house training and Tito departs

"The house training seems to be a bit more complicated with this bunch than I've been accustomed to with earlier litters."

That's a line I started a draft blog post with a year and a half ago.  It never turned into a full blog post because apparently I was overtaken by events.  I have to say, with hindsight I don't actually remember those puppies being particularly difficult to house train, although their owners might have different stories to tell. 

What I can tell you, though, is that the Pippuri puppies were all asking to go out for poos by 6 weeks with most of them asking for wees by 7 weeks.  Amazing.  However, then it started raining and it all went to pot (so to speak). 

I received feedback that most of the puppies were doing well with the house training once they left here.  The ones who gave the most trouble were those left in the southwest in the truly horrendous torrential rain and ferocious wind.  And don't think it's just newbie owners who struggle with this -  I was finding it difficult with Tito too.  The classic house training problem (which is made so much worse in bad weather) is that you stand out there for AGES with the puppy usually just lying down in the wet, then you give up and come back in, at which point the puppy promptly wees on the floor.

The reality of housetraining a puppy during an English winter

This is the advice I give to my puppy buyers on how to house train a puppy.  It sounds easy, in theory.  And it often is actually easy in practice.  Until it starts raining, that is. 

The most important element in house training is to take him outside before he realises he needs to go. 

A puppy has a very small bladder and no control at all, so they cannot hold it even for 2 seconds.  As soon as they realise they need to go, then they need to go NOW and it’s too late.  Therefore, you need to get him outside regularly and often to encourage him to go before he is even aware he is ready.

Every time your puppy wees indoors is a lesson to him that it is ok to wee indoors.  Similarly, every time he wees outdoors is a lesson that it is ok to wee outdoors.  You don’t want him to ever learn it is ok to wee indoors, so you ideally want him to have every wee outdoors.  That means you will need to be vigilant and put in the hard work in the early weeks.

·         As soon as your puppy wakes up, whether it is first thing in the morning or after a daytime nap, take him immediately outside for a wee.

·         When your puppy is awake and playing, take him outside for a wee at least every 20 minutes.   By the time he realises he needs to go, it’s too late.

·         I suggest you take him on lead to the area of the garden where he may perform and give him a word of encouragement (eg. 'be quick', 'have a wee/poo', or whatever command suits you.  Be consistent in the words you use.)

·         When he obliges, praise him and give him a little treat.  Your patience at this time will be well rewarded as you will soon have a puppy who knows where to go and can be encouraged to go on command – most useful when you are away from home or it's pouring with rain!

·         He will wee many, many times a day at first, and will poo a few times.  If your puppy is looking very busy sniffing the floor, walking in circles, then he needs a poo.   Sometimes they get quite frantic with it – that’s normal, don’t worry.  Take him outside on a lead and stand in one place letting him move freely around the length of the lead until he obliges.  When he is done, praise him and give him a little treat.  Be patient – this can sometimes take a long time because your puppy will be easily distracted.  Don’t give up and return to the house for 12-15 minutes or he is likely to go as soon as you get back in!

·         If your puppy has an accident inside the house, never punish him for it – he doesn’t know any better.  If you punish him for these accidents he will be confused and he will learn to hide away from you to do it.  If he has an accident inside, simply take him outside to illustrate where he is allowed to go.  If you catch him having an accident, say “no”, pick him up and get him outside. 

·         It's a good idea to train your puppy to perform on a variety of surfaces such as grass, pebbles, concrete, etc, and when he is out and about to perform away from home as well.  You don’t want your pup to think the only appropriate place is one corner of his garden at home!

Always take your puppy for a wee or poo on lead and stand in one place waiting patiently.  Your puppy will suddenly find a dozen other things to take his interest and attention away from the job at hand.  Just wait him out and praise him when he finally gets around to performing.  

The key to quick house training is constant supervision.  Don’t leave your puppy to wander around left to his own  devices so that you can spot any accidents in the planning.

See?  Easy, right?  Uh huh.

I wish Tito's new family all the very best of luck with continuing the house training that I started.  Hopefully their weather is the southeast is better than we have been having.  He's a clever puppy and I'm sure he will catch on quickly.

Here he is setting off with the Carusos.

And here he is with Luca and Matteo settling in to his new home.

