Amber Coast Hovawarts
NEWS!
7/7/2010 - It has been H.O.T hot! I'm a missing the blizzards of '09 and '10 and the pups would too if they had a clue what snow was. Over the 4th of July weekend we've gotten reports of pups that were utterly unafraid of fireworks (and many dogs are so frightened of fireworks they will run off). I took the pups still with us for individual walks about the neighborhood. They were interested in the fireworks the neighbors were lighting but unafraid. Especially Alden who wanted a longer walk than I was prepared to give.
Halo of the The Lucky Dog School is showing off again ;) Georgia sent a picture in showing the patriotism of the dogs and a video of Halo learning Agility routines:
And the video along with the William Tell Overture
Ace had a great Independence day weekend as well participating in many activities. Here's a picture his family sent in:
To socialize the pups, we took them on a trip to Great Falls National Park, where they were rather the center of attention
And even were socalized to a low flying helicopter ...
7/1/2010 - Samba's family shared a video illustrating how tricky ice cubes can be, especially with wet fur on a hot summer day:
* Apparently Halo is currently at the head of the litter, Georgia reports that she will taking her AKC CGC test soon and is sure she will pass with flying colors!. Good Luck Halo!
* Alden kept pawing the drinking water bowl so we got him (and Aurora, Alexandra, and Avatar) a pool:
It didn't last quite as long as I thought it might ... we've replaced it with a "hard" plastic version, one of two that remained in the store after the heat wave :)
* Alden, Aurora, Alexandra and Avatar are now doing the same walking that Addy and Tango are ... about 3 miles a day, and if it's cool like it is early in the morning I think they could do twice that. But I can't! We went to lunch with Aurora yesterday; we thought we'd go to the Sweet Water Tavern and eat out on the Patio (we did that when socializing Addy and Tango). Apparently they've changed their policy so we ate on Uno's patio instead where Aurora charmed all who saw her. Also, we're planning on bringing some or all of the pups to the National Mall for the Independence day festivities. A great chance to socialize with crowds!
* Halo's in a pack with a star! Onyx played the title role (Bingo) in a movie filmed here Port Townsend.
6/20/2010 - Most of the pups are settling into their new families and we are talking to a few families about finding a home for Alexandra (the puppy previously known as A4) and Avatar (the puppy previously known as A3). The best part about the pups has been the friends we've made; I want to thank Samba's family for the generous invitation and great food and tea when I was in town. Samba has a wonderful environment and it was nice that she remembered me (she probably won't in October if she's at the AHC show in Ohio ...). Halo and Lima's families have sent in some new pics; Halo twice as I've been s.l.o.w. to update amberhovi.com! Gus' family called and let us know that he's unflappable and universally loved by all (we did register him as Amber Coast Argus the Rock for a reason). We continue to work closely with Ace's family with his development as a potential service dog and have heard great things about Athena in sunny California. I understand from Melissa that the American Hovawart Club newsletter will be out soon and we contributed an article about this litter to it. Families with pups should be expecting it soon.
The FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale) recognized Hovawart registrations for the A-litter have arrived, and will be available to to the pup's families when the dogs meet the breeding requirements.
Georgia of The Lucky Dog School writes
Hi Phil, Thank you for the book...I think Halo got a lot out of it. When you said these dogs were smart you weren't kidding! (I had to sound out some of the big words to her, though.) I enjoyed reading
the book also.
Halo Reading Mine!
Michael wrote
Lima gets frequent walks in the woods near our house and seems to love it. On the way back she knows the way and bounds happily ahead! We brought her to what we thought was a puppy class this week and it turned out to be an obedience class so we left. She is learning commands and my style is to take them along slowly.
Lima in her yard
Georgia also wanted to say
Hi Phil,
Here are a few more pictures...Onyx and Halo playing tug, Halo with the Wubba toy, and Halo helping out with the gardening (notice she doesn't have any tools in her paw but she DOES know how to dig) We are taking Halo to another agility trial tomorrow. We're trying to teach her to read course maps but she always has her nose in a book. ha! So far she's been on every piece of agility equipment (except the jumps..that comes later, after her growth plates are set) She is FEARLESS. I think the tunnel is her favorite. More later,
G and P and L and O and D and of course H
Halo and Onyx Playtime!
