The View Ain't Bad From Down Here...

Never one to miss out on a bandwagon...

2009-02-20T15:29:00.000-08:00

I'm switching over to WordPress. Looks cool!

http://stubbydog.wordpress.com/

Balance

2009-02-17T06:32:00.000-08:00

I actually did the lines on these photos the other day but forgot to post them. Carolyn reminded me!

Leo is a great example of a dog with overall less ideal angulation, but who is balanced. That (along with personality) is why he could move like a freight train. I had to run to keep up with Leo, because as many times as I tried to teach him to move slower, that just wasn't his thing. LOL He has flying drive and likes to go as fast as his little legs can take him.

Brady fits into this camp also, by the way. He's straighter in both front and rear, but very balanced and has good movement and wonderful stamina. He truly is a dog that could work all day long.

Here is Leo at I think a little over a year old:

Moving on...

2009-02-13T12:16:00.001-08:00

Following Carolyn's lead. I tried to draw the lines, hopefully I did it correctly. They are at least fairly close, I think. Her upper arm is shorter to me in real life than it looks with the lines. But you can clearly see her lack of layback in the shoulder. However, she has good placement of the shoulder, which is what keeps her from looking like one of those dogs with shoulders coming straight down from their head. :) I have an example that I'm thinking of, that I've seen on a website, but since it's not my dog I won't post it LOL.

If I have time later I'll post my other dogs. :)

Westminster

2009-02-08T21:06:00.000-08:00

For those who don't know, be sure to look for my friend Janet's pretty red girl Scout at Westminster! She and Laura Prosser are in New York now to watch the big show, pay too much for food, and much more. Hope they have a great time!

Even more fronts

2009-02-02T15:22:00.000-08:00

Traum's momma, Molly, as a puppy...maybe 6-8 months? I'm not entirely sure. Hard to believe that she grows into a moose.

and at about 4 months, when she first arrived:

ETA: Yes, Molly is a red-headed tri. VERY red-headed, obviously...you can see between the bottom pictures and the top ones how much her red "crept" backwards on her head until it enveloped the whole thing. The undercoat on her monk's cap as a baby was always red. And yes, fuzzy ears. ;-) Her coat was a bit feathery...not TOO bad, but her ears were really soft.

Also for funsies, here is Zach at probably around 8 months? You can see he had the long pastern problem as well:

His front stayed pretty much the same, though, even after we started agility and competed.

More fronts, and teeny bit of results

2009-01-31T13:01:00.000-08:00

Heidi and I are in Atlanta at a show, mostly for fun and socializing. :o) There's an entry of 24 here including 8 specials. Today, Rush was pulled out for comparison with the eventual BOS, so not bad for a youngster! Grats to Heidi. We also took some photos of his front for posting later, but I don't have my camera cord with me so it will have to wait until we get home.

As far as fronts go...I absolutely think that shorter pasterns are a key to a nice front. Lizzie's are moderately short, but I think could be a bit shorter. She does have nice round bone and good feet. My biggest want for her front is a better chest shape, because she's somewhat barrel chested. And shoulder layback, but that's a different discussion. :o)

A front discussion

2009-01-30T11:04:00.001-08:00

Maybe Heidi can pipe in (and, ahem, start blogging again) with Rush's front, because his is gorgeous. :)

Talk about turnout etc by Kate & Joanna got me wondering what Lizzie's front TRULY looks like these days. I mean, I know it was really nice when she was a puppy. And I know that day-to-day it looks nice. But photographs are always interesting.

So here is Lizzie's fitted, wrapped front at 4 months old:

And here she is today, at 2.5 years old and just getting blown dry in the garage for our show weekend. Please ignore the expression, as she was most disappointed that I didn't have cheese. Here it is stacked:

and unstacked:

You can see that she turns out a bit more on her right foot than on her left (and I actually think the way she's leaning and turning in this photo makes it look a little more so than it really is). That definitely wasn't there, even in casual everyday life, when she was a puppy. I suspect that most Cardis don't have exactly even fronts?

