A Champion in Our Midst

Holmdel resident Rufus — a.k.a. Ch. Rocky Top’s Sundance Kid — went out in style when he was awarded Best in Show at this year’s prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. In what would be his last year of competition and fourth time at the Westminster show, the colored Bull Terrier proudly showed off his perfect egg-shaped head, wagging his tail in obvious enjoyment of the event. A true Aries in every sense, Rufus’ enthusiasm and confidence were impossible to ignore.

Rufus is the winningest Bull Terrier on the show circuit and is the first to win at the nation’s most celebrated dog show. Rufus’ handler, Kathy Kirk, says she was “ready to pass out” from the pressure, but the nearly six-year-old dog that she playfully calls “Puppyhead” seemed to take it all in stride.

Rufus took the prize over some tough competition in the final face-off: a rottweiler, a golden retriever, an English sheep dog, a dalmatian, a Scottish deerhound, and a pug.

It was Rufus’ 32nd overall Best in Show victory, including a win at NBC’s National Dog Show last November.

With only a few more public appearances scheduled as he winds down his illustrious show career, Rufus looks forward to a relaxing retirement. “It’s a big sofa and pillows for him,” says Barbara Bishop, who owns Rufus, along with Norma Shepherd and William and Rebecca Poole. “He’s finished. He can do whatever he wants to do.”

When this reporter asked Rufus about his plans for retirement, he smiled widely with a look of pure contentment on his face. Rufus, who normally stays in bed until 10:30 a.m. on non-show days, is no stranger to sleeping in. He also looks forward to spending more time with his 36-inch Elmo doll, which he cuddles with and drags around the house.

With his show days behind him, he no longer has to fret over keeping his winning figure and can indulge in his favorite pastime — food. “He likes to eat,” Bishop says. Perhaps this means his Oma’s Pride “raw” diet of meats and vegetables will be more regularly augmented with those Krispy Kreme doughnuts he loves so much.

Tips for a Well-Mannered Dog

One of the biggest obstacles to having a well-mannered pooch, according to Gwen Masel of AB Canine, is that owners “reward” bad behavior by giving dogs attention when they do something wrong. “Ninety percent of the bad behavior I see is because the owner has rewarded the bad behavior with attention. To a dog, any attention, including negative attention, is still attention.”

The bottom line, she says, is when a dog acts out you should stop and assess the situation. “Ask yourself ‘What is the dog doing?’ Why is this behavior happening?’ and then respond properly,” she advises.

Responding properly involves interacting with the dog in a positive way, Masel says. “For example, the dog may be playing a shoe, but ten seconds earlier he was playing with his toy. So what I advise is to get the toy the dog was playing with and play with him for a little bit,” Masel says. That keeps the focus on the positive behavior, she explains.

One of the biggest myths of dog training, she says, is that you need to be mean and firm. “Dogs are not just fuzzy little people,” she points out. “You need to communicate with them in a way that they understand.”

Training should start as soon as you make the commitment to bring a dog into your life, Masel says. “Don’t wait,” she cautions. “You can start teaching proper behavior the moment you bring the dog home. Life is better with a well-mannered dog, but you have to take the time to teach the dog. Things will go more smoothly if you start early.”

The training for prospective dog owners, she says, should start even earlier — before they see the puppy in the window. “It breaks my heart when I go into a shelter and see dogs that are there because owners didn’t know what they were getting into. One of the big problems I see is that the people didn’t learn about the breed of dog they were getting.”

She also points out that you should dog-proof your home before adding a new pooch to your environment. “You child-proof your home when you bring home a baby, and the same goes for a new dog.” Keep items that are dangerous or that you don’t want the dog playing with out of reach.

AB Canine; 973-770-4736

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