Gemma's Gonna Be Sooo Jealous!

  For Christmas, my kids gave me a FitBit--one of those electronic trackers--and it is really motivating me to get out and walk and be in shape.  I joined an online community to virtually walk the Appalachian Trail and am currently trying to walk seven miles a day.
  When the weather is good, I take a morning walk of three miles and an afternoon walk of two miles.  Both Gemma and Jackson are entered in an upcoming show so they usually come with me, to also get in shape.  Gemma gets the longer walk in the morning and Jackson the afternoon one.  Both of my walks take me by the horse farm near us.  Usually, the horses are in the field, but not near the fence to be pet.  Yet, everyday, Gemma wants to stop, clearly hoping the horses will come over so she can meet those big creatures.
  Our walk this past Sunday was no different.  I had not taken the dogs walking with me for a few days as our dirt road has been a combo of snow, ice and mud.  I took Gemma for a bit longer of a morning walk but she still wanted to see the horses on our return home.  Like usual, they only looked at her from the middle of their field, even though she was poking her head through the fence, furiously wagging her tail.  When it was clear that once again, she couldn't entice them over, we went home.
  I did my usual chores, helped David with some wood splitting then took my afternoon walk.  I was a bit tired by this time and looking forward to relaxing the rest of the day.  I decided to not take Jackson as I didn't want the additional work of brushing mud out of his coat.  Gibson seemed anxious to go walking, so off we went.
  The horses were in their field but Gibson didn't pay them any attention at the start of our walk.  He was more concerned with all the good smells that the patches of mud seemed to hold.  I was only thinking about how good it was going to feel to get my mud splattered clothes off and get into a shower!
  As we crested the little hill before our house, right at the horse farm, I could see the horses were near the fence.  As they saw us coming, two of the horses walked over and put their head over the top railing, eager to visit with Gibson.  He wasn't too sure of them at first, especially when they started snuffling in his face, but then he became enthusiastic and returned their friendly greetings.  I got some pictures, but I'm sure not going to show them to Gemma!  I hope Gibson didn't tell her about his visit and cause some jealously.

NOT How We Want to Start the New Year

  While we were disappointed that 2013 ended without a championship for Gibson, we have high hopes that 2014 will be a great year.  So far, the prospect is dim!
  We bred Gemma in November to a wonderful, rough, tricolor with a fun personality.  Shortly before Christmas, Gemma was showing positive signs of pregnancy--increased appetite, expanding tummy and sleepiness.  There were some days within the last week that I could barely raise her to go outside, she was so content to nestle into her dog bed and doze.  I cleared my calendar for this upcoming week and started to prepare the whelping room.
  We went to the vet this past Monday for an x-ray to see just how many puppies she was carrying.  To my surprise, the number was 0!  Gemma was having a false pregnancy.  We're disappointed, of course, but will try again when she comes into season in late summer.
  I then decided that Gemma  needs to get back into the show ring before becoming a mama, so we have some work to do to get her back into shape.  She's not pleased with her return to the kennel, the cutting back of food and treats and the long (3-4 miles) walks we're taking daily.  I'm not pleased that the temperature is supposed to dip again this week.  I enjoy the walks, but not in temps of the low 20's!
  Lauren was also in season at the same as her granddaughter, Gemma.  About 6 weeks after they finished their cycles, I noticed a spot on the floor in the dogs' room.  Since we had had rainy weather, I wasn't sure if it was mud or dull colored blood.  I couldn't find any spotting on any of the girls, so assumed it was dirt (and they were dirty that day).  A few days later, I found another couple of spots but this time found a bit of discharge on Lauren.  I started watching her but the pattern stayed the same-nothing for a few days then a couple of spots.  It was never bright red, so I assumed she was having hormonal issues, as she is almost ten years old.
  On Thursday morning, I was greeting with lots of blood on the floor that was a much brighter red.  A trip to the vet was made in the afternoon, and as I was afraid, Lauren had pyometra--a potentially life threatening condition.  The decision was made to spay her first thing Friday morning and she was going to stay overnight at the vet's for observation and to receive fluids.
  I was very nervous during her scheduled surgery time.  Finally, I got the word that she had done well, it was definitely pyometra and I could pick her up about 5:30 that evening.  We were very lucky that Lauren had done so well.  She never had a temperature and the infection didn't go further than her uterus.  When I asked my vet if the outcome had been different if I had brought Lauren in when I first saw the spotting, he said no.  He said he would have advised exactly what I had done, monitor her closely and see if it developed into anything.
  Lauren was still pretty groggy when I arrived, but knew who I was when I knelt by her crate.  She came out and buried her head in my chest, ready to go home!
  She is recuperating quickly.  Lauren wasn't very hungry on Friday night, needing two sessions to finish her light dinner, but ate her full breakfast and dinner yesterday.  She's already barking this morning to let us know she's ready for breakfast (I better wrap up this blog entry, is what she's saying!)
  During yesterday morning's re-check at the vet, we found out that Lauren had escaped from her crate after her surgery.  She was in a crate that will open if pushed in the right way, which she discovered.  Lauren wandered into the waiting room, weaving about, but awake enough to greet people and get some petting.  She's always a glutton for attention!
  We're so glad to have our girl home and in good health again.  This isn't how we wanted to start the New Year, but hopefully it will only get better from this point on.

