Lessons in Labradors
Life with the daughter of a Legend
By Uncle Ham
A few months ago, I published a story about Zane Hills Labradors. Ralph and Kathy Root of Zanesfield, Ohio have combined some super talent and are pro-ducing a line of Labradors with impressive credentials - among them is Jack, Ch. Zanehills Blue Jacket CD. There is no need to repeat how strongly I feel about this dog, but if you need to hear it reread the story, Vol 2 # 4.
Something that really caught my attention while talking to Ralph and Kathy about their dogs and their breeding pro-gram was the fact that their premier bitch Skye, was a granddaughter of Warpath Macho , the last recorded Dual Champion in Labradors. I was fascinated by the connection to such a famous Labra-dor and I decided so find out more about Skye's dam.
Like anyone brought up in the age of Andy Warhol. I couldn't help but anticipate hearing about another bigger than life hero. A spectacular bitch who had whelped and reared litters of dual titled dogs; a bitch who had taken the show ring by storm; a bitch who had probably finished in two shows and then moved on to save flood victims in the river basin - a real "super hero" of a dog.
Instead when I finally connected with Mark Eckendorf the owner of Warpath's Onyahsa. a 9 1/2 year old black Labrador bitch. I heard a very typical Labrador story. I heard about a very unassuming dog who had connected with a very unassuming man. Together they've shared a life of fun and some adventure. Mostly, they have enjoyed the simple pleasure of each other's company. Warpath's Onyahsa as it turns out, is simply great just your typical terrific Labrador Retriever.
Mark and Ony, as he calls her, live in Falconer, New York As I listened, Mark proceeded to relate some of the tales of his life since be had bought Ony from a breeder in Cleveland. Obvious in his voice the respect and esteem he held for the breed were a direct consequence of living with Ony... "I didn't know much about Labradors when I got Ony... but she seerned very smart and ready. I knew she was willing," Mark said. Willing it would seem to show Mark the true meaning of life with a Labrador Retriever.
Lesson #1
Every Labrador Needs a Kid . . .
Immediately after he purchased Ony, Mark headed off to a new job as a director at a YMCA Camp south of Buffalo. Ony accompanied Mark to the camp and as Mark said "became a camp dog." Labrador heaven for sure - Ony found hundreds of kids at the camp ready and willing to engage in games with a spunky Labrador Retriever.
"One of her favorate games," Mark told me, "was football" Ony loved it but she didn't exactly adhere to the accepted structure as we know. She would wait patiently on the side lines as the kids rnanoeuvred to and fro attacking their respective goal lines. When the tine was right Ony would charge the field and steal the ball. Ony displayed the talents of a first-round-pick wide re-ceiver as the wild group of NFL wannabes chased her "all over the camp" crying to get their ball back. "This went on all the time," Mark said. 'The kids loved this game as much if not more than the programmed event and Ony never tired of this entertain-inent either.
and every kid would be lucky to have a Labrador like Ony.
Mark knew that life at the camp was good for Ony and kids alike. They were a perfect combination. Ony often worked as a sort of therapy dog at camp. When new groups of campers arrived for their stay at the lake, Mark always encountered children who were interminably homesick. To remedy this situation, Mark would resort to his cure for the blues, Ony. Mark would charge the homesick youngsters with the care of Ony who, as Mark told these kids, was lonely and in need of friendship. It never failed. In their concern for Ony, the homesick young-sters soon lost their sadness at being away from mom and dad. The only problem that Mark had after putting the kids and the dog together came at the end of the youngsters' stay at the lake. When it was time to leave for home, the children had difficulty break-ing their ties with Ony.
Ony, too, was sad at the departure of her new friends but would quickly find a whole new group of relationships with the next scheduled campers. Of course this meant new games to play also.
The kids loved to play a game of hide and seek with the camp counselors. The coun-selors would hide and the kids would get points for finding them. Mark was, as head man, worth more points to the kids than the other counselors but to many of the young-sters dismay, he was always the most diffi-cult to find. One clever group, none the -less. brought and end to this dilemma when they realized that Mark never took Ony to hide with him. They coaxed Ony into finding her master and find him she did. Ony brought the elated seekers right to Mark's favorite hiding place. Mark's only salvation came as a result of Ony's cleverness. As time went on, Ony became familiar with the game and would go to Mark's hideout so quickly that the kids couldn't keep up with her. She would arrive at the hiding place well in advance of the pursuers and Mark would take her into hiding with him. This extended the life of the hide and seeks competition indefinitely.
