The Blog of the Frog

I love this puppy to pieces 😆 I’m so glad I was able to have him in the end, and I can’t believe how well he’s been doing in the ring.

Just after our last show Elton’s ears settled, and I dared let myself celebrate…thinking he’d finally finished teething, ears were perfect and there they would stay! It lasted three days 😛 Since then once again they’ve been all over the place, though save one day they’re never atrocious…just not quite as good as I’d like. Just hope once he’s finally finished teething they settle in the correct place!

On the 6th we had our first snow since last February 🙂 Elton regarded it with great suspicion initially and stepped outside very gingerly, but was soon charging up and down enjoying this funny white stuff! Obviouslyas they’re a month younger it was Eeny & Sammy’s first snow as well. Solei usually hates snow and also tends to keep himself to himself, but even he had a change of heart and I had great difficulty getting any of them to come back in the house! He even joined in the general melee, and the five of them (Solei, Darwin, Elton, Eeny & Sammy) had a lovely time playing. Though Solei bowed out after a few minutes! They then discovered the delights of eating it 🙄 and as the cold weather lasted andthe snow stuck around and then turned to ice, that was rather a pain for a few days! The other side effect of course, is I have no traction. So I was stuck in the house for 10 days!

We were scheduled to go to Welsh Kennel Club’s Open Show on 10th; I’d entered Elton, Eeny and Jason – Eeny making her debut. That was cancelled due to the weather, which was just as well as it happens…we wouldn’t have been able to get there even had it not been.

Things finally started to get back to normal at the end of last week! After an anxious week of watching the forecast and hoping it would be ok, Saturdays show was on! We picked Jason up on Friday – I had the same three entered as I had the previous weekend. Second time lucky!

We set off early on Saturday morning and the journey was fine. A couple of piles of snow left on the verges, but the roads weren’t at all icy. It was lovely to see Bekki & Felix again, though unfortunately I wasn’t able to watch them in the ring – we ended up in the ring mid morning, clashing perfectly with the Toller class! Paps had 3 breed classes and I’d put Elton in Junior (under 18 months) , Jason in Open and left Graduate (in between) free to give me chance to groom Jason. Eeny was in AV Toy Puppy. I was thrilled to win a Junior class of 6 with Elton! Also finally securing his first Junior Warrant (JW) point. That was his fifth 1st place, but all the others have either been variety classes or breed classes with only 2 dogs present, and JW points have to be won in a breed class with at least 3 dogs present. Jason was 2nd in Open.

Upon winning Junior Elton had secured himself Best Puppy in Breed – there were no puppies in either Graduate or Open, so he’d already beaten all the other puppies present – but as an unbeaten dog back into the ring we trotted, with the winner of Graduate and the winner of Open. The judge moved all 3 dogs again, asking if I’d mind repeating Elton’s up and down – I’m sure you’ll know what I mean when I say he was a puppy the first time!! – andthen went over to the table to confer with the steward and pick up the rosettes (which were for Best of Breed, Reserve Best of Breed, Best Puppy in Breed and Best Opposite Sex). I can’t even begin to tell you how I felt when she headed in our direction, and handed me the Best of Breed rosette as well as Best Puppy in Breed!! My little boy, at the time just 8 months and 2 days, Best of Breed 😀 It was a lovely entry of dogs that have done well, 14 Paps entered. And Elton won BOB!!! I still can’t believe it, 5 days later. I’m absolutely over the moon. In two and a half years of showing I’ve had a total of 5 BOBs – 4 open shows & 1 limit – and never with my own dog (two were with Jason, one with Storm and two with Darwin). Solei never had a BOB. A couple of RBOBs, but even those he always managed when there were no rosettes given out! So at the tender age of 8 months Elton has gained both his very first BOB and my first with my own dog 🙂 There was a different judge for the group, and Elton was unplaced in the main group (oh gosh, did he ever look a baby 😆 ) but then in the puppy group managed Puppy Group 4 😀 I’m so, so proud of him – after less than 2 months of showing he now has 2 BPIB, 1 RBOB, 1 BOB, 1 PG1, 1 PG3 and 1 PG4!

