Zigo King v Assenrade, PH I met lof, PH II met lof,

Obj met, HD tc (Tomba v Assenrade, PH I lof, PH II lof, Obj x Shaba Nora v.d. Remon Hoeve)

It is almost a given that anyone who is involved in the working Bouvier world will automatically know the name of Zigo King van Assenrade. He is, quite probably, the most famous working Bouvier of current time, holding the highest score of a Bouvier in KNPV. But how did he become so? Was it the dog himself? Was it his pedigree? Was it his training?

Back in 1997 Anton Timmers was looking for his next competition KNPV dog. Not a newcomer to the Bouvier world, Anton had already titled four Bouviers in KNPV, both home bred and from other breeders (Cartouche, Basco v. Eltons Home, Barry v Assenrade and Remo Kiki v 't Heukske). He therefore had a very specific idea of what he was looking for in a dog and what he wanted to see in a puppy. One dog that had caught his eye was Tomba van Assenrade, PH I lof, PH 11 lof, Obj (NHSB: 1862861). Not only did he find Tomba to be a good physical representative of a working Bouvier (indeed, Tomba was quite a good looking dog), but he also impressed Anton with his work ethic, drive and, most importantly, the quality of his bite.

So Anton decided that he wanted a puppy from Tomba. A meeting with his owner/breeder Marinus (Rini) Dalhussin revealed that Shaba Nora v.d. Remon Hoeve (NHSB: 18655 10) was in whelp to Tomba and a litter would be due in the near future. The reason why this litter would be so appealing is easy to see by reading the 'paperwork' behind it.

Tomba's mother was Kennel van Assenrade foundation bitch Balou Doetska v.d. Gravenhoeve (NHSB: 1593951). Balou was sired by Quintus Maroesca v.d. Omimak (NSHB: 1361987) who was KNPV titled, as was his father, Chico, PH I met lof (NHSB: 11360651). Her half brother, Boy Tessa v.d. Marketstein Hoeve (NHSB: 1706758) had achieved his PH I and object guarding titles with met lof scores. Two of her great grandfathers competed at the Dutch KNPV Championships, Kastor, PH I lof, PH II lof (NHSB: 676673) had competed twice and had done well and Remo v.h. Kloosterzicht, PH I (NHSB: 379702) was a five-time participant. Remo was the sire of Sarbo, PH I (NHSB: 664387) who in turn was the father of Alma v. Emelwarde, PH I (NHSB: 918734), the foundation bitch for Kennel v.d. Fokrohof.

Tomba's sire was Doerak Alsin Hof, PH I met lof (NHSB: 1630766), a dog that came from some of the best KNPV bloodlines available at that time. His grandfather was the legendary Arno, PH I met lof (NHSB: 968380). In addition to Doerak's father Boy, PH I met lof (NHSB: 1276136), he also sired Blitz, PH I met lof (NHSB: 1276134), Iwan, PH I lof, PH II lof, Obj lof (NHSB: 128250) and Cindy v.d. Fokrohof, PH I (NHSB: 1324380). At a time when training females was not common, Doerak's mother was even more successful in the KNPV arena than his father was. Doescha v.d. Plantage (NHSB: 1286903) earned her PHI and PH II titles with honors. Her lineage would have forecast her success as she was the daughter of Condor v.h. Mansbachof, PH 1, PH II (NHSB: 661614) and the granddaughter of Bruno v.d. Boerenhof, PH I lof (NHSB: 893883).

Shaba Nora v.d. Remon Hoeve (NHSB:1865510 ) possessed an outstanding pedigree in her own right and was certainly not outdone by Tomba. She was the last daughter of Nora t' Grueske, PH I met (NHSB:1362894). Nora is currently the last Bouvier to participate at the KNPV Nationals. She was an outstanding working dog and an exceptional brood bitch. The foundation bitch for Kennel v.d Remon Hoeve (coincidentally named after Tomba's great-great grandfather), Nora produced an exceptionally high number of KNPV titled offspring. Benno v.d. Remon Hoeve (NHSB: 1610516), Roy v.d. Remon Hoeve (NHSB: 1610515), Anoeska v.d. Remon Hoeve(NHSB: 1610517), and Remon v.d. Remon Hoeve(NHSB: 1490344), and others, have all competed and earned their titles. Nora's father was Bartono v.d. Keulse Barriere, PH I lof, Ph 11 lof, Obj lof (NHSB: 1143556). Bartono had produced a creditable number of KNPV and IPO titled offspring. While Nora's mother, Tessa (NHSB: 1243614) was not titled, she was the daughter of Wilson v.d. Boerenhof, PH I lof (NHSB: 801147). Wilson was the sire of Kennel van Caya's Home foundation bitch, Peggy, PH I lof, Obj, IPO III, VZH (NHSB: 190431).

