Good Dog, Fern

Three days old!

A milestone of sorts!  Last night while I was walking Fern we came upon two large loud parties of kids dressed in costumes, talking/eating/drinking around a fire (one fire in a chiminea, the other in a portable firepit) something I have never seen before in my neighborhood.  In both cases Fern stood and watched them, wagging her tail and waiting to be invited to the party.  Six months ago she would have startled, barked at them, and stood there grumbling under her breath.  Fern is very reactive and is easily startled by strange things, and these were definitely strange in this quiet neighborhood.   Good dog, Fern!  I've put a lot of work into her, taking her places and exposing her to a variety of novel situations.  It's really paid off. 

Update

No time for a regular post, so a picture will have to do today.  Pups are all gaining weight, growing fast, and very robust.  Certainly the largest pups we've ever had here, and Nena is being an excellent mother.  Appointments made for dewclaw removal and BAER testing, paperwork started for registration.

Nena and pups, one day old
 

 

Puppies!

Puppies born on Tuesday, exactly as I had expected.  Only 5 of them, but they make up for it in size, all weighing 14-16 ounces.  (My pups normally weigh in at about 12.)  It was not an easy whelping, and had I not been there to assist we would have lost all/most of them.  Once they were breathing (and yelling) they were all ready to nurse.  Nena was terrific throughout, including a visit to see Dr. Jim at the vet clinic for an ultra sound.

We have 2 black boys, 2 black girls, 1 liver boy, all born with most or all of their nose trim and eye rims, which is a good way to start.  Dew claws will be removed on Saturday morning, then we sweat the hearing until 14-16 days.  Once I know they all hear I will relax and start to enjoy the pups!  No names for anyone until I know their hearing status.

Moving Right Along

Moving right long - but slowly.  We were on Puppy Watch all weekend, but of course Nena didn't have them, so I'm probably going to have to take vacation when the time comes.  "Due date" was 10/27 +- 2 days, and I was betting on the + anyway.  Nena rotates between her pen in the basement, all set up for whelping, and the family room.  She did some nesting last night (first I have noticed) but that's as far as it went.  She went outside ready to chase rabbits, and is currently staring at me, willing me to feed her.  Some bitches don't eat the day they whelp, but that's rarely the case with Dals, many of who eat right up to the time the first pup arrives.

It's fortunate that Ron is retired and is a night owl so there's someone around most of the time. He checks on Nena just before he comes to bed and I get up a few hours later.  That way I don't have to lose work days when nothing is actually happening.  We never let the girls whelp unattended, as we sometimes have to step in and dry pups, cut cords, tie cords, or help keep things organized if the pups come too close together.  Pauli had a puppy lodged crosswise with its head twisted back, and that required a trip to the vet for assistance.  Pup did not survive, but we did NOT have to have a caesarian done.  Holly's whelping last year went smoothly, other than a couple of cords cut too short that required tying.  Hopefully Nena has inherited the good whelping instincts that are still normally present in Dalmatians!

Once we've got pups, I'll check with everyone on my list to see who is still interested.  People have a way of dropping off the reservation list for a variety of reasons.  Time, money, finding another puppy elsewhere, or deciding to wait awhile longer.  Not a problem.  Much better to make that decision now.  Then we have to wait and see who hears, hopefully all of them, but deafness can occur in Dalmatians, and later we decide who has show potential and will go as a show prospect, and who will go as a companion.  Hopefully we will have the right pups for the right homes - but first we just need puppies! 

All Is Well In Paisleyland!

But nothing is happening yet.  Am glad Nena is waiting as she's filled out a lot this week and I'm beginning to think we'll have more pups than I had originally anticipated.  She could have gone in for an x-ray this week, and answered the question on numbers, but I really hate taking pregnant bitches to the Vet and exposing them to who knows what.  So, we'll just wait and see.

From the progesterone reading we had, and the day that the AI was done, we expect pups on the 27th +- 2 days, so they could have come as early as yesterday.  Am betting on closer to the 29th, but it's up to Nena.  If we were planning a c-section, we'd know when to do it, but we always prefer normal whelpings.  I also prefer normal breedings, but in this case Nena was ready to breed sooner than expected, and a chilled semen shipment was our best option.

Nena is still ravenous!  She actually put her feet on the counter yesterday to check out the chicken thawing in the sink.  Pregnant or not this is not acceptable and I grabbed her by the cheeks, put my face close to hers, and reminded her of that.  She was very apologetic, and being a really good dog I doubt that she will do it again.  It's all about catching them in the act, and not accepting that kind of behavior.  She continues to be an excellent houseguest.

If you're on the waiting list for a puppy, here's something for you to read.

