USMRA 2009News - US Mondioring

USMRA 2009News
Mondioring International Dogsport
in the USA & Beyond!
Second Time US Champ Donna Matey
on The Nationals …
What did you like about the game?
I thought the trial set up and venue was outstanding. The support
and camaraderie of the competitors and spectators was refreshing. Lone Star Mondioring did an excellent job of hosting the
event.
What did you think was difficult or really interesting/new?
Having the decoy hidden, lying down in the water trough, was
new and interesting, but a little scary. I was concerned for the
safety of the decoy since his head and face were exposed. Having
the working Chuck wagon as part of the trial field was really fun
and imaginative.
Donna & Jackson in Defense of Handler
‘08/’09 Season issue2008 WC Italia & 2009 FMBB
USA Nationals ‘09
Tim Bartlett & SuperSelection’09
A note from the Prez, club news & more!!!
How did you prepare beforehand, anything special?
I hosted a Michael Ellis seminar a few weekends before the
championship and then arrived a few days early for the championship to try and get a little more training in before competing.
What made you decide to start playing Mondioring?
I was training and trialing a Belgian Laekenois in Schutzhund
USMRA’s World Championship Team 2009 when I met Michael Ellis. He introduced me to Mondioring.
When my Laekenois was retired, Michael sent me a puppy,
Level 3 - Lisa Geller and Mongoose
Jackson du Loups du Soleil. I started training Jackson in SchutLevel 2 - Steve Garvin & Bogan
zhund but also taught him all the Mondioring and French Ring
Level 1 - Melissa Mims and Lycos
obedience exercises. Michael worked Jackson in the suit when
Team Captain - Ann Putegnat
we trained together every couple of months. By the time Jackson
Congratulations & the best to our USA
Team, who will represent us in Belgium in was a year old, it was obvious that he was a better ring dog than
a schutzhund dog. That’s when I made my decision to pursue
October!!
ring. French ring decoys and trials are much more available in
the Midwest, so I pursued those titles first.
Some of my Mondioring inspiration has come from:
Ann Putegnat and Terry Miller. I greatly appreciate the support
and encouragement that both of these wonderful women have
shown me. They are both tireless champions for USMRA and
Mondioring. Without them, there is a very strong possibility that
I would never have traveled outside of my own area to compete
in Mondioring.
2009 MID YEAR REVIEW
USMRA is showing great strength this year with more new and renewing members, and more clubs committing to trials compared to last year to date.
We have 99 members and 18 clubs at this time. At the end of 2008 we had 100 members and 15 clubs.
We have had 9 trials (usually 2 per weekend), and there are 10 or 12 planned before the end of the year.
The 3rd National Championship in San Antonio, TX, with the theme of “The Wild, Wild West” was a great
success with 14 dogs. Michel Boisseau was our judge and Jeremy Norton, MN; Brad Hardin, OK, and Kees
Verbunt from Belgium were the decoys.
The Judges Committee is working on developing a sportsmanship program and has been advised that we will be
receiving soon a judge applicant request.
We sent 3 teams to the World FCI Championship in Asti, and 1team to the FMBB World Championship in
Prague where Lisa Geller & the “Goose”were 4th.
We sent Tim Bartlett to the 2009 Super Selection for Decoys in Belgium.
We will soon have a formal event manual to assist trial chairs in developing trials.
The Membership Committee is working on a Handlers’ Manual.
Will be releasing a video on the 2009 Super Selection in Belgium. More videos are in the works.
We have almost finished the guidelines for a Mondioring 3 Club.
I am really excited about our growth and new projects. The Board and Committee members are working beautifully together and many new projects have become possible. We have many more ideas for projects and would
welcome volunteers to help in those endeavors. - Augusta Farley, Pres, United States Mondioring Association
Your USMRA Newsletter is a compilation of information, interviews, and images donated from club
web sites and new information. HUGE THANKS TO EVERYONE who submitted news and permissions for
articles and photos. Apologies in advance to those who we missed - we’ll try again next time!! Like Mondioring, it has taken a “village” to bring to completion, and like Mondioring, the next isssue will be different, as
we will be celebrating the 10 year anniversary of trials in the USA. We look forward to future input from new
members as well as recollections from “old-timers.”