Ony's life at camp was spiced with a variety of activities. Being a Labrador. she loved to make the morning rounds and make sure that all of the children were up and ready to go. If they weren't out of their beds, a little nuzzle from Ony's cold nose would activate their persons in a flash. Mark said that often times the kids would stay in their bunks just to get this extra attention from Ony.
She also enjoy retrieving selected items of underwear, embarrassing her owner as well as other counselors in front of the kids. Anything for a laugh was this Labrador's idea of camp.
Lesson #2
Always Expect The Unexpected
Of course Ony loved the water sports at camp. She always attended the group swims and the kids adored her for it. Mark said that she would be in the water for hours at a time towing children about with her tail.
Ony also became an accomplished wind surfer. Mark and Ony ventured out onto the lake on Mark's sail board. Ony sat on the back of the board while Mark sailed her around the lake. We can only imagine a vision something like Cleopatra on her barge.
And of course there was canoeing. Mark always enjoyed taking a jaunt in the canoe with Ony in the bow - well almost always. You see, as Mark put it, "fishing is not really a sport you want to do with your Labrador." When you throw something in the water the dog always wants to jump in and retrieve it. "If a Labrador sees a bob-ber sitting there, it's hard for her to resist the temptation to jump in and bring it back to you." After all, you did throw it. Aware of this, Mark astutely avoided fishing trips in the canoe with Ony. How-ever, as Ony would teach him one brisk spring day on a cold Upstate lake, there are other navigational hazards for the canoeist and his Labrador.
As most Labrador owners know, a favorite
objet de retrieve
Of the Labrador is the bumper. Those rub-ber cylinders we throw to train our Labradors look an awful lot like those markers we use to call out boat moorings and hazards in our waterways.
Paddling along in the canoe. Mark caught sight of a marker buoy just as Ony did. He knew that she was going to jump into the water to retrieve it, so Mark quickly shifted his weight to the opposite side of the Canoe. The only problem was that Ony didn't jump in. She may have wanted to but she didn't. Mark evi-dently never said "fetch."
Mark on the other hand did enter the water. He hadn't wanted to but he had. His quick movement without Ony's counter found him leaving the canoe for the icy waters. As he surfaced, fully expecting to see a capsized canoe and a swimming dog, his first glimpse was of a puzzled Ony. Sitting upright in the bow of the canoe. As she sat starring at Mark with look of bewilderment, all Mark could think was that Ony was asking him "Why did you do that? I would have gotten that for you"
All in all life at camp was great for Ony and everyone lucky enough to have an encounter with her. She whelped a litter of pups at camp and Cbief her Ch. Borador's Ridgeway Reflection son, stayed on with Ony and Mark. Chief also became an accomplished sail boarder although, Mark said "not quite as good as Ony". Chief
Moved around to much when he was on board and often brought these excursions to an abrupt halt.
Chief enjoyed the water sports at camp much if not more than Ony. Of course the kids now had two Labradors to tow around during their group swims and Chief and Ony were always more than willing.
Chief, however, being a true stud dog, always had a mind for developing his own unique approaches to any given event and even , at times, enjoyed inventing new games.
Mark told me about Chiefs favorite game, which was to escape from Mark's control by crossing the icy waters of a river which, ran through the camp. When was on the opposite side of the river away from Mark, Chief knew he had considerable more freedom because Mark would not cross the frigid waters to correct his errors.
On one occasion. Chief and Mark were taking a walk and Chief developed an urge for space and he crossed the river before Mark could stop him. Mark knew that this habit had to be broken and so he decided that he would have to cross the river and go after Chief. Mark waded into the ice cold water and was about half way across the
river when he realized that he was in up to his chest. At that moment Chief turned and saw Mark in the water corning after him. He bolted back to Mark and returned to the other side of the river. Mark didn't really under-stand what had happened until he thought about it for a while. Mark knew that he was not going to be able to cross the
river because the water was much too deep and much too cold. Chief, on the other hand, did riot realize this. Mark came to the conclusion that Chief, seeing him in the water and fast approaching his, until now, safe zone, figured that anyone crazy enough to go into this water after him must mean business. Mark told me that Chief never crossed that river again without per-mission and always returned when called.