Being Naughty Is So Much Fun!

  It's a good thing that Gemma is so darn cute because sometimes she is so darn hard to live with!  She is eager to please but also willful, sweet but stubborn, smart but obstinate, obedient but headstrong...hmm, what some might say is the behavior of a typical smooth coat Collie!
  Gemma is usually the instigator in any hi-jinx in the kennel.  If gates are left unlocked, she quickly releases her pals and off they go for a run around the dog yard.  If she can only get out of her own kennel, she goes directly to the plastic poop bags and shreds them.  Once, she even distributed bags to her locked kennel mates so they could enjoy the fun--what a mess to clean up!
  Running is Gemma's passion.  I usually use a lead to walk Gemma from her kennel to the big yard on play days or else she will spend about ten minutes just running around and around the kennel.  And, nothing tires her out!  After a long sprint like that, she still has the energy to chase Jackson or her brother in the yard, making them pay when they can't stay one step ahead of her.  Only Dixie is able to keep pace with Gemma and match her energy.
  Gemma is also a hoarder.  She will steal every toy from the kennels from either side of her and keep them just out of reach so the rightful owners can't pull them back under the fence.  And any stuffed toy is a goner within minutes.  She eviscerates the toy and scatters the stuffing so it looks like a sudden snowfall.
  Gemma oozes attitude but sometimes it's not good!  Out in public, she will make someone complete mush, getting them to make over her and coo at her, then she will turn and look at me as if to say "Hah"! and completely ignore me once her adoring fans are gone.  In one very memorable show, she looked unbeatable--outside the ring.  Once the judge was watching her, Gemma refused to cooperate, wouldn't stand still, wouldn't move properly (unless the judge was looking at someone else) and when the judge was giving me advice as he handed me my second place ribbon, I swear she narrowed her eyes and went "pbbbt" at him!
  Her newest bad habit is to start a barking contest with Ref as I'm taking the food bowls into the kennel.  Ref is always torn between quieting down when I tell him to stop, or listen to his sister.  His head turns back and forth as Gemma and I both command his attention and he tries to please us both by making a huffing sound.  He always looks relieved when I give him his food bowl so he doesn't have to chance displeasing his sister!
  And Gemma's response when I tell her to quiet?  Usually, she turns her head and continues to bark--I guess she thinks if she can't see me, she can't hear me.  When I am adamant that the barking will stop, she goes outside, pushing the limits just a bit further before snuggling up to make amends.
  She is an exasperating character but we wouldn't want Gemma any other way!

Birthday Catch Up

  I've been woefully behind on celebrating the dogs' birthdays!  Mosby turned 11 in July, Gemma and Ref were 2 in September and Claire turned 9 at the beginning of this month.  While I wished them all "happy birthday" on their special days and gave them extra attention, I didn't bake them birthday treats.
  Yesterday, I got caught up and tried a new recipe I had been saving for the occasion.  With my granddaughter's "help", I made Peanut Butter Dog Treat Balls.  It is a super simple and fast recipe to put together--even with a toddler by my side!
   The dogs got their treats this morning and it was huge success!  I think this recipe will be used for holiday gift baking for my dog walking clients.
  Claire's birthday celebration isn't quite finished.  She will be coming inside for a bath, then will become a house dog. I miss having a dog inside, now that Ben and Sophie are gone.  I had planned on making both Claire and Phoebe house dogs this winter but will have to make do for awhile with just one inside dog.  Even though Mosby is older, his coat is always so thick that he would find it hard to adjust to the warm house.  I'm keeping an eye on him though, and Lauren, too (who will be 9 in January).  Maybe if the forecasters are correct and we have a snowy and colder than usual winter, they'll be ready to be full time house dogs, too!