The Hovawart's highest aptitude is for Search and Rescue. But apparently they also have some constitution skills.
Halo assisting with the digging!
6/5/2010 - Here's a video of Ace (from 5/26) being trained using the "clicker" method by his new family and having a lot of fun. He's learned recall, down, sit, and more!
6/2/2010 - I just received another letter from a new family, Lima's (formerly Amethyst, formerly "A6")
Hi Phil,
We found you to be an excellent breeder. Very concerned about the homes your dogs end up in, which has always been my bell weather of breeders. I like your practices and we are so blessed to have this puppy. She came into our lives in a special way. If you believe in Karma, then we had a Karma billboard pop up with flashing lights!!!
I'm sort of recapping our great experiences with Lima so far and attaching some pictures of Lima for your web site. Like many of your other families, we think our pup is extremely steady. From the moment we took her with us that Sunday, she went to the airport, was stuffed into a pet carry on bag. We boarded and pushed her under the seat for the 50 minute flight from Baltimore to Hartford. She barely whimpered then fell asleep. Then on the 45 minute car ride to Amherst she curled up in the carry on bag - lid open - and was peaceful all the way.
At first I was carrying her up and down the stairs. Then on day 2 I went upstairs to get something and heard the clomp clomp of her climbing the stairs. She goes up and down though we try to minimize her trips as she likes to jump from the bottom step - Whoopie!! She even climbs steps to the basement which are open - no risers - without hesitation. I've trained dozens of dogs to climb stairs and have encountered full grown dogs who freak out at open stairs. Sudden noise seldom frightens her but simply attracts her attention and curiosity. Day 3 we had a violent thunderstorm and her reaction was chewing on a toy for a while then falling asleep.
She crates well, seems to like being there. When left in the crate when we have to go out she may whine for a few minutes then quiets down. She loves to ride in the car. We have taken her to a craft fair on the town green, to a swimming pond where she proved she can swim but isn't crazy about it and this evening we dined on an outdoor patio at a local restaurant. She loves to greet and meet everyone.
She has tunneled through a rolled up exercise mat, jumped over a fallen tree trunk, climbed over a baby gate and walked over some plastic garden fencing in the yard. Ho hum she says no big deal. Monday we had about 20 friends over for lunch and she played with everyone, except a Shitzu who completely ignored all her play bows and jumps and attempts to engage her.
Take care,
Michael
Lima looking for a TREAT!
....
Also in the news, Halo's family writes
Our "little" puppy has out-grown the collar she came with. We got her a new one from "Truman's Collars". A portion of the proceeds go to Canine health research. The owner is a wonderful woman. We picked out an Eidelweiss design. I think it looks "fetching"! G.
Halo showing off her new "bling"
6/2/2010 - Most of the pups are with their new families now, Athena is flying off to California today and Alden may going there as well soon. We're looking for families for only Avatar and Alexandra now.
Web site updates have been sparse as we've been taking care of a lot of "administrative" items including providing the pup's new families with an American Hovawart Club membership, completing the FCI recognized registration / pedigree process for all ten new Hovawarts, dealing with "computer challenges", writing an article for the next Hovawart Herald etc.
Great stories about the pups and their new families keep coming in by email and phone. Georgia wrote:
I love Halo's attitude. It's that spunk that gives her that spark. I had her on the wobble board today (it's a pre-cursor to the teeter) and she was fearless. :-) She's run right through the tunnel also. When Onyx was a pup we used to call her the "She-Devil" I tell everyone that Halo is an angel...just sometimes she's a Hell's Angel. Ha!
Halo being Alert
Aliza wrote:
I am so impressed with Ace. Thank G-d, he is SO solid - he has just the perfect personality we were looking for. When he was playing under the table today, someone accidentally dropped a plastic bottle and it bounced onto the floor just in front of him. Where many pups would have shrunk back at the surprise, Ace ran forward and pounced on it as if it was a gift from the "toy god" that was sent from the heavens just for him. Ace also had no problem with the blow dryer, and he even let me brush out his coat while the dryer blew cool air on him.
