Schwarz
Breed: Collie cross Patterdale Terrier
Likes: Stealing, Food, Water, Cold, Walks, Digging, Sniffing, Competition Obedience, Frisbee
Dislikes: Birds, Cats, Strangers, The Dark
History
Schwarz was adopted in 2019 from high on a hill up in Cumbria at a lovely rescue called Morgans. He was originally from Ireland and was 14 weeks when we adopted him, though not before he was thrown to the wolves as I took Flint with me, who liked him (if by like, we mean, ignored!) So he came home, in winter...to a sectioned off compound so Nell could acclimatise to him.
Due his eagerness to please and generally softer nature than his other housemates, he was allowed to spend time with Nell a lot more quickly. Within the first two weeks it was like he was part of the furniture and that was that!
The next thing we had to tackle was his fear of *everything* and lack of confidence. We couldn't take him anywhere without him clinging to me and growling, so we started doing a lot of exposure work and pairing that with food and fun. So, off we went people watching, hanging around the main streets, visiting lots of new places in the van and just going out and doing a bit of sightseeing, until eventually, new things were not quite so scary!
We do still have a tiny bit of stranger danger but Schwarz is a much more confident dog to the one we brought home off the hill!
Originally he was to take over the helm as head disc dog from Nell but (other than he wasn't particularly interested) we had just started dipping our toes into competition obedience . So we thought we would give that a whirl. Best decision ever!! He seemed to pick it up really quickly, always wanted to do more work, no matter how long we had been working, enthusiasm to die for and a really cute trot. That's when we decided that was going to be his main job! so it is! He made his debut appearance at Crufts as part of the Northern Inter Regional Team in 2022!
Top three loves
Schwarz' first love is Competiton Obedience! it might not be everyones cup of tea but after having sampled most other dog sports available, this is his favourite!
He's also pretty good at it! he loves our training sessions, his favourite part is heelwork, which has to be very precise (which isn't usually his strongest skill!) closely followed by the recall exercise.
He would work for anything but his particular favourites are food an Aldi avocado dog toy and a ball on a rope!
Second is stealing!
He will steal anything, not to destroy (although he does occasionally!), just to parade round whilst howling at everyone to show us his thieving prowess. He mostly steals soft items like socks and gloves, though has been known to appear with the odd book or boot.
He also likes to steal off his housemates. Not the wisest move since he is probably the wimp of the crew but he likes the chase they give him, so if someone else is playing, he is guaranteed to be somewhere close ready to pounce the minute they drop the toy! It usually gets him into trouble with whoever he has stolen it off but it hasn't deterred him.
Third is Frisbee
Unlike his older sister, this is not his top love unless you count stealing a frisbee, then its up there in his top two! He isn't the best at it, he is pretty fast but not all that great as catching. The most important thing though is that he thoroughly enjoys playing it, which he does and he will play in all weathers!
His favourite type of Frisbee is also the k9 Disc but he prefers the strong version, the harder ones hurt his mouth when they are spinning at 100mph through the air! Bonus though in that he doesn't damage them when he does actually make a catch!
Training and Qualifications
Preston Trick Dogs White Tricks Bandana - February 2021
Kennel Club Pre Beginners Certificate of Merit - July 2021
Kennel Club Beginners Certificate of Merit - July 2021
Nuneaton British Competitive Obedience Society bitesize show - grade 1 - 6th Place - September 2021
Nuneaton British Competitive Obedience Society bitesize show - grade 2 - 4th Place - September 2021
Phoenix DTC Kennel Club Obedience show - Pre Beginners - 1st place - November 2021
Phoenix DTC Kennel Club Obedience show - Beginners - 2nd place - November 2021
Northern Inter Regional Crufts Team Tryouts - November 2021
Kennel Club Pre Beginners Certificate of Excellence - November 2021
Wigton DTC Obedience Show - Pre Beginners - 3rd Place - November 2021
Wigton DTC Obedience Show - Beginners - 8th Place - November 2021
Northern Inter Regional Team Tryouts - December 2021
Newton Heath DTC Obedience Show - Beginners - 1st Place - December 2021
Selected to represent Northern Team at Crufts 2022 - December 2021
Empowered Dogs Trick Training Filming - February 2022
Preston Trick Dogs Fun Obedience - February 2022
Crufts Inter Regional Obedience Competition - March 2022
North East Border Collie Club Obedience Show - Beginners - 1st Place - April 2022
Newton Heath DTC Obedience Show - Novice - 6th Place - June 2022
Danesford Obedience Show - Novice - 6th Place - August 2022