sleepy

Puppies at this age are developing fast and getting stronger by the day.  They are exercising almost constantly, crawling around and suckling when they are awake and stretching and twitching when they're not.  There is an enormous amount of activity going on all the time - even when they are ostensibly asleep.  It's tiring business all this growing.

S-t-r-e-t-c-h

Tan yawning

Liila yawning

More yawning

More stretching

Wow - there's quite a difference now between the photos taken with my phone and those taken with the new lens on the camera.  But when the moment arrives, you have to work with whatever comes to hand quickly.  Most of the time, that's the phone.  Naturally. 

hot dogs

You might have thought I was exaggerating when I said in my last post that a Lapphund would prefer it to be minus 30°C rather than plus 30°C, but if it was an exaggeration at all, it was a very slight one.  They are purportedly one of only a small handful of breeds who are allowed by law to remain outdoors during the night in a ferocious Finnish winter.  And when you get the chance to see them in cold weather, you can appreciate why.

It's a real treat for Lappy owners to see their dog's reaction the first time they see snow.  It really is like they have a genetic predisposition for it and they go quite bonkers with excitement.  For many of them, the worse the weather, the better they like it.  That includes not only snow, but also rain and wind and bitterly cold temperatures.  

So what's a Lappy to do when the temperature is somewhere in the region of 25-30°C, as it was here in southwest England for the past few weeks?

Our dogs like to lie about in the shade on the patio with the cool stones on their bellies - and chins.

Smiley Neka the second after lifting her chin from the ledge -

I just wasn't quick enough with the camera

Keskiyo, Maija & Tuuli - still panting even when in the shade

Even Gink enjoys the cool patio.  Do you suppose he thinks the skeleton washing line will cast some shade for him?  Or perhaps he just knows that this is a safe place to lie because even dogs who are careering madly around the garden tend not to run into poles - or trample the pussycats lying under the poles.

So what about exercise in this weather?  How cool does it need to be to walk a Lapphund?  How hot is too hot?  I always tell people that 20°C is the maximum temperature to walk your Lapphund in.  Any warmer than that is too warm for them, really, and that's especially true if that temperature comes with sunshine and no wind.  

So this kind of summertime in England means very early and very late walks for happy Lappies.  These days when it's 20 degrees by 9 am, I am out with the dogs by 7 o'clock at the very latest.  And some days - and for some people with different schedules to mine, that latest time will be 6 am.  Or even 5.  After that, the order of the day is lounging around on the patio stones until the sun goes behind the trees sometime after 8 pm.  

As for warm weather and the thick Lapphund coat, I have often had questions about clipping the coat in an effort to help them keep cool.  In a word: DON'T.  Here is an article that goes into some detail about the reasons not to clip or shave a dog with a double coat like a Lapphund.  But the short version is this:  The coat acts as a perfect insulator.  That means that it keeps them warm in cold weather but also cool in hot weather.  

Not so cool that you should take them out for a run in 25 degree heat, though, obviously.

Then there is the assertion "but my dog wants to go for a walk even when it's warm".  My answer to that is this:  You would not allow your 4-year-old child to decide what was in his best interests, so don't let your dog make those decisions either.  

In any event, it's not a problem that is likely to cause us in the UK any long-term dilemmas.  I have no doubt that by the time I publish this post, the weather will have reverted to the usual cold wind and rain that we have come to expect of our summers and the Lappies will all be comfy and as happy as clams (and probably as damp as clams too).

five ways to help your dog lose weight

While recently on the subject of overweight dogs, and assuming your dog's girth is not expanding due to a litter of puppies growing in there, here are some tips for helping your pooch to shed those unhealthy kgs.

Taito looking a bit pudgy

1.   Before embarking on a drastic weight-loss programme, visit your vet.  Find out what a reasonable and healthy weight is for your dog and make sure your dog is physically able to exercise safely. 

2.  Start and maintain a regular exercise routine. If your dog is unfit, start small with short, easy walks and build it up gradually.  Aim to get your dog on at least one long walk every day. If you have time for two walks, or more, so much the better.  Don't let your dog wander along sniffing the ground - put him on a lead and keep up a brisk pace.

