Short Legs, Long Body

Dachshunds may have short little legs and ride close to the ground but that doesn't keep them from high places.  I'm always catching Baylee standing on her hind legs with front legs on top of the kitchen trash can.  And tonight I realized just how long Bentley can stretch.  Recently he learned that he is big enough to jump on the furniture.  How convenient and how bad for his back I must say.  But learn he has.  Tonight while I was eating, the washing machine had an imbalance in the load (of dog bedding, no less).  So I left the table and my plate to step into the laundry room for just a minute.  When I turned around there was Mr. Bentley standing on my chair checking out my supper!  At least he wasn't on the table!

Dog Show Results Are In

Bentley showed today in his first dog show.  I think he did really well and his first time handler did well, too!  I wasn't nervous like I thought I would be, in fact it was rather fun.  We had gone to the show yesterday and just walked around and observed the judges and watched everything that was going on.  I took him in the grooming area but he was not happy there with all the noise and movement (plus two different people let their big dogs lunge at him and that scared him). But all in all he took everything well and was content to let people pet him and admire him.  I can't begin to count how many people commented about his color and how beautiful he was.  Also, so many people said that they either had a dachshund or had had one and wanted another one.

Thank goodness I had some one that was mentoring me or I would never have figured out what was going on.  I'm a little clearer on how these shows work but still have a way to go.  He was the only puppy in his class so he won (no competition makes it easy).  Since he was the only dog in regular classes he also won Winners Dog.  Then we went on to compete against two finished dogs (champions) and the female dog that was the female winner.  Needless to say the fuzzy little puppy didn't make it!  He did really well on the table but was pulling against me on the lead when we walked.  Not sure why he did that since he practices perfectly.  Also, I don't think I was really fast enough getting him stacked on the floor for the judge to look at. Plus, he is fuzzy and the champions are not!

Not sure where we are going from here, but I think we are off to a good start!  Go Bentley Go!

Blossom's Bath Time

I gave Bentley (A.K.A Fuzzy Puppy) and Blossom a bath tonight.  I've found it easier to just do two at a time.  They are usually pretty good about baths, although sometimes there is a little resistance! 

Tonight Blossom went first and she was very good about having her ears cleaned and that was a surprise because she usually does not like having that done.  But the funny part was when I put her in the water.  I had picked her up and could feel her little heart beating pretty fast so I was prepared for her to kick and squirm a little.  But no, when I put her in the water she just sat down as if to say, ok let's do it.

She's so funny after a bath.  She feels good and runs around for a while then she will just play and play and play with her toys.  Right now she is laying next to me sound asleep, all fluffy and clean!

Bentley's Getting Big!

I had to run by the vet's office this morning to spend a small sum on flea meds and took Bentley along to have him weighed.  And the big guy weighed in at a whopping 13.03 pounds!  Yipee, he is a tweeny!  Since he is just 7 1/2 months old I think there is a good chance he will be a standard (which is 16 pounds).  So we'll see.

Tomorrow is another fun match, this one here in town.  I've been working with him some this week.  Putting him on the patio table and walking him around on the driveway.  I really haven't pushed him, I just want him to be relaxed and have fun right now.  I've registered him for the big local show next month in the puppy class for 6-9 month olds so we will need to really get busy after tomorrow's match.  I really don't care if we win at any of the shows, I just want to have fun and enjoy the dogs!

Sawyer: A.K.A. Frog Dog

We were out for one of our nightly walks recently.  I was lost in thought, or as lost in thought as you can be when you have four dogs hooked onto a Pet Walker lead.  I was walking along, not paying attention to the dogs.  Then out of the corner of my eye I realized that Sawyer wasn't walking right, he was kinda bobbing up and down.  When I looked down I realized the problem....there was a frog leg hanging out of his mouth!  UGH,  GROSS, DISGUSTING!  He had picked up a dead "street frog" and was trying to walk along with it in his mouth!  No, no Sawyer leave it!  And don't give me kisses tonight, I know what's been in your mouth.

Bentley's first match

Jaydon and I took Bentley to his first dog show today.  It was actually a fun match, just for practice.  We had a good time, even though it was in Austin so we had to do a little driving.  His judge was the same instructor we have here in our ring training class, so that was good but also a little scary since it was like having a test of what we learned.

Bentley was the only long haired dachshund so he came home with a first place ribbon and a best of variety ribbon (easy when you have no competition).  He was spooked by a barking dog the first time and then he refused to walk, so I had to coax him with a treat.  But by the end he was doing good and relaxing.  The judge/instructor suggested taking him to some of the big shows and just letting him get used to the noise.  Here are a few pictures:

What a handsome guy!

Bentley gets judged!

This is a little blurry.  Jaydon made the picture from a distance and I cropped it.  But it shows him waiting for the best of group judging.