Cuddle time

And, finally, here is a wonderful picture that Matteo made for me of him walking Tito.

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).

beating car sickness

On Saturday the puppies all piled into the back of the car with granny Neka and we made our way across Dartmoor to the vet ophthalmologist to have the puppies' eyes tested.  The tests were all fine (phew!) and so we wended our way the 50 minutes back along the twisty, winding moor road home.

There were many crunchy puppies at the end of it all.

While Neka did a great job of calming the young nerves during their first long drive and was very acommodating when it came to hoovering up any vomit, she didn't bother to clean off the puppies.  It's difficult to ascertain, but I suspect that they were all sick at least once.  And it turns out that Kiittaa (Hopea) is a bit of a drooler too.  Not in the same league as Minna was, but the evidence was there.

So I had the task of cleaning them all off when we got back.  Mind you, I could have saved myself a job because they have got soaked just out in the garden plenty of times since. 

There's no way to combat the sickness these puppies experience during this journey.  The little car visits I undertake during their socialising activities don't really prepare them for a long drive in the back of the car with no one to hold them still.  In older puppies, though, there is a tried and true method to cure the problem.

I always advise new owners to carry their puppies home on their laps rather than in a crate in the back.  There are 2 reasons for this.  One - having the reassuring presence of a human helps calm any travel nerves that can worry a puppy and encourage sickness.  And two - holding the puppy on your lap creates a physical barrier to the puppy getting tossed around too much during the car's movement.  Ok, 3 reasons: it's much easier to clean up the vomit so you don't have to live with it all the way home.

Luckily, you don't have to live with puppy car sickness forever.  The cure, as with so many other puppy ailments and socialising regimes, is to expose the puppy little and often.  So the prescription is many, many short and pleasant car journeys.  Many.  Minna, who still drools during car trips, was temporarily cured when she came to stay with us last year.  There were 2 or 3 10-minute drives everyday as I went back and forth to work.  I dragged her with me everywhere I went just to expose her to lots of short car journeys that she just doesn't get at home.  (Clearly her family are not the slaves to diesel that I am...)  I had an ulterior motive, of course - that drive to Scotland.  And it worked, there was not a drool in sight the entire trip to Glasgow and back.  Until she returned home, that is.  Oh well.

But it does prove the cure.

Here in Devon, the puppies have been preparing to leave home on their big adventures.  Pics tomorrow.  In the meantime, they have been having fun with Neka.

And they have been having fun with Tuuli.

And, in between rain and/or hail showers, they have been having fun in the garden too.

out!

Yesterday it was finally warm enough for the puppies to spend some time outside.  First they had lunch then a quick top-up from mum, who was also delighted to get some fresh air for a longer period than it takes to have a quick wee.

She even stuck around to play with them for a while.

Once Keksi exited the pen it was time for playing and running around.  They weren't always 100% sure about the wind stuff, and their little tails would go down, but they were soon up again.

Then it was time for a snooze.  And they were happy to pile up in a heap in the shade.

Of course I didn't forget to get a video of their first time in the outdoor pen.

worries

In the first week of the puppies' life, there's plenty to worry about.  For the 48 or so hours before they're even born I've already got a low-level niggling concern about everything going ok.  There is so much that can go wrong.

Once they have been born and all are good weights, all are strong and suckling ok and mum is also ok, then the first flush of worry drains away.  Then I'm left with the pressure of getting them all through that first stressful week.  Once the puppies get to a week, then they're usually well away.  And by the time they are 2 weeks I can start weaning them if necessary.

But in the meantime, there are all the things to get right.  First and foremost at this time of year is to make sure the pups are kept consistently warm and free from any chilly drafts.  Puppies this young have no ability to regulate their own temperature and even a brief chill can easily kill a newborn pup.  This is agony for the poor Lapphund mum, of course, who wishes for nothing more than ice and snow.  Especially while she's got all these hot little bodies clustered around her for so much of the time.  I keep the temperature in the room around 20 or 21ºC.  When it starts creeping up to 23, as it often does, then Keksi starts to get very uncomfortable.  It's also obvious that the puppies are plenty warm too because they migrate away from each other in the box rather than cuddling up in a heap. 

