Really ... why did we even bother?

My "dog yard". Supposed to be the big fortress, the safe haven, the lock-em-down-tight enclosure that nobody can escape. If only. Paisley can pretty much fly over and through anything with amazing speed and can easily turn her body sideways to squeeze through even the smallest or most narrow of openings, or take a flying leap between the rails of the arena and then out the arena gate. Sometimes I think she stays confined in anything just to be polite. I don't think she can really be confined, per se. Some days I swear she's opened her own crate to join me in my office, or did I maybe just not latch it completely?

Belle, she's my little rodent, tunneling out like a rat. Or a snake able to make herself flat on the ground and slither between page wire and the grass. She's so quick in her escape I have a helluva time finding the spot where she got out. I roll a post under the page wire, which of course only encourages her to scout out a new escape route.

Hannah is the jumper and somehow manages to jump up and through the eight inch square opening where you put your hand through to chain the gate. Sheesh, she even did it days before whelping a litter, while carrying an extra 15 lb.

Today, Riley the Yorkie GrandPuppy zipped right through the squares of the page wire in the blink of an eye. Little Toby is still small enough to easily scoot under the gate, and Bridger simply hasn't wanted out badly enough ... yet. He's a rather content little guy, certainly not a troublemaker ... yet.

Gracin, well, escaping would just be an act below him, not showing much class, so he does tend to respect the rules. That is, of course, until somebody heads toward the sheep pasture and he figures he MUST be there, too. Out he goes.

And big ol' Zoey the Pyrenees is confined, but only until she spies a predator out in the field, perhaps a coyote or two, brave enough to trot through our pasture. She scales the fence so fast and is gone before I can even spot what she's gone after. Yesterday, she chased down a badger. VERY impressive. Fortunately, she did back off and watched him for a while. He was vicious and I'm glad they decided to each go their own way before anyone needed stitches (namely Zoey).

I LOVE my dog yard. We put a lot of thought (and money) into designing it and choosing the three-rail style of fencing. We wanted something that would serve its purpose, but also appeal to the eye and have a bit of a western flavor. When I look out my front office window and see an Aussie or two right outside the window, OUTSIDE OF THE DOG YARD, it makes me think that eight foot high cinder block might not have been such a bad idea.

Happy Trails ... Theresa

Tipping the scales

Since I always seem to be so obsessed with weight (not just mine own LOL) and rate of growth, and since I keep getting asked what Bridger weighs and don't have an answer, I decided to zip him into the vet's today to get a current weight. Bridger is as tall as Gracin, though has the much more gangly body of a teenager, and just as much bone as Gracin. Today, Bridger is tipping the scales at just over 40 lb. He feels so solid but his weight, tone, and condition are all good. In fact, Glenn thinks he's a little skinny. He's hardly skinny but appears to have gone through a recent growth spurt so is again pretty lean. He'll be pleased to learn I'm adding that ounce back into his ration that I took away about six weeks ago. That's one of the key points to raising a healthy puppy, growing them lean and light, and being sure to adjust their meal size as their body habitus increases or decreases. I think sometimes owners get in the habit of always feeding the same amount without ever really looking at their dog to see if that portion should perhaps be adjusted. Rarely is a pet ever skinny. On the contrary, I see so many overweight pets, and dogs of young ages, that are just not fit.

As for little puppy girl, Toby, she's up 3 lb from last week and that increased weight combined with a regular daily walking program, has her rear coming in nicely and some shoulder starting to develop. That walk is also burning off a bit of energy. Thank goodness, as this little one is like the eveready bunny ... she goes and goes and goes.

I spent the past week trying to come up with a call name for her, something that she responded to, something that easily rolled off the tongue, and something Kelly approved of, too. With all the little naughty puppy things she's doing and getting into, I've also found myself saying over and over, "good thing you're cute", or "good thing we love you". And then, I turn on the radio to hear Toby Keith singing, "Me and God Love Her", and it just clicked. She'll be registered as Risk'N Hope Me N' God Love Her, call name Toby. She instantly responded to the name, and is now coming very nicely when called.

Belle and I spent the weekend at another handling seminar taught by pro's Joy Henderson and Vaughn Franske. It was fantastic to work with this couple again, and especially to be able to stay behind and have them do a formal conditioning assessment on Belle, now that we've been doing their conditioning program since the spring seminar. We're all very pleased with Belle's progress. It always makes me so proud to have a phone chat with either of Belle's breeders, Nancy or Gramma Loretta, and share with them my progress with Belle, how pleased I am with her, what we're up to, etc. I'm looking so forward to meeting Nancy in person at the Nationals.

Happy Trails ... Theresa

What did I sign up for?

You know the old saying, the one that goes "I need another blank like I need a hole in the head". That one? Well really, I needed another puppy like ... sheesh, I must be nuts. Seriously, she's not really my puppy per se, but nevertheless a terribly busy little 8-week-old black tri girl has joined the household for a couple of months. She's from Kelly's Moulder x Breeze cross. Two nice black bitches in the litter and since Kelly couldn't decide at this early age which girl to keep, I offered (yeah, remind me about that one) to grow one up for her. She's actually fit in quite well and even has the opportunity to attend Laurie Albright's puppy classes with me. She'll also come along when Belle and I hit Wendy's handling classes. We better get real good at that since I'll likely be handling her for the Nationals.

