How To Buy A Puppy

Wish I had written this!  Excellent article.  Only thing I don't agree with is the title - this is what I would have called it.

How To Buy A Puppy

Sorry for all the missing posts.  Some of them are written in my head but not yet put to paper. 

Dog Shows

Well, we survived.  Max made his debut and I was not mortified by his ring manners, or lack of same.  Although he was incredibly silly, he did show somewhat better than Argus did at this age, and we mostly got good stacks.  Gaiting was more of a problem as he was so busy watching everything, and really wanted to play with the dog who was gaiting behind him.   I was pleased that he went Reserve at the first specialty under a judge I respect.  No more real shows for another month or so which will give us time to work on gaiting and we'll do a weekend of UKC shows later this month.  Much as I find handling classes boring, I guess Max and Fern and I will be attending them regularly for awhile!

Gemma got a great start on her Grand Championship, going Best Of Opposite the first day and Select Bitch the second, for two 5-point majors.  Best of Breed at the second Specialty was Pauli who had a good Spring, having also won the Top Twenty at the National.  This particular win was a bit of a surprise though, as Pauli really isn't the type of dog normally used by that particular judge.  Oh well, surprises like that are certainly OK.

Judging was decent, weather was perfect, show site and motel were good, the pot luck at ringside was overwhelming, and everyone seemed to have a good time.  It was really nice to see 5-point majors in Dalmatian girls - it's been a long time since we've seen a weekend of big majors other than the National.

Jess and I do a lot of discussion and planning on the long dog show weekend drives, and I think we've finally figured out how to breed Amery IF she cooperates.   Unfortunately Amery is due in season in July, but won't be two years old until August, when she gets OFA hip xrays, and I won't breed her until she's had her health testing done.  When you are waiting for them to come in season they are always late, but if you want them to wait they come in early.  Fingers crossed for some cooperation from Amery!

Make Then Earn Their House Privileges

How many pups have we raised and housetrained over the years?  I can’t even begin to guess since we often keep youngsters to see how they develop, later placing them on co-ownerships, as show dogs, or in pet homes.  We’ve also placed adult dogs that we were done showing and had no plans to breed.  Combined with all the dogs we've raised and kept over the past 40+ years, that’s a lot of puppies, and a lot of puppy raising experience.

I’ve never found Dals to be difficult to housetrain and most of them have not been particularly destructive.  Pups are all different of course, and some catch on to housetraining more quickly, or develop good bladder and bowel control sooner than others.  Some pups seem to play only with their own toys, while others are continually tempted by household items that look like fun and are hard to resist.

One thing I know from raising all those puppies is the importance of supervision.  Puppies are not born knowing they shouldn’t pee on the carpet, pull the drapes off the wall, shred the sofa pillows, or eat books and magazines.  It’s our job as responsible owners to keep a close eye on each puppy, get him outdoors at appropriate times, and prevent him from getting into mischief.  

Puppy buyers often ask when it will be OK for the puppy to sleep out (of his crate) at night, or have the run of the house during the day while they are at work.  The answer in all cases is LET HIM EARN IT.  Appropriate and consistent supervision will result in a puppy that knows the rules of the house and is trustworthy much sooner than a puppy that is given too much freedom too soon.

My last litter of pups went to experienced dogs owners, people who had all raised pups in the past, though in several cases not for many years.  I always emphasize supervision – keeping a close eye on the puppy so it does not develop bad habits.  When the pups were about 6 months old I found out that one of the puppies was still having regular accidents in the house both day and night.  Turns out she was being given the same freedom as the adult dog in the household – left uncrated at night and loose in the house for several hours at a time when no one was home.  Of COURSE the puppy was having accidents.  She truly didn’t know, and was not receiving proper supervision.  She had never earned the freedom she was being given. 

My puppy Max is doing well, but he still sleeps in a crate at night and goes back in his crate if we will be gone for an hour or two.  Not because he is a bad dog, but because he is a puppy!  He easily waits all night when crated and has done it for a long time, but if he had the run of the house at night it’s very likely he would have to pee, and it would be on the floor.  His house manners are very good, and he asks at the door if he has to go out – but if no one was there to let him out, he would certainly go on the floor.  Not his fault.

Max is an active, mischievous pup who assumes that everything is a toy.  He’s normally good at playing with dog toys, but if something catches his attention and it looks like FUN, he will pick it up and play with it – and possibly destroy it.  The same is true with counters.  He knows he is not supposed to put his feet up and take things off the counters, but if something looks or smells particularly interesting, he just might decide to check it out.  If he is successful at this a few times, it’s suddenly become a habit and MUCH more difficult to resolve.  If he’s never allowed to do it, or is caught and corrected when he does, it never becomes a habit.

