Swedish Vallhund Club

  © SWEDISH VALLHUND CLUB 2009.

 

  President: Martin Jansen.Treasurer: Ann McLean Secretary: Peta Dowle Committee: , Amber Wellbourn, Anna Thompson, Natalie Morgan, Louise Smith.  Patron: Rose Madsen.

 New Zealand, Swedish Vallhunds.

 Aotearoa, Västgötaspets.

The front page of this website is freshly updated in the first week of every new month.

EMAIL: info@svclub.org.nz

 

 Our Mission

To promote Swedish Vallhunds (Västgötaspets.)
 In recognition of the breed’s superior versatility and trainability, whilst aspiring to maintain the integrity of the breed as specified by the Swedish Breed Standard, and as adopted by the  New Zealand Kennel Club.

Our Aim
To facilitate good will and cohesion between Swedish Vallhund breeders, Owners and Enthusiasts within Aotearoa.

Member of the Spitz Breed Club
Swedish Vallhunds belong to
the spitz dog breed group.

Our Prefered Charity
We recognise and aplaude the effort
 and work undertaken by the
New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation
and choose to name this organisation
as our club's prefered Charity

Join The Swedish Vallhund Club
Membership Criteria
New Zealand
 1) You own, or have owned, at least one purebred Swedish Vallhund.
2) You comply with your local council's bylaws pertaining to dog ownership.
3) If you are breeding, you are a member of the N.Z.K.C. and comply with their rules and regulations.

International Members
1) You own, or have owned, at least one purebred Swedish Vallhund
2) You comply with the dog laws of your state/province/country.


Join the Swedish Vallhund Club


Swedish Vallhunds are a national dog breed of Sweden.  While still a rare breed, in New Zealand they are enjoying increasing popularity as more people own them, breed them, and  know them as the versatile, hardy, inteligent and delightful little dog they are.

We invite you to explore our site.  Here you can    learn about the Swedish Vallhund and determine if they are the right breed for you and your family to own.  If looking for a puppy you can discover and check out the n.z.k.c. registered breeder members of the club and find all the registered litters available now.  

We are passionate about our dogs and we are here to support owners, create contact between owners, promote the breed, and encourage you to find your Swedish Vallhund's full and versatile potential.

                                                                          ~ So welcome, stay a while.

 

 The Swedish Vallhund Club

is proud to be associated with
fetch! 
magazine.

Alistair, Pelin and the team
at Lifestyle Publishing do
a fantastic job creating
New Zealand’s only
 dedicated 
dog 
magazine. 
Published bi-monthly,
'fetch!' focuses on promoting
an active, healthy 
relationship 
between dogs 
and their owners.

Ask for fetch! at your bookstore.

 

 August 2010 News

 

JULY 31st - AUGUST 1st

 



* We are at PET EXPO
Come find our stand, come cuddle the pups, meet adult dogs and talk to the president and club members on site.  We would love to meet you and answer any questions you have about the club or the breed.  Also on display, projected onto a large screen is a scrolling slideshow of the beautiful photos by Oili Henelius.  Special thanks to breeder Oili for supplying her wonderful images without charge for our use this weekend.  We are certain they will be admired by all.  Also we wish to extend appreciation to Robyn and Derrick Marsters of Quality Rental Management for their help and support over the weekend ahead.

* Raffle
Pet Expo has two raffles running.  If you can  make it to expo make sure you grab a $2 ticket and chance to win $150 worth of prizes.  Up for grabs is $70 worth of Hoyts movie passes, a $50 Sub Card from Subway and $30 worth of MTA petrol vouchers.  Win and Saturday night is sorted!

* New Litter
There is a new litter due this week at Barahwolfe Kennels.  We wish Peta all the best with the whelp.

