The Blog of the Frog

Last night I was struck by how old Elton is looking 🙁 He was lying on my lap and he suddenly looked so big. His coat is a very mature looking coat for his age, and his head suddenly looked older as well…he just suddenly looks much more adult than puppy! On top of the leg cocking and the fact on Saturday his puppy lead was suddenly too small….and it’s rather depressing 🙁 I know he can’t stay a baby forever, but he’s not even 9 months old until the 14th. He’s always been so small and cute, it’s a shock to see him not looking a baby.

I ended up bathing Solei on Wednesday evening, I couldn’t stand it any more. Since then I think he’s been itching less and seems more comfortable 🙂 And I think his latest “episode” is over as well, so all in all we’re both much happier!

The lady came down to look at Darwin, and she’s not having him. She’s having one of Solei’s pups (Brodie) instead! I feel weird now…I’m not quite sure what to think. I’m so happy that I’ve got him back and he’s not going anywhere, but ultimately he will go and that could happen at any time. This would have been a lovely home for him and a working home – she’s going to do obedience – which is what Darwin needs…actually I think he’d love agility, but S&T don’t seem to get too many people looking for agility dogs. So I’m almost sad she’s not having him…urgh, I don’t know.  Now I may have to go through all this again in a week or two, or it may be a couple of months before something else comes up.

Why is it that whenever a lot happens – so there’s a lot to write about – they’re the occasions it never gets written? 😆

Our first champ show of the year didn’t quite go to plan! He obviously wasn’t to her taste, we got chucked out and that was that!

Elton’s started to cock his leg :'( I’m cross with myself now cos I didn’t write it down at the time 😆 I think it was after Manchester, which would make it the beginning of last week. He’s been standing on three legs since mid-November, but now he’s actually lifting it properly and against things…but not every time. Frantically touching wood, although he’s still not fully house trained (they’re not the cleanest of breeds at the best of times, and trying to housetrain 3 pups at once is near impossible) when he goes in the house I have yet to see him cocking his leg, so I think it’s still genuine accidents rather than marking. I hope it continues because the other male pup (who is actually a month younger) has just this last week started marking in the house. Urgh. Boys!! So I’m frantically hoping Elton doesn’t pick it up in the next week.

I say the next week, because last week S & I had a chat, and then I spoke with the breeder of these two puppies also. Initially we’d thought I might keep the bitch and show her, but I then decided I didn’t really want to get into that with anyone other than S&T atm, having to sort out financial matters and such. So the upshot is, they’re both going back on 10th February! Solei is a very dirty dog, and although Darwin is much cleaner if one boy isn’t then it’s dog nature to mark over the top….so although I’ll still have that problem, I’ve waged war on Solei 😆 and once Sammy has gone I’m going to clean the whole room thoroughly, in an attempt to stop Elton following in his father’s footsteps – thus me hoping he doesn’t start copying Sammy in the next 7 days! I can’t wait for the 10th, I will miss them but (without meaning to sound awful 😆 ) since it was decided I just want them gone.

I’m so stressed at the moment. Solei is being weird again…he’ll go down in a bow and look like the world is ending, which isn’t unusual for Solei (the world is ending part)..but I dunno. I don’t remember him ever doing it before he had his dental and now it’s happened a few times but he eats, jumps around (& on/off things) and when he wants to acts totally normal. Then it disappears completely!

Oh and he’s itchy as hell (which I’m fairly sure is totally unrelated since it’s never happened before & started a couple days before this) which is also stressful 😛 and I really need to bath him but I just haven’t felt well enough…hoping to do him tomorrow. He’s blowing coat like crazy (or at least I think he is, and it’s not just coming out cos he’s scratching…) and hasn’t had a full bath in almost 2 months, so I hope it’s just as simple as that and he’ll be fine again once he’s clean.

Then someone came to look at Darwin on Saturday, didn’t want him so I breathed a sigh of relief and starting planning again….only to get a phone call from S yesterday saying someone else is coming Thursday! (Tomorrow) You know they were going to place him, well then they changed their minds….and they’ve not long changed them back, so it’s sod’s law that all these homes are suddenly coming up. I keep going over if I can have him…but my practical side pulls me back into check 😛 I love this dog so much, I’ve had him a year next month and he’s just like one of my own…losing him is going to be so hard. After Saturday, I was really hoping I’d be able to relax for a bit and get these puppies back to their breeder before I even had to contemplate it again.

Then Elton’s ears are still all over the place and he’s getting less and less straight at the front, which is my major bugbear…I knew he was never going to be straight, but I don’t like the amount of turn out he has….though I think some of it is carelessness, sometimes I catch him standing and – although not straight – he’s much better than he often is. I just hope he’s not going to “go off”, and what he’s done so far is a sign of things to come, and not his peak! We’ve had two attrocious judges for our last two shows as well, which doesn’t do much for moral – at our last show on Saturday, the judge gave Best Puppy in Breed to a puppy that was so nervous on her down and back she was actually creeping towards the judge, then stopped halfway – and tail down, obviously. At the end of the class the judge made her move again just so she could get her tail up enough so she could justify giving her BPIB…which yeah, makes you feel really good if she hates yours so much she’s prepared to give it to that and go to those lengths so as not to have to give it to you 😆 (He was 4th/5 btw (not a puppy class – he and the BPIB (2nd) were the only two pups), so at least still maintains his “always beaten at least 1 other dog at open shows” 😆 )

Then I went to our ringcraft match yesterday with Elton and Darwin (Darwin hasn’t seen a show ring for 3 months and I’ve entered him on Saturday, so I thought practice would be good 😆 ) and they were both totally binned and to cap it all once again both beaten by dogs that didn’t show! Not nervous this time but all over the place – wouldn’t stand properly, wouldn’t move properly…etc. Darwin looked gorgeous actually and went like a dream, I love showing him so much…the only other dog that feels like he does has been Sarah. Elton went really well for him…he stood beautifully and moved properly as well (he’s still prone to bouncy puppy jumping hopping moving!)

I think (hope) Elton is at an awkward stage at the moment, because I’m not happy with how he’s looking…he looked gorgeous at 8 weeks, and most of the other photos I’ve taken of him I like, so I’m just hoping it’s only a stage…he needs to grow some legs 😛 for a start. Neither parent is short in the leg, and of the grandparents and beyond I’m not aware of anything there either, so hopefully he’ll keep on growing and balance out again. I think he does still have growing left to do.

I’m having a very difficult couple of weeks! I’ve entered Eeny, Elton, Darwin and Sarah <3 in a show on Saturday and I’ve been really looking forward to it, but at the moment I can’t even find the enthusiasm for that! Hopefully when it comes to it I’ll be feeling more like it, and I’m sure it’ll do me good….I couldn’t ask for a nicer group of dogs to be taking 🙂 Solei of course is coming Not For Competition.