Peeing and pooping and dog shows

The things you don’t think about at a dog show....

So do you know what the term “overmarking” means?  It does not refer using a yellow highlighter pen too much.  Although it does have to do with the color yellow...

Overmarking  is that less-than-desirable habit that we dogs have of insisting on peeing where other dogs have peed before. Some say that dogs mark or pee in a particular place to mark their “territory “.  In this house, we all love the overmarking game.  Take one of us out, and we’ll pee. To be followed by dog number two and dog number three - all on the same spot.  Another idea is that we dogs have a social order - so we try to cover up or conceal where another dog has “made his mark,” in an effort to be “top dog.”  Or at least “top pee-ER”.

Overmarking is typically practiced by male dogs.  With us PONs, it is not unusual to hear my human saying “watch out- you are going to pee on his head!!!”  Pee Head is a common phenomenon around here.

So imagine if you have dozens of male dogs all together in the same place - all vying to be the top pee-ER.  Like at a dog show.  It can be quite “interesting.”  Dogs are NOT supposed to pee indoors- but heaven forbid one dog lifts his leg to mark a trash can... It can start a chain reaction of pee brain.  And outdoors- well it’s overmarking heaven.

Yesterday my human and the FG went to the show again.  Nope- no ribbons again.  

But the good news - he didn’t pee on anything he wasn’t supposed to.  We know his affinity for peeing on the deck and on the BBQ - so my human watches him like a hawk while he is indoors at the show site.  Outside, he employs his best overmarking skills.  

In addition to monitoring peeing, my human also obsesses about poop before she takes him in the ring.  Yesterday when they were in the group ring, a Bouvier heard ( or felt) nature’s call - and had a big poop in the ring.  My human could sympathize with the embarrassed handler - recalling Einstein’s first trip to the group ring - where he also unceremoniously had a big poop.  She will never forget that moment...

Knowing when to take your dog out for a pee before going in the ring is also tricky - because who wants to show a dog to a judge who MAY have a wet leg.  Not all of us are careful pee-ers.  So it means getting us out and then cleaning us up before we go in the ring.  My human asked Connor’s human how THEY do it.  Connor, as you may recall is an Old English Sheepdog.  His owner just sighed and said “It’s not easy.”  No kidding.

Connor, by the way, got a Group 1 yesterday.  Go Big Fuzz. That’s my new nickname for him.

So no ribbons, but the good things yesterday : friends of my human came to see their first dog show and quite  enjoyed the circus; the FG made friends with a family who would have taken him home in an instant;  he did a nice job in the show ring; and he didn’t pee on anything indoors.  And he didn’t poop in the ring.  No big ribbon - but always look on the bright side!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up!

Seizure free days: 102

Shows

Day 1.  No big ribbons.

Well my human and the FG went to the show.  As soon as he had a chance (like while my human stopped to talk with someone) he hit the AstroTurf and started to roll.  A perfect response after she spent all kinds of time brushing him.  Honestly, I’m not sure why she bothers.  He always looks the same.

The best parts of the day:  hanging out with her Bernese, Old English and Boston terrier buddies.  Oh - and their humans.  She also had a bite with some of MY blog readers - Evelyn and Leta- who were just lovely.  Meeting up with the Boy Scout leaders who help out at the show - who always remember Elroy’s name was also nice!

I shouldn’t say anything about the judge - he seemed nice enough, but was a bit skimpy when it came to giving out smiles.  Maybe he’s just a super serious guy.....BUT he did give our buddy Connor, the Old English a Group 3 - so for that, we liked him.  

Another fun part of the day was trying to get a photo of the FG with my human.  He kept putting his ears all inside out. 

 Then some stranger decided to help out.  She went to other people asking for a squeaky toy.  And BINGO - ears up!

Of course the REALLY good news yesterday was my seizure count!!! Yup.  I hit 100.  And 101 today.  We are not sure exactly what part of my medication cocktail made the difference- but so far so good.  There were points where we never thought we would see 20, let alone 100!

One last thought on the Dog Show thing.  They go back at it today.  And while everyone wants to win ( why bother going if you don’t!) at the end of the day, everybody takes home the best dog(s) - ribbon or no ribbon.  And trust me, we dogs don’t care-we just like hanging out with you. And those who do guard duty if we don’t get to go to the show-  we REALLY appreciate those extra treats when you get home!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up!

