2023 JUDGES BIO'S
Ylva Tallqvist, Pennybright Irish Wolfhounds
My dog life started in my teens with a Collie, who I successfully trained and competed.
A few years later, 1976, I got my first Irish Wolfhound, a red rescue male. Two years later my first IW puppy entered my home. She was from Clansmans kennel and I called her Penny. Tragically she died in a car accident.
A year later I got Clansmans Molly Maquires (Wild Isle Alpha Regulus x C. Bonnie Bee) as a gift from my breeders. She became my foundation bitch. Her first litter was born in 1984.
Today we have the 12th generation from Molly.
During the years I have been previleged to visit great breeders in Great Britain and the US. I have bred US Champions, a World Dog Show – BOB winner, several Specialty winners and Top winning IW/ Top winning IW breeder of the year.
We live in a small village in the south of Sweden, surrounded by forrest and fields to exercise the hounds. I usually have 5-7 hounds at the time. For living I work night shift in psychiatric care.
I am very honered and pleased to have been invited to judge The Northstar Specialty, and I am very much looking forward to see you and your hounds on June 17th!
Ylva Tallqvist
My dog life started in my teens with a Collie, who I successfully trained and competed.
A few years later, 1976, I got my first Irish Wolfhound, a red rescue male. Two years later my first IW puppy entered my home. She was from Clansmans kennel and I called her Penny. Tragically she died in a car accident.
A year later I got Clansmans Molly Maquires (Wild Isle Alpha Regulus x C. Bonnie Bee) as a gift from my breeders. She became my foundation bitch. Her first litter was born in 1984.
Today we have the 12th generation from Molly.
During the years I have been previleged to visit great breeders in Great Britain and the US. I have bred US Champions, a World Dog Show – BOB winner, several Specialty winners and Top winning IW/ Top winning IW breeder of the year.
We live in a small village in the south of Sweden, surrounded by forrest and fields to exercise the hounds. I usually have 5-7 hounds at the time. For living I work night shift in psychiatric care.
I am very honered and pleased to have been invited to judge The Northstar Specialty, and I am very much looking forward to see you and your hounds on June 17th!
Ylva Tallqvist
I first came face-to-face with an Irish Wolfhound in high school when I started working for my local veterinarian after school. He was an Irish gentleman who owned several Irish Wolfhounds he often brought with him to the clinic. I had grown up with English Mastiffs and
Newfoundlands so I was familiar with giant breed dogs, yet there was something special about the wolfhounds. I knew then it was the breed I wanted but had to wait several years before I was ready to take on such a massive responsibility.
After college, the first dog I acquired as my very own was a Rottweiler, the perfect dog for a single woman living in a large city. I enjoyed training him and he achieved several obedience titles including a CDX and a UD. Still, I dreamed of an Irish Wolfhound and in 1990 a ten-
week-old puppy came into my life and changed it forever. He was a son of the 1986 IWCA National Specialty BOB, CH Sharbo Gunther and, were it not for a missing testicle, he would have been my first show dog. The calming effect that puppy had on my very active, Schutzhund-
bred Rottweiler was nothing short of magical. I quickly converted from dog trainer to dog observer. I am now an adherent of Mrs. Nagle’s advice to never train an Irish Wolfhound and to instead let their true character come out.
My pack, currently numbering four (intact) boys and one (intact) girl, is largely untrained. They have free run of my fenced acreage, and I am more of an éminence grise in their lives than a pack leader. I allow them to develop their own personalities and their own culture, transmitting knowledge from one generation to another. I only make “suggestions” as to what is proper and improper behavior. I am fascinated by the fluidity of their hierarchies and amazed at the cooperative behavior they display. Despite their freedom to do as they please, however, they choose to be with me wherever I am and do what I ask of them – mostly.
Newfoundlands so I was familiar with giant breed dogs, yet there was something special about the wolfhounds. I knew then it was the breed I wanted but had to wait several years before I was ready to take on such a massive responsibility.
After college, the first dog I acquired as my very own was a Rottweiler, the perfect dog for a single woman living in a large city. I enjoyed training him and he achieved several obedience titles including a CDX and a UD. Still, I dreamed of an Irish Wolfhound and in 1990 a ten-
week-old puppy came into my life and changed it forever. He was a son of the 1986 IWCA National Specialty BOB, CH Sharbo Gunther and, were it not for a missing testicle, he would have been my first show dog. The calming effect that puppy had on my very active, Schutzhund-
bred Rottweiler was nothing short of magical. I quickly converted from dog trainer to dog observer. I am now an adherent of Mrs. Nagle’s advice to never train an Irish Wolfhound and to instead let their true character come out.
My pack, currently numbering four (intact) boys and one (intact) girl, is largely untrained. They have free run of my fenced acreage, and I am more of an éminence grise in their lives than a pack leader. I allow them to develop their own personalities and their own culture, transmitting knowledge from one generation to another. I only make “suggestions” as to what is proper and improper behavior. I am fascinated by the fluidity of their hierarchies and amazed at the cooperative behavior they display. Despite their freedom to do as they please, however, they choose to be with me wherever I am and do what I ask of them – mostly.
It was not necessarily love at first sight with Irish Wolfhounds, these grey, hairy and - most of all gargantuan - creatures; however, after experiencing their most wonderful temperament (and after having a second look) I was sold and the rest is history. I purchased my first show dog in 1998 while still living in Germany. D’Wanja taught me a great deal about what to do - and what not - in the show ring and I will never forget how patient she was with me. I spent the next few years traveling through Europe, learning from established breeders, handling their hounds, and training my eye.
I am looking for a majestic and strong hound, full of curves, and light on the feet - this elusive combination of power and speed that makes our breed so unique. This applies to selecting our own puppies staying here at Samsara, and to judging the breed at Specialty level. Despite the fact that I bred my first l itter in 2002 and received my judging license in 2019, there is plenty to learn from litters raised and shows judged. Continuous evaluation of breeding stock, putting the health and emotional well-being of each single wolfhound at the forefront, will continue to guide decisions in the best interest of the breed. Thank you for inviting me to judge your show. Dr. Christiana C. Hartenstein |
SHOW CHAIRMAN 2023: LYNN SIMON
CO-CHAIR: MICHELLE PRESCOTT-GUDERIAN
SHOW SECRETARY: CINDY O'HARE with DOG SHOWS BY DESIGN
*******************************************************************************************************************************************
THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE ST PATRICK'S DAY PARADE
AND MADE IT A HUGE SUCCESS FOR
NORTHSTAR IRISH WOLFHOUND CLUB 2023
****************************************
Please note that memberships, sponsorships, donations, can be paid by PayPal @ [email protected]
or checks made out to NIWC mailed to:
NIWC c/o : Angela Hunter-Knight
1087 Madison 414
Fredericktown, MO 63645
AND MADE IT A HUGE SUCCESS FOR
NORTHSTAR IRISH WOLFHOUND CLUB 2023
****************************************
Please note that memberships, sponsorships, donations, can be paid by PayPal @ [email protected]
or checks made out to NIWC mailed to:
NIWC c/o : Angela Hunter-Knight
1087 Madison 414
Fredericktown, MO 63645