The Blog of the Frog

Went to Darwin’s last show on Saturday. It was a little limit show, so you can go in the AV classes without being in a breed class. I’d put Elton in the only Papillon class (Open) and Darwin in AV Toy Graduate.

It was an enjoyable day, though taking the dogs out to exercise them was fun – they almost got blown away! It was spitting with rain most of the day as well.

Elton was in a class of 3 which was interesting…the dogs that were entered are often in the same class, and they often change positions – one week one beats Elton, the next week he beats them…etc. Though I have to say when Elton is beaten it is often because the judge is anti-Phalene! (Or he just doesn’t behave!). Anyway, on this particular occasion Elton came 2nd. They’re very different, so it comes down to what you like – b/w Phalene V r/s/w Papillon, both of totally different types!

Darwin I was expecting to be a nightmare 😆 He hasn’t been in the ring since last November, and he was absolutely horrendous then! He was in a class of four dogs, and as we started he was very un-Darwin like – quite calm and seemingly not that happy. All was revealed when (just before he was due to go on the table) he squatted and pooed! I was less than impressed as I’d taken him out just before he went in the ring 😆 Thankfully he didn’t get it on him, so we were able to resume as normal – and then he was much more the Darwin I know and love! He actually showed very, very well. He moved beautifully, and didn’t stand too badly – albeit with vertical take offs 5 feet in the air every few seconds! He won his class 🙂 So that was bittersweet – it was a lovely note to end on, but I enjoyed it so much I didn’t want it to be the last time 🙁 I mean I know I’ll still be able to borrow him if I wish, but it won’t be the same.

It was worse because when I first had him I was just winding up Solei’s career (Darwin started showing in February 2009, I stopped showing Solei properly that May) and although Darwin was difficult in those early days, we established a raport and he turned into a dog that was so much fun to show – and did very well as well! Over that summer it was just him and I, and we had an awful lot of fun, but once Elton started showing (November 09) I cut back on what I did with Darwin, and as he came out of Puppy in May 2010 Darwin was hardly shown at all. Over the summer it was so full of championship shows he didn’t have the opportunities he’d had the previous year, and Elton was so…Eltonish, that I started to find Darwin not much fun to show in comparison.

Last weekend it was like turning the clock back – Darwin was on form and just as he used to be when I really enjoyed showing him…which made it so much harder, dammit 😆

Then came Monday 🙁 Oh sheesh that was hard. We arranged it for the afternoon, so I spent the morning trying – and failing – to get some good photos! That and trying not to think about what was about to happen 😛 Not a lot else to say really….I took him over, told myself I was only leaving him overnight (as often happens the night before a champ show), picked up Fern, got back to the car and burst into tears 😆

My bed is down the middle of the room and my kitchen is the whole area between bed and wall. Elton has been in my kitchen penned off whenever they can’t be properly supervised, because he and Darwin just didn’t “gel” – not aggressive, just not a good combination – playing that went totally OTT..etc. It gives him a decent space to move around in, and he also has access to me because of being next to the bed. The main point of Darwin going was to get Elton out of the kitchen all the time!

So we arrived home late on Friday afternoon, I let the boys out and put Fern down….for the whole of the rest of the day both boys were trying to mount her and being obnoxious, this continued through the whole of Tuesday morning….and then they finally settled! Elton has only been in the kitchen once for about half an hour since Darwin went – and that was because of the mounting. The atmosphere here is totally different….it feels much calmer and quieter, but I haven’t had Fern 48 hours yet so it could all change as they settle down 😛

I just hope I’ve done the right thing….I’m very tired and it’s been a very hard time so I suppose I’ve got to give it time. Elton doesn’t seem “right” either, but then it’s a big change for him to have free run of my room all the time (and without getting leapt on by Darwin!) and I’ve also totally changed the dynamics by losing a 2½ year old dog (less than 9 months age gap between Darwin & Elton) and bringing in a 9 month old bitch.