3.  Look very carefully at what you're feeding your dog and then cut out the treats.   All of them.  For training, use pieces of kibble taken from your dog's meals (not in addition to his meals).  If you must give a treat, give raw vegetables instead of unhealthy high-fat, high-salt store-bought treats.  If your dog won't eat raw veggies, then he is not hungry!  Give your dog big meaty bones fresh from the butcher - they are very satisfying.

4.  Change your dog food.  Get rid of the standard brands you can buy in supermarkets.  They are full of unhealthy additives and preservatives and generally have too much fat and sometimes even non-edible rubbish! Instead, replace them with high-quality premium dog foods such as those sold in pet shops or veterinary surgeries.  

5.  Give your dog two or more small meals a day instead of one big one.  To slow him down, consider one of the bowls specially designed for dogs who eat too fast.  Feed your dog less than the amount recommended on the dog food bag - the aim of those guidelines is to sell more dog food!  If your dog is still not losing weight, decrease the amount in his meals by 10%.  Add a few raw vegetables to your dog's meals to bulk them up without the extra calories.

Taito looking perfectly fit

 For more reading about helping your dog to lose weight, here is an interesting article from the Whole Dog Journal with lots of good advice about what to feed and how.

we're having puppies

At last, some blog-worthy news: Keksi is having 5 puppies - wh00! Well, that's how many we're expecting anyway, following the scan a couple of days ago.

For a couple of weeks, it's been is-she-isn't-she. Daniel reported a terrible kitchen bin raid during which Keksi spread rubbish all over the kitchen and hallway looking for food. Food stealing is usually a good sign that a bitch is in whelp. In the case of most bitches, anyway. In Keksi's case, you would think she was always in whelp, she's such a scavenger. Her sister Taika is bad too, but Keksi makes even her look like an amateur. 'Tenacious' and 'cunning' were two words one of her owners used to describe her food thieving exertions. In fact, since she has been here while said owners have been away, I've been quite astonished by her ingenuity in finding food in the kitchen. This dog who barely breaks her sedate waddle out on walks will stop at nothing to acquire the least little morsel.

So, while the bin escapade was a sign, I wasn't convinced by that alone. I asked Daniel whether Keksi was showing a little skirt of fur in front of her back thighs. That was something that Neka showed in both her pregnancies. Suddenly the fur on the sides, just behind the rib cage, stuck straight out in a ruff. No, Daniel said, no skirt.

Then she came to stay with us. There was definitely a skirt. And you can sort of see it here:













So, did I say so to Daniel? No, I didn't want to get everyone's hopes up, just in case. Did I say so to anyone? Of course! But only to Jay. I wanted someone to know I was right, after all.

So, the scan said 5 puppies, same as Taika had. We might get 5, we might get 4, we might get 6. The 5 is, shall we say, "fluid" at this point. Things can still change, but at least she's definitely in whelp. And so I have to start getting ready.

First things first: make sure Keksi is as fit as she can be. This is a tough one for a dog who doesn't really like to break a sweat. Daniel was under strict instructions to get her fit before she was mated, and he gave it a good shot. Then she put on a bit of weight, got lazy, as she is prone to do. This girl has to squeeze out some puppies in a few weeks time, so she's now on a gentle fitness drive before she's too far gone. Since she arrived here, she's been out for long walks at least twice a day - and not leisurely strolls either. She trots, she runs, she breaks a sweat. Is she impressed? Probably not. Is her shape improving? Her stamina? Yep and yep.

Today she had fun on the beach then came home and has a snooze with Maija on the sofa to recover.




When she puts her ears on sideways like this you can see why Jay & I have nicknamed her the brown sheep.








In no time at all she's back to her usual funny self, asking when dinner is going to be ready.





Classic Lappy-no-ears face









And this is how adorable she was at 6 weeks:

lappy walk

If you're in or near the southwest this weekend, join us for a Lappy walk in Leigh Woods, Bristol, on Sunday morning. The weather is going to be fabulous. No, really, it is!

Well, on Saturday, anyway.

But, as we know, the worse the weather, the better the Lappies like it, so we'll be there rain or shine. Come along! The walk is organised by the Southern Finnish Lapphund Society, but you don't need to be a member to join the walk.

I'm hoping we get lots of dogs & people - after all, it's going to require quite a few volunteers to take turns lugging Usko for 2 hours.