How Did She Do That?

  Spring has brought a wave of girls in season!  Phoebe started the rise of hormones and now Gemma is finishing it up by being the last to come into heat.
  To keep the boys from being frustrated, as well as discouraging any stray, would-be suitors, Gemma is in the house, crated at night.  Even though the room is for the dogs, I don't want them to get into mischief during the night.  But, somehow, Gemma did!
  I heard a crash the other morning, followed by silence.  Then, a flurry of noises that I didn't believe Sophie (who is not crated) could possibly make.  When I opened the door, I was greeted by a happy Gemma and a bewildered Sophie.  The area rugs I use in the whelping box had been pulled from the shelf, my grooming bucket had been pilfered, the slicker brush had some tooth marks added to it, the chalk stick   broken, toys were strewn about, the water bucket was almost empty but there was plenty of water on the floor, the bottle of ear glue had been chewed and was oozing glue onto Sophie's floor mats.  I hurriedly cleaned that up before the mats were glued together, finding some glops of glue on the floor, too.
  Poor Sophie had glue on her foot and slobber on her head.  I'm sure she was sound asleep when Gemma broke out of her crate and was completely surprised by all the commotion and Gemma's attempts at play.
  But how did Gemma get out of her crate?  I thought maybe my husband had not latched it the night before when he brought Gemma inside, but no, the latch was in the lock position, although the bottom latch looked like it had not been in place.  Could she have worked the crate door out of position, thus escaping?  I'm not taking any chances now, though!  I'm using a coupler to keep the door extra secure and will plan on taking one with me for any shows Gemma will attend.  I don't mind scraping glue from the floor but definitely don't want to chase down a dog at a show!

Missed Opportunities

  We entered Gibson and Gemma in the "Turkey Cluster" this past week-end, so hoping that Gibson would finally have his championship. We employed a bit of strategy to achieve this goal.  I'll explain for those that don't follow dog shows that closely.  Points are earned based on the number of dogs entered.  Sometimes, there will be more points for one sex than the other.  In that case, exhibitors always hope the judge will "split" the points, meaning the Best of Winners earns the higher number of points.  In Gibson's case, we were hoping he would be Winners Dog and Best of Winners for two majors as the number of females entered were the right number.
  On Friday, Gibson was very relaxed outside the ring and gaited the best he's ever done for me.  Unfortunately, he still doesn't like the judge's exam.  The judge told me she couldn't give me Winners since he backed away.  The judge did split the points but since Gibson was Reserve Winners Dog, it was an opportunity lost.
  On Saturday, Gibson was better.  He was comfortable outside the ring again, moved well again and did better for the exam.  He was Winners Dog!  He had difficulty in Best of Variety competition though.  There was some poop in the ring that for some reason unnerved him and the Winners Bitch was in season which also unsettled him.  That's hard for any dog but especially so for Gibson, who has already worked out so many issues.  Saturday's judge did not split the points--Gibson missed another opportunity for a major.
  On Sunday, Gibson showed the best he's ever had for me.  He was Winners Dog and Best of Winners, unfortunately, there wasn't a major in bitches.
  The week-end left me a bit disheartened.  Gibson has tried so hard and I've worked so much with him.  I'm not sure if I should continue this quest with him or not.  I think he enjoys showing but I'm stymied as to how to have him achieve his potential.  It's truly been two steps forward and one step back.
  The week-end wasn't a total bust though.  Gemma, who had been entered for the experience and to help make majors, surprised me.  She was Winners Bitch on Sunday for her very first point!  When I saw the judge look her way as we were lined up, I wondered if she was being considered.  Then, the judge took a bit longer on examing her head. I made sure Gemma was  moving well on the final go around and was thrilled when the judge pointed to us!
  Both Gibson and Gemma were rewarded with special treats for their week-end of work.  We rewarded ourselves with cheese, crackers and a bottle of wine from our local winery, Casanel, after we got home!

