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Address:
P.O. Box 250
Kilsyth Vic 3137
Australia
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News
January 2012
WHAT A MONTH FOR THE MARKSMAN KIDS!!!!
Great start to the year at South Eastern K C show on 13th January with Thai judge, Mr Tsai Chin-Fa, who obviously took a liking to the Marksman kids - an 11 point Best of Breed for Tarkyn and a 9 point challenge and Runner Best of Breed for Miley. Tango was Reserve challenge bitch - and again the following day (four reserve challenges in a row!!!)
The following weekend at Lang Lang (21st January), Tarkyn took Reserve dog and Runner Up Best of Breed, Miley another 10 point Challenge and Tango Reserve Challenge. Tango was also awarded Australian Bred in Group by Miss J Anderson who appeared to like the Marksman kids. On the same weekend, at the Ladies Kennel Club show in Perth, Graeme's boy Nudge won Junior in Group.
At the Australia Day International show (26th Jan), with an entry of nearly 1500, Tarkyn took out Best of Breed then went on to get Best in Group and Intermediate in Group. Of course, Sarah and the breeder were absolutely over the moon with this win. This is the second Best in Group win for the 'My' litter.
On 28th Jan, at the 2nd Australia Day International, Tarkyn was again awarded Best of Breed, Runner Up in Group and Intermediate in Group under Indonesian judge, Mr M Riady, then Intermediate in Show under under Japanese judge, Mr S Kimura.
November & December 2011
At Northcote Obedience Trial on 1st November, Tango finished her 2nd trial on 84 NQ. Started well but missed a couple of sits in the heeling and moved two feet in the stand for exam.
At Echuca on Saturday 5th November, Miss Miley took out Intermediate in Group. Judge Pamela Carpenter watched Miley in the General Specials and stated she was "nicely put together and moves beautifully" and "such a lovely package". At his first show in Alice Springs, Sniper took out Best Neuter Dobe and Open Neuter in Group. Congrats to Erin and hopefully those points will add up quickly.
On New Year's Eve in WA, Nudge had his first show and won the Junior Dog class. He has some very stiff competition in that State but Graeme is confident he can take them on !!!
October 2011
At Kyneton Champ Show on 2nd October, Tango won Best of Breed with Miley as Runner Up under Mr A Van Den Broek (Netherlands) then Mrs R Robertson (NSW) gave Tango Best in Group and Best Australian Bred in Group - she now has 48 points towards her show title. Then on 23rd October at Southern Cross show, Miley earned herself a very handy 10 point Bitch Challenge.
At the Dobermann Club Specialty Show on 29th October, Bear got his final CCD pass to (finally!!!) earn his CCD title. He was placed 1st with daughter Tango placed 2nd (NQ) in CCD in her very first obedience trial and Angel 2nd in Novice with 161 points (NQ). To top the family day off, Tarkyn passed his WAE (working aptitude evaluation) to earn his WAC title.
September 2011
A nice finish to the tracking year with Tango passing her TSD 1 at the Gippsland TSD trial - again with the sheep walking along several legs of her track. I was not too sure that she was ready for it as we had done only minimal training.
August 2011
At Inverleigh on 20th August, Tango passed her Test 7 to achieve her Tracking Champion title and the following day, Miley passed her Test 5. Both girls had a few 'issues' with trees - Miley wanting to kill a tall burnt tree stump and Tango convinced that possums and/or koalas were up in the trees.
The following weekend, at the VCA State trial, Miley did an excellent job for 80% of her Test 6 track but spent considerable time killing mice I the very long grass. This girl has never done an ordinary track - there is always something to 'kill'. She was graded Good for her Tracking Dog Excellent title
July 2011
Great news from the West - Graeme has had several 'rehearsals' with Nudge's introduction to tracking. On 23rd July, Nudge finally got his pass on his Test 1. He is only 10 months old so still quite playful.
June 2011
At their first tracking trial for the season at Flinders, the 3 Marksman kids did very well overall. A little disappointing for Tango (on Saturday) who had a very windy start high on the hill and she finally got to taste cow poo - and thoroughly enjoyed large mouthfuls of it!! Once we got down the hill out of the wind, she put her head down and really took to the track, finishing her Test 5 with a grading of Good.
