Show Results

  The fat balls worked!  Both Ref and Jackson put on weight in time for the shows this week-end.  Ref was in perfect weight and Jackson was close, then the heat wave hit.  He was only picking out the fat balls from his food, so at least he didn't lose weight but he didn't quite hit the goal we had hoped for.
  As far as the shows themselves, mixed results.  Both boys showed well, improving each day.  I was very pleased with that!  They both had great movement, Jackson doing a better job of standing while the judges went over him.  Ref didn't act like he enjoyed the show at all on the first day and I drove home thinking his show career was finished and we would need to look for a companion home for him.  The next two days showed dramatic improvement (thank heavens!)  Then, by today, his eyes were shining, he jumped up on me, he wanted to play and acted game for anything I asked of him.  Ref was obviously not today's judge's cup of tea, but yesterday he was Winners Dog for one point!  I was hoping the major would cross over but I couldn't get him to "show"when it was needed. I did learn some valuable tips that I used today so I improved also!
  Jackson did not win or even get Reserve in the four shows, which was very disappointing as he responded very well to Ellen (our handler), had lots of fun and looked great.
  Ref's past issues of car sickness is now history.  Jackson didn't travel well the first day but improved each day.  That's something I need to work on with him so I think long distance shows with Ellen will be put on hold for a bit.  Both dogs were relaxed at the show site, sleeping most of the days and generally quiet, even when the dogs in the next set up were barking or their handlers were eating lunch behind our crates.
  Proofreading my post makes me think maybe this was a better week-end than I first thought!  I didn't have to clean up car sickness, the dogs had fun, I had fun, I visited with friends, I learned some handling tips, discovered a grooming comb I've been wanting is still available and Ref got a point.  Yeah, this was a good week-end!
 

Fat Balls

Earlier this year, we decided to not do any more shows until the fall, giving Ref and Jackson time to mature and develop.  Funny, how quickly plans change!
  One morning, I looked at Ref and he had seemingly changed overnight from a gangly, leggy boy to a male with more muscle and mature body.  I looked over at Jackson and his coat was blooming and he was standing with a nice arch to his neck and a beautiful expression on his face.  Hmmmm...should we reconsider our decision?  I barely broached the subject to David, who interrupted me to say, "have you noticed that Ref has put on weight"?  We decided to plan on entering a cluster of shows the first weekend of July, but on the caveat that Ref needed a bit more weight before the entry was due.
  I researched the internet to see if there was a better way to put pounds on a dog instead of just adding more food to his bowl.  That method usually leads to diarrhea, which seems to defeat the purpose of adding the food!  To my surprise, there are actual recipes for "Satin Balls" or "Fat Balls" to help in this situation.
  There were several variations, many involving cereal, which I didn't want Ref to have.  I chose this recipe:

10 pounds of uncooked, ground beef
10 ounces uncooked oatmeal
6 raw egg yolks
10 ounces wheat germ
10 ounces molasses

Mix well, roll into balls (I make meatball size), refrigerate enough for a few days and freeze the rest.

  I've been mixing one to two balls into Ref's dry food at each meal.  He loves it, of course!  Within a few days, he had put on the extra weight we wanted and I mailed in the entries.
  Jackson has some sixth sense about dog shows and started his old trick of not eating all of his meals once the entry had left the mailbox.  It's hard to maintain a good weight on him anyway, so now Jackson is on "fat balls".  I'm giving him more meatballs at each meal, using two to three, to basically coat his dry food so he eats it all.  I have a week, we'll have to see what happens!
 

Jackson's Birthday

  Jackson is two years old today!  To celebrate, I made the Blue Blue Berry Berry Bun Buns from the Three Dog Bakery Cookbook.  It's a quick treat to make and the dogs really enjoy them.  I always seem to have the ingredients on hand, so it's my go-to recipe for doggy birthdays!

  Today is overcast with rain showers, so the birthday party was very low key.  I skipped the birthday bath, probably to Jackson's delight, but he did get his nails filed and a good brushing. He was glad to get that part of his celebration out of the way!  Nails filing is not his favorite thing.

  We had quality time together after his brushing and then I let him in the yard for a short run.  Jackson didn't want to run and only explored for a bit before acting like he wanted to go back into the kennel.  Yesterday, I gave him a big beef knuckle bone and he had been chewing on that before I brought him into the house for his brushing.  All that gnawing must have worn him out--but his teeth are gleaming!

The muffins cooling before the "party"

Jackson after his brushing.  Poor lighting in the room  but his sweet expression still comes through!

Starting on his muffins.

Strolling the yard.

Jackson posed for me and let me get a couple good shots!

Jackson Meets Taylor

  Our 7 month old granddaughter visited last week to try out the swing Grandpa put up.  I took advantage of the pretty afternoon and her parent's willingness to have her pose and took lots of pictures.  While I was getting some nice shots of Taylor and our daughter in law by the forsythia, the dogs let me know they thought it was time to be introduced to the newest member of our family.
  We took Taylor over to the kennel and I brought old girl Sophie out but Taylor wasn't interested.  She only wanted to see Jackson!  He was very excited about the tiny visitor and was barking and jumping against his fence.  Taylor wasn't afraid at all!  Krystle held her closer to the fence and Taylor put her hands through the fence to touch Jackson on his nose and muzzle.  He was very good, gently nuzzling her fingers (which she liked!) and clearly wanted to get closer to her.  Grandpa thinks we have a budding junior handler!  I sure hope so--I know I'll be fostering her interest in collies!
  Here's a few pictures:

I MEAN IT!

  Poor Jackson has had a rather rough month.  His kennel mate, Dixie, came into season in early July, which necessitated changing rooming assignments.  Jackson was by himself for a little bit, then Gemma moved in with him.  He had to get used to a new roomie, at the same time figure out all those wonderful smells in the other kennels as all the girls have taken turns coming into season.  His 13 month old body (and brain!) must have lots of conflicting urges.  Sometimes when I'm in his kennel, he just jumps up against me, wraps his paws around my waist and buries his head in my chest!
  Gemma is now showing signs of coming into heat and has a great reluctance to share a kennel with Jackson.  This morning, I switched Gemma and Dixie, now that her season is finished.  Dixie was so happy to be back in her kennel!  She can watch the house easier (a favorite pastime of all the dogs) and can relax on her favorite tree stump.  I don't know why that is her favorite bed, although it does give her a good view of the house, but it was the first place she went.
  Dixie was not so happy to have Jackson's welcome home.  He can be quite over-enthusiastic under normal circumstances, but after being apart, he pestered her unmercifully.  Dixie generally enjoys being kenneled with Jackson, but has no patience when he bothers her.  She barely gave him a warning growl before snapping at him when he jumped on her.  Undaunted, Jackson went to her other side and tried again.  Again, she snapped at him, then used her body to shove him away.  He bothered her so much that Dixie gave up her place on her stump and went inside.  Jackson tried to follow her and Dixie just exploded.  I heard a ruckus and then it looked like she bodily threw Jackson out the door!  After that, he must have decided that she was serious.  It's been quiet the rest of the morning!

Dog Days

  The last two weeks have been very busy times for the dogs.  We hosted an Ice Cream Social and Fun Match for the Northern Virginia Collie club last week-end, and almost every spare minute was spent getting the property, the kennel and the dogs ready for the event.
  We did take a break for some fun, and took Jackson with us to the Reston Pet Fiesta on May 7.  It was very crowded and a bit hot.  We did get some nice samples of dog products, one of which was a treat that Jackson really liked and would put him into "show mode".  After the Pet Fiesta, we went to Casanel Winery to relax and have an early dinner.  They now occasionally offer meals, prepared by a chef from a great restaurant.  We enjoyed individual pizzas, good cheese and a pate.

This Newfie knew where to spend the day at the Reston Pet Fiesta!

Jackson meets an admirer at the Pet Fiesta

Jackson at Casanel

  The next week was spent intensely preparing for the Ice Cream Social.  I was in charge of the raffle and had contacted dog companies for prizes.  The generous donations started to arrive that week--it was like Christmas!  Our UPS driver is now on a first name basis with me.
  All of our preparations were going along quite smoothly, but there was one key element we couldn't control--the weather.  The forecast called for rain and thunderstorms for all of Sunday.  We decided to make the call on postponing the Social a last minute decision.  The day started cloudy, then cleared and the sun came out.  The Social was a go!  The turnout was about what we expected and the day was a blast!
  I entered Gibson in two of the Match classes--Best Muzzle and Best Expression.  He was second in Best Muzzle!  It was a good dry run for him getting back into the show ring as it was very much a show atmosphere, just very relaxed.
  Lauren even got to show again.  A neighbor's granddaughter wanted to try Junior Handling but didn't have a dog.  I threw a show collar and lead on Lauren and off they went.  Even though it's been over three years since Lauren has shown, she knew exactly what to do and loved every second of it!

Just a few of the raffle prizes.

Gibson, back in the ring!

Lauren, happy to be showing.

It's Good to Be Home!

  Jackson had his first trip away from home.  He was in northern NJ last week with Ellen for four shows. Jackson didn't come home with points, but it wasn't a bad trip.  I was afraid he might get mopey, as he's very much my baby.  But for most of the trip, he ate well, interacted nicely with Ellen (except for a couple grooming issues) and showed for her in the ring.  Jackson didn't show on Saturday as he had had a bout of diarrhea, then wouldn't eat for a day.  It might have been a touch of something, ring nerves, a small bout of homesickness or a combination of all three, but within 24 hours he was eating again.
  Ellen said he never acted like he felt bad, his tail was always wagging.  But, as a growing boy and a bit on the thin side anyway, the episode stripped off the weight gain we had managed to put on him since January.  Sunday's judge said he was "horribly thin".  We had tried increasing his puppy food during the winter to put on some pounds, but that caused an upset to his system.  As soon as Jackson came home, we tried mixing his puppy food with a cup of adult Evo.  That seems to be working.  He's had some minor digestive upset with the new food, but he's gaining weight already.
  We drove to New Jersey on Sunday to watch Jackson show and bring him home.  We were so pleased with how he showed for Ellen!  I think they'll have fun together during his championship journey.  I was afraid I could distract Jackson by sitting ringside, but he was (almost) all business in the ring.  He certainly enjoyed himself--most of the pictures I took had a blurred spot on his tail as it moved non-stop!
  I kept Jackson with me until we knew if he would be back in the ring for Winners.  He was so excited to be with me again.  He put his front paws on my lap, laid his head against by chest, then buried it under my arm, wanting a hug.  When I took him outside to our car, he surveyed the parking lot, seemed to recognize the Sequoia, then jumped up against me, wrapping his front paws around my waist.  He wouldn't let go--just kept hugging me and jumping up and down!
  On Tuesday, Jackson and the puppies were reunited in the yard for a day of play.  They seemed to miss their cousin over the week-end.  As soon as they were together, all four started wrestling with Jackson, pulling on his fur and tackling him to the ground.  He was good, as always, about being their chew toy but also led them on a game of chase.  I made their afternoon by working in the kennels, moving gravel, then trimming the bushes outside their fence.  We all slept well that night!

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

Nature Boy

  We took Jackson on a hike at Ball's Bluff, a beautiful wooded regional park along the Potomac River.  It's the site of a small battle of the Civil War and also the smallest national cemetery.  It was a very windy day with strong gusts.  When I saw the amount of downed trees since my hike last month, I questioned the wisdom of hiking in an isolated area on such a day!  But, we had a great time and emerged from the woods unharmed.
  Jackson had a ball!  Not only did he not have to share his time with us with the rest of our dogs, he had lots of smells to explore among the leaves, trees to jump over and sticks to chew on.  While pausing to take some pictures, we met a father and his two young sons.  Lots of pats for Jackson and the two little ones took turns "feeding" Jackson sticks.  I could tell he thought little people were great!
  After our hike, we went to Panera for lunch.  Even though it was breezy, it was warm so we brought Jackson to the patio outside while we ate.  I shared the bread crusts off my sandwich with him but I could tell he rather have had the chicken salad!
  We finished our day with errands at Petco and Home Depot.  Jackson was so interested in those new surroundings, he didn't notice he was walking on the floor surface that scares him!

Along the Potomac.  Notice how the wind gust is ruffling his coat!

Meeting new people

This looks intriguing!

Jackson learns little boys are fun!

But the woods are full of sticks and he can find one to chew on by himself!

Getting some local history

Re-hydrating after that long walk!

Lunch!

Lap Dog

Jackson's Show Debut

  Jackson had his show debut and what a great experience that was!  I didn't expect anything to come of the five days of shows, just experience for him and me.  His very first show in Fredericksburg, at the Northern Neck Kennel Club show, Jackson was Reserve Winners Dog!  The next day, at the same show, he was Winners for his very first point!  What a thrill for me to put the first point on him.
  The next two days (as blogged earlier!) didn't go as well but I was pleased with how Jackson was learning the routine and how well he adapted to new experiences.
  The Collie Club of Maryland specialty was another good day.  Jackson finished fourth in the Sweeps (earning six dollars in prize money!!!) and he continued to gain confidence each time he went into the ring.    After Sweeps, a highly regarded handler and a specialty judge came over to see Jackson.  She said she couldn't understand what the judges were missing that he wasn't placing higher.  The judge told me that Jackson has a real ring presence, then they both gave me some tips and assistance with my grooming.  A good friend who is a long time breeder also saw Jackson for the first time.  She told me he is the best we've produced so far.  It felt so good to have people appreciate our boy!  We haven't completely decided on a show schedule for Jackson, but I'm sure this will be an exciting journey as he works towards his championship!

Here we are at the Mason Dixon Specialty

Judge Mary Benjamin examines Jackson

Collie Club of Maryland Specialty

Sweeps Judging

Judge Mike Esch goes over Jackson

First Win

  After going back and forth on how many puppies to take to the match, who it was going to be, the decision was pretty easy.  I couldn't show the puppies in Sweeps with their ears glued, or with braces, although I could in the regular match class as they were being entered "For Exhibit Only".  Ref's glue came loose on Friday and his ears were in good position so I decided only one puppy was going to the match.  Plus, after their vet visit on Friday, I had four slobbery, car sick puppies and didn't want to have to deal with four baths on Friday, then four spot clean ups at the match site.
  I took Jackson to the match, too, just to give him some exposure to a show site and noise.  There wasn't a lot of activity as the entry was quite small, probably due to the bit of snow we had this morning.  Jackson was very good, interested in the goings on and was quite relaxed.
  Ref settled in pretty quickly, too.  He showed pretty much as I expected, holding still for part of the exam, generally moving forward when I wanted him to.  He did stop a couple of times to scratch at his collar--it suddenly bothered him that he was wearing one.  Liz Manuel of Raebeth Collies was the Sweeps judge and she liked his chest and his expression.  Ref was Best in Sweeps!  He was also Ellen's pick for best smooth in the regular match class.  Not a hard decision, Ref was the only smooth collie at the match!
  For his efforts, Ref won some treats and two toys.  The treats were shared with Jackson, who also got some ring experience, even though he wasn't entered in the match.  Jackson wasn't intimidated by the ring mats or running a ring pattern.  He is a bit underweight though, and needs more development in his back legs to have proper movement and be a strong contender in competition.  I have entered him in his first shows this coming week.  I can get some weight on him pretty quickly, but with winter re-appearing, will probably not be able to get much conditioning done, if any.  Oh well, it will be good experience for Jackson just to go to the shows.

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