Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 8:36PM Risa in action. I also took video below. She loves her snow and so does Wasabi, Truffie and shall I go on?
Darlah
The video is above!
Friday, February 24, 2012 at 4:10PM 
There are some days when a guy just can't stay dry and that's me. My mom is going CRAZY!
I go out, I swim through the wet snow and she swears I am laughing about it and I am. What can I say, I am a water dog from the frozen wet kind to the pool kind but baths, I could lose THOSE!
Mommy says I am really good at laying on my back. So it took me about 10 months but she wouldn't give up and now I just lay there and I am relaxed. Of course she massages me and gives me yummy treats but today I got brushed 3 times and I think that is ridiculous and she says its in the cards again today.
You see I am a show dog and I can't afford to lose coat so this is my life but shhh we have visitors tonight and I am absolutely going to show them how you can swim in snow. How could I not.
Poor Mommy will she have to brush me again? maybe this is payback time? ROFL!!
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 8:59PM 
Hi Nathan and Darlah,
All is well. Sparky is terrific!
Just had Sparky's annual check-up and rabies shot.
He's Florida bound soon!
---------------
Can't wait to see an updated photo of him in the sun but I just adore his chillin' attitude. We will be envious that he is enjoying a salt water pool and we will be shovelling perhaps.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 5:09PM Do you know havanese like to lay on the back of couches? There is something about on high spots that they adore.
They also can see TV. Now that the resolution has become better there are some that you can shut the sound off and when they see an animal or two will bark at it or put up a fuss and that is with NO sound.
Some don't seem to care about the TV and others will intently watch. Some only care about the sounds.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 7:09PM 
This was Wasabi's previous litter and I wanted to post this so you could see just how agile of a group she seems to have.
This one escaped from the pen and they were only a half a week older than her crew now. They were 3 weeks old.
Will this crew do the same? I suspect so.
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 4:00PM 
If you look closely you can see Risa rubbing her face in the snow. It's a crazy process. You brush, they mess and if you have my husband he fondly caresses them rubbing their hair every which way and direction till you say, I just brushed her you know. :-)
Only the one that grooms daily will stop themselves from making them a mess. hahahahaha Yes, Nathan brushes them the odd times but he forgets or assumes they can be brushed again and they need to be a dawg. He's right.
I am right when its just before a show. :-)
But hanging out at the house, who cares?
Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 6:26PM 
Truffie loves the wet snow and playing with toys. He's much like his father when it comes to toys. Phantom will jump up on top of a crate for a toy and he surrounds himself with toys and covets them. He takes them to bed, he takes them outside and he just loves playing with them and so does Truffie.
Truffie also finds a stick charming especially if its a big huge one that he can run and jump with and rotate all around with.
I love a dog that can amuse himself. Of course I like the focus to be on me at times too but a zest for play is nice and fun, don't you think?
Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 2:57PM 
I don't know about you but wow the dawgs are getting snowballs all over them. Maybe it is time to put some snowsuits on....nah.
Phantom tends to get them on his face as he sticks his face right into the snow and shakes off as if I never brushed him. Gad I love this boy. Risa knows this trick too.
Remember spray silicone spray before going out if you remember and brush the coat or put on coats with legs or just brush or wet them off. You want to brush or you can get knots if just let to dry in.
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 7:19PM 
I love these tunnels especially the ones with holes at the top. Here Roxie is checking out who is in the tunnel.
They jump in and out including the adults. Yes, the adults love this toy too.
I just love this play and it gets better as the pups get older where all are joining in and even mimicking. Check out this photo to see what I mean.
Today Spice and Katsura got a bath. They were both way overdue. I think I will wait till Monday for anymore. :-)
It's great sleeping with the dawgs again!
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 5:43PM Today Truffie and Phantom had a bath. Tomorrow Katsura and Spice. Now understand I do these baths in the window where the gals are not feeding the pups. I have approx a 1.5 to 2 hour window. Everyone needs baths but are getting them on a 'can I fit it in' order.
Truffie is good these days. He now lays on his back and even lets me take out knots in armpits and feet. He had a few today as I got him groomed but not lined combed the last few days and its been wet outside. Wet and not brushed equals knots.
Can I go to sleep now?
Alyssa and Vince (and Mia) sent us a basket of edible fruit. Yum. Thank YOU!!! I am eating it right now. That sure made the day nicer!! Most appreciated - not necessary...but wow nice!
We have a visitor that is Yvonne's Lola's pup called Socks. What a cutie and he is having so much fun. I am celebrating as Spice and Treasure are no longer in heat and Spice is one of my biggest play monkeys with visitors. Isn't that great timing and here I thought I had to wait till tomorrow!
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 9:29AM 
We turned our dining-room into a tv room. We placed a couple of couches in it, tables, a desk and of course a TV. Now the recliner is also in it.
One of the dogs best place in the house is this room. Why? They have a huge crate that they can lay in that connects the 2 couches together. This gives them easy access to go back and forth between couches without going back down to the floor and it has a comfie bed on the crate so one of them can sit up there and watch. It's a high end crate the size that takes a golden with wheels and a slide down door that always stays tucked up and out of the way and open.
We also have beds on the side table, stairs and a dog bed on the floor plus a recliner if Daddy is sitting in it.
It's a pure dog heaven. We never used the dining-room. So we figured why not. With xpens being in the family room along with my desk and dogs not having access while pups are small, it makes sense to have another room to chill. I have to say Fiona will ask to go into it when no one is there just to hang out and have quiet.
I think it is their most favourite room in the house after the bedroom and even the guests think so too.
It's rather nice having a real dog friendly tv room to chill in. Just think I dragged my feet on this one and the men in my life was right. :-)
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 1:12PM 
Katsura Waiting Turn in RingI thought this may be an interesting read. As it gives you insight into this crazy dawg world. Not always the best but money indeed plays a part and without it, it's a pipe dream.