Right off the bat, I'm noticing some subtle and some not-so-subtle differences between Casselcreek puppies and other puppies.

First off, STAMINA. And muscle tone, fitness, etc. Although this puppy is also raw-fed, she's a little shy on muscle tone and mass. Even little ones at this age are beginning to put on mass. My puppies have a solid rear and good shoulder muscle before they even head home. I find her stamina not quite at the same level of Casselcreek puppies (then again, that might not be a bad thing LOL). My litters enjoy daily "organized" romps and running sessions out in the yard. I take my litters out and we’re all over the yard multiple times a day. Little legs covering the three acres of my yard, up and down the slopes, climbing the rocks really builds a body. These fun but ever-important sessions last about 30-60 minutes until they crash for a nap. This kind of fitness routine can't be achieved by simple play in an expen or kennel. It really builds physical stamina and of course with physical fitness comes mental fitness. Little itty bitty fine tuned athletes.

Of course, no criticism here, just an interesting observation noting the early differences between litters and breeders. That being said, Little Miss Smartypants is currently into Day Four of her new fitness routine and already has more stamina than on Day One. Like they say, if you're going to play with the big dawgs ...

Anyway, regardless of whether she's a hardbody or not, she is one helluva cute little girl. It's fun to have the pitter patter of four little feet running about the kitchen, the tinkle of peepee accidents on the floor, and the gnawing sound of baby teeth removing paint from the legs of my kitchen table. Ahhhh, puppies -- gotta love 'em.

It's nice that she's here for other reasons too, including keeping Deets company while he's "confined to barracks" nursing a wound. Sometimes Belle gets a little rambunctious in her play (I'm saying that with a straight face) and nips or grabs at the other dogs. They all do. Deets included. Unfortunately for Deets, Belle grabbed him by the side and he kept moving, and actually tore a small flap of skin. I chose not to have him undergo any anesthetic or sedation (he doesn't handle it well) and since he is MORE than happy to play couch potato and sleep at my feet all day, I'm simply keeping it clean and exposed to the air, allowing it to heal on its own, with a prescription for antibiotics.

I made a note today on my Nationals calendar ... six weeks and counting.

Happy Trails ... Theresa

Where has the time gone?

I know it's such a cliche, but time really does seem to just fly by. Sitting at my desk, I glanced up to check the date on my calendar and it didn't make sense. Of course not ... it's still sitting on JUNE. Have I been so busy I haven't had time to flip the pages on my calendar? Or is time passing so quickly, I don't even have the time to flip. Why flip when it'll be a new month before I know it. So here goes, stand on the desk, flip the pages TWO times to bring us up to date with August. Sheesh, it's almost time to go shopping for back-to-school clothes. No kids in school but the shopping is still always fun.

Sooooo, speaking of kids, and we know I'm talking about my four-legged ones, it's been a fun and busy spring/summer at Casselcreek. I've attended several shows with Belle, taking advantage of her quickly disappearing puppy days and hoping to bring home the baby blue Puppy Group rosette. A Group Two placement in Medicine Hat in May was fantastic, and the Puppy Group win came along at Evelyn Kenny in July. She's shown beautifully under Auntie Tammy's expert hand, and having been taught the job so well, I can count on her to show just as well for me when I suck it up and take my own dog in. Multiple Best Puppy in Breed wins, multiple Best of Opposite, and several Best of Breed wins has made our first year together a wonderful journey with so many fun memories of StinkerBelle's puppy year. With her first birthday celebrated over the August long weekend, is it my imagination or does she actually look a little more mature? Is it the face of a young lady looking back at me, with that "puppy-ness" gone?

Belle has been such an easy girl to live with, and especially to travel with. While she won't be the first one to volunteer to hop up on the grooming table and smile for the blow dryer, she certainly never protests and never stresses. She seems to have always known what the "job" is and she does it well. She's always rewarded at the end of the day with a nice run and romp in a nearby grassy field and is always given the opportunity to join me on the bed to sleep instead of being crated ... though she usually prefers the floor at the foot of the bed. I couldn't ask for more in a traveling companion.

Belle and I participated in an intense two-day handling seminar in May, with Joy Henderson and Vaughn Franske. Since then, we've been working on handling skills and ring presence by building drive and focus. We do our "six minute workout" twice a day, most days of the week, and it pleases me to see how she's improving, how she's building tone in the right muscle groups, working on extension and reach and drive, and really training herself to make my job with her so much easier. In fact, the last couple of times I handled her, I felt no butterflies at all. No shaking hands. No fast n' furious fidgeting. No need to puke ringside LOL. I'm so proud of this little girl and I'm actually enjoying showing her ... who'da thunk it, eh?

Our focus for now will be getting Belle ready, and me too, for our trip down to Greeley, Colorado and the 2009 ASCA Nationals. Wow, what a trip. Seriously, what a trip, man.

Happy Trails ... Theresa