* Animal Academy TV6
Don't forget to tune into TV6 and see Olympic Gold medalist Sarah Ulmer and Park Ranger Jeremy McGuire profile Swedish Vallhunds.  Anna Thompson of Christchurch with her Swedish Vallhund Apollo endured the miserable weather recently with White Bait tv filming in the city.  We can't wait to see how  it all turned out.  Many thanks to Jason Gunn and everyone involved in the show for the opportunity to showcase the breed at a national level.



* Wallaby
Good news!!!  Breaking News!!!  Wallaby, or Aus & NZ Champion Leesway Man About Town after four weeks of being missing has BEEN FOUND.  He is reunited with his owner Ron in Mangawhai.  Thank you to everyone who was able to assist.  It appears that the photos popped up on Trade Me did the trick.

* The Swedish Vallhund World Congress
People planning to travel to Sweden for world congress June 2011 will want to download the itinerary sent through from the SKV.  This is a fabulous opportunity for breeders and owners to meet with like-minded enthusiasts.  The SKV (Specialklubben för Västgötaspets) are putting in a lot of effort to host a fabulous event.

* fetch! Magazine
The committee wish to extend a thank you to Lifestyle publishing for their support and willingness to assist us with the promotion of our club and breed.  Fetch! is a new magazine and we are a new dog club.  It has been heartening to deal with professionals who understand and cheer for the 'underdog' (if you'll pardon the pun) as much as we do.  We hope to continue our friendship with fetch! magazine and urge members to grab a copy from the nearest book store.  


 

* The 'List'

There is currently a compiled list of misinformation circulating on the internet regarding Swedish Vallhund genetics.  We encourage the public to deal directly with breeders and breed clubs who are in receipt of the most up to date information regarding such things as the genetic breed health of the dogs.  Swedish Vallhunds are known as a relatively hardy, healthy and long lived breed.  The Swedish Vallhund Club (NZ) takes seriously the long term health of the breed and prefers to promote the scientifically backed opinions of qualified veterinarians, geneticists and health professionals.

 

Following the Official Swedish Vallhund Club of Sweden (Special Klubben For Västgötaspets, SKV), the Swedish Vallhund Club (NZ) and in conjunction with other official Swedish Vallhund organisations internationally, want to make it clear that we do NOT support or endorse the so called "list" displayed on various websites (some anonymously owned), or circulating via email, regarding unorthodox research on the Swedish Vallhund Breed.


  


 

 

* The Australasian Vastgotaspets Health Register
Progress is being made in the development of a health register that will publish limited health information about Swedish Vallhunds in New Zealand.  Breeders may opt to participate in the register giving permission for their dogs health testing status to be published online.  Accuracy and authenticity will be paramount in this project and we anticipate the register will have wide appeal and support going by current indications. 

We are pleased to have accepted guidance from vets, oplthalmologists and kennel authorities.  We aim to have the register up and functional before January 2011.  The register will provide independent verification of breeder claims and also compile of body of data useful for geneticists and professionals of the future working towards keeping our breed healthy.  Watch this space!
 

 

* Position on Committee

With the recent resignation of committee member Karen Lange, there is now a space on committee for a club member to join us.  There is a real social aspect to belonging to the committee with much fun to be had as well as the serious organisational work and breed/club promotion.  The committee wish to extend particular thanks to Karen for her invaluable input and ideas and wish her well with her future endevours.  Nominations for committee are now called for.  
Committment to the club may take up an hour a week of a committee members time, plus there are 4 meetings per year to attend.  Our meeting locations move around the country (so far have been held in Auckland, and Lawrence and next meeting is Christchurch).  Attendance may be in person or via speaker phone.  Travel to meeting venues is the expense of the individual committee member.   You may nominate yourself.  All nominations are required to be seconded by another club member.  Nominations close August 30th, and may be made in writing to secretary@svclub.org.nz 

* Calander 2011
Keep the cameras clicking.  It will be September soon and we will be calling for photos to create the club calendar for 2011.