Fern will turn a year old on Saturday and is a very good dog.  She only plays with dog toys, and never steals.  Her house manners are excellent and she has very good control.  Next week we’ll try leaving her uncrated at night – I think she’s earned it.  If she does get into any kind of mischief she'll go back in her crate for a bit longer.  Because she’s been very trustworthy when loose in the house, she’s getting increasing amounts of freedom during the day, and if we’re gone for an hour or two we know she will behave.  Soon we’ll try some half days, but if she gets into mischief she’ll lose that privilege for awhile longer. I presume by the end of the summer she’ll have earned full house privileges.  We probably could do that now, but I don’t want her making mistakes and learning bad habit.

I’m not sure that Max will be trustworthy by the time he is a year old.  He’s such a mischievous, playful, fun loving pup, and everything is a toy.  We’ll see.  But hee’s very like his father Argus who rarely got into mischief and could probably have had the run of the house at a very early age.  We’ll see how Max progresses over the next few months.

To repeat, the dogs have to earn the privilege of being house dogs, and if they screw up then it’s back to crating and increased supervision for awhile.  The goal is a dog that does not REQUIRE crating, but is comfortable being crated while eating, traveling, or just to have a few less dogs underfoot.  I try to give each of the dogs some “only dog time”, crating the others so each dog has some special time for petting, training or just snuggling, without having to compete, and I don't want the crated dogs fussing about this.  Being crated is just part of everyone's routine.    

Works for me.

New E Dalmatians Is Available On Line

No time to blog.  I spent my blogging time looking through the new edition of E Dalmatians.  This issue covers the DCA National, so is very timely.  Not everyone advertises, but there's a nice cross section of winners pictured, and some of the ads are spectacular.

New E Dalmatians
 

Horticulture And Hounds

The Northern Lights Azalea was fantastic this year.  It's a 5 foot tall shrub that flowers reliably every Spring, but it outdid itself this year.  Hard to imagine that it could have had any more flowers than it did.  My mother gave me this plant many years ago, and she got to see it on Memorial Day, looking its best.  Just as well, because heavy rain last night took it's toll. Fortunately the flowers were past their prime already.

Two new Daylilies too, named varieties developed by my old friend Lynne Dauber.  Such fun to have special plants "created" by someone I've known for so many years.

The Showy Ladyslipper plant came through the winter again too.  This is a plant that once inhabited my grandmother's garden, was passed on to my brother who entrusted it to me when he moved to Costa Rica.  It's Minnesota's State Flower and a member of the Orchid Family.

More electrical projects completed, but still a few things left to do.  New ceiling fan and light fixture in the bathroom - finally enough light!  New track lighting over the bar (between kitchen and family room), but no fixtures yet.  Off to Home Depot tonight to take care of that little problem.  Still to do, the new ceiling fan for the dining room (but the old one still works for now) and the range hood in the kitchen (not a priority).  An open day for Travis on Monday, so hopefully everything will be completed then.  This is taking a lot longer than anticipated, but Travis has mostly been working alone, which I know irks him.  The price bid was by project, not days thank goodness, but we did add a few things later.  Hopefully I did not overspend!

Dog shows coming up soon, Max entered, Fern not entered. Max looks really good for his age, but probably is not ready to win against good adult males, and he needs some ring experience first.  Two Specialties and two Sweepstakes will give him lots of experience!  Am very pleased with Max.  He's handsome, sound, has very good breed type, and a wonderful temperament.  And he's smart and fun.

Fernly is looking good too, gaiting much better, trotting more than pacing, and developing the foot timing that she needs.   Goal is to have her ready for the August Specialties, though perhaps we'll hit some small shows before that.  Hopefully there will be Dalmatian competition at Waukesha in July.  Judges are good there, and it's always a fun show weekend.

Both pups are getting roadworked every evening, yes on foot, so with Argus to walk too I am getting a LOT of exercise right now.  Good for all of us though.

 

Day Five

Travis returned today for the fifth day of electrical work.  Today's projects include a new ceiling fan in the bathroom, a new fan & light fixture in the dining room, new track lights over the bar, and a range hood in the kitchen.  Still to be done, new boxes for the outdoor lights front and back, and replacing the outlets in the kitchen and family room.

Travis seems almost like a member of the family now, and even Fern had nothing to say about his arrival.

Lost Weekend

Mirror mirror on the wall.  Who's the fairest of them all?

Sat at the computer yesterday evening, feeling sorry for myself.  Seemed as if everyone else had gone camping, to a picnic, or attended a dog show over the long weekend.  Me, I sat home.  Well not exactly.  I bought yard plants and worked in the yard, took the dogs swimming and for interesting walks, took mom out for pizza (too wet and cold for a picnic), but mostly I just worked around the house (and played on the computer of course).  So how did I use up four days so quickly?  Three gloomy wet days, I might add.

