Susan Kleijnhans talks about her life with Scarlett O'Hara – the dancing Staffie!
Staffords are often perceived by the uninformed as aggressive and a fighting breed only. This isn’t true, as they are highly intelligent, courageous, loving, sensitive, determined and have tons of willingness to please us as their owners. In the past few years Staffords have become increasingly involved in Agility, Dog Jumping, Flyball, Carting and Obedience.
Susan Kleijnhans has a passion for Staffies having been involved with the breed for over 20 years and taking a great interest in the Working disciplines during the past six years. “It is important to stress that Stafford puppies should be exposed to Puppy Socialisation experiences from a very early age (at 10–12 weeks)” says Susan. “Thereafter they should attend Obedience training on a regular basis. This will ensure that they are socialized within the pack which will limit aggression when taken out in public.” This training sometimes takes a little longer than training a Border Collie or GSD because they are terriers and have lots of attitude. However, they do need the stimulation otherwise they can be very naughty. “Be prepared – it doesn’t always come easy as Staffords can be stubborn and obstinate at times.”
Susan participated with her two older Staffords (now 10 years old) in Agility and Dog Jumping for about 5 years. “I would limit participation in Agility and Dog Jumping, as Staffords are very muscular and thus heavier – and therefore more easily sustain injuries” she points out. Scarlett is a six year old Stafford who participated in Puppy Socialization from 10 weeks. A shoulder injury when she was about two years old curtailed her career in Agility and Dog Jumping and Susan then took her for Clicker training and Obedience. “I quickly observed that she had lots of enthusiasm and was very eager to learn and to please. I then started teaching her tricks between the age of three and four.” After about eight months Scarlett could perform many tricks and both handler and dog became bored. “Scarlett being naturally very energetic and because of her willingness to work and perform, I chose Canine Musical Freestyle as she could then express herself more and have lots of FUN at the same time!”
Canine Musical Freestyle* is an International sport and offers four Video Competitions a year where a video is made locally and then sent to the USA to be judged against competitors from all over the world. Three international judges assess the videos and rank entrants in different classes of Beginners, Novice, Intermediate and Advanced. It is quite competitive and there can be anything from 5 to 20 entries in a class. Live Events in South Africa usually coincide with the S.A. Championships held at the World of Dogs and Cats (WODAC).
In 2008 Scarlett and Susan danced for the first time at WODAC and won! Scarlett became the Beginners/Novice S.A. Champion, was S.A. Musical Freestyle Champion for 2009 and is the current reigning 2010 S.A. Champion. “She lives for her dancing and she intimately knows her music, her costume and the sequences in the routine. Hence, she cannot wait to go for training” laughs Susan.
Being a Stafford, Scarlett can be a handful to manage so Susan decided to participate in competitive Obedience which taught her more control and this complemented her Dancing. She is currently in C-Test (the highest Obedience class) although Scarlett ensures there is never a dull moment in the ring! “Scarlett’s weak point is retrieving the Judge’s articles and she sometimes ‘kills’ or plays with them instead!”
Anyone who doubts that Staffords can be easily trained need only consider that the accomplished Scarlett has a range of strings to her bow including flyball, weave poles and she participates in Canine Survivor at WODAC every year (she was the Reserve Canine Survivor Champion in 2008). Canine Survivor consists of many different tasks like Send Aways, Recall and down on the Bulls Eye, Play dead, Seek for a toy/cloth between balls, Treat on the nose, Bark on Command, Food refusal etc. Similar to the television show, the loser after each round is eliminated until only one survivor remains…
Scarlett is a sought-after performer at Fundraising Shows for Animal Welfare Organizations like Animal Anti-Cruelty, HAWS, FORA, Phalaborwa SPCA etc. She has also gone with Animals in Distress to visit Schools in Diepsloot and Tembisa to assist in educating the Grade 2’s about taking care of animals. She’s also visited Hurleyvale Primary School twice to entertain the pupils with tricks. She has also done an advert for Tracetec, done a TV shoot for The Endangered Wildlife Trust and currently appears with Buddy the Boxer in the latest Toyota Corolla advertisement. Wherever she performs, audiences love her tricks and enthusiasm.
“I would like to emphasize is the careful selection of a Stafford puppy” says Susan. People seeking puppies should find a reputable Stafford breeder through Clubs affiliated to The Kennel Union of South Africa and inform themselves regarding the pedigree of the sire and the dam. They should visit the breeders, ask questions regarding temperament and any health related issues like hip dysplasia, cataracts etc. It is of utmost importance to obtain a puppy from responsible, registered breeders.
“In sharing all the training with your dog, you develop a very strong bond with your Stafford and you often become emotional when you succeed – as only the two of you know how hard you trained and how much you experienced together to achieve that. They are brilliant creatures…”
