Dachshund tails at the dog show

I know I've neglected this little blog and Instagram terribly, but I'm finishing up school and then will be back in the posting swing full blast! 

I did show Bentley last weekend in a local show.  He did okay in the ring, but was the only dog in his class and came in second in winners dog competition.  I wasn't disappointed, and felt good about how we both did.  I learn something every time I go to a dog show, and this time it was about grooming.  Since I'm trying to learn more about grooming it was good to observe how each dog was groomed, especially the feet.


Here's what a little guy does after a dog show - crash with your BFF Foxie!

I'm having a dilemma about whether to give up on the conformation showing and leap into obedience or to stick with it.  I think my dilemma is partially solved after being at the Houston dog show series this weekend.  Read on.

Yesterday I got to steward at the ring where the long-haired dachshunds were showing, first time ever and I was so excited!  I was also excited when I opened up the catalog and the first puppy in the ring was one that belongs to Kelly at Splendor Farms where I got all four of my dogs.  



Isn't this big guy handsome?





Best of Variety competition

No, this is not Bentley, but it could be him.  This dog had his championship and was competing as a special, yes, there is hope for Bentley!

The dog on the left would win Best of Variety!  I've competed with him at several shows and he always wins, he is beautiful! 

After seeing these dogs and the one that looked like Bentley, I've decided to stick with it a little bit longer.  He is a good looking dog, and I noticed that some of these dogs also seemed to have a little dip in their back, so that may not be a flaw.  I need to work on his grooming and my handling to make sure that I feel confident so he is too.  We are not giving up!



Shaggy Dog?

Is this a shaggy dog?

I enjoy taking my dogs places, but don't take them out as much as I should.  With the arrival of Jelly and spending time doing things with her and her family I've realized just how much I enjoy outings with a dog.  So I've resolved to be more proactive with taking them (one at a time, please!) more places. 

When we are out I enjoy not only time with the dogs, but interacting with other people who notice the dogs.  I always welcome children who politely ask if they can pet my dog.  When some children have to be encouraged  I always tell them to feel how soft the dog's ear is and that will usually get them closer.  I also like for people to ask me what breed the dog is or to recognize the breed and tell me that they either have a dachshund or two or have had them in the past.

Last Sunday at the Lavender Festival interaction was good, but we had two memorable experiences.  One was having a little girl who had Downs Syndrome make a face of delight when she reached out to touch Bentley's ear!  She was maybe about 3 years old and in a stroller.  The adults with her had already petted him and I knew she wanted to pet him but was afraid. Just a little encouragement and she reached out to touch him; she was delighted and so were the adults!

The other experience gave me a laugh.  As I stepped into one of the vendor booths a man looked at Bentley and commented, "I've never seen a shaggy dachshund.  Is he a mixed breed?"  Ha ha LOL! Slightly amused and somewhat insulted, I replied that he was a long-haired miniature dachshund, a full blood registered dachshund.  Another lady in the booth had bent down and was petting Bentley; I don't remember exactly what she said but I could tell that she was familiar with the long-haired version of a short-legged-long-bodied-pointed-nose dachshund.  Yes, I know Bentley doesn't have the long flowing hair of a long-haired dachshund, but he is definitely not shaggy.  Hopefully, the next time this guy sees a dachshund he will remember that there is a long-haired version.

Getting Acquainted

In the last two weeks we've had two outings with Jelly so we can get acquainted.  After today's outing she even stayed here for a little while.  Although there was a lot of barking from my four, it went fairly well.  This group is a pack and view other dogs as intruders, so their behavior was to be expected.  With some talking (it's okay, be nice, make friends) and a lot of "Stop Barking!" while she was here we got acquainted.  Jelly is so sweet and easy going and she was a little intimidated by these little short guys!  But we gave her lots of love and reassurance while they were together.  I think in time they will all settle in nicely as friends.

Jelly

Saturday before last Sawyer and I headed over to Stephanie's house.  We met up with her and Jelly (Jaydon was out of town) and went to a nearby park to walk the trails.  We are very fortunate because San Antonio has many parks and trails that go everywhere in those parks and sometimes even between; I think it is almost possible to walk from one side of town to the other!  We are looking forward to exploring many of them soon.

Jelly and Sawyer

We tried to get Jelly to drink out of the "Paws for Water" bottle, but she preferred to just drink from water poured into the cap!  We had a great walk and the two dogs got along well. 

Today we headed up to Blanco to the Lavender Festival.  Bentley and Jelly did real well together as we walked around (it was a great festival!).  Bentley is skiddish of other dogs; he's been jumped on a few times at dog shows and once at a training class.  Since Jelly is so calm that helped him not to be afraid of her.  Here they are with their leashes attached to the picnic bench where we ate lunch.  See the little pink square thing?  That is a collapsible water bowl that Stephanie brought along.  It worked great, although Jelly did step on it and there went the water! 

