The Blog of the Frog

Elton’s tooth finally came out on Friday night! His ears were much improved by Saturday and you wouldn’t have noticed anything amiss with them.

We didn’t get in the ring for hours and when we did Elton was horrendous 😆 When I’d taken him round the ring before judging started he was really well behaved and I thought maybe we’d cracked it – nuh uh, he was worse than ever when it was his turn to show 😆 I don’t think she could really assess his movement, possibly a couple of steps here and there. Never the less she must have liked him, cos he was still 3rd out of 7+ dogs! I hope he learns to move a bit better soon, because he’s going to start getting placed lower down the line than he would have done purely because movement couldn’t be assessed! Though S said he would have been a bit small for this judge, too – story of his life! It’s getting frustrating now – he’s still well within standard, only 6 months old and he *is* growing! So cut him a bit of slack 😆

On Sunday we went to a companion show – I wanted to get the pups out and give Elton some more much needed practice in a “real” show enviroment. Elton was 4th in Puppy – judge said he liked him and he moved well but he was a bit small and needed a touch more body – Darwin was 3rd in Toy/Utility – he wouldn’t stand properly on the table which he’s never done before, and then decided the bait of the lady next door was far more interesting than mine and wouldn’t stand properly at the end(!) – and I decided to bring Solei out for a bit of fun 🙂 and he was 4th in Open!! Vale was then 3rd in Veteran. Very pleased with Solei & Darwin in particular, who were both in enormous classes.

In the novelties I entered Eeny in Puppy, which ended up being judged exactly like a pedigree class so that was super – exactly the experience I wanted for her! (She’s not quite 6 months so couldn’t do the pedigree class) – and she was 2nd 🙂 Vale won Waggiest Tail and Elton won Dog the Judge Would Like to Take Home 😆 He almost did, as well! (Take him home). There was a lovely Christmas atmosphere and it was an enjoyable day. Oh and Elton was so well behaved in his Puppy class!! (Damn dog…:lol:)

Took Elton to ringcraft on Tuesday, for some more much needed practice….the problem is he’s fine after he’s done about 5 triangles 😆 but you only get one attempt in the ring! I’ve also been trying to take him outside most days this week to practice, but it’s rather futile…he’s fine until you get him on 1) Mats and 2) In a class of other dogs! But I can only do what I can do.

He’s entered for LKA on Sunday, which is why I’m working so hard with him…it’s a big championship show (his first) and his one and only chance to qualify for Crufts 2010. He’ll be in a class of about 20…and he’s got to get in the first 3. At 6 months. (and a very immature looking 6 months) Yeah 😛  Almost certainly not gonna happen but I want to give it our best shot and not come out feeling “if only he/I/we had done ____”.

His ears have been sitting perfectly for nearly a week….I discovered yesterday his other top canine was hanging on by a thread (at the 90 degrees against the roof of his mouth stage :lol:) and I was surprised because it has had no effect on his ears what so ever…

Of course this morning the tooth has come out and now it’s out his ears are awful!! *headdesk* So they’d better be right again for Sunday…it’s more worrying because I can’t think “oh well, they’ll be fine when the tooth comes out”, cos now there’s no tooth *to* come out! Fingers crossed…

I still haven’t come down to earth 😆 😀

I took Elton down to the vets the day after my last post….Vale was going anyway, to have an injection to help with her stiffness, so he came too cos I was worried about him! Vet had a look at him and thought it was probably teething. Poor boy was quite poorly for a few days 🙁 He’s just in the process of getting his canines through, so that’s probably why…big teeth to push through little gums! I didn’t think he’d be going to the Pap Club but he suddenly picked up on Friday and seemed fine on Saturday, so he was bathed ready for Sunday!

