Bon Mauvais

Bernard's Progress

2010-06-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

I have decided to blog here about Bernards progress as we battle whatever this new monster is...be it cancer or primary seizures. Bernard has had two BIG seizures in the last month. Vet exams come up negative for the most normal causes, and he has been started on phenobarbitol. Anyone with any thoughful insight or experiences out there, I would appreciate the help.

DOG SHOW POOP: HOW WILL THE NEW JUDGES FEE IMPACT OUR SPORT?

2010-05-19T06:33:00.000-07:00

DOG SHOW POOP: HOW WILL THE NEW JUDGES FEE IMPACT OUR SPORT?

Fun-Raiser

2010-04-26T11:09:00.000-07:00

Had a good time Saturday with Danu, Eko Regan and Bernard at a fundraising dog event in Harrisonburg. Our old girl Regan, who has been retired from agility for 5 years, ran a course like she never skipped a day!!! She will be 14 this year, so it was an impressive run! Eko has decided agility is for HER. She graduated from her beginner class last week, so she got to run the course with the big guns. Run is what she did all over the place! Wish I had pictures. Bernie and Danu did well at an advanced run through for Rally. A fun day well spent for a fund-raiser for a friend who will be attending the world this year in Prague; go Team Cheetah!

Pictured: Ch. Danu de La Vie En Rose, CGC

More great news: Danu received her CGC with Joe last week, and is moving on to her TD and Rally events. They are quite the pair.

Where to Begin in 2010?

2010-02-24T09:14:00.000-08:00

Time flies, and boy has it flew for us here at Bon Mauvais! I sure do apologize for not updating events sooner!
Here's a brief look at what has been going on with our 6 pack!
We had an extremely busy 2009, with an addition to our pack from Canada. Eko de la Vallee de Ottowa was born in August. She is a big girl with a super smart personality! She has blown us away with her intelligence, drive, and sweetness! Already wowing the judges with her flawless build, and a big ole puppy ribbon under her belt, lol. Now she is working hard to humble Mom at training classes. Look for her in many venues in the future, she is one multi-talented girl.

Chaudron ending up in the #1 conformation spot for Picards in UKC for 2009. Way to go Cau! We could not have done it without all the super competition, those from the Picard Alliance have all worked hard this year and I want to than each and every one of you for showing your dogs. At 2 1/2, Cau continues to amaze me everyday with how perceptive and huggable he can be. Ever in a blue mood? Cau is there to the rescue with a smile on his face and a signature picardy hug.

Danu finishing her UKC championship in December.....so we now have Champion Pooh!!! She is a facebook superstar with her own Pooh quotes on our picard page. Unfortunately, we had to make the tough but responsible decision to spay her this year because her PennHip results came back poorly. So, no sweet Danu pups for those that may have been holding out. She is continuing her work with Joe in Rally and loves it, and we know she will do great in Therapy work, too.
The rest of our pack has been busy, too.
Bernie has gotten his RL1, and we are enjoying Rally work. At 5 1/2 he is fabulously fit for a ginormous Rottie boy!
Regan is still holding on after being diagnosed with renal failure, she has her good days and her not so good days. Her birthday this year was a big celebration. The hard part for her is not being included so much in training anymore. She just gets too sore at 14 to hold up for very long.
Matilda still charms the pants off of all who meet her. She loves the new puppy but still likes being the boss and the house-elf. She had gone to live with friends for the summer, but decided lots of dogs were a whole lot better than kids in the end! She still visits her other family from time to time...as well as the neighbors, etc. Little miss social butterfly is 9.

Ohio Exhibition 5/16/09

2009-05-18T15:05:00.000-07:00

Danu

Chaudron

The weather held out and it was nice seeing the small group that could make the Ohio exhibition in order to be evaluated by long-time breeder and judge from Austria, Christian Janes. He was a most gracious and informative man. Many thanks to the Pyrenean Shepherd Club for sharing both him and their venue with us.
We started the day with a review of the breed standard, followed by evaluations outside of the dogs. I was impressed by the judge turnout to learn the breed standard.

