Doggies!!!

I know I still haven't put up the post about the last day of Westminster ... I'll get to it, don't worry ...

Communicating with your Pup ... or not so 'Pup" anymore ... According to Cesar Milan (Dog Whisperer)

• barking
• whines/yelps
• growls
• snarls
• howls
• position of body & parts of body
• fur (standing up/laying down)
• ears (position)
• Eyes
• mouth (not all snarls are mean, not all 'smiles' are nice)
• tails (not all wagging is friendly)

Actually - having grown up around dogs, having trained dogs since I was about 15yrs old ... it always amazes me at how many people don't know these things.

DOGGIES!!!!!

Westminster ... alright - its been over for a couple of weeks now and I haven't gotten around to posting about the second night yet ... geesh ... it will have to wait - I haven't watched the recording yet, but I will soon ...

This post is about ...

So I went to the Westminster site and pulled up the 'best of breed' videos for some of my favorite breeds ...

SIBERIAN HUSKIES


WTF??? Okay ... I know there are multiple colors out there ranging from all white to nearly all black ... but there seems to be a real trend towards the lighter color of dog ... ones that are nearly all white but not quite.
I don't like this -- the coloring of a husky has multiple purposes:

• it helps to absorb heat from the sun in the day
• it makes it easier to see them on the snow (when a musher may be having issues with reflection)
• it makes them easier to see in a snow storm (make sure your headed in proper direction)
• distinguishes between dogs (for hooking up)

the trend to go for the lighter colors or greys is making the breed look more like Malamutes than Huskies.
Although, I can live with this trend more than the one towards a smaller dog ... several years ago, there was a trend to push for a minature standard of the breed, a dog that was about 15" tall (the size of a minature, or small standard, poodle) ... this would render the dog too small to be a decent puller ...

I'm sorry - but for a WORKING group dog, I think the function has to out weigh the form ... while I tend to lean towards the black/white variety, I do like the greys and reds as well ... but I like a DISTINCT marking to the dog, not this washed out batch that made it to the breed ring.

very disappointing.  very.
8=8  8=8  8=8  8=8  8=8
(look - dog bones :-)
NEWFOUNDLANDS

alright - this was just funny!

I love these dogs, but these ones have at least 20 lbs on our Addy who we keep trim to lessen the strain on her joints & heart ... Newfs have a LOT of joint & heart issues, and very short life spans ... and these ones are very puffy and brushed exceptionally well which makes them fluffier ...
and much more comical to watch!

Keep an eye on the circle the handlers and dogs run around the ring - it shrinks dramatically as the dogs decide they just don't want to put that much effort into it.

Then there is the dog who is stacked perfectly until his handler isn't looking - so he moves his back feet ... not a disqualification, but it messed up his stack.

The dog with the flash on the chest is just hilarious to watch -- you can just hear him going "Do-do-do-do" as he prances at the camera ... I think the flash is just making it more prominent.

One issue:

The Landseer ... now don't get me wrong, I love Landseers, I would have gotten one if the breeder had had it ... but I do not like the coloring on this one ... and to me the coloring on the front left leg should have been taken as a fault, the coloring (at least to me) is more than just "ticking" it is patched., but that's just me I guess.  To me though, it did not meet the standard for the Landseer catagory:

I can't tell from the video if the one I like actually took the group or got 'best of opposite sex' which is where the handler was standing ... to me the only dog there that actually looked the way you would think of a Komondor was dog 3 ... at least ring wise (I can not make out the armband numbers)

The purpose after all of all that cording is so that wolves and other preditors can not tell the front from the back ... and the third dog is the only one with long enough cording, thick enough cording all over the body as well as the tail to allow this to be so.

It is the one dog that actually looks like the pictures that the AKC chooses to represent the breed in their publications & website ... while the length of the coat can be tied to age, of the two dogs that won the youngest was 4 1/2 yrs old and should have had a full coat by now (they must begin to cord by the time they are 2yrs old) ...

I guess I will have to watch the show to see which of these two made it into the BoS ring ...
8=8  8=8  8=8  8=8
LEONBURGER

as you may recall from my other "doggies" post - this is a new breed to Westminster ... and it fascinates me.

as such - I will not comment, just let you enjoy the video

Doggies!!!!

[f-ing blogger ... it still screws up photos! and you don't find out about it until after you publish things up ... ugggh, thought they fixed this bug!
You've got to be f-ing me ... now there are mistakes in the page just because I editted it? what the F? ]

Those who know me well know - I am totally addicted to the Westminster Dog show.  I usually record it every year, watch the live broadcast, watch the recast, then watch what I recorded ... and second guess the judges.

I have my favorites amongst the dogs that I watch (breeds that is) ... and I hardly remember the judges from year to year -- I'm more interested in the dogs' forms ... and what the handlers do.
-------------
Observations:

Toy Group:

that poor poodle, it just did not show well.  The handler just didn't seem to be 'in the game' he held the lead too tight and the hip puffs seemed too close to the mane for me ... and its really to bad ... although, I was not completely satisfied with the butt end of the dog.  I like to see a less 'bubble butt' on poodles, more angular, muscular, and I think the mane went too far onto its back - it should have ended just a little bit earlier ... I actually got the feeling that they handler was using the coat to hide a fault.

I'm very partial to poodles ... grew up with miniature poodles .... grew up hearing the horror stories from the shows my folks attended.... like the two guys who got into a bitch-fight across the ring [sounds like there was some personal-business between the two] .... there was the show where the woman cried 'rape' because her bitch [who was in season] was mounted by a dog while waiting to enter the ring - there were also allegations that it was a set up to keep that dog out of the ring ... then there was the bubble gum incident that I got to witness first hand - while waiting to enter the poodle specialty obedience ring, there was a bunch of yelling and stewards were rushing to the grooming area - a handler was just going nuts! she was accusing the person next to her of throwing or pressing a wad of gum into her dog's fur on the ear - if you know poodles, its very tough to scissor in a fault on the ears ... while there is a lot of fur there, the amount that would be needed to remove a wad of gum was impossible to fix.