We went off with a carful – some of S&Ts dogs, a dog I was taking up for a friend and my own two (Solei not showing). Six dogs in total! The other catch with Phalenes is when they’re teething their ears can go all over the place….and Eltons had been all over the place all week. By Sunday although not really, badly wrong it still wasn’t right (not sure how obvious it was to the onlooker – not too much so I don’t think!) but not bad enough to keep him out of the ring. He was in the first class, there were 10 entered (9 present) and he was 5th 🙂 Bit of a bump back down to earth after the previous week, but not unexpected! In the line up the judge said he was very nice, very sound and something else complimentary (that I can’t remember) but needs to grow, which is what I expected – I suspected he would be a bit small for her. Pippin (his brother) was 4th, so that wasn’t bad! He was spectacularly 4th out of 4 in the Phalene class 😆 but as I say his ears weren’t right, and all the others in the class (his brothers Pippin & Brodie and an older dog) were correct, so as it was a Phalene class that was probably right, even though Brodie decided not to keep his tail up 😆 though doesn’t do anything for your confidence when you’re beaten by a dog with their tail down!

When I got home on Sunday night I happened to look at Elton’s teeth, and his top left canine is very, very loose – so that explains a lot! In particular why his ears were worse on Sunday – It was fairly solid when I checked on Friday or Saturday, so had happened very quickly. I thought it would be out in no time but he’s still hanging on to it! It’s now sitting at a 90 degree angle against the roof of his mouth(!), hanging on by a thread but refusing to come out!

His ears are still all over the place – they’re changing hour by hour! I look at him and they’re correct, then the next time they’re very wrong, then they’re slightly off but not bad….etc! He’s showing again this weekend so I’m really hoping that that wretched canine will come out and once it does his ears will settle again – and quickly! Until the next time, anyway – after this one comes out he’ll still have two canines left. Aragh, teeth! Can’t get away from them, can I 😆

Other than that, things have been fairly non-eventful. I’ve got Elton’s transfer of ownership back from the Kennel Club 🙂 so he’s officially in my name now!

Wow…just…wow!

I meant to give an update last week but got a bit side tracked in the end. So, I spent all week in turmoil over whether I was doing the right thing having Elton….I never changed my mind enough to say anything to S&T about not having him, but one minute I’d be sure I was doing the right thing and then the next full of doubt again!

Last Tuesday he didn’t particularly do anything for me at ringcraft (in terms of “that” feeling) and I found myself looking at the other pups there (most from different litters) and preferring them…which could well just be because they’re not mine, and I’d feel the same about them if they were. After all, as I said last time he’d made me feel incredible at the ringcraft match 😆 which was just before they offered him to me, so I’m inclined to think a lot of it is that I’m looking on him differently now he’s mine (or going to be). If they’d offered him to me weeks ago I’m sure I would have taken him without a second thought.

I have a little Pap at the moment who was a nervous wreck – never, ever thought she’d see the inside of a show ring. She came from a disabled lady who has been rather ill and so they were four months old and never been anywhere, not lead trained..etc. I’ve had her (and her brother) for just over a month now and omg you wouldn’t believe the transformation. This is a dog that peed everytime you went to pick her up, wouldn’t let you catch her, wouldn’t walk on a lead, put her on a table and she’d lie down as far back as possible shaking and I couldn’t take her anywhere (even in my arms) without her just lying there quivering. I’ve worked so hard with her over the last month and last Tuesday she actually went to ringcraft, trotted round her triangle like she owned the place and more or less accepted being gone over on the table I wouldn’t have her but I felt like I had something special on the end of the lead, y’know? The way she moved and she stood beautifully…felt it more so than Elton. One of the stupid things bugging me atm is that his tail never stops wagging (obviously that’s not bugging me :lol:) and he’s one of those that wags it down, rather than right over the back, if that makes sense? Solei’s the same – unless he’s so wound up he looks like he’s on drugs 😆 – he has to put his tail down if he wags it. He’s got a lovely tail carriage so I wish he’d show it off properly 😆 I’m obsessed with tails thanks to Sol.

When I rang the breeder for my pupdate on Monday there was more good news – as you know we started off with 5 potential pups, then went down to 4 and now although there are still 4 one of them injured their tail to the extent they had to have 2/3rds amputated, so now we only have 3 potential show pups left.

So all in all a super start to my week! And then….well, as I say – wow, just…wow!

On Friday night I bathed Elton, ready for his show debut on Saturday. He didn’t come up too badly 🙂 He always looks like he’s been dragged through a hedge backwards (it’s the ears) after 5 minutes playing with the other pups! So I did him last thing so he could go straight to bed. The next morning we arrived at the show early and I took him round the ring, which was interesting! He didn’t go too badly.

