Navy and Seti both earned their Basset Hound Club of America Versatility Certificate Master (VCM) titles this past year.  Sadly Seti passed away on December 31, 2019. Pictured is Seti's retirement photo, which I am so glad I did before his passing. 

Here is an excerpt from the Tally-Ho magazine article written by Freda Burks, Ph.D.

"Terri Ralenkotter has two new Versatility Certificate Mas­ter (VCM) boys! Navy has earned both the Versatility Certificate Excellent (VCX) and the VCM. Seti earned the VCM just prior to Terri losing her very special boy. Kudos to CH KasKade Dress Blues at Air Command VCD1 BN RAE RM TDU HH CA CGC TKN VCM (Navy) and CH Kaleidoscope Set in Stone VCD1 RAE OAJ OJP NFP SHH THD VCM (Seti)!  I’ve asked Terri to write a special tribute to these boys as both have awed the Basset com­munity that understands the effort that goes into earning multiple titles on our Bassets.

At Nationals 2019, the BHCA board approved the cur­rent versatility program update as presented by the Versa­tility Committee. The program’s goal, from its inception in the late 1980s, has been to honor Bassets that are conformationally sound, that demonstrate using their noses as they were bred to do, and that can also work as part of a human/dog partnership team.

Seti and Navy have always been two different personalities, which helped them on their individual roads to the VCM.

Seti loved showing in any venue, the louder and more crowded the better. Seti was also a wonderful Therapy Dog with 10 years of service. [She] was my first Champion and together we spent many nights in hotels and on the road working on his other titles. He remained a showman in his later years, happily march­ing around the ring in veteran’s classes. Sadly, we unex­pectedly lost Seti on the day I mailed in his VCX points.

Navy is an entirely different personality. He was never a huge fan of the breed ring or crowds. While Seti’s style was slow and steady, Navy would barrel down the track, full speed ahead. Navy eas­ily finished his TD and has had some adventures in track­ing as well. Navy likes nothing more than to be with me, and that has served us well in the Rally, Agility and Obedience rings.

These two wonderful boys had two distinct personalities. However, a venue that they both shared as a team was in the field where they braced together during Hunting Performance Tests. This was proof of their shared “hound mentality.”

It has been an honor for me to have had both of these dogs in my life and I will forever be grateful for their breeders for giving me the opportunity to own such great hounds."

As of their earning the VCM, I believe they were #10 and #11 Bassets to earn this title from BHCA.

Stay healthy!  I am hoping to work on some tracking and some nose work while this (COVID-19) is all going on.  

Terri

Terri, congratulations to you and your fabulous Hounds! It's been my genuine honor to work with you, Seti, and Navy over the years. I look forward to our next training session. Soon!   Matthew 

Congratulations to "Harry", registered name Foxmor's Foolish Pleasure  CD, RN, CGC.

Harry won the Blue Grass Classic in Lexington, Kentucky on August 31 and September 2, 2019.

Harry's owner is Stacey Floyd, pictured with him and his award ribbon. 

Congratulations to Clara Markham and her dog, Juniper 4 Point Major, a  head and withers above the competition! 

Announcing Ambrican Juniper CD, TD, RI, CGC.

Juniper is the winner of the Echo Hills Kennel Club All Breed Dog Show, Troy, Ohio

June 15, 2019

Matt, I had an exciting tracking weekend, handling 2 dogs to their TD.  I know Beckie told you about her TD.  Peach blazed along, really committed to the corners following our singular practice the Monday before (in the pouring rain) using huge rewards of cut up grilled cheese after the corners!  She did her track of 450 yds in 5 minutes and the judge commented that “This was how it should be done.”  Another comment to me was “You came prepared.”  My hours on the treadmill and elliptical paid off since I also did the 450 yds in 5 minutes over some pretty rough field and didn’t die.  

Seti’s track was the first one of the day and was in a rolling field with short grass.  He was enthusiastic to start and headed right on out and of course he went at his steady pace.  His corners were very clean although the wind direction caused a brief problem where he overshot the second corner and I ended up standing on it, so I backed up and rescented him.  He gave me a big stink eye and marched off on the correct path never looking back.  On the final turn we were about 20 feet from the glove and he caught a cross wind coming through a break in the fence.  So after about 5 minutes of standing there air scenting and ignoring my please to “find it,” I backed up and yelled for him and he came, I rescented and he headed right to the glove, grabbing it and throwing it a bit.  The judge told me he was about to have a heart attack.  I think we all were!

So, we did our 450 yds in 27 minutes.  Seti earned his TD and this also earned him his AKC VCD1 (Versatile Companion Dog 1; Dog must have CD, TD, NAJ & NJP). Since Seti will turn 12 years of age on Feb. 28th this is a great accomplishment for him considering due to previous back injuries and now a heart condition, our training has been limited.  This now makes him AKC/UKC CH Kaleidoscope Set In Stone VCD1 RAE SHH NFP OAJ OAP THD and he has previously earned his BHCA Versatility Certificate Excellent.  Now he will move on to have fun in AKC Scent Work.