The cooperation required to play Mondioring competively involves many relationships between handler and
dog, decoy and dog, handler and trainer, as well as club participation. Additionally, USMRA members have
donated countless hours in the daily dealings of running the national organization, and serving on the committees that help to make policies that support the membership, growth and competition on a local, national, and
an international level. In “the pursuit of Mondioring,” most of us have faced many challenges in many of these
relationships -both on and off the field. Sometimes, when we’ve stay with it, these challenges have made us better trainers, handlers, decoys, friends, and even better human beings. Not to mention the simple joy of spending
time outside with our dogs......
Thank you and Congratulations to all who continue to support, train, decoy, and trial this most excellant sport!!!
-Sharon Novak, Editor
FCI, WC, AWDF, FMBB, AWMA, USMRA ,& ABC’s????
The dog world is full of many acronyms :
FCI - Federation Canine International
WC - World Championship
AWDF - American Working Dog Federation
FMBB - World Federation of Belgium Shepherds
AWMA - American Working Malinois Association
USMRA - USA Mondioring Association
Next time- how it all fits together and more!!!
International
The 2008 Mondioring World Championship was held in the beautiful town of Asti, Italy with
teams from 15 countries. The field was artistically decorated with a Michaelangelo theme.
With record setting entries, the level 3 program was split into 3 segments consisting of jumps on Friday, and
portions of the obedience and protections split between Saturday and Sunday. The Friday “meeting” resulted
in a new policy of going back to the full program (vs splitting it into two or more days) with Chien en Blanc on
Thursday nite and teams running Friday, Saturday, & Sunday. Additionally, each county will be allowed only 1
level 1, one level 2, and 5 level 3 teams with a cap of 50 level 3 teams maximum, and lottery for any open slots
for the level 3.
USMRA sent three teams, all playing at level 3, the first year we sent more than one MR 3 to the WC! Representing USA was a MR 3 line up of Tim Bartlett & Feist, Sharon Novak & Ysha Rose, Lisa Geller & Mongoose, and Team Captain, Ann Putegnat. While all the teams played their hearts out, special kudos to Lisa and
Goose for placing 6th and being the first USA team to “Q” at the WC and in Europe!!!
This year was the first that USA had a team at the FMBB - Lisa Geller & Mongoose who
placed 4th- AWESOME!!! AND, after being the first yank to compete and qualify at the Mondioring International Decoy Selection, Tim Bartlett was the first USA decoy to be invited to work an international Mondioring
event - the FMBB!!!
International Players, Lisa & the “Goose”, check in from CZ.
Hi,
The trial in Czech Rep. was tough. The decoy work was hard, the
field conditions were minimal, and judging exact - We had a great time
and actually ended up placing 4th out of 15 dogs. The Czech republic is
beautiful and we are enjoying traveling freely with our dog here.
:-) the traveling Gellers...
2009 FMBB Mondioring Podium
2009 FMBB Champion, Julian Selz gives the following “trial summary” of the World Championship of Belgian Shepherds
that holds IPO, agility, and Mondioring Competitions.
The FMBB organized this year’s World Championship in Roudnice nad Labem in the Czech Republic. It’s a small town on the
shores of the river “Labem” about 80km north of the capital Prague. The event took place in the sport centre consisting of the football
stadium (IPO Schutzdienst) next to it big grounds for the Agility and Obedience trials and another football ground with artificial lawn
for the Mondioring competition. From a Mondioring perspective, this was really an improvement compared to last year where we
were located some 15km away from the rest of the activities. This year, we felt as part of this event.
Last year, the interest from the competitors was not even lukewarm with only 8 participants in Cat 3. This changed quite a bit this
year with confirmed champions enrolled from Sweden, Norway, Italy, France, Belgium, USA and Switzerland. The same is basically
true for the other classes as well.
Traditionally the event kicks off with free training on the playground. Obviously, at that time the field has not been prepared by the
judges yet, but at least the dogs got a chance to familiarize with the artificial lawn. On Friday it was up to the dogs Cat 1 to show their
capabilities, on Saturday the competition for Cat was on and on Sunday Cat 2 held its trial. On all three days we had quite a few spectators, both locals and people from the other disciplines. Especially the locals really enjoyed the performances of our Mondio dogs.