Seizure free days: 101

The FG is maturing. Maybe.

Well keep your fingers crossed.  Today is the FG’s first day at the dog show. I must confess, I am just a little bit jealous.  I mean not only does he get to go to the show, he even got to go to a restaurant the other night.

My human was walking the FG at the golf course late on Wednesday night.  As they were headed for home, the chef at the restaurant at the course saw them.  And yup - the FG got a treat.  And if that wasn’t enough, the chef told my human to bring the FG into the restaurant- there were no more customers, and he wanted to introduce the FG to the staff.

My human wasn’t quite so sure about taking the bull into the china shop.  But she nervously agreed and marched him through a hall and into the dining area.

And she was shocked.  Not only did Mr. Sociable greet everyone, he calmly relaxed while my human had a beverage.  It was like he was drugged.  He was SO well behaved. 

Now we just hope he is equally well behaved at the show. We are well aware that just when you think he is maturing, he immediately turns into the the Wild Child.  Remember him sitting on the rock in the water- refusing to come onto the shore when Marvin was visiting? Ya just never know with him...

No news on the on-line saga.  No photos from Liam Neeson and while 176 guys have viewed my my human’s profile, there have been no really great potential dates just yet.  I think she needs to put in more photos of us...

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up!

Seizure free days:  100!!!!!!  Time to parteeeeeeee!!!!

On-line dating. Continued.

Well after much moaning and groaning and the occasional gasp, my human threw her profile into the on-line dating shopping catalogue.  And after three days, she has already decided she is canceling her subscription at the end of one month.  She’s just not a very patient person.,.

She put our pictures in her profile.  So the victims have fairc warning.  I’m not so sure this is such a good idea.  Really, the only guy we would approve of would be a butcher.  Or maybe a baker.  DEFINITELY not a dog groomer.  Whoever it is would have to like to walk.  And wouldn’t mind picking up poop. Lots of poop.

I think my human is a bit too sarcastic for this on-line stuff.  One guy from Manitoba wrote to her and said he liked her profile “but could you live any further away?!” “Yes” my human replied, “I could live in Newfoundland.”  She never heard from him again. 

If any of these potential dates read this blog, well she might as well cancel her subscription right now. 

But despite all her trepidation- there WAS one nice guy who contacted her - who seemed normal.  And he could write a complete sentence.  Only problem?  No photo.  She’s figuring it’s Liam Neeson and he just doesn’t want people to see he is on a dating site.  We’ll see...

Oh - before I close, it seems my human has poor counting skills after 80.  Her good friend Joanie informed her that I had two 88 days in my seizure count and two 94 days or something like that.  Hope my human didn’t put “good at math “ in her dating profile.  So as a result, I am going to jump my numbers by two today.

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 99

Everybody needs a Glady

Heaven help us.  Well...help the FG.  Rumor has it he is entered in a dog show his weekend.  Actually, a couple of shows. And when was the last time he was in a show?  Was it February?  Needless to say, he and my human are not well prepared.  So they needed some help.  So who ya gonna call when you are in desperate need of some show handling tips?  Besides the patron saint of dogs?  Why you call Glady. Glady the dog whisperer.

Glady is the reason why my human got into the whole dog show world in the first place.  It was probably 100 years  ago....OK, maybe more like 30, and my human still remembers the day.  She was working in one office for a particular institution, and she went to visit another office for the same institution.  And she started talking with one of the secretaries.  That would be Glady.  My human happened to notice a photo on Glady’s desk - a dog photo.  When my human asked about the lovely Keeshond in th picture, Glady explained that the dog was actually deceased.  But he was a very special dog - Glady’s first Keeshond, Chinook. And he was the start, the foundation - of a lifetime of involvement in the world of purebred dogs.  Glady knew very little about dog shows in 1977, but was convinced to enter one with Chinook.  He won the breed the first time out.  And she was hooked.  It wasn’t long before he had a Best in Show under his...collar - and it would be the first of MANY Best in Shows for Glady - with a number of her dogs.  She went on to breed some of the top Keeshond in Canada - and her dogs excelled not only in the conformation ring,  but in obedience as well - often under the training of Gladys’s husband, Don.  In addition to breeding and showing, Glady and Don were involved in numerous dog clubs - and Glady was even invited to judge Keeshonds at a specialty  show in the US. She became quite the breed expert - and mentor for so many in the dog world - including my human.  Glady encouraged my human to get her first Bernese and was always helpful with tips and suggestions for showing.  My human’s first Bernese was a wonderful dog - but NOT a show dog.  My human learned that quickly when she took him to a fun match, which Glady was judging and they placed dead last. He did become a good obedience dog though!