Ace with his "Service Dog in Training Vest"
5/23/2010 - Argus and (unexpectedly) Amethyst went to their permanent families today. Argus (Gus) has a large lake and forest (on the Mark Twain National Forest) to frolic in. As with the other pups, the early reports are very positive. I had thought the transition might be more difficult but the little dogs seem to just know they have great new homes and people that care deeply about them.
Amethyst's new home is in Massachusetts with a family with a son and a professional dog trainer; they had a Hovawart but sadly he died of old age. Amethyst's new family was visiting friends near us and found we had a litter with few pups looking for homes and came over to visit. We met her new family and talked about a natural diet, positive reinforcement (clicker) training, exercise, socialization, vaccination, and many other things. And played with the pups. We were impressed her new family and the home they'll give her, and they were confident with us and the care we used to breed and raise the pups. It was very very fast but now Amethyst has a wonderful new home.
Ace's new family also wrote a letter I'd like to share.
Ace has an serious job helping a family with an Autistic boy. He will need to alert the family if Eli leaves the house without permission, be a social bridge, and be a friend to him. We were not sure if any of our pups would be likely to succeed in this role. All of us -- Inga and I, Eli's family, Susan, and especially Hedda looked to see if there was a pup in our litter was likely to be well suited to that job. Hedda with her experience with the School of Dogs and elsewhere with similar families vetted the pups and thought Ace had a good chance to make a real difference. We are heartened to hear that things seem to going well and we are hopeful for the future:
...
Dear Phil and Inga,
Thank you forever for taking the time and making the difficult trip tp meet us half-way so that we could have Ace in our home by the recommended time. I cannot believe what a difference one week can make, but this last week Ace took everything in stride, while today he spooked himself a few times and I can see the beginning of the fear period. Can you imagine if we had not been able to get Ace until tomorrow or Monday as planned? If I ever write my story, I will be sure to caution all readers to listen to their breeders and trainers because at this age every minute DOES count :)
Well, we have had Ace for almost seven days now, but in some ways it seems like has always been a part of our family. He fits right in, and thankfully does not show any signs of stress, even when Eli had his first meltdown. Just like we had hoped, he approached the situation with interest and curiosity, and I held him during the meltdown to help him watch while still feeling secure in my arms. Somehow, although we have been having trouble getting Eli to do the things he needs to do in order to build the bond we need Ace to have with him, Ace seems to know intuitively that Eli is "his boy." He sleeps with Eli very nicely even though I don't think it comes naturally to him. The rest of the day he clearly prefers to sleep on cold surfaces, like the tile on the bathroom floor.
Ace has alerted twice (not with a bark yet, but with clear agitation) when Eli left our premises and though Ace does not know what to do yet, I have taken him out with me each time I have to find Eli, so Ace can see the end result of his alert. This always gets him huge praise for his incredible work. Both times this happened Ace was interested and able to participate in bringing Eli home. The first time, I was holding Ace and he was at Eli's collar level. He reached out and took the collar in his mouth and gently nipped at Eli to maneuver him back into the house (it was about 10 feet from where we were to the door.) The second time Eli got further away, but he happily took Ace's leash and walked back home with us. Ace has not been on a leash more than a couple of times, and those times he was an adorable puppy about it, but it didn't make for easy walking. When he escorted Eli home, a distance of four houses down our block and all new territory for him, he walked right beside Eli like a perfect gentleman! This is extremely encouraging for an eight-and-a-half week old puppy!
I have been doing some clicker training with Ace and he loves it. He has done up to twenty minutes in one session because he kept wanting to do more. I usually keep our sessions shorter, but I was curious as to how long his attention could last at this age. He has figured out and offers a sit whenever he wants something from us or when we want something from him, but he is not sure what. This is a great default behavior to have already, and we can build on it to build up Ace's self control when it comes to the nipping/mouthing he does when he gets over-excited. We have used clicker training to begin learning down, give paw, and even practicing bite inhibition where we want Ace to learn how to use his mouth very gently for the work he will be doing with Eli. We will keep on clicking :)
Ace has learned to go up and down the stairs, though he is starting to hesitate on his way down as we enter the fear stage. I don't want to practice more than one time a day to protect his joints from harm during this period of rapid growth and development. Ace has had a few rides in the car and each time he is increasingly comfortable - tonight he rode in the car and nibbled on boiled chicken while I drove. This is a great sign that he now feels safe and secure in the car.