I cleaned!  Yuck, just about my least favorite way to spend a weekend, but one that needed to be done.  A shame to do it on a Holiday weekend, but the weather made it somewhat easier, and he electrical work made it necessary.  Looking at the pictures in the recent appraisal really drove home how cluttered things are looking too, so I spent my time cleaning drawers and bookcases, throwing out papers, gathering up usable items for Good Will, dusting walls, washing baseboards, sweeping, vacuuming, and throwing things away.  The recycle guy will NOT be happy with me this week, unless they get paid by the pound!  And Ron said, ENOUGH for the trash this week.

Still to be done is ribbons and rosettes.   Boxes and bags of ribbons, mostly for the past twenty years, the rosettes from specialing Rob (just a bit), Morris (extensively), Watson (moderately), and Argus (extensively).  All the class wins, Sweeps wins, Specialty majors, Specialty BoBs, Group wins and placements, and the Best in Shows.  Not only at AKC shows, but at a few Canadian, UKC, and Int'l shows.  That's a lot of ribbons and rosettes.  Flat ribbons are easy, take up little space, and would be easy enough to discard, but I love rosettes and am not ready to get rid of them.  If I had the money, I'd have some of the best ones made into a quilt or wall hanging.  There are people who do that, but it's expensive.  Maybe that's a good hobby for me when I retire.  I really need another hobby.) The rosettes are in piles in the middle of the guest bedroom (which is/was clean) so I need to get this project finished!  Sooner, not later.

And someday I will tackle 50 years of pictures and scrapbooks, thousands and thousands of pictures.  But not this week.

Too Many "Things"?

Raining.  Again?  Still?  I'm losing track.  This has been great for my new grass seedlings, and they are filling in the Japanese Beetle grub damaged lawn very nicely.  Mowing will be a problem though - not sure the electric will be able to get through this hay field.  Just as well Ron insisted on keeping the old gasoline mower too.  Now, if it would just dry up.

Day Two of the Electrical Project, which I am guessing will take four, rather than the projected three days.  Travis worked hard all day yesterday, and didn't even finish work in the basement - but I DO have ceiling lights again, will be able to get rid of all the power cords running between rooms, and have a dedicated line for the heater/dehumidifier for the fishroom.  It was too cold and wet for walking, and I intended to play with the pups in the basement last night, but too much "project material" laying around, and when Max started running around with a light bulb in his mouth (fortunately he did not bite down or drop it) the pups were escorted back upstairs.

A copy of my home appraisal came via email yesterday and was interesting to look at.  House considered "average" for maintenance and marketable "as is".  Everything looked about right in the report, but the pictures, oh my the pictures!  Can you say CLUTTERED?  I guess everyone who knows me and has visited would consider my house cluttered, but I live here and really don't notice.  The pictures sure showed it though - no available wall space anywhere.  Furniture and pictures everywhere.  And things.  Too many things!  No wonder I go crazy several times a year and start hauling stuff to Good Will!  And no wonder my daughter feels claustrophobic here.  But what to do with all the stuff?  The accumulations of 40+ years spent in the same house?  It's not really junk, and it's not a trash house.  I'm not a hoarder.  I just own a lot of things.  Someday I'll have to move - oh my gosh!

A Me Day

A day at home with no plans or projects.  A Me Day perhaps.  The last day of taking the medication for a presumed attack of Diverticulitis, and I will be very glad to be finished with it as it makes me nauseated.  Some days worse than others, and today is one of the worse days.  At least I think it's the medication that's doing it.  Hopefully it's not something else to deal with. The pain is gone, so it worked on that I guess, but I'm looking forward to feeling like myself again here soon.  Everything else checked out fine, so hopefully this is the end of it.  I'm rarely sick, and am not a good patient - not a patient patient.  I intend to take it easy today - whether or not it works out that way remains to be seen!

The good thing about this was finding a doctor I actually liked.  When my regular doctor retired, I tried another who I ended up actually disliking.  Kept thinking I needed to change, but since I rarely saw her, I never bothered.  When she left (I hope they fired her) I tried several others without much luck, and the ones I wanted were not accepting new patients.  When I tried out a new doctor this time, I actually liked her.  Young, funny, easy to talk to, and she was good at explaining health issues and the alternate ways of dealing with them, AND she was accepting new patients.  Good deal!  I'm very happy with my health care provider (Health Partners), really like my dentist, and now I may actually have a doctor I like too.  Hopefully I won't need to see her very often, and hopefully she'll stay at HP.