I was disappointed with Eeny, she wasn’t at all happy – I’ve written before about how nervous she was, but she’s been making such good progress I didn’t expect her to be like that. She wasn’t happy before we even went in the ring, and then put her tail down at the end of the class. Still, she was 3rd 🙂 All becomes clear (I hope) since, because I believe she’s coming into season – on Sunday night I’d had all the dogs outside after feeding, let them in and Eeny made straight for the carpet and lydown with a nylabone. Soleiwas prancing round her, then next thing up on her back! He’s not interested now (satisfied himself she’s not ready) but Darwin and Sammy are slightly interested (strangely Elton – who is more advanced than Sammy – isn’t!) and since then she’s been off her food a couple of times with a couple of episodes of diarrhoea. Just wish she’d hurry up and get it over with!

Going back to Elton and his ears! Having been more or less ok in the morning, later on Saturday I looked at him and one of his ears wasn’t quite right…it was very subtle, you wouldn’t have noticed it unless you were me 😆 On Sunday they were atrocious! That’s the first time for weeks they’ve been that bad, and thankfully the only time…but oh I hate it 😆 I’m just so, so grateful he decided to wait until Sunday and the show was Saturday! Especially after such a good result. Whenever his ears go that wrong it’s always accompanied by increased chewing on bars and bones and things so it must be teething related, which is a comfort.

Never one to let my dogs rest on their laurels 🙂 on Monday Elton attended his first puppy class! It was meant to have been the previous week, but I missed it as we were snow & ice bound. He actually did quite well 🙂 Didn’t embarrass me, which is nice – he’s the eldest in that class, by quite some way and yet doesn’t know much. We don’t yet have a stay, and down is a work in progress! We used to have a retrieve, but it’s gone all wrong (I’m blaming adolescence 😛 ) Everybody found his recall rather amusing – he’s got such little legs and he comes hurtling down the mat, it’s very cute!

I took Solei with me as well, so I could work him in the next class…he was very good 🙂 This year I *will* get at least his Bronze Good Citizen – hopefully Silver as well. He’s well capable of Bronze and I could have done it last year, but ended up not for one reason or another. Apparently they’ve arranged another testing session on the 30th but I can’t go – Elton & I have a show that day! Ah well, the year is young.

And that was a post and a half 😆 sorry!  Later I need to bath Elton, then today will be an early night – I shall be getting up at about 3am, tomorrow is our first champ show of the year 🙂 Fingers crossed that Elton does well!

Bad frog! I must confess the thought of writing here hasn’t even crossed my mind over the last few weeks – I’d completely forgotten this even existed! A sign of preoccupation I suppose.

So we shall start this with a rather belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 🙂 and with this done, it’s catch up time….

13th December, LKA – Elton’s ears hadn’t settled as much as I’d like but were ok – they’ve always come back on the stand, it’s just when he moves and pulls them back they fly a bit oddly. We put in a good half hours practice in the ring before judging started, just reinforcing *walking* – not going boingy boingy spring jump hop leap skip wheeeeee! 😆 As a Minor Puppy Dog his was the first class in the ring. There were on 13 entered, which was less than I expected so I hoped…as it was he didn’t even get placed, never mind in the first 3! He actually really should have done – showed his little socks off, moved well and stood superbly…and half the dogs she placed had their tails down. Ok it’s minor puppy, cut them a bit of slack, but when you’ve got nice dogs showing well it comes down to “on the day”, and if on the day they’re not showing…well.

