Do you ever realize…
So the dogs are shut in the office here with me, which is where we spend most of our time lately. Payton was trying to lick my foot. I kept moving my foot around and saying “Why are you licking? Why are you licking?” and I kept making my voice go higher and higher into a falsetto until finally I said “I’m talking in a really high pitch!!”
This confused the Payton. He sat down and looked at me.
“Does that make you sit?” I asked him, in my high pitched voice. “You look confused. And now maybe kind of disappointed. Now you look like you’re judging me. Don’t judge me.”
And I thought to myself “This is funny. I mean I’m being stupid and I’m pretty sure my dog is judging me and it’s funny. I have such funny conversations with my dogs. Somebody should put me on reality TV. Or at least write a sitcom based on my life. Because we are funny.”
Then I realized it’s probably NOT funny…
And is really just kinda sad.
which is kind of even more funny.
Maybe I need a roommate. A human one.
Or not.
Razor sharp puppy teeth
I bought Payton a dragon from PetSmart, one that claimed to be “durable” and hold up to chewing. It’s the only thing he has in his crate, because he is a monster and I’m 99% sure he would destroy a bed or blanket if he had one in there and probably eat it. I feel a bit bad for him because he seems a bit uncomfortable, and whenever he gets up to move I can hear his little paws tap dancing around on the plastic crate tray, but there are worse things in this world. He is sleeping with his head on the dragon sometimes, using it as a pillow.
Anyway – this afternoon I was putting him back in his crate and picked up Durable Dragon, and he is ripped open. I thought it was stuffing-free, but it is apparently “understuffed,” so there is stuffing poking out. I think I’m going to rip all of the stuffing out and then sew it closed again. It’s not shredded into pieces, but he did rip it open.
I also gave him a Wubba to play with yesterday, one I picked up a few years ago as a prize at an agility trial. He somehow managed to rip the fabric on that too – and not the little flappy legs at the bottom where it would make the most sense, but the fabric wrapped around the squeaky part at the top.
Stupid razor sharp puppy teeth!!
I’m trying to decide if it’s worth trying to buy one of those really durable stuffed toys, or if I should just doom him to an empty crate until he grows up and limits the chewing everything in his path.
Meanwhile Auggie’s crate has a nice pillow I sewed for him, his own Wubba, a Kong, a rope toy, a loofa dog, and a stuffed puppy. Auggie is livin’ large in his nice, roomy, furnished crate… and the puppy has a smallish empty crate. LOL. I imagine Auggie is laying in his crate right now all “AHHHH, this is SOOO nice… think I’ll just chew on my puppy here… ohhhh so lovely…” and poor Pay is laying there like “=< =< =<" with his head on an empty crate pan…
And the funniest part of this? I went to PetSmart to pick this up (I'd been eying it a while) and to see if they had any cord covers, and when an employee asked me if I needed help and I asked him if they had cord covers, he asked me what kind of dog I needed to protect my cords from. I told him sheltie and he looked at me completely confused and told me "Shelties don't really chew…" I almost died laughing in the aisle. I've been taking photographic evidence of Payton chomping various things he should not be chomping on. I suppose Mr. Dwiggie and Ripped Wubba can be added to the "Shelties Don't Really Chew" slideshow now.
How’s this for adorable?
Pepper was in the kitchen looking down the stairs (my dad was down there and she wanted to make sure he didn’t come upstairs and surprise her.) There was an empty plastic bag on the kitchen counter and it blew onto the floor.
Pepper jumped and came in here all “Waaah! A bag fell!! It’s scary!”
Auggie was laying next to my chair and he got up, walked into the kitchen, sniffed the bag, then stood there looking over at Pepper.
She went back in the kitchen and looked at the bag, then went back to stand at the top of the stairs again.
It’s like he was all “DON’T WORRY… I shall check out the big scary bag for you!”
I do think he helps her sometimes learn to relax about things… she sees him go up to something and smell it and she feels more comfortable smelling it herself.
Auggie is a good big brother.
Ohhhh boy…
Yesterday I caught Pepper offering her butt all flirty-like to Auggie.
Today he has INCREDIBLY renewed interest in trying to hump her. Like making monkey-noises when he can’t get to her or I tell him to stop.
I think we’re about to have a full-blown heat here.
Guess I should go out and buy some washable diapers just in case she starts bleeding on me here… she’s two and this should be her first “for reals” heat. Ughhhh.
I told her last night THIS IS WHY I LIKE BOY DOGS. She just stared at me and wagged her tail.
She finally found something to play with!
I was sitting on my bedroom floor cuddling Auggie, and Pepper picked it up and brought it to me. I threw it across the room and she ran over, picked it up, and brought it back. I threw it again, she retrieved it again. I took it in the living room to show my mom, threw it, and she retrieved it again!
Unfortunately “it” is one of my running socks. That’s not going to work. It’s a dirty, sweaty, icky running sock, too. Yuck.
I’m wondering if I should put a dog toy in my bed and sleep with it there a few nights and if she will want to play with it then!
