Dog shows in France and confirmation

This was Douai 2010, three barbets confirmed. Novaforesta Dudly (Ooli),Betsy and Novaforesta Dora (Bonnie). The dog show was the reason for being in Douai, but my memories are the fun we had, picnics in the carpark and this photo was on Sunday morning after coffee and a stroll round town.

This was Douai 2011, three barbets confirmed. Novaforesta Duplo,Novaforesta Eton and Ebene. I have been looking for the photo of us all in the evening with more bottles of wine than people or dogs, but I can't find it!!. Once again, the fun was back at the hotel or food establishments rather than the dog showing. A very good weekend with good company. Will we be back in Douai in 2012, I hope so......

Barbets and puppy news

Ebene and her friends

A busy weekend,  we had a small get together of those owners who plan to breed or list their barbets as stud dogs. Its important to pass on information about the breed and share knowledge. We are lucky in the UK, our next two litters will be by responsible and experienced people, both of which are Accredited breeders with the English Kennel Club.
  The thought that Betsy and Bepop will both be grandmothers in 2012 is very exciting. Ebene is to be mated with Novaforesta Dudley and Novaforesta Dora with Novaforesta Eton.


More news will be on the GB site shortly once Julian has finished painting my dog  grooming room!. 

Eton and Bonnie (Dora) have always got on well whenever we have a get together, so hopefully a mating will be a natural progression to their relationship. I know I am lucky as I can speak with knowledge about all the dogs that are breeding, the owners have supported the start of the barbet in the UK, they have been to France showing the dogs, the outcome being that not only did they get confirmation but also awarded excellent examples of the breed. There is nothing quite like going away to France with barbets and their owners, you see the dogs tired,hungry and out of their comfort zone and when they behave perfectly all weekend you know they are something special...so roll on 2012. Novaforesta Duplo, a beautiful boy always very relaxed in France and took to the showring as though it was just another day!, I am hope that 2012 will be a good year for him as he has passed all his health tests for being a stud dog.

Novaforesta Eton deserves a pat on the back.

This boy has done so well, he is a real credit to the breed.  

Bobby and dog beds

As mentioned before, our only dog bed is in the middle of our kitchen floor. This was the scene earlier, perhaps there is hope as there are toys amongst the shoes, but a coat hanger and a curtain tie back. Bobby is definately getting more adventurous with his thieving.
Bless him, its hard to get cross, returning all his treasures is just another job to do at the end of the day, at least none of my dogs chew, or I think we would have a real crisis  

Standard poodle versus barbet

A question I am asked frequently, what are some of the differences between a barbet and a poodle, having owned both I can say that I have never seen my barbets manipulate toys like a poodle.
Bobby and Jazz both use their paws to hold a toy during play, its always a solitary game and  can be hard to capture as distraction will mean they involve you in the game, then they don't need to use their paws as its us humans that will throw it or play tug of war. Bobby and Jazz do this style of playing alot, the paws are used to throw the toy, gather it back up and then wrestle with it.
Note to self: hoover more ofton!

Meet Archie the poodle

Sadly the late Archie, but this is a purebred standard poodle and its totally his fault that I ever heard the name 'barbet'.

Archie was  small for a standard poodle, he had zero elegance, a very oily coat, and was certainly one of the cleverest dogs I have ever met. He didn't have poodle eyes, he ran like a spaniel,and his nostrils well they certainly worked well and they were huge,even in remote parts of the forest he always found tennis balls, some that had been rotting for years.Archie was never castrated, he was never bothered by other dogs, his loyalty was always to his owners.In the summer Archie coat became brown, something that never has happened with my black standard poodle even though both had greying coats and both lived in the same area.

It was a dog historian that spotted Archie and made the comment that he was a throwback to a barbet, and after a few days of research I was hooked by this new discovery.
I was involved in buying Archie, so I did meet his Father and Mother, and also his 10 brothers and sisters (I think it was 10 maybe more). He wasn't perfect, no dog is, but he was an amazing charactor.                                                                        

Novaforesta Drew at Sunset

Beautiful photo for a beautiful dog.Where have the years gone, his pet name is Remy and he will be 4 years old in March 2012. This boy sums up the barbet charactor, he is kind, gentle, happy and one of his favorite days out is the local shoot.

Bobby maybe a cockerpoo

This is Takoda a male cockerpoo.

My Bobby is the boy in the front.