Zulu Snuggles In

Zulu's first full-day in Seattle ended nicely.

After playing with Dan (picture below) and RUNNING in the pasture with the rest of the dogs after dinner, Zulu & Ru snuggled up with me for the evening.

Dan's been having a great time with the dogs too. Prior to Zulu snuggling in with me, he spent the entire movie time laying on Dan and schmoozing with him.

Dan was also the first to grab the camera when we took the pups out to the pasture for a little romp and he captured some incredible shots of Zulu & Ru running and playing like little goofs.

Zulu also had a chance to play with my in-laws Labs and he and Spazzy Jazzy got along smashingly. Jazzy's not always quick to play with new dogs and she immediately took to him and the race of 'who could do the more play bows' quickly began.

In typical Border Collie style, Zulu is choosing to stay out and play when called and so Dan and I plan to immediately begin our home training plan with him.

It's nice to see him excited and interested in the other pups, but ultimately we need him to be able to snap too and have a reliable recall for safety reasons.

While we may let him get away with no formal training today, tomorrow will be a different story.

He has settled in incredibly well and is a very happy pup so now it's time to give him a few jobs and further develop him to the household rules. I have no doubt he'll catch on quickly : )

Zulu Meets RuRu

Zulu's afternoon was nice and uneventful. He hung around/napped with me and of course I loved on him as often as I could!

Dan picked up our young Dalmatian, Rough (Ru) and I put the other dogs away so Zulu and RuRu would have a chance to get to know one another.

I bet Dan that they'd be running around and playing like little maniacs within 10 minutes. I was wrong...it took less than 3 minutes and they were playing like old pros.

Rouge will be GREAT for Zulu and vice versa. They're both incredibly sweet dogs and have a wonderful outlook on life.

I took some pictures of the two of them playing and as you can see, they get along smashingly.

Later tonight we'll take them out to the pasture to run. Burton won't be invited because while he is a terrific dog and loves to play, he tends to get too rough with the others.

So later Dan and Zulu got a chance to play. I feel so bonded to the little guy and I know Dan feels the same. It's really fun to watch the two of them play and to listen to Zulu do his play yipping with Dan. This is the first puppy that the two of us picked out together so it's very special when it's a match for both of us.

The Loyal Biscuit Co. expansion revealed

My favorite local dog store has expanded into new digs just down the road on the same street. I took a just a few photos while I was there today. Check them out~

Are you finished ooohing and ahhhing? More renovations are on the way which I will share when they are finished. Nice though huh? (oops I forgot to take a photo of the whole food area)

This is pretty much my spot since I will be using it alot when I drop in to hang out. VBG And check out these new gadgets I picked up there today to.

These are so you can move your dogs id tags to any collar they are wearing easily. Perfect for people who always want their dogs to wear a specific color collar for the day or for those that want to remove jingling tags on occasion.

And this sweet baby is a tick remover that you can have handy on your key chain.

Our area has been hit with a LONG stretch of rain lately. It is really putting a crimp on our summer which is short enough already. For those that don't know the mushrooms that are sprouting because of it can be a problem for some pets. We saw a dog at the clinic recently with mushroom toxcicity from eating one. Convulsions and excessive vomiting were just two of the symptoms. Thankfully the owner was supervising, realized what happened, and got him to us quickly. He is doing fine. Now when I do pooper scooper duties I am also picking those little bastards out of my badly in need of a mow lawn. Like I didn't have enough to do already. Better safe than sorry though with little miss "I love to eat" stuff Jenny around. Yeesh

Zulu, We're Not In Kansas Any More

Well, I'm sure by now you can tell the next several days are going to be about Zulu and me taking a ton of pictures while he's experiencing a lot of 'firsts' here in his new home.

As I write, he's curled up next to me on the large double chair catching up on sleep after a busy morning. So far he's played with the dogs, taste tested an entire basket of toys and explored both the forest area of our home and the pasture area as well.

In Louisiana, the temps were well over 100 degrees. Here in Seattle, we're at about 65 degrees this morning and sunny. We told him on the airplane he was going to love the Pacific Northwest temps : )

Attached are some pictures of this morning's adventures. The first was taken in the pasture area. I brought him and Spot out there to play. Spot is so excited to have a BC playmate and one that loves to play and isn't interested in challenging him for the position of top dog.