So that was disappointing because I really wanted to take him to Crufts as a puppy (and because I’m in two minds about taking Solei) and it’s always doubly frustrating when you something ought to have happened and doesn’t…feel almost cheated! But c’est la vie, I’m more or less over it now 😆

The next day was my obedience club’s christmas party, so no rest for the wicked! I was going to take Solei, Darwin & Elton but when it came to it I decided that three was too much given one was Darwin – he gets very excited and wound up and I knew I’d struggle to control him with the other two as well, so I left him behind – which caused a crisis in itself, but more of that in a minute!

It’s the first christmas party thing I’ve ever been to, bar the ones we had at primary school! Had a great time 🙂 Elton played pass the puppy and I’m amazed I got him back at the end of the evening! I teamed up with some friends and we were 2nd in the quiz and Solei was 4th in Musical Sits, 4th in Longest Stand (he eventually gave up and lay down…) and 3rd in Simon Says 🙂

Following swiftly on from that was our ringcraft club’s christmas get together the next day!! It was a good laugh, teamed up with the same friends + one for the quiz and this time we won!

Oh yes, Darwin – because I’d left him on Monday I felt sorry for him and left him with quite a large bone. Came home to find he’s totally decimated it – eaten an enormous knuckle off the end, which I really didn’t think he was capable of – especially in that time frame! I figured it might upset his tummy and went to bed! Let the dogs out in the night and he was fine. Around 6am on Tuesday morning he asked to go out, and this time he was squatting and not doing anything, there was some blood and he was SCREAMING. Absolutely scared me to death and I was panicking trying to work out whether I should ring S or T or the vets (of course, being out of hours!). It turned out the damn dog had eaten so much bone he’d managed to completely constipate himself 🙄 and once he’d cleared it, he was fine!! Sheesh, never again.

That Saturday (19th) it was off to an open show, with Elton doing his first Papillon breed class at an all breed open show 😀 He decided to kick off in style by winning his class, Best Puppy in Breed, Reserve Best of Breed and Puppy Group 3!! The judge was Tony Allcock MBE who has judged at Papillon Club shows so knows his stuff…actually on that occasion he gave Solei Best Phalene Dog & 3rd in Graduate so I hoped he might like Elton! Though never does to get your hopes up cos it’s often under the judges you think you’ll do well you don’t 😛 Over the moon with him…and not content with that he then wen on and won the Puppy Stakes!! Winning a big box of crackers 🙂 Fantastic day.

So that was quite a week!

After that came Christmas. We had a quiet christmas, as usual. My grandfather came to stay on christmas eve – as he did last year – but always spends christmas day with mum’s brother, so on the day it was just the three of us! The dogs were thoroughly spoilt this year. They had sardines for breakfast, Cesar for tea and of course turkey, carrots & sprouts 😆 Actually I was surprised they liked the sprouts, but like them they did! Solei, Darwin & Elton each had a new soft toy and nylabone, as well as new treats and a few other toys (told you they were spoilt!) and Elton had a new collar. Elton did rather well out of this christmas, as my present from mum and dad is going to be a show lead for him! Though I don’t have it yet, because I want to wait until he’s finished growing first. Boxing Day (Christmas #2!) was spent at home with grandad.

That evening I bathed Elton, because being slightly mad the 27th brought another show! So off we went, Elton still with rather dodgy ears. I wasn’t expecting him to be this judge’s type, so I was very pleased when he got a 2nd in Puppy 😀 I’d also put him in the Minor Puppy Stakes, but the less said about that the better – judge lifted his ears up on the table (the one thing you *never* do with a Phalene!) and then placed him last 🙂

So that marked the end of another showing year! Come New Years Eve I wasn’t planning on staying up, but in the end some neighbours were having a party and I could hear their music, and the puppies kept erupting everytime a firework went off, so I put my headphones on and drowned their music out with my own! Ended up going to bed around 1:30.

Yesterday we went to our first show of 2010. Elton started the year off well, coming 1st in AV Toy Minor Puppy! Though he behaved attrociously in the group (back to square one, sigh) and threw away any chance of a placing. I know he’s still only a baby but gosh it’s frustrating 😆