Yesterday the 30th of December was the last small game hunt of the past year. It has been a busy season after a busy summer and the spring and winter before that was nothing less. As I was enjoying the sunbeams of Mothers Nature, in whose grace we harvest to live, I contemplated on all my aims.

2025 became the year that:

• Our Beast litter arrived and with that our 2nd generation bitch found her way into our home and hearts

• Flatastic Black Peace “Kaspar” sired his first litter and produced very beautiful and calm headed puppies with lovely retrieving skills

• I passed my Orweja exams & was accepted as a SJP/MAP judge.
• Went on a training trip to Klaukenhof with our Aura litter & friends
• Took the challenge of hunting with my own gun and dog at the same time – also on hare

• Took on a project in order to educate myself and my colleague breeders (subject to be continued)
• 2 nest reunions with workshops (more on this later)
• Last but not least Flatastic Bowtruckle “Daisy” obtained her Dutch youth championship exterior before her 1st birthday. Our first championship title 🎉
• Our One and only senior Flow of Spirits Silver Skipper “Rumi” is expected to becoming grandmother for the 3rd time in 2026: at kennel Tricksywood’s Flatastic Platinum Alignment “Gurbe” & Flatastic Silver Will “Bruce” are siring a litter.

What a lovely prospect to start the year with – I cannot wait to become “auntie”. We wish Yvonne and Wiebe all the best of puppy luck for their coming litter.

We would like to thank those who played a part in educating me and my dogs in the last year. Thanks to Jan van Heeren for appreciating Kaspar for breeding, thanks to the Orweja judges who invested in my development of judging skills, thank you to Rob & Elvira for all the good gun dog lessons. Thanks to all my Frisian hunters who are so generous in sharing their fields with me and making good memories together.

Thanks to all puppy buyers for taking well care of our offspring.

But most of all my husband deserves a huge thank you for all the hours he took care of his wife’s hobby and my dog craziness. Thank you my love.

Also thank to our social media followers for showing interest in our news.

We wish you all a Flatastic New Year 2026

Today was a special day.. our 11 months old Daisy achieved her 3rd CACIB-J youth point and that means she qualifies for Dutch Youth Champion 2025. We are very proud of my pretty little missy.

All results of today:

Flatastic Nundu “Nhando” 4th Excellent youth class males

Flatastic Red Strength “Lotte” 1st place working bitches

Flatastic Black Peace “Kaspar” 2nd place excellent Working class

We are thrilled that we have the first time championship title under our kennel name (if the title has functional value to it). At the same time we are also very happy to have had a very good day where talking about breed standards and other politically sensitive subject with colleague breeders happened in a friendly and stimulating way.

Marjet, Marion, Jacqueline, Saskia & Leonie thank you for contributing and showing (me) that it is possible!

Tomorrow now looks much brighter. Not so much because of our results but more so because I have a tiny bit restored faith in the human. We can open up sensitive topics with “killing” the person. Or should I say – some are able to do so…

The 9th of December 2025 Jacquelien Trijssenaar and her Penny achieved an amazing list on their elementary obedience exam.

This is the first of our Beast litter with a certificate – as a breeder I am very proud of them to achieve this at this early age. They worked hard.

Penny is very much like her mother Lotte – a cute little bitch with great speed and eagerness. She is very clever and makes her handler stay “on the ball”. I enjoy seeing this couple work together and look forward to many more in the future.

The rest of the Beast litter are also doing very well – within a couple of weeks we will see most of them for the 2nd litter reunion. Looking forward to that.

Friday 28th of Nov 2025 Fryslan Show

Judge mrs. Kornelija Butrimova (Lithuania)

Open class males:

Flatastic Platinum Alignment 2nd place excellent

Working class males:

Flatastic Black Peace “Kaspar” 2nd place excellent

Youth class bitches:

Flatastic Bowtruckle “Daisy” 1st place excellent with CACIB-J

Saturday 29th of Nov 2025 Tulip Cup 🌷

Judge Patsy Hollings UK

Working class males:

Flatastic Black Peace “Kaspar” 1st place excellent & reserve CACIB (2nd place all males)

Youth class bitches:

Flatastic Bowtruckle “Daisy” 1ste excellent & reserve CACIB (2nd place all females)

Sunday 30th of Nov 2025 Winner show

Judge Sandra Hooyer NL

Open class males:

Flatastic Silver Will “Bruce” 1st place Very Good

Working class males:

Flatastic Black Peace “Kaspar” 2nd place very good

Youth class bitches:

Flatastic Bowtruckle “Daisy” 2nd place very good

It has been a tiring weekend for all of us and an enormous investment money and time wise to join the 3 day show. I am not sure if we are up for a repetition of that long showing.

Today (Sunday) gave disappointing results and was a rather big contrast to Saturday and Friday.

