CoKo Belgian Tervuren

27/08/2024

Ledge got mail again!!! Trick Dog Intermediate!!!

25/08/2024

Royce (GCH CH Coko’s Dolcetto In A Rolls SCN SIN SBN CGC TKI) can add SWN (Scentwork Novice) to her titles list!

Scentwork: A dog who qualifies 3 times in novice containers earns a title of SCN; novice interior title SIN; novice exterior SEN; AND novice buried SBN.
A dog who finishes all of the novice searches, 12 total, (called multiclass) earns a general Novice search title SWN. Congratulations Royce and Lisa!!

19/08/2024

Ledge got mail!! And his first title!!!
CoKo’s Borderline TKN. Good boy!

18/08/2024

https://www.akc.org/sports/conformation/publishing-handlers-agents-dog-show-catalogs/

In July 2024, The AKC Board of Directors voted to establish a policy to require all professional handlers and agents listed in dog show catalogs to successfully complete the Stewards of Children® training from Darkness to Light once every three years effective January 1, 2025.

18/08/2024

Vogue and Ledge practicing synchronized swimming 🤣🤣
With Jan as their coach!

17/08/2024

He needs a loving home.

10/08/2024

Please reach out to BTR if you might need interested. 🐶🐶🐶

06/08/2024

Check out the two regional specialties

In an effort to become an independent club from our parent - American Belgian Tervuren Club (ABTC),
the Sunshine Belgian Tervuren Club will be holding TWO regional specialties this year!

Saturday November 16th will be our AKC mentored show at the Ocala Dog Club Fairgrounds. Judge: Mr. Attila Czegledi from Budapest.
We will also have a supported show on Sunday November 17th.

AND

Thursday December 12th will be during the pre shows to the AKC National Championship at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando FL, Judge: Ms. Pamela Bruce
And a supported show on Wednesday December 11th.

We hope to see many of you there!
More information to follow.

In the meantime - please feel free to reach out to Michele Flemimg for the November show or Robyn Cosenza for the December show if you would be so kind as to volunteer or donate a trophy!
You have the opportunity to sponsor TWO shows :)

NOTE: because of the mentored shows there will be no Sweepstakes offered this year.

04/08/2024

Another great weekend of Scent Work for Royce (GCh Ch Coko’s Dolcetto in a Rolls CGC TKA SIN) She finished her Novice Container and Buried titles! 5 out of 6 Qualifications!! Congrats to her and Lisa!
Royce loves finding her hides !!

28/07/2024

Congratulations to Esta and Susanne who finished her Beginner Novice title this weekend!! (First time in the ring) Pending AKC confirmation she is CoKo Amarone On Le Tour BN. Nice job!

15/07/2024

Some ringside shots of Mama Vogue (Quimby x KITT) and baby Ledge, (Vogue X Bentley) both on their way to BOB in Ocala FL (WEC).
Ledge in BPUP, of course ;)

09/07/2024

This article by Doug Johnson in Showsight Magazine really hit a chord for me, since lately this has been front and center for myself and some people who own my puppies. I have posted the entire article below and tried to BOLD, UNDERLINE and turn the text red for those parts that REALLY stand out to me, but none of that worked so they are now in CAPS, if you do not feel like reading it all!! I have also posted the link to the article below that.

It appears that many BREED Clubs are alike which is very sad. Maybe ABTC should be the first to change that! Include those who WANT to be included. Let's not become the same divide which is dividing our country today!!

"WHEN PEOPLE WORK TOGETHER AND CHERISH WHAT MAKES THEM DIFFERENT, OPPORTUNITIES AND SUCCESS CAN FLOURISH."

The Parent Club Dilemma – Exclusivity Can Be Detrimental to the Advancement of Purebred Dogs

I’ve struggled with parent clubs for decades, mainly because, as breeders, our mental processes, goals, and methods can be different than the parent clubs’ and we don’t always align.
A few years back, a prominent handling team was denied membership to their breed’s parent club. Jamie and I most recently have also been turned down for membership from a parent club, and in disclosing this I have learned of many who have also been refused entry to parent club organizations. So, this is a topic I’ve been thinking about for 18 months or more, and I have concluded that there IS A DILEMMA BETWEEN SERVING A PARENT CLUB AND THE PARENT CLUB SERVING US.
Furthermore, I know many successful breeders who serve their breed better than those who work as guards in parent clubs. Perhaps, NOT being a member does have advantages.

We know that when someone starts to research a breed, they are directed to the parent club. Back in the day, we wrote letters to join the parent club, but now the parent clubs are online and there is more information readily available to people. The parent club really was the go-to spot to start for many of us. I joined the Clumber Spaniel Club in 1984 and now am a life member.