We started training with you in 2014 and the firm basics which you taught us paid off.  

On the TDX attempt, Navy sought out and found the tracklayer hiding behind her car after catching her scent off the first turn. He became agitated and upset when I tried to get him to go back to the start.  In his mind he found her and was done.  We tried to walk the track with the tracklayer but he was too upset and would not settle down, so I thought it best to not push the issue.  The judge told me that even though he had to put “Quit Working” on the reason to fail, he said if he gets lost in the woods with Alzheimer’s, send this dog to find him.  Maybe next time we will get that elusive TDX.  

Thanks for all your help and hopefully we can get a class in if it ever stops being ice and snow and rain.

Peach finally earned her TD title on Sunday, February 17, 2019 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.  She gave a stellar performance with Terri handling her.  The track was 450-yards long and it took all of five minutes from start to finish.  Terri had to break into a trot to keep up with her.

She started enthusiastically on Sunday, making the first turn then kind of getting hung up on the second turn, which was in a depression.  She was acting pretty wild, making a small circle of assurance and darting around.  Then she made a bigger circle of assurance and committed to her corner, pulling Terri up a hill.  I was watching from the car and every time the judges followed I felt good.  Cresting the hill, she made another turn and drug Terri along a ridge before heading down toward a road, where she downed on the glove.  When Terri picked that thing up and waved it in the air, I thought I would cry.

The judge said later that he figured the scent would pool in the second turn and was complimentary on how quickly and efficiently Peach handled it.  Said it was a pleasure to watch her work.

I give my thanks to you, Matt, for your patience and belief she could do it.  I believed she could too, just never could seem to get it together until I admitted that I was the weak link in the chain.  

So that’s it.  Celebrate another victory for Duffy’s!

Thanks again, Matt!

It’s been over a year since my dog Millie finished her training, so I’m not sure if you guys remember us. We had David. Millie was very reactive to people, other dogs, kids and on top of that I was pregnant so we were very concerned about her ability to stay in our home once the baby arrived.

Our daughter is a year old and while I will never fully trusted Millie around her, she’s been wonderful with her.

Thank you so much. I know without you guys, we would had to give Millie up.

My name is Casey and my 16-month-old German Shepherd, Jax, and I were invited to participate in the dog aggression seminar. Jax has had explosive dog aggression since he was about six months old. I had no idea how to control it, and it was becoming more difficult to control him as he grew.

He had spent some time at Duffy’s working on this. I can walk him into the building and know that he will not have an outburst there because he knows that it will not be tolerated by the staff. But he was still unmanageable on walks in our neighborhood.

Matt set up a time for me to bring Jax to the training center but not in the building. We did our training on the road out front. Matt told me the things that we were going to accomplish that day, and it included getting very close to another dog and handler. Matt stayed back and instructed me from afar. After a few passes, we were very close to another dog and there had been no outbursts or barking at all.

We were fortunate enough to have two others dogs and their owners that day to practice with. By that time, Matt had given me confidence in myself and my dog so that I could walk Jax near another dog and know what to look for and correct him the right way. We did it with ease.

I have since taken Jax out into our neighborhood with more confidence, and we have had some nice walks. We are not quite all the way there yet, but I now have high hopes for my sweet boy.

I couldn’t have done it without the help of Matt, Josh and David, all of whom endured the heat with me that day.

Thank you and I look forward to doing it again very soon.

I am a dog lover! Actually, I love all animals but I don’t know that you can train a cat without it calling you a few names. I have had 3 WONDERFUL Dobermans. They were wonderful simply because of their disposition but also because they were well behaved. Maybe I should say well-trained. All of my babies had their time with Matt Duffy. So did Mom.

I think the dogs got it right and sometimes Mom would mess up but I tried. I found that it was a better relationship when I was not upset because they were jumping on guest, or running away, or tearing something up. Just like a child, you teach your dog to be good because you love them and you don’t want them to get hurt. No, I did not compare a child to a dog. I compared a dog to a child. They are our family. At least in my family they are. All of my dogs were trained by Matt. Allof my dogs will be trained by Matt. I have to add a disclaimer here…. “No son that does not mean we are getting another dog soon!”

I appreciate Matt’s love and respect not only for his pets but for animals as a whole. I appreciate the help he gave my family. Two and four legged.

I have one dog doing training at Duffy’s Dog Training. Meka was no less than 80 percent improved our first day! The first DVD is a great learning and teaching tool at home. I have four other dog “kids” that are learning from my training and the DVD. It is wonderful to see the improvements all of the kids are learning. The information on the DVD is so on target. I now walk and am not dragged down the street, all in just two days. The DVD is a tool that no one should do without.

Matthew Duffy: I can’t praise or recommend you enough!

Thank you

To Matt, David and Kathy:

What you have done with Plato is simply amazing! We now have a dog we can have very leisurely walks with, who comes immediately when called, that children are not afraid to pet, which friends say they’d like to have!! We are proud fur-parents due to all your work with Plato. Every time we speak with friends who have pets with behavior issues, we tell them about your program.

Our whole-hearted thanks and appreciation.