There were not only participants with their dogs, but also a lot of visitors, so the participants had many fans!

There were dogs of several ages, well experienced dogs in training, but also "starters" So visitors could see the difference. Even a lot of pups came as a visitor or as participant. And they all liked the games and sports. There was also a special fenced area, so the pups could freely play with each other!

Erik Veldmeyer gave information about UV training and exams and afterwards a demonstration "biking with dogs". And then there was a lot of opportunity to ask questions.

Also, there was a demonstration tracking with well experienced dogs. And then the participants started, in small groups, with all kind of searching and sorting games. It was not an easy task for every dog! Some dogs were very interested in searching their toys, but others were more interested in the other dogs and the children! But all the participants got useful suggestions from the instructors about working with their dog in the future.

On this day there were not only participants with a CzW , but also owners with a Dutch shepherd and a Saarloos wolfdog. There was even an enthusiastic owner who participated with 2 dogs at the same time!

In spite of the threatened clouds and the rain, everybody was in a good mood and kept working with their dog! After lunch again there were demonstrations with well experienced dogs. So everybody could see that in Holland you can work with a CzW also! And every time the instructors told how and where they could train with their dog.

Lots of CzW owners looked a bit jealous to the demonstration of the G&G. It was a perfect combination; a very alert dog who had completely attention for his companion. Although not everybody can or will reach this level, it was good to see that even this is possible with a CzW!

After the demonstrations the participants could, in small groups, work with obedience and agility. Some of the participants had no experience at all with obedience training (they only did a puppy course), so for them it was a heavy working. Lots of the owners used the opportunity to ask questions and to exchange experiences. Instead of other dog breed owners a CzW owner needs lots of trics to motivate his CzW!

The Alphen dog club has not got only a splendid area but has beautiful agility equipment too! Some of the dogs had experience with agility and some of them had no experience at all! The first time the "starter" did the circuit with well experienced dogs. And in a while every dog managed the whole circuit. The instructors gave all the participants the practical experience with lots of enthusiasm and a carefully building up of the exercise. Some dogs were very enthusiastic and wanted to race the circuit, but the problem was that not all the owners had the same physical condition as their CzW!

The purpose of the day was to show what you can do with a CzW. And to show CzW owners what they can do with their own dog. Because of the total program and the enthusiastic participants I can say: it was a very successful day! We hope that in Holland, from now more CzW owners will start working/training with their dogs. The demonstrations and the enthusiasm of the dogs showed all the visitors that the CzW is a real work dog!

Mijke van Heyningen (Holland)