Appenzeller Sennenhund Breed Magazine - Showsight

THE VERSATILE APPENZELLER SENNENHUND

CH Highleigh Ulric (Owner/Handler Debbie Dales)

Highleigh Brandy OAP OJP (Owner/Handler Audrey Lyke) photo by Rick Knecht

A DOG WITH CONFIDENCE IN ITS HANDLER WILL COMPLY. THE EFFORT IS WORTH IT TO SHARE THESE AESTHETICALLY BEAUTIFUL AND PLEASING ANIMALS WITH OTHER DOG FANCIERS.

CONFORMATION – AESTHETICALLY BEAUTIFUL The Appenzeller is a remarkably beautiful dog. They need little grooming and are naturally clean. When they run through their paces, the onlooker cannot help admiring these well-built athletes. The breed is some- what suspicious of strangers, which means that in preparing for the show ring, handlers must proof their train- ing for the dog to stand for examination. A dog with confidence in its handler will comply. The effort is worth it to share these aesthetically beautiful and pleasing animals with other dog fanciers. AGILITY – READY FOR ACTION This consummate athlete is born to be an agility star. The dogs learn quickly and are eager to please. They are sure-footed and fast. They may require a little extra work on focus early on, as it is their nature to scan sur- roundings for anything unusual. (Personally, I had a dog that liked to pause at the top of the A-frame to take a look around, which cut into our course speed!) As they advance, they have a natural, excellent balance between handler and obstacle focus and are competitive with the ubiquitous Border Collies and Australian Shepherds. One mechanism to take the pressure off dogs and owners initially is to start in less formal venues, such as Canine Performance Events (CPE), before proceeding to title the dogs in USDAA and AKC competitions. The important thing is that both owners and dogs have fun.

SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, NOVEMBER 2021 | 293

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