The first time my human went to Crufts, she went with Glady.  She even managed to convince Glady to go to a Bernese specialty with her in Rhode Island.  They had quite the adventures.

These days Glady isn’t breeding anymore, but she has a good friend who has carried on her lines.  She still is owned by 2 Keeshonds - one of whom is the same age as the FG.  She can relate to similar “behavioral” traits...

Somehow, time sometimes gets away from  humans - and it had been awhile since my human had been out to visit Glady and Don.  With the upcoming show,  my human called for help.  Glady was more than happy to oblige - and it would also provide an opportunity to visit and catch up.

Right now Glady is waiting for some knee surgery - so she can’t run around the ring - which she SO loves to do.  But she did attempt to take the FG around to show my human what he looked like.  She also videotaped him, and they then reviewed the tape. Her comments and feedback were extremely helpful.

But the best part was the visit.  They shared stories over a cup of tea and some yummy cake.  When you have a good old friend, it’s easy to feel comfortable-and the time just flies.  On top of it all, my human came home with homegrown tomatoes, dehydrated chicken for US AND some homemade wine.  But best of all, she came home with a smile on her face - thinking how lucky she is to have a friend like Glady after all these years. 

Now if she can just remember all Glady’s instructions when she gets in that show ring.  Heaven help them...

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 97

Rainbows

August 27.  And according to the crazy calendar, it is Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day.  Honestly, for humans who have been owned by dogs... that is every single day... you never forget those you have lost.

Anyone who has lived with and loved their dog, knows how difficult it is to lose us.  There is a quote by an unknown author that says “Having a dog will bless you with the happiest days of your life, and one of the worst days.” 

But the promise of meeting again some day at the Rainbow Bridge brings comfort and a sense of peace to many.  And while some find the grief so overwhelming, and they say they will never get another dog, others cannot imagine life without a dog. Imagine how QUIET and boring our place would be.  One can never replace one dog with another- but one can open ones heart to a whole new lifetime of memories.  

OK.  And now for something a little lighter.  Guess what the rumor mill is saying about Meghan and Harry?????!!!!!  No.  She’s not pregnant.  They got a dog!! Reportedly the new Royal Canine joins Meghan’s Beagle, Guy - and it is.....a Polish Lowland Sheepdog!  Just kidding.  It’s a Labrador Retriever.   I can’t wait to learn more.  I hope they named him Viktor.  I’m SURE she MUST read my blog - so no doubt she will name him after me.  

Well, the FG has some serious grooming yesterday.  It took all of 20 minutes.  But that’s a lot for him.  Something is up. But I’m not sure what....

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 96

Guinness

August 27.  And on this day in 1955, the Guinness Book of World Records was published. And as you might imagine, there are many dog related records. You can have the typical tallest and smallest dog:

https://youtu.be/66yr7Hr57KA

And you can have the dog with the longest tongue:

https://youtu.be/rDoi3XqG58o.  I bet he can clean out the inside of the yogurt container....

We have the dog with the longest tail:

https://youtu.be/iferRfmFRbI.  Watch out for stuff on the coffee table with that big boy...

We have the fastest dog who walks on two legs:

https://youtu.be/pM1dJGjRHOc

And then we have Golden retriever named Augie who holds the record for holding the most tennis balls in his mouth - 5 at once.  And the thought Einstein was mouthy.

We have a Jack Russell terrier who holds the record for breaking 100 balloons in 39.08 seconds.  Imagine practicing for that record? Not so sure we want to go for that one.

There are others, but we like this dog who performs 49 tricks in one minute. 

https://youtu.be/mgyXj8B2ymc

My human and I thought we could possibly break this one - but you see the part where the owner lies down and puts her feet in the air, and the dog stands on her feet?  Yeah well my human couldn’t get up fast enough, so we just couldn’t break the record.  That was the ONLY problem.  Sure it was.

Anyway it’s Monday and my human is still OFF.  Let’s see what record we can break today...  Most poop bags used in a half hour walk....most barking...fastest eating dogs....oh what fun!  My human says the only Guinness item that will ever come through the doors of this house is the drinkable kind.  She needs it with us!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 95