 

 August Featured Vallhund


Pedigree Name: Barahwolfe Mistletoe Tonka  known As: Tonka

Bred By: Mrs. Peta Dowle Owned By: M. MacAulay  Location: Dunedin, New Zealand.


 

 Looking handsome

 

Tonka & Squeak

Playing with matches.

 



PRESCHOOL
Tonka is the very happy young dog that lives with a family made up of people and a 14 year old cat 'Smellie'.  Almost 8 months of age now, Tonka started off in his new home by heading away to puppy preschool.  His mum Morag says that Tonka loves other dogs and this was apparent early with him very friendly with even the most stand offish dogs.  At preschool there was one Malamute x Alaskan Huskey that was decidedly unsure about interacting with other dogs, but by course end the bigger dog was play bowing and  and being a quite a goon with Tonka.  Tonka likes to 'talk' a lot and has much to say for all his youth.  To the point of almost embarrassingly so on the first puppy preschool evening, although this 'showing off' settled by the next lesson fotunately.

OUT AND ABOUT
Tonka loves kids and is especially fond of little girls.  His breeder had young daughters so perhaps this conditioning set the preference.  He recognises girl children and is eager to dash off and meet youngsters in the hope of play and pats. Tonka regularly gets to walk at the Forester Dog Park in north Dunedin and also along the wild urban grassed areas near the Opoho Rugby field.  He dances and dashes and rolls in the grass off leash.  This little Swedish Vallhund boy also enjoys a stroll on the beach, not afraid of the water and waves.  On one occasion Tonka was knocked off his little short legs by a decent wave and had to be scooped out of the water.

SMELLIE
Tonka, while desexed has had his eye on the poodle cross that lives a few doors up.  He would very much like to meet his neighbour but has not yet had the chance.  Morag thinks they may get to meet someday soon..... Meanwhile though Tonka is never short of company.  There is usually someone at home and in between there is Smellie for company, even if it is to be had at a distance.   Smellie was named for his habit of 'sniffing' the air when a kitten, and Smellie has still to be convinced that getting a dog was a such a brilliant idea.  

TOYS
Tonka  likes Smellie but not as much as he loves Squeak the soft dog toy (pictured top left with Tonka on the decking).  Squeak is the most favouritest of toys.  Squeak (who used to have a 'squeak' inside) has followed a line of previous toys that started with Fish.  Fish progressively became flatter and flatter as he lost his insides.  Fish was followed by 'Frog'.  Frog also originally had a 'sqeaky' inside and as is the case with many dog toys which eventually get hammered into non functioning, frog sadly lost his noise.  Tonka also enjoys chew bones made of dried rawhide and for a while liked toys made up of tennis ball and rope, but these are too quickly disassembled to be replaced.

QUIET TIME
Morag says that Tonka really enjoys special cuddle times where he is invited up onto the 'brown chair'.  This is quiet time and he has learned that if he sits quietly pressed gently against Morag (or another family member) he may stay and enjoy pats and cuddles.  Should he decide that he is going to be boisterous and silly he is quickly sent away.  It is not just Tonka's quiet time, it is Morag's too.  Even as a youngster these guys learn pretty quickly rules and expectations.

VERY LOVED
Tonka sleeps inside at night, in a good sized show styled crate with a door.  This is his own space and has proved quite invaluable.  He has always slept nights in a crate and knows it is his space and time to settle.  At 8 months he is now reliable with being house trained and is developing into a handsome boy with lots of good behaviours and learning.  Most of all he is the very special loved companion dog to his mum and two teenagers who think he is simply lovely.


 Send your photos and story for 

featured Swedish Vallhund of the month to 

Secretary@svclub.org.nz

  

We are the Southernmost Swedish Vallhund Club in the world.

The photos and images on this site have been contributed to by many different people, 

 If you want to use them, please ask first. 

 Chances are we will be able to say yes, but need to check with individual copyright owners.





  © THE NZ SWEDISH VALLHUND CLUB 2009.

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