Cardigan Personalities

2009-01-24T18:48:00.001-08:00

I meant to do this earlier, but was reminded by Kristine today. :o)

BRADY
If I had to describe Brady in one word, it would be "intense". We always joke that Brady will not get old gracefully and then pass away in his sleep sometime...an aneurysm in the middle of the yard running after a squirrel would be more his speed. At age 10.5 he IS finally slowing down a little bit, but not really all that much. He's my Cardi who has been through the most obedience classes (4), yet is the one least apt to listen to me. Can you say hard headed? That said, he did teach us a lot. He's also endearing in a lot of ways, but has always been Dave's dog. His stubbornness and drive frustrates the living heck out of me. Through his life we've tried flyball, agility, and herding. All of which he is fantasically driven to do, but woefully falls short in physical ability. Brady is perfectly built for stamina (and is a fantastic hiking dog)...balanced, not extreme, and light on his feet. But his extreme drive when coupled with a strange inability to judge distance (I swear there is something odd with his eyesight, and not just as an old dog) equals a dog that is constantly injuring himself. A very memorable moment was during our first flyball demo at a local park...he was so worked up that when his turn came, he tried to run and jump so fast that he simply landed on TOP of the jump, completely taking the whole thing and himself down to the ground. Undaunted, he popped up and finished the rest of the run. We repeated the experience in agility training, even though I took him to several classes and trainers just for jumping. So despite a fantasic amount of drive, Brady has always been a house dog. He's our official greeter and has always been the undisputed alpha of our house. Not a nasty bone in his body, he nonetheless will tell other dogs plainly what they should and should NOT be doing. He adores all humans, small or large, as long as they pet him.

LIZZIE:
One phrase to describe Lizzie would be "Suck Up". Lizzie is a lover, not a fighter, and 100% a people dog. She loves people and will do her best to get them to either pet her, or give her food. She believes that she belongs in someone's lap, and when we have friends over will spend the better part of the visit trying to work her way into one. You simply have to look at her at any point in the day and she'll roll onto her back, asking "want to rub my belly?" She loves dogs that are in her pack (or extended pack), and tolerates other dogs for the most part as long as they don't try to play with her too much, at which point she tells them in doggie terms to "buzz off". Remember, she's a people dog, not a dog's dog. :o) She's also a chow hound extraordinaire and has been known to swipe food off the table if, say, you have to get up for a moment to keep the toddler from killing himself. Not that I speak from experience or anything. We joke that she's our cat because she's such a quiet dog...not just that she rarely barks, but she moves quietly too. This trait helps her with the aforementioned food stealing, otherwise known as "sneaky". She has so far turned out to be surprisingly good at agility, despite her couch potato tendencies. Mostly she loves to please me, but her excitement about the sport exceeds simply wanting to do what is asked, and I'm thrilled!

Back to the grind

2009-01-11T18:24:00.001-08:00

After a long break for the holidays, we started another agility course today. Heidi and Rush were supposed to join us, ahem, but somebody needs to check their email more often. LOL

It took Miss Lou a little while to settle down...at the beginning of the class she was SO excited to be there that she had no idea what I wanted her to do. Those of you who have met Lizzie I know are saying, really? Excited, exuberant, bouncy...Lizzie?? But indeed she was. After she settled down we had a good hour of practice doing all the things we learned in the last set of classes. And surprisingly, knock on wood, she has no problem with the teeter so far. I've been very impressed with her boldness, because traditionally she's not a brave dog. Not a true chicken, no, but not brave or opinionated either.

My biggest complaint at the moment is that the assistant instructor that has been working with us (the "small dogs" in the class) seems to only think of one way to train. When I suggest something different for my dog, she seems offended that I'm questioning what she tells us to do. Sigh. No, I don't want to train two-on-two-off, I prefer running contacts. I'll take the random chance that she might occasionally miss a contact, but I think it will be one in a thousand LOL. No, I don't like to train my dog to run all the way to the end of the teeter and stop. Especially not a softer dog that doesn't have high drive, because she may not get back on it if she gets bounced off. I really like the main instructor, but we don't usually have her with our group. Oh well, at least I know what I'd like to do, as opposed to someone brand new, and am not afraid to speak up. Even if it does annoy or offend her. :P

New camera testing

2008-12-26T20:02:00.000-08:00

Brady says, "I hate it as much as I hate your other camera."

And Lizzie says, "Will it pet me? Does it want to scratch my dirty belly?"

