Working Dog News 4th Quarter 2021

UPCOMING EVENTS

See what's happening for Working Dogs.

Reflecting on 2021

As the year winds to a close, and we look ahead to events for 2022, the Working Dog Committee salutes each and every committee member and volunteer who worked so hard making sure our water and draft tests were safe for all, and fun. You all have done a tremendous job in the face of many unusual obstacles from COVID. Your dedication to working events was very much evident! Thank you for working so hard to support our hard-working Newfs!

And for the dogs and handlers who competed this year, congratulations! Whether or not you earned the title this time around, each and every team entered across the country had one common achievement: you and your dog demonstrated the unique bond that is the heritage of our breed. Each one of you showed your joy in working, the strength of the bond between dog and handler, and earned memories that will last a lifetime.

We wish you the joy of success and continued great memories in the coming year.

TRAINING SPOTLIGHT

Heidi Peterson and Todd Bennett take us on some deep dives into Draft training in this issue. Check out their articles below! Also, digging into the archives, read about cart modifications for hauling Christmas Trees. Have you made any adaptations to carts for specific hauling jobs? Let us know!

What is your favorite carting activity during the holiday season?

Giving Sled Rides to Kids

Select

Giving Cart Rides to Kids

Tree Pulling

Parades

Other

Interested in becoming a Working Event Judge?

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FEATURED ARTICLES

CHECK OUT THESE RESOURCES FROM FELLOW TRAINERS

Training the DDX Driven Figure Eight - Heidi Peterson

The NCA DDX test is an advanced draft test consisting of 11 challenging exercises. It showcases the bond and high level of teamwork between dog and handler. The one exercise that everyone seems to have the most trouble with is the Directed Figure Eight, where the handler directs the dog through a figure-8 from behind the cart.

To start training this exercise you will need to break it down into pieces. First you need to get your dog comfortable with you behind the cart, and teach him to move forward when directed. The dog should also have a solid stop command, stopping within 1 or 2 steps.

The Hidden Forces of Draft Work - Todd Bennett P.E.

A while back I was reading my Newf News, the official newsletter of the Newfoundland Dog Club of Canada. Peter Maniate writes “Carting Corner”, a regular column in Newf News, which is filled with all kinds of equipment information and training tips about draft work with your dog. This particular column was entitled “The Pull Factor” in which he described the fact that there is a certain amount of force, per amount of weight of a vehicle, required to move that vehicle. This number is constant for a given vehicle and shows that doubling the weight of any vehicle would double the required force to pull that vehicle. This sounds simple enough, but determining the pull factor of different vehicles removes the weight of the vehicle from the equation and allows us to compare these vehicles in terms of required pull, regardless of weight. This data is critical in understanding draft equipment and how it relates to your dog and the environment in which you are working.

Draft Equipment Adaptations

Here are some ideas for adaptations to a 4 wheel wagon to haul Christmas trees. What specialized adaptations have you made to carts and wagons for work with your Newfs? Let us know!

Please let us know what else

we can do to support you!

Contact the Working Dog Committee

Regional Club Test Comittees

Please make sure your test premiums and catalogs update your NCA Board of Directors listings.

Please make sure your test applications are mailed in hard copy form to Patti Pigeon for Draft and Dwight Gorsuch for Water even if you submit them online. The hard copy forms are most of the time easier to read, and it is very helpful to make sure the emails do indeed get submitted on time.

Draft Test Applications

Patti Pigeon

16400 W. 51st Ave

Golden, CO 80403

Water Test Applications

Dwight Gorsuch

6282 Burris Rd

Rock Hall, MD 21661

Many more clubs and events used the online entry system this past year! TERRIFIC If your test committee is planning on online entry, please note that on your application so we can properly process your online capabilities also.

The WDC continues to update and correct the forms available to test committees. Please make sure you are downloading the most up to date forms for use.

RESOURCE

GUIDE

ONLINE ENTRY SYSTEM

NCA WORKING TEST GUIDE

NCA CODE OF ETHICS

Need help getting started with a working event? Check out these tools for Regional Clubs!

TEST COMMITTEE FAQ's

WATER TEST JUDGES LIST

DRAFT TEST JUDGES LIST

AKC CODE OF SPORTSMANSHIP

Judge's Status Update

Judge's Code of Ethics

Judge's Corner

• Please make sure your information is correct on the NCA judges list! Emails populate from your NCA membership, and if you "share" an email with a spouse, it may not appear and you may need to add a separate email.

• We will be adding the ability to display your picture in the Judge's List - you can login-in to the member portal, select "Edit Profile" from your home page and then choose "upload image" in the Avatar option. A picture of you with one or more of your Newfs would be ideal.

• If you need to update your judges qualifications record and move to a different judging level, please reach out to Benita Edds with your updated information at: benita@timberknollnewfoundlands.com

Thanks to the members of the Working Dog Committee for sharing the great photos in this issue. If you would like to share photos of working dogs at work (and play), please send them in - we'd love to see them! Make sure you have permission from the photographer for us to use the photos for publication.

SUBMIT PHOTOS

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