Here are the details, as borrowed from the SFLS website:

Walk Location: Avon Gorge Nature Reserve/Leigh Woods

Walk Leaders: James McGinlay and Daniel Spencer (representing SFLS)

Walk Location Details:

These woods are beautiful at any time of the year, but, being right next to Clifton Suspension Bridge, they are edged by cliffs to the gorge. On a previous walk we found that the cliffs were well fenced off but you will need to take care. One of those walks that can be short/medium or long depending on how convoluted a route you take!

Meet at car park in Leigh Woods - From the M5 take junction 19 and follow the A369 towards Bristol. After passing through Abbots Leigh you will find the site signposted on the left hand side. .?

See the following link for walk map details: www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3598359

Walk Duration: approximately 2 hours, 2-3 miles

pondside, seaside

Apologies for being away so long. I have lots of excuses that I won't bore you with, but I also have lots of photos to keep me blogging. Just so long as I can find the time, that is.

Devon has been enjoying cold weather the likes of which I haven't seen since I visited home in mid-winter and it was -15 degrees. Well, ok, it's not actually that cold here, but we're all really struggling to keep warm in houses and clothing simply not designed to withstand weeks of sub-zero temperatures. It's very pretty though. And we haven't had any snow in my area, for which I am grateful.

As for the Lapphunds, well, they're positively thrilled by the crunch underfoot every day when they shoot out the door. Oh, how they wish it would snow! Keskiyo spends a great deal of his time in the garden now. (And, before you ask, no I bloody well have not done any work out there. I'm waiting for spring.) Here he is at his favorite perch pond-side with a proprietary paw holding his tennis ball.















He gets dragged in from time to time for unneighbourly barking out the front gate, but the garden is his room of choice these days. He occasionally comes to the door asking for someone to come out and play. Neka is normally very well behaved in the garden too so would normally be allowed out, but since having the puppies she hasn't got over her habit of cleaning up after everyone and everything. She has discovered the cats' favorite poo site and zooms straight over to tuck in. So she's banned for the time being. As for Maija, she's not allowed in the garden unsupervised until she learns some manners around the plants.

So, he's mainly out there on his own, happily amusing himself. He is particularly charmed by his new-found ability to walk around, sit and lie on the pond. And, occasionally eat it when he manages to break off a piece.

















The usual caveats regarding the quality of my photos apply. On this occasion the problems are caused by having to grab a quick snap through the open kitchen window. Everytime you appear in the garden in person, Keskiyo immediately stops whatever he's doing and comes hurtling over for a game. This, of course, is not conducive to good picture taking.

We did have a great photo opportunity last weekend, though. I hosted my first SFLS walk. This is a momentous occasion because it heralds the first time there have been enough Finnish Lapphunds in the south west to warrant a specially organised walk all the way down here so far away from everyone else. A couple of people had to cancel so we were a few Lappies down on expected numbers. However, we had a reasonable turnout with 7 Lapphunds, one Anniebear Akita and about 14 people. In the end, they were all related to Neka, being either her housemates or offspring.

I thought it appropriate to choose a beach for our walk since we have so many great ones in this neck of the woods and we had a terrific time at Bigbury-on-Sea. This is a gorgeous spot anytime of year, and remarkably uncrowded on the freezing day we set out for our walk. It will now forever be known by me as Bigburrrrry. Have a look for yourself on the webcam here.

Thanks to Jo for getting lots of great photos. Here is a selection of Lappies running flat out, which is a particularly good reason for going to the beach.

Inko


Tarkka


Maija


Brothers Koda & Torvi

And here are a few photos illustrating why it's always a good idea to let a bunch of Finnish Lapphunds get together. Look at how much fun they're having playing together!














Yes, that's me bundled up like the Michelin man, wearing so many layers I can hardly walk. And, yes, in that photo further up, that is a bunch of people in the water. Surfers - a group of people possibly even more bonkers in the pursuit of their hobby than dog folk.

here come the puppies

Last weekend we met up with a bunch of hardy souls at Dolebury Warren near Bristol for a walk organised by the SFLS. We had 17 Lapphunds and 1 Anniebear in attendance with their various people.







It was a great walk, up a steep hill, through a lovely wood and over some fields then back. The only downside was that there were sheep in the fields so we couldn't risk letting the dogs off lead. The last thing we needed was the local livestock terrorised by a bunch of friendly herders trying out their amateur skills.

The best part of the walk (for me, anyway) was the mini puppy reunion.
