Pepper licked my foot
She licked my foot, and it was the lightest licking in the world. At first I wasn’t even positive she was actually licking until I looked down at my foot and saw her licking about as close to NOT licking as possible. I asked her what she was doing and she started wagging her tail and clacking at me.
I should also mention she did NOT try to EAT my foot afterward. Not that I’m naming any names of bratty little dogs who tried to be all sweet and give my foot a little lick and then nibble my toes or anything.
Auggie.
Auggie’s waggy tail
Auggie has many tail wags. There’s the full-on crazy dog wag, the “HAHA I AM SOOOO HILARIOUS” wag, a tentative wag when he’s trying to suss out if another dog is game for playing or not, the “okay, let’s play!” wag, the “OMG HI I MISSED YOU YOU HAVE BEEN GONE FOREEEEVER” wag I get when I first get home, the “I know I’m cute, are you going to just stand there, or are you going to pet me?” wag for strangers, the “ahh yes, now you’re petting me” wag for strangers…
I think my favourite, though, is the smaller wag. Maybe you could call it the “contented” wag. It’s the wag I get when I reach down to pet him. It’s the wag I get when he looks up at me with his eyes all big, and his tail goes. It’s the wag I get if he’s across the room and I say his name. Just a little, not a lot. Sometimes it may only wag a few times. Sometimes it wags and wags and wags. It’s not big and crazy and fast, but back and forth and even a little slow, quiet-like, almost thoughtful.
Yeah… that’s my favourite wag.
I’d like to train him to wag his tail on command, but I bet it would end up being the CRAZY DOG wag instead of this wag.
Nintendogs
I got the game in a trade on swaptree. So now I have two little Nintendog shelties (one is named Happy and the other is Rocky but that is neither here nor there.)
The problem is that I’m trying to teach these boogers tricks, which means you have to talk at the mic on the DS. And Auggie HATES it. He’ll be laying across the room chewing on a bone or something and I’ll be sitting there with my DS going “over!” … “over!” … “over!” or whatever… and Auggie is like “WHAT??? Seriously! I’m over here! I’m laying down! What do you WANT?” When I first got the game and was teaching sit he actually came over to me and sat and stared and was really confused. And I felt awful. I was like “no not YOU… the FAKE dog!”
Anyway, this is how I’m coping with my terrible urge to have another dog to work with. Training a fake dog on my DS. And obviously one wasn’t enough so I also got a second fake dog on my DS.
Well, I’m also still working on teaching “cop-cop” to Auggie, but that doesn’t drive him crazy, so it’s not really as interesting to share.
I wish I were Auggie
He told me he had to go potty, but it’s 5PM and it’s dinner time. So I asked him, “Well, do you want to go potty, then eat, or eat and then go potty?”
He stood there for a moment looking totally conflicted. Then he decided to go eat first.
And it occurs to me: this is the most difficult decision he has to make.
Eat, then potty, or potty, then eat.
Oh to be an Auggie. It would be awesome.
Auggie’s Big Day
Saturday is Auggie’s big day.
First, we are off to our first Rally-O trial. I have NO idea how that’s going to go. It might be short of hilarity.
Second, we are getting pro pics done for the second time.
Third…
IT’S AUGGIE’S THIRD BIRTHDAY!!!
I can’t believe my little guy is almost three.
He’s going to get a very special birthday cake… if I can just decide what recipe to use.
Ruining My Breed
This post is about DOG POLITICS.
There was a recent BBC piece called Pedigree Dogs Exposed that talks about the ugly side of pedigree breeding, particularly as it relates to showing and breeding to “the standard.” I didn’t see the piece and heard that it wasn’t a very pleasant watch at times, and being pretty weak stomached I decided to not seek it out and watch it later, so I don’t know everything that was showed or talked about. BUT – this is not about that particular piece, but about the issues it raises about showing.
I have heard, in my relatively short amount of time being seriously involved with dogs (about four years), a confirmation dog show referred to as a beauty pageant. I have been told owning a pedigree dog is a “status symbol,” and dog shows are just a way to confirm your “status symbol” by showing that you have the prettiest dog.
I have had people in multiple breeds complain to me about how the AKC/CKC/enter your registry of choice here has “ruined the breed.”
Now, I certainly feel the pain of GSD enthusiasts, who have a serious health problem on their hands with dogs who now suffer back and hip problems thanks to breeding towards a ring trend of a sloping back. THAT is severe damage done to a breed that will take time to recover from, and I would never ever dream of putting the issues surrounding the breed of sheltie anywhere near that level of “ruining” a breed.
HOWEVER. I submit that it is NOT the AKC, CKC, the UKC, or any other pedigree registry that has actually done this damage to any particular breed.
The damage is being done by breeders. Not every single breeder out there – don’t get me wrong, I do eventually desire to breed shelties myself – but it is the individuals who are breeding dogs that are to blame, not the registry itself. If anything, you can blame the judges in events sanctioned by a particular registry who were driving towards those ring trends (the complication comes when you realize that all judges have their biases, their likes, their dislikes…)
The difficulty is that confirmation is, to a point, subjective. I don’t think there is a way to make it a non-subjective “sport.” Judges are supposed to be judging each dog against the standard, but people can certainly come up with their own conclusions and interpretations of the standard.