Edit to add: Dave got me a pocket-sized point-n-shoot for Christmas (Panasonic DMC-LZ8). :o) I love my Nikon D70, but oy vey is it a big sucker. I wanted something I could easily stick in my purse. These are clearly far from wonderful photos, but hopefully it will do a decent job just for little snaps here and there. As an aside, I ALSO got a nice new 50mm lens for the D70...which I will be testing out once I go buy a damned flash card reader. I always downloaded photos with the USB cable, but the USB port on the Nikon just suddenly decided to go caput. It no worky anymore...and when I peer inside like I know what I'm looking for, I DO see a missing pin port. *shrug* So until I get a card reader, I can't get any photos off the fancy camera.

Also, please ignore Brady's yucky paws. He still licks them on and off, although they are getting much better. But they are permanently pink now. :( And they are both needing a bath badly, it's been raining here for like 3 weeks so they are gross!

Photo Tag

2008-12-22T06:43:00.001-08:00

Heidi tagged me to post the 6th photo from the 6th photo folder on my computer. So here it is...JackJack at around 6 months old, before he had any hair LOL.

I'm not sure there's anyone left to tag, but if you'd like to play along I'd love to see!

Random Things

2008-12-03T08:52:00.000-08:00

Lizzie "graduated" from her beginner agility class last night, which I find especially impressive considering that we went to a grand total of TWO of the six classes. Yes, two. The test last night was our third class, and she had never seen the teeter, the tire, or the chute completely closed, but she did them all THE FIRST TIME. AND she did the channel weave poles, which before I've had to convince her that they are not the stupidest thing ever (well, really, they ARE) in order to get her to do them. She always gives me the look like, "Really? You want me to run down the middle of these poles? Why??" But last night? No problem! She did them several times, and on both the left and right sides, piece of cake. LOL

The class absences were not intentional...she was in season for 2 of the weeks. Then Dave had a business trip one week, so I would have had to find a babysitter for the kids. And then *I* had a business trip the next week and got stuck in the Charlotte airport for a few extra hours, so I missed it then too. Hopefully in the next cycle we'll actually be able to make the classes! Although apparently she doesn't need all that stinkin' practice. (not! I think we wouldn't get so lucky in the next cycle where she has to actually learn how to do real weaves and a full-height teeter)

In other news...I have quit my job. You may or may not know that Dave and I work together for the same very small company, based in Denver. The company is doing ok, but as most small companies go, it is high stress and lots of hours. It has been way too hard on the family to have us BOTH so involved with work. So, the nanny is gone (sob!), and I will be staying at home with the kids (and puppies!) for a while. Another added benefit is that if for some reason the financial health of the company takes a turn for the worse, I'll be in a position to go get another local job if need be in order to give us some more financial stability, without being tied to clients at this company. I have been feeling very relieved the past few days, because although I really love working with Dave and the rest of the company, it has just been too much for us to bear. I'm looking forward to getting some things done around the house and spending more time with Jack & Charlie!

One more thing...I so want one of these.
http://www.stupid.com/fun/DDMG.html

Happy December!

Photo

2008-11-22T13:41:00.001-08:00

From Lizzie's first Best of Breed win as a special.

No, I don't plan to special her much. I like Lizzard a lot, but she's not flashy and her topline will never be her strong point...two qualities that would hurt her a lot under all-rounders. But when I feel like getting out of the house and going to a dog show, then I will be proud to take my plain little black girl into the ring for fun. :o)

And we're training in agility! I honestly wasn't sure how my "couch tater" would take to agility, but so far she seems to be having a lot of fun. She's SUCH a good listener and while I seriously doubt she'll ever be blazingly fast without a personality transplant, I'm hoping for steady and reliable. She's also smart! Just not driven except by wanting to please me. On a good note, however, I am fairly confident that she'll be able to measure under 11" and therefore be able to run in the 8" class. Yay! Funny considering that I thought she would be oversized at one point, but she really has matured to be of average size...32-33 pounds and right on the nose at 11" tall.

Sky Watch Friday

2008-11-21T05:42:00.000-08:00

Taken from my plane (duh) with my iPhone while coming in to the Charlotte NC area for landing.

Now we get to see diplomacy skills...

2008-11-11T08:02:00.001-08:00

So, Peru has offered the Obamas a 4-month old Peruvian Hairless Dog for the "First Pet". Here's a picture of little "Ears", who would be named Machu Picchu if accepted:

Day 4

2008-11-09T14:32:00.000-08:00

BIG CONGRATS to Heidi for her first bred-by champion, Ch Regent Midnight Rush! Hopefully someday I will join those ranks. ;-)

Lizzard was BOB again today, and thankfully we were the first group to be judged so Heidi could stay and cheer/take photos! Here are a few from the ring.

