2014 Nashville Rottweiler Klub Breed Show

This time last year, I did my very first Sieger show with my Rottweiler Zeus at the 2013 Nashville Rottweiler Klub Breed Show, and the RKNA Klub Sieger.   At that show, Zeus competed in the 4-6 Month Puppy class and went P3 the first day (no VP ratings were given to any of the puppies in his class) and NP4 on Sunday.

One would  think that with the less than stellar ratings and placements Zeus earned, I might have had the good sense to get out of dog shows.  But at the time, I was thrilled.  The 3rd place showing on Saturday?  THIRD PLACE!!!  That was GREAT!  I had almost no experience showing dogs and zero expectations so third place seemed darn good.  Zeus even received a bronze medal that we treasure.  I sort of ignored the critique by the judge on Sunday as I didn’t particularly agree with it.  I thought that with hard work, Zeus could do better next year.

Over the next 12 months, Zeus and I did indeed work very hard together, and attended several different club’s dog shows including UKC, IABCA, AIRK, event the AKC American Rottweiler Club Nationals Sieger Show.  The more shows we did, the more practice I got at showing, and Zeus got more exposure and confidence in the ring.  With the passage of time, Zeus continued to develop and by 12 months he really started showing some promise.  Zeus and I also started doing Rally Obedience in both UKC and AKC (we’ve earned titles in both) which gave us even more experience working together.

Before we knew it, an entire year had passed and it was time to return to Bicentennial Park in downtown Nashville for the 2014 Nashville Rottweiler Klub Breed Show.  Here’s a few photos I took in the park with Zeus:

The Bicentennial Park area near downtown Nashville is one of the most scenic, picturesque city parks I’ve visited in the US.  Here’s some photos from the show:

Where Zeus competed last year in the 4-6 Month class, this time he was in the 12-18 month class.  This year’s judge was Tatyana Popova (FCI-Russia) and her style of judging was very different from the judges we experienced last year.

Tatyana Popova (Right) with translator

She was tough but fair and very positive and up-beat which I really appreciated.  I’ll be honest in that I had low to no expectations before the show.  Zeus had gone V2 at the ARC Nationals Sieger in Wisconsin earlier in the year, competing in the 9-12 month class.  But his class was relatively small with only three dogs.  Still, he did receive a V rating from a well known judge which I thought was amazing.  I knew that the RKNA Nashville show typically drew the best competition – not only in the region, but from throughout the US.  This year, dogs entered came from as far away as California and New Mexico for this show.

When it came time to step into the ring, the weather was not in our favor – 85 degree heat.  Back home, I’ve noted that when I tried to work Zeus in anything over about 70 degrees, he became lethargic and non-responsive.  In this heat, I feared I’d be dragging Zeus behind me as we ran around the show ring.  And run we did…I counted at least ten laps around the ring – more running than I’d previously done at any Sieger.  A team of folks helped me get through the roughly 30 minutes of judging (again, longer than any previous judge we’d shown to):  Christy Hutchinson helped double handle Zeus while I baited him.  Many thanks too go to Madison Arnold and Alycia Hüetter who also helped Christy with running and baiting – it was a true team effort to get through the judging.  Here are some photos taken by the official show photographer, Mario Montes Klaver:

Initially the judge split the group into two groups – one in front of four dogs, and one in back of five dogs.  Zeus and I managed to be a part of the “up front” group, which indicated to me based on how she had judged the previous classes that we would likely be receiving a “V” rating.  She also had been picking here top three placements from the dogs she put in the front row.  I scarey dared to let myself consider the possibility:  Zeus had a shot to place at the Nashville show!  For the next several minutes (what seemed like an eternity) we alternated between running more laps and baiting and the judge slowly and methodically examined each dog in the line up – this cycle repeated several times, and in each case she would point to Zeus and myself and move us up in front of the next dog and handler in the line up.  Finally we were the far end of the line up, and the judge continued to walk up and down the line.  The dogs were exhausted from the running in the heat, and so of course were the handlers.  It was all we could do to just keep the dogs from not laying down.  But Zeus was a true champ and hung in there to the end….and in the end, Zeus Sohn Von Holbrook Vom Krafthaus was given a V rating, and 1st place in the Male 12-18 Month class:

When the announcement was made, the flood of emotion that came over me is nearly indescribable.  Exhilaration.  Elation.  Disbelief.  Zeus had gone V1 at one of the most respected and prestigious breed shows in the country, and had done so in one of the largest, most competitive classes in the show.  The judge said he looked “better prepared” and in “better condition” than any of the other dogs.  It was totally and completely unexpected by me.  Pictures were hastily taken, and we exited the ring so that the next class (18-24 Month) could begin exhibiting.  My head was spinning.  This was Zeus’s first time going V1 at a Sieger show.  He’d never beaten this many dogs in his class before, or the caliber of dogs which were in the ring that day.  This V1 placement certainly validated his placement five months earlier at the ARC Nationals Sieger.  Moreover, the rating said Zeus is only getting better with age and development.  But I was quickly reminded that the show wasn’t over for us.  In a Sieger show, there are two classes which comprise the male and female “Youth Classes” – the 12-18 Month class, and the 18-24 Month class.  The male winners of both these classes must then compete against one another for the title of “Best Youth Male” or “Youth Sieger” winner.  So Zeus and I would be going up against the winner of the Male 18-24 Month class.  Clearly, the younger dog is at a disadvantage against the older and therefore more developed dog.  But once again, after more laps and baiting, Zeus was deemed the better of the two dogs and won the 2014 Best Youth Male Award:

It was like a fairy tale – simply amazing.  By that evening I had received over twenty new Facebook “friend requests” from people at the show.  One attendee from Europe asked “when will you be bringing this dog to Europe to compete?”  It was all so much to take in so quickly.

One year ago this puppy would get a P3 and NP:

A year later, he would return a champion:

The spoils of victory:

I honestly don’t know what the future holds for this dog that holds my heart in his paw, but I do know that we will be competing in the RKNA Klub Sieger show in one month, which will be held in Gainesville, GA this year.  I’m not silly enough to expect that Zeus will again place.  I will however be surprised if he doesn’t get a V rating.  And even if we get laughed out of the ring, no one can ever take away what we earned in Nashville Tennessee.  Many thanks to all the Klub members, volunteers, sponsors, and competitors who made this year’s Nashville Breed Show and Evaluation possible – may it continue for many years to come.