Suppose I could go back to bed, but that doesn't really help much.  Maybe I'll go into work at noon if I feel a little better.  Hate using up my sick leave, although I have a lot of it since I only use it for appointments.

The houseplants went outdoors yesterday.  Hopefully Mother Nature is done with the snow and cold and they will be safe.  I only keep a few plants now, and they are all HEAVY, so moving them in and out isn't easy.

Entries are in for Max's first show.  Now, IF I could only get him to stand still for an exam!

 

Two At A Time

Max is so very glad to have his "sister" Fern back, and I KNOW the adult dogs are glad she's back too.  Max & Fern spend many hours a day playing, and while she was in season and separated from the "pack", Max just about drove the adults (especially his dad Argus) crazy.  "Play with me! Please, someone play with me!"  Now that Fern is back he has a ready made playmate, although even she gets tired of his antics at times.

I wasn't sure if I could manage two Dal Kids less than six months apart in age, but it's working OK.  Because the other dogs range in age from seven to almost thirteen, it was time to add a couple of permanent members to the household.  I can't even imagine what it would be like to be dogless!  And I love watching the interaction between dogs.  I call it My Family Pack, and they are endlessly entertaining.

The main problem with raising two pups is the tendency to let them entertain one another, rather than putting the appropriate amount of work into each pup as an individual.  I've tried very hard not to do that, and both pups get individual time and attention and TRAINING every single day.  It may be just a walk, or a five minute training session in the basement, but each pup gets to be the special pup for awhile each day, and each pup spends some crate time every day while the other pup gets to be out with the adults.  Each attended a puppy class too, which was so helpful.

It seems to be working well so far, and although it takes a lot of effort on my part and patience on Ron's part, both pups are turning out to be good family members.   Their personalities are so very different, but each is a really nice dog and a good addition to my household.  Hopefully both will be successful show dogs too, but as companions they are already stars, and we live with our dogs far more than we show them.  

Summer At Last

Max in camo, and soaking wet

We knew it would happen this way of course, that we would go from Endless Winter to Sultry Summer.  Temperature is supposed to be in the 90s today - ARGH!  At least the house will have it's residual coolness, for awhile at least.  Suspect I will spend the evening in the basement with the fishes, as the basement will stay cool until the soil around it warms up.  I anticipate coming home at noon to water the grass seed - the lawn is coming back nicely from all the Japanese Beetle grub damage, but 90+ degrees of sunshine will be tough on all the tender new grass plants.

What I SHOULD do this evening is take Max to handling class.  If I want to start showing him in June we have to work on his stacks.  He stacks well if there are no distractions, but if a dog or person gets within his "kissing zone" it's a lost cause.  Like his father Argus, Max is distractable, very friendly, and way too happy for his own good.  He'll make a fine show dog some day, but no doubt I'm in for my share of embarrassment as he learns the ropes.

If all goes well, Max, Fernly & Gemma go to the Chicagoland Specialties next month.  LOTS of training needed before then!

Happy Mothers Day

Happy Mother's Day to me.  It was a lovely day, and a real goof off weekend.  I couldn't sleep and got up too early, but the rest of the day was perfect.  Brunch with my mother, sister, and Ron, and a good brunch too.  The Chianti Grill (our favorite) was all booked up when I finally thought to make reservations, but Green Mill Shoreview did an outstanding job, and it was one of the best brunches I've had.  I don't need a fancy brunch menu, I just want really tasty egg and potato dishes, and good sausages.  Wish I skipped all the other interesting and tasty dishes, and just concentrated on the 4-Cheese Scrambled Eggs, Parmesan Hash Browns, and exceptional Sausage!  The cheesecakes looked good, but I'm not a cheesecake fan (lucky me, lots of calories there) and the brownie was outstanding.  Chocolate is always the best for dessert.

Although my mother is growing increasingly feeble and is losing her vision, she loves going out to eat, and she made a large dent in all the food my sister helped dish up for her.  Because we're never sure how many Holidays we have left, my sister and I try to share holidays with mom whenever we can.

The rest of the day was devoted to being a good Dog Mom.  The sun felt good and Argus, Max and Fernly all got individual and interesting runs.  Max went down to Hidden Falls where he remembered the pond he had played in several weeks ago.  Still plenty of water in it, and lots of sticks to retrieve.  He smelled a bit funky from the pond water but a quick bath took care of that.  He's such a fun dog, always enthusiastic and entertaining, and continues to be good off leash.

Argus has never been very good off leash, so his walk was entirely on leash, but it was a long and interesting one at Crosby Park, where we walked around the lake and hunted for wild flowers.  Because Argus does a good Sit Stay, it's easy to take flower pictures when he comes along, and I found the Marsh Marigolds I wanted to photograph.  Love these wetland flowers.