Afterward we stopped at Blanco State Park where there is a small damn on the Blanco River and an area for swimming.  Stephanie wanted to see what Jelly would do around water.  As it was there were a lot of people swimming and picnicking so it was not only populated but noisy.  She was very timid about it, but I think if they go back at a quieter time that she will be a typical Lab and head into the water with a little encouragement! (Just to note, the above picture was not made today.  Today we were across the river, on the other side by the concrete enclosure.  This is the same dam that I walked Sawyer across on a camping trip and thought I would never get across alive!).

Update on Blossom's teeth cleaning

After last night's post I think I need to give a little more information. I let Blossom sleep in the wire crate by herself last night.  I gave her a little kibble that was moistened slightly (per the vet's instruction) and water.  Both were untouched this morning. 

She was still spaced out this this morning, too.  She did go outside and was moving around, but I could tell that she was still not with it, so to speak.  The vet's office called to check on her mid-morning and told me that if she doesn't eat tonight and is still woozy tomorrow to bring her in, but I hope I don't have to.  This afternoon she is moving a little more, so I think it is just taking time for the anesthesia to wear off.  She's taking a nap in the sunny spot on the deck right now and looks very peaceful!

Her teeth were very corroded and they do look good now.  Good dental health is just as important for dogs as it is for people, but I'm not sure that I will do this again for the other dogs. I think I will add those little doggie toothbrushes into my grooming bag and try to form the faithful habit of brushing their teeth whenever they get a grooming.  It won't hurt and might help, too.

Blossom's a little tired

(After you read this post please see An update on Blossom's teeth cleaning for a little more information and some further thoughts on teeth cleaning for dogs)

 

Why is Blossom in the crate?  Why is the little fireball curled up and so still?  It's because she's a little woozy tonight (notice the glassy eyes?).  She had her teeth cleaned today and is still feeling the effects of the anesthesia.  I've never had to have a dog's teeth cleaned, so this was a first for both of us!

She has had tartar build-up since she was about a year old.  When she and Sawyer went in for their 4-year checkup the vet felt that it is time to do a cleaning.  Of course, my question was, "how much does it cost," but that really didn't matter.  It had to be done, so today was the day.  I did pay extra for an OraVet treatment which is a plaque preventative.  I'm hoping that the combination of really clean teeth and this treatment will prevent the return of the serious tartar buildup.

I've never thought of Blossom and Sawyer as being bonded, but this morning when I picked her up to take to the vet Sawyer was already in the kitchen.  He began to softly whine, so I knew that he didn't want his little sister to leave!

The cleaning went well and she'll be fully awake in the morning, ready to boss the world around again!

Introducing.....Jelly

If you also read my other blog, Small Simple Things of Life, then you already know about Jelly.  But, since she is a dog and now my "Grand-dog" and this is my dog blog, in all fairness I have to introduce her here.  She is now officially part of our family! Click on the link above to read about her adoption and the unique experience of a young boy's bonding with his dog!

EEEEEWWWWWWW! That's disgusting!

This morning, like every morning, the dogs were in the bathroom with me while I was getting ready for work (yes, it is a very small bathroom and they do leave me only a small place to stand) when I noticed something down between them.  Since I’ve been raking leaves and pulling up dead stuff in the yard and throwing it in with the leaves I just thought they had brought in a twisted root.  Until I picked it up and turned it over….it was a petrified frog!

EEEEEWWWWW!  They have brought in sticks to chew on before, but never a dead something or other.  I’ll have to start doing a mouth check when they come through the door and I'll make sure I have my glasses on before I pick up something in the floor!

How does he know?

Most Friday nights my oldest grandson spends the night with me.  I pick him up from school and then we just hang out.  Saturday mornings I usually make him a nice breakfast, unless we are headed out somewhere.  Lately he has wanted bacon and French Toast.  After the toast is done I've been scrambling 4 eggs, one for each dog, since everything is already out and the pan has to be cleaned anyway.  Just to note, scrambled eggs are the only prepared human food these babies get besides raw vegetables and occasional small bites of cheese.

Somehow, Sawyer has figured out this routine.  This morning even before I finished the French Toast he started barking; the bark that he uses every morning when I'm leaving and about to give them their doggie treat.  Bark, bark, bark, this morning.  I knew what he wanted!  As I whisked the eggs I told him to be patient, the eggs had to cook and cool before he got any.  But he just kept barking, barking, barking!