Pugs - my daughter and her boyfriend always talk about getting one of these later in life ... a friendly friend of ours son owns one ... I don't like them at all.  nuff said.

Brussels Griffon: I love these dogs' faces ... they look like little gargoyles - if I got one, that would be its name! but they are just too small for me ... but I bet they would make great mousers with those little feet, they should be able to walk on the smallest of ledges like a cat ... but then, with the puff to their coat it might not work so well.

Chihuahuas: don't care for the breed - no matter the coat ... grew up with a neighbor that had them, thought they were just mean!  They have tennis balls for heads and the eyes are too 'buggy' for me.  If you own one - put the damned thing down and let it walk for itself!  On the show side of things - I don't know how the smooth coated Chihuahua got as far as it did - its tail was WAY TOO fluffy for a smooth coat, it like a trimmed down long-hair's tail in my opinion.  The tail shouldn't have fur longer than the overall coat if you as me -- and that poor thing, the handler was pulling up way too much on that leash (the poor things feet kept getting pulled off the ground).

Chinese Crested: you might know this as the hairless ones that look like they had a really bad experience at the barbers ... I was glad to see the full coated version this time - it looks a lot less 'freaky' ... it actually looks like a tiny afghan hound without the beard.

Havanese: I know absolutely nothing about this breed other than the fact that it was the breed that our Newfie's breeder were going into.  He (husband) was doing the Newfs, she (wife) was doing the Havies ... from the talk with the Newf breeder, he thought they were a waste of fur.

Thin legged breeds (Italian Greyhounds, Manchesters, MinPins): they scare me when they get down off the table and start walking around - I'm always waiting for the horrid thing to happen, when one of those twigs they have for legs gives way.  I know that their bones are so thin that a single misstep on the stairs can break a leg, and the bones are so thin that, like a horse, they can not be easily set.  The breeders need to start breeding for some density for those bones - while it will make a thicker leg, it would be better for the dogs in the long run (look at the toy fox terrier legs, still thin but it has some muscle for shock absorption)
MinPin: What a terrible carriage in the back - he looked like a bulldog from behind.

Maltese: my brother and his (now) ex-wife used to raise and show these.  I am impressed by how white the dog was in the show ... they 'yellow' so easily.  Any impurity in the wash water will turn them yellow, the wrong shampoo will give them a yellow cast, and tear stains - OMG - they are impossible to avoid and once there they are hard as heck to get rid of! This dog impressed me on coat standards alone.

Pekingese: (group winner) what a dustbunny of a dog! just spray a bit of floor polish on it and let it go to shine up your wood floors! for you Trekkers out there - they are the Tribbles of the dog world ... but they don't exactly trill, their noses are too pushed in for me.

Pomeranians: this particular one reminded me of wool batting used to spin yarn ... the coat looked nice and dense and had a lovely color - that was a lovely copper color.  And you have to love the twirling - just like a 4 yr girl in her first formal dress ... so cute ... but not for me.

Shih Tzu: what a wonderful top-knot! the top knot on a Tzu is very tough to do, get it wrong and you've lost the show - this one had a nearly perfect knot up there, I loved the way he used the knot to pull up the black from the eyes extending that color in perfect lines - a wonderful job!

Hound Group -

Saluki: I thought this dog looked too 'thick' to me ... perhaps I just think of them as being such a slight dog that it just threw me. Of course I thought it should have been white instead of the buff that this dog was.

Scottish Deerhound: (winner of group) had the best looking face, I have to tell you! When he walked that Scottish moustache was shown to its best - it was like it knew it was going to take the group ... wonderful dog.

Irish Wolfhound: our neighbors loved these dogs ... we had a teacher at Obedience school that had them ... they are very gentle for the most part, but they will guard their homes.  I liked the coloring on this dog, but I thought the handler was a bit too excited for the ring so the dog didn't show to its best advantage. It should have been in the top 3.

Basset Hound: I don't recall seeing a Basset with wrinkles on its knees before! It reminded me of the old panty hose commercials
I thought it was rather cute that they told the joke about how the best time for Basset sight was right after it stops running, at least until the wrinkles roll forward - it was such a great image. 

Plott - can we not come up with a better name for a breed?  It sound like it either just lays around, or that your describing the droppings left behind.  Poor thing ... but that said, it looked like a very happy dog! I loved its ears.

Red Bull Coon Hound - new to Westminster this year ... it is a lovely deep, old copper color.  but the poor thing looked a tad scared, it wasn't watching the handler well enough, the head was on a swivel.  Too bad too, I think it would have showed so much better. Lovely dog .... but I would actually like to have seen it no darker than the typical Irish Setter - but then I've seen them taking on a more 'brownish' cast to them as well ... I like them copper red, myself.

Beagles - both (13 & 15inch) had the furriest tails I've seen in a long time, full plumage.  I like them with less fur on the tail myself.  They stacked well, but I would like, just once, to have a judge pull out all the 'beagle-like' breeds out for placing ...

wouldn't you just once love to see both beagles, the harrier, the American & English Foxhounds all pulled together? Then a person can get a good look at all the differences ... like how the American Foxhound is more lean, the English more chesty, the Harrier more leggy in ratio, and the Beagles more angular ... you know what I mean?
I've got a group in the terrier section I'd like to see do this too - but that's not until tonight's showing.

Dachsund, Wired Haired: I think these are the cutest of the three varieties, but I prefer the merle colored more than the copper that made it last night. 