Fern's run was on the college campus later in the afternoon.  Not very many dogs or people, so she too got to run off leash.  It was good to see that she's trotting more and pacing less, so hopefully she will make it to the show ring eventually.

Nothing like good food, family, hiking, fresh air and sunshine to tire you out and I slept like a rock. 

Happy Mother's Day to me too!   

Coursing, Of Course

Pictured are the three newly titled coursing dogs.  They attended a coursing event on Sunday, and all of them passed - again.  Meribel, Argus & Josie got the first two "legs" of their CA titles when they ran coursing events last fall.  We've been eagerly awaiting a spring trial and a chance to finish the titles.  The scheduled March trial was cancelled due to two feet of snow on the ground, but the field was perfect for yesterday's event.  All three Dals ran wonderfully well, and the judge was very complimentary.  Argus especially was absolutely fanatic about running, and all three dogs recognized the place when we drove in on Sunday.  Oh, the noises they made while waiting to run!  I'll try to add a couple of videos when I have more time.

Fern still in season and getting her 4 - 5 daily walks, so time is still an issue in the mornings.
 

Excuses, Excuses

Writer's block and a lack of time . . .

Excuses, excuses.  The posting that I started several days ago remains unfinished.  I need to buckle down and write, but there are always other things to be done, and I try to keep writing from becoming a chore.  Good thing I've never attempted to write as a career - life on the streets would be tough!

I'll be so glad when Fern is out of season.  Argus has been "good", no howling or frantic behavior, no digging at doors or destructive behavior of any kind, but he's not my dog right now and I want my dog back.  He walks around with a mournful expression, sometimes shaking, often talking to himself.  He KNOWS it is time to breed Fern, and he can't understand why I am being so stubborn.  Explaining that she is his granddaughter, and too young to breed anyway, is meaningless to him.  He only knows what his instincts tell him - that it's time to make puppies.  Sorry buddy.  Yesterday he went on a hunger strike, something he rarely does.  He nibbled a bit of chicken, and took a few treats, but would not eat his meals.  This morning I lost my patience and force fed him ground beef, rice & cooked kale.  It's a little messy, but only took a couple of minutes, and Watson was more than willing to clean up the crumbs.

Sunday is Coursing, and Argus, Josie and Meribel need to qualify just once more to get their coursing titles.  It will be cold and muddy, but I'm sure the girls won't mind and will run well despite the conditions.  Not so sure about Argus.  Will he run, or will he stop and sniff, looking for girls?  He ran well last time out, but was not distracted by "more important matters".  Wish I'd had a place to board Fern for the past week, but it was not to be.  So we'll hope once he gets away from home, he will forget about Fern for awhile.  In a few more days she will be going out of season, but of course it will take a few extra days to convince Argus of that.

Snowing, yet again.  Will it never end?

It's THAT Time Again

I'll have to be more organized in the mornings if I want to Blog before going to work.  Fern Louise is finally in season (almost 11 months old) and moved to the basement on Sunday when Argus informed me that she needed to be bred, and SOON.  (No, I don't plan to breed her, despite Argus's suggestion!)  Good dog Argus, very sensible until day 11 - then he lost it and walks around moaning softly (no howling yet, thank goodness).  I really should have moved her down the previous day.   It's easier here if girls in season move to the basement and get hand walked, as it's the smell when they pee that really triggers the strong responses from the boys.  So now she gets 3 or 4 walks and 1 bike trip a day, for the next week or so.  Takes a big chunk out of my mornings, but I love the early morning walks.  I've been biking Fern for a mile every evening and it's already helping a lot with her gaiting as she much more likely to trot than to pace when we do our walks.  Goal is to start showing her in June.

Busy weekend with Horse Expo on Saturday - I have no particular interest in horses, except that I like to watch them, and study the differences between the breeds.  I also enjoy evaluating their structure, and trying to decide why they move the way they do.  Couldn't believe the crowds, all the concession stands and all the food stands.  Did people go to look at horses, shop, or eat?  From the look of them, many must have come strictly to eat.

Later in the day Argus and Max went to Hidden Falls Park, where I discovered that Max loved the water, and particularly enjoyed retrieving sticks.  He was fanatic about doing that, even though is tennis ball retrieving is rather hit and miss.  Water and sticks seems to be the thing for him.  Poor Argus got his leash attached to a tree so he couldn't sneak off to say Hi to other dogs and passersby.

I made it up to Argus on Sunday, when I took him went to the Dog Park where he ran hard and sniffed even more.  I had worried that his obsessed frame of mind would lead to mounting behavior with other dogs, but he was his perfect gentlemanly self there, and minded his manners.  He really seemed to enjoy having some special time without being harassed by his granddaughter and son who try to make his life miserable.