Here are the evaluations of Chaudron and Danu. It is my hope that by posting these we can all learn a bit more about the breed, and what to look for in our programs.

Chaudron:
Positive Points:
Very good type
Excellent Head and Expression
Excellent Carried Ears
Full Scissor Bite
Excellent Hair Texture and Length

Comments:
Fauve Charbonne
Very good Angulation
Excellent Topline
Tail has Good Length
Carried rolled over the back in movement
Very Good Movement

Overall, he recieved a rating of "Very Good". He was marked off for tail carriage and the dark coloration on his flanks.

Danu:
Positive Points:
Very Good Type
Nicely Carried Ears
Good Topline
Excellent Angulation

Comments:
8 months
Somewhat Much Hair
Very Good Hair Texture
Fauve Charbonne
Tail of Good Length, Carried High in Movement
Movement according to age

Overall, Danu recieved an "excellent" rating.

Thank you to Kati for her hard work in assisting Mr. Janes all week, and interpretation!

2009-04-20T09:02:00.000-07:00

We made the tough decision to send our youngest pup Della back to the breeder yesterday. Part of the reason that I have been unreachable so much recently is the intense effort we have been putting into her. She has had some fear issues, to the point of nipping, constant barking, repetetive issues, etc. It had gotten to the point where we just had to decide if this was a dog that we were going to be able to show and breed or not. Della has worked with a trainer and a separate behaviorist using the McConnell approach. To us, behavior is as important as good hips. So, our little brindle Della went back and will be spayed and placed very carefully. Thank you to her breeder for doing her part in ensuring this pup gets the best home for her personality.

On a good note, Bernie the Rottie is progressing NICELY in his Rally work, and will move up to advanced training next month. Here's hoping that some of our local VA clubs add Rally to the Conf. days so we can bring him out too....CTA was fabulous in helping us get his CGC and now created a training MONSTER!!!!

Our fawn Picard pup, Danu, has had an all clear on her xrays! These are prelims and not Penn Hips or CERF but she is going through SUCH a growth spurt and just kept coming up vaguely lame so we xrayed it ALL, back, hips, hocks. 10 days of crate rest for the ligaments, and not running like an IDIOT has done her wonders!

Teenage Werewolfs

2009-03-06T07:24:00.000-08:00

Dog showing is not supposed to be a contact sport. Or, as my husband likes to say, I am not supposed to be be diving in the ring (and out). Somehow I managed to fall 3 times last weekend, once at little Danni's last puppy obedience class the night before the show, once outside the ring, where I scraped up my knee, hand, and had to have assistance getting up, and ten BLAM, in the ring. Talk about embarrassing......I told another exhibitor that all I have left now is for a dog to have an accident in the ring and I will feel like a seasoned pro......

Chaudron also did not show his best last weekend, we did not place badly overall, but he has tensions and hormones raging through his 16 month old body making him difficult to handle and get his attention at times. Like a teenage werewolf! Saturday he won one out of two against a dog of similar age, (congrats to Casper!) and Sunday took a 4th in group with me and then a fantastic and difficult 3rd in group with Joe against some wonderful herding dogs. Being "up" has it's advantages, but boy was it hard work, for both Joe and I. He is training Joe to be Della's handler. The hard way.

The puppies had a good time. Della's first show out, she did not show but got lots of good exposure. She did well until she got tired and then started barking at everything! This girl has got drive to spare and will likely be our agility girl, while Danni will be our therapy girl. Danni got a hard look from the judge for best puppy in show for one of her classes, but the classes were huge! She did win her groups, however!

Hope you all enjoy the family photo as much as I do, we WON it from the raffle...thank you Thomas Photography and Capitol Terrier Association!