Norwegian Elkhound - well other than the fact that to my ears they pronounce it wrong ... I thought the dog had to much of a side gait.  But I loved its smile!  I would like to have seen it place better, maybe in 2nd instead of third (but I'm sorry, that Deerhound really showed well).  We used to train with a man that had Elkhounds - he said they were miss named, and that they were more of a Norwegian Terrier (stubborn) and he didn't recommend it for anyone who didn't have a LOT of patience. 

Non-Sporting Group

(which I recall as the Non-Working group):

There are several breeds in this group which I think are miss grouped ... basically they didn't think they belonged in any of the original groups so they got thrown into this group and never got taken back out.

This judge seemed to favor the smaller dogs - even though he pulled a couple of the larger dogs out, his final cut was only dogs knee height or below. Giving it to the Shar Pei (I didn't like its gait or the limited amount of wrinkles)
American Eskimo: this should go under 'working class' in my mind.  They are herders/pullers of light loads ... but I think they were put in here because like the toy poodle, the papillon, and the schipperke they were used mostly for circuses.
I loved this dog's eyes - the corner of them extended lovely around to the just under the ears without having that 'tear stained' look about them.  but I thought the corners of the lips looked too much like the Joker of Batman fame.  It also seemed to turn out its left hind leg quite a bit - it could have been the camera angle, but it looked like a fault to me.

Bichon Frise: I don't get these dogs - just buy yourself a poodle and cut it into pantaloons.  They remind me so much of a poodle that I just can't see them as being anything but posers in furrier suits.  And I can't stand seeing that dark little butt hole when they walk away. yuk.

Boston Terrier: why the heck hasn't this dog been moved over into the Terrier group? someone has dropped the ball on this one - it should be judged with others of its own type.

Bulldog: my brother & his kids love these ugly looking things .... I know they have a following f their own, but they just look horrid to me.  Although I have to say the one that made it to the 'group' competition had a good look to him - very bulldog-ish.  the short stout legs, the barrelled chest, the thick head ... although, I would like to have seen less ribs and a bit more meat between the ribcage and the hips - I thought it looked too thin in that particular area, had it been a female I think it would never had been able to carry a litter, although from the side it doesn't look quite so bad.

Chow Chow: this is another dog I think should be put into the terrier group, it is the 'chinese terrier' if you ask me - they have a very terrier attitude towards things.  Interesting, if not sad, story about the handler losing a gaggle of chows to a kennel fire - something like 18 of them died during a freak explosion while she was out of town.

Dalmation: the neighbor across the street used to have some of these.  One was deaf, both were avid escape artists - she was forever hunting the neighborhood for them.  Then there was the poor kitchen - Dals should not be left to their own devises too long during the day, and they felt she didn't get home quick enough for their liking, so they tore up her floor tiling one day.  Yes she kept the dogs ... but they were never looked at the same again.  My understanding was that at least one of them, Jester, was a rescue dog ... gee I wonder why?
the Handler did a wonderful job at keeping the dog interested and naturally stacked - although it didn't like to stay still too well.  when the handler moved to the side to see what the judge saw the dog moved its feet taking it out of stack ... but a nice straight gait and very alert!

Lhasa Apso: might as well rename these Pushme-Pullyou's ... you have to wonder about how many faults are hidden under all that fur. 

LoChen: okay I don't know much about these dogs - but they look like a hairless Chinese Crested whose mane got out of hand ... not so sure they are really a different breed.  I think AKC needs to look into that.

Poodles: I love poodles, but I'm very critical of them ... and their handlers.

Miniature: okay love the black ... of course just once I would love to see a silver make it up there, but I grew up with blacks so that's okay too ... This particular dog seemed a little 'flat footed' in the hind legs, they should walk on the pads of the toes (or at least give that appearance) and this one seemed to walk on the full padding, very heavy footed in my opinion.  nice gait but the handler seemed to crowd it a bit too much on the turns, he stiffled the dog!  but a BEAUTIFUL natural stack! hind legs at a perfect angle (okay maybe just a tad farther back would have been good, but it was wonderful) ... front legs straight and perpendicular to the ground.  head up ... and then the handler had to go and make the dog move, not once but TWICE while the judge was looking ...
if I didn't know better, I'd swear this guy was trying to throw the competition.
My poodle, Trouble, would have had to been shown as a "Standard" size because he was 15 1/2" tall, he was what breeders called a "Conchie" ... a dog who's parents were one size but the off spring another.

Standard: I love the standard poodle - there is just so much there to work with ... but they take a lot of work, because there is just so much there to work with.  If I owned one - it would be in the English Saddle clip because it has the body length to pull it off ... and if anything should happen during a show (see above) the clip can always be modified into the regular Continental clip. 

It is a clip that I think doesn't get enough credit.
When I had poodles I was always afraid to do the trimming on the feet & face because I feared really doing damage - but with the new 'trimmer' feature on the back of most electric shavers now, I think I could do it instead of using those big clumsy trimmers.  And I could use the dremel to trim those nails.
But that hair - keeping that coat up would be my down fall, I just know it would be.
This is one dog that I would love to see in a black or chocolate ... or perhaps event he new Red color (like a deep apricot) ... but you seem to always see them in white like the one in the show ... I just can't stand white poodles, they look wrong somehow.  This standard had a silver/rose skin, very nice ... a tad more spackled then I would have liked it to have been though.  I would like to have seen a better separation between the mane and the hip puffs, but that is just minor.  I did like the puff on its tail ... so often you see them looking more like a "flag" than a puff, so the handler did a great job at achieving the symmetry the style called for.  The legs looked nice and muscular ... but the toes spread out a bit much for me - perhaps it is just the way Standards are being they are so much heavier than Miniatures.  I loved the face on this dog - very regal ... I would love to have seen the evenness of the skin coloring from the face over the rest of the dog, but that's just me.
the handler seemed to be going faster than the dog wanted to, the leash a tad taught for my liking, but at least not to the point of pulling the dog off the ground.  A lovely straight gait, but a bit of a hop instead of a smooth turn - handler error - Not the best stacker though ... sounds like this dog has been in the business for 9mos ... that's nearly a lifetime for the show ring ... but at least she is a champion (you have to be to make it this far).