At a first glance, the trial looked very much doable. Given the circumstances, i.e. soccer field with artificial lawn, there were no natural obstacles nor could they build anything. Hence, there were only a few smaller objects on the field, a soccer goal, bench with cover
used by the soccer players and two tents. The temperatures were pleasant and we were very lucky that it did not rain during the competitions. This would have been a major risk both for our dogs as well as for the decoys as it would have become very very slippery.
Again, when we went through the various exercises with the “Chien blanc”, we all had the impression that there are not many difficulties. Only when we started we realized that a few things were not that straight forward for our dogs. In the obedience section, this
was clearly the wooden stick which was missed by approx half of all dogs in Cat 3. What happened was that they used tubes about
8cm in diameter to mark the two circles for the defense of object (as they were not allowed to use a spray or chipped wood). In cat 3
you then had to place the wooden stick right behind such a tube, hence, invisible for the dogs. Approximately 5 meters behind was the
soccer goal. Those dogs not working with the scent, confusing the exercise with the send away (and going all the way to the edge of
the field) or being used that the wooden stick is always hidden near an object such as the soccer goal (as one often seen in competitions), missed it. The other difficulty was the send away. The 40m line was less than 2 meters away from the edge of the field. And in
fact we have seen a number of doges who anticipated the return as they believed to have crossed the 40m line already. Those dogs who
are trained to always run up to the hedge or fence clearly had an advantage.
In the 3 part, there were two difficulties. Let’s start with the accessory. The accessory was made of about 3m long light plastic
straps. So far so good, nothing extraordinary. But the thing was actually that thick that almost all dogs took a few seconds to get hold
of the decoy. The only exception were those dogs who are trained to bypass the accessory but jumping over it and biting the arm or
shoulder. And this brings the discussion back, isn’t there a problem with the rules. Since the intention of the exercise is to test the
courage of the dog to go through an accessory he has not seen before, is a dog who jumps over it and thereby bypassing the accessory
meeting this test? Why do we take 15 points away on the attack with obstacle if the dog bypasses it but no such penalty applies if the
dog bypasses the accessory? As we are seeing more and more such thick accessories, one obviously has to take a decision: do you
want to show the qualities of your dog by forcing him to go through the accessory or do you work for points in which case you teach
him to jump over it. The other difficulty was the absolutely horrible mask Tim brought along. He used it in the last approach on the
defense of object. There were actually a number of very well trained dogs struggling with this challenge, one appeared to be shocked
to death and simply ran away.
After the rather mixed messages following the FCI World Cup in Asti last year, we are glad to say that the two judges (Dany Moreno
from Spain and Valeer Linclau from Belgium) did an absolutely excellent job! They were very strict in applying the rules but at the
same time showed a spirit of sport. To give you an example, there was one dog who started to play with a soccer ball during the
search. Once he let go, Dany stood on the ball to block it allowing the dog to get back into the exercise. The same comment applies to
the work of the two decoys (Tim Bartlet from the USA and Kees Verbunt from Belgium). Both showed an excellent performance and
respecting the rules at all times. Obviously, they did not let go once they found a weakness, but they always did it with respect for the
dogs.
Hope to have even more interest next year! - For results, please check www.fmbb2009.com
Mondioring Decoy Super Selection and FMBB - Tim Bartlett’s On the Field Report
The SuperSelection was a great experience to see some of the top decoys in action. It was divided up into 2 days of evaluations. The
first day you had to draw for a dog (not the one you brought). You then had to do all the bitework exercises. After you were finished,
you had to answer 5 questions about the rules. The next day, you had to run a course without a suit through a town for about a mile and
then run a slalom course in the suit. You finished by again drawing a dog and doing all the bitework exercises. All of these different
portions were given points by how you performed. This was the first time that this format was used and I was really happy with it. It
gave everyone the opportunity to work 2 different dogs and also test the decoys physical abilities outside of the bitesuit.
I prepared for this starting about 5 months before the event. I went to the gym 3 times a week doing the elliptical machine and stairmaster as well as eating better and working dogs regularly. Being in shape for something like this is mandatory. The decoys all take
this very seriously so being in the best shape you can is paramount.