Best in Show Puppy

2009-01-23T05:59:00.000-08:00

Danni loves children, and they love her back. It was clear as a bell how much she missed her Ellie girl, who helped to lovingly raise her, at the show last weekend when she took best in show Puppy with Mattie Weinberg at the helm. Thanks Mattie for doing such a terrific job on little Danni's first time out. You had some stiff competition on Saturday!

Mattie gladly helped out all weekend showing Danni and by the end of the weekend Danni was showing her teeth like a pro!!!

Della Reese

2009-01-16T07:19:00.000-08:00

Little miss Della Reese....what a heart stealer!!! She is the third of our Picardy group to come home and will arrive February 1st from Betsy's litter in Roanoke!! We visited her at one month, and could have stolen her then! Her personality is a sparkling one and we have high hopes for this girl to be just like her Mama!!! Thanks "Little" for giving us such a beautiful baby girl!!! And thanks Betsy for keeping her safe and doing such a fantastic job with all the litter. There are still two left, I believe...brindle boys!!!

Growth and Happiness for the Holidays

2008-12-07T18:55:00.000-08:00

Our Picard family is growing by leaps and bounds. Little Danu has been here a week and has simply lept into our hearts. She is so good, just a joy to be around. She tackles "firsts"...first flight, first meeting of her new pack, first outing, first walk, first trip to the grandparents house, first nail grooming....all of it with such enthusiasm and sweetness. It is a tribute to her breeder Val and to Val's children that little "Danni" as we call her is such a great girl.

We've been so fortunate, we hope this fortune continues on with little Della Reese, another Picard girl who was born December 1st right here in our home state in Roanoke VA. She is a brindle girl out of super lines and will help to complete our breeding program. We'll get to meet the litter of pups that Della belongs to at one month of age!!! OOOOh, early bonding, yay!!!

What a great year it has been for us! We have met some fantastic friends along the way, have some wonderful memories as a couple, and have a super dog in Chaudron. Chaudron loves the Danni puppy and all 5 of our dogs are healthy, happy and simply glowing right now.

Here's hoping you and your pack, no matter how big or small, have a wonderful holiday and a joyous new year! Our hopes for the New Year will be to, well, stay SANE raising two puppy girls, keep all of our dogs healthy and happy, and continue spreading the word about such a wonderful breed.

Weekend in Richmond

2008-11-12T13:17:00.000-08:00

"Sugar"
"Chaudron"
It was great to see Betsy and her female Picard, Sugar. She has turned into a very sweet young lady and Cau was very charmed by her presence.
If I counted right, we finished our Ch. this weekend with 3 BOB and 2 group Fours. (we only needed one more win to Ch.!) Yay!!!
Thank you Betsy for showing your girl...she now has a leg and a group placement, too.
Conformation is fun, great socialization, and gets the breeds name out there. We always meet so many nice folks and interest in the breed is amazing. Consider getting your picard out next weekend, I'm sure there is a UKC event near you!

Introducing Danu.......

2008-10-27T13:29:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the world little Danu de la Vie en Rouge. She will be a new addition to our family. This little miracle has stolen our hearts from the moment she was concieved, and we cannot wait to have her join our family. Here she is at 20 days old. Her breeder says she is full of sweetness. We have a little more than a month to go to meet our sweet girl in the flesh, but enjoy almost daily updates from her breeder.
Be sure to check back often for more updates and pup pictures!

Going for a swim.....

2008-09-22T07:58:00.000-07:00

The end of summer is always a busy time in the Valley. For Chaudron it's been a busy time too. A time of learning and growth for sure, but he's had fun along the way. He has been out lots to different Valley events, meeting and greeting the public. The hardest part for Chaudron must be standing still to talk with so many folks about what kind of dog he is and where is he from etc. etc. People will come from across the town lawn just to ask and pet him....some even want a picture. I think in another year this little region will be well educated on this breed of dog! He has gotten some friends along the way who know him and will spot him from across a street, shouting his name. But he's a dog, for the most part he takes it all in stride.