A picnic on the deck with Ron and my mom was a great way to finish up a lovely weekend.  Weather could hardly have been better, and hamburgers, potato salad and 3-bean salad (actually 5-bean with my recipe) were even better eaten in the sunshine, on the deck, with family.
 

Up And Running

I'm back!  New modem installed and computer working just fine.  Although I have the Blogger App on my phone, it's way too much work to do Blog postings on an iPhone.  I need a real keyboard for writing.  My call to CenturyLink went to an overseas call center (of course), but the gentleman I dealt with spoke good (enough) English, and although the conversation was a bit rough as he read from his script, it was not as aggravating as such calls sometimes are.  The new modem was mailed promptly, and I was able to install it myself. 

As I installed this DSL modem, I thought back to the first modem I installed, oh so many years ago.  My first computer was used as a word processor, and the Internet was something only businesses and techie geeks used.   Not something regular people needed, just a fancy typewriter really. We didn't even have computers at work then.  Chat lists were in their early days, and a couple of computer savvy friends would mail me printed copies of the discussions from the first Dal list on Prodigy - yes, they were printed out on the continuous feed printer paper with the little holes along the side.  Dot matrix printers? How long ago was that?

One day as I walked through a computer store, there was a display of modems on the counter, internal modems.  On a whim I bought one, took it home and installed it - yes, I bravely took the case off the little computer, followed the directions and screwed the little gizmo into a slot.  I'd seen an advertising for The Concentric Network, so I ordered their product, installed that as well, not having a clue what I was doing, and somehow it worked.  Not instantly, of course.  I remember the frustration as it took me a long time to get things figured out, but I also remember how excited I was when it worked.  I also remember how slow the downloads were, but at the time it was magic!  Still is! 

Am on my 7th computer now.  Hard to believe there was actually a pre-computer time in my life!

Had planned to address this question, but it will have to wait.  It's a very interesting question, with no one right answer.  Stay tuned.

Would like your opinion on a rather heated and well debated topic. Is it okay to breed a dog or bitch who is not a champion, so long as they have the proper health testing and a nice temperament? I have a three year old male who is out of champion parents. He's never been shown through AKC but he has completed all of his health testing except cerf which he gets done in two weeks. He has an outstanding personality- very friendly and affectionate. Loves other dogs and new people. I would like a puppy out of him and some breeders have encouraged this, given his pedigree/health testing/temperament. But others have advised against it since he is not a champion. Your thoughts on the subject in general?

It Doesn't Get Much Better Than This

We went to the Awards Dinner joking that the one thing left on my To Do List was to win the Top Twenty.

The winner of the Thursday evening competition was announced at the dinner and it was (drum rolls) - Pauli! Our Bad Pauli!

All I can say is, "Wow, what a week"!

Such Fun!

A very good DCA. Again. For the 2nd year in a row one of our girls went Best Of Winners. This year it was Gemma, who finished her Championship with three 5-point Specialty majors.

Argus kids Krash and Pauli also did well, Krash (last years Best of Breed) was Select Dog and Pauli (last years Best of Opposite) won an Award of Merit. Good dogs!

The St.Louis Specialty winners were also "family" with Winners Dog being an Argus grandson, Winners Bitch being Gemma and the Best Of Breed Winner Ghost was a Watson grandson.

A very good specialty week! Now for the Awards dinner, more partying, and a return to SNOW.

We're Out Of Here

Max hasn't a clue why everyone else is so excited, unless it's just because Jess is here.  She stayed overnight so we could get an early start - which will be soon.  Jess is the master packer here, so I do the basics and she squeezes in and straps down everything else.  Everything fits, just barely.  Good job Jess.

It's snowing lightly, so this will be the first year we've left for the National in snow.  Forecast for St. Louis changes from day to day, but at least part of the week should be warm.  Just so we get some sun.

Off to have fun.  This is probably Argus's last DCA and perhaps his last long trip, as hopefully we will have youngsters to show in the future, and extra dogs take up space.  This is going to be a special week for him, as he loves to travel and schmooze at the shows.  He is SO excited right now, clings to me like velcro to be sure he gets to go too.

We're outta here!

Blogging On The Go

Just testing my new App. If you're reading this, it worked. Good Bye office!

Countdown!

Last day of work before vacation.  Last half day actually, as the afternoon will be spent running last minute errands, finishing up fish chores, grooming Argus and packing.  I am NOT looking forward to coming back to the office after a week away, as there will be no one doing any of my work in my absence.  The only person who can fill in has taken a job with a different agency.  Not very good timing as this is our busiest time of the year, and everyone else has cover the empty position until a new person is hired and trained.  My Boss is already doing her own job and her Supervisor's job (out on medical leave) so there is no one to cover anything while I'm away.  Oh well.  I'll deal with it when I get back and not let it interfere with a much needed vacation.