All of ours are champions but we don't campaign our dogs. We have fun with them. Campaign dogs are out every single weekend taken out to be groomed and shown and placed back in their crate for hours on end. The odd pro handler who doesn't have too many dogs will play and try to give them balance.
The owner/handlers that have the $$ to indulge and want the bragging rights and show themselves are more apt to give that dog balance as it is the only one. There are exceptions but hard to find.
Some have died in the hands of pro-handlers, left on tables and sometimes strung up by accident, not cooled off sufficiently at a hot dog show etc.
When someone does want to campaign their dogs it makes it hard to find who will actually care enough about your dog if it doesn't win big that it will give balance. Sometimes simply they have too many dogs to make ends meet to be able to invest the time.
Dog shows sometimes start in the morning and end at night if you have multiple dogs.
Bravo for all those that invest the time, the dollars etc. as it does give people exposure that wouldn't. Many will brag about their dogs for 5 to 10 years after a big win. They spent the $$ so they deserve the bragging rights.
But you also deserve to see the whole picture of this crazy dawg world.
Nathan loves the dawg shows, me it's work as I groom and prepare and wrap etc. I prefer to applaud the fast runner, the swimmer, the obedience, rallly and agility stars and they are all stars to me that do their time and the dog that has a special gift of calming others that are nervous.
We all celebrate dawgs differently but until you have the experience its hard to see the whole picture.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 3:23AM 
I have to tell you it is a slow grooming recovery but we are getting there in the bathing department. Yesterday Fiona and Roxie got done. Friday Panda and Logan got done. Today we are going to try for Truffie and Phantom.
If I keep going like this I may get everyone done.
I use the window of right after Wasabi finishes feeding and I am awake. :-)
The way Truffie has been rolling in the snow his coat may be scary. We shall find out.
Wish me luck. :-) At least I know how to get knots out relatively quickly. :-) For the first time Roxie had some. :-( Clean coats knot less. So does a daily grooming. Dirty coats mat easily. When that happens you know it is wash time.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 5:38AM 
No matter whose pups, Risa always feels the need to be grandma and that's rather nice.
She likes the strong ones with their own mind. She no longer has patience for those that just don't get on with it but she does try to 'get' that attitude.
You can see the brain working - how will I motivate this one to get the guts to do the stairs, to achieve x.
I guess once a mom, always a mom. :-)
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 4:07AM 
Here's our boy Katsura. We love him to pieces. He loves me to pieces. hahahahaha
Now that the heat is starting to wind down - well really it isn't till Friday we will have to bathe him again.
What is that we stuff. Okay, I have to bathe him again.
Boys during heat really get to be a mess. They mark all over outside, they whine like teenage boys if they were vocal.
So bellies have to be washed daily but they also stick their faces at the gal's backend so that has to be cleaned too.
Photo Taken Before Snow :-)Can you tell I hate the heat cycle?
Today is Monday and Friday please come. Okay I don't normally like to rush time but you know what I mean.
We don't usually have people over during the heat as the boys cry non-stop (drives you crazy) and mistakes can happen if there is too much activity so when we had Teaser puppy people here the boys went totally away with Dennis. I don't want any ooops litters especially with Spice.
Kat's daughters and sons seem to look a lot like him. You can usually tell a Kat offspring and personally I find him cute. I put this photo up so you can see that half smile as if he has a secret.
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 6:39AM I may ask Nathan to update if he has time otherwise stay tuned to the next crazy dawg update.
Just when I settled in for a snuggle Dennis crawled into my bed with the crew. Back to not sleeping with the dawgs. :-)
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 6:47PM 
I love Truffie's half smile. He's always so full of emotion in his face. He still looks cute to me messy or just brushed.
I love that at night he crawls up beside me, tries to clean my ears (do I have dirty ears?) and nuzzles with my neck.
He also looks at me like Katsura does with adoring eyes. It's hard to explain but Nathan will hold them and they just stare and stare at me adoringly. It's good for my ego, not for Nathan's.
I feel guilty about it. I didn't do anything to encourage. Maybe they see me as queen alpha. hahahahaha
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 4:37PM Logan comes to visit but goes home with his human mom and dad who also own Panda. Logan is from our friend Yvonne. His best gal pal after Panda is Spice but Spice is in heat so Logan has been a tad lost and has been playing with Truffie but Spice plays a certain way that she challenges Logan. Fiona never plays with Logan. I am not sure why she just doesn't but today, oh boy did Fiona and Logan have fun. Be still my heart. Check out some of the photos I clicked and when Fiona was done with Logan she went on to play with Shoshi. Fiona was in her zone.
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 6:51PM 
When a dog wants to play he invites the other with a playbow. It's an accepted invitation and the pups seem to understand body language early on.
Truffie has a grand time with the pups jumping over them, around them and engaging them in play.
I see that play and be still my heart. It's priceless!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 4:56PM I believe it is truly fall weather that we are getting vs. winter. Nathan washed the floor (Usually Dennis does) and 2 minutes later there were leaves all over. This is a Fall moment, I swear.
Can I blast the leaves away, cement my backyard and make the dogs come through a wind tunnel so they come in clean? Not likely but one can dream up all sorts of things.
Do you know who;e greenies really are great for the teeth but not for the hair? We keep them away from show dogs as they truly ruin their beards and so do regular marrow bones which actually turn their beard that wonderful brownish colour.
But what we do is we cut greenies in little pieces and let them chew on them. It cleans their teeth and no beard stickage. They also last longer as you will give one piece of a mini greenie vs. a whole. We actually cut a mini into 3 pieces. A little goes a long way.