The next picture is of Zulu smelling the clover found throughout our pasture. Clover is perfect for horses to eat (that's what our pasture used to be for) and is green & hearty enough to handle agility equipment on top of it.

The next picture is of Zulu running the path from the house & forest area to the open pasture. Later I'll try to get a picture of Zulu on the old cedar logs found on our property from trees that have fallen decades ago. They're a favorite climbing treat for all of the dogs.

The next picture is of Spot and Zulu laying on the couch after their romp in the pasture area.

Zulu has learned very fast how comfy pillows are and lays on them whenever they're available. Besides the pillows, he really likes to plunk down on me as well and I just love it.

I've long since learned that I really adore when my dogs are all lovey-dovey and I encourage and welcome that behavior. My pups are my pets first and I get a great deal of joy from them.

Zulu hasn't had a chance to meet Ru yet as she's still with Auntie Angel, one of my great friends and my handler for the Conformation ring. I'll admit, I'm savoring the bonding time with Zulu because I know when Ru comes home, she's going to be in love with him as her new playmate and he's going to think he's died and gone to heaven with her sweetness.

I'm hoping Ru will be Zulu's main mentor as she is incredibly confident, loving and has a way of bringing all of the dogs personalities together.

On another topic, Ru & Burton love to lay and cuddle together and I'm secretly hoping Zulu joins in on the 'puppy pile'. This usually means a gathering on my chair, with me taking part of course!

Last night Burton was laying next to me and Zulu started to lay on top of Burton and then realized he really didn't know him too well and moved down a bit. Let's hope that by the end of the week they all decide to be best of buds and sleep comfy on each other. It sounds like a great photo opportunity too.

I've been in touch with both Barbara, his breeder and Felicia, the Sire's owner this morning so the new family ties are going very well. I love to keep in touch with the breeders and to share pictures. It's also a great opportunity to find out who your pup takes after the most in terms of physical appearance, character and quirks! Also, it's nice to have the resources to go back to from folks who care about him as much as we do.

Well, I'm off to cuddle some more with my puppy who is sleeping pressed up against me : )

Fun, motivatonal training demonstrated in this video

This was posted to a Schutzhund chat group I belong to, as an example of how all performance should be achieved with fun for both the trainer and the dog. All I can say is 'wow.' How delightful to see dogs so happy in their work, no matter what they are doing! We should all strive for this!

I'm having a problem with my Monday

I am almost afraid to try to post this. Nothing has gone well for me today and I am blaming it on some sort of Monday mania.
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Nothing went smoothly at work for me. I made mistakes with scheduling, couldn't remember any word more than 2 syllables and overall felt like I was in slow motion all day. I could feel that I was off and did make an effort to stay away from all sharp objects and the stairs. Somehow I muddled through to the end of the day.
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Then I came home and had to vacuum up little beads from the lap desk I got my husband as a gift because one of the buttons fell off. Think bean bag chair beads only smaller. The static electricity makes them stick to everything! While I had the vacuum out I decided to do a quick clean up of a few dust bunnies that are never lacking around here. During that I found dog vomit behind a crate AND a leak in our roof. Time for an impromptu cleaning session of the floor and the dog bedding that got wet. (We are on about week 3 of rain here and it is super annoying! It is almost July for pete sake! )
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Oh it doesn't end there. After taking the crew out for their after supper potty break Jenny had an extra gift for me she left in the hallway, on the rug, that I stepped in with my fuzzy slippers. I didn't see it immediately of course and therefore tracked it down said hallway rug. This after just saying LAST NIGHT that it had been ages since we had any surprises from our dear Jenny. I must have draw attention of the dog poop gods. Thankfully I did have some Natures Miracle on hand. (To be fair to Jenny it was very loose and in a trail as opposed to a leave it here present pile. I think she tried to head for the door and failed. )
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The movie I was going to go see with my dad is only being shown at 3:30 and 9:15pm, neither times that worked for us today.
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I have a client scheduled tomorrow and I can't get my printer to work for the handout I need of their b-mod plan. With my penmanship handwritten is not an option. (you gotta know your limits)
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I'd add a photo but I'm afraid my computer will blow up from the effort. I already hit a wrong button and spent 5 minutes trying to fix the screen. No kidding, WHILE I was typing this post! Something just ain't right.
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I'm sure part of it is being mentally tired. Between work and training clients I haven't had any real time off in weeks. Spring is always a busy time of year for training. It is a good problem to have though and I am certainly not complaining. Thankfully today was not a client day.
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So say a prayer, do a chant, or burn some incense, I will take whatever you want to send me for good vibes. If it gets worse than this I may need to consider shutting myself in a closet to keep myself safe. With an umbrella, because my roof leaks.