One last blog post and then it may be awhile unless I figure out how to do posts on my iPhone.

That's Piper in the picture, Sanka was her litter name.  Max's sister.  It will be such fun to see Piper and Melitta again!

Decision Time

Please?

Time for some hard decision making.  Who stays, and who goes?  Just to the National, I mean!

Had planned to take and show Fern if she was working OK, and if she was moving correctly.  The puppy classes are large which will be fun, but they will be very competitive and I don't show "just to show".  Many 9-12 month bitches are ready to win.  Fern is not one of them.   Last year our Meribel was Best of Winners from that class, and Adele won the Sweeps and Futurity from that class.  If my dog won't be competitive, it will be far easier to leave her home.  Decided I would take her to handling class last night to help me make the decision.

It's not that she's not beautiful.  When I stacked Fern in front of the mirrors last night I was amazed at how good she looked.  Absolutely gorgeous outline.  Lots of angles, perfect topline, lovely neck.  Her head has matured too, and her face is quite pleasing.  She went through a flaky stage, but we got past that, and she was very happy, wagged on the exams, and tried to introduce herself to everyone.  Just as friendly and outgoing as I could ask.

And then we had to move.  Fern started pacing sometime last winter.  Dogs are supposed to trot in the show ring, not pace - pacing means both legs on the same side are moving at the same time.  It's an easy gait, does not require good foot timing, and is more common in pups and old dogs.  Fern should not have to pace as her structure is very good, but there's something that is "off" when she moves.  Maybe foot timing, maybe some kind of an injury that only shows up this way.  Because she had a very short back, hard topline, and lots of angle, Fern's timing has to be perfect to move properly.  It's not.  She can trot, but not reliably, and especially not when she's excited or distracted - and Fern at 10 months is always excited or distracted!  Last night she developed a new quirk, one we saw in her mother Pauli.  As Fern is trotting along, she gives a little hop, sort of a jumping for joy.  When Pauli did that, she would then resume trotting.  When Fern does that she slips back into a pace.  ARGH!  When she concentrates she does fine, but she's still too silly to concentrate for any length of time.

Sooooo, it looks as if Fernly might be missing DCA this year.  Still thinking, but leaning that way.  I hate to waste the entries, but it would be a lot easier to leave her behind.  There will be lots of other shows for Fern, and I'd rather work this out before we do any serious showing.  If winter ever gives up we will start biking, since I can't walk fast enough to keep her trotting correctly.  That should help a lot.  I'm delighted she has come so far, and very pleased with how she's looking.  But we still need that third piece.  Type and attitude are there, but gaiting - not so much. At least not yet.

If Fern stays behind, I only have to deal with Argus and Max.  Argus is entered just for fun as he has nothing to prove.  He'll really enjoy the trip, and I almost feel as if I "owe" him that for all that he has done in the show ring, and especially at the National.  Retirement was not his choice.  Max can come along for fun, and learn all about dog shows and motels.  He'll make new friends, get to play with his sisters, and his co-breeder Jana will get to see him.  I'll have lots more time to do things, like work in the health clinic, and stand at ringside watching dogs and getting caught up with old friends.  I really need a vacation, and the trip will be a lot easier if Fern stays behind.

I am still arguing with myself about this.  Jess says I probably won't make up my mind until we are ready to leave!

It's STILL Only Money

Josie, Max & Fern sharing the sofa

Did the deed, signed the contract to have the house rewired.  Also committed to the home refinancing at a significant drop in interest.  Scary!  I know I won't have the house paid off by the time I am ready to sell, so I might as well get the wiring taken care of now.  There's a significant risk of fire in these old homes with overloaded circuits, brittle old knob & tube wiring, outlets that are not grounded, fixtures that are not in boxes, cracked outlets that are not properly seated, and way too many extension cords.  A new circuit box scheduled for later this month, with the balance of the rewiring to be done probably in May.  It's only money, but it's also peace of mind.  Much of the other work that needs to be done around here can be done by me, or as individual small projects.  Gotta be able to sell this house someday!

Still not sure who is going along with me to DCA, but it's looking more and more as if I am taking three dogs, with Max going along for the ride.  It will be fun to see him with his sisters Piper and Melitta, and I'm still considering a repeat breeding next fall or winter, depending on how these pups look at the time.  Sure can't ask for better dispositions!

  

Wanted - Spring Weather

The brave little tulips are sure Spring will eventually be here, but Mother Nature is sure stubborn this year.  Yesterday was relatively warm and we had a nice Spring rain last night.  Chance of snow the next couple of days, perhaps three inches.  Or more.