I was lucky to have the opportunity to train with Jeannine Coupe, Christian Petjko and Vincent Mertens prior to the SuperSelection.
A big thanks to them for coaching me and giving me advice. The pointers they gave me made a huge difference. I was happy with receiving a very good rating and I now have a better understanding of what I need to do to prepare for next year. With better preparation
and experience, I am hoping to improve on this year’s performance.
The FMBB was held in the Czech Republic and was a very well organized event. I worked the MR1’s and MR3’s over two days. I
worked 42 dogs over those 2 days and learned a lot. Normally, if there is 12 dogs in a trial here in the U.S., it is considered a big event.
Having to work 42 dogs in two days definately tested how good of shape you are in. The most important thing for me was to remain
consistent throughout, no matter how tired I was. I felt that I performed well, but there is always things that I could do better.
The dogs were very well trained and I got to work several of the dogs that finished in the top 10 in Asti, Italy last year, to include the
World Champion dog from Switzerland. Being able to work a large amount of dogs of that caliber is something that I will never forget.
The one thing I did learn from doing this championship is that there are many dogs in the U.S. that are as good, if not better than any
of the other dogs that are competing from different countries. It is only a matter of time before the U.S. will be mentioned along with
all of the other countries that are continually being seen on the podium.
USA Nationals 2009 by Terry Miller & Jeremey Norton
Most attendees agree that this 3rd USMRA National Championship was a world-class event. The event was held in the covered arena
at the San Antonio Rose Palace. The venue was beautiful, massive and spacious. Ample room for parking, playing, dog-breaking, and
getting re-acquainted with friends. Inside the arena had plenty of seating and standing around the field. There was also plenty of food
and drink provided by the Rose Palace who proved to be an excellent and attentive host. Lone Star Mondio club deserves much praise
for arranging such a smooth, enjoyable trial. Any trial is a lot of work; a championship can be nerve-wracking. To the host club’s
credit, the atmosphere was far more celebratory and welcoming than stressful or harried. Lone Star also hosted our very first championship held at Triple Crown. They definitely stepped it up with class and comfort, showing their experience and hard work.
The Judge,Michel Boisseau, of France is well educated and experienced in all the working dog sports providing him with a profound
depth of knowledge and experience, as well as a wisdom and enjoyment of the sport’s purpose. He designed a fair, interesting trial
routine for each level. He was on point throughout the weekend, noticing details small and large in each routine. He gave genuine,
balanced feedback after each dog for the handler and spectators to hear. It was a pleasure and a great honor to spend the weekend
with him.- Jeremy: Judge Boisseau is a great, generous, spirited man. He capered about the field in full cowboy regalia throughout the
MR1: chaps, six guns, hat, and duster.
The Decoys work was challenging, fair, and consistent. Kees Verbunt traveled from Belgium to work our championship; he endeared
himself to the Texans as a decoy in a Lone Star trial last December. He is an experienced championship decoy and training decoy, having logged well over 100 trials in MR an BR. He is an active competitor as well, so he focuses on the details of training all aspects of
the routine, not just the bitework. His good humor and broad dog knowledge were widely appreciated. His speed and humor were well
matched by Jeremy Norton of Minnesota. Together using clever moves and speed to log meters away from even the fastest dogs. Brad
Hardin of Oklahoma is one of our newer decoys working his first championship. He worked well with the judge and other decoys and
we look forward to seeing more of his talent. Holding it all together for the handlers was our favorite deputy judge, Keith Jobe from
Amarillo. He again proved a calm, wise presence on the field. He was consistent with each competitor, mindful of rules, and compassionate to the nerves of the handlers - an invaluable asset to the sport of Mondioring here in the USA.
For attack with accessories, Kees decided to mess with Texas, using two not-even-ten-gallon cowboy hats as his accessory of choice.
Points to the hearty Belgian for honoring the spirit of the trial’s theme. The hats, however, proved little deterrent for the MR3 dogs. By
the end, the hats had more duct tape than straw holding them together. It was an interesting and spirited selection by a very experienced and savvy decoy. Jeremy worked the flee attacks. At level 3, the team must also do a version where the dog is recalled back to
the handler just before touching the decoy. The handler does not know which of two flee exercises it to be stopped until a green flag is
shown after the dog is sent after the running decoy.
