Smartypants Rat Terriers
Welcome to Smartypants Rat Terriers
and Sivas Regal Kangal Dogs
We love dogs big and small!
Our dogs are members of our family, first and foremost, and we do not operate a "kennel" in the usual sense of the word. Our dogs live with us, are well trained, and they compete successfully in canine sports as well as occasional conformation shows. Our dogs are kept slim and healthy with a raw combination diet and lots of exercise; I refuse to fatten them up to make them look more "impressive".
I am a hobby breeder, but I strive to be a responsible one. In my view, that means studying the breed, and also making the effort to learn and apply the latest scientific principles of canine genetics and behavior. That's a never ending process! My goal: to produce sound, beautiful, intelligent dogs of excellent temperament—dogs that are a credit to their breed and a pleasure to live with. Tail docking and dewclaw removal are old traditions and a matter of personal choice. But because these are functional appendages, and my dogs make regular use of them, I choose to leave them intact, whether they're natural bobtails or full tails. All tails are beautiful! I breed infrequently, raise and train puppies in our home, and place them with care. If I don't have a puppy for you, I'll be happy to talk to you about planned litters, or to put you in touch with good breeders.
Feel free to E-mail me with your questions or comments. for articles and information about Kangal Dogs, Rat Terriers, positive training methods, and my breeding philosophy.
~Sue
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Strickland Dog Park Info and flyers about the proposal to include a Dog Park at the planned public park on Strickland Road, near Leesville in NC.
Please print out flyers and distribute. The more people we have taking part, the more likely we are to make this great idea a reality!
The flyers are in PDF and JPEG format, take your pick. They will be updated after each of the public meeting dates, so check back for the latest! |
| 529 Visits
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Ripley! (December 30, 2006)| Ripley is my first Rat Terrier and she hooked me on the breed immediately! I had never owned or known a smarter dog. She's super creative, a wizard with the clicker, and a joy to train and to live with. Ripley loves people, and she brings smiles to everyone she meets. With her beautiful, intelligent expression and her repertoire of hilarious tricks, she's unforgettable! Ripley is a UKC Champion, and also registered with the AKC's FSS program. She is OFA clear for patellas, strong heart and health, well muscled and athletic. She has had two litters of lovely pups and has been an excellent mother, as well as a nanny to our Kangal pups. In her "retirement" she remains active in performance sports, and as my personal assistant in my dog training classes! |
| 1957 Visits
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Jeepers! (December 30, 2006)| SmartyPants Jeepers... My Main Man, from Ripley's first litter out of Melissa Kidd's Little Spot of Red Man. Born on New Year's Day, 2004!
I wasn't planning to keep a pup. I was in love with them all, but I already had 4 dogs, and I was busy enough with them. But Jeepers... he tugged my heartstrings from the day he was born. He's a natural bobtail, which is why his tail is about 2/3 length (natural bobs can be anything from no tail to almost full tail). My mother-in-law, who was staying with us, was captivated by the pup that she called "Nokta", Turkish for "Dot" and referring to the black spot above his left eyebrow (which has since merged with the calico markings). He was the one who was most excited to greet anyone who came by the whelping box, as soon as his eyes opened. After all the other happy pups were placed and somehow, little Jeepers was still there, I was soooo distressed (NOT!). OK, I admit it... I was holding him back. I CONFESS! And now he's my rising agility star, best pal, and bed buddy. What a sense of humor this boy has!
I was more interested in an agility career for Jeepers, and his bite is less than perfect, so he is neutered. Sorry, ladies! |
| 2357 Visits
17 Images
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Bling Bling! (December 30, 2006)| Bling Bling is our shining daughter, out of our Ripley and Raganrat Blu Boy of Misty Valley Rat Terriers. She and her six siblings were born in April 2006. Bling is my up-and-coming performance sports queen, and potential future breeding dog, along with her sisters Skylar and Spring! |
| 1265 Visits
7 Images
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Ripley-Spot pups (December 30, 2006)Shared album for photos of puppies out of Ripley and Spot (Brother Jeepers has his own album).
Pups born Jan. 1, 2004 |
| 1924 Visits
13 Images
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Ripley-Blu pups (December 30, 2006)Ripley and Blu Boy had a big litter of 7 pups.
Puppy owners are encouraged to send me photos to upload and share here! They should be fairly high resolution (500KB-2 MB), otherwise the full-size photo will be jaggy.
THANK YOU Ann Harris, of Misty Valley Rat Terriers, for letting us pair up Ripley and Blu to create this wonderful litter! |
| 3337 Visits
27 Images
Shared Album | |
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ChickenCamp2 (Feb 2007)These are photos from Bob Bailey's Criteria and Cueing workshop, the second in a series of four workshops in which we learn to apply the principles of behavior analysis by clicker training chickens. It's a blast, and a life changing experience for those of us fascinated with how creatures learn, and how to shape behaviors using positive reinforcement. It was an honor and a privilege to take part, to learn from Bob again, to meet Terry & Bill Ryan and all the 23 other great people who took part in the workshop!
Please feel free to add captions to photos, and sign the Guest Book! If you want full-size, printable photos let me know the # and I'll send to you.
Cheers,
Sue |
| 2723 Visits
34 Images
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Friends & Their Dogs | Here is a collection of Rat Terriers and the humans who cherish them. |
| 617 Visits
2 Images
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Carolina Classic (March 30-31)A few photos from the Carolina Classic in Hickory NC, just Friday and Saturday. Sadly many of the indoor photos came out too dark. I'm still figuring out how to use my new camera. Sorry if I missed you and your dog! Feel free to identify yourself and your dog by editing the captions! You may copy photos for your use. **However, if you publish them anywhere, online or in print, you must credit the photographer with the label (c)Sue Kocher on or below the photo.**
We had fun, though our puppies burned out pretty quickly. I guess we need to train more on gaiting and stacking! |
| 3398 Visits
43 Images
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Turkish Children's Day-Exploris (April 20 2007)The Exploris museum in Raleigh NC held a special event for Children's Day, a Turkish holiday. The event was sponsored by our friends at the American Turkish Association. Stuart and I were invited to bring Kangal Dogs to serve as cultural ambassadors and greeters in the courtyard. Samsun and baby Pembe got lots of hugs and kisses, and impressed all who stopped to meet them.
Inside the museum where exhibits of Turkish art, culture, and food, and the children did a great job performing various types of Turkish dances and games in their wonderful costumes.
Note: Anyone who is pictured in these photos is free to order photo prints through the imagevents service! If you want to use these photos for newsletters, web sites, or any other media, please contact skocher@mindspring.com for permission. Thanks!
Oh, and feel free to add or edit the descriptions for these photos--you can add your children's names if you wish, or any other comments you like! |
| 2129 Visits
13 Images
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Other hobbies | Triops and sea monkeys--I learned about these while buying presents for my nieces. I remembered Sea Monkeys from my childhood, but they have come a long way in terms of the tanks and other accessories. I had never heard of triops before but they seemed intriguing. After surfing the web some, I got hooked and bought some kits for myself. I'm enjoying my pets immensely! They're easy if you stick to the kit and instructions, and yet challenging to keep alive and healthy with various experiments in tank sizes, food, etc. |
| 1087 Visits
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