"How to Prepare for a Puppy"

 

• Pour cold apple juice on the carpet in several places and walk around
  barefoot in the dark.
• Wear a sock to work that has had the toes shredded by a blender.
• Immediately upon waking, stand outside in the rain in the dark saying, "Be a
  good puppy, go potty now -- hurry up -- come on, let's go!"
• Cover all your best clothes with dog hair. Dark clothes must use white hair;
  light clothes must use dark.
• Float some hair in your first cup of coffee in the morning. Also put some
  hair in everything that you cook!!! And in the pots and pans in your
  cupboards!
• Run out in the snow/rain in your bare feet to close the gate.
• Tip over a basket of clean laundry, scatter clothing all over the floor.
• Leave your underwear on the living room floor because that's where the puppy
  will drag it anyway... Especially when company is coming.
• Jump out of your chair shortly before the end of your favorite TV program
  and run to the door shouting "No, No! Do THAT OUTSIDE!" Miss the end of the
  program :))
• Put chocolate pudding on the carpet in the morning; don't try to clean it up
  until you get home from work in the evening.
• Gouge the leg of the dining room table several times with a screwdriver. ..
  it's going to get chewed on anyway.
• Have a backhoe come in and dig random giant holes in your yard. Then go out
  in the early AM and step in a few. Try not to break anything.
• Take a warm and cuddly blanket out of the dryer and immediately wrap it
  around yourself. This is the feeling you will get when your puppy falls
  asleep on your lap.

Author Unknown

 

Not Long Now

No matter where I am in the kitchen or dining room, I see this face staring at me, sending me thought waves.  "Feed me, feed me", I'm sure she is saying.  Poor Nena has an insatiable appetite right now.  Thank goodness she is not a drooler like her dad Argus or my floor would be an inch deep in slime!  Her family kept Nena in very good condition, and her weight is just right.  We don't want the girls to get too heavy as it can increase the chance of whelping problems.

The pen is ready for Nena, and the box will go in place tonight.  She probably won't be thrilled about moving to the basement, but it's the only place I have where she can have some privacy (no, I don't do pups in my bedroom).  This two story home doesn't have a really good place for a whelping area, but the semi-finished basement has worked fine for many years.  I set up a pen, put the whelping box in the pen, put a thick later of papers on the floor, and use a whelping box liner and blankets in the whelping box. 

There's a table next to the pen that has all my supplies.  Thermometer, Tums for extra calcium during whelping, lots of towels, heavy thread for tying off any cords that bleed, notebook and pen for recording details.  Of course my cell phone will be added to that too!  This evening I will start taking Nena's temperature so she's used to the process.  Most bitches will show a significant drop in temperature before whelping begins.  I'll also check with the Vet we use for reproductive services to find out who will be on call this weekend, just in case we need help or advice.  Fortunately Ron is home during the day, so unless the pups come this weekend, he'll keep an eye on things during the week.

We're getting close!  Sunday would be good, but we just have to wait and see.

 

Such A Good Girl

Nena is doing well here, seems to be settled in and happy.  Stephanie has done a great job of raising Nena who has lovely manners and fits in well.  She's quiet, easy to walk, very good in a crate, respects the doggy gate, and does not steal from the counters or the trash.  Because she's absolutely ravenous right now, I'm particularly pleased she is not counter surfing.  I don't tolerate that from my own dogs, but many of our doggy visitors don't have such good manners!

Tonight I will put the whelping area together for Nena.  I'll lay papers, set up the whelping box, put up the pen around the box and put up the heat lamp for extra warmth.  Nena can sleep downstairs tonight, so she will be comfortable there when the puppies start arriving.  Yes, I will be with her when she whelps!  My dogs never whelp unsupervised!

Just checked to see if there is a cut off date for the Futurity.  Because I am judging the Dalmatian National in 2014, any pups I breed can not be shown in the Futurity that year.  If this litter would be eligible for the 2015 National I will go ahead and nominate the litter.  I suspect they will be 2014 pups, but I just sent an email to the Futurity Chair to find out for sure.

Nena Joins The Family

That's Nena on the right, watching Fern and Max wrestling on the rug.  They have invited her to join in, but she's trying to be dignified.  The introductions went well, and the dogs are all getting along fine.  Nena slept in the kitchen last night, but I'll introduce her to the basement tonight where the puppies will be raised and she can have some privacy.

I was pleased that introductions went so smoothly, but all my dogs have good social skills and have been raised to accept dogs coming and going.  I hate dog to dog aggression, and raise my dogs to be accepting of other dogs.  It's something that I select for in my breeding plans too, as it is partially genetic.  Show dogs, performance dogs, and companion dogs all need to get along with other dogs.

Last Peaceful Weekend For Awhile

My last peaceful weekend for awhile, I suspect.  Nena arrives tonight to get settled in for a week before the pups are due.  She knows us and knows the resident dogs, but it will still be a culture shock for her.  Fern will be determined to engage Nena in play, but I doubt she'll have much interest.  Argus and Max will want to sniff her everywhere which will be aggravating for her, while Josie and Watson will just say Hi and climb back up on the sofa.  Nena will demand sofa space with Ron in the evening, so Fern will have to share her spot.

Basement is all scrubbed down, and the puppy pen and whelping box will go up tonight.  Max will be sorry that his training area has been taken over and his tunnel put away for now.  His favorite game is chasing tennis balls through the tunnel - his reward after we practice his obedience training. 

Argus probably deserves another cheeseburger as his kids had a fantastic weekend with Brit and Piper getting their first points, Mellie and Bert picking up 7 more points, and baby Will winning several times too.  Mellie has 14 points and both majors, so Jana pulled her on Sunday - because she's finishing too fast!  She's done so well, and we'd like her to get to a few more shows before she's done.  I'm not showing Max at any of the upcoming small shows either as I'd like to finish him in the spring at bigger shows.  So pleased with how well the Argus/Holly kids have been doing!