Jeremy and Brad worked the Defense of Handler. The two decoys were chilling by the chuck wagon as the handler approached. Jeremy beckoned and energetically offered coffee, then a sidearm, to each handler. Realizing guns are not toys, Jeremy and the handler
walked to the armory to secure the pistols, then headed toward the pasture for a horse ride (aka, walked across the dirt to the saddle on
the hay bales). Oklahoma Brad sidled up to join the group. Introductions were made. Jeremy tested the steed, found it too wild to manage, and asked the handler to take a ride instead. As the handler mounted the saddle, Jeremy and Brad were behind straddling the hay
bales. Jeremy ran forward to cheer on the rider, hootin’ and hollerin’ like a proper fool. Then Brad attacked. All dogs were prepared
and none were tricked. Jeremy and dogs found the slick floor an added challenge, a fast surface for athletes to show their style.
Jeremy: One thing I'd like to add is about Pipin. Some of the Texas decoys that worked him previously mentioned he had a distinct
loping attack, but that he accelerated fiercely to close and enter on the decoy. Watching him on the attacks, including as he came at me,
it reminded me of Animal Planet, the way a predator pursues its prey. He was moving at a good pace, closing always, but loping and
pacing, then, when it was too late for prey (i.e., the decoy, i.e., me) to escape, he kicked it up a gear and nailed his target. He is a very
cool, and very smart, dog.
For the Search and Escort, the decoy hides on the field and the dog searches to find where he is hidden. When found, the dog must
alert and hold the decoy in position until the handler approaches and commands the decoy to leave his hiding place. At this point the
dog must “escort” the decoy, guarding him as close as possible so he cannot escape. Discipline and skill is demonstrated by guarding
close and without biting during the guarding or escorts. Some folks might quibble with the hiding place on safety grounds, but Kees
and Judge Boisseau evaluated and discussed the placement–inside Beevo the Bull’s water trough. The dogs took a few extra spins of
the area before discovering Kees – not thinking to look into the trough at first, but all scented him in due time. Loki leapt into the tub,
guarding while prancing on Kees’ chest. The other dogs circled the tub and put their front paws on it. Kees used the time while he
slowly (and safely) extricated himself from the tub to size up and set up each dog, managing to put the tub between himself and the
dog each time. He stole at least eight meters from every dog. He might look like a Belgian Jack Black, but the husky kid can MOTOR!!!!! He dusted the dogs repeatedly, churning little footsteps carrying him swiftly across the prairie. He took his second escape
in the open and then used the hay bales for his third, where, again, his skill and experience was undeniable: patience and duplicity
served him well, allowing him to stymie each dog on the wrong side of the barrier as Kees positioned his body just right to gain those
first crucial steps of separation, effectively convincing dogs they were leaning on his legs when they were really leaning on his arms.
Jeremy: It was a pleasure to watch Kees work, and he was generous with his advice and suggestions.
Donna handling Jackson: Once Jackson and I walked through the arena gates all the things that made the Championship exciting, the
aroma of the Chuck Wagon’s wood burning stove, the energy of the place, the set up of the field, the spectators’ banter, and the sound
of the air horns all vanished. In my mind, it was just me, Jackson, the deputy judge, and the judge. I was pleased with Jackson’s
enthusiasm during the obedience and jumps. The 18 points lost in obedience were my fault, inflection errors on my commands. We
had 380 points going into the bite work. The first exercise was the Guard of Object. Since I could not see Jackson as I huddled behind
the hay bales, Keith gave me a play by play. Jackson was diligent and earned 29 out of 30. Good Dog! On the Face Attack Over
Obstacle, Jeremy’s Mojo and Jackson’s over exuberance resulted in Jack returning on the third whistle, minus 10. Bad Dog! The Face
Attack with Accessories and Defense of Handler were full points. In the Search and Escort, Jackson quickly found the decoy lying in
the water trough. Just as quickly, Kees’ stole 20 points with his cunning and speed. Impressive! On the first Flee Attack, Jackson lost
10 points on the recall. My heartbreak came on the Stopped Flee when Jackson executed a perfect call off, got lost on his way back,
and I gave a second whistle. I thought that would be a 5 point deduction. Instead, because Jackson was not within 5 meters of me, we
lost 20 points! Trial and learn. I’ll never make that mistake again! Jackson and Donna won the honor of 2009 USMRA MR3 Champion and took the Defense of Handler trophy, which was spectacular! The Highest Scoring MR3 team of the day was Humberto and
Pipin (from Mexico). Pipin was awarded the Decoy’s choice award. Humberto and Pipin also earned highest multiple titled dog high
score international team. Humberto is a true sportsman and they are a very accomplished team. Andrew handled our own veteran of
many trials and many titles, Feist. It is always a pleasure to see this dog work.