Zulu's Trip To Seattle, WA

Today was a big day for Zulu!

He got to go on two airplane rides, go in an elevator, ride 3 different kinds of escalators, go up a steep ramp to the airplane, be a good dog and lay in 2 different restaurants (in 2 different cities) and met trillions and trillions of people and kids, not to mention viewing countless rolling luggage!

Zulu was a CHAMP! As you can see in the first picture attached, he's comfortably laying on my lap in Dallas-Ft. Worth. It was a very exciting time.

On the airplane, the crews were wonderful and Zulu slept on my lap the entire time. On the Dallas to Seattle flight, Zulu and I caught a couple hour nap so we were both ready for the homecoming.

Ru, my young Dalmatian, isn't home yet, but meeting the other dogs went great! Pinky, my older Dalmatian, LOVES Border Collies so all was fine there. Spot, my older Border Collie, thought he was in HEAVEN having another dog who plays and looks just like him. Burton, our Chocolate Lab really likes to play with him.

As you can see, Zulu is playing with the herd and doing great.

Zulu's Last Day in Louisiana

Zulu has had a very busy weekend and by the time we hit this afternoon, he was a very, very tired boy.

The picture attached is him sleeping soundly in our hotel room at 5:00 p.m. We've learned he loves pillows and the creature comforts human bedding offers. He's such a funny guy!

Today his Grandma spent quite a bit of time with him. Zulu was one of her favorite pups and she shared that she will miss him deeply. A very nice lady later told me that his Grandma was sitting in a chair hugging Zulu tight and the tears were flowing freely. This nice lady said she went up to her and said "It will be fine darlin'!"

Zulu is adjusting nicely and has quickly figured out that we're the new important ones in his life. He seems to really like both of us and readily lays on top of each of us at any given time. He's such a great dog! To say we're both smitten with him is an understatement. I can't wait for Ru and the rest of the dogs to meet him. We're inviting friends over tomorrow for a BBQ so they can meet our newest addition. Hope he gets some sleep on the plane for his next big day!

I'll write tomorrow on how the flights went and Zulu's take on the whole thing.

Courses, Monroe, Louisiana, June 28, 2009

Today was day 4 and our last day judging here in Monroe, LA. I judged Standard and Dan judged JWW.

I liked my Standard courses today, including my judging path!

Dog & handlers did a great job on the opening sequence. Some handlers chose front crosses after the chute and others chose rear crosses after jump #5.

Just an interesting note, I ran a course similar to this one in CA awhile back and most handlers did a front cross between #8 & 9. Here in Monroe, most folks did a rear cross either on the take-off side of the #9 jump or on the landing side.

While we're doing comparisons, I have to say that the weave poles here are fantastic. Dogs are wonderful on their entries and when cued for the poles, they DRIVE to them with increasing speed. Definitely something to strive for.

In the next sequence, quite a few large dogs missed either the dog walk or the a-frame contact. Another surprise was that the off-course entrance to the #19 tunnel sucked several dogs in as well. It was heartbreaking to watch dogs who had previously been clean end with an off-course and an NQ.

As for Jumpers, Dan's course is a rework of one of my courses. Except for the placement of a few jumps, the course looks nothing like the original. Dan reworked it and renumbered the course to make it his own.

I heard a ton of cheering and exhibitors said it was a blast to run so I have to assume it was a ton of fun!

We leave early tomorrow morning to head home. We've really had a great time here and will miss the people, but I have to admit, we won't miss the oppressive heat : )

Tracking Videos Below...