Ace has been to the vet two times as I want him to have a lot of positive exposure before he ever needs to go to the vet for something that might feel less than pleasant to him. We have weighed him both times, and he gained two pounds over the last four days! He now weighs 13 pounds and 1 ounce. I hope that is normal - he looks great. Ace does not look like he is gaining weight in the wrong way, and I make sure that we do several play sessions in the yard that are higher energy exercise to help Ace keep fit, and to further build his bond with Eli. The experience at the vet was so positive that even when Ace received his vaccine, he was too busy eating the diced chicken I had brought for him to even notice that he was getting a shot - he didn't even flinch! (We are following Dr. Dodds' protocol for minimal vaccines and titers after one year to determine if he needs any more.)
Thank you, Susan and Hedda for working so hard to find our Ace - you really identified the strengths we need in order to train Ace to be a service dog for our son. Thank you Phil and Inga for allowing us to have the privilege of bringing one of your precious pups into our family. Thank you Addy and Tango for producing such fine offspring :)
I will keep you posted, hopefully much more often now that the holiday is over, and we don't have the next set of holidays until September. I would also like to send you pictures. I apologize, but I am not very good with the camera as I have a bad hand tremor that is not corrected by the camera. I will have my daughter take some shots and we'll load them onto the computer and get them e-mailed ASAP.
All the best,
Aliza
About The Hovawart
Conformation
The FCI Hovawart Standard (pdf here) requires the Hovawart to be a working dog with versatile usage and a kind and even disposition. The Hovawart has a protective instinct, a fighting instinct, self-confidence and ability to take stress; of medium temperament; combined with a very good nose. His balanced body proportions and special devotion to his family make him an outstanding companion, watch, guard, tracking and rescue-dog.
The standard further requires the Hovawart to be a powerful, medium size, slightly elongated, long-haired working dog. Difference between sexes is clearly recognizable, specially in shape of head and build of body. With a body length of least 110 to 115 % of height at withers - rectangular, not square but not like a Dachshund!
Our Dogs
Addy and Tango are both very much conform to the of the Hovawart standard, but each has a very distinct personalities. Addy has a very high prey drive and loves to swim, play fetch, etc. She's a great guard dog. But in the house or during downtime, or on a leash she's very calm and quiet and rarely needs to be corrected. Tango too has a high prey drive, loves to run and play fetch. But he is less calm during "downtime", and will act impulsively on first instinct (but will respond to correction in mid stride). Neither chews anything they are not allowed to. Tango will eat a chicken thigh in two fast bites whereas Addy is more a picky eater and chews her food deliberately. Both are great with children, Addy arriving before we had kids and Tango growing up with our youngest. Tango is very protective of our children. He's not aggressive but is more vocal and quicker to get between the family and something that might not be safe. He takes that job seriously.
A young Addy
Addy (CGC, AHC ZTP, HD-A2, Thyroid Normal including antibodies, CERF) in Profile, two weeks until whelping
Ch. Tango (AHC ZTP, HD-A2, Thyroid Normal including antibodies, CERF) in Profile
Ancient Times
The Hovawart is an ancient breed; according to the Hovawart's wiki page one of the first documented recordings comes from the year 1210 when a German castle was besieged by Slavic invaders. The castle fell and its inhabitants including the Lord were slaughtered, however the Lord's infant son was saved by one of the castle's Hovawarts. In spite of being wounded itself, the dog dragged the tiny child to a neighboring castle and thus saved the Eike von Repkow's life. He became a legendary figure in the history of German law and later published the oldest Code of Law to survive from medieval Germany. Not surprisingly, the Hovawart is mentioned with praise and listed among the dogs requiring restitution if killed or stolen.
