving the pieces made them smell and taste better and I’m pretty sure the doggies liked it better.  I know Cheryl did as she swiped some treats when she thought I wasn’t looking. 

 

 

 

 

MMN Photo SIG: Default Picture opening software

I think Mark is the man on the complete photoshop.  I use Photoshop Elements which is similar, but with significant differences. 

 

The reason that photoshop has become the default opener on your PC is that windows has associated that software with certain file types (like jpg for example).  If that’s the way you like it then well and good.

 

I can talk you through changing it if you want something else to open a picture.  For example, sometimes you only want to quickly view a picture and heavy duty editing software (like photoshop) takes a while to open up.  Too long when you only want a quick view.

 

When I open a jpg file containing a picture on my PC, Windows opens it with Windows Photo Gallery.  I can’t do much editing with Photo Gallery but usually I just want to see what the picture looks like so this is my preference.

 

MMN Photo Sig -- Photo SIG: Photo Editing Software Survey

Hey folks:

I would like to know what software you have (regardless of whether or not
you actually use that software) to organize and edit your digital photos.

Here are a few examples that I happen to have laying around:

* Adobe Photoshop Elements (purchased from Adobe)

* ArcSoft PhotoStudio (was included with my Panasonic camera)

* DiMage Viewer (was included with my Konica/Minolta camera)

* Epson Easy Photo Fix (was included with a scanner that I
purchased)

* MicroSoft Office Picture Manager (came with the PC I recently
purchased)

* Windows Photo Gallery (came with the PC I recently purchased)

Are any of you Macintosh users?

Often when you purchase a digital camera or a photo printer the manufacturer
includes software to help organize and perform edits on your pictures (see
ArcSoft above). Sometimes these freebes aren't very useful. Other times
they are really pretty cool. I personally know someone who started using
PhotoStudio years ago when she got it for free and is quite happy with it.

The reason I'm asking is so that we can try to figure out how to perform the
same operations in each software package that the group uses.

For instance, these packages all permit cropping the image, but they won't
all do it the same way. Click on the link below to see an example of a
picture after and before cropping.

http://picasaweb.google.com/MidMassNewfers/MMNPhotoSig

I'm also posting this email on the blog. If easy for you, I would like you
to make your reply as a comment on the Blog. But it's absolutely no problem
if you would rather not.

http://midmassnewfers.blogspot.com/

MMN Photo Sig -- Camera Reviews and Manufacturer reliability

For digital cameras, I've always been very fond of two sites:

http://www.dpreview.com/

and

http://www.steves-digicams.com/

In addition, I have a subscription to Consumer Reports who tracks reliability of camera manufacturers. We can use that to help shape our decisions as well.

MMN Photo Sig -- Photography anyone?

OK, 3 of use voted to want to get together to learn more about Photography. Not sure who you all are, but Pam, for one, mentioned it me personally.

I have some really exciting news for our photography enthusiasts.

Mark Fernald has graciously volunteered to share some of his time and experience with us in what I want to call the MMN Photography Special Interest Group or Photo SIG. Here’s why we’re so lucky:

Mark has been a serious amateur photographer for 38 years, working primarily in black and white landscape. I’ve been to Mark’s home and can attest to his success in this area. Ansel Adams came to mind when Mark confessed that he uses multiminute exposures late in the day to capture just the perfect light. He’s too modest to accept the comparison, but they were some really great art.

Mark has taught photography for 27 years, the last 22 at the NH Institute of Art in Manchester. Among others, his courses have included:

· Black and white darkroom,

· Landscape photography,

· Composition,

· Studio lighting, and

· The view camera.

Professionally, Mark is an optical engineer and lens designer (the proverbial day job), so he can answer most nuts and bolts questions about photography, as well as the artistic side.

So let’s make Mark feel welcome and then start to benefit from his experience and enthusiasm. It is our hope that between Mark’s photography expertise and my geekiness we should be able to cover the gamut from purchasing your camera, taking the picture through fine tuning the digital image long after the shutter has clicked. I may be able to help on this end.

Mark is also the official photographer for Black Paw Studio (see their link on our Web Sites of Note) and Terry recommends him highly and she ought to know.

So if you are interested, please respond to this email and if possible tell us what some of your primary interests are. Pam, I know is interested in purchasing a camera. My personal goal is to improve my composition and use of lighting in Newfie Pictures. As the club Blog-Bob I would be simply delighted to have one of our pictures featured in the next Newf Tide photo contest.

This is very exciting. Mark, many thousand thanks.

Jersey Joins Hall of Fame

Lest any of us take ourselves entirely too seriously.

A Busy Day in Concord

Today wins the award for the most diverse training session of the year. We had obedience, including 1 and 3 minute stays, figure 8's, and recall, among others.

With the generous assistance of several MMN members, several young 'uns got some quality time becoming comfortable and familiar with people and dogs from outside their pack. Many thousand thanks for all your assistance from Sophie's family .

We had a huge Rally course. Thanks to Kathy for bringing signs and holders and Ida for putting together a very interesting and well-constructed course.

In the Carting category we had a brand spanking new cart that Amos put together to usual high standards and the reintroduction of a bronze Newfie to her cart which she hasn't pulled in over a year.

New faces are always welcome. With some help from Sue, Kara (sp?) got Livvy's attention after only a few minutes (see picture above).

Then inside to warm up and treated to some excellent Lasagna from Sally Adams as well as snacks, stories, a Jr. Water Rescue CD and some mildly amusing jokes from John. Don't quit your day job.

Fiona Joins Hall of Fame

You gotta love it.

When I wonder through Petsmart with one of my Newfs, I'm sometimes bewildered when people say "Isn't she cute?" about a dog on the far side of 100 pounds.

But looking at Fiona, it does start to make sense.

You go girl!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/MidMassNewfers/MidMassNewfersHallOfFame

Brag Time for Newfers

Now that we've agreed that there is no time limit on our Hall of Fame brags I'm ready to start working with you to get your Newf notoriety.

Because so many folks sent in pictures, I had quite a few to pick from or I could have just taken one for the occasion, but this one was the moment in my memory.

I selected a winter theme but Photoshop Elements (the photo editing software I use) has fall, and other themes available as well. Apparently we've also agreed that Bob is a Geek.

I also had a mug made from this HoF pic and it turned out very nice and it makes nice background wall paper for your PC desktop.

I'm ready to build one for any of your dogs and get our pages filled out.



MMN

AKC Rally Rules and Signs

Good Morning Students …

For those of you who are interested in Rally, AKC has a site containing many many rules and regulations including Rally at:

http://www.akc.org/rules/index.cfm

From this site you can also download a booklet of AKC explanation of the signs and rules and regulations at:

http://www.akc.org/pdfs/about/board_minutes/Rally_Regulations.pdf

This final site provides downloadable Rally signs which you could print out for your very own. It's a pretty large file, so be patient.

http://www.rallyobedience.com/

Blog Petersen