OUR DOGS

Schiwa Filbetinska

It all began on the 31.08.1996 when a litter of four brindled bitches was born in the kennel with the name "Filbetinska" owned by Jožica Spevan. Two of them stayed at home, Scheylla and Schiwa. Jožica gave Shiwa to her daughter Sabina as a present, an Sabina started to breed dogs in her own kennel under the registered name "Schiwa's Imperium".

Schiwa's achievements in her dog show career exceeded all expectations. Not even in our dreames none of us imagined that together with her we would achieve almost everything possible.

From an early age on we took her to dog shows and accordingly prepared her for the shows. Already back then it was clear that she had potential, for she started gaining one Junior Champion title after another. First she gained the Croatian Junior Champion title. After that she has beaten the competitors and won the title of the Champion of the Year and Club Champion of Croatia in Zagreb in 1997.

In the same year Schiwa gained her first "Deutscher Jahressieger" title (German Champion of the Year) in Bielefeld, Germany. The world elite comes to this show. Back then it had more competitors than the Atibox, the european and world dog shows. In Bielefeld there were more than 400 german boxers, and Schiwa and Scheylla entered the show and were the only representatives of Slovenia in the Junior Class (12-18 months). In this class there were 31 bitches, Schiwa got a very good and made it into the shortlist of four and hence competed for the title of the Champion of th Year in the Brindled Bitches Class (in Germany the highest possible mark a Junior Dog can achieve is very good). In the finals that followed the prestigious Champion of the Year titles were awarded. In the Junior Brindled Bitches Class eight bitches were competing for the Champion of the Year title – the four best in the class from 9-12 months and the four best of our class. The atmosphere was incredible, like in a crowded football stadium and I ran with Schiwa I don't know how many circles. After a while it was only us and the best bitch of the other class that were left and the judges decided to give the title to the other bitch. So we landed on the second place (Vice-Champion), although in the opinion of manys, breeders and others Schiwa should have won. I have to mention also, that the bitch that won was handled by a professional dog handler. For us this second place was like a first, for Schiwa was the first of 31 bitches in her class, and including the other class second of 46 bitches. On this show we found out what treasure we had, we had a boxer that was able to compete with the world's elite. After the spectacle many recognised breeders showed interested in our dog, and the amount of money was very tempting (as much as for a good car), but we decided to keep Schiwa.

On the 14.03.1998 Schiwa passed the ScH-1 working test in Gornja Radgona. This is a very important test, since only dogs that passed a test can compete for the National Champion and International Champion title.

Other shows followed, and they were also big successes. Some of them, however, were less successful. On of the latter was the show in Italy in 1998. On the European Show in Genova Schiwa gained only a very good. We were really disappointed, but we decided to accept it and focus on the future. On the show in Croatia she gained the Champion of the Year title in the same year. In the years 1998 and 1999 she won on many national and international shows and hence gained the titles: the Champion of Slovenia, the Champion of Croatia and the International Champion.

On the 25.04.1999 Schiwa gained a diploma for achieving the 10.place in the Top 20 Competition for the Best Show Dog of Slovenia in 1998 that took place in Ljubljana and was rewarded by the Slovenian Kennel Club. We have to mention that dogs of all breeds entered the competition (also breeds that don't have such a fierce competition as the german boxer on shows).

In 1999 in Tulln (Austria) there was an european FCI show, where she reached the top of her career by being the first boxer bitch from a slovenian kennel that gained the title European Champion. In the same year she became the Champion of the Year and Club Champion of Croatia.

At the end of the 1999 Schiwa had her first litter and hence slowly ended her successful dog show career. In 2000 she gained her last title – on a national special dog show of the slovene Boxer Club (Klub ljubiteljev nemških bokserjev) in Maribor she gained the Club Champion title.

On national and international shows she gained these titels:

9 X CACIB

22 X CAC

3 X BOB

1 X BIS 1

1 X BIS 2

We had wonderful and unforgettable moments with Schiwa, together we traveled across half of Europe. In 6 litters she gave birth to 28 puppies.

At the end of November in 2005 she passed away. We didn't say goodbye to her as she will always stay in our hearts. Her photos are hanging in our living room, and her trophy from the European Championship is standing on the closet. And as our daughter Lara puts it (she is 6 years old): "Our Schiwa is up there, up there in dog's heaven."

Mitja

Faa Schiwa's Imprerium

Faa was born on 29.06.2004 as the only brindled bitch in the litter. She also has two brindled brothers and a white sister.

That is destiny – believe me!

This was Shiwa's last litter and as we often playfully say:“Even if Faa only would've had three legs and two tooth, she would've stayed at home!”

I never compared her to Schiwa, maybe Mitja does that in certain moments – he can’t get Schiwa out of his head.I see things slightly differently; she was, she was superb, unique and unforgettable – but there was and there always will be only one Schiwa Filbetinska in the history of breeding german boxers in Slovenia and Europe.

However, let’s go back to Faa.