Below is a short zig zag track with Caden, who is at the beginner's stage, followed by a series of video clips of River doing an 800 m, 3 hour old urban track - she is 9 and Caden is a year and a half. I hope you enjoy watching them, and seeing the contrast between them!

Donna

Zig Zag Track with Caden

Last night a friend video taped Caden for me. Caden reacted to them standing there with the camera! Once he got going on legs two and three though, he really did well and was better on the corner. Nice to track him on a night with no wind, finally! This track was 45 minutes old on very short grass at Olds College, around 8:15 PM.

Now I know I need him to get used to distractions as well, but will be more concerned about his continued learning as he won't be tested this year so I have lots of time.

River's UTDX Training continues

The videos below are posted in order from start to finish of the track, scroll down to watch them all...

River with her final article - a very well-worn old glove, missing fingers. No one will ever pick up this glove! It is too hacked out! I had to use a flash, because it was getting dim by the time we were done.

River is blowing me away, which is always dangerous when you are building up to a test. I lay my own tracks, but try very hard to use a loose line, and follow her as though I don't know where it goes, but as you know - when you know where your own track goes, you can do the most subtle things to guide your dog.
Map from Olds College website, showing River's track and articles. A normal UTDX has three. Her articles were - cloth, plastic, leather, metal and the final was another leather. The track starts at the bottom right and ends by the water tower, with a little jog on a brick path past a Gazebo and through a garden.

The track was 3 hours old on the nose. Laid at 6:22 and run at 9:20. When she was finished, it was 9:39 - she just motored! I have a squishy shoe - sorry for that irritating noise. This time I tried to whisper and not talk too loudly, just in case she does speak English.

This is the map for this track. I will try to arrange the video clips in order. I kept hitting pause, so I could break them up a bit. I pre-plotted this track on Google Earth, but had never been to Olds College before. It worked out pretty well, but at the end, I decided to go through a Gazebo garden as I could see that if I continued as I had plotted it, I was not going to have a good walk-out. So I ended by the water tower instead.

River's UTDX training track, Olds College - first leg

River's UTDX training track, Olds College - 2nd leg to article

I have never been to this College and plotted the track on Google Earth, so this turn is not what I had planned and is a bit wonky following a sidewalk to veg. In addition, there is a new road to my left, which Google Earth showed as a big lovely lawn area! I was a bit nervous as I started out, and excited. Do you notice anything? I am wearing River's harness around my neck! I put it on at the first article, but she sure didn't seem to mind tracking on a collar...

River's UTDX training track, Olds College 3rd leg to article between buildings

I don't know what made this turn so tricky. Great scents on the lamposts really attracted her. The convergence of sidewalks may have been hard where competing scents are concerned. When I laid the track there were some ladies from a conference walking back and forth here. I also wonder if it actually did throw her off to be on a collar, doing so well, then harnessed up at the first article...argh! Eventually she finds it. I try to let her sort it out. The difficulty in a blind track is that I could follow her the wrong way and push her away from the track. I try here to keep backing up to where she was last tracking, and not face the direction I know I went. She DIPS her head when she is on, do you see it?

River's UTDX training track, Olds College - Non-Veg leg to article on NV

I had planned to go deeper into the lot but see that there is no way to get to the next part of the track if I do that so followed the road this time. River goes from boulevard to boulevard then settles on the track. I spotted a good parking lot where I can work next time! Hard to get to know a new place...

River's UTDX training track, Olds College - Leg 5 along building

She is working along the building while I stay on the track, and then gets the line right over her eyes and runs to mommy! I needed one more arm.

River's UTDX training track, Olds College - Leg 5 along building to article

River's UTDX training track, Olds College - last part of track to final article

I planned to go straight here, to another building, and turn right. But when I was laying it, I saw that I would have no way to walk out. One thing about this campus is that roads surround it but you have to get out and walk around to see these things. So I turned up a brick path past a Gazebo and followed it out and ended by the water tower. I find it so fascinating to see how River sorted this out. Overall, I could not have been happier with her work tonight - very up and dedicated, in a new place, dry conditions and putting up with me, her handling-challenged, video-taping mom! At the end I had such a lump in my throat, tracking really gets emotional!