He wasn’t in a breed class, just in AV Toy Puppy which had 15 entries! Oh great, I think 😆 Eventually we get into the ring and he didn’t go brilliantly, but I’m told it felt worse than it looked. Didn’t help that it was also the last class bar AV Toy Veteran so there had been lots of dogs already in the ring and there were lots of interesting smells, especially on the mat which was part of his triangle and then his up and down. On the whole ringcraft went out of the window! He stood ok – though like his daddy he doesn’t usually stretch out properly atm, but I’m sure that’ll come 🙂 – and movement was ok in patches! Just a bit pulling here there and everywhere and breaking into a gallop, which he hadn’t been doing at ringcraft – excitement of a show and all the smells and sounds I think – and his tablework went out of the window but I think that was me! Anyway, to my surprise….Elton won the class!! Which – even though he hadn’t been in a breed class – enabled him to go forward to the toy puppy group, because he was still an unbeaten puppy. Each pup was moved again and then we all stood our dogs at the end…..and the judge pointed to Elton!! He WON the Puppy Group!! I really can’t explain how I felt at that point. Even now I keep squealing out loud when I’m thinking about it cos I just can’t contain myself 😆 It was a large and very good puppy group so to come out with Puppy Group 1 with a 6 month old Phalene at his very first show….oh wow! (and he beat the Best Puppy In Breed Pap so he would’ve been BPIB if he’d been entered)

He didn’t do anything in BPIS, but he looked very raw – he didn’t move terribly well and he’s still very immature (I think all the others were 10 or 11 months and there’s he at 6 months at his very first show!) but his little tail wagged all day and he had a good time which is all that really matters at this age 🙂 As I went through the hall with him on my lap he was trying to stick his nose in the face of every other dog that was remotely close – even a Great Dane! – with tail wagging 😆

They were doing eye testing there as well, so I had Solei done – all normal 🙂 big relief! So good results all round, in more ways than one!

We finally completed Elton’s paperwork today so he’s now officially mine 🙂 He’s a bit snuffly today actually, so I hope he’s ok…he would be wouldn’t he, I’ve had him back two weeks and he’s been fine until he officially becomes mine 😆 I’ve booked him in for some puppy classes at the obedience club I go to with Solei so he starts those in January. Oh, and I started my Christmas shopping! I’ve never been this organised, ever.

Sheesh, what a time we’ve been having. I’ve been meaning to sit down and bring you all up to date with the latest news but I’ve been up and down like a yoyo and seem to have been rather busy as well.

So, where do we start…with Elton I suppose. After that weekend where S brought him to the show and then T letting me hang on to him for a few days after ringcraft I did wonder, but I daren’t hope….then they dropped a bombshell last Tuesday. We’d all gone to ringcraft, I’d taken all three puppies from my place, and as we got near the end of the evening Elton hadn’t been out of his crate, so I got him out to take him once…finished, went over to S&T and they offered him to me 😯

(Elton = Elton (obviously..) Pup = this other litter) I was awake most of that night wondering what the hell I’m thinking and can I afford it and is this really what I want (which I guess is what comes from being messed around for 6 months). Main concern being financial I guess – potentially going from one dog to three just like that, the other pup is going to be expensive, I’ve still got Solei’s vets bill to pay, it looks like Elton might well need a couple of baby teeth out so that’s another vets bill. Then there are vaccinations for pup, puppy classes for both and just stuff! I might well need a new crate for pup, I need every day collars and leads for both, I need (expensive) show leads for both, food bowls, probably grooming equipment for pup, obviously got to feed them(!)……and this all totally buggers up my Papillon for the foreseeable future and I’ve had such a fantastic time with Darwin I’m wondering why I want another black and white Phalene when I could have a nice flashy papillon I might actually do something with.

I guess it’s all a bit much….I’ve waited over two years for Elton (well not Elton exactly but this whole Solei/Fancy concept) and going on two years for this other pup and then I get a phone call saying there’s probably a puppy for me in this litter and just 10 days later S&T hit me with this….I mean, talk about timing! They keep me guessing for nearly 6 months and then they decide to drop it 10 days after I hear about the other litter – both of which – of course – coincide nicely with Solei’s vet bill!