Faa got her name after the first brindled bitch, that I could put on the lead and train myself (her owner was my mother).I was 15 years old, but too young, because when I was supposed to take the test I got so stubborn, that I didn’t want to take the test.The test was carried out under the supervision of my mother’s friend Mr. Rado Pliberšek, and I was big-headed and was sure that I would pass it even if wouldn't do good merely on the basis of this friendship!By the way, in October 2006 I took the B-BH test at the mentioned friend with Luna Ipon Saan, and it was not at all easier for me than for all the others.And last year we found out, that fa (fatali) means "this is how it is, and this is how it should be!"We didn’t take Faa to the shows that often.

But those we entered, gave satisfing and expected results.

It is true, however, that during the time we were not on the scene, the way of thinking and the nature of competition changed 100%.

Even though I don’t have so much time for the shows as I would want (due to the job, children,...) I trained her ina relatively short time so well, that she passed the IPO 1 test. Faa is clever and we have a lot of patience working with each other – we love each other.

By the way let me just mention, that we started with the courses in September 2005, and she passed the B-BH test on the 29.10.2005 in Gornja Radgona and the IPO-I test on the 01.07.2006 in Miklavž with 245 points (good).I suppose this data proove the veracity of the previous sentences. Faa is a clever girla and we make an excellent team.

On the shows we entered, we achieved the following results:

- 28.May 2005 – ATIBOX 2005 Zagreb – VERY GOOD

- 17.September 2005 – Open Box festival - EXCELLENT 2

- 08.April 2006 – body condition score in Ajdovščina (Slovenian Boxer Club) – EXCLLENT

- 07.May 2006 – Special Dog Show of NB Graz (Österreichischer Boxerclub – Landesgruppe Steiermark) – EXCELLENT 1

- 03.June 2006 – Special Dog Show of NB Otočec (Slovenian Boxer Club) – EXCELLENT, CAC

- 04.June 2006 – Special Dog Show of NB Zagreb (Boxer klub Zagreb) – VERY GOOD

- 10.September 2006 – Special Dog Show of NB Graz (Landesgruppe Steiermark) – EXCELLENT 1

- 24.September 2006 – CACIB Maribor – EXCELLENT 2 – Reserve CAC

This is it for now, but I’m sure we haven’t finished yet.

We have a secret dream (maybe two), but I will not tell it (they say dreams don’t come true if u say them out loud). When we will fulfil it, trust me, I will let u know.

Sabina

Glorija Schiwa's Imperium

Glorija littered on 27 December 2006 in the litter G, with three female and two male whelps. She was the tiniest and we immediately took her into our hearts.

In Schiwa's last litter there was only one female whelp and we came close to having no bitch for further breeding. It was a good thing that the only she-dog was Faa. To avoid the circumstance of having no she-dog for further breeding, we decided to leave Glorija at home. Glorija belongs to the fourth generation of bitches bred at home and it would be a pity to cut or lose this line.

One of the most important characteristics of a dog is their character. I have to mention that Glorija has a healthy character. She is nice, lively, can be lead easily and is eager to learn. I believe she won't have any trouble passing the operating duty exams. She doesn't attack other dogs and she gets along excellently with our daughter Lara. Much of it is in her genes and some of it she got with our upbringing.

We started to participate in dog exhibitions with Glorija quite early, same as with her grandmother Schiwa. The success she had so far can be seen under the heading dog shows / exhibitons. Nevertheless, I have to point out some of the most renown exhibit results:

- best bitch of slovene breeding 2007

- Atibox worldchampion 2008 in the class of young dogs

- annual and club champion of Croatia 2008 in the class of young dogs

- best bitch of slovene breeding 2008

- third place at the Atibox 2009

- best bitch of slovene breeding 2009

- annual champion of Slovenia 2009

CHAMPIONSHIPS:

- slovene champion in the class of young dogs

- croatian champion in the class of young dogs

- champion of Slovenia

On 03 May 2009 Sabina has passed the operating duty exam IPO I with Glorija. She got the assessment very good (tracking 96 points, obedience 90 and defence 86 points).

Mitja

In Vivo Schiwa's Imperium

The Schiwa's Imperium Kennel is celebrating its 10th anniversary (in 2009) and after 9 litters we decided to keep a male. And not only that. We also were always fans of brindled boxers and after 10 years the time was ripe for a yellow male (according to Mitja's wish).

Let me present to you, IN VIVO SCHIWA'S IMPERIUM. Today I will not write about his chances, potentials, basis, predispositions, …

Vivo is a yellow dog and his owner is Mitja Heric. I often joke that I will not take the dog out for a walk, as dogs raise their legs lots of times before they finish peeing. He has both testicles, whether he will have dark eyes, I can't tell yet, whether he will have wide and even teeth, I can't tell yet, whether he will stay healthy, I can't tell yet, whether he will take the exam, I can't tell yet either ... All I can say is what u can see, too, namely, that he is very likeable and has that je ne sais quoi … that he is an eye catcher. He is simply the way he is, likeable, brave, well-shaped, and he knows exactly that he is something special, but how special he is, how he will develop and grow up, we will see, and you can accompany him on his way or not.

His name is Latin, In Vivo means »within the living«. The term is used mainly in natural science and refers to processes that take place in the living organism. In analogy to his name, the Schiwa's Imperium Kennel, especially Mitja, will accompany him through the process of investigation of the living world of cynology of yellow males.

8. weeks

3. months