Keksi has been brilliant about keeping the puppies warm, and during their second night when we had a hard frost and the temperature in the puppy room dipped to 16ºC, I don't think she left the whelping box at all.  When I checked on them in the small hours and realised how cold it was I put the heating back on for the rest of the night. 

2 days ago - keeping warm between mum's big paws

 

Then there's making sure no contagious bugs come into the house.  This is a tough one in a house with more than one dog, and it seems to be particularly tough in our village where diarrhea bugs and kennel cough just seem to go round and round all the hundreds of dogs who live here.  To keep the possibility of cross-contamination from our dogs to a minimum, no one is allowed to say hello to Keksi during her brief forays downstairs on her way out to do her business. We also take Keksi to a less-used area of grass outside that most neighbourhood dogs in passing don't bother with.  We also make sure that all our gang have up-to-date kennel cough vaccinations before any pregnant ladies like Keksi come to stay.

Whenever any people come into the house, even though they are going nowhere near the puppy room upstairs, we spray their feet and lower legs with a solution of Parvovirucide disinfectant - the same stuff that we use to clean the box and all puppy-related equipment.  And when the puppies have moved downstairs at 4 weeks of age, we add the requirement that everyone who visits is required to clean their hands with antibacterial gel.  

Sometimes the biggest worry is making sure mum gets enough to eat and drink.  This isn't only important for the health of the litter's dam, but it's of paramount importance to the puppies too.  The fuel that Keksi consumes will be converted into milk to feed the puppies.  If she doesn't eat, then there is a danger that her milk will dry up.  That would mean 2-hourly hand-feeding a litter of previously strong and healthy puppies.  Otherwise known as a disaster.

When Neka had her litter of 9, it was a full-time job trying to keep her fed and hydrated.  While she was nursing, the puppies took so much out of her that I was constantly worried she was not getting enough fuel.   Even Keksi, who will by everyone's experience, eat anything and everything in plentiful amounts, is now turning up her nose at the puppy food I want her to eat.  Before the puppies were born, she gobbled up the puppy food no problem.  Now, it's the same old routine trying to find something she will eat without throwing it all over the room.

Last night she chucked her bowl of food around the floor and then ripped up some newspaper to bury it with.  Later on she happily ate it from my hand though. 

I'm sure Daniel & Jim will be thrilled that Keksi now requires hand feeding.  Kidding!  I have no doubt she will be back to her usual greedy self in no time, and long before she goes home.  

rain or shine

Regardless of the weather, your dog needs exercise.  If you are lucky enough to have a Finnish Lapphund, then you will find yourself walking in all sorts of disgusting weather.  Lappies were bred to work and so they have a lot of energy.  That energy needs to be channelled everyday and I have found that the worse the weather, the better the Lapphunds like it.  Heavy rain?  They scoff at all sorts of rain, sleet and even hail.  Wind blowing trees horizontal?  They love that!  In fact, there is little so likely to bring the puppy out in my dogs than a gale force wind blowing through their coats and up their tails.

Apart, perhaps, from snow.  Lots of dogs love the snow, and Lapphunds - appropriately - seem to have a love of snow bred into their genes.  There were lots of happy Lappies around the UK over the weekend when there was a large amount of snow dumped over a 24-hour period.  Here in Devon we had a tiny sprinkle but then the rain moved in.

Neka enjoying a rare Devon snowfall last winter

Photo: Wendy H Gilmour

Karhu coming over all puppy-ish in the snow with his stick













And if the weather is just too disgusting for much of a walk, then your dog will need entertainment and exercise more than ever.  Here, from Dogster are some ways to keep your dog happy and occupied when you can't go outside.  Or even if you can, because these games are great fun for you and your dog.

dining out

My day starts at 6 or thereabouts. (If you don't count the increasingly tedious insistence by Keksi that she get a trip out to the garden at 3 am, that is.)

First up for me is preparing the puppies' breakfast. While that's soaking to soften it a little I take the big dogs out. Then, weather permitting, the puppies go into the garden pen and have their breakfast, leaving the indoor pen empty for cleaning. At this time of year it's completely dark, so one thing these guys won't be is afraid of the dark.

Puppies come back in, have a little play and then conk out to sleep for an hour or so and big dogs get their breakfast. In the meantime I deal with the dishwasher & clothes washer and make sure I've got a steady stream of clean, dry vet beds.