Shiba Ino: should be put into the "Sporting Group" in my opinion ... while they are small, they were bred for hunting!  they are supposed to be really good mousers ... I've never worked with one or anyone who had one.  but they look wonderful ... I'm betting they are very stubborn.

Tibetian Terrier: another dog in the wrong group ... hello, it needs to be moved to the Terriers group.  You might recognize it as the breed used in the remake of "Shaggy DA" with Tim Allen.  They are only a few years old (in AKC standards) ... lots and lots of shedding hair.  I know very little of the standard for the breed - but I love the looks.

Herding Breed:

Australia Cattle dog: Interesting, usually you see these in the Blue only - it was nice to see it in the other color, red.  don't like the breed, but the handler did a great job at keeping the leash very loose and letting the dog do the work.  Another dog with a puffier tail than I think it should have - the fur needed to be smoothed down more in my opinion.

Austrailan Shephard: nice gait! lovely dog, even if I don't like the breed.  another really good handler.

Bearded Collie: (group winner - I can't believe it) this dog suffered from the handler.  the hairs around the mouth looked dirty - like it wasn't washed after it ate - they reminded me of the whiskers of a cat fish ... when the handler readjusted the collar the dog seemed to give him a look that said "forget it pal" ... the leash wasn't held with any consistency so it would go limp, switch sides of the head, and then tighten up throwing the dog's head out of place.  But it did do a lovely natural stack.  I loved how the tail & fur flowed - I have to give the handler credit for that much.

Belgiums: there are three distinct breeds here, but wanted to put them all under this main heading since they have similar body structures ... what makes them separate breeds is the fact that when you breed two of the same type together, you get off spring that result the same .. unlike Labradors where if you breed two blacks, you can still get goldens in the resulting litters ... more on this later.

Malinios- loved the look of this dog.  lovely coloring with a very 'german shephard' face - that is the black muzzle fading into the brown forehead and then back into black ears. It had a lovely even body line.  If you love German Shephard's but hate the lope (like I do) this might be the breed for you ... I might have to put this on my list of 'maybe somedays' along with the Scottie/Westie (have to get the pair), the Standard Poodle, and Komondor [really I know I will be going back to Huskies, but its nice to think about it].  This dog was shown by a Junior Handler still in high school --- WOW, how wonderful that she made it into the center ring! usually the Jr. handlers only make it into their own competition, so this was great to see.  The dog seemed a little apprehensive but alert and showed very well.

Sheepdog - these are the ones with the full black coat, the ones you see being used as police dogs in Europe. it looked a little shorter than the other two Belgiums, and she seemed very out of sorts - keeping a closer eye on the audience than the handler ... too bad too.

Tervuren - (2nd place) I don't usually like the ones that make it in the ring for this breed - probably because I thought Fritz had such perfect coloring (too bad we never bred him) ... but this dog is lovely ... beautiful black mask, lovely red on the back and not too much fawn on the bottom ... for being a male though, I would like to have seen a little darker coloring on the back. But the dog worked wonderfully!

Bouvier des Flanders - usually I love the Schnauzer looking breeds, I just do, but the Bouvier is not one of them.  Perhaps it was the day I saw one grab a Sheltie and toss it into the air like a rag doll that has colored my opinion of them.  The dog was not a regular to our dog club, they were a drop in because of some issue the dog had at a local show ... and in the middle of an OffLeash Figure 8 exercise the dog just took out after this sheltie for no reason.  I do not like the breed.

Briards: I love the look of a Briard, especially the young brown ones.  They look like big teddy bears!  The one in the show was trimmed perfectly ... I wish it hadn't broke its gait during its parade, but it showed very nice.

Collie:

Rough - Though this dog was shown in the blue color, people know it best as the Lassie dog. Too bad though, I thought this dog had too scissor of an action of its front legs - that is having them criss cross the body while walking, it looked like it was trying to knock its wrists together. It might look cute, but to me its bad form.

Smooth - shown in the black/white color this is a lovely dog ... at least until it moved - then it looked pidgeon toed. the front feet seem to turn inward while walking while in the back the feet seemed to turn outward from each other. Not sure how this wasn't caught in the breed ring.

German Shephard Dog - okay, normally I don't put the 'dog' on there, but that is its official name now - if you ask me, its redundant ... after all you aren't going to have a German Shephard horse at the dog show ... its stupid naming.  BUT about this particular dog ... nice mask, nice coloring, although it seemed a bit skittish around the hide side during the inspection.  The dog broke its stride during its parade, but that's only a minor thing.  But I just don't like the low lope in the back side.  I had heard about 20 yrs ago that they were trying to breed that out in hopes of diminishing the occurrence of hip dyspepsia in the breed, but this dog doesn't look like the breeders got the message - but that's a personal thing.

Icelandic Sheepdog - A new breed! I love that face! such bright, but dark eyes.  I would say you'd have to call this dog "Hagrid" because of the way his eyes are described in the book series.  what wonderful movement too - feet nice and straight, walking almost on the toes ... you could definitely see this working the herds close to the water line where precision footing is needed. And even though the tail is carried high over the back - you can't see the butt hole, I very much appreciate that.

Norwegian Buhund: these are relatively new ... there used to be a breeder of the FSS not that far from us, but we never went to see them, they have since moved.  It reminds me too much of a Sckipperke for my tastes though.  The dog seemed to waddle from side to side.