Courses, Monroe Louisiana 6-27-2009

Today was day 3 of judging in Monroe, LA and I can't emphasize enough how much fun Dan and I have had.

I feel like a broken record, but the people here have been so friendly and an absolute joy to be around.

We had a chance to sample some local cuisine when a club member's husband made homemade jambalaya for lunch. It had just the right spice, a tone of sausage & chicken and was so incredible. Both Dan and I went back for seconds : )

Okay, onto the courses. I judged JWW and Dan judged Standard.

I LOVED my JWW course, solely because the dogs were running and they really looked like they were having a blast.

The tunnels, taken 3 times right in the beginning seemed to really rev up the dogs and they came blasting out of each tunnel so that by the time they started the jumps, they were as high as a kite!

The things that nabbed handlers were 1) the wrong side of the #4 tunnel, 2) the #12 jump which resulted in either a dropped bar or if handlers were doing a rear cross, they executed the crossing early and pulled the dog off the jump, or 3) the #16 jump where dogs bypassed the jump in their haste to get through the closing sequence.

In terms of my favorite parts of handling, I thought folks who were able to do a timely front cross between the #3 & 4 tunnels as well as a front cross between jumps #7 & 8 and #11 & 12 were able to direct their dogs very nicely through the course.

Unlike the last several days, folks who used extreme distance were also very successful maneuvering on this course. So basically, just about any handling type worked well - my favorite type of courses!

As for Standard, Dan said he really liked how the course ran, but that he had one hell of a judge's path that required a ton of mileage on his part. Apparently he had to hoof it around the course to get from place to place in order to do the judgely deed. After taking a quick look at it, there seemed to be some definite handling sections, but I'm confident these handlers were up for the challenge - after all, from what I've seen over the last few days, they really are terrific at this specific skill.

Oh, on a side note, we've picked a name for our new puppy. We've decided to keep the name his Grandma gave him, which is Zulu. Since Zulu is one of the crews who are a part of the Mardi Gras parade (more specifically, it is a group who paint their faces black with a white outline, just like the coloring of our little pup), we've decided his fancy AKC name will be "Keeva's Mardi Gras Adventure" with a call name of Zulu.

Zulu is such a wonderful puppy. He was hesitant yesterday when we took him back to stay with us, but as of this morning Zulu was very warm and welcoming toward us and he really seems to have figured out we adore him. As I type this note, he's sleeping between the two of us on the bed up by the pillows. Yeap, he's going to be spoiled, just like the rest of our pups.

New Dog "Zulu"

Well, it's official...we went to Louisiana and we're coming home with a PUPPY! 5 month old 'Zulu' as he's now called won both Dan and I over and we're just having a blast with him.

As you can see from the pictures, he is a Border Collie and his coloring is a Black & White Tri (in other words, he has a little bit of brown here and there).

He comes from great herding lines and has a very even temperament, but can also 'turn it on' to play.

Being new proud parents, we've already bought him a ton of toys and are proceeding on the path of spoilization - perfect for all puppies!

Dan is smitten with Zulu and I'm jealous because he's bonding more to Dan than me at the moment!

Hopefully I'll be able to win him over soon : )

In the meantime, enjoy the pictures and oh, don't tell Keith & Beth (Dan's parents) as we want to surprise them when we come home on Monday.

Courses, Monroe, Louisiana June 26, 2009

Today was Day 2 of judging in Monroe, LA. Dan judged JWW and I judged Standard - both courses are attached.

Handlers did a great job on the course, but I didn't feel like I had an chance to really watch and enjoy the handling.

Unfortunately for me, my judging path was partially hidden by the a-frame and in order to ensure the scribe could see me, I was often dodging and quickly moving from place to place. The perils of judging : )

As for JWW, Dan mentioned that the #2 - 3 jumps were a hard way to start a course and in hindsight, he would have changed that.

Just like I would have moved that darn a-frame if I had the chance!

Courses, Monroe, Louisiana June 25, 2009

This weekend Dan and I are judging in Monroe, Louisiana...in the middle of a heatwave. Luckily, we're indoor in a horse arena that has very lovely air conditioning and are missing the repressive 101+ degree weather outside, plus the incredible humidity.