Then I finally get my coffee at about 8 am, have a shower and get a little work done, if I'm lucky.

After my shower today I need a trip to the pet shop because I ran out of big dog food last night. Perhaps I'll take a puppy with me.

And for you, a couple of little films Jay took when the puppies went into their outdoor pen for the very first time a couple of days ago to have lunch. They are surprisingly brave about it all. There's plenty of wagging tails and a bit of playing & pouncing - by Vee & Honey, in particular.

In the second video look out for a cute moment of nose-to-nose action between Neka outside the pen and Budgie inside.

While they're uploading I'll be doing some invoices so that I can swing by the post office to send some orders when I go out for dog food. Multi-tasking is my friend.

progress

Yesterday was a lovely day at the beach. No, really. While the rest of the UK was labouring under snow like I didn't even know was possible in this country, south Devon remained blissfully frosty and flake-free. Lapphunds, needless to say, adore cold weather, and I've lost count of the number of cute-Lappy-playing-in-the-snow photos I've seen. But I've kept them secret from our dogs who would be very jealous if they knew what fun their relatives were having.

Shhh! - here's Lana (formerly Jonna/Jaana) being a meerdog and gazing longingly out at the winter wonderland beyond her window.





Oh, pleeeeeeease can't I go out and play in the snow?














So to make up for what they are missing out on, we took advantage of a conveniently timed low tide for a quick run on the beach before work.

Keksi has mere days - nay, hours! - left and so has officially passed the "running" stage and will now even take a pass on "playing". "Sitting" is her favorite activity these days (after eating, obviously).















Keskiyo playing his favorite game: chasing stuff thrown into the water











Maija chilling out waiting for the 'photo' bit of the walk to be over with











And chilling a bit too much when she gets caught out - oops!







Today will be stuffed full of chores as I scramble to get ready for the newcomers. It's been a hectic couple of weeks; I can and do work a great deal from home, but much of my work can only be done at work, so I've been trying to get ahead for when I can't leave the puppies.

Progress to date: precious little

Jay once again inherited the job of clearing out the puppy room and although I was too embarrassed to post a photo like I did last time, it started out looking remarkably the same. So today the whelping box is in place and... well, that's about it. As for where all the stuff from the puppy room went, let's just say my lounge looks like a junk room exploded in it. And there's a reason for that: a junk room exploded in it.

Progress to date: a little

I've been shamefully slow in compiling the rest of the puppy whelping stuff. I have my "puppy kit" box that contains the latex gloves, syringes, thermometer, etc. But I haven't yet located the hot water bottle, set up my holding box or sterilised all the necessaries. I have purchased new tiny nail clippers for the puppies' new tiny nails, but I can't quite remember where I've put them. Even more serious, I haven't yet laundered all the dog towels in readiness.

What I have done, though, is collected enough newspaper. Or, perhaps I should say that Jay's parents have collected enough. They've been brilliant and now we have enough newspaper for 2 litters. Or one litter of 9 (I remember it well, how much newspaper we went through that time.)




We have 8 or 10 stacks like this one. Isn't it good to see real recycling in action.








Progress to date: newspaper fully loaded & good to go!

Where visitors to the last litter were not welcome to cross the threshold until they had crossed my palm with newsprint, I am pleased to say that we will subject our visitors to nothing more intrusive than a full pocket and bag search as they leave (to ensure we are left with the full complement of puppies after the visitors have gone).

what a difference...

...a week makes!

There we were last weekend bundled up in fleeces and waterproof jackets. This weekend? Summer arrived a couple of days ago and suddenly it's too hot to walk the dogs anytime other than very early or very late. So on Sunday, very early, we set off to Bovey Valley for a long walk along the river and through the bluebell woods.

Within the woods was a bit dark for very clear photos, although the dogs had a great time playing in the river and it meant that they were able to keep cool in the shade. Outside in the fields the sunlight was so hot & bright that it was difficult to get the gang to sit still for a photo. But here they are anyway.




Happy Lappies Maija, Keskiyo & Neka












With their friends the Border Collies Maddie & Kye











Keskiyo having a paddle in the river







In the meantime, the Tuisku puppies turned 10 weeks old and I have these photos to mark the occasion.