Josie went coursing with her friend Sue on Sunday and picked about another CA leg.  Because she's already 10+ I'm not sure if she'll be running next year, but as long as she stays sound it's possible.  Both Josie and Sue really enjoy the sport.  Josie also went to a Halloween Party, dressed as a cheerleader - she leads an interesting double life as Sue takes her interesting places.

A Good Weekend So Far

While we sit home, the Argus kids are having an excellent weekend at the dog shows.  Down in Texas Max's brother Bert and sister Mellie took the points both Thursday and Friday.  On the east coast sister Piper won her first point.  And down south Will who was a singleton pup was taking points.   Argie's grandson Ellsworth had also picked up a couple of Best of Breeds and Group placings the past two weekends as well.  Nice.  Argus will need a cheeseburger for his contributions! 

This link is to an excellent article on the pros and cons of spaying and neutering companion dogs.

Spay/Neuter Discussion
 

What Was I Thinking?

What was I thinking?  Why did I think I could "manage" two enthusiastic young Dals so close in age?  What made me think I could raise and train two youngsters just 5 months apart, while living in the city in a house with a small yard, owning 3 older dogs, and still working full time?  And maintain my sanity!  But I decided to do it, and although I sometimes wonder about that decision, we are managing.  Pretty well, actually.

16 month old Fern and 11 month old Max are coming along nicely, but it's been a huge investment in time and energy.  Both are high energy, very enthusiastic dogs, way too smart for their own good, but they have reasonably good manners and are fit, happy, and well-adjusted.  I love them both and because they are such clowns they keep me smiling - most of the time.  Occasionally it gets to be a bit too much, but a Time Out in a crate, for one or both solves that.  Obedience training also makes a huge difference.  Fern did two separate Puppy Classes, and Max did two concurrently, one at PetCo and a better one at a Training School. Max is currently doing a Beginners Class, and Fern will do the same this winter.  The time spent training a puppy is invaluable as it establishes a bond and teaches the pup to learn.  It's an excellent "Management Tool".

I always remind myself that "a tired puppy is a good puppy", but of course you can't actually tire out a young Dal.  Nope, they are not hyper.  Dals aren't hyper, they are enthusiastic, just as youngsters in many other breeds are enthusiastic and energetic.  A breed meant to spend the day running with a carriage must have energy and stamina, just like many of the sporting breeds that were bred to hunt all day.  Additionally, most Dals are bright and easily bored, so you have to keep them busy and channel all that energy.

Max and Fern spend a lot of time playing and wrestling with one another, and with dad/grandpa Argus and aunt Josie.  Argus is Max's sire, and Fern's grandsire, and Argus himself was a high energy, incredibly enthusiastic dog.  I love the fact that the breed is so cheerful, so happy all the time, especially when you are interacting with them. 

Argus, Max & Fern get walked in the evening.  Every evening.  Even if it is raining or snowing or bitterly cold.  It's good for them and it's also good for me.  We do longer walks when the weather is decent, usually one to two miles per dog, but sometimes I cheat and we only do a few blocks, especially if time is short.  The thing is they each get a walk, individual attention, and a bit of training.  A few Sits and Stays, a Recall or two with a food reward, a bit of heeling, but mostly brisk walking.  I use a Flexi lead much of the time, so the dog covers a lot more ground than I do, but sometimes we use a 6-foot lead, as dogs need "city manners" too.  The key here is individual walks, individual attention.  Sunday is Dog Park Day and Argus & Fern look forward to that.  All three dogs get some off-leash running as often as possible.

I've had quieter Dals than the current group, old Watson for example was always calm and civilized even as a Teen-Dal.  Rob was the same way, and so were many of his offspring.  Argus is the other side of the coin, and tends to do lively enthusiastic kids too.  Having owned both, I guess I really prefer the silly, always-happy ones.  The funny ones who make me laugh. BUT they are more work. It would be easier if some of the dogs who go to pet homes were quieter and more laid back, and we have a range of personalities and energy levels in this breed.

Henry is like Argus, always happy and enthusiastic, while Argus's daughter Nena is like her mother Read, calm and sensible.  It will be interesting to see the range of personalities in Nena's litter.  The litter Max was from had 5 livelier and 2 quieter pups.  I can't always pick them perfectly, but normally the clues are there at an early age and I do my best to match the pups with the appropriate homes. 

Pups? Certainly Looks That Way

Poor pregnant Nena wants a belly rub.

Poor pregnant "Nena" is making the most of this.  "Another belly rub, please," she says.  Like so many pregnant Dal girls she is ravenous, even attacking ice cubes with gusto.  Two weeks to go! Two lllooonnnggg weeks.

Nena lives with her "real" owner Stephanie, but I have leased her for a litter and bred her to handsome "Henry" who lives in the St. Louis area.  Both Henry and Nena are AKC Champions and have their CHIC numbers for completing all their health testing. They also have fantastic dispositions and are excellent family dogs.