Old English Sheepdog:  I love this dog .. I wanted one when I was growing up.  I love the way the head was groomed on this dog - but once again we have a handler that forgot the details and left last nights supper in the fur around the mouth.  Nice gait. but a dirty face. too bad - that will count against it.

Polish Lowland Sheepdog: it looks like a small Old English ... but look - the face is dirty again too!  What is with that? Unlike the OES, when the dog walks, the fur tends to fly away from in front of its eyes so it can actually see (actually that's a joke, OES see just fine even with all the fur).  This dog had a very nice gait ... but the judge didn't seem to give it much attention.

Shetland Sheepdog: I really don't like these dogs - I think they are way to skittish to do what they were bred for ... I haven't met one yet that will come up to greet you.  I also think they are over bred. this one is pretty much basic, but there seemed to be a crook in its tail ... not what I'd like to see.

Swedish Vallhund: I don't know a lot about these dogs, but they interest me.  its like a shephard/corgi cross.  its hard to imagine them herding anything really - after all, who could take them seriously?

==================

not shown during this part, but mentioned in the show:

Leonberger: This dog looks like the product of breeding our Newfie, Addy, with my dad's Tervurn, Fritz.  It has a very square head, with a long lovely mahogany coat that is puffy like a collie's, but fawn on the underside of the dog.  it looks like a lovely dog - I would love to own one ... but I'm guessing that not only would they 'blow' like a Newfie, they probably shed year round like the Tervurn. 

Belgium Tervuren

+

Newfoundland (black)

=



Leonberger



Okay - this isn't what they did ... its just what it reminds me of.

AKC does NOT allow cross breeds into their 'ranks', there is a lot of background foundation that needs to take place.

Movie Monday

Need to find a new place to hide those dog biscuits!

Cuteness Alert

Yes he will grow into those ears ... another new breed ... Berger Picard - yeah that's the name of the breed .... its a herding dog by the looks of it ... its from France (hey, just like Capt. Jon Luc Picard was, even if he did have an english accent)

Now We're in Trouble

The only thing that has kept the world from being run by dogs is the lack of an opposable thumb - at least in my world :-D

Well guess what?? There is one! Its an old breed which is trying to get AKC recognition, Lundehund .... it has 6 toes if you count the dew-claw ... one toe (where the thumb is) is triple jointed and there is one double jointed toe that has tendons and everything like our fingers!!

As you can see above - and yes I had to do a double take - there are 5 toes on those feet ... and no it is not just a dropped down dew-claw, it still has one of those!

I've only known one other creature that had extra toes and that was hubby's old cat "22 Toes" that he had before we got married and I discovered I am allergic to cats - having never grown up with cats I had no idea until we started dating .... now there's love, to give up your pet to be with someone - no I did not do the same thing with my poodle who didn't like him :-}

ANYHOW -

There are videos of the breed on Youtube .... it looks like a toy sized dog, although the standards would make them about the size of a miniture Poodle (about as tall as your knee, 12-15 inches).

Human Training Classes

Okay so we just got back from Human training classes - and lets face it, its not the dog that gets trained its us .... our dog Addy is doing really well - but then she is having the minimum of distractions since this is the second week in a row that she is the ONLY dog in class.

We had missed the first class and couldn't make it up, but at the second class we were able to meet one of the other people signed up - a dobie named Daisy and her female owner & her boy.
Daisy was only 9 months old, and acted just like a 9 month old dog.

Addy is 2 yrs old and so we tried to keep things a little more interesting for her -- silly us, we should have realized that the issue wasn't Addy being bored - it was our being bored doing stuff we had already taught her.

but one of the main reasons we wanted her there in a class was so she could get socialized and learn that she could still listen to us no matter how interesting the other people or dogs are ... an issue with her.

But with the other dogs not showing up (the other dog which we have not met is a dobie too) the socialization part is kind of falling to the wayside ... she does get some distractions from the cats that are in cages in the area where she works, and the people who squeak toys in the aisles (there was a lot of that tonight ... it really played iwth her mind) ... but its not the same as having dogs in the same area with her.

I think there is just two more classes .... next week is basic grooming and then the week after is graduation.

The instructor feels really bad because she feels like she is 'selling us short' since it isn't really a class -- but in reality it is probably selling her short because we are getting private lessons for free (since our son works at PetCo he got the lessons for free) ... I'm sure she would be earning a lot more than regular pay for private lessons.

But its nice to get Addy out of the house, its fun to work with Addy.

My issues? My issue is the same I always have ... its the one my oldest daughter has ... I'm a frickin' know it all. I have a hard time not instructing my husband when its his turn to train ... we trade off ... I have to keep reminding myself that (a) hubby doesn't have the time that I do to work with Addy during the day (b) Addy is NOT the first dog he has trained so he does know what he's doing (c) he did not train his other dogs the same way I trained mine ... and fianlly (d) any training that gets the dog to do what you want in OK, it doesn't have to be done 'my way' ... its a hard thing to remember - but I'm trying my best.

Its not obedience -- she doesn't have to sit straight, just sit. She doesn't have to stay perfectly still, just no move from the spot .... we don't have to use "wait" & "stay" in a specific way, just so long as it does what she is supposed to.

oh man its hard. But I will learn to do this -- I will simply shut-up.

My second problem is -- I love to talk. I've always been this way no matter how many people I speak to during the day I just yammer on an on ... as you can probably tell by how many posts I put out each day .... LOL .... I have a lot of thoughts buzzing around my head and I have just got this great need to share with everyone.

And yes - that is where my daughters get it from. My sons? they are quiet like my hubby.

Total number of blogs hubby has? 0
Total number of blogs I have? I've lost count.

yammer yammer yammer!!

I am NOT going to laugh

Snicker maybe, but not laugh ....