Now, I wonder, HOW DO PEOPLE GET SPONSORS TO JOIN A PARENT CLUB WHEN THEY ARE NEW? WHY DOES THE CLUB REQUIRE THEM? WHAT IS THE FEAR OF LETTING SOMEONE IN? WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA FOR MEMBERSHIP? HOW CAN A CLUB TEACH OR SHOW YOU THE WAY WHEN YOU ARE EXCLUDED AS A MEMBER? ARE THEY AFRAID THAT SOMEONE WILL VOLUNTEER TOO MUCH? ANIMAL ABUSE/CRUELTY WOULD BE REASONS FOR NOT ALLOWING A PROSPECTIVE MEMBER, BUT I CAN’T THINK OF ANY OTHERS.
The parent club dilemma is indicative of something detrimental that I see in the dog sport today: EXCLUSIVITY. We see cliques develop, where people want to be part of an exclusive group, the popular group, the “in” crowd. This exclusivity of factions is a taught and learned behavior that happens in dog clubs and the sport of purebred dogs just as it happens in life outside of the sport. (In school, we wanted to be part of the good table at lunch.) As a result, we have become less and less inclusive of outsiders. Sometimes we do this as protection, for fear of the AR people getting involved or being judged for what we do. BUT WE HAVE TO BE MINDFUL THAT THIS EXCLUSIVITY IS ALSO DETRIMENTAL TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF DOGS. IT CLOSES DOORS TO ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES.

One obvious case of exclusivity in the sport is the process of limited registrations. At the beginning, we thought this was a great thing! It protected our kennel and our dogs. Today, in retrospect, I’m not so sure it would fly as much. We now realize that what we did was eliminate animals as potential breeding stock, and they may have been the ones that should have been bred from. (Keep in mind, we can never know what someone else will be able to do with our dogs in their breeding program.) We do get proprietary. We start to have success, we close down, and we shut off competition by maintaining a breeding force of our own until we start to realize, wait a minute, we’ve closed every door. Now we have to reopen, and in reopening ourselves we’ve got to regain the trust of those people we shut out. That’s hard to do.
There can come a time when you run into a crossroad with a PARENT CLUB, when it has become the ALBATROSS OF THE BREED and is not serving the needs of the breed. Instead, it’s maybe SERVING ONLY THOSE IN POWER AT THE TIME. Perhaps it is influenced by a kennel or a breeder, a dominant, vocal force that has made a powerful Board to do the “work” of the parent club but also ends up being SELF-SERVING. I think that’s where some parent clubs go wrong. MEMBERS ARE OFTENTIMES PASSIVE AND NOT ABLE TO ORGANIZE TOGETHER TO BALANCE THE POWERS OF A STRONG-WILLED, CLOSE BOARD.
Often, there is an OLD GUARD REPRESENTED ON A BOARD, or officers that stand in the way of some forward progress for many breeders. THESE FOLKS RESIST SOME PROCESS IMPROVEMENT THAT CERTAINLY NEEDS TO HAPPEN. (When will they update those Standing rules? Is it time to make another policy?) There have been so many positive changes to the sport and to breeding in the past decades that CLUBS MUST TRY TO ADAPT OR BE LEFT BEHIND. THERE CAN BE A MENTALITY AMONG MANY LONG-TERM CLUB MEMBERS THAT “THIS IS HOW THINGS ARE DONE” AND “WE’VE ALWAYS DONE IT THIS WAY.” WHEN A CHANGE IS PROPOSED, IT IS OFTEN INITIALLY HARD TO GET PEOPLE TO ACCEPT IT, BUT AFTER THE CLUB TAKES THE PLUNGE IT’S USUALLY WELL RECEIVED. THAT’S THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS… IT’S JUST GETTING TO THAT OTHER SIDE OF THIS EXCLUSIVITY DILEMMA!!! RESULTS! CHANGE IS TOO OFTEN RESISTED FAVORING THE CONSISTENT (EVEN IF POORLY EXECUTED) TRIED AND TRUE PLAN. NEW AND IMPROVED CAN BE REWARDING BEYOND MEASURE AND WILL RESULT IN INCLUSIVITY!
In the end, who does a parent club serve? Can you, or do you, outgrow the parent club? Can you become so successful that the parent club becomes a rather small entity and your profile as a breeder is so much bigger? Do they underperform as an organization designed to protect and preserve? That’s my expectation of what I think a parent club should do. A parent club is supposed to protect the breed and preserve the breed. Can they be misguided? Do they make mistakes? I think they can. Maybe it’s time we ask ourselves: “Does my parent club have the same value it once had?”
FOR OUR SPORT TO GROW AND THRIVE, WE MUST OPEN THE DOOR AND LET PEOPLE IN. BRING PEOPLE INTO THE FOLD AND LEARN THE JOYS OF THE SPORT. My plea to all show-giving clubs is to work at creating an event for the day of your show. Shows need to reinvent reasons to enter beyond the opportunity to garnish a point or two. We need clubs to add to their day’s educational opportunities, or include FSS competitions, a hound bench show, or grooming competitions. Add speakers and seminars. There are many new and different ideas to showcase the purebred dog that will entice and attract some much-needed new energy to some of our old traditions. Most newer people to the sport require more to do in a day than the 3-5 minutes of judging time.
Together we can come full-circle as members of an organization and DO A BETTER JOB OF OUTREACH TO THOSE WANTING AND WILLING TO GET INVOLVED. OPEN THE DOOR, OPEN YOUR CLUB, AND OPEN YOUR MINDS TO MUCH-NEEDED PROGRESS. The end result is for the greater good and the betterment of all purebred dogs. We never know who is out there trying to get in and what they can do for you, the parent club, or the breed.