Nena is a daughter of my wonderful Ch. "Argus" ROMX, and Henry's dam Ch. "Leica" ROM is a daughter of our Ch. "Coral" ROM.  Leica is a sister to "Nikon", dam of Ch. "Penny" and granddam of Chs. "Meribel", "Amery", "Gemma", and "Ellsworth".  We're hoping Nena and Henry match up as well as Argus and Nikon did!  Only time will tell.  They match up well dog-to-dog, and the pedigree looks terrific, but breedings don't always work the way you expect.  As long as the pups are healthy and have good dispositions we will be satisfied, but are hoping for some gorgeous show prospects as well.

Nena will join us this weekend and get settled in.  She knows all the dogs here, and has known me since puppyhood, so she should be comfortable with us (and Ron can be counted on to give her plenty of belly rubs).

Show's Over!

My Roomies, Fern and Max

Back to the old grind . . .

The long-anticipated specialty weekend is over, the last one of the year.  I may do a few smaller shows, but there are no more fun show weekends with big Dal entries and lots of Dal friends, to look forward to this year.  Gone are the days of showing several weekends a month, campaigning a Special.  Now we just show under judges we like, where we know there will be enough other Dals to make the trip worthwhile. With entries so low in the breed, most shows aren't worth attending with class dogs.

Although Jess was unable to travel with me due to problems at work, my traveling buddies Max and Fern were good company and roomies.  Their manners were exceptionally good, especially for two high-spirited Teen-Dals.  Fortunately the weather was lovely and we had the opportunity to do lots of walking which helps a lot.

We had such a good time, and I was particularly proud of Max who took the points all three days and finished the weekend with 10 points and both majors towards his AKC championship (15 points required).  He'll probably sit out this winter, as I'd prefer to get the rest of his points at larger shows, rather than one at a time.

Fernly also did well and showed nicely with the exception of being too happy, but that's my Fern!  She won a Bred By Exhibitor class of 5 the first two days, and went 2nd and Reserve WB the third day. The quality in girls was really good, so I was pleased with that. If she didn't get so excited on the go-around and break gait, she's probably have done even better.  Fern gets to do a few small show for the extra training, so she can catch up with Max.  Both dogs have both majors, which is the tough part, and I'll wait to finish their championships next year.

Down in Texas Max's brother Bert and sister Mellie also did well, with Bert picking up his first points (his first show weekend) and Mellie picking up her first major handled by her co-breeder Jana.  There are five pups in show homes from this litter, and hopefully all will finish their championships.  Last year at this time I was anticipating the Argus/Holly babies, a litter that turned out to be one of the nicest, and certainly the most fun litters I've ever raised.

I had some other pictures from the weekend I wanted to include in this post, but am having trouble with Blogger formatting.  I really need to spend some time with it and see why I am having trouble placing the pictures where I want them.

As Ready As We'll Ever Be

Two wild and crazy young dogs bathed, trimmed, nails done, whiskers done, and ready to go.  Both got long walks and training sessions last night, where we worked on gaiting and stacking.  Their weights are just right, their coats are perfect, they are working well, and both look very good right now, but . . .

But they're high energy Teen-Dals, very happy, very energetic, very enthusiastic, and very distractable.  Hopefully they will show well this weekend.  Fern has some show experience, Max has almost none.  Jess was supposed to show Max in Sweeps which would have given me a chance to watch him in the ring, but that is not to be.  I'm on my own, and both dogs are entered in Bred By Exhibitor.  I am Fern's sole owner, so only I can show her in Bred By even though she was bred by Wendy, Jess and me.  Max was bred by Jana, Jess and me, and the three of us own him, so either of them could show him in Bred By.  But only I will be at the dog shows, so I will be busy!  I have not shown two class dogs in years and YEARS.  What was I thinking?

Because I am currently working Max in obedience, he needs some show ring experience too, so he will understand the difference.  Dogs can do both at the same time, but it takes a bit of extra work.  Because there is so little competition in Dals in the immediate area, Max hasn't had the ring experience our pups normally have by 11 months, so we'll be doing a few shows this fall before I concentrate on obedience over the winter.

It's been a lot of work raising two youngster so close in age (5 months apart).  Two high energy, very enthusiastic, exceptionally happy youngsters.  They've gotten lots of individual attention and training, and I THINK we're ready.  As ready as we'll ever be!

A Bump In The Road

Max & half-sister Nena

This weekend was to be our last Specialty show weekend of the year.  Jess and I were scheduled to head out on Thursday to attend the Kansas Specialty on Friday, showing to one of our favorite judges.  Because so many wonderful senior judges have passed away during the past five years, we figured we'd show to him just because this might just be the last opportunity.  Win or lose, we generally like his judging, the way he runs his ring, and the way he treats exhibitors and dogs.  I'll be showing Fern and Max, Jess was going to show Gemma, and we really thought he would appreciate her.  We've done very few such trips this year, and this would have been the last for this year.  I'll be doing a few more shows this year, but this would have been the last show weekend for Jess and Gemma.

