Howie's registered name is Ch. Silverado Howard Huge, CGC. He was nicknamed Howard Huge because he was the biggest puppy his breeder ever whelped. The name stuck because I wasn't clever enought to think up anything more cute. Silverado is the name of the kennel from which he came. The Ch. in front of his kennel name signifies that he is a conformation show Champion, a title bestowed by the American Kennel Club to dogs which have won over other dogs of the same breed, sex, and variety in competition. The CGC behind his name indicates that he has passed a standardized test of the American Kennel Club which determines wheter the dog is a Canine Good Citizen.
I got Howie because I wanted a dog that I could take hunting with me. A long search led me to his breeder. She informed me that she'd prefer that this dog be shown because she thought he was something really great. I sort of took that with a large grain of salt. When I picked Howie up, I was struck by his wonderful face and by his heart. He was immediately taken by me, as well. He was in an exercise pen and playing with his sister. When I looked over the edge of the cardboard box that was positioned on the side of the pen like a wall, he saw me and immediately tried to get through the side of the pen to get to me. When he was placed on the floor, his sister tried to make him continue playing, but he kept trying to get to me. When I picked him up, he snuggled lovingly into my arms. This was my dog, and we picked each other. From here on out, he would be totally devoted to me (and me to him!).
Once home, he acclaimated quickly to his surroundings. He was still very much daddy's little boy. It took him a while to warm up to his (now) second favorite person (his grandmother). Once he accepted her as one of "his people," he became very devoted to her.
I was encouraged to show Howie by a number of people. I took most of these people's suggestions with a rather large grain of salt. After all, they knew Howie's breeder in one way or another. I started seriously considering showing him in conformation when a couple of people who did not know Howie's breeder also told me what a great dog he was. I was now curious as to what showing was all about. So, at the age of 4 months, Howie was entered in a "fun match." I had him groomed up and took him to the match. He looked fantastic! There were three puppies in the under 6 month class for dogs. He finished second in his class because of his and my lack of training at conformation showing. The judge commented to me that he thought Howie was exceptional but needed training.
A friend and mentor of Howie's breeder was suggested as a coach. She puts on a class in conformation handling in addition to being a licensed AKC judge. When she evaluated Howie, she thought that he was marvelous. We made many friends in class, and we learned much. I learned that I hadn't the talent to properly groom a coat for showing, so I asked for suggestions on professional handlers.
The handler most highly recommended was a wonderful young lady who was quickly building a name for herself as one of the best. When we went to visit her, she looked at Howie and thought that he was quite nice. She had no 6-9 month old puppy dogs at the time so she said that she could handle him. I requested that I be able to keep him at home. She balked slightly at that, but agreed to allow me to keep him at home, provided I followed certain guidelines to keep his hair from being damaged (of course I disobeyed a good number of them). She entered Howie for his first show on the first day of his elegibility (his six month birthday). I was nervous and didn't know what was going on. He came in the ring with a couple of other puppies and got a blue ribbon. Neat, I thought. More dogs showed. He came back in the ring, this time with his handler's assistant (his handler had another dog on lead). The judge asked them to move and pointed fingers around. A purple ribbon was awarded to Howie and he left the ring while other dogs showed. I didn't know what to make of that, but assumed that since other dogs were showing that he lost. They showed the bitch classes and then Howie came back. More finger-pointing and dogs and bitches lining up. Pictures were now being taken, and the legend on the easel next to Howie was "Winner's Dog." It was later explained to me that Howie took a 3-point major on this, his 6-month birthday! I still had no idea what was going on.
He did no winning at the next couple of shows in which he was entered. He was entered in the Poodle Club of America Regional Specialty show at the beginning of September. This show conflicted with the opener of dove hunting season in California (where we live), so I opted to keep him home and go dove hunting. The first day of season, I kept him in a shaded area near where I set up to hunt, in his crate with water and food, checking on him frequently. The second day saw similar beginnings. About 10:00 in the morning the number of birds declined rapidly. So, I got my dog and sat with him on my lap. A little while later someone shouted that brids were heading my way. I spotted them while picking up my Ruger 20-gauge over-under and fired two shots from a seated position. Two doves fell from the sky. Howie looked up at me quizzically. I directed him to the birds, thinking "What the heck? He's not trained, but he can have some fun." He bounded out of my lap toward the first, looked at it, sniffed, then barked. He then picked it up and delivered it to my feet. He then trundled off (in a show-like prance) and performed the same feat with the second bird. Still less than seven months old, Howie had retrieved his first birds!
His first hunting experience was now complete and he continued showing, but now in the Open Dog class. Although still a puppy, he picked up his second major (this one 4 points) along the way and his daddy learned about what most of this stuff meant. A string of single- and two-point show wins followed. He was now almost nine months old, with two majors and 13 points. His last shows as a class dog saw him entered on the day before and the day of his 9 month birthday. Enough dogs were entered on either day to create a major win. On the day before his 9 month birthday, Howie was ready and almost perfect. I wanted very much for him to win on this day and was confident that if he did so that he would finish his AKC Championship. After all, there were enough dogs entered for a 3-point major and Howie only needed 2 points to finish. When the dogs were called to the ring, only one other exhibitor had picked up an arm band. Howie went on to win, but only one point. I was disappointed that so many dogs had dropped out. On to the next day. This show saw Howie even more ready than the day before. Alert and happy, he pranced into the ring with purpose. All of the entered dogs were present now. Howie showed superbly and won, this time a 3-point major. So Howie finished on his 9 month birthday with three majors and a total of 17 points. The decision was made to "move him up" and show him as a "puppy special." The shows that followed saw him going Best of Opposite Sex to the Best of Variety several times to dogs much older than he, who had much more hair (and, due to the fact that Howie had been in the field, his coat was a little tattered), including at the prestigious Golden Gate Kennel Club Benched Dog Show.
Howie has been welcomed with open arms and enthusiasm at retriever trainings. Many of the people who attended those same events would start telling me about the Poodle's retrieving heritage. They'd tell me that Poodles were an ancient retrieving breed. That the Poodle helped sire many of today's water retrieving breeds. The list of things goes on and on.
Howie was bred to a nice, older bitch. Her name is Ginny. It was the first breeding for both him and her. Sadly, the breeding did not take. He is still available at stud to approved bitches.
Howie's main interests now are hanging out with his favorite people, harassing them for treats and loving, and bird hunting. Howie has found a niche in dove hunting and also goes on pheasant and waterfowl hunts.
Field Pictures
Some of Howie's Friends
Ginny sent Howie a Christmas card. See Ginny's Christmas card.
The picture of Howie on the index page was taken the day we first got together. He was 8 weeks old on that day. My hunting partner was with me on that trip and we were returning home to California from Washington on Interstate Highway 5. Howie was laying in my hunting partner's lap, looking very cute. The photo was taken in my then-truck, which was a Toyota 4Runner.
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