Hat’s off to Ann Putegnat and LSMRC for hosting a fantastic USMRA Championship! To Judge Michel Boisseau who gave excellent critiques and a pleasure to be with on and off the field. To Kees Verbunt who brought his speed and incredibly generous nature.
To our own USA decoys. Thank you to all three decoys who worked hard to provide a good challenge but kept the dogs safe for a
successful championship, and to all those who worked so hard on the field and behind the scenes. It was an event to remember and
look forward to hosting a world championship sometime in the future!
Thank you all for representing Mondioring! Final words from Ann Putegnat and Nacho: I would like to add a huge thank you to the
competitors who trained and traveled to support this event. An additional round of applause goes to the many, many Mondioring
trainers around the country who are helping this sport to grow. Without you.....we are nothing! See Y’all again next year!
USA Mondioring Clubs
The Cornerstone of our Sport!
So Called Mondioring is hosting
“Recycling” a Fall Trial & Decoy Selection - Sept 12 & 13 Chicago Area
“A small club, with a two certified decoys and a new MR1, it should be interesting to see how our first trial
comes together.”
Endeavor is planning a Fall 2009 Trial
“ We have Mike Ellis several times a year and look forward to training because it’s fun and the unknown is
exciting”
California Alliance Mondiorings hosted a spring trial in Oxnard and is looking forward to the new
growth of Mondioring in the Western USA!
Amarillo Mondio Ring hosted a trial at their field in May. The theme was tornado alley with Judge:
Ann and Decoys: Chris and Brad. There were 9 dog players and 8 qualifying scores with 6 new titles and a decoy selection. We plan to have a annual trial and may one in the fall also in the future(specific dates if possible)
We have 8 members with 10 dogs training Mondioring. We look forward to all the young dogs we have in our
club. We’d like to see more people in Mondioring The reason we decided to train Mondioring is availability
and it is harder to train for because of the distractions.
AMR club member Keith Jobe is rumored to be entering the judge’s apprentice program - Big Congrats
Keith!!!!
“The best thing about Mondioring is all the things u have to train for and you still don’t think of it all.”
Club Mondio hosted a few seminars with friends from Europe, as well as sending a team to the 2009
World Championship in Asti, Italy. We’re working on producing a DOH video and look forward to the future old and new friends, new dogs, and new challenges!
Mainely Ringsport is planning on hosting a Fall 2009 Trial/Decoy Selection, and is looking forward to
learning more about Mondioring training, handler info and trialing
Atlas K-9 in Southern California, hosted an August trial with over 30 dogs entered both days.
In the spirit of Mondioring, they’ve had pre-trial training days together with Sin City Mondioring, with
great results on trial days and several new titles earned!!! The Southwest Mondio scene is really growing
thanks to the enthusiasm of these new, but dedicated Mondioringers!!! Atlas will also be hosting the 2010
USMRA Nationals!
Welcome to Red River Ringsport in OK, and Wasatch Mountain Mondioring Club in Utah - both with
certified decoys and trials in the future!!
Welcome back to Colorado Mondioring, Arizona Sport Dogs, San Gabriel Ringers, &
Spirit Mondioring in Florida! Thanks to all Mondioringers old and new, we see our sport growing from
coast to coast and North to South!!!!
Midwest Ringsport recently hosted a July trial and has hosted seminars with Michael Ellis, Philippe
Moguez, Tim Bartlett, Fernando Dosta, Joaquim Dovat, others. Club member Lisa Geller represented USMRA
at the WC in Asti, the FMBB in CZ, and plans to also compete at the 2009 WC in Belgium with the help of a
Fernando Dosta Seminar just before!