Unfortunately, Jess's vacation was rescinded and she can't have the time off, plus she will be working overtime this week.  Small company, under-staffed, busy week.  Kick in the head.  Jess's boss refunded what she had paid in entries.  Nice, but will she reimburse me for the portion of motel room and gas that Jess would have paid?  Money that will all be coming out of my pocket.  No, I don't suppose she will so this will be an expensive weekend for me.  It's safer, easier, more affordable and a lot more fun to share a dog show trip, but so be it. 

I plan to have fun anyway, hoping that I survive a trip with my two wild and crazy spotted friends.  They are SO enthusiastic and energetic, and there's rain in the forecast - hopefully not so much that they don't get their walks.  When I showed Argus who was the same way at this age, I found that looonnngggg walks before showing helped to settle him down.  At least a little!  Max has only been shown one day at AKC shows, as I've been waiting for him to "grow up" a bit.  He went through some gawky stages, but is looking quite handsome now, at 11 months.  I'll be showing both Max and Fern in the Bred By Exhibitor class.  Fern has both her major, Max needs to start working on his.

That's Max in the picture, with his half-sister Nena who has pups due later this month.  More on that next week.

Dalmatian PR

Tom Demma took this shot of Nena
 

How to use my time more effectively. . .  

Since I haven't been blogging in the mornings recently, I've gotten into the habit of spending more time on Facebook, or playing with the dogs.  Need to change my morning routine to include time for blogging, or better yet do my blog posts the night before.  I could have done that last night instead of watching reruns of "Law & Order" on ION!

I was so proud of the dogs the past two weekends as they attended Fire Station Open Houses in Columbia Heights and Fridley, Mn.  We took Max & Josie, Stephanie brought Nena & Tate (Josie son), Tom brought Sam, plus we had Abby & Willow.  Max, Nena & Sam are all Argus kids, so even though he had to stay home this year he was well represented.  The dogs were wonderful with all the kids, noise and activity.  I considered bringing Argus too, but decided that I wanted to concentrate on Max this year.  I have lots of plans for Max and this was a good time to work on the basics.

Watson has always been the Go To Guy for doggy events, as he particularly likes kids.  He's done a variety of events including Toddler Tuesday at Mall of America and always did the Fire Station events.  Because Watson has "aged out", I need a new dog for such things.  Argus is OK with kids, but doesn't enjoy them the way Watson did and much prefers interacting with adults, as does Josie.  Max on the other hand loves everyone, and is particularly fond of kids.

I've always felt that early socialization makes a lot of difference in this area.  Argus had minimal exposure to children, and Josie was raised in a kennel situation and unfortunately never saw a child before I bought her, but the litter Max is from had a great deal of exposure to children of all ages.  It shows!

Because Dals have gotten so much bad press over the years, especially during the fallout from over-popularity after the Disney movies, it's important that Dal owners get their dogs out to mingle with the public and offset some of the bad publicity.  No, they are not all hyper.  Yes, they are smart and trainable.  Yes, they are good family dogs.  Yes, they are good with kids.

 

Puppies!

Max and me

Yes, indeed!  Nena is pregnant and we're anticipating pups in about three weeks. 

Regular blogging will resume tomorrow.  Vacation over!

The Deed Is Done

Henry

Well, at least partially done!  Nena was bred to Henry yesterday, although not exactly in the way I had intended.  One of my reasons for using Henry was that he was accessible, just a day's drive away, while the other dog I had considered for Nena would have required shipping - not possible in this kind of weather anyway.  Chilled semen is always an option, but my first preference is always a natural breeding, especially when it's the first time for the bitch.

Nena

We had hoped Nena would wait until September to come in season, but of course she didn't.  Bitches never come in season when you want them too, and are always earlier or later.  Nena was earlier, and would probably be ready for breeding the weekend of our Specialty shows in Amana.  Not good timing as we already had a full load of three dogs - Gemma, Fernly and Max, and there was no room for Nena.  There was also the issue of traveling with a bitch in season along with a 9 month old male who would quickly figure out what was happening.   That would NOT be fun, and would insure that silly, distractable Max was even sillier and more distracted in the show ring.  After much agonizing, I decided to take Nena if possible and leave Max behind.  He could do the UKC shows in September and get his show ring practice there.

Henry's owner agreed to bring Henry along to the shows since she was entered too, and it seemed as if the day we both arrived would be perfect for the first breeding.  Just to be sure, Nena went in for her brucellosis test and a progesterone reading on Monday.  The Vet called later to tell me the "Good News".  The progesterone reading indicated that she had ovulated the previous day, and would be ready to breed on Tuesday, with optimum breeding days being Thusday through Thursday.  Oops, not good.  We could hope that doing the first breeding on Thursday would be OK, but . . .

After much fuming and fretting, I decided there were three options: 

1. Wait until Thursday and hope it was not too late.
2. Take vacation time and drive Nena down to stay with Henry (an 8 hour drive) and return home just in time to leave for the dog shows. 
3. See if Henry's owner could arrange for a collection and do a chilled breeding on Wednesday.

Options 2 and 3 would both add considerable cost to this undertaking, but . . .

Henry's owner did even better.  She got him in for a collection several hours later, the semen was overnighted to our Repro Vet, and Nena had a Trans Cervical Insemination on Tuesday.  She'll ride along with us this weekend, and hopefully be bred naturally on Thursday.  Not exactly the way I had envisioned this playing out, but it is what it is.  (Which will be the name of my puppy, if there is one for me in this litter - Paisley It Is What It Is!)