So now we get to the real point here. Anybody that knows me has likely heard me talk, at least once, about how much I’m a supporter of the all-around dog. I do not want my shelties to just be able to herd. I do not want my shelties to just be able to run fast and jump high on the agility course. I do not want my shelties to just look cute and pretty in the confirmation ring.
I WANT IT ALL. No – I do not just WANT it all. I take it one step further.
I DEMAND it all.
The key word here is JUST.
I will never support the breeding of any breed of dog on one aspect alone, no matter the aspect. Temperament, movement, working ability (for working breeds), health, accurate representation of the standard… it’s all part of a total package, and every single time you breed you should be striving to improve on the representation of the total package. Not just breeding for a dog that jumps a hurdle good; not just breeding for a dog that looks good in the ring.
Everything.
So what happens when you start to see a split? What happens when you come face to face with ring trends? Imagine the dilemma of a GSD breeder who is starting to find they cannot put confirmation titles on their dogs because they aren’t breeding for the extreme sloping back that is winning. They face a few options: keeping showing and hope to still be able to title your dogs, despite ring trends – or just quit showing and abandon the pursuit of confirmation titled dogs, instead having to rely on your own judgment and the judgment of others, outside the ring, to tell you if a dog is confirmation quality; alternatively, the option is to give in and start breeding along with the ring trend just to maintain the confirmation titles on your dog.
It’s overly simplistic to explain it that way, but in a way, that is what it boils down to. Keep trying, give up, or give in.
We already know, with GSDs, what happens when people give in. The results are not so good.
I also know what happens when people give up. They take their dogs and go home. They change how they breed. “I ONLY breed for working ability,” or “I ONLY breed for temperament,” or what have you. Health testing is a factor for some, but you wouldn’t know it – you might be told “Well, the dog works, so it must be healthy!” To me, that sounds a bit like “Well, this bitch is healthy and HER parents were healthy… so she MUST be healthy!”
So what, then, should be done with the people who keep on? You’re doing what you know is right. You’re producing dogs with the proper temperament, working ability, so on and so on, and just because you’re not breeding towards a ring trend, you’re finding it hard to get confirmation titles on dogs that you KNOW are not only within standard, but a good example of the standard – a dog worthy of being bred, a dog worthy of passing their genes on to produce more quality, healthy, in-standard dogs that can do it ALL.
It’s like running into a brick wall, hoping that it might eventually crack and crumble.
I gotta admit that I somewhat see the argument for those that take their dogs and go home. Showing is not cheap, and when you know that you’re staring down a brick wall, it’s pretty daunting, and can feel like shoveling money away.
But I also have a lot of admiration for people who stick it out. You know, I wonder if dog showing is kinda like the stock market. Yeah, it’ll go down. But if you wait – if you just stick it out – it’ll come back up. Ring trends might go down, and if you can resist the panic and pulling all of your money out… eventually, it WILL come back up. You just gotta stick it out and continue to fight for what YOU know is right… for you, for your dogs, and for your breed.
That is, of course, assuming it’s like the stock market.
I have no real solution to the dilemma. I fear a split for shetland sheepdogs is coming, the way there’s a split with border collies. “Show border collies” versus “working border collies.” I want to have it all… I will be very unhappy if a split occurs and I have to make my choice. Don’t get me wrong, I know in which direction I will choose… but to HAVE to choose one or the other is a terrible shame and certainly no testament to the incredible versatility these little dogs are so capable of.
A Pleasant Pet Store Visit
Took Auggie to the grand opening celebration of our local Pet Supplies Plus. I had to go out there for work reasons and thought it would be fun to take my dog along, so away we went! It was awesome to see a chain store carrying premium dog foods – I was pretty pleasantly surprised.
They had LOTS of lovely leashes, but I was good and only bought one. Also picked up one of those poop bag dispenser thingies because it was a really great deal… even though Auggie never poops away from home! But now I have one just in case. Grabbed some bone-print guaze for his emergency kit, bought a new pair of thinning shears, and got some free samples of Eagle Pack (free treats!)
Auggie is a WONDERFUL ambassador for shelties. This sounds weird, because normally you talk about dogs being ambassadors in breeds that have a bad reputation, like pitties or rotties or dobes or something like that… but today two people exclaimed how surprised they were that Auggie was perfectly happy to come up to them and be pet, because “normally these dogs are so shy!”
It’s nice to have a dog who fits correct sheltie temperament, even though it’s become so accepted in the breed to have dogs who are not just standoffish, but downright SHY.
Met a PWC puppy in the store who desperately wanted to play with Auggie. He was SO FREAKING CUTE. He had no tail, just a little stumpy, and it WAGGED LIKE ALL GET OUT. Soooooooo adorable!