Naked man walking dog Tasered by Tallahassee police tallahassee.com Tallahassee Democrat:

"When asked what he was doing, the man told the officer, “Allah told me to watch a Bruce Willis movie and walk the dog,” McCranie said.

“He was obviously having some sort of emotional distress,” he said. “It was unfortunate we had to use the Taser. … It was the only way we could subdue him without having to hurt him.”"

Dear Sheriff:
Using a Taser HURTS, just ask that dude from Florida. So could you tell he was in emotional distress by (1) his watching a Bruce Willis movie, (2)he was taking his dog for a walk, or (3)his lack of clothing.
Did you bother to ask why he didn't have clothes on? The story doesn't elude to it.
I wonder what the thought process was in the arresting officer's mind "hmmm, write a ticket ... or... taser? take him to a hospital for observation ... or...taser? call a relative....or...taser?"
It doesn't sound in the story as if there was anyone, or even the dog, in mortal danger .... doesn't sound like the dog cared at all actually. I'm kind of curious, I have no idea why, what kind of dog it was.

That is probably the biggest q in my mind right now -- what kind of dog was this naked guy walking? Maybe that's why the cop felt he had to taz the guy.

Boy I hope the cop aimed high!

It IS Spring, right??

Okay to add to the freakish weather from the other day/other post when the non-existant thunderclap took out the power .... we woke up to THIS this morning:

which really would not have been an issue if we had not already been experiencing weather above 70*F for the last week or so -- in fact it got so hot that I was contemplating putting the window fans in to cool down the house (its brick, so it retains the heat extremely well). We had to sleep with the ceiling fans going and the kids were complaining that the upstairs was like an oven.

It inspired me to get part of the seed order in and hubby was waiting for the fields to dry out so he could give it a good tilling before going to get the seeds for the sweet corn.... but instead ... the fields look like this:

We were just discussing ways of keeping the dog out of the pond this summer and hubby and oldest son need to re-bury the pond-form which was forced up by the frost.

We even hoped to get the firepit started here soon in order to enjoy the warm yet still mosquito free nights (especially on the weekends when the kids can stay up later) -- almost talked hubby into a glider swing to go by it last summer -- but instead we got this to warm ourselves by:

Needless to say....

The dog does NOT see the humor in all this:

Not seeing it ONE bit!!!

The Coming Of Planet Of The Apes

First cloned dog set to produce offspring: researchers:

"The world's first cloned dog will become a father next month in the first breeding of cloned canines, South Korean researchers said Friday.
Snuppy, the cloned Afghan hound, successfully impregnated two cloned bitches of the same breed through artificial insemination, the Seoul National University researchers said.
Ultrasonic tests showed the foetuses were all healthy and they are
expected to be born between May 16 and 20.
If the births take place, it will mark the first time that cloned dogs have reproduced successfully, Professor Lee Byung-Chun was quoted as saying by the Korea Times.
'The second generation of cloned animals used to be malformed but we have not found any abnormal aspects about the foetuses so far,' he said."

Just remember, the 'Planet of the Apes' came about because of the demise of cats & dogs! The story had it that some disease came from outer space ... but what if it really got triggered because of a cloning experiment?
I think this is a dangerous thing.
Have you ever made a copy of a copy of a copy? After a while it starts to lose its integrity. It starts to blur and loose cohesion. I would hate to see that in something with teeth and a lot of power to it.

And then there is always the question ... 'how does this benefit us?' ... what you can keep alive some animal you couldn't bare to lose? Where does life lessons come in that? What, it will allow us to bring back extinct species? Like we need to have Dinosaurs stomping around!!!

NO NO NO.

Let nature take its own course! Stop trying to intervene in a system that already has it down pat. Oh Darwin -- what did you begin?!

Lessons taught, learned, forgotten

Okay -- so I got this great online coupon from Herrschner's for free shipping ... I practically LIVE for these coupons - no tax, no shipping ... hey I hit their sale pages like nothing you could ever believe (well maybe you can), only two things I had to do to collect (1)use the click in the email and (2)order at least $35 in stuff. If you knew me, and you can probably tell from my stash assortment on the sidebar, I can come up with $35 worth of yarn w/o an issue....

Accept today. I have noticed that whenever this coupon comes out its either I've (a)already placed a big order, (b)when something is coming up and we can't afford me to splerge, or (c)there isn't anything I really like.

Now I can add (d)there isn't $35 worth of stuff I want to get.

They did have Kroy for socks on sale - but I would have to buy a 6 pack of a single color for $30 ... when I buy sock yarn I like to buy for a single pair of socks, not a fleet of them ... although the coal was tempting for making work socks for hubby, I passed it by.

So I got the cart to like $23 (all in scrapbook stuff) and realized - there wasn't a dang thing more that I liked. Oh the inhumanity of it all. I scrounged thru their regular priced stuff and decided that spending $40 on a ball winder (the usage of which I never considered worthwhile until I started buying hanked yarns, now I can see where it and a swift would be a necessary tool)

Anyhow, I filled out the order and got it in ... not a single bit of needlework in it == all scrapbook and stencil.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Well since I learned a lesson I thought perhaps I better get going on some basic re-training of Addy.

We had Addy really well trained, to the point where we thought the kids should take over. New lesson learned - kids can undo whatever you have taught a dog in less than 2 months ... completely.

Well I was going to work on some off lead heeling. and use her new balls we got her as a reward between training. I got the chicken breasts (left over from last night and only lightly spiced so she could easily have some) chopped into small bits that would still be satisfying for her without being so much as to spoil her or make a meal out of it or make her fat.

It took a couple of times to get her to understand that she had to actually work for her treat.