Although I really prefer "traditional methods" of dog breeding, it IS nice to have options!

Fun With Dogs

So this is what it's come to.  Skipping a dog show because of the weather, and taking them swimming instead.  There was a time when I never missed a local show, even when I didn't have an entry. I'd be there all day just to watch, and wonder why other people didn't find it fascinating. Now I have to force myself to enter, and then I might decide not to show anyway.  When you campaign a Special, every show is important if you are fighting for a spot in the rankings. I did that for years. When you show in the classes, you can show when/if you feel like it.  There's no rush to get the dog finished, so what's the hurry?  I took Fern over early to practice a bit, but had no interest in waiting to show her at 3:00 PM in 97 degree heat and humidity.  Drove up to Ramsey to pick up frozen dog food instead, taking Fern along for the ride.

On Sunday I took the dogs swimming, one at a time.  First Argus, who mostly ran along the shore sniffing the good smells, then Fernly, who loves to chase sticks - as long as she doesn't have to go in over her head, and finally Max who retrieved about 50 large sticks with great enthusiasm.  He also retrieved some small sticks, thrown by a little girl who was afraid to touch him, but delighted that he would go after her sticks.  Good dog Max.

The weather was incredibly hot yesterday, but it felt just fine on the river where I was having fun with my dogs.  I didn't miss the dog shows, not even a little.

 

 

 

Why Did They Breed To That Dog?

Have you ever wondered why someone decided to do a breeding?  Have you ever said to yourself, “Now why would they do that?" when you heard about a breeding that seemed totally unsuitable.  Did you ever want to ask, "What were you thinking?" when the two dogs seemed like a poor match?  By the same token, have you ever heard a breeding announced and thought, "Wow, what a great idea!  Can't wait to see what they get."  How DID they arrive at that decision?

There are many ways to select a stud dog including (but not limited to) –

• Using your own male because he’s handy and it won't cost anything
• Using your own male because he’s right for your bitch
• Using the male you purchased because he (or his pedigree) seemed right for your breeding program
• Using your own male because you purchased (or leased) this bitch to breed to him
• Accidental breeding – one of your own males made the decision for you
• Using a local dog because it’s cheaper than traveling or shipping or using chilled/frozen semen
• Using a local dog because he’s right for your bitch
• Breeding back into the bitch’s pedigree, using one of her male relatives, presumably lining up on quality dogs
• Breeding back into her pedigree because you want to advertise a linebred litter, even though you know nothing about the line or what it produces
• Using a dog suggested by the bitch’s breeder
• Using a dog whose owner has been pimping for him and making nice comments about your bitch
• Using a dog because "someone" told you he did nice ____s
• Using a dog because his owner will do it for a puppy, saving you a stud fee
• Using a top winning dog because you think it will help you sell puppies
• Using a close relative of a top winning dog because it may help sell puppies
• Using a close relative of a top winning dog because he’s a good producer
• Using a dog because you really like what he produces
• Using a dog because yo really like HIM and hope he can produce well
• Using frozen semen from a dog of the past because it will help you sell puppies
• Using a dog because it just “feels” right (don’t discount this one)
• Using a dog because you want to add “pedigree pieces”
• Using a dog because the litter will have a great looking pedigree
• Using a dog because he’s from a bloodline that is very good in areas you want to improve
• Using a dog because he “matches” up with your bitch, being extremely good where she may be faulty, and if he has some minor holes those are areas where your bitch is good
• Using a dog because everyone else is using him
• Using a dog because you want to do something "different"
• Using a dog because you can't think of anyone else

These are just a few of the ways a stud dog  might be selected, but not necessarily things the bitch owner will admit to (or even be conscious of).  It IS fun to sit on the sidelines and see what develops, like watching an experiment.  Did the combination work as well as the breeder hoped, or was the litter as bad as you expected? (Those are not mutually exclusive!)  Maybe the breeder lucked out and got some nice pups or maybe it was a bust.  I've always figured that as long as a breeding produces healthy pups with good dispositions, and the breeder was objective about the pups, then it was a good litter and the breeder may have learned something.

I'm currently following the progress of several breedings that SEEMED as if they should work really well.  I'm not sure which of the above possibilities were used in the decision making, but it will be interesting to see the results.  I can sit back on the sidelines, with no work and no expense and watch the results.   I never get tired of that.  It's just the Breeder in me, I guess.

Summer Fun and Puppy Plans

All is well.  My apologies for the lack of blog posts, but since most of you are Facebook friends as well, you already know that everything is fine.

The dogs have had a great summer, with Max enjoying his swimming adventures in the Mississippi

 

River and Argus and Fern enjoying Sunday trips to the Dog Park, where they run with other dogs and splash in the pond.  Only Max actually swims - he thinks nothing of taking off across the river in pursuit of a stick - or as in the picture above, a floating log which he was determined to retrieve and bring back to shore.  Fern prefers splashing in the shallows, just like Argus does.