I'm not sure how Sawyer has figured this out, but he has.  The only thing I can figure is that he has associated the smell of the melting butter and the frying toast with his scrambled egg.  Smart dog!

Professional Photos

(If you're a regular reader then you know that I don't recommend products or services, but instead like to share good things that I've found.)

Late in March Bentley and I made a trip to Navasota for a dog show.  Chris Caviness had his photo booth set up by the ring that we showed in.  Unbeknownst to us, he snapped our picture while we were in the ring.  I stayed to watch the rest of the judging and while standing there Chris walked up beside us.  Bentley posed perfectly for him and he started clicking the shutter!

Photo by Chris Caviness, used by permission

A little while later I walked by Chris's booth and guess what he had on the monitor facing the show floor?  Yep, this handsome dachshund was looking at me.  I went to get my glasses and my wallet; I knew I wanted this picture!  This is my dog!

Photo by Chris Caviness, used by permission





Here he is on the table.  This judge totally threw us off because she had the table parallel to the entrance of the ring, rather than perpendicular like we have always had before.  I had groomed him very well after we arrived, but had run out of finishing spray so he looked like a fuzzy chicken, which didn't help us in the ring.

Photo by Chris Caviness, used by permission

Click on the link above and check out Chris's work.  I'll be looking for him at the future shows to make more pictures of the rest of the Wagging Tails!  Maybe Bentley, too.

 

Retractable leash

A while back I had purchased a retractable leash on a shopping trip to PetsMart.  It was one of those unplanned purchases; I had intended to buy one someday, but not that particular day.  Until I got in the store and it seemed like a good idea.

I have used a retractable leash before, so I'm familiar with how they are supposed to be used and how they work.  If you've read all the bad things about them, I have to say that I do not agree.  They work great; however, there are some rules.  First, the human has to be in control of the leash.  You've got to be aware of  your surroundings.  Is there a dog nearby or humans?  Are there a lot of cars?  What about those mailboxes that the dog can wrap the leash around?  I walk with my thumb on the retract button and I try to stay focused on our surroundings.  Second, you can't just turn the dog loose at full leash.  There are those mailboxes and your legs that they tend to tangle up with the leash.  And, unless you are on a deserted trail there are too many distractions around.  Plus if the leash is fully extended and you have to retract quickly there may not be time.  That leads to another rule:  you've got to know how to control the retracting so you can "reel in" the dog quickly if needed.

Shop carefully and make sure that the brand you pick will fit comfortably in your hand.  I tried several in the store (there were boxes open as well as demo ones to try).  I liked the way that this one felt in my hand and the fact that the retract button was placed on top of the device.  The Kong brand was boxed up securely and there was no way to try it, but I didn't like the way it looked anyway and felt it would not be comfortable (they do make one that has a poop-bag dispenser which would be handy).  Another brand had the retract button in a little hole that your finger slipped through; no way that would work for me if I needed to take quick action.  Also, they do come in dog appropriate sizes and lengths.

I only use it on Sawyer when we walk by ourselves.  Most of the time I keep it fairly short as I want him to walk for exercise benefit and not do the hound-dog-nose-to-the-ground snooping routine.  If there is no one around and he wants to run ahead then I let him zoom on.  But I've learned not to give him the lead and then pass him up if he stops to snoop.  That's where he will wrap around a mailbox, fire hydrant, street sign, etc.! I also had an episode last week where I wasn't paying attention and we were charged at by two dogs.  I was trying to quickly get him close to me while telling the two dogs to get away.  Fortunately, they knew commands and their owner (who was several houses away) called them.  Thank goodness for dogs that take commands, they headed home.  A few minutes later a pick-up truck passed us with the dogs hanging out the windows, so I guess they escaped while loading up for a little ride! I suspect that they really just wanted to play and weren't going to attack.

I also advise walking with one of these no matter what kind of leash you use.  I have a nice one that is about 3 feet long that I normally use, but I picked this one up out of the yard several nights ago when I forgot the regular stick.  They come in handy for scaring off other dogs (beat it on the street for a distracting noise) and for giving your own dog a gentle nudge when they need it! Happy Walking!

How to relax

Had to get this with the not so great iphone camera, but the message is still there.  This boy knows how to be a sofa sleeper! (and, yes, that is the nasty oak pollen stuck in his fur!)

There's something wrong here...or is there?

Why am I standing here, under the overhang of the house, in the dark, at 10 o'clock at night?

Because it is lightly raining and the only way I can get the dogs outside to take care of their doggie business is to go outside with them.  So, here I stand.

But, that's okay.  It is peaceful to stand here in the silence of the night and hear the light drip, drip, drip of the rain dripping off the roof and the trees. How different my life was before I had these little ones, I missed out on moments like this.