Sunday April 26, 2015

Spring is in the air (for the most part) which means that here in Canada we are starting our outdoor activities. This means that the Braque Francais are beginning hunting training, hunting competitions and agility competitions. Hunting training has started and since the last post we have attended two more training days with N.A.V.H.D.A. and done some training on our own time. We are also continuing training Ivy and Piper for agility Ivy’s skills are so good now that she is going into her first competition. The Summer months are going to filled with many events and competitions for Safron Kennels below you can see how excited Ivy and Piper are to get started:




We have been to many hunting training days with the N.A.V.H.D.A and the girls have loved every minute of it. Ivy is doing great with the pointing exercises she is learning to hold woe on the table and heal on the leash like an expert. When she is on real birds though she still wants to try to catch the bird rather than point at it however at the last session she did manage to hold point for a second, this makes us hopeful that her training will pay off. Below take a look at Ivy’s success in hunting training:

Sunday March 29, 2015

Sorry for the delay in this post but it has been very quiet here at Safron Kennels what with the incredibly cold whether we have here this winter. However with spring finally around the corner we are able to get the girls out and outside again. We are please to say that we have started our hunting with our Braque Francais yesterday we went to training session with the girls that was put on by the NAVHDA (North America Versatile Hunting Dog Association). First Ivy had an introduction to the birds; you can see her first sight on a live pigeon below:





Ivy was very interested in the pigeon the next step was to see if she would point at it naturally. When Ivy went out into the field her obedience that very good coming to the whistle every time and listening very well. She was very interested and found the pigeon traps and when she signaled the pigeon was released she chased the bird with lots of enthusiasm. It was then Pipers turn to be introduced to the birds, see below Piper's first experience with Pigeons:




Piper seemed very interested in the pigeon as well, then she had her chance with on the field to see how she would perform. Piper still only being 10 months old was very happy in the field running around for the first pigeon she was more surprised then chased the bird. By the second bird she was running around again but then when she smelled the bird she went into full point, a very good start for our puppy. We will definitely continue to take the girls to training days at the NAVHDA for this year and maybe hopefully enter them in a test. The girls are also hunting for squirrels in the yard they have already gotten two this year below you can see the girls in action hunting the property line:

Saturday February 7, 2015

During this past month at Safron Kennels there has been a lot of activity; we went to an agility practice match with the girls with great success. Additionally Ivy has already gone into season (a month early) however we have decided not to breed her this year after all instead we are going to focus on titles and promoting the breed with the girls this year. Also Ivy and Piper have been able to find time to relax in a Braque Francais favorite spot; on a bed in a sun beam.



This past month we went to an agility practice match with the girls, we were going to a competition however Ivy went into season early so we will not be going after all. They always go into season at the most inconvenient time, however the practice match was a great success Ivy and Piper had lots of fun. Piper is of course is still a puppy and still learning....she doesn't know all the obstacles...however she had a fun time running over the jumps and playing with the equipment. Ivy on the other hand ran the agility courses very well below watch a video of Ivy running the jump course at the match:



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There has been also been plenty of time this month for playing together. Ivy and Piper love to play with each other in the video below you can see one their play times together:

Saturday January 3, 2015

Happy New Year!This past month has been fairly quiet at Safron Kennels for the dogs, what with the holidays. The girls have had a few agility classes but they do stop over the holidays are are anxious for it to being again. The dogs did however has a great Christmas with lots of presents for them to open. We have many plans for the dogs for the up coming year, we are planning to attend more dog shows, attend agility classes and competitions, we are planning on having puppies this year and hopeful have the girls get out there hunting, below you can see how excited the girls are for the up coming year.



Every year at Christmas the dogs get presents, Ivy how is now experienced at Christmas knows how to open her presents by ripping the paper. This was of course Piper's first Christmas so we were wondering if she would pick up how to open presents. The dogs every year get a visit from Santa and this year was no different when it came to open Santa's gifts Ivy grabbed a gift, ripped it open to reveal the toy inside. With Piper we started by showing her that the paper can be torn she then grabbed the present and ripped up the paper and getting the toys inside. Piper then went nuts with the gifts to the point that she couldn't open them fast enough she would grab a new present open it half way then go to the next one. Of course Ivy was around to finish the job that Piper left behind. Below you can see that Piper decided to relax after opening all her presents.