Jaana & Ellie having fun











Usko sporting the cute one-ear-up-one-ear-down look and learning to walk nicely on his lead.






Perfecting the Lappy pounce.








Kallio looking quite pleased with himself after - presumably - finishing the gardening. Just judging by the empty watering can next to him.

















Big grin.

spring

On the subject of mating (which seems to be the unavoidable topic of choice for the time being), spring has arrived in my garden. Clearly we are following the pagan calendar around here. The frogs certainly are, anyway.

We have had a few days minutes of warm, sunny weather and the frogs are celebrating with their annual gathering in our small pond. In a couple of days I expect the surface of the water will be roiling and eventually the frogs will all return from wherever it is they come from, leaving masses of spawn behind. After that we will have a few more days' hard frost - enough to re-freeze the surface of the pond, and when that melts it will officially be spring.

Have I been paying close attention to the weather forecast? No, I usually don't. But over the half-dozen years we've been living in this house, I know that somehow the frogs know exactly when the last hard frost of the year will be. You can plan your calendar around them - and they're early this year.

And where is it they all come from, anyway? Perhaps the same 100 go around the whole village populating every pond with spawn and then split up to return to their normal homes. We usually have a few resident frogs keeping the newts company. It's quite amazing that we don't witness what must be a mass migration as they arrive and depart each spring.

And what's the Taika update today? Well, Kate says she seems to think she's eating for at least 7. But, frankly, that's not unusual, so don't let that get your hopes up.

waiting again

So, we got to France, we met Stéphanie and her mother who both offered us fantastic hospitality. We partook of much delicious coffee & food (well, it was France, after all), including la galette des Rois. Kate won the prize, la fève, from the cake and so got to wear the crown and is now also due a year of good luck - hurrah! However, it also apparently means she's supposed to buy the cake for next year's celebration. I wonder if she realises she's going to have to go back...

Stéphanie's dogs were quite adorable, and we particularly admired the boys who were the sweetest of all, jostling each other good naturedly to be first in the queue for cuddles from the strangers. Kate fell in love with Armas who kept snuggling up to her demanding to have his chest scratched. He reminded me so much of Keskiyö which is, perhaps, unsurprising as they share a sire. Lucky for us, though, Taika fell in love with Albmi. Or something like that. Here they are having a little get-to-know-you game.



The video was cut unfortunately short when I accidentally hit the stop button with fingers numb and shaking with cold. If anything, it was even colder in Normandy than in the UK and with lots of snow. Albmi wasted no time and we got what we wanted quickly and with a minimum of fuss. As a result, we actually changed our return journey home to a day earlier. And it was lucky we did, as it started snowing as we left and by the next day, when we were supposed to be leaving, the road to the ferry port was impassable.

Much like the roads home when we arrived Tuesday night.

After an enforced stopover in a hotel near Stonehenge, we finally made it to Kate's where I collected Maija, who had been keeping Jerome & the children company while Taika was away. Late morning yesterday, I finally got home. No one can say we didn't put a great deal of effort into this event.

But now we have to wait again to see whether it worked. And I guess Kate will be watching Taika with hawk eyes to see if she is showing any telltale differences in behaviour.

Courting

muddiest walk

Apart from slipping on the ice & whacking my head on the 23rd, we've had some wonderful walks over the past couple of weeks. When the rain finally stopped and it got cold it was ideal walking weather and, of course, the dogs have been loving it.

You would think all these pleasant walks would be good opportunities to get dog photos, wouldn't you? As will always now happen to me this time of year, I'm desperately trying to get photos appropriate for the SFLS Yearbook. We went to a show a couple of weeks ago and although I didn't take any of the dogs into the ring (it's a long story), I did manage to bag a rendezvous for Keskiyo with the Dog World photographer on site. Luckily he was looking fab at the time and so I've got a good image for his Yearbook page.

I didn't have time to do similarly with Neka & Maija before leaving the show so I've been trying to get pics of them ever since. *sigh* Neka hasn't quite got her full coat, so any photo of her will only be ok. Here is a sample of my attempts to get a pretty shot in the bracken of Maija the Ever Moving Target.










You get the idea (and, yes, that is her bottom disappearing out of shot at the bottom of the 3rd one).

So yesterday we drove to Taika & Kaija's neighbourhood which is almost exactly halfway between us and Rