Updates

  I received two nice e-mails last week with updates on Bijou and Tiriel (Treasure)!
  Bijou is doing great and has completely adjusted to her new home.  She loves her children, plays with them and is a full member of the family.
  Tiriel is also doing well.  She "guards" the yard from deer invasions, enjoys going to the dog park and has completed her first obedience course. (an "A" student, of course!)
  Tiriel has also learned the enjoyment of the couch, or maybe she just wants to be a lap dog!  Christine wrote, "she just started this two days ago - and Al was on the sofa when she first did it.  She starts by jumping up with her front paws to give you a "hug" and nibble on your head.  Then she gradually climbs on up and just smiles.  We both agree that we shouldn't let her get away with this, but she's just so darn cute that we haven't had the heart to correct her yet".

A Great Hike

 Three other members of the Northern Virginia Collie Club and I went for a hike on Veterans Day at Balls Bluff Battlefield Regional Park.  It was a chilly day, but once we started on the wooded path, the trees blocked the wind, making it much more pleasant.
  Balls Bluff is the site of a Civil War battlefield and our country's smallest national cemetery.  Each of the graves had an American flag on it from a daybreak ceremony honoring veterans.  Perhaps the dogs sensed the importance of the day, too.  They behaved nicely as we stopped to pay our respects.
  I should probably put that another way.  Because Chloe is always good and while Frazier has all the energy of his not quite six months, he listens to his owner.  It was Treasure who stopped pulling on her lead long enough for me to pause at the cemetery.
  When we planned the hike, I couldn't decide which dog to take along.  Whenever I do an activity, I try to choose a dog that has not had a big block of solitary time with me.  I thought the older dogs would have found the hilly, wooded paths a bit stressful on their joints so they weren't considered for this trip.  Gemma and Gibson have shows in a couple of weeks, Jackson had just had a morning out with me, which left me the choice of Bijou, Ref or Treasure.  I don't know why I chose Treasure, but she was the lucky one.
  As soon as I opened her kennel door, she bolted out the door and started running around the building.  I let her make a couple of rounds, to burn off some energy, but when I called her to me, it seemed to make her go faster!  She'd race around, only stopping at Ref's or Gemma and Bijou's kennels to bark at them.  When she saw me coming, she'd twist around and race in the opposite direction.  I'm not sure how long she spent running, but I was ready to leave her behind and take another dog!  Treasure either ran out of energy or recognized by the tone of my voice that I had had enough of her antics.  She stopped abruptly and let me put the leash and collar on her.
  On the hike, Treasure pulled constantly on the leash.  My upper arm and shoulder were quite sore that night!  I've not experienced such a headstrong determination in Treasure before.  It was one of the few times that she's interacted with dogs from outside our kennel.  Plus, the woods had lots of great scents that needed to be explored.  We saw a young buck run through the woods, which made all the dogs want to give chase!
  I don't have pictures to share as the battery on my phone suddenly started to go.  I didn't want to take a chance on using up the battery on pictures, then needing my phone later.  It was a very pretty day, though.  Most of the leaves were off the trees but still had color.  The path was very colorful with all the reds and yellows!

An Afternoon Out for Treasure

  Treasure has been entered in her first show.  She's been a homebody for a few weeks so we thought it would be good for her to meet new people and experience new things before the show.  We took her to Casanel Vineyards for a fun, relaxing afternoon.  Treasure met lots of new people, a couple of other dogs and had a snack of bread crusts and cheese rinds.  She even seemed to enjoy the musician that was playing when we first arrived!

Relaxing on the Patio

Hoping there is something left to share!

Walking home

Misbehavin'

  Treasure is the most confident and self assured puppy I have ever seen!  Unlike Dixie (aka "the Bad Baby") who always tested limits and pushed boundaries, Treasure just does what she wants until told otherwise.  She's also a smart girl so generally only has to be told "no" once to respect the rules.  She'll have a puzzled look on her face, wondering why she can't continue her chosen behavior, but always respects the boundaries placed before her.
  But, oh, the things Treasure tries!  She's been chastised by her kennel mates, her uncle, her grandmother and myself.  She takes toys, eats out of others' bowls, torments someone to play with her or refuses to join in group games.  The other day Treasure ignored the established fetch rules that Dixie has when we play and grabbed her by the ear.  Dixie gave her a snap and a verbal thrashing so Treasure didn't do that again but did keep trying to get the toy until Dixie corrected her again.
  Treasure also has a fascination with my hair and clothes.  She'll grab my ponytail, try to chew on my hair when it's loose or if it's tucked up in a cap, try to grab the bill.  She was especially curious about the drawstring on my shorts the other day.  Quietly, she began to chew on the end while I was busy giving her a back scratch.  I didn't realize what she was up to until she tried to dash off with the string in her mouth, practically jerking me off my feet!  She also surprised me another morning when she nipped me in the backside as I was collecting food bowls.  I jumped around to see Treasure looking innocent, with a "oh, that's not an acceptable game"? expression on her face.  Gibson, who now watches and imitates the behavior of the other dogs, had a grin on his face that clearly said "I didn't know we could do that"!  I had to quickly squelch that notion!

Treasure at the Races

  Our spring family tradition is to go to the Point to Point races held at the historic Oatlands Plantation.  We usually take a dog with us, and this year, it was Treasure's turn.  

  Treasure is our out-going, super confident puppy.  She's also very opinionated, often very determined to do as she wishes.  The races were an excellent experience for her, meeting other dogs and learning she couldn't go just where she pleased--the food table, especially!  

  Treasure was unusually interested in the actual races, it seemed she was watching the horses come down the stretch in front of us and knew when each race was finished.  She had one especially close encounter with a horse.  The race official was visiting the group next to us, getting some refreshments, and walked his horse right up to our row of chairs.  He allowed his horse to get closer and closer to us (we were wondering if she was a "lap" horse!).  Treasure definitely had to introduce herself!  She bounced about the mare, tail wagging, then went into play bows, trying to entice the horse to play. Treasure was especially fascinated with the horse eating grass.  She must have thought it was some type of game!  She acted like the horse had a tug in her mouth, then she searched through the grass, hoping to find a toy of her own.   By this time, the horse was definitely too close to us.  I realized the rider's "refreshments" may have been impairing his common sense a bit, and pulled Treasure by my side after the horse started tossing her head and raised a hoof in our direction.  The rider assured me his horse loved dogs, but I wasn't taking any chances!

    

Treasure's Turn

  Today's nice weather had us heading to Ball's Bluff again for a hike.  We took Jackson and Treasure on our outing and had a much longer hike than last time (much to Treasure's dismay).  It was a good work out for Jackson but perhaps a bit too much for Treasure.  Her tail stopped wagging shortly after we hit the trail!  But, she was a trooper and persevered, even though it was apparent she'd rather be napping.  She did find some good scents to investigate and there were a few people on the trails to pet her.  We finished our trip to Leesburg with a stop at Home Depot where she got lots and lots of attention, plus a treat from the cashier.  It was a great day out for her!

Jackson on the trail

Treasure

Jump over the log!  You can do it, Treasure!

Hmmm, something smells mighty good!

My babies!

I seem to be having quite a serious conversation with Treasure!

Exhausted Treasure

Leesburg Holiday Parade

  This morning we took Jackson and Treasure to the Leesburg holiday parade.  Jackson hadn't been out in awhile and Treasure hasn't had any leash experience or recent socialization.  It was a great outing for both of them!  I thought Treasure was slow to learn how to walk on a leash, then realized she was outsmarting us.  Every time she refused to move and sat down, people would stop and make over her!  Being younger, she got lots of attention--Jackson would have none of that!  He would push his way into the crowd around his cousin and get his fair share of pats.  

  The first marching band made Treasure try to bolt away.  Jackson wasn't upset by any of the entries which helped to calm Treasure.  He would also try to get her to play during slow spots of the parade and finally succeeded.  About midway through the parade, one person was passing out dog treats.  That was all Treasure needed to decide this was a fun event!

  After the parade, we walked the pups downtown, taking the long way back to our car.  We stopped at the Farmer's Market, where they got lots more attention.  Finally, we got back home and let all the dogs out in the play yards.  It's been so rainy, then cold and windy, that the dogs have stayed in the kennel.  Lots of pent up energy!  They certainly appreciated a pretty day!

Jackson trying to get Treasure to play

She finally starts to romp with him

Getting a treat from a parade participant