On Sunday, both Miley and Tarkyn completed their Test 4s and both were graded Very Good. As I was judging other tracks, I did not get to see Tarks tracking but I had the pleasure of being on the lead behind Miss Miley who did a lovely track (apart from wanting to kill the cattle).
On 21st June, Angel became the second TSDX Dobermann in Australia. She did a beautiful - very strong and very fast - TSD6 night urban track around the streets of Cranbourne. It was freezing cold, with very strong winds, yet she did not put a foot wrong. She was graded Excellent - a very nice way to finish off her tracking career.
Poor Miley again missed the ballot for the Eastern trial but Tango & Tarkyn had the opportunity to track. Tarks gave Cammeron a pretty rough time through the timber and after getting himself tangled, he did not want to refocus. Though Tango passed her Test 5 with a grading of Good, gaining her TDX title, she was a bit off colour and her article indication was not the best. The girls are expected to come into season so will miss the July trials.
Congrats to Deb Charters' boy, Chase (big buddy to Miss Miley), who earned his Tracking Champion title at Eastern.
May 2011
A great weekend at the end of May for mother and daughters. Angel passed her TSD5 test at Ballarat with a very nice track around a lovely new housing estate where residents had lawns sprouting in their very muddy nature strips. I doubt they would have been too impressed with Angel's deep footprints right through the middle of each one.
On the same day, daughters Miley & Tango completed their endurance tests at KCC Park. Phil & Trevor cycled the 20kms and both girls had a clean bill of health both before and after the test.
November 2010
Once again we have been fortunate in finding some wonderful homes for our 'Justa' litter - Sniper, Nudge, Raj, Snoop, Zac, Lily, Munchen and Benson - whelped in September. We welcome to the Marksman family Graeme & Bev (WA), Erin & Nigel (NT), Damian (Mildura), and in Melbourne, Damian, Rebeccah & Kevin, Daryl-Anne, Matt & Heidi, and Terry. We look forward to hearing about the progress of your puppies and sharing all the joys of their life- journeys with you.
Just prior to leaving the litter, Raj and Munchen attended the Walmsley Village aged care facility in Kilsyth where their parents, Bear and Angel, attend fortnightly (photos in the Justa litter section). It was so rewarding to see the smiles on the elderly residents faces when introduced to the puppies.
Congratulations to Sarah Davies-Gale who has achieved two Challenges with Tarkyn (Marksman Mymocha TD) in his first five shows. Keep up the good show work, Sarah and Deb (with Marksman Mylaminit TD), until we can get out tracking again.
September 2010
We proudly announce the arrival of our latest litter from Bear & Angel on 28th September - 7 brown males, 1 black male and 1 brown female. They will be ready to leave the litter from 23rd November
August 2010
Inverleigh Tracking Trial on 21st to 23rd August was very successful for the 3 Marksman kids - Tango, Miley & Tarkyn. Tango passed her Test 4 with a grading of Very Good while Miley & Tarkyn both passed their Test 2, both graded Good. At the VCA State Tracking Trial at Rosebud, held 28th to 30th August, both Miley & Tarkyn passed their Test 3 to achieve their Tracking Dog titles. Trevor and I are very proud of these 3 'kids' as they have achieved more than we expected at such a young age. Congratulations to:
- Marksman Mymelody TD (Marksman Kennels)
- Marksman Mylaminit TD (Deb & Phil Charters)
- Marksman Mymocha TD (Sarah Davies & Cammeron Gale)
Congratulations also to Sarah on her success with Rottie Stella TDX. Sarah only commenced tracking with Stella this year after I handled her for Tests 1 & 2 in 2009. Sarah has taken Stella through Test 3, 4, 5 & 6 this year, achieving both Tracking Dog & Tracking Dog Excellent titles.
July 2010
Champion of Champions 2010 saw Bear improve his position from 13th last year to 7th this year with a score of 161. He also received the award for the fastest track!! Trevor and Bear also played silly dress-ups and came 3rd in that competition (photos coming). Angel did not compete this year because she was in season and I was stewarding. I also qualified for my Tracking Judge licence on 31st July and will be judging at Champions next year.
May-June 2010
On 29th May, Angel earned her ET title by completing her Endurance Test at KCC Park. Many thanks to Dawn Ayton for handling Angel for the test.