She was doing great at sitting when I stopped ... going when I started ... staying on the proper side. Wonderful! So we took a break to play ball, it was going to be a short break ... maybe 5 minutes so I could try to break her of her biggest bad habit of all -- jumping on my oldest daughter.

My timing was a bit late ... the kids came home during our play session so Addy wasn't in the best state of mind for listening. Sure enough as I thought the dog did just what I thought she would and when she saw my daughter get within the boundries of her electronic collar she ran to jump on her.

Now we told the kids when she does this they need to do two things - turn their back to her, and tell her 'off'. Well daughter did turn, but it was in a very timid way. Arms pulled up, hands clasped under chin, body bent, top turning before the bottom ... everything that would make a dog feel they were superior.

So I gave her a bit of chicken and told her NOT to give it to the dog until I said so. I asked her to take a couple of steps ... that was all it took for Addy to get excited and jump again. Made the dog sit, had daughter praise her and give a peice of chicken. had her do the same thing a few more times and the dog seemed to get the idea.

Well dog wanted to only hang out with the daughter, so I thought it would be a great time to have my daughter try the offlead work too. My mistake. I hadn't been watching her when she worked the dog onlead so I hadn't noticed all the errors she was making ....

Starting off without saying a word to the dog ... halting too quickly ... walking too slow (Addy's a big dog, she needs to move faster) ... and allowing the dog to walk on the wrong side (left side only please).

So in all of two minutes she undid most of the work I had gotten into Addy's head this afternoon ... sigh .... its a good thing Addy is a smart dog. I will work more with her tomorrow and she will soon learn.

20 minutes a day is all she will really need for her basic training.

My kids want me to hurry and get into the 'fetch' stage of things -- see Addy is very much like a husky in that she will run after the toy/ball and get it, but if you want it back she's going to make you work for it.

She's a good dog. And now that she's 16months I would have expected better from her, but then I have to admit that's partially my fault for not making sure she was getting the proper training.

Now if only I can get my daughter to stop wrestling with her -- she'd save so much of her wardrobe if she would. We go thru more sweaters and pants because the dog thinks she's another puppy .

Well Addy had her time so she was rewarded with extra playtime -- with my oldest who also came home during training (and who, with his little brother, was doing a wonderful job at distracting Addy during training by playing with the volley ball).

Actually I'm glad to see him playing with her. He seemed to have a really tough time bonding with her after our husky had to be put down a couple of months before we got her.

I think, while it wasn't too soon for the rest of the family, it may have been for him. They were really good buds.

Very sad but the dogs still love it.

The Associated Press: Dog Death in Iditarod:

"ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A dog in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race died Saturday. The 7-year-old male, named Zaster, is the first dog death in this year's race.
Rookie musher John Stetson left the dog with officials at the Ophir checkpoint early Friday. The dog had been showing signs of pneumonia.
Iditarod race marshal Mark Nordman says tests will be done to determine the cause of death.
Stetson is from Duluth, Minn., and is 60th in the standings.
He was at the Cripple checkpoint, 503 miles into the 1,100-mile race."

Well, he wasn't exactly a 'rookie' ... from what I've heard on the radio news he has ran in the John Beargrease race earlier this year.

It would have been more accurate to call it his 'maiden' run in the Iditirod.

Kongs, not as tough as they think

Our husky's last photo, his eyes were a very nice blue with "lightening bolts" in his eyes.

Okay so we have had this Kong for quite a while now....it used to belong to our late husky. He was a fairly good chewer which is why we got it for him--he used to make short work out of all the other toys we would get him, he actually found the kong's more than sufficient. He had two...one that looked like a black snowman and then this one that Addy is chewing on.

Photo taken with our home security camera
problem with bright sun hitting camera lens

Addy saw the camera move
which interupted her chewing

Just before the holidays I tried to throw the red Kong for Addy to catch and it landed on top of the roof, rolling down against the gutter where it stuck in the snow. So for the holidays we bought her another just like the first because she seemed to miss it so much.

After she was satisfied it was the camera that moved and not me
she got back to her work

This morning I decided to fill it with 'Kong Stuff' (mint flavored for dog breath) and gave it to her, she loved it. But as I was filling it I noticed that she had managed to chew down the ridges of the Kong (this one is designed to clean the teeth). Oh no. Where do we go from here? Kongs are the strongest thing out there!

We also got her an orange fetching 'dummy' .... a nice large one so we can get it out of her mouth while fetching -- to narrow and you can't get her to let it go -- and somehow she snuck it outside yesterday when we weren't watching.

We now have an orange colored tube that's opened on both ends.

I'm waiting for it to come out in the end.

This dog ..... got to love her.

But I can't wait for her to

MATURE

good day....bad day

Good day: Hubby took me shopping at the grocery store. I know for a lot of people this seems rather mundane, everyday dread....but we don't go to the regular store very often so it is a real treat--especially if he lets me buy stuff I want.

They had Yoplait yogurt (all styles) on sale for 20/$10 (can't beat 20cents a container, no limit)...so we did a really good job at cleaning them out. My daughter stopped counting at 40 when she was putting them into the 'over flow' refridgerator.

He also let me get some Coffee Mate creme....Raspberry (I have got to do a review on this too)
and some International Instant coffee (orange something--I'll review that too)...and some barley for soup....and some canned soup they had on sale (trying to get the kids to eat more soup in their lunches)...and some rutabagas, turnip, & parsnips (they are hard to find at this store)...and they had Hamburger Helper/Chicken Helper on sale for 10/$10!

I love this stuff--it is a great launch point for meals. The box says it feeds 4 but I need to make enough to feed at least 8 (I have two teenagers and a preteen, plus there's hubby)....so I figure out what's in it and stretch it out.
Take the "Lasanga" that's going to be easy....an extra can of tomatoe sauce and a few wide egg noodles...viola supper for 8.
Or the "Chicken Fried Rice"....extra rice, as much chicken as I need, maybe an extra cup of peas...whammo-dinner for the family!
Then as I eat them I pick them apart....trying to figure out what they used for flavoring (being careful not to get anything with fish)....then when I'm out of the boxes I can figure out how to make it myself...and save the money.