 

Not sure how I thought I was going to raise two youngsters that are only six months apart in age, since I live in the city and do NOT have a lot of yard.  It's surely a lot of work, but they are turning out well - and I'm staying fit with all the walking!  Both pups are high energy and enthusiastic, but very smart and willing.  Or at least Max is willing.  Fern is a bit of a hard head about some things, but is turning out to be an excellent housedog and companion.  Max is endlessly entertaining, and I don't regret for a moment that I kept him too.

Fern is off to a good start on her Championship with a major and a Group placing in just a few outings, but Max has had only one show weekend so far, and will miss the next one we had planned for him.  No hurry I guess, as it's a lot of work to show two dogs and I should concentrate on Fern anyway.  A weekend of UKC shows in September will give me a chance to put some work into Max, and perhaps he can go along to the Kansas Specialties.  Because I will be showing both Fern and Max in Bred By Exhibitor Class anyway, Max really doesn't have to be shown as a pup.

Current news involves Puppies!  We're planning a litter!  No, I don't plan to keep one, but do hope to co-own one locally.  We're doing a breeding for pedigree, combining an Argus daughter with a dog who has a very Paisley pedigree.  I'm trying to pick up some old pieces of the Paisley line, and the dog I will be breeding two is "very Paisley".  Although he does not carry a Paisley name, I co-bred him, and suggested the breeding to the friend who co-owns his dam, a Coral daughter. 

The mama-to-be came in season just this week, NOT very good timing on her part, but it is what it is.  She'll have to ride along with us next week when we go to the Amana shows, and the dog she will be bred to will meet us there as his owner is showing too.  At least that's the plan right now.  We'll see how this goes.  I don't like traveling with bitches in season, and it means that Max has to stay home.  Not enough room to carry four dogs, and not fair to a 9-month boy to have to travel with a bitch in season!
 

Mystery Solved!

As many of you know, we feed our dogs a raw diet, and that occasionally includes chunks of pork neck which has a harder bone than their normal fare, and requires a bit more chewing.  Dogs always eat in their crates or outdoors.  Fern isn't a big chewer or a big eater, and occasionally sets her pork necks or chicken back aside for later, under the edge of her crate rug - so Josie always checks Fern's crate in case it needs a bit of "housekeeping".

I'm absolutely paranoid about doggy odor, having visited too many breeders whose houses smell, well, doggy, something I would hate to live with.  When I walk in the door I always do the sniff test and can tell if a pup had an accident that Ron missed, or if anything else is amiss. I can't rest until I've solved the mystery.

When I came home from Waukesha Sunday night I noticed an "off odor", as if one of the dogs had barfed up half digested chicken.  All the rugs were clean, all the furniture throws were just washed, all the crates smelled fine, all the dogs smelled like warm fur.  I checked the fridge, the potato bin, everywhere.  Nothing.  I noticed it again on Monday, not a strong odor, but something "off", and again I checked rugs, crates, furniture throws, dogs, fridge, everywhere.  Nothing.

Tuesday it was too wet to mow when I got home from work, so I decided to sweep and vacuum the family room and kitchen which had not been done over the weekend as I was out of town.  As I pulled out one of the chairs in the family room, the smell got stronger.  I didn't notice anything at first, but when I took the broom out to sweep the corner, there was  something dark pressed against the baseboard.  Ah hah!  I grabbed a paper towel and picked up a very stinky chunk of pork neck!  Someone (that means Fernly, who inherited Grandpa Argus's habit of burying things) had squeezed between the chair and the wall to find a safe place to keep her uneaten dinner from being stolen by someone else.  We had pushed the chair back in place, effectively keeping her prize safe.  Ugh!

Mystery solved!

Much Better, Thank You

This was my post to Facebook last week -

Whew! A call from Ron to tell me Fern had run into the rabbit fencing and had a WIRE IN HER EYE! Needless to say, I was home in record time and off to the Vet's. The wire went between the eyeball and the skin - in the socket but down and out. A tiny scratch on her cornea, a skin puncture and some bruising. Dr. S says it SHOULD heal uneventfully. Please say a prayer for Fern and now I will start breathing again.

Fern's eye continues to look good, but she goes in for a recheck on Tuesday to make sure that the small abrasion on her cornea is healing properly.  The injury did not keep her home this past weekend, and we attended shows with good sized Dal entries despite all the excitement.  Fern didn't win either day, but we both learned a lot!  She's still a bit immature and would probably benefit from sitting out for a few more months, but I need to be back in the ring.  Although I have shown for many years, I have not seriously trained and shown a class dog since 8 year old Argus was a pup, and haven't shown a bitch since 10 year old Josie was a youngster (other than just a couple times in the ring with Amery but Jess did the training there).  The shows this summer are more about training (retraining?) ME.  Once Argus was trained, he was very easy to show - which Fern is NOT, at least not yet.  Her ring behavior was MUCH better on Sunday, with a LOT of extra work after her lousy performance on Saturday.  (Most of which was my fault, I might add.)

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 I came home to a nice surprise last night when I found that Fern's UKC Championship certificate had arrived in the mail on Saturday.  I hadn't even realized that she'd finished as I've never figured out how UKC counts points - I just use their shows for fun and practice.  In four UKC shows Fern had three Group Ones and a Group Two - guess that was enough for a Championship. 