At Hastings tracking trial on Saturday 5th June, the first of the Marksman 'kids' hit the tracks. Marksman Mymocha (Tarkyn), owned by Sarah & Camm, completed his Test 1 with a grading of Good. On Sunday 6th June, Marksman Mylaminit (Miley), owned by Deb Charters, and Marksman Mymelody (Tango) joined the team. For their Test 1, Miley was graded Good and Tango was graded Very Good.
At Bendigo Tracking Trial on 19th June, both Miley & Tango attempted their Test 2. Miley was a little distracted on her 2nd leg and failed to qualify however Tango overcame the distractions of sheep and kangaroos and was graded Good for her Test 2.
At Eastern Tracking Trial on 28th June, Tango had a bit of a battle with the swallows on her T3, but otherwise a very nice track, graded Good, achieving her Tracking Dog (TD) Title.
April 2010
At Town & Country Kennel Club's champ show on Easter Monday, Tango gained her first points with Challenge Bitch and Runner-Up Best of Breed. Miley was Reserve Challenge to her sister. These girls will not be shown regularly as they are about to start their tracking and obedience careers.
First Track & Search Trial (Tests 5 & 6 Only) for 2010 at Morwell on 10th & 11th April and Bear does a lovely track to gain his TSD5 level. The weather was cold, wet & very windy so Bear had to work quite hard on a lot of concrete and asphalt. The video of that track will be posted on this site shortly.
Second Track & Search Dog Trial at Inverleigh 23rd to 26th April and 10 dogs qualify for the first TSDX titles in Australia. Bear did a great Night Urban track around the town of Bannockburn, gaining his TSDX title, and Angel (in the middle of another 'phantom') surprised us with a beautiful meandering TSD4 track around the town of Inverleigh. Both Bear and Angel were graded Very Good.
March 2010
A very warm day for the Obedience trial at Southern on 20th March. Angel won the Novice class and received a qualifying score of 175 for her first CD pass. But for the afternoon trial, she decided she had done enough for one day.
Both Angel and Bear passed their assessments with the PALS program run by the Lort Smith Animal Hospital and will now be visiting several aged care facilities in the outer eastern suburbs as Therapy Dogs.
February 2010
An enjoyable holiday in the south of NSW with 6 shows and 6 obedience trials. However, Angel came into season the week before we left so missed all but the final trial. All trials were under water due to very heavy rains and although she did not qualify, she came 3rd in her class.
Tango behaved beautifully in the show-ring and was awarded Junior in Group at Bermagui and placed 2nd in the Puppy Sweepstakes at Wolumla.
November 2009
We almost lost our adorable Angel when she went through a plate glass window (accidentally) at home. She slashed her throat, severing an artery and missing the jugular by quarter of an inch. She also received a 4" gash to the bone on her right leg. It was a frantic rush to wrap the throat wound and get her to the nearest vet. The initial prognosis was that we would lose her given that she had lost more than 60% of her blood supply. Remarkably, within 3 hours after surgery, Angel's blood count was back to normal - without a transfusion!! The local vet and our own vet have both confirmed that the increased blood supply was due to her phantom pregnancy at that time. So finally, the dreaded phantom saved her life. She attended the Dobe Specialty the following day with leg bandaged and 12 stitches in her throat as a spectator only.
September 2009
Tango & Miley had their first taste of showing at Seymour on 5th September. Tango was placed 4th in a class of 25 in the Baby Puppy Sweepstakes. The ‘girls’ were a little overwhelmed initially but with a bit of ring practice, they were a little more confident in their Dobe Baby Puppy Class.
August 2009
We are proud to announce that Bear and Angel became the first Dobermanns in Australia to earn the Track and Search Dog title at the Gippsland Track & Search Dog Trial on 2nd August. They were among the first 10 of all breeds to earn this new title.
Bear (graded good) tracked beautifully, indicating both articles but was a little distracted by large fresh kangaroo footprints in the non-vegetated area - really testing Trevor's patience!
Angel (graded very good) encountered quite a few sheep on her track and, after a short aggressive standoff, went about her business but missed the 2nd article (soft toy - a little white lamb??). According to the judge, she was never more than 2 to 3 feet off the track at any time. This was one of the best (and fastest) tracks that Angel has done so far. They never cease to amaze us with their ability to track in such varied environmental conditions and distractions.