Shaba's father was Boedha Doescha Alsin Hof, PH I lof (NHSB: 1630767). Boedha was the full brother of Tomba's father Doerak, and considered by many to be the better of the two males. Boedha was known for his genetically hard crushing bite and had multiple KNPV competitions under his belt. His pedigree was proven. Using Shaba would create a tight line breeding on Boy and Arno.

Excited by the parents and the bloodline the litter would possess, Anton placed his name on the waiting list and was given first choice of a puppy.

When the litter was seven weeks old, Anton went to evaluate the litter and make his selection. In a process he called "difficult" due to the quality of the litter, he eventually narrowed his choice down to two males. One with a white mark on his chest and one without. The latter seemed a bit more relaxed with him and Anton felt a connection with the puppy. The choice was made.

It is not surprising that Anton would have difficultly in making a choice. The combination of Tomba and Shaba is very probably one of the most successful in working Bouvier history. This pair has produced not only Zigo, but also: Max v Assenrade, PH I lof, Raska v Assenrade, SchH 111, Kim v Assenrade, PH I lof, Noeska v Assenrade, IPO III, Moon v Assenrade, FR III, and Ganyu v Assenrade, IPO 111, to name a few.

Funny enough, there have been a number of theories in North America as to how this puppy got his name. It was even rumored that he got his name afterwards from his high KNPV score. The reality is a bit simpler. Faced with a decision between two names that he really liked, Anton decided to use both. And so, Zigo King van Assenrade he became.

As a young pup, Zigo needed some extra time to explore and learn about the world. He didn't like strange sounds or objects, but he was quick to recover from a situation and had a 'been there, done that' attitude when exposed again. With Anton's guidance, Zigo developed into a confident, outgoing and somewhat exuberant young dog. By seven months, he showed he was ready to go. He loved to retrieve all types of objects and he demonstrated a keen nose for tracking.

By the time Zigo was a mere two years old, he understood the entire KNPV program. The bite work was the easy part. His conditioning as a youngster, along with a genetically deep bite, made Zigo develop into a naturally strong, serious opponent on the trial field. As Anton says "Zigo did really mean it."

In a stunning feat that Anton humbly calls "unique", at only three years of age Zigo earned his PH I title with an outstanding score of 436 points. A few months later, he earned his Object Bewaking title with 332 points. The following year Zigo went on to earn his PH 11 certificate with 436 points.

It is unfortunate that Zigo was not used as a stud dog more often as he had much to offer. However, despite a limited breeding career, he has produced several good young dogs. The combination of Zigo and Uranie Xandra v Caya's Home, IP03 SchH3 (NHSB: 2034345) produced one of the current brood bitches and competition dogs for Caya's Home Bouviers in Nyra Uranie v Caya's Home, SchH3, IP03, AD (NHSB: 2322657). This Zigo daughter won the Dutch IPO Championships with Caya Krijnse Locker in 2006. Bred to Wanda v 't Turkenleegh (NHSB: 1913214), Zigo is the sire of Zenga Zigo v Elton's Home, (NHSB: 2369648) who earned his KNPV certificate with 432 points met lof. Currently, Zenga is the third-highest scoring Bouvier in KNPV. A mere two weeks after earning his certificate, Zenga competed again and was named KNPV champion of the "Zuid-Holland" district, beating his fair share of Malinois. Not to be outdone, his sister Anka Zigo v Elton's Home (NHSB: 236969) earned both her PH I with 404 points met lof and her Object Bewaking with 306 points.

While Anton had a deep relationship with each of his KNPV  dogs, there is no doubt that Zigo King holds a special place in his heart. "Zigo was a superdog, who really did everything for me, and watched my family. The fact that he enjoyed every discipline, made me very happy. He did the best he could with every single exercise."

So to answer the questions poised at the beginning of this article, the answer would have to be: all of the above. Zigo's success shows what can happen when a genetically talented dog is paired with a gifted trainer and is allowed to fulfill his potential. It is what every working breeder hopes for.

Now ten, Zigo is happily enjoying his retirement in sunny California. Although his breeding days are behind him there is still a small quantity of frozen semen left. So hopefully in the future there will still be some Zigo pups out training.