Ironquest Otterhounds

14/07/2021

Please support the OHCA Reprobank Inc with our online auction! Lota of beautiful and unique items are up for auction and some even can be bought immediately in July 15th!

Silent auction 'OHCA Reprobank Inc. Online Auction' hosted online at 32auctions.

13/07/2021

What an exciting weekend we had at Ironquest! Friday, Otterhounds had the pleasure of showing to Catherine Bell. Dita (GCH CH Ironquest's Exotic St******se) was BOS/BOBOH, expertly handled by her favorite person in the whole world, Conrad. Peeves (Ironquest's Fantom in Flight) was awarded Best of Winners, Salome (Ironquest's Femme Fatale) was Winners Bitch. Saturday, we enjoyed showing to Ann O'Reilly. Dita was BOB/BOBOH, finishing her Grand Champion Bronze. Salome was Best of Winners, finishing her Champion! Freddy (Ironquest's Freddy the Frog) was Winners dog for his first major. We didn't think we could top Saturday... but then Sunday came around and we showed to Barbara Dempsey Alderman. Freddy was Winners Dog, Best of Winners and Best of Breed, expertly handled in the Best of Breed ring by Cathy Seal. That finished his Champion! Sister Charlotte (Ironquest's Frogmore House Queen) was Winners Bitch and Best of opposite s*x, for her 2nd major! Salome was Select bitch for 2 GCH points and a CH defeated. Not a bad showing for her first time in the specials ring.

As a breeder, it is my goal to improve with each generation. It is so rewarding to see the pups I have produced doing well and beating their mother.

As an exhibitor, I so enjoyed showing to our judges this weekend. They were all very kind and patient with the puppies. We could not have asked for more gentle hands and it is very much appreciated.

This weekend was one that dreams are made of! Special thanks to Evan and Conrad. We have exciting times ahead. Jennifer, we enjoyed spending time with you and look forward to the next time. Thanks again for the 888! Heidi and Arjun, I'm so glad you are enjoying the shows with us! Until next time.

05/05/2021

Happy 1st Birthday to the F litter! I can't believe it's already been a year!

15/04/2021

A sign of a successful obedience class!

28/03/2021

Happy 10th birthday (yesterday) to the Ironquest A litter! Tease had a rough couple of weeks with an infection but has returned to her regular waggily tailed self. Hoping all the others had a great birthday. Here Tease is celebrating with 2 of her kids (and her grandson photobombing the corner!)

26/03/2021

Copied from a friend - excellent words!!
***
The Partnership with a Hound

I think the frustration with hounds comes from a lack of understanding of them and what their original purpose for being selectively being bred.
Hounds do not believe that they NEED you. You are a lovely part of their day - like a favorite coffee cup or a favorite pair of shoes. If the cup is broken or the shoes are lost, we can get along just fine with another.
Let me explain:
Where other breeds of dogs like Labradors, Shepherds, Border Collies, and a host of others are bred to work WITH man; their original breed temperament is to work alongside man in cooperation to achieve a goal.
The Border Collie follows man's commands to herd the livestock. The Lab follows the hunter's commands to get the quarry - so on and so forth. They are teammates of man. Neither can do their work without the other --- and so they have been bred for eons to have that in their make up --- to be anxious to please. Even the worst behaved Labrador cares when mom and dad are annoyed. It is in their DNA to make man happy.
Hounds... not so much.
Hounds have been bred for eons to be taken out to the edge of the woods or field and be let loose to go out and do what they do with NO INSTRUCTION from the hunter or handler. They go out and do their thing, all on their own. They make their own decisions and do their own work. And when that work is done and they have found their quarry, they command/call the hunter to come to them with those beautiful voices. (Who is working for whom in that scenario?)
Do you see how your hound thinks differently?
Life with a Hound is far more like having a spouse than a dog. It is far more of a "cooperative effort" with all the give and take that implies. Hounds are not going to do what you say just because you have said it. You are secondary to their desire. There has to be something in it for them. There has to be a trade off. If there is no reward or benefit for the Hound, the Hound cares little what you are asking him/her to do. People incorrectly refer to this as being stubborn - or worse, stupid.
Hounds are actually neither of those things - they are just independent and cunning. They prioritize things differently than do other breeds. They prioritize differently and *you* are not always their priority.
And, This is EXACTLY AS THEY SHOULD BE.
They were bred to be this way. It is all necessary to be a Successful hound dog.
When working with a Hound you have to always be thinking:
How do I make myself the priority?
What do I have to give this dog to make me more important than what it smells - or wants?
(and do not expect that anything will ever be 100% successful every time - always be looking for your Hound to act like a Hound.)
We humans always think we are in charge of things. We think that we are top of the chain, the head honcho's...and we naturally approach training our dogs and living with our dogs this way - as though we are in charge.
Your Hound doesn't see it that way.
Your Hound - at best - sees you as a family member or as a sibling (if you are very fortunate - as a parent). Do you walk into your sister or brother's house, start barking orders and they hop to?
Mostly your Hound sees you as a good friend. And what do we do with our friends? When a friend does something for us, we return those favors. There is give and take. When a friendship is out of balance - when one friend takes and takes but does not give - the friendship suffers.
Hounds are happiest when their humans are humble and work with their character. A bond with a hound is not an easy one to create. There is a lot of ground work involved but when it is established and the balance is there, it’s a beautiful thing.
So if you have a hound or want one, love and appreciate them for what they are and not what they aren’t.
(This is a repost from a few different areas on the web where the author is unknown. If anyone knows of the author I would be happy to tag them!)