Day 3

2008-11-08T18:35:00.000-08:00

No post yesterday, as Lizzie was BOS and Heidi posted all of her good news. :o)

Today, Lizzie was BOB again (although she's the only special now). Nothing in group...she wouldn't give ears to the judge on the down & back, so I'm sure that didn't help. It was very crowded ringside and someone was dragging crates or chairs, I'm not sure which, right by the gate where the judge was. In true Lizzie fashion she wasn't spooked by it or anything, but she was keeping an eye...errr, an ear, on the situation. LOL

Charlie went with me today, so that was fun. It's so nice that now she's getting old enough to take to shows and it's not a burden/stressful situation for me. I think she had fun, although the highlight for her was probably the lollipop I let her have so she'd sit still while I was in the group ring. :D

Local shows

2008-11-06T08:11:00.000-08:00

I love local shows. I can drive home and sit at home waiting until the time for groups, instead of having to sit around the dog show site. :o) Dave likes local shows because I can (and will) take Charlie with me.

Good news from this morning is that Lizzie won Best of Breed over 2 multiple group placing specials. I thought the judge was going to kill us, she took that long to decide. We go back for groups in a couple of hours...keep your fingers crossed! It's not a large show, so you never know.

Heidi will probably post too but she was WD/BOW with Rusharoo. He needs to win every day this weekend (4 days) to finish, because we only have a single point each day and he needs 4 singles! LOL So everyone pull for Rush. ;-)

eta: Well, no such luck. I hate it when the judge doesn't even make a cut, either...she just pulled out her 4 picks and that was it. The vallhund got a group 2 though! I have no idea who it was, but nice dog.

Sky Watch Friday

2008-10-31T08:16:00.001-07:00

Sky Watch Friday

2008-10-24T15:13:00.000-07:00

Tropical Storm in paradise. :-(

A must read for the dog fancy

2008-10-19T19:14:00.000-07:00

My friend Joanna, somewhat new to Cardis but definitely not new to dogs, has some interesting posts on her blog re: the UK Kennel Club changes.

http://rufflyspeaking.wordpress.com/2008/10/19/implications-of-the-kennel-club-decision-on-the-pekingese-pedigree-dogs-exposed/

Let me just say that I AM ALL FOR BREEDING HEALTHIER DOGS. It should be clear from the health tests I am doing and the consideration I'm putting into my first litter that I'm trying very hard to do everything I can. But the implications of changes such as these are just, well, astounding. And I shudder to think of the toehold that animal rights activists would have in this country if anything like it happened here.

Fluffy?

2008-10-15T07:15:00.001-07:00

No. Clearly, Lizzie has a very normal and correct coat. But I admit that I was curious about carrier status since Lizzie's dam DOES carry a lot of coat...not that she is a fluffy, but she definitely has a lot of coat to work with. As does at least one of Lizzie's half-sisters.

But Lizzie came back as N/N Clear, meaning that she is not a fluffy carrier.

It's that time

2008-10-14T21:45:00.000-07:00

The girl is in season. Just in time for shows! Joy.

At least she has always been regular with her cycle. Hopefully that bodes well for her fertility...? LOL

Sky Watch Friday

2008-10-10T13:16:00.001-07:00

St George Island, FL

Another one out of the way

2008-10-10T12:08:00.000-07:00

Lizzie's test results for the new DM (degenerative myelopathy) test have come back NORMAL. Yay! I mostly decided to submit her in order to support further study of this disease, as it's still unclear exactly what breeders should be doing with results...but I'm glad to know that it's unlikely she'll ever develop DM.

From the documentation of results:
NORMAL (N/N): This dog is homozygous N/N, with two normal copies of the gene. In the seven breeds studied at the University of Missouri in depth so far, dogs with test results of N/N (Normal) have never been confirmed to have DM. This dog can only transmit the normal gene to its offspring, and it is unlikely that this dog or its offspring will ever develop DM.

I sent off a fluffy test, just so I know. Trying to get a CERF around here is somewhat harder...unless someone does a show clinic, I have to drive 1.5 hours to have it done. These days, it's really hard to find time for that! Maybe next month.