https://showsightmagazine.com/the-parent-club-dilemma/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2IyfLxT3xaDu800gHvgKJcH3uM3gEvhgyO52iXkceKBXUx_vlq8DBZK5U_aem_zwJIz0maqcjO5RWD9s6Xdw

Exclusivity in parent clubs can hinder purebred dog progress. Learn how opening doors benefits breeders and the whole dog community.

08/07/2024

CoKo had a “bang” of a weekend!!
At the Citrus County Dog Show. Vogue (GCH CoKo’s Little Black Dress BN RA HSAs AXP AJP OFP SWN SCA ATT BCAT TKI) was awarded SELB and OHBOB on Saturday and BOB/OHBOB on Sunday for 6 more points toward her Silver GCH.

Ledge (CoKo’s Borderline) was awarded Best Puppy in the 4-6month class both days over other lovely little Tervlets!
And he rocked the whole big dog show weekend like a pro!

Meanwhile “up North” Lisa and Royce (GCH CoKo’s Dolcetto in a Rolls CGC TKN) were awarded BOS in MA last Thursday and Friday! Congratulations!!!

18/06/2024

"A “Versatile” Belgian Tervuren must earn a title in four out of the five AKC categories — conformation, obedience/rally, tracking/scent work, herding, or agility."

For many years the Versatile Tervuren Award was elusive for me because I choose to run my dogs in the "preferred" agility height and the ABTC never recognized the "preferred" height.

This year I was so thrilled that the BOD finally allowed the preferred heights to be recognized and able to qualify toward the Versatility Award!! (they also just added scent work and rally)

I am so proud to be on the end of the leash (or off) with all my dogs and everything we participate in and FINALLY, at least Vogue has been recognized!!

She also received her award merit pins for Herding and Scent Work!!

16/06/2024

Sisters! Very proud of how these two handled their first ever ABTC National Specialty!
Royce (GCH CoKo's Dolcetto In A Rolls CGC TKN) and Sauvi (GCH Coko’s On Cloud Wine At Ozma ATT CGC TKI POA)

14/06/2024

At the ABTC National we were able to get 3 of the 4 babies together!
Figment, Ledge and sister Blaze (already taking a page from Mom Vogues playbook)!!! 😝

14/06/2024

CoKo’s Borderline (Ledge) official win photo for going Best Opposite Baby Puppy at the ABTC National Specialty! Thanks to breeder judge Mike Wagner for seeing the potential in our lanky growing little boy!!!

13/06/2024

CoKo’s Crazy for You of Riverside (Blaze) goes Best Baby Puppy and her brother CoKo’s Borderline (Ledge) takes Best Opposite Baby Puppy at the ABTC National under breeder Judge Mike Wagner!!

13/06/2024

Not to be outdone by her kids at the National, Vogue (GCH CoKo’s Little Black Dress PT RA AJP AXP OFP SWN ATT BCAT TKI), qualified in Advanced containers in Scent work to finish that title, qualified in beginner novice Obedience to finish that title, and double Qd in agility, both in second place, then qualified in Open Fast to finish that title and went on the next day to qualify in EX Fast and Masters STD both with first places!!
Phew. Now she can relax!!

04/06/2024

Happy 4th Birthday to the “Patterson Book Litter” !
Vogue
Khaleesi
Phoebe
Journey
Dagger
Cody
Remi
Maka’i
Hope you all have a great day!!!

Post a pick of your birthday pup!!!

17/05/2024

Westminster Kennel Club 2024 breed winner! Congratulations Malia and Maka’i! GCH CH Coko's You'Ve Been Warned FDC TKN ATT.
(GCHB CH Sky Acres Licensed To Fly BN RA FDC OAP OJP NFP CGC X GCH CH Shumaker Hills Knight's Tale RN CGC TKN ATT)

13/05/2024

So happy for Malia and Maka’i (GCH CoKo’s You’ve Been Warned FDC ATT TKN)!!!
Best of Breed at Westminster today!!
Excuse the TV pics!!!

13/05/2024

Good luck to Malia and Maka’i (GCH CH Coko's You'Ve Been Warned FDC TKN ATT) competing in the breed ring at Westminster tomorrow and to Elizabeth and Journey (GCH CH Coko's When The Wind Blows RN) competing in Juniors!!! Your sister will be watching and rooting for you both! Have fun!!

12/05/2024