Show Lessons

No points yesterday. The moral of this story - don't have both of your dogs in a ring at the same time especially when one of them is handled by someone they don't know and you are also in the ring.

Poor Abs did the bucking bronco thing trying to get to daddy and she may do so all weekend. It got Fiona going too. It's wasted money but we learn another lesson.

Ah - but I was told my grooming was excellent. hahahaha minor thing in the scheme of things but felt like I was making progress with grooming.

Later today - look for photos of Lil' Man. He continues to be a star.

Lil' Man: Available to Right Home

Don't have much time. We have a show to get ready for but we have a little puppy boy available to the right home.

We talked Paula into letting us keep him for a bit as all her enquiries were coming from here and this way folks can see him up close and personal. We have only had him since last night but what a riot this guy is. You can't help but love this winning personality. He's a riot - tail wagging a mile a minute. We are going to have FUN, FUN, FUN with him.

If interested, send Nathan mail and he will tell you the particulars but no visits till after show weekend is over. I have to take video of this one as he is so deliciously friendly, loving and way funny. Gad if I didn't already have a house full.

Nothing is Safe With THIS Havanese

Well we are off to the show this weekend and this little Treasure will be staying home everyday except Sunday when she will be visiting the show too.

Will we have any plants to come home to after she gets to stay home? Not sure...heh But we love her anyways.

If you are in the Toronto area, do come by and say hello to us. We are socializing the Treasure on Sunday to everything show related and we can use all of you putting your hands on her. I promise - she won't chew your buttons off.

The show is at the Markham Fairgrounds at Elgin Mills and McCowan. We are on in the ring on Friday around 3, Saturday 930ish - same Sunday and Monday. Hope to see you there!

Big Dogs and Little Dogs

One would think in this photo that Terra, our golden was going to eat Treasure up but this is not true. For those that know the dogs or know body language - you would realize that nothing but faces and Treasure getting the better of Terra goes on here.

Treasure is a puppy and is relentless with her play. She is seen many times hanging off Terra's hair and Terra gives her that grr but its not a grr that says leave me alone but a grrr in play.

Shoshi does something similar but hers almost sounds like a mixture of a purr and a growl together.

Next to Abigail, Terra seems to be Treasure's best pal. Perhaps that is due to the reality that she was born in a house (Rockhurst) that has a golden as well.

Can a dog distinguish between breeds? Yes! Due to our Golden's, our dogs gravitate to other Golden's. It's interesting to see their comfort level with a strange dog if its a golden. With others, they take the time, read the body language and meet and greet. All of this happens in a minute or two but it is a process they go through. They tend to skip this process with a golden.

Take the time to open up your dog's world to larger but safe and friendly dogs. It will help them to become more balanced.

Conformation: Is it Easy?

When you go to a conformation show, from the outside in it looks easy. But is it? Thinking about teaching your dog to walk next to you. Does it do it from the moment you acquire your pup or do you have to train it to heel? What if you had to teach it to stack a certain way or keep that tail up or find how to get a bounce in your dog's step when it would rather be playing.

Then throw in the mix that your dog is unfamiliar with strange noises, lots of dogs, a guy or gal (judge) going all over their body and getting up close and personal. How would YOU like someone doing THAT to you?

Can you imagine being a dog and looking at what a conformation show is from their perspective? I often thought about it. Have you?

If you get into that mindset at your next show - fill me in on what YOU think the dogs are thinking.

Relationships & More

In a pack, relationships can often change. I have tried to figure out what the catalyst for changed attention but haven't totally figured it out yet but I still find it mighty interesting.

Fiona and Treasure used to be best buds and now lately it's all about the Abs. If you pay attention, you see a dance of manipulation in vying for someones attention. I swear I am in grade school again or the bug in the wall watching it all unfold.

Today, Kat tried to take Shoshi's bone and years ago she would have walked away but not today. She told him off and he listened. Nothing violent - just a growl and a body move to protect and he walked away. That's 'good' communications. If I had corrected Shoshi, she would have been the dog that always had everything taken away and me trying to protect her. I do not let it escalate but communications should be allowed otherwise the dog doesn't feel as if it has any control over his environment and that can make for a very unsure dog. You have to know when to step in and when not to. There is a difference. No one attacks anyone around here but they can communicate.

Well, we are taking 3 dogs to handling class tonight - Fiona, Abigail, and Treasure. Abigail and Fiona will be where the attention is but we may take Treasure around a time or two to get her used to a ring. She'll be in the ring in April and that's sooner than we think.

More tomorrow.

Slow Conditioning & Oops of the Mouth

I was sitting back in the recliner actually reading a book, covered with my usual carpet of dogs, when Darlah said something that made me sit up and pay attention.

Shoshi, Abigail, Kat and Fiona bolted off the chair, almost as fast as they'd leapt onto it and me, as I sought to get up. We had been discussing taking two of the dogs, Treasure and Fiona, to the local Pet Smart for a bit of socialization.

Treasure graduated 6 weeks of Obedience training last Thursday but it remains very important to get her out and about. Fiona has a show coming up this weekend and we continue to take every opportunity to get her exposed to noise and commotion. They are both complete pistols within the comfort and security of their own home, pack and family but not as comfortable in a strange environment, with different sounds and echoes and such.

Anyway, I'd asked Darlah when we might be ready to go and she replied "when my hair grows". Now you and I both know that she meant to say "when my hair dries" but what she said is what I have to put up with all these years. It was Valentine's Day yesterday. Darlah, of course, is my Valentine forever. There will be no other especially if I have to wait to go to the store until her hair grows.
Nathan