Good Day Out

  Gemma had a long, solo day with us.  Right after breakfast, she was plopped into the tub for a scrub down for the big day.  She is still not crazy about the forced air dryer, is better about having her nails filed and is easily appeased with treats!
  She didn't like traveling alone and expressed her displeasure both vocally and getting car sick.  Our first stop was to Pat and Rich's house.  They donated a tent to our collie club, along with some other items for the upcoming Ice Cream Social.  They live with Duncan and Gemma's aunt, Fiona,  two dogs from our breeding who have the most wonderful home!  We had a very nice visit and Gemma had some time to play, explore and chase the birds.
  Then, we went to the Super Pet Expo to spend the rest of the afternoon.  The Dulles Expo Center was packed with vendors, people and dogs.  We wanted to talk to as many vendors as possible to solicit donations for the raffle at the club's Ice Cream Social.  Our first vendor was Natura, which makes the food our dogs eat.  The vendor exclaimed over Gemma's coat and when I said, she only eats Innova puppy food and her adult relatives only eat Evo, he was more than happy to tell me who to contact to get a donation!
  Gemma was very excited, of course, over all the smells, new dogs and people.  She learned at the Natura booth that samples were on the table.  After that, she jumped up on every table to look for more goodies!  She was very good about the new experiences, wasn't startled at anything, not even strange dogs suddenly appearing from behind to sniff her out.  I did find Gemma hard to control when we first arrived, she wanted to go to every booth RIGHT NOW!  She pulled on her leash, wouldn't walk in a straight line and would suddenly dart in front of me to see if the item on the floor was a discarded treat.  Then, we stopped at the Intracell booth.  He was promoting a product called The Stick, with versions for both people and dogs.  We had a massage with the people version, then Gemma had her own with the dog version.  She stopped hopping around and really enjoyed it!  After that, she was much calmer and walked like a perfect puppy!  This is definitely on our shopping list for the dogs.
  Gemma tried out a toy, the Physipet and enjoyed it, so that goes on the wish list, too.
  We bought two new toys for the yard, ones I think Dixie especially will enjoy.  We didn't get home in time for everyone to get time in the play yards so the new toys will have to wait until tomorrow.
  Gemma slept almost all the way home!  She must have recognized when we turned onto our road as she suddenly sat up in her crate and started fussing.  Back in the kennel, she acted like she wanted to tell everyone about her adventures!

In Training

  Earlier in the month, we took Ref and Gemma to a match in Maryland.  Both the pups behaved horribly, bolting around the ring, backing away from the judge.  Ref was so bad, I truly wanted to just put him back in his crate!  The match judge said (after three attempts at the down and back), "I've yet to see that puppy move".
  But, it showed what I needed to work on with the babies and they've been receiving daily lessons.  One mile walks to improve leash manners, time on the grooming table to accept nail filing and whisker trimming and close monitoring of their ear carriage.
  Yesterday, it was time to put all the lessons together and try another match.  After taking out the braces in Treasure's ears, I decided she needed to stay home as her ears were not in placement yet.  Ref's ears are breaking over way too far, but I felt it was more important to have him in the show atmosphere again after his last experience.
  Ref was terrific at the match!  Everything he did wrong last time, he did right this time.  He moved nicely, stood for the judge's exam and even stood confidently enough that I could move to the end of the lead instead of standing next to him.  Gemma, however, did not show as well.  She was in a headstrong mood and would not gait correctly.  She did stand nicely for brief periods, though.  Ref won the Variety, then placed third in the Puppy Group!
  Even though the forecast had called for cooler temps and the chance of showers, the afternoon was warm and sunny.  We decided to celebrate the puppies' improved behavior with relaxing the rest of the day at Casanel Vineyards.  We shared our cheese and crackers with Ref and Gemma, who were not content with their snacks.  Ref was determined to eat the cigarette butts in the large container and Gemma knocked over a glass of wine, then lapped it up, which caused a sneezing fit.  Not even six months old and they've developed vices!
  Today was back to work.  Ref and Treasure have braces back in their ears and all three puppies took a trip to Buckeystown so Ellen could see their progress.  I had a nice visit with Ellen and a good lunch--it was a great day!

Gemma gets a whisker trim

And a bath!

Waiting for the match to start

Ref relaxes at Casanel