Lets see we got chips & ginger-ale for flu season (best to have on hand ahead of time) and little samplers of coffee.
They are the cutest things...they were 10/$10 and are going to be perfect for a gift for my SIL. We figured we could get a couple of coffee cups from Dollar Tree, stuff them with a few of the samplers, put them in a nice basket and give it to her that way. I think it will make a nice gift...maybe I'll even include some Romance novels (I think she likes that smut....I know she wouldn't be into Bronte or Austin).

We ever worked outside with the dog on some basic obedience--she really needed it....we have let it slide the last month or so. She did really well.

Straightened out my cupboards so it would actually hold it all (couldn't believe all the stuff I had to find a spot for).

Bad Day:
While making the bed, the corner of my pillow knocked off a statuette I had in my window and it broke.
I was a beautiful statuette of two cherubs sitting on a bench; one had a basket and the other held a little birdie in its hands.
I kept it in the house because I was afraid that it would get broken outside (ha!) and I've been able to keep it fairly safe for the last 5 yrs. It has taken a couple of spills but nothing really happened to it.
This time...a feather pillow smash the sucker to smithereens!
Okay, technically it wasn't the pillow...it was the floor/wall as it fell. I totally lost one of the cherubs....she lost her head and her wings---insert joke here---there was not saving it. No just gluing it together.
It was a resin statuette and once they break they are ruined.
It was so hard to throw it out....it felt kind of like throwing out an heirloom even though it wasn't that old...but it had to go. [sigh] Somedays I miss my mom.
Hubby tried to make me feel better by telling me to look at Design Toscano for something simular (love them) but he doesn't know I just spent way too much at Herrschner's again....and I swore I wouldn't...swore it....looked at their pages and said 'nice but I can live w/o it' then placed too big of an order the next day figuring that most of it would be out of stock because the prices were so good.

I just got the shipping notice yesterday (the day after placing the order-very unusual for them) and I did get EVERYTHING I ordered. {sigh} not that I'm not happy....I just don't know how I'm going to hide it all from hubby.

I'll have to post some of the stuff I got later.

But good day/bad day.....lets hope the good day just keeps going.

Splitting hairs

okay caught hubby on the 'Cabela's' site yesterday so I don't feel so bad about this....and he did say 'no more yarn'....but he didn't say anything about no more sewing stuff.

Herrschner's had a 'email only' free shipping offer (only good until tomorrow at midnight so sign up for their sales flyers quick)....and since it is tax free....you only pay for the merchandise! Got to love that.

So I took the budget I usually spend on yarn (since I'm being force fed a yarn-diet) and got some embroidery stuff.

I got:

two lap quilts (one a blue-work sampler, very Amish feeling; one is the double-wedding ring pattern in cross-stitch)
one table topper from the Bucilla's special ed. collection (Garden Trellis pattern, even though I couldn't get a good look at the pattern it seemed nice)
one set of quilt blocks from the Bucilla's sp.ed collection (Garden trellis to match topper. one pack is enough for a lap quilt if you sew them on edge to each other....but I like to trellis so two sets will make a twin)
Scrapbooking stickers (Posh Pet....got to fill the dog's book; Sweet 16....yep oldest daughter turns that age this year--can't believe she made it!)
Tape Writer kit and refill tapes in different colors (this is one of those squeeze guns that embosses the letter/number onto the tape then you peel off the back--like your folks used when you were a kid....only this also has a second dial and does small pictures as well)

That's it....see its not too much. And it should keep me busy during summer vacation--unless I can talk hubby into letting me train the Newfie for pulling a cart.

But that's a different posting

Not my dog....but she'd do it too!

Funny Videos

Product Detail - Large Talk-to-Me Paw-Activated Treat Ball

Product Detail - Large Talk-to-Me Paw-Activated Treat Ball: {wish I could incl. the photo but I hate to run into copyright issues with anyone on this}

"Does your dog miss you when you're not home? Keep your best friend company even
when you're out with the Talk-to-Me treat ball. This ingenious toy lets you
record a personalized message that is activated when your pet touches the ball.
It dispenses treats randomly as it rolls along--thanks to a patented inner
dispensing system. Fits most standard-sized treats. Recommended for pets over 30
lbs. This is not a chew toy. It is also recommended that your pet be supervised
the first couple of times they use the Treat Ball. Dishwasher safe."

Okay...have you spotted the irony yet? This is NOT a slam at the website--they write what they are told from the manufacturer, I'm sure. Irony?

It dispenses treats randomly as it rolls along--thanks to a patented inner
dispensing system. Fits most standard-sized treats. Recommended for pets over 30
lbs. This is not a chew toy. It is also recommended that your pet be supervised

Okay (1) the reason you buy the thing to begin with, assumably, is because--you won't be there (see the first line of the blip)

(2) what exactly is "standard sized" treats? Dog treats come in all sorts of shapes and sizes....and textures & moisture content...notice they didn't say anything about that? There are a lot of products that look like Milk-Bones, but they are way different--some are just slightly larger/smaller, some are thicker/thinner, some are more rounded/edgy....there is no "standard".

(3 & my favorite) It is meant to dispense treats--but its not a chew toy. I'm sorry I have a Newfoundland--a couch isn't supposed to be a chew toy either, but it can become one! You put treats in anything and I don't care what kind of dog you've got, unless it has a really tender mouth--its an instant chew-toy.

P.S. the ball is 5 1/2" diameter---Addy is over 30 lbs---but this thing is a choking hazard!