Modern History
Following the medieval period, the popularity of the Hovawart began to decline with breeds such as the German Shepherd slowly overtaking the Hovawart as a guard and working dog. Around 1915 a group of enthusiasts decided to try and save the breed. Predominant in this group was Kurt Friedrich König. They started by looking for dogs in the farms of the Black Forest region. König then started a careful breeding program using these dogs and crossed them with Kuvaszok, Newfoundlands, German Shepherds, Leonbergers, a Bernese Mountain Dog and an African Hunting Dog. In 1922 when the first Hovawart litter was entered into the German Breeding Registry and in 1937 the German Kennel Club officially recognized the Hovawart. The Hovawart was that was decimated by World War II and by 1945 only a few remained. But enthusiasm for the breed remained and in 1947, Otto Schramm and some fellow enthusiasts in Coburg formed a new club, the "Rassezuchtverein für Hovawart-Hunde Coburg" which still exists today. In 1964 the German Kennel Club recognized the Hovawart as the country's seventh working breed and the breed started to gain popularity in other countries. Amber Coast Hovawarts is one of a small but growing number of breeders dedicated to establishing excellent healthy, and well tempered Hovawarts to America.
TopHealth
Great Hips
The FCI Hovawart Standard states that in the country of origin very great importance is attached to the health of the Hovawart. Especially the presence of hip dysplasia has been reduced to a small percentage by selecting, for decades, breeding stock free from dysplasia. It is to be expected that all other Hovawart breed clubs will aim for this exemplary goal.
Longevity
The Hovawart, especially Brood dogs (those that live with their family rather than e.g. in a kennel) are very long lived for medium to large dogs with life spans to 14 and 15 years not uncommon. For example, Addy's dam is 11 and hasn't slowed down (she won best bitch at 10 years in fact), her grand dam Allessa lived past 14 and the great grand dams lived into 16 years of age in good health. Her sire is 14. Tango's grand sire is 9 and in great health. This long life span in excellent was a huge positive for us when we were choosing our dog.
Natural Health
We feed our dogs (and humans!) high quality natural food including chicken backs, necks & thighs, beef, pork, and vegetables. We recently began feeding the dogs organic food and plan to continue.
This source, Top Quality Dog Food has recently been recommended to us by Hedda Garland
The benefits of a Raw Diet
We do not religiously follow the strictures of all natural rearing as described AuNaturelK9s but follow the guidance and carefully consider any deviations. We infrequently use flea-tick treatments as tick borne diseases are a concern and alternatives have not been sufficiently effective. We minimally vaccinate in accordance with legal requirements and only against threats that are a problem in area.
Training
The Hovawart, being a very intelligent and often independent dog is not typically the easiest or quickest dog to train (but remember, they excel as highly trained working dogs especially search and rescue). Hovi trainers have a "secret" and overwhelming advantage - most Hovis are chow hounds and will do almost anything for food. This creates a situation where the Hovi can be trained to produce the desired behavior in response to verbal commands, hand signals etc. The use of a clicker allows instantaneous mental association of the desired behavior and a reward to follow. Regardless, of the specific method used, positive reinforcement training typically is most effective with the Hovawart.
We like many books, including Living with Kids and Dogs ...Without Losing Your Mind
The 0.0007% Breed
Of the 77.5 million dogs the Humane Society estimates live in America, there are approximately 500 Hovawarts, or less than 0.0007%, by American Hovawart Club (AHC) estimates. We count ourselves very lucky to have found and followed the path to Hovawart ownership (though all dogs are wonderful!). The Hovawart is vastly more common in Europe - the dog can be seen on television in the United States participating in the Crufts dog show - but still not a common dog.
Pedigrees
We obtain Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) recognized registration for all of our dogs and puppies. The FCI is making sure the global coordinating body that pedigrees and judges are internationally recognized. Hovawarts with FCI registration can enter canine events (conformance, schutzhund , etc.) worldwide. Those without can typically participate must typically do so under mixed breed designation. Due to the current rarity of the Hovawart in the United States, it is not recognized by the American Kennel Club(AKC), so any claim of "AKC Hovawarts" shows very poor understanding of the breed pedigree.
Currently (March 2010) we are aware of only four breeders in North America that breed Hovawarts with FCI registration
Amber Coast Hovawarts (this site)
These breeders are members in good standing of the American Hovawart Club (AHC)
Links
Contact
For additional information email Philip Long phil@amberhovi.com or call (703) 542-1838 (please before 9:00 PM Eastern Standard Time).
Amber Coast Hovawarts is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com
Copyright 2010 Philip Long except for content cited as belonging to wikipedia or the FCI. Images from Hovawarts vom Treuen Freund graciously consent to by HvTF. All rights reserved.