Lone Star Mondioring Club hosted the 2009 National Championships in San Antonio, TX. at the San
Antonio Rose Palace. Wild Wild West was the theme and the scenarioswere really interesting.
The authentic chuckwagon complete with cooks topped off the field design.
We plan to have a trial in December 09 with Margaret McKenna as the judge.
We look forward to a spring trial as well. Probably March. We have 15+ members with 20+dogs training Mondioring. The reason we decided to train Mondioring is because it is the most fascinating of dogsports!!!
“The greatest thing about Mondioring is the creativity factor and the fantastic people involved all over the
world.”
MWRS Summer Safari - Norten Reportin’
Absolutely NO snow was seen this weekend in Harris, MN. Nor an iota of gale. No pelting rain, sleet, hail. No tornado
clouds or snapped legs, either. Virtually no humidity, to boot. Very strange. End-of-days strange. Except it wasn’t: it was
glorious!
Charley Bartholemew judged; brothers David and Dennis Bilik decoyed. Ann Putegnat competed Saturday and
judge-assisted on Sunday. Charley concocted some interesting challenges for all levels, and the judging was consistent
across the board. The decoys were also appropriate and consistent, safe and fun. Great to have two new talents aboard.
Fernando Dosta is in town for a seminar, and many people were able to train w/ FD on Friday, Saturday & Sunday
before the late-afternoon trials. As always, Fernando’s breadth of knowledge and skill are breath-taking. He is a patient,
thorough coach for handlers and decoys alike. It is a great pleasure to spend time in his company.
Sunday we had four MR1s. Lisa Geller and Rogue took mercy on everyone after Saturday’s flawless (I mean FLAWless) 2oo-point showing. They slummed it w/ a 191. Not too shabby for a French ring dog. Melissa Mims and Lykos also
completed their MR1 this weekend, upping Saturday’s respectable score with a sharp 190 on Sunday. Maureen Haggarty
and Aisin (lone non-Mal in the bunch) gamely competed both days. What Aisin lacked in perfection he compensated with
in spunk and spirit. They were close both times and should nail it soon. Shrike and I improved from the Championships in
Texas. I reduced my handler errors and Shrike pretended he understood the bad French I was speaking. He’s a fun pup.
Saturday, I was wearing the fetching blue polyester blend of the MFD, so I missed the event. Ann P and Nacho competed successfully at the one (I believe they’d already secured their title; if not, congrats). As mentioned above, Lisa G
and Rogue squeaked by with a perfect socre. Jay received his Brevet with his pup. Aida and Bordeaux earned the first leg
of the two.
We even got to see Bacchus out of retirement for the chien blanc duties Sunday. Looking good as ever.
This weekend alone we saw strong performances by a clutch of young dogs. Nacho, Lykos, Bordeaux, Shrike, Aisin
are all right around two; Rogue isn’t much older; Jay’s pup isn’t much younger. Some good, positive training and competing pals for next several years.
Apparently, ‘Wildlife Safari’ isn’t the best theme for a trial, however. Using live rounds on the flee is problematic.
Twice the decoy struck one of the pelicans nesting in the bog by the hurdle. John Doe’s old male Bonebreak was gored
by the tiger during the retrieve, and the rhino wasn’t bluffing when it charged Henry Rollins, the other new decoy... Also,
the headhunter food refusal was in poor taste. Minnesota Chapter of Sapiens Gourmets is filing a complaint. Oh well, time
heals most wounds. It was funny to see judge Charley wrestle that chimpanzee for her horn, I must say.
There’s another midwest trial in two months, in Chicago. Check the USMRA site for info. - Best, JN
From left, Devin Vo, Jill Fryling, Michael Ellis, Brian
Sturtecky (back), Donna Matey (front), Jackson (only
has eyes for Michael), Jeremy Norton, Chris Becher
(back), Jason Fox and Aida Flick.
Competitive Canines was formed in 2008 to promote Mondioring. Our membership consists of about
a dozen dedicated, enthusiastic and supportive dog trainers scattered through out the U.S. Although we seldom
get to train together as a group, when we do, it is a wonderful exchange of training ideals and methods. The
2009 USMRA Mondioring Championship was a Competitive Canines’ sweep with three of our member’s dogs
winning the MR3, MR2 and MR1 Champion titles.