When asked what I thought of the weather, I said "Two words come to mind, Holy Hell!" The reply "Darlin' there ain't nothin' Holy about it!" Gotta love the south! : )

The exhibitors and people we've come across have been absolutely lovely down here. After judging, we took some time to go back to the hotel and jump in the swimming pool. It was quite warm, like a hot tub, but still fun.

OK, onto the courses from today.

Today I judged Jumpers and my Excellent JWW course is attached. It was pretty to watch the dogs run this course and so I have to first thank everyone for doing such a great job and for making the course look like fun.

I was especially impressed with the weave pole entries. It's clear that folks in this area train them very, very well. A few other things I noticed is that the rear-cross is king here (very few front crosses were done) and they love their distance work!

My favorite sequence was from jump #4 to #5. I just loved how these dogs sliced the #4 jump and landed in such a way that they were able to dig in and take off for the next jump. (Note to self, this was another item folks down here have done a spectacular job training.)

A few surprises on the Jumpers course. First, from jump #7-8, quite a few dogs either headed or took the #13 tunnel. When designing this course, this obstacle was NOT considered one of the off-course options since it's a good 28' away from #7. Handlers who were behind their dog and had not yet gotten around the weave poles (either due to timing or utilizing extreme distance handling) as their dogs were clearing #7 were more likely to head for the off-course option. Those that were ahead of their dogs or closer to their dogs for their rear cross before #8 were less likely to have the dog head toward the tunnel.

Again, very few folks did front crosses and just 4 people out of 200 did a front cross for this sequence. Those that did a front cross did so between #6 & #7 and had terrific results.

#18

Second, the off course entrance for #13 also got quite a few dogs. Most handlers had their dogs on their left as they were doing the poles and opted to pull their dog toward the correct entrance with mixed results. About 7 people did a front cross after the poles to ensure their dog went to the correct entrance and all were successful.

In the closing sequence, only 2 dogs took the off-course dummy jump after #15. Continuing on, most handlers 'pulled' their dog over the #18 jump and several did a rear cross - both options generally worked very well. Those that rushed the #18 jump on their way to the triple risked having their dog completely bypass #18 and head directly to the last jump.

As for Excellent Standard, this was Dan's course and although it looks like a fun and fast course on paper, unfortunately I can't comment too much on it since I was in the other ring judging. One exhibitor said "That was a wicked a-frame to the dog walk, but it was fun!" I did see a few dogs running that sequence and I was very impressed with the rear handling from #9 and especially over #10. This seemed like a place where you had to be patient and maneuver the dog's path to set them up successfully. I think this is a skill that has long since been lost (or never had) in the Pacific Northwest - it's just different handling styles throughout the country.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's courses!

Fascinating Facts about Dogs’ Age – Oldest Dog in the World

Oldest Dog in the World

I am sure many dog lovers came across an interesting article that was published in the Telegraph.co.uk about a mix Labrador Retriever named Bella, whose owners claimed that she broke the record of the oldest dog in the world. The owner David Richardson, from Chesterfield, claimed that his dog was at least 26 years old, which in the canine years is 200 years of age.

Mr. Richardson brought Bella 26 years ago from an animal home, although RSPCA said that it doesn’t have any record for Bella. The Guinness World Records refused to enlist Bella as the world’s oldest dog in it’s book without proper paperwork and proof. Gareth Deaves, records manager from Guinness World Records, said “unless we can see a doggy birth certificate or some really clear evidence from the RSPCA then we won’t be able to prove Bella’s age and we can’t list her as the oldest dog.” According to Mr. Deaves, the most recent record of the world’s oldest dog was held by a dog called Butch. Butch, from America, died in 2003, when he was 28 years old. The prize for the oldest dog in the world ever recorded was awarded to Bluey, a sheepdog from Australia, who lived a happy 29 years and 5 months of life.

More facts about oldest dog in the World

"Barry" the St. Bernard, lived 15 years (1800-1814) and is still standing smartly around today, although taxidermically (stuffed), at the Natural History Museum in Berne. Barry saved dozens of lives in the Swiss mountain.