14/03/2021

Happy 6th birthday to the Ironquest C litter! Hard to believe this was 6 years ago. You all have made me very proud!

17/02/2021

Freddy the Frog is growing up...

01/01/2021

Happy New Year! May 2021 bring health and happiness to all! Charlotte is already celebrating.

29/12/2020

The value of Crate Games can not be overstated!! It is so important to teach an Otterhound about self-control. I highly recommend Crate Games for all my pups.

Trusted by many 1000's of dog owners & trainers all around the world...

20/12/2020

Dita and four of her fourteen. Love these pups and their people!! L-R Peeves, Conrad, Freddy, Joey, Dita, Evan and Solame, Finn, Naomi and Dan. Thanks to Mia Speciale for these great photos!

21/11/2020

Happy 3rd birthday to the Ironquest E's! Seems like yesterday that y'all made your entrance. What a good pack of dogs you have turned into!

05/11/2020

Happy 6 month birthday to the F litter! Dita wishes all 14 a wonderful day. Fred doesn't seem concerned about outgrowing "his" chair.

29/10/2020

Enjoying perfect Otterhound weather.

20/10/2020

Just a couple more pictures from the weekend. Thanks to Phyllis Ensley Photography for the pictures!

19/10/2020

Videos from Freddy and Finn's big day!

19/10/2020

Photos from Freddy and Finn's first day in the ring!

17/10/2020

So proud of my Freddy! Ironquest's Freddy the Frog, Reserve Best Puppy in Show today in Atlanta! What a good boy! Hopefully video to follow!

10/10/2020

Freddy, Ironquest's Freddy the Frog, at just over 4 months and just over 5 months. He's growing up!

05/09/2020

Three generations of Ironquest.

31/08/2020

The shenanigans tonight. Dita has learned to love the puppy who stayed...

22/08/2020

Pups enjoyed some swimming time today. I'm amazed at how they just walk right in and swim!

14/08/2020

The puppies "playing" with a new Viszla friend. Good thing their mom isn't so lazy!

06/08/2020

Pups at 13 weeks!

17/07/2020

Hi! We are Enchilada and Chalupa and we are still looking for our forever homes. We are 10.5 weeks old. PM us for more details!

06/07/2020

We had 8 pups leave this weekend. They have traveled from Vancouver Island to Florida. So excited for their new lives with wonderful families! Here are some.

02/07/2020

The second pup has flown the nest. Congratulations to Charlotte (previously Tostada) on her joining Heidi and Arjun in DC! We look forward to spending time with the new family as well!

28/06/2020

Here it is!!! Introducing the Ironquest F litter. As always, huge thanks to Danielle Young, Molly Morelli and the entire Warrior Canine Connection crew who helped wrangle pups. Rick Yount was a particularly helpful umbrella holder.

24/06/2020

Almost 7 weeks! Seems like enough p*e and poo to be 18 weeks......thanks Evan and Conrad!

19/06/2020

Yay!!! Puppies have a litter registration number! I love it when things come together!