After all I’ve been through with Solei I want this to be perfect…and I know nothing can ever be perfect but I see tiny traits in Elton that I don’t like and panic that it’s all gonna go wrong! Like he wasn’t as confident with traffic the other day (first time I’ve had him near traffic since he came back) and he’s dropping on the table which is a submissive thing that he wasn’t doing before either. I’ve worked through worse and I hope I can work through this satisfactorily, I’m just a bit concerned about what issues are behind him (which I don’t really know, I just know there are issues there)

I guess I also feel a little short changed….I know I’ve been over this scenario I don’t know how many times and I’m sure I can make it work, but given the small number of dogs I’m able to have it would’ve been nice to have been able to really enjoy each puppy and spread them out, as it is I potentially only have just over a month of Elton being “mine” before I bring home puppy #2, even though the age gap is bigger than that (a whole five and a half months 🙄 )

My head has been all over the place since Tuesday.  I’ve loved this pup from the moment he was born and I’ve wanted him since he was tiny…I’d have happily had him months ago if S&T had wanted to release him then, at which point some of the feelings I have now probably would have been there. I love the way he responds to me and when I showed him at the match last week he gave me a feeling that I’ve only ever had once…with Sarah. All the dogs I’ve shown (Solei included) and none have ever made me feel the way she did…until Elton. I guess the other raw bit is that I had two years of stress with Solei’s teeth…regardless of what I do Elton’s teeth should hopefully last until he’s at least 3 (hopefully a lot longer), but the idea of starting all this stress again when I only put the matter finally and completely to bed with Solei a couple of weeks ago is a bit…awful! I’m excited to have a pap/phalene of my own again 🙂 It’s not the same showing other peoples dogs. Darwin has been good because he’s been pretty much as good as mine, but even that’s almost come to an end now….and it’s been more than 6 months since I was showing Solei “properly”.

However, all that said I still have these niggling doubts. Before the litter was born I didn’t *want* another black & white Phalene – which figures – it was a litter of 5, he’s the only b/w and he’s the one I was drawn to! I’m scared of a repeat of Solei…which I don’t think will happen from an attitude point of view because I can’t imagine Solei was ever like this (of course I didn’t know him as a pup). As S&T are keeping one of the other two boys I’m scared of getting demoralized by being *constantly* beaten by whichever pup they keep. I’m scared of the commitment, I’m just scared full stop at the moment 😆 They were 6 months old yesterday, Elton & Lacey have their first show this Saturday.

I’ve never thought “I don’t want him”…my thoughts are more along the lines of “am I doing the right thing”. Elton is dog #2, Pup #2 will be Dog #3….that leaves me space for just one or two more dogs over the next 7+ years, unless I start rehoming, so I need to get it right…I’m still desperate for a Pap so that will definitely be one of the spaces, meaning Elton will probably be my last Phalene for 5 or 6 years.

Oh and with regard to pup #2 she lost one of the pups 🙁 So we’re down to 4 “possibilities” now.

I dunno; maybe I should just go and boil my head 😆

I’ve had a really good week, for once 🙂 Amazing!

Last Saturday I went with S&T to an open show. I’d decided to give Darwin a break as he was showing the next day, so I was just showing Sarah 🙂 Couldn’t wait because I hadn’t shown her since July. She was entered in Open, along with Jason (shown by T) and Tosca (shown by S). We beat them both, getting a 2nd! 😀 Left early – at around lunchtime – as we had a long day coming up the next day and didn’t need to stay for the group.

As it happened it was a good job we were home early because at quarter to five that afternoon I got a phone call…

I haven’t mentioned it here because I’ve had so many disappointments I was waiting until it was a bit more certain first. It concerns the puppy I’ve been waiting since the beginning of 2008 for! After numerous failed litters, bitches missing, pyo, wrong sex puppies, mismarked puppies..etc I was told of a litter due at the beginning of November. This phone call was to say she’d had them early, on the 30th October, there were 7 puppies and 5 were the right sex!! It looks more promising than ever this time.