"Bramble", the Collie, who is living in Bridgewater, Somerset, is the living legend running 28th year. Experts think that an exclusively vegetarian diet… “rice, lentils and organic vegetables every evening”, accompanied by good regular exercise have blessed Bramble with such a long life. Guinness World Records is thinking that Bramble is the oldest living dog in the world. Bramble is not only world’s oldest living dog, but lucky too, thinks Anne Heritage, 43. Ms. Heritage described how Bramble had a narrow escape from the death at the onset in February, 1977. "The day after we brought her home, the [New Quay rescue centre] kennels flooded and the other dogs drowned… So she's been incredibly lucky" says Ms. Heritage. She added, "She has a big bowl of rice, lentils and organic vegetables every evening."

How to help your dog live longer?

Four things are very much essential! Good food, fresh water, good exercise and pure love. An extensive 14 years of study (conducted in the University of Pennsylvania) finally concluded that calorie-restricted diet would result in dog living a median 1.8 years longer than the known average dog’s life span. The study was published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association in the issue of May 2002. Gail K Smith, the professor of orthopedic surgery at Penn said: "Dogs in the calorie-restricted group didn't require treatment for osteoarthritis until a mean age of 13.3 years, fully three years later than the dogs in the control group. Because osteoarthritis is painful, this deferral represents a substantial boost in quality of life." Contrary to the myth, I would like to say that dogs are not carnivorous animals; they are omnivorous. So give them green.

Visit Dog Care Tips and Dog Healthy Issues.

Wordless Wednesday

More pictures of Caden and Kleinenwiese Arla (and her puppies) herding

This is a close-up shot of Caden flanking around the sheep. I love this shot - he is using the outside perimeter of the round pen, and he has his head turned to keep an eye on those sheep!I sent these pictures to his breeder Sandy who uses her dogs on sheep every day. She sent me this photo of Arla taken quite a few weeks ago. Arla is Caden's full sister from an earlier breeding (same parents). Look at how calm she is, with her head turned in to watch those sheep. See how calm the sheep are - they know to stay in their grazing area because she is patrolling the border! I love to see these pictures because it gives me a visual image of what to watch for, such as the head turned in like this.

Arla just had nine puppies! 5 boys and 4 girls - I keep saying to myself "Donna, you have enough dogs to keep you busy..." Check the puppies out at www.kleinenwiese.com/Blog/

Do you think those puppies were "herding" in this photo? Boy, talk about starting early!

Odds and Ends

Bear with me as I spew so I can catch up. Sometimes purging helps control some of the voices in my head. This little cutie is Arlo, a soft coated wheaton I saw a couple of weeks ago. I happened to have my camera for a change so grabbed a photo. He was great fun to work with.

A shout out to Katie at "Underdogged-Save the Pit Bull, Save the World" for having to deal with an internet bully. A "professional" trainer is harassing her through her blog. Unfortunately there is little recourse for those of us who become targets of internet bullying. (been there myself with the same "trainer"-you can google it to see the idiocy) Thankfully we all have a delete button to put into use. It is still quite aggravating to those of us who have more of a live and let live mindset. How sad that some people feel the need to tear down others accomplishments in order to make themselves feel better.
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I had a really amazing session today with a family and their children. They have a sweet havanese that needs a little work. What made is so amazing was the 7 and a 1/2 year old son that I worked with. He was fabulous! Not only did he stay focused for a full hour, he asked great questions and did everything I told him to do easily. He is already a natural with his handling skills. Heck I think he was better than some adults I have worked with! That is part of the beauty of positive training methods, even a child can do it safely with some guidance.

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I also took my kids to see the movie UP today. I though it was really well done. The dogs in it actually acted like dogs. (ok aside from the collars that make them able to talk) It was very funny to see them in action. (Keep an eye on your hotdogs!) I can highly recommend the movie for family viewing. My kids thought it was hysterical.