We really appreciate the fact that the very experienced Mrs Patsy Hollings valued our dogs and recognized their quality from the old English working lines.

We have enjoyed the fact that Kaspar was in the main ring working class dogs and Daisy has earned two youth points 🥳.

Gurbe and Bruce have now also obtained their 2nd show qualification and are now also complying with the WFRG breeding rules.

Congratulations Lieuwe and Klaas.

A special thanks to Bernadette from Hondentrimsalon Spetters – we train together each week and as I was out of time to visit Barbara she helped me out trimming Kaspar and Daisy beautifully in the back of the van.

someone or something can be referred to as going platinum to imply that they or it will be a big hit, success, or accomplishment.

Well, it is hard to say when a dog is accomplished..I think when it is healthy and lives a good life it is accomplished. Everything that comes beyond that is luxury..

Flatastic Platinum Alignment “Gurbe”

Gurbe is now 5 1/2 years old – a full brother of Kaspar and he has several WT A diplomas, 2 SJP A and he has recently participated in the FRC Trophy with 11 out 12 retrieved to the hand. Bravo.

He complies with all health requirements for FCI breeding ( FRC & WFRG) & yesterday he was given an excellent at a big int show.

He is used frequently for goose hunting and he will move mountains to find any game. Lovely Flatastic boy.

Gurbe will hopefully father his first litter in 2026 at kennel Tricksywood’s

Gurbe is out of Brösel vom Timeloberg & Flow of Spirits Silver Skipper born 22.05.2020

Gurbe has never had any ring training and is left uncut due to hunting season. Quite an accomplishment to receive Excellent at an international show in between hunting days.

It is funny how life has it’s own mysterious way of unfolding. Born in to a household with German Wirehaired and German hunting terriers it was not in the line of expectations that I would choose Flatcoated retrievers as my breed. Nevertheless I have lost my heart completely to them and this love has made me do not only silly things in life but they have formed my life in ways I would never had imagined.

One example is the fact that I started hunting myself and now I will add to the list the fact that I am joining the Orweja group of judges for the Dutch SJP hunting exams and MAP cold game competitions.

The training for this has taken 2 1/2 years and passing 2 theoretical exams and 4 practical exams has brought me up to this point where I am looking forward to judge all gundog breeds in these above mentioned format.

It has been a very enriching journey – learning from the best and I feel I am still at the very start of it all. Leaving plenty of room for the future to learn more – I would not want it to be any different.

My thankfulness extends to all my teachers along the way and especially my coach Klaas Beukema, who was the one to ignite the passion of observing and appreciating good gun dog work via judging. Also my thanks to the breed club FRC who played a part in the proces of being accepted for the traineeship.

The two Flatastic males who where planned to sire a litter at kennel Tricksywood’s have both had succesful matings with Ylva. We are looking forward to the prospect of their offspring in early 2026.

For more information and/or waiting list options for this litter please contact yvonne via email: yvonne@kayaa.nu

During the MAP B in Zeijlerveen, the North of NL, photographer Louise Smid made these lovely photos of Flatastic Red Strength “Lotte” and Flatastic Black Peace “Kaspar”. I love the mysterious background and the waterdrops – just gorgeous.

A MAP is a Dutch cold game competition with 6 post of two retrieves. One can participate on B or A level. A being the highest level. A MAP includes hunting simulated situations, steadyness, water, directing/blinds, searching and gun proofness. For A level it requires long difficult drags with distractions and long complicated blinds with our without distractions. Lotte and Kaspar’s mother Rumi obtained several MAP A qualifications in her career, so we have big shoes to fill in the future.

Thank you very much Louise Smid for this series of my beloved working Flatcoated retrievers. Thankt to the organization and the judges/helpers at the MAP Zeilerveen. It was a good day.

Today our two liver “brown sugars” from the Beast nest Jan 25 out of Flatastic Red Strength & Arved von der Wichmannsburg were shown at the Bleiswijk Dogshow under judge Wies Boermans.

For the first time they were out in youth class and it was obvious that they are less accustomed to the loud surroundings and unfortunately we sat in a corner where some dogs started fighting and where a bitch in severe heat was located. Kaspar and Nhando were clearly distracted and on guard because of this.

The results of today are very promising for the future:

Flatastic Bowtruckle “Daisy” 2nd place excellent youth class bitches

Flatastic Nundu “Nhando” 4th place Very Good youth class males

Flatastic Black Peace “Kaspar” 1st place Excellemt working class males

Thank you Jacqueline & Kyra for a lovely day

Last weekend 4 of the Aura litter boys were out competing at the WFRG autumn working test in Lochem. On Saturday Spyke and Jason achieved their B1 diploma and on Sunday Kaspar obtained his first B2 diploma and Gurbe his WT A. Congratulations “bad boys”.

All action photos with thanks to photographers Eric Roseboom & Sophie Alma