High on that news it was off to another show on Sunday! Darwin won his class (of 1…) and Jason won his class (of 2) and then BOB 🙂 Darwin was being such a little sod, really messing about! I was in the group with Jason when I looked over towards where we were set up and saw a Papillon….and another. Did a double take whilst I tried to work out where on earth they’d come from! Then the person obscuring my view moved and it was S with Scot, Dilly….and Elton! 🙂 The previous day I’d said to her how I was a bit concerned he hadn’t been to ringcraft for a while and had never been to a show (whilst the others had) and so she’d brought him up to surprise me 🙂 He wasn’t at all daunted and seemed to take it all in his stride, so that was great – and it was lovely to see him again. Ever since T had him and Lacey back I’d been thinking a lot about what I wanted to do and I’d actually decided I thought I’d probably pass on a puppy from this litter….then on Sunday when I saw Elton all my feelings came flooding back!

Jason did nothing in the group. In a moment of madness I’d entered the adult handling, when it came to it I couldn’t decide whether to go in or not. Eventually went for it and got a 2nd, didn’t feel like I had much of a clue what I was doing! The stakes were much more successful and worth staying for – Darwin was 4th in the Graduate Stakes and Jason 6th in the Open Stakes.

On Tuesday we were all set to go to our ringcraft club’s match night, when, a couple of hours before we were due to leave, S rang to say T was poorly and they wouldn’t be going….but would I like to take Elton! So of course I said no…:) Practically bit her hand off! So mum went to collect him from T for me so I could bath him and she said I could hang on to him for a few days 😀 He’s still here at the moment 🙂 He couldn’t do the proper puppy match because he’s 11 days off 6 months, but they do a puppy walk which is actually judged just like a normal show – all pups are stood and judge walks down the line, then each pup is gone over on the table or floor (depending on size!), triangle, up and down and then stood again at the end. And Elton won Best Puppy Under 6 Months Old!! Showing him gave me the most amazing feeling. I’ve shown an awful lot of dogs over the last couple of years (including Solei), and the only one that’s ever made me feel like he did that night has been Sarah.

And that was my very exciting week!

I finally booked Solei in for his dental last week, it had got somewhat delayed thanks to things cropping up and then me not being too well! So he went in on the 22nd. Having had a look at his teeth that morning I discovered that of the four top teeth one was “the” tooth that he lost back in August, the one next to that was loose as was the one next to that….didn’t poke the fourth, too scared! So when he went in I couldn’t decide whether to tell the vet to leave them or not…part of me wanted them left because I was still recovering from him losing one! (They didn’t *need* removing, nothing wrong with them except for the fact they were going to come out by themselves eventually anyway) and the other part wanted them gone because then I wouldn’t need to worry anymore….so I left it up to the vet and he decided to take them out. Plus all the bottom front ones as well! Which was a bit of a shock because as far as I was aware there was nothing wrong with them, though I hadn’t prodded so maybe they were loose too – or maybe it’s to do with the bite.

But he had the two out at the sides which was the reason I booked him in to start with, so his breath smells much better, his canines have come up beautifully white 🙂 and I’m glad it’s done….though I could’ve done without the bill!! 😆

The day before I’d aquired two new puppies to help take some of the load off T – they belong to a lady who isn’t well and can’t manage them, but they’re sired by one of S&Ts boys so they said they’d have them temporarily. They were born in June but I’m not sure when!

After my last musings I did go to obedience…and wished I hadn’t 😆 I’d forgotten that they’d just finished a puppy course and the first week after that is always horrendous because you get tons of new people coming up from the class, then over the next couple of weeks a lot of them tend to disappear…there were 15 dogs there which is far too many for a 45 minute class with 1 tutor. Solei found it all somewhat stressful (to make matters worse, because it was wet we were in the hall rather than outside and it’s a very small hall) and I felt it a bit of a waste of time really. Mainly because as I’ve said before Solei really needs to be in the next class and so every time we go and don’t get to at least *try* and get the retrieve it feels a bit pointless.

The weekend was fantastic though 😀 Results were bad (Darwin 2nd out of 2, Jason 2nd out of 3, Jason thrown out of his stakes (along with *every* single table dog! I’ve never seen a judge walk straight past every single table dog – a good selection, including “proper” dogs (like Cockers) – before!) and Darwin *just* thrown out of his – judge was deciding between him and another dog (Shih Tzu I think) for the last placement and give it to the Tzu!) but I met up with Bekki and Felix (and her friend and her Sheltie) and Mabel and Pan 🙂 Great to see them again!