For those that haven't watched it already, here is a link to the BBC Documentary "Pedigree Dogs Exposed" about the problem of breeding unhealthy dogs for the show ring. Warning, it is not for the faint of heart. There are some really disturbing scenes in it of dogs in pain. But it is also a very interesting look at the dog show fancy. I can see why it caused such a stir in the UK and has spilled over here.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=44215931

I do think that the breeders in this country do more health testing than in the UK. Certainly the breeders I know do. I think the separation in this country is more (but not all) about the lack of health testing with back yard breeders than (I hope) the majority of show people. That said, I ended up with a pug from rescue because I couldn't find a breeder that did health testing in the breed. Heck I couldn't even get an answer to what health tests breeders recommended! All I got was a list of potential health issues to look out for. A list doesn't help if no one is breeding away from those problems however. Check out just one painted representative of the breed before we took away their natural nose:

It also used to be popular for them to have their ears cropped. Thankfully that is no longer the case, I love my Jenny's ears! (I have more photos from a pug history book I need to scan and share.) Now look at this photo of what we have done to them:

Anyone can see that this is just plain wrong.
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Perhaps I am incorrect about the difference in breeders based on the country it is happening in. Call me crazy but why can't the breed clubs require specific health testing of all breeding stock? Oh I know it can't be regulated, but like OFA results and other things available online I think listing info could be done. Certainly some breeders are already doing this on their own since NO health testing is required by the AKC to show a dog. It only has to be intact. Then puppy buyers (and other breeders) could check the results and make their decisions from there. I think educating buyers helps because then they know what questions to ask. If a breeder thinks they will lose sales to lack of health testing they will certainly change how they do things. Won't they? Perhaps I am to idealistic.
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I know testing is required in other non-AKC breeds. Leonbergers for instance have to jump through lots of hoops before being certified to be bred. If they don't pass health AND temperament tests before breeding then their offspring cannot be registered. I suppose alot of breeders wouldn't like that though because it is a way to control them or telling them what they should be doing. I'm not sure what the answer is because you can't regulate morals.
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I used to tell people to look for show breeders because they were breeding to improve the breed. Well you can't prove that by the documentary for sure. And in my last two searches for reputable breeders (in pugs and bulldogs) I certainly had a hard time finding those that fit my health testing requirements. I'll be damned if I'll support a breeder not doing health testing. For the last few years my answer has changed to ask about health testing over showing experience. I don't give a rats behind if a dog is a champion, I care about the health and temperament of the dogs first. The show stuff is be a bonus at this point. Especially since the standard is about looks, not function. Look at the dalmatian, it might look great in the ring but be passing on expensive to treat urinary problems, common in the breed. And even in some more natural looking breeds (german shepherds) we have exaggerated them to not be able to perform the task they were originally bred for. (to be able to work you have to be able to walk after all) Trialing lines certainly look more appealing to me than conformation lines suddenly. Because you can't compete unless you are fit structurally.
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But I ramble. There ARE great breeders out there who DO breed with health testing at the forefront. I salute them. It is much more expensive to spend money on vet bills and testing than simply churn out litters and taking buyers money. If I were younger, and knew then what I know now I would consider breeding healthy pugs. Ones with noses that can breathe and not be exercise intolerant. But I am old enough to know how much work that would be and my plate is already full. I sure hope someone out there is taking the reins on that front though. For pugs and for all pure breeds out there. You can help in the fight for healthy dogs. Require health testing of your next pure breed puppy. Or adopt through rescue or your local shelter instead. If we don't support non-reputable breeders, they can't stay in business after all.
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P.S. ALL petstores produce puppies that come from untested parents. Just in case you didn't know.

Photos from PSLRA (Lab) Trial - June 2009

This past weekend was the Puget Sound Labrador Retriever Club's Spring Agility Trial.

It's a big event that is held on the northern side of the Seattle area and we pull from the other side of the mountains (Eastern WA) as well as the Seattle area.

There were 5 MACHs and 2 PACs this weekend, along with a Century Title, the first of it's kind for the AKC! Robin Kletke and his Border Collie, Vixen are pictured here with their special ribbon.

Next, we have a candid shot of one of our judges, Dan Butcher. Throughout the trial we were being goofy and several of us kept yelling "Judge, we know you!" so this picture is fondly called my Stalker Photo : )

Several students were there and I had an opportunity to play with our new camera a bit and got photos of Samoyed Kim, Sheltie Shelby and Sheltie Indy.

About 200 more photos can be found at: http://pets.webshots.com/album/573158833BlykLu