On 4th August, Marksman Mymelody (Tango) and Marksman Mylaminit (Miley) graduated from Puppy School at Woofpurnay in Narre Warren. Tango & Miley were very well behaved (most of the time) and have enjoyed the basic obedience and socialisation classes.
At the Inverleigh Track & Search Trial on 24th August, Bear completed a beautiful Test 4 with a grading of good.
July 2009
At the Tracking Club of Victoria's inaugural Track & Search Dog Trial, in the most awful weather conditions and terrain, Bear & Angel passed their TSD1 tests (both graded good).
Being offered a 'track-on' two days later, we leapt at this opportunity and both Bear (graded excellent) and Angel (graded good) passed their TSD2 tests. We were very proud of the performance given that we humans lacked the confidence to compete in these conditions.
June 2009
Our first litter from Bear and Angel arrived on Anzac Day, 25th April - five males, three females (4 black, 4 brown). Angel is a wonderful Mum and all puppies have been placed in lovely homes with people who understand and appreciate the breed.
Tango, our new girl, will hopefully follow in the footsteps of her mum and dad, along with several of her litter-mates - Miley, Tarkyn & Barry.
March 2009
After an abysmal start at the morning trial, both Bear and Angel did well in the afternoon trial at Knox Dog Obedience Club on 22nd March. Their lethargy may have been due to the warm weather but a firm 'talking to' during the lunch break worked wonders. Bear came 2nd with a score of 90 to achieve his second CCD pass. Angel was placed 3rd with a score of 79 to gain her 3rd CCD pass, resulting in her CCD title. We were very happy with the second performance for the day.
Angel and Bear were successfully mated this month. Puppies whelped 25th April - 4 males still available
November 2008
Angel commenced her obedience career in October with a very nervous and inexperienced handler and she had a few problems with the sit/stay in the first few trials. But at the Dobe Specialty on 1st November, Bear's first trial, they both performed quite well. Angel achieved her first CCD pass with a score of 86 but Bear was more interested in the girls. At Northcote on the following Tuesday, 4th November. Both Bear and Angel earned CCD passes with Bear 4th in a class of 22 with a score of 89.
July 2008
At the Tracking Club of Victoria tracking trial held at Broadford on 12th July, Angel performed at her best level yet and completed a beautiful Track 6, graded Very Good, to achieve her Tracking Champion title. Added to the show title received last month, this now makes her a Dual Champion. A lovely way to complete her tracking career – we are so very proud of her.
June 2008
We proudly announce that Bear gained his Tracking Champion title at the Hastings Obedience Dog Club tracking trial at Flinders on 1st June 2008. This now makes Bear a Dual Champion. He can have a well-deserved break before starting his obedience and therapy training.
At the Canine Amenities Championship Show on 21st June, Angel was awarded Challenge Bitch and Runner-up Best of Breed – the final points to achieve her Australian Champion title.
April 2008
At the Dobermann Club of Victoria's Annual General Meeting on 18th April, Bear was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award for 2007. This was to acknowledge his achievements and titles over several disciplines for that year - conformation and tracking. He holds the magnificent Dobermann Trophy for the year and a sash.
Angel received a sash for Highest Scoring Dobermann at the Inverleigh Tracking Trial last year and she was also a contender for the Outstanding Achievement Award.
Both Angel and Bear were awarded their Dobermann Club title sashes at the same time. We were both extremely proud of our "kids" and their hard work for 2007.
February 2008
Once again, our Bear has undergone surgery after swallowing a needle and cotton. He swallowed his teddy bear's head when he was only 6 months old and that required surgery.
We searched everywhere for the needle because we did not believe he would actually swallow a needle! After a sleepless night, I took him to the Vet just to check it out. Sure enough, the x-ray clearly showed the needle still in the stomach and, because we could not move it up or down, surgery was the only alternative.
Bear has fully recovered, this time with only a small bald patch under his belly. Just in time for the SA Specialty weekend.
December 2007
"I am very proud to congratulate you on winning the Dogtrial's Victorian Tracking Dog 2007 with Ch Kaiela Hot Venture TDX.
You had a great year, and you must be truly proud of this wonderful dog. We understand how much hard work and effort has gone into training and competing to earn this position in the Dogtrial's competition during 2007. It says so much about your beautiful and loving companion, and also about you both as a team."
Judy Thompson, Showdogs