613 – Junior Handler Wins NOHS Finals in Orlando
Junior Handler Wins NOHS Finals in Orlando
Adam showing his dog to Best of Breed.
The 2023 AKC National Owner Handled Series Finals was won by 14-year-old Adam Kucera and his two year old Irish Setter, Stryker. Adam and Stryker’s breeder, Patty Fanelli, join host Laura Reeves to share their story.
“At (Adam’s) first show, he beat me for Winner’s Dog,” Fanelli said. “It was one point with the brother. The next show was the Potomac Specialty. He went best in sweeps and he took a five point major and went best of Winners and best puppy.
“And I said to him, “You just took a five-point specialty major.” And he said, ‘I don’t even know what that is.’ He sure knows now.”
Stryker is Adam’s first Irish Setter that his grandmother arranged to purchase from Fanelli. He showed a Boston Terrier first, but really wanted to show a bigger dog.
Adam says he does all of Stryker’s grooming “except the clipper work because I am so afraid he’s going to just move and it’s just going to go, it’s all gone.”
The most challenging part of training Stryker, Adam said, was teaching him to freestack “Because he always just wants to jump, he always just wants to jump on my shoulders and thinks it’s time to play as soon as I hold a treat and not hold him.” A 4.0 home-schooled student, Adam says he practices with Stryker every morning before completing his school work.
Competing in NOHS gives Adam and is family more time to spend at the shows.
“My first show, we went to the show and I didn’t win the breed,” Adam said. “We went to go watch the groups and we saw that there were two groups going and we were like ‘why are there two, there should only be one?’ So then we found out what owner handler was. It’s kind of hard to show an Irish Setter. There’s not that many owner handlers out where I live, so if we want to stay a little bit longer at the show, we can do owner-handled and that gives us stuff to do and it’s a really fun competition.”
Adam has set lofty goals for himself and his dog. His remaining goals for Stryker include winning best of breed at the National Specialty and winning the breed at Westminster Kennel Club. He dreams of becoming a professional handler and breeding Irish Setters in his future.
Take a listen to the entire episode for more from this outstanding young man.
564 – Owner Handler Winner: “These Dogs Are Worthy”
Owner Handler Winner: “These Dogs Are Worthy”
Dr. Cheryl Stiehl hard at work in her veterinary practice.
Dr. Cheryl Stiehl, DVM joins host Laura Reeves to discuss the journey that brought her to the pinnacle of the Owner Handled Series with her breeder-owner-handled Irish Setter.
Stiehl and Declan, GCHS Bramblebush Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, topped more than 825 entries in the National Owner Handled Series finals in Orlando, FL in December.
A practicing veterinarian in Maryland, Stiehl offers her life hacks for succeeding as an owner handler while working a full-time job. And she shares the love — of her dog and the sport.
“I think one of the neatest things about this dog is who he is,” Stiehl said. “His nickname is ‘The Dude.’ He’s just good for purebred dogs, if you know what I mean. He’s funny and ridiculous and silly and he loves kids and loves cats and thinks everything’s an adventure. Declan has friends and friends he has not met yet. That’s just kind of who he is. He’s a bit of a party animal. The other thing and the way I describe him when people say, ‘well, what’s an Irish Setter like, what’s this dog like?’ I say, you know the guy at the tailgate pouring shots? That’s Declan.
“I think that owner handled for me is that there was one more thing I could do with my dog. I can walk in this ring and that ring, I can do it twice. If I get nervous, I can try to work through it.
“I can take out a spleen in the OR with an animal that has a really potentially dangerous or scary prognosis and barely break a sweat. But you know, sometimes I think we all get nervous. Is the dog going to behave? Is he stacked right? Does he look OK? Am I giving him his due?
“On the other side of it too, I think the interesting part of it is your dog’s doing double duty and your dog’s going into that group ring and hopefully going into another best in show ring. So, if you were lucky to win both breed and best of breed owner handled that day, you show your dog a whole bunch and your dog has to perform a whole lot more really. I’ve actually had a few judges say that to me. You know, ‘I watched your dog today and you didn’t give up once.’ So, he is a piece of work. He’s the dude.
“The (NOHS) competition is keen. The dogs are beautiful. They are multiple best in show dogs. They are best in show dogs, they are reserve best in show dogs. They’re group placers, group and specialty winners, sires and dams of beautiful animals. These dogs are worthy. I think that one nice thing is, is it’s the connections you make. I also will say to you that I love the sportsmanship that I have experienced in those ranks. We are really happy for one another.”
Listen to the full episode for more of Stiehl’s insights on the NOHS, dog shows in general, her favorite grooming products and more.
145 – Pat Laurans: NOHS Best in Show|AKC National Championship
Pat Laurans: On Judging NOHS Best in Show
Pat Laurans, AKC delegate from the German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America, was selected to judge Best in Show for the AKC National Championship National Owner-Handled Series in Orlando, Fla. Dec. 15, 2017.
For Pat Laurans, the dogs always come first. “Love of the dogs comes first,” Laurans said. “The people in the sport become our family due to our shared love of dogs.”
“It’s important to understand that 80 percent of dogs exhibited in AKC shows are shown by the owner,” Laurans noted. “AKC started (NOHS) to celebrate the dedication of Owner-Handled exhibits throughout the country. The top 10 in each breed is invited the national championship show.”
705 NOHS Competitors
Laurans made a point of defining the eligibility of the NOHS and noted that the year’s final competition in Orlando started with 705 competitors from 191 breeds/varieties.
“This shows the enthusiasm of owner handled competitors,” Laurans said. “The bond between dog and handler is something you can see. You realize the devotion, love and caring and the work they’ve done to reach this level.”
The Seven Group Winners Critiqued
Laurans graciously shared her articulate, detailed critique of all seven group winners in her Best in Show lineup with us at Pure Dog Talk.
The Winner – Bearded Collie
“The winner (Bearded Collie) was an example, to me, of a dog that could do the work the breed was meant to do,” Laurans said. “That would be able to work all day because of the correct outline, angulation and balance. And that moved around the ring effortlessly. … We aren’t judging handlers. We’re judging the dogs. This Beardie was, to me, of such outstanding quality that she was very deserving of NOHS BIS.”
Take a minute to listen to Pat and Laura talk about the Bred By Exhibitor competition at the AKCNC and the importance of a mentorship that spans more than 20 years.
And if you missed it, go back and pick up Pat’s interview about the critical role of the AKC Delegate body and what, exactly, these important members of the fancy do for you.
Huge thanks to Pure Dog Talk supporter Karen Evasuik for sharing her gorgeous photos of this important event. Check out all of her beautiful candids from the entire week in Orlando here.
Meanwhile, remember to tune in to Animal Planet tonight for all of the great coverage from the AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin.
Allison Foley’s Tip of the Week – International Shows
Allison and Laura talk about International Shows, qualifying for competitions, and differences between AKC and CKC.