We're heading off for St. Louis (actually Gray Summit, MO.) very early Saturday AM.  It's supposed to be warm down there this week, but cooling off on Friday.  What happens on Saturday?  Snow?  We'll be accused of bringing along the bad weather!  Lots of outdoor activities planned for Specialty week, including the Road Trial, the yearly Whine & Cheese Party (not an official event, but organized by someone every year), and a Pot Luck.  The latter two will be held in the motor home parking area, so good weather will make them a lot more fun - but we'll have them no matter what the weather.  A lot of the socializing at the National is done while walking dogs, and good weather will also make that a lot more fun.

Still debating on whether to take Max along.  He'll be incredibly bored if he stays with Ron, Watson & Josie for the week.  Not sure I can manage three dogs - but I've done it before, and Max is a great traveler.  I could leave Argus behind as he's not likely to come out a winner this year - I wish he was 3 years old instead of 7 1/2.  A couple of Max's sisters will be there, and it would be fun to have Melitta, Piper (was Sanka) and Max together for a little family reunion.  Just wish we had a 4-6 month class so I could show him.

Not sure I will ever be ready to leave - the To  Do List is still far too long!

Why Buy From A Breeder?

Elissa Kaminer O'Sullivan said it perfectly in a recent Facebook posting . . .

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  So, I slept on it... and I still feel the same way... so here it goes...
  
  I have been helping a friend find a puppy. She wants a specific breed, for a specific purpose, with a specific temperament. I have found her several responsible breeders who I think would have puppies that would fit all of her criteria. Then she says to me, "I just want you to know that I am not spending $1,000 on a dog. Not when so many need homes." And you know, if that was the end of what she said, and she wanted help finding a rescue dog, I would have been all about helping her. But she is still not opposed to buying a puppy... just not one for $1000. So, at first, it didn't really register what she said, but as I thought about it, I became more and more offended. Because basically what she said to me was that as a responsible breeder, my dogs are not worth any more than Joe-shmoe's down the block... that all the time, effort, and money that I have put into health testing, temperament testing, training, proving, and selecting my dogs for breeding has no value. I have to say, this really got under my skin. Maybe it's because I have driven my girls as far as CA to breed to the most perfect stud dog that I could find... or that I just spent over $2000 on progesterone tests, and I still don't have a litter to show for it... or maybe it's because I have proven my dog's over and over again, and it just plain pissed me off that someone doesn't see the value in that.
  
  So, what do you get for a $1000 puppy? Proven temperament and trainability... mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, and great grand parents for many generations are trained and temperament tested- and they have been to a million dog shows, earning titles to prove it all. Proven health... mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, and great grand parents for many generations have had their hips, elbows, knees, eyes, heart, & thyroid tested, they are clear of all genetic disease that I can possibly know of. They are to breed standard... which may not mean a lot to you, but it should. It's what keeps a Rottweiler from looking like a Black and Tan Coonhound, or a Bernese Mountain dog. It's what maintains structure and soundness, and what makes a breed a breed. You also get me. You get a knowledgeable breeder and expert in your breed. You can call me day or night, and even on holidays. I am there for you through all your joys and frustrations, sickness and health. I will do anything I need to do to make sure that owning one of my puppies is the most wonderful experience of your life. You have the peace of mind knowing that no matter what ever happens to you, your dog, your best friend, has a safe place to live out the rest of his life.
  
  So what about that $400 puppy out of the paper? You get a puppy with unknown temperament, health, and type. You get nothing else. You can potentially get a dog genetically predisposed to fears and aggression, a dog with debilitating health issues, a dog who will never be able to fulfill the goals that you have set out for him. And if you ever needed to return that dog (life can sometimes throw you a curve ball), that person will not take your 5 or 8 or 10 year old dog back... you will be stuck putting your dog up for adoption, or euthanizing him.
  
  So, who's making money? I have never actually figured it out, but I would guess that I lose about $1,000/puppy. I don't breed dogs to make money. I breed dogs because I love my breed and I believe that there are wonderful people out there who should have the opportunity to own wonderful dogs. The person selling the $400 puppy is making a profit of about $350/puppy. That person breeds purely for profit. Oh, I am sure they love their dogs, and their breed, but not enough to be any benefit to anyone other than themselves.
  
  I guess people don't really understand value. It is not about the price you pay, but what you are getting for that price. And in the end, if what you are getting for $1000 is not worth anything to you, then by all means, the $400 puppy is a much better value.
  
  I have not told anyone who I am talking about. She is my friend, and I would like to keep it that way, so please do not guess or spread rumors. And please feel free to share if you agree.