Oliver! What a coat! 2009
12 September 2019
In October 2015, I was approved by the AKC as a Breeder of Merit of the Tibetan Terrier breed. I am proud that my work has been recognized and that my efforts have gained the endorsement of the American Kennel Club. My mentor Nina Wagner shared her wisdom, experience and humor with me, while she was alive. Those 24 years of friendship and learning are my foundation in this breed.
But it is my brain and my passion that drive me.
Would you like to see what a Kensington TT puppy looks like? See above.
Grand Champion Kensington’s Oliver Twist is a beautiful example of a Kensington Tibetan. Born March 19, 2009 and less than one year old in the photo above, he is out of our first litter and the first breeding between CH Shalimar’s James of Kensington and CH Shalimar Izzie of Kensington, our foundation pair of Tibetan Terriers. Oliver earned his Championship title in six shows during eight days down in Florida, with four Major Wins under four different AKC judges. His success in the ring remains more dramatic than any Kensington TT before or since.
Oliver’s bloodlines and socialization are similar to every other Kensington puppy you’ll ever meet – and I’ll tell you why. I do not breed ‘willy nilly’. There is careful thought and a longterm plan involved in the selection of every stud and bitch pairing.
At this time, Oliver’s dam and my foundation bitch Izzie’s bloodlines are behind EVERY Kensington puppy. And a sprinkling of what’s behind GRCHG RinChen’s Blazing Black Icon is in half of the girls I’m breeding – and also behind Questa and Yogi James.
Some say that Oliver got lucky. I say that he’s a Champ who knew just what to do for the judges. After all, there are wonderful bloodlines behind Izzie, our foundation bitch and Nina’s favorite stud dog Brady, behind Oskar, Yogi, Ziva, Billie, Koko, Piccolo and Campari, too. ;>) We’ve also got a bit of Sim-Pa Lea’s Ragtime Cowboy behind Georgie Girl, Yogi and half of our current brood bitches. And I am still breeding the Shalimar/Polygor bloodlines without any Atisha or Regalia, in the last nine generations behind Ziva and Koko. We’ve recently done our second outcross in my breeding program and used one of Markus Gisslen’s Shadeacre males. Beckham was bred to Ziva and Koko in August 2019. We await the arrival of these puppies in October 2019. Each is already reserved by applications with deposits but we expect to have puppies available in Spring 2020. Please text or email me, if you’re interested. Applications are required.
Tashi, Abby and Cooper, January 2015
Bred originally from Shalimar lines, Kensington TTs exhibit wonderful temperaments, big dark eyes, beautiful conformation and playful intelligence. Breedings are genetically managed and puppies are raised with attention to cleanliness, indoor & outdoor exercise, fine nutrition and social exposure to humans & other animals. Kensington puppies are first introduced to natural fibers at whelping, where they begin their lives on 100% cotton and linen, as we prefer complete control over the environment and the most natural cleanliness possible with the least amount of refuse produced. We use pHurity and Persil products and wash their bedding in scalding hot water with bleach on the heavy duty cycle with a second rinse. Early on, the walls of their pens are draped with weighted heavy cotton terrycloth towels to aid in the development of muscle coordination. We find that the young puppies take great enjoyment in stretching & climbing and the terrycloth loops give them just that little bit of texture to help them catch their claws, so that they can begin exploration of their world. I do not, however, encourage overhead stimulation, as I don’t want to encourage jumping and I remain sensitive to the immaturity of young skeletons and cartilage – no need to ask for trouble.
Izzie nursing her litter of five sable coated puppies, May 2010
Oliver couldn’t be any better than who he is. Although he was a little guy who wasn’t interested in food as a very young puppy, he showed gorgeous conformation and spirit from an early age. Today, he is an enthusiastic and affectionate dog who has retired to a wonderful home in New Zealand. His last few years here included a role as ‘Mr. Manners’, especially with the young puppies. I trusted him implicitly to make corrections and teach the new puppies how to interact respectfully with other dogs. Never, ever did I need to worry about his actions or reactions.
Puppies in the Hopper by XRAY
Izzie whelped her second litter on April 19th, 2010 and the pick bitch puppy became our second brood bitch. That female, Coppi, whelped four litters and retired in 2014 to a wonderful forever family in Kittery, Maine. Georgie Girl took over as our third brood bitch and had her third and last litter on 18 April 2016. She retired in June 2016 to a wonderful couple who split their time between Concord, Massachusetts and Naples, Florida. And Billie Jean (from our December 2013 litter) whelped her last litter, in June 2019. Billie Jean is our fourth brood bitch. Ziva (Gr Ch Kensington’s L.A. Noir, Aussi) is our fifth brood bitch and out of Coppi x Brady. CH Kensington’s Nouvelle Mlle. Koko is our sixth brood bitch and was bred in August 2019. If all goes as expected? Ziva’s daughter GRCH Piccolo will be next and we’re planning to breed her with Oskar, CH Shalimar Zacchariah of Kensington. I am currently studying Campari (out of Oskar x Billie’s last litter) and have registered her with the AKC. I believe she will join our harem of brood bitches, come 2021 – and it truly is a harem. ;>)
Billie with her 2016 puppies, June 2016
It is quite normal that our puppies are reserved by deposit before they are born, as demand for Kensington puppies far exceeds availability. If you are seriously interested in a Kensington Tibetan Terrier, we urge you to make contact and request an application, so that we can learn a little more about you and you will see what is important to us, in our selection of forever families for the animals we breed.
We are accepting deposits for 2020, as deposits for our 2019 puppies are closed. If you’re interested in learning specifics about puppy availability, please email me at wendyll.behrend@gmail.com We require at least one visit to our home in Stowe, Vermont with everyone from your family present, before we can all decide that a Kensington puppy will be right for you. Sometimes there is room for another deposit in an upcoming litter and sometimes, our forever families have to wait until another litter is born – but usually, no more than one year.
Abby (December 2014) with her trainer, Elissa
Cooper (December 2014) on top of a mountain in Maine
Tibetan Terriers are spirited, intelligent and beautiful and this breed will be your dog, as much as you’ll be their human. While the breed is not as demanding as a breed from the Working Group, they love games, variety and interaction. Alternatively, their ‘companionship’ nature contributes to their flexibility and willingness to do just about anything, in order to be around their humans. Over fifteen years, my first two Tibetan Terriers hiked thousands of miles with me and friends in the White Mountains, the Green Mountains, Adirondacks and on the Long Trail. We did the Presidential traverse including Mount Washington twice, that I remember. And as I think about it, I believe we did it at least four times, happily! Those were the days . . . ;>)
Thank you for your interest in my breeding program.