A few weeks before the Championship some members of the Competitive Canines and Chi-Town Ringers
trained and played together for five days during a Michael Ellis Seminar at Donna Matey’s.
Competitive Canines joined with the Real Dog Sport Club to host back to back French Ring and Mondiring
trials in September, 2008 at Red Star Kennels in Hudson, WI. Our judge was Dominque Piton. The Mondioring
decoys were Jeremy Norton (who earned his French Ring level 1 certification that same weekend) and Brian
Sturtecky. Jeremy and Brian are both Competitive Canine members. The trial theme was Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville complete with grass huts, parrots, pirates and hula girls. Our club is looking into hosting another trial
in the fall of 2009 or the spring of 2010.
The group of talented and dedicated decoys that successfully prepared the Competitive Canine competitors
for the 2009 Mondioring Championships were:
From left, Devin Vo, Jeremy Norton, Michael Ellis, Brian Sturtecky,
Jason Fox (front) and Chris Becher. Thank You to all! Thank you
Deb Krsnich for taking and sharing the photos.
High Mesa
The reason we decided to train Mondioring is promote Malinois and Mondio
We have 8 members with 7 dogs training Mondioring.
Our club, High Mesa recently hosted a trial in New Mexico withJudge Neal Wallis of Norway, and Decoys
Chris Moody and Jeremy Norton. There were 8 players and 4 qualifying scores. The theme was Braveheart,
and we thought decoys in kilts was really interesting/new.
We look forward to more people, more dogs, more trials and more seminars
Some of our Mondioring inspiration has been Michael Ellis seminars.
We’d like to see more decoys in Mondioring
The best thing about Mondioring is the enthusiasm!!!
“Getting Over” - Handling the Jumps
On the hurdle, the dog MUST recall. You MAY make a verbal “heel” command, but if the dog is trained to “auto recall” like FR, that’s ok too.
For the palisade and the longjump, you can either recall ( 10 sec time limit )
or “block” (“wait/sit/down/ stay/reste/ pasbouge/ etc.,) If you block the dog,
then the judge signals you to go to your dog and then you will be “dismissed”
by the judge’s horn.
The “Script” You have 3 attempts to jump. If successful, you may increase the height each
time for more points. If not sucessfull, you may not go up nor down in height
You pick your own mesan place (the walk to position your dog for the jump)
Hurdle
horn -”DOGHEEL” (walk to dog’s “launch” spot)
“SIT/DOWN/ETC”
“WAIT/STAY/ETC” (walk to L of jump)
horn - “DOG JUMP”
“SIT/DOWN/WAIT”
horn - “JUMP”
“HEEL”
horn,horn -excuses you so you can praise, pet, prepare for next.....)
Palisade & Longjump
horn -”DOGHEEL” (walk to dog’s “launch” spot)
“SIT/DOWN/ETC”
“WAIT/STAY/ETC” (walk to L of jump)
horn - “DOG JUMP”
“SIT/DOWN/WAIT”
(upon judge’s signal, go to stand next to dog)
horn,horn -excuses you so you can praise, pet, prepare for next.....)
OR
horn -”DOGHEEL” (walk to dog’s “launch” spot)
“SIT/DOWN/ETC”
“WAIT/STAY/ETC” (walk to L of jump)
horn - “DOG JUMP”
“DOGHEEL”
horn,horn -excuses you so you can praise, pet, prepare for next.....)
Sometimes, the “signal” to go your dog will be a horn, sometimes the judge
will nod their head or point the horn at you. You will learn what each judge
will do in the walk thru and upon observing the dog in white
horn -”DOGHEEL” (walk to dog’s “launch” spot)
“SIT/DOWN/ETC”
“WAIT/STAY/ETC” (walk to L of jump)
horn - “DOG JUMP”
“DOGHEEL”
horn,horn -excuses you so you can praise, pet, prepare for next.....)
Normally, the “signal” to go your dog will be a horn, sometimes the judge will
nod their head or point the horn at you. You will learn what each judge will do
in the walk thru and upon observing the dog in white