L-R (puppies): Inko, Tarkka (giving Paula a sneaky lick), Kaija (Sulo), Maija, Rauhan

The walk was a little over 2 hours, so much too far for tiny puppies so they had spells of walking & being carried. Some of us had very tired arms by the end. And some puppies were completely shattered.
This cutie is Rauhan, grabbing a quick snooze in the back of the car after his adventure.

Below, Rauhan with his equally knackered big sister Sukka.








As always, it's difficult to photograph a moving target, hence there are no individual photos of Tarkka or Kaija (Sulo) on this occasion. However, I did manage to get this slightly out-of-focus snap of Inko sporting her extra tan markings courtesy of the Somerset mud.



















As for the puppies who were not at the walk, I've been the delighted recipient of new photos of most of them as they grow up.

First of all, Jaana with Baz. Looks like she's finally growing into her ears. What a little cutie. I must say she looks like a complete angel but I hear she has a rather unflattering new nickname. Surely it must only be Harry the cat who calls her the Nutter?

This is Jaska with pretty big sis Kia. Something tells me she won't be his "big" sister for much longer. Luckily he's a sweet-natured, laidback boy. Which will come in handy when he grows into an enormous teenage Lapphund now in about 5 minutes or so.













Viivi having a brief and, I hear, rare sleepy looking moment surrounded by toys.















Finally, here is Tarmo starting to grow into his paws. The first photo looking so much like his mum with his crooked sit and fantastic head tilt.



















Here is Tarmo a little younger looking positively scrumptious in a photo that was submitted for the 2009 SFLS calendar. For your chance to vote for the 12 photos to be featured in the calendar, and the opportunity to get your hands on one of them when they're produced, go here. Even if you don't want a calendar, or to participate in the vote, there are some beautiful Lappies to be seen in the 100+ pics that were submitted from all over, including Finland.

space galore

Around the turn of the 4-week mark, the puppies' tails went up over their backs and really started to wag with intent instead of just for balance. Now, when you approach the pen, they come running, wagging, to be picked up. The trick is to make sure we don't pick up the one who is barking for attention! That's the kind of attention-seeking we try not to reward.

Today the sun shines - hurrah! So the pups have spent most of the morning outdoors in their newly expanded, enormous pen - a pen-thouse, if you will. I was worried about the outdoor pen being a little small for such a large bunch. Last year's litter only really seemed to grow out of it towards their moving-out time. This time, they seemed to outgrow it pretty much as soon as they went into it. See what I mean about those extra 2 pups making a really big difference?

The indoor pen is also getting a bit cramped. But short of letting the small furries run riot all over the lounge, there's not much I can do about that. You're all praying to the sun gods, yes? We really need to keep the babies in the garden as much as possible.

The new pen is twice the size of the old one - we now have two of these joined together. It's actually bigger than I was expecting it to be and it's trickier to collect anything that has been deposited in the middle - I actually have to climb in and then it's difficult to escape with 9 little piranhas hanging off my trouser legs. Also, with so much space available now, they can really build up some speed when they're running around. Great exercise for those developing muscles and also for tiring them out, of course. Unfortunately, it also means that they land with more impact when they run face-first into the sides. I keep telling myself that they'll learn... well, they'll have to, otherwise we will have some very short-nosed dogs.

Today's video is footage of said running in said pen (& with said deposit in middle, for which apologies).



And tomorrow is Thursday again! New photo updates complete with the puppies' proper names, with the possible exception of two girls whose future is still uncertain. That sounds ominous, doesn't it? All I mean is that we STILL don't know which is going where. But we will soon. Promise.

extension success

I set up the extension to the indoor pen this morning and how I wish I had taken a video when we put the pups back in. They loved it! So much space for exercising now. They spent a mad hour running around, jumping on each other, practicing their circuits.

Those of you who don't already have a Lapphund in occupation won't know about the demented moments all FLs have from time to time - and usually daily for the first year or so. Known as circuits or, sometimes, the Wall of Death, it involves the dog zooming around the largest available space in the quickest time possible. With our dogs it was a circuit or figure 8 around the garden then in through the door to do once round the living room, including the wall above the sofa. Of course.

Apologies I have no photo yet to share. I'm sure an opportunity will present itself sometime thoughout the day so I hope to have one for you later.

Tomorrow is week 4 updates and the result of the poll. There's still a few hours left to vote!