The first weekend of the month was the New Market Fall Festival...lots of sites, sounds, and smells...oh and yummy food. This past weekend he attended the Edinburg Ole Time Festival and then a rather large childrens party...thoroughly exhausted by the end of the weekend after the kids were finished with him. But the cake was so good. Last weekend it was the final swim at the county pool, all for the dogs. Here is a picture of him shaking it off, thanks to Jean Fogle, author of "Salty Dogs". She was snapping away at dock diving dogs and dogs just blissing out hanging with each other at the pool. Here is a link to her site. http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/dogaholics/

Quote for the day......

2008-09-09T13:56:00.000-07:00

Found this great quote on a Pawpeds site and just wanted to put it somewhere to remind myself in the future.....

Some of you question the need for such a book and ask yourself why it should concern you. Robert Jay Russell Ph.D., zoologist and breeder of Cotons de Tulear, put it succinctly1:

"Every breeder has the ability in a free society to "determine his or her own stopping point." But, a single breeder's actions may have consequences that are far-reaching. A breed is necessarily maintained by a society of breeders. As such, the actions of each breeder affects the actions of every breeder who dips their brush in the gene pool and every buyer - present and future - who buys one of these 'works of art.' Pragmatically (and ethically), a breeder loses his/her right to independence and his/her ability to be independent the minute he/she puts up a shingle that says 'Puppies for Sale.' "

from Dr. Susan Thorpe-Vargas Genetics and breeding strategies: Essays for the future.

Work on website

2008-08-29T08:44:00.000-07:00

Well, we returned from Premier with many new friends! Since then we've been taking it easy and camping, relaxing, and I've been working on school projects! Chaudron and Bernie have been learning a bit about sheep, swimming and 4 wheeling.

The big news is that I have recruited my brother in law to help with the web site, it is shaping up nicely. http://www.mauvaisbergerpicard.com/

Shortly Cau will be a year old, and we hope to have some girls interested down the line. He's a wonderful dog with a wonderful temperament and beautiful topline. We are also hoping for a female of our own this year or next, but we are holding out for that special girl with just the right lines.

Enjoy the summer pics!

Settled in after the dog show

2008-06-25T10:12:00.000-07:00

Well, Cau and I are back after the long weekend of dogshowing and things have finally settled down. He's back to normal-dog status.....happy to be back with his pack and well rested from camping and playing with the other dogs. I think he misses the limelight a bit, though. At 9 mos. of age, here he is on blue ribbon day, finishing his championship! Yay Chaudron!

Pictures are up on the Berger Picard Club of America Yahoo site, as well as on a Flickr link of all the dogs who made it to Premier. We had a HUGE group for such small numbers overall in this country. A great time was had by all! We also had a very successful first fundraiser for rescue.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mauvais/sets/72157603990964663/

This week, onto bigger and better things for him....sheepherding Friday.....

I'll let you know how that goes.

Thursday, June 5th, 2008

2008-06-05T06:58:00.000-07:00

Time to get listing and blogging again from fidshouse!!!

Well, we, have 1 week to go before the "big show!" Hard to believe that in a week we will be in MI with about 30 other Picards! For those who aren't aware, The Berger Picard is a hardy breed that is still pretty rare in this country. Our boy Chaudron du Mauvais was imported last fall from the east coast of France after their National Specialty in France. We are excited to have such a fun loving, easy care, happy-go-lucky breed...he is truly a pleasure to be around! So we have lots to do around here and here I am writing! But today, we have to go and shop for the rest of the pack staying home next week! Plus, a very special friend is in town, filming for the Upperville Horse and Pony Show, who we need to go visit tonight...gosh I remember helping her prioritize horse care needs long ago...makes me feel OLD!! Now she's all grown up with her own business filming show horses!!!

So, the countdown begins for our first national specialty and our first time at UKC's Premier. Should be a busy week for us!

Anyhow, check back often, next week we should have updates from the show!

Fondly--fidsmom