By Bryan Eneas

P.A. dog show: Meet Rave, the Standard Poodle

Mar 6, 2017 | 10:18 AM

Dogs of all shapes and sizes took over the Prince Albert Exhibition Center this past weekend as part of the Kennel and Obedience Club’s annual dog show.

Behind the scenes Carla Harty, owner and handler of Rave, or, Kandansk All about the Party the Canadian Grand Champion and American Champion Standard Poodle, prepares her dog to circle the ring and compete for the sought after Best in Show ribbon. At the age of 2, he’s been showing for a year and a half.

Harty got into the sport by chance roughly seven years ago. When she settled on a breed of dog, she was told showing the puppy was part of the ownership requirements.

“The first dog I was kind of self-taught a little bit, then I loved it so much I got two or three more,” Harty said with a smile.

The Standard Poodle breed likely dates back to the late Roman period and was widespread across Europe by the 16th century according to the Canadian Kennel Club’s Breed Standards. It is the world’s oldest water retriever, circus performer and truffle hunter. Harty said her favorite part of the breed is their goofy personality. She said they’re very personable dogs who “love everybody.”

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Poodle compete with a very distinct coif. Harty said she puts in roughly three hours of work before the show bathing and blow-drying Rave. Each day, an additional hour to two hours of prep is needed before going into the ring, and another hour after showing to undo the work. Harty said getting ready is quite a relaxing process for Rave. He loves the pampering so much he can fall asleep on the table while getting prepped for a show. 

She said it isn’t all about looks when it comes to showing the Poodle breed.

“Structure is number one in most of it and the movement,” Hart said. “If they’re not built correctly they’re not going to move correctly, looks is just an added bonus.”

When it comes to the history of the breed, the look has also had a practical purpose, according to Natasha Taphorn, an Edmonton based Poodle breeder also attending the show.

“Originally, hundreds of years ago, the breeders discovered if they had too much hair on them the dogs were drowning in the water,” Taphorn said. “They cut off all the non-essential parts. The patches on their legs, the patches on their bum remain so they could keep their joints warm when they’re swimming.”

She said for showing purposes, the hair is “fancy and floofy.” 

Taphorn started showing dogs when she was 10-years-old. She said she got into showing by chance, as her mother acquired a pure bred Collie and started showing.

When she saw a Poodle for the first time she knew she wanted the breed.

“[My mom] said ‘when you’re an adult, you can have as many as you want,’ so now I have as many as I want,” Taphorn laughed.

As a breeder, she had some words of advice to offer people thinking about getting a new dog.

“The biggest thing, if you’re looking for a dog of any breed, do your research, talk to multiple breeders,” Taphorn said. “Ask for health testing, ask for health clearances… go to visit the dogs, go to the kennels. There’s a lot of people that are making their living off these dogs; we do not. This is a passion.”

Bryan.Eneas@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @BryanEneas

Editor’s Note: This story was corrected at 4:12 p.m. The dog’s name is Rave, not Ray as previously published.