Fall Fun Day | bmdcnv

Fall Fun Day, Westford, MA

Saturday, Sept 21, 2024 Rain or Shine

9:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Middlesex County 4-H Fairgrounds

55 South Chelmsford Road
Westford, Massachusetts 01886

All Members, Families, and Friends of Berners Welcome!

Schedule

9:00 am Registration

Puppy Pen Opens - Please monitor your pup.

Raffle - Check out ALL of the beautiful raffle items.

Paws ‘n’ Shop - Check out the latest Berner Bling.

10:00 am Potential Puppy Owners Discussion

Fall Photo Shoot - Capture a memory of your dog with a professional Photo - $20.

Face Painting – Get in the festive mood! Donation

AKC Temperament Test Practice – Come learn and start practicing.

Fit Dog – Improve fitness for your dog and you.

11:00 am Sieger Evaluation Demo – Come learn about this European style of conformation, and see how a Sieger judge verbally assesses a Bernese Mountain Dog.

12:00 pm Spotlight Parade of our Puppy Berners (4 months – 18 months)

12:15 pm Lunch - Donation

Raffle Winners Announced

1:00 pm Pee Wee Match $5.00 - Entry limit 10 participants. Non-competitive class for our young child handlers with their stuffed animal or live dog. Join the fun!

B Match $10 entry - What’s it like in the Conformation Show? Great time to learn and practice in the show ring.

All times are subject to change. Locations will be posted at the Fairgrounds.

Fairgrounds open to practice Draft. Bring your harness and cart. DIY!

What’s happening at the BMDCNV Fall Fun Day

AKC Fit Dog. 10:00 am – open building opposite the pavilion

Now more than ever, fitness is important for both dogs and people. The most commonly recommended exercise to improve fitness is walking. Walking is considered a safe activity that improves muscular strength, circulation, memory, weight loss, increases energy, helps with sleep, and reduces stress. The American Heart Association recommends walking a minimum of 150 minutes per week. Participation in the AKC FIT DOG program will bring health benefits to both you and your dog.

Join Martha McCormick to learn how easy it is to get your dog Fit and earn a new title for your dog.

If you walk with your dog on a regular basis, join the ranks of AKC FIT DOG and get your free (5-3/4 inches) FIT DOG logo car magnet.

Potential Puppy Owners Discussion. 10:00 am

Thinking of adding a Bernese Mountain Dog (Berner) puppy to your family? The BMDCNV can help you learn about the basics of conformation and breeding, how to select a breeder, and provide information on health, nutrition, training, and other aspects of life with a Berner.

Finding the right breeder is the MOST important decision you will make in your impending relationship with a Berner. This is a decision that will be with you for the life of your dog. Do your research and you stand the best chance of sharing a fulfilling life with a Berner.

Join Tina Sirico for a discussion about the process of acquiring a healthy happy pup and how BernerGarde can help you in your search.

AKC Temperament Test Practice. 10:00 am

The AKC Temperament Test (ATT) was developed to bring focus and provide a meaningful evaluation to assess the temperament of our canine companions. The ATT tests how a dog reacts to a variety of stimuli. Desirable traits are that the dog will be emotionally stable, inquisitive, cooperative, and appropriately social for its breed.

In the ATT, dogs are tested in 6 categories of stimuli that include:

Social
Auditory
Visual
Tactile
Proprioceptive (motion)
Unexpected stimulus

Join Candy Wright and practice some of the stimuli that are part of the Temperament Test. Be ready for the next AKC Temperament Test.

Professional Photographer. 10:00 am (Thank you to Ling Messer and Friends)

$20.00 per photo which will be donated to the BMDCNV

Please stop in and have a beautiful fall-themed professional photograph of your dog (and maybe you). Visit Ling Messer’s website for more information. We greatly appreciate the generosity of Ling and her team in their support of pure-bred dogs.

Face Painting. 10:00 am - Donation

Once again, we want to thank and support Melissa Morgan-Oaks for her generous offer to return to our Fun Day. Face Painting is not just for the kids! Bring the fun and visit Melissa for a creative facial design. A donation is greatly appreciated.

Sieger Evaluation Demonstration. 11:00 am

A Sieger Evaluation is a European-style conformation show that showcases a breed's athletic abilities, stature, and working abilities. The evaluation will showcase how well-suited each dog is for the intended “job” of the breed.

Today Judge Abby Patrizio is offering a Sieger evaluation demo. Come learn more about what the judge thinks of individual dogs as the judge verbally discusses the dog’s attributes and provides a written report to the dog’s owner.

Spotlight on Puppies Parade. 12:00

Bring your Berner pup and march in the parade! (for pups aged 4 months – 18 months)

AKC Pee Wee Conformation. 1:00 pm Limit 10 - $5.00

The Pee Wee class was designed to allow younger children to participate in a show to encourage their interest in the sport of dogs. Due to the children’s size and age safety is a primary consideration in the design of this experience.

Rather than being “judged” each child will be given age-appropriate information to help them learn what to expect when they reach regular Junior Showmanship. Each child with their dog or “stuffy” will enter the ring with their supervising adult, one at a time.

Judge Samantha Sirico will guide children and their dogs around the show ring.

AKC B Match (follows Pee Wee). $10.00 per entry

An American Kennel Club (AKC) sanctioned B Match is an informal dog show that's educational and provides opportunities for people who are new to, or interested in getting involved in conformation and is an opportunity to learn in a relaxed setting.

How do I stack my dog? What is bait and how to use it? How do I go “down and back?” What is a show lead? What should I wear?

Take your dog around the Show Ring by entering the B Match and Judge Samantha Sirico will give you tricks and tips to be BEST OF SHOW!