I know Fern isn’t a dog that tends to hold her tail right up over her back, which I wasn’t very happy about…but she does wag it frantically, so I thought she’d get away with it as a puppy. I took her to ringcraft last night and she was so nervous, wouldn’t even think about putting her tail up – that is the side I really didn’t need to see, especially given how I’m feeling about it all at present! There weren’t any other toy dogs there, so I’m hoping she’ll be fine at shows again once she’s in with other Paps or at least other toy breeds.

As for the puppy part of this post, this is the on going three plus year saga! I think I gave up mentioning every time it almost went right, and then went wrong, so I can’t remember the last time I mentioned puppies. Probably about 15 months ago!

At the start of the year I had a phone call to say that the bitch was confirmed in whelp, with 4 or 5 puppies. Due on 30th January. I was hoping for puppies born on the 28th, 29th or 30th but they “had” to be born no later than the 1st to be old enough for a show I reeeeeeally wanted them to be old enough for. I’d been getting twitchier and twitchier, and late afternoon on the 1st I finally decided I couldn’t wait any longer and rang the breeder to see how things were going….major fail, they were born on the 26th! I was a little taken aback 🙂 because on previous occasions she’d always rung me within a couple of days.

Anyway, there are four puppies. One is not marked well enough, and of the other three I’m not sure about two of them, so we’ll have to see what happens as they get older. I’m not going to get too excited yet, we’ve been here too many times before! But every time I start planning shows and other stuff 😉 just can’t help myself.

As I think everybody knows by now, Elton goes hand in hand with overenthusiasm and over excitement! After Solei it’s so refreshing and so wonderful to have a dog that enjoys it so much I’m wary of discipling him for it when it’s not appropriate (even by ignoring..etc), for fear of losing the wonderful enthusiasm for everything that is Elton!

However, about 3 weeks ago I decided enough was enough 😉 It was escalating to the point when he knew a retrieve was coming he would stand wagging his tail and barking at me, bark as he came into position beside me (which wasn’t a great position because of that!), not be able to hold a sit stay whilst I threw it (stood up), whine and/or bark until I released him and then make noises until he had the dumbbell in his mouth and couldn’t!

So we’ve been working on impulse control in those extra exciting situations! I got a good sit/wait quite quickly by telling him to sit if he stood up, then going to pick the dumbbell up myself and recommanding before I threw it – if he stood up, I did the same thing again. If his bum stayed on the floor he was allowed to go and get it!

And then my biggest fear came true – he was doing beautiful retrieves for a couple of days (still not sitting with it in his mouth – though he did do it once! – but the duration of his hold was increasing and he would lie down (on command) and keep hold of it) and then he decided he was bored. He lost the excitement and enthusiasm and wouldn’t pick it up. If he did deign to, he would bring it a couple of steps, spit it out and then come back to me!

Deep breath, don’t panic…obviously now I’ve spoilt his “game” it’s boring. So the dumbbell is now away for a couple of weeks, and I have my fingers incredibly tightly crossed that a break from it will do the trick and I’ll be able to get the enthusiasm and excitement back, whilst keeping the self control he’s learnt.

All the obedience has gone a bit pear shaped really….I have the most gorgeous heelwork with the manual chair, but I’m not at all happy about the power chair, which of course is the chair I have to use. I can’t decide how close he should work and I can’t see him properly. I love the way he feels in the manual chair. I feel amazing when I’m working with him and it’s all just so much fun….swapping to the powered I just don’t feel as connected, more stressed, less in control and just not as fun. I expect (hope) it’ll get better and I don’t doubt he’s capable, it just frustrated/upset me to feel the way I did, I really wasn’t expecting it to be so different. I’m usually ok, but that was one of those moments where I was cursing how much harder the way I am makes everything!

On top of that I took him to obedience for the first time in ages last night (it’s been closed cos a pipe burst and they had to relay the floor) and he was like I’ve never seen him before. He was actually scared of the chair, didn’t want to come near it and was just not enjoying it at all….which is so not Elton. As I say, I’ve never, ever seen him remotely like that.

And this is before I (and they) have to get used to a new chair!!