Shredded Carrots

The dogs and I frequently dine al fresco, time and weather permitting.  One night several weeks ago I had a salad, they had the usual!  As I was almost finished I dropped a piece of lettuce and Blossom pounced on it.  I wondered what she would do with it but didn't expect her to eat it since it had a sun-dried tomato vinagerette type dressing, but she loved it.  So I picked a slivered carrot out of my salad and fed it to her remembering that I had read in several different books that fresh, raw vegetables are okay to feed to the dogs.  She loved it!  Then the others realized that they were missing out on something so I had to pick out a few more carrots.

The next time I went grocery shopping I bought a small bag of shredded carrots (the matchstick size ones).  Yes, I paid extra for pre-prepared vegetables but the small price was far worth my time to stand and chop or drag out the food processor.  So now we frequently are enjoying a snack of carrots and they love them.  It is funny, though, because Sawyer always gets real excited until he tastes one and then he looks at me like, "come on really, you don't expect me to eat this do you?  Is this a treat?" and then he dives in with the rest of the gang.

Blossom and Sawyer weigh in

Today was Blossom and Sawyer's annual check up and vaccination appointment.  Drum roll please.....Blossom weighed in at 8 lbs 13 ozs and Sawyer weighed in at 13 lbs 8 ozs.  So we have a mini and a tweenie, so far.  I think the two creams will be tweenies with Bentley possible creeping into a standard dachshund.

Blossom and Sawyer were pronounced healthy and beautiful!  We did come home with 4 doggie toothbrushes so we can begin a brushing routine (hmmmm, I can hardly wait).  And I bought a bag of chewies that are treated with an enzyme to help clean their teeth as Blossom already has slight signs of build up on her teeth.  We did discuss several items including their bed wetting which the vet thinks is just a mental thing (so do I) and she suggested several things to get them motivated to completely go potty when they are supposed to go. 

We also discusssed their dachshund backs, food and supplements.  She suggested giving them a high quality fish oil.  I want to do some reading and research before I do that.  I also want to do some more research on their food.   I feel good about the food they are on, after trying several brands, but I feel like I need to read a little more about the breed specific formulas, too.  She was pleased with their coats and their health so we may just remain on the ProPlan for now.

Sawyer's First Visit to the Dog Park

This afternoon Jaydon, Sawyer and I headed out to explore a fairly new park.  We discovered that the park had a dog park and we spent a good deal of time there.  I'm not sure who enjoyed it the most, the boy or the dog!

We entered the park and then realized that we were in the big dog section.  Sawyer didn't seem to mind when two big dogs rushed up to greet him but we quickly made our way to the small dog park.  There were 7 or 8 dachshunds there, all smooth reds and none of them looked too much like they were pedigree type dogs (always makes me wonder about the "breeder" they came from).  There were several fuzzy poodle types and some small mixed breeds.  Most of the dogs stayed to themselves and just played.  Anyway, Sawyer was very relaxed and after a while I felt comfortable enough to unhook the lead and let him run around.  He enjoyed exploring and never got into any trouble!  He stayed fairly close and always listened and came when I called to him.

The park had a little playhouse/fort that Jaydon just loved.  We couldn't coax Sawyer up the ramp so Jaydon took him up on the top level for a few minutes.  I would love to have a little house like that in my back yard for the dogs to play in, although realistically Jaydon would be the major occupant!

I want to take the other dogs to this park and see how they do.  I've decided that each of my dogs is much calmer and better behaved when they are by themselves.  When they are together I really think the "let's be a party pack" mentality kicks in.

Baylee Pictures

I caught Baylee laying by the bricks as I was working on the retaining wall last Saturday.  She was so sweet just laying there that I had to run inside and grab the camera and have a little photo shoot. 

Unhappy Puppies

I have 4 unhappy little dogs on my hands.  We are having to repeat the 7-day housebreaking routine.  They had done fairly well, with some hit or miss, but the last two weeks it seemed that they had a regression.  When I would take them out they would just chase possums, raccoons, play, eat acorns....anything but do their business.  And then, guess what happened when we came inside!  I'll say no more, it is obvious what I was dealing with.

So, Monday morning we started the "lock down" and they are staying in the kitchen except for potty breaks.  There has been a lot of yelping and sad little faces but this has to be done.  Looking back I realize that I didn't start Sawyer and Blossom right (the puppy pads are a big no no if you want your dog to go potty outside!) and then Baylee picked up their bad habits.  Bentley is fairly well trained, he just won't go to the back door and ask to go out so hopefully this will show him how to ask.

My 4 Doxies!

I'm not sure what they were watching, but it gave me a chance to snap pictures!  I think they are just 4 little peas in a pod!