When summer was over, the camp sans children, was still a great place to live for the Onyahsa Labradors. Mark had a duck blind on the lake and their hunting trips together provided plenty of opportunities for Ony and Chief to exhibit their consider-able retrieving skills. With a minimum of training, Mark told me, "Ony had become adept at hand signals." She also, even as a pup, was capable of marking triples and executing the retrieves with no problem. (I .wonder why?)
One of the first comments that Mark made about Ony was "she's a typical Labrador." Ony shows no fear when breaking through ice to retrieve ducks at their blind on the lake. "At home," Mark said, "she's the easiest going thing there is. That's what we love about Labradors." (You got that right, Mark)
Lesson #3
Never put off until tomorrow what you can accomplish with your Labrador today.
Mark knew early on that he had some-thing very special in Ony. She responded briskly to training. Mark remembers her heeling, off lead, as he walked with Ony. Even with a major distraction such as a challenging dog, Ony would not break stride with her partner. Mark decided that Ony was a good look-ing Labrador and he was interested in get-ting her into the show ring. He put her in a few shows over the course of a summer and Ony garnered 4 quick points. Mark thought noth-ing of this because he knew that she was a special dog. He decided that he would take her out of the ring and breed her then would then finish her after she had whelped a litter of pups. Unfortunately for Mark, Ony never returned to the ring in her winning form. What would appear to have been a brilliant career in the ring was abruptly brought to a prema-ture conclusion. "It's to bad," Mark said.. "She won so easily when she was first out that I thought this was easy and I would finish it later." This was certainly a hard lesson for Mark because as time went on, he realized what a terrific Labrador Ony was and he also realized that she would never have a Championship to show for her conformation.
Lesson #4
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Over the years, Mark, as many folks do, have tried a number of different combina-tions in his breeding program. His adven-tures have lead him in directions other than the one in which he started. As time has passed, however, Mark has had good reason to reconsider the direction of his breeding program. Ony's qualities have only become more refined with age.
Mart went back to Zane Hills and pur-chased a pup out of Skye's last Logan liner. This is the same breeding that pro-duced Ch.. Zane Hills Blue Jacket CD. Mark is excited about the prospects for this pup, Zane Hills Back to Onyahsa, Becky as she is called. As Mark said "that Johny Logan sure can throw em" With Chief, Becky and Chiefs daughter Cnyahsa's Frosty Girl, Mark feels he has the solid potential to reestablish the line he started back at Camp Onyahsa.
It is more than fair to say that Ony's influence is apparent not only in the de-veloprnent of Onyahsa Labradors in Falconer, New York but also in the how often times these special dogs connect with an owner who has little or no previous knowl-edge of the breed, no hint of intent other than pet ownership and no visible develop-ment of Mark Eckendorf as a breeder of good dogs. For many of us who have had the good fortune to come across a very special dog in the course of our lives. what we learned in our relationships with these canines is invaluable in our training as humans. (I'm sure you have heard me say this at least once before.) It is also interesting, to me at least, desire to breed and train dogs. Yet these dogs. in their day to day exhibition of the positive attributes of the breed, somehow redirect
the lives into which they've co~ and continue the development o(tfreir ownlines.
Mark took the time to video and his dogs and send it to me just before this newsletter was sent off to the printer. He showed a photo of Ony winning the points at about 2 years old.. She trulv was lovely. I would be remiss in not mentioning that Sally Bell's Borador KenneLs
have played a part in this story. Boradors Kristen Hannah is the dam of Onv and, as / mentioned. CH. Borador's Ridgewav Reflec-non is Chiefs Sire.
Mark also took some shots of Ony today. Maybe Mark will get Ony out in some of the veteran s classes and we'll get a chance to see her in person. She certainly is worthy and i believe it would be to our benefit to see this simply great Labrador Retriever.
Reprinted with permission from
Uncle Ham's Newsleater for Labrador Retrievers published by Uncle Ham's ,
Box 477.
Gloucester MA 01930 . Copyright 1994.