TRURO - Although she has been breeding and showing German shepherds for years, Sieger shows are a new avenue for Yan Mowatt.
The Truro resident is thrilled she not only participated in the prestigious Sieger dog show, but also by the success one of her young dogs, SG1 Voltan Dei Precision.
In Sieger shows, dogs are grouped by age and the rings are large. In the working dog classes, the animals must perform certain tasks to achieve each level.
Mowatt's 15-month-old dog, who is owned by Mowatt and her boyfriend Troy Lynds, won his class at his first Sieger show, which was recently held in PEI, before going on to the Canadian National in Saint John, where he was a winner again.
In October, he will head to Chicago for the North American Sieger show.
"We're new to Sieger and we were so impressed with their shows," said Mowatt. "There was a great atmosphere and it's all German shepherds. Going to the North American show is a big deal so we're excited. It will be a lot of fun and we will learn so much."
Lynds shows the dog but is considering hiring a professional handler for the North American event.
Voltan is working on obedience, recently began tracking, and will start his bite work this winter. He also participates in other shows and will take part in the Cobequid Dog Club show in Bible Hill Oct. 6 and 7.
Mowatt, who grew up with German shepherds and began breeding them in 1991, said the breed is amazing to train.
"They're the most versatile dogs," she said. "They're family companions and are great for herding, protection, agility and other work. They can do anything and they're just so intelligent."
Mowatt stresses that the goal she and Lynds, who operate Troyan Schloss Kennels in Earltown, have is not mainly to win in the ring but to be better breeders and produce better dogs. They plan to use Voltan as a stud once he passes all of his health checks.
"We're not going down thinking we'll do great things but you never know," she added. "We're going with reasonable expectations. "It's a lot of work but I think it's fun."
