With an impressive number of breed-firsts, Deb Neufeld and her 5-year-old Danish-Swedish Farmdog “Daisy” are a team to watch. The Danish-Swedish Farmdog, a small and active dog, is part of the AKC Foundation Stock Service (FSS) program.
Daisy (RACH Coolibah’s Secrets And Surprises CDX PUTD BN RM3 RAE3 RC FDC DCAT CGC TKE ATT) is a little dog with an impressive list of accomplishments and breed-first successes. “She just does everything,” Neufeld described. The dog-handler team from Kissimmee, Florida will be heading to compete at the first inaugural AKC RACH Invitational on Dec. 12 and 13, as part of the AKC National Championship Week, presented by Royal Canin.
‘RACH’ing Up Breed Firsts
Neufeld says she was first drawn to Danish-Swedish Farmdogs because of their health, long lifespans, temperament, and drive to work. She explains that the breed is “very active, very biddable, highly trainable, social with both people and dogs, and easy to groom. It was a perfect package for me.”
Along with being the first Danish-Swedish Farmdog to compete at the AKC Obedience Classic, Daisy is also the first of her breed to earn her Rally Championship and a Preferred Utility Title. She was also the first Danish-Swedish Farmdog to compete at the AKC Rally National Championship. “She did great, but I blew an exercise and knocked us out of the competition,” Neufeld recalled.
In addition to her successes with AKC Rally and Obedience, Daisy has her Herding Instinct Title and her Elite Performer Trick Dog title. Daisy also has earned a BCAT Fast CAT title and is working on her FCAT. Daisy’s breed firsts, especially in AKC Rally and Obedience mean a lot to Neufeld because it’s an opportunity to introduce people to the Danish-Swedish Farmdog and showcase what biddable and versatile dogs they are.
Obedience Is Their Greatest Passion
Neufeld has been an AKC Obedience and Rally Judge for over twenty years, so getting involved in the sport with Daisy was always her plan. Neufeld first got involved with AKC Rally in 2000 when the sport was just starting, then became a judge in 2005 once it was recognized as an official sport. Neufeld loves the flowing movement of AKC Rally and describes it as “almost a dance between the dog and handler.” She lovingly thinks of AKC Rally courses as being a challenging and fun combination of tricks and dancing mixed with Obedience skills. Neufeld particularly appreciates that AKC Rally is a chance for her just to connect with Daisy, and she loves the way the sport fosters a strong relationship between dogs and handlers.
For the Love of Working
Neufeld explained that with Daisy, there’s no question of how much she loves AKC Rally. Of course, Daisy is food motivated, but she’s primarily driven by the opportunity to work with Neufeld. “She just wants to do things with me, it’s not just about the cookies for her,” she says. “She will work an entire ring performance, or an entire Utility performance, or do 100 tricks without expecting a cookie because we are a team.”
Neufeld believes their connection was strengthened because Daisy came home at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We had almost two years together to bond, and my sole focus was her.” Because there wasn’t much else that Neufeld could do during lockdowns except spend time training with Daisy, she credits this uninterrupted time together as having “really transformed our relationship into something that is just magical.”
Daisy at Home
When Daisy isn’t paving the way for the breed in AKC Rally, she loves keeping busy at home. Neufeld noted that Daisy is always following her around the house, trying to do things together. Daisy especially enjoys searching the house for anything she can retrieve and bring to Neufeld in exchange for a cookie. The breed is very mouth-oriented, so as a young puppy Neufeld made sure to always have a pocket full of treats to trade with Daisy for whatever she had in her mouth, and it’s still a game they both enjoy.
Daisy is always encouraging Neufeld to get up and train. She likes to mix practice into their daily life, even if it’s something as simple as doing a couple of fronts and a finish or practicing backing up while around the house. Neufeld notes that Neufeld is especially skilled at the backing up behavior. Her goal with training Daisy is for her to have a quick and joyful response while they’re working. It’s that joy and enthusiasm coming from her dog that Neufeld describes as being her biggest goal.
Plans for the RACH Invitational
Ahead of the RACH Invitational, Neufeld and Daisy will be training at class and in public areas around distractions. Neufeld explained that even at a big show like the RACH Invitational, Daisy doesn’t need a lot of attention or special treatment. “I like to keep her in the crate and resting, and then we spend a little time warming up before we go in the ring.”
Because she lives locally to the RACH Invitational, Neufeld has already extended support to other dog and handler teams, especially the other AKC Rally handlers competing with FSS breeds, to help them get acclimated to the area and have a great time at the competition.
In addition to the main competition, Daisy is more than halfway to earning her RACH 2, so Neufeld thinks Daisy could impressively finish that title there as well. Neufeld is especially looking forward to the format for the Invitational, where on the second day, there won’t be a walk-through for handlers. Instead, handlers will be given a copy of the course map and have to go into doing the course blind, without a walk-through. If Neufeld and Daisy earn a spot in the second day’s competition, she’s excited for the extra challenge this will present to dog and handler teams. Daisy always gives her all in the ring, and Neufeld considers her both a “genius” and “the dog of her dreams.”
The AKC National Championship, presented by Royal Canin, is the dog world’s biggest event of the year! Learn more about conformation and follow your favorite breeds at dog shows throughout the year. They might be competing for the coveted Best in Show title in December!