Hopefully we can add an AKC Championship to that this year.  Then on to Coursing for Fern.

Max came along with us this weekend and did so well.  He's such a sweet boy and tries so hard to please. 

Backsliding

Day 2, Waukesha weekend. This has traditionally been one of my favorite show  weekends, and one we rarely miss. It's always hot and humid, but judges, entries and shopping are normally good and we've picked up lots of majors and finished a number of dogs here over the years.

The judging panel was satisfactory this year, so Gemma and Fern were entered and we were delighted to find the entry  included a 4 point major in bitches and 6 Specials - fun!  Things went downhill from there when Jess developed cellulitis in her leg from a bad reaction and subsequent infection from some kind of plant - like Poison Ivy on steroids.  Gemma was put out of commission too, when one of her housemates (a mixed breed rescue) punched a few holes in her. Then Fern got a wire In the eye (long story) but after a BIG scare, it turned out to be a relatively minor concern and I decided  to make the trip anyway.  With such a nice entry there was sure to be out of towners to chat with, Fern had shown well the previous weekend, Groups and BiS are always competitive, and I needed to purchase some supplies from vendors who are always at those shows.

Wrong on all counts! Cold and windy, overall show entry was way down, vendors were down, Fern showed like an ass, half the entry (and all the winners) were with handlers (which is really taking a lot of the fun out of dog shows), and the Groups were boring. What a disappointment!

A nice lunch with a group of Dal friends was fun, the collar guy was there so I ordered a new collar for Argus, and one of the stands had the 16 inch chain collar I wanted for Fern.  That's about it. Nice motel too, though it represents money I could have saved had I stayed home.

Fern's ring behavior was a combination of cold wet grass, wind, 8:00 judging, but mostly bad judgement on my part.  "Bad Sue, bad, dumb Sue.". How much had we practiced stacking and gaiting in the previous two weeks? Not at all.  Did I get to the show in time to work her? Did I take her for a long walk to settle her down? Did I stand with her in the ring area for long enough?  Nope to all of that.

I can't do much about the weather today, but Fern and I put in a lot of work yesterday and we'll do more of it today. She stacked fine yesterday and was solid on the exam, but her feet rarely touched the ground when she gaited. Hopefully we got that problem resolved. We'll see. Maybe she only shows well outdoors when it's hot! Hope not 

What About The Rights Of Others?

If all dog show folks lived in rural areas with no close neighbors and no zoning issues, things would be a lot less complicated.  Unfortunately, that is not the case and many of us live in residential areas with close neighbors and lots of restrictions.  Some of us prefer living in the city for convenience, easy access to schools, shopping, restaurants, elderly relatives or simply because that's where we lived before we got into dogs.  Others have found the cost of homes with any amount of property to be prohibitive, or to require too long a commute to work.  Whatever the reason, living in a neighborhood surrounded by other people brings with it a lot of responsibility.

It's not uncommon to read of a dog owner who is being harassed by neighbors, animal control, or their city because of the dogs, with the complaint generally being too much barking.  Far too many other dog owners immediately take their side and comment about "bad neighbors", "crabby retirees", "people with too much time on their hands", "troublemakers", "dog haters" and such.  But what about those neighbors?  Could it be that those complaints are justified?

When you own a home in a nice residential neighborhood and pay (often astronomical) property taxes, you expect to be able to leave your windows open and enjoy your yard on nice evenings.  Yes, there may be occasional noise from kids playing, loud music, late parties and early mowing, and an occasional dog barking when someone walks by the yard.  That goes with living in a community.  BUT the neighbors should not be expected to put up with endless barking from dogs left in the yard - OR left in the house with the windows open.  I've had a few inconsiderate neighbors over the years and I know how annoying even a small dog barking for hours in the yard or the front window can be.  What about a houseful of dogs?

Some people are not bothered by barking dogs.  You may not be, but many of us are!  Even though I am a dog owner, I truly hate listening to uncontrolled barking.  It gets on my nerves and makes me crabby.  I can't sleep, concentrate, or work in my yard.  You may have the right to own a dog - but I have the right not to have to listen to it for hours on end.  So do YOUR neighbors.  Why do you assume that your dogs' barking should not bother your neighbors?  Why should your neighbors have to put up with it?  Perhaps that neighbor works nights and needs to sleep during the day or has a serious illness that makes it difficult to sleep.  Perhaps the neighbor would like to sit on his patio without listening to your dogs.  Perhaps he'd like to work in his yard without having your dogs charge the fence.  Perhaps the neighbor would like to listen to the birds, or the sound of crickets, but all he can hear is your dogs.   How fair is that?

We are all in this together, dog owners, non-dog owners, and dog haters.  We are facing ever more restrictions on our rights to own and especially to breed our dogs.  Every inconsiderate dog owner who annoys their neighbors makes it worse.   Please, do your part.  Don't force your neighbors to put up with needless barking, and don't make things harder for the rest of us.  And PLEASE, don't use the excuse "dogs bark".  Yes, they can and do.  It's your responsibility as a dog owners to manage that barking, and to consider the rights of others.  To do anything less is to be selfish and irresponsible and will hasten the day when none of us will be able to keep dogs in the city.