Handling

Heini handling CIB Neliapilan Uutisaihe "Juice" to BOS and Hilla handling CIB Neliapilan Pohjanneito "Viona"
to BOB at Mikkeli INT, Jul 2009

We are both been very enthusiastic about handling ever since I can remember. The very first contact with handling was with our plaything dogs that we had in our childhood (I think we were about 3-7 yers then). They stood for many different breeds, of course, and our favourite activity was to play at showing them.

Some years before turning 10 years we started taking part in junior handling training held in Kajaani and weren't we very old (some 11-12 years I think) started we also teaching other juniors.

After taking the first steps into real dog show world in child & dog events we both competed eight years in official junior handling competitions. Not only achieved we the great number of competitions and experiences but also gained we many very nice placements and wins. To shortly go through and get a picture of our junior handling careers, see the following.

Hilla-Tuuli		Heini-Maari
• Competing 8 years, 1998-2005 • 156 official competitions • 114 official placements among the top 5 • 6 qualifications to the Finnish Championship Final, 2000-2005 • Finnish Championship Winner in 2003 • Finland's representative in the IJH-final at Crufts, Birmingham, UK, Mar 2004 • res-Finnish Championship Winner in 2004 • 2 Kainuu districk championship wins, 2000 & 2005		• Competing 8 years, 1999-2006 • 167 official competitions • 119 official placements among the top 5 • 8 qualifications to the Finnish Championship Final, 1999-2006 • #5 in Finnish Championship Final in 2006 • BIS-1 junior handler in Nordic Winner JH-competition, Dec 2005 • Finland's representative in the Nordic Championship JH-final in Norway, Dec 2006 • Kainuu districk championship win in 1999

One of the double wins we achieved during 2002 as Heini competed in the younger- and
Hilla in the older agegroup. Picture taken in Helsinki all-breed, Sep 2002.
For more junior handling photos, see "Memories from the JH years"

After becoming over-aged in junior handlers we've been focusing mainly on afghans. Besides our own afghans that we always handle ourselves, there are also some other dogs that we've been handling, most of them for many years.

Our goal is not to handle as many dogs as we can and win or bust. We handle dogs that are one way or another special to us and we aim handling with a beautiful, stylish, professional and natural way, without any excess.

We have also been a permanent part of winning Neliapilan Afghans' breeders group team.
Neliapilan is the #1 Breeder of the Year of all breeds in 2007, 2008 and 2009.