The new year is upon us now and here at Safron Kennels we are planning on the dogs activities. We of course will continue with the agility because the Braques love it so much and Braque Francais are naturally very good at agility. We are also planning to attend more dog show our goal is to get more points on the girls towards their championship and eventually finish both girls. We are also planning to hopefully get the girls out their with hunting training, this has been a personal challenge for us to get the girls out hunting training because we have not been able to find a trainer. All trainers that we call that are close by what us to send the dogs to them for several weeks, I will not send my dogs away for training. Other trainers that will allow us to train with the dogs are very far away for us to travel. We have done some at home and both Ivy and Piper have shown amazing natural ability, took to birds very well and are not afraid of gun shots. Below Ivy is in the hunting spirit by modeling a camo tuque. If you or someone you know know someone who can help us find a trainer or know where we can get hunting trainer for our girls please contact us.



We are planning on breeding Ivy next spring in 2015, our last litter was very successful with lots of interest. If you or anyone you may know is interested in the 2015 litter, have any questions, would like to meet our wonderful dogs here at Safron Kennels or would just like to learn more about the Braque Francais please contact us we would love to hear from you. If you would like to find would be a good fit for you and your family please take our small quiz by clicking here. We are encouraging everyone to share the Braque Francais will others please print off our brochure, which is filled with wonderful information about these lovely dogs and help to get the breed more known, to download click here.

Monday December 8, 2014

We have had a very successful November at Safron Kennels we attended two dog shows and continue our agility training with our two girls, Ivy and Piper. We had a great time at the dogs shows this past month and the girls did a great job promoting the breed. The girls are also working hard at improving their agility skills, Piper completed her first every small jump course at only 6 months old in practice. Braque Francais are very active and loving dogs however they are also dogs that love to snuggle and love their creature comforts and our girls are no exception. Below you can see how the girls are spending all their spare time:




Last month we went to two dog shows, the first dog show that we atened was a show in Lindsey Ontario. It was a rememberable event because it was the first show ever that there has been more than one Braque Francais type Pyrenees entered. Surprisingly Piper showed really well for her first show that she was able to beat out her mom both days at the dog show. This means that Piper earned two points at the show an excellent start for her first show. Below see a picture of Piper's win:



The second show that we attended was a show in Mississauga Ontario the reason on going to this show was because of ht public tends to be a this show. It was a very successful show in that many people where asking questions about our breed and for this breed the more education that can be done right know the better. Also Ivy beat out Piper at this show earning her first point. Below see a picture of Ivy's win:



We are planning on breeding Ivy next spring in 2015, our last litter was very successful with lots of interest. If you or anyone you may know is interested in the 2015 litter, have any questions, would like to meet our wonderful dogs here at Safron Kennels or would just like to learn more about the Braque Francais please contact us we would love to hear from you. If you would like to find would be a good fit for you and your family please take our small quiz by clicking here. We are encouraging everyone to share the Braque Francais will others please print off our brochure, which is filled with wonderful information about these lovely dogs and help to get the breed more known, to download click here.

Tuesday November 4, 2014

This past month at Safron Kennels we have continued to promote and have fun with our two wonderful Braque Francais girls; Ivy and Piper. We take both girls to agility classes every week and they are improving their skills very quickly. We are also very excited because we have entered both in a dog show this weekend and it will be a memorable event because there are two Braque Francais entered, not just the typical one (Ivy) that has been the only Braque Francais promoter in the show ring for the past three years. As you can see below the pressure has been getting to her.



Agility lessons with the girls are going very well, we try to practice with them every week. We find agility a great active for Braque Francais because it involves a Braques most favorite things which are; running, listening to commands and working with their owners. We find that it is also a great active to help owners learn how to handle their dogs; agility is as much about the dog getting the obstacles correct as it is about the handler (who is typically the owner) getting the correct commons to the dog. Piper has graduated level 101 at only six months old and she has started 102 just this past week. Piper has already obtained some excellent agility skills including jumping multiple jumps in a row, running through a tunnel and targeting at the end of an obstacle. All extremely useful foundational agility skills that she will use once she gets to competition level. However Piper does find agility to be a lot of work sometimes as you can see below she feel asleep at class last week.



Ivy practices her agility skills every week as well in semi-private classes, she is quickly mastering the hardest obstacle in agility, the weave poles. Ivy was having a difficult time learning the wave poles, basically she was not understanding that she had to do every single pole. However now she is doing the weave poles perfect almost every time, practice, consistency and patience pay off when training, check out Ivy's new skills below:



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We have planned a dog show this weekend where both our girls are entered, in the past it has only been me, my husband and Ivy at the dogs shows representing the Braque Francais. Ivy has been doing a great job being the sole Braque Francais ambassador at dog shows but we are thrilled that Piper is now here to help. Since we are only active kennel exhibiting or dogs in the show ring in Ontario it has been very difficult to move the Braque Francais forward. However here at Safron Kennels we are determined to get the Braque Francais more known not just with the general public but in as many aspects of the dog world as we can. We are welcoming everyone to join us at the dog show this weekend to come out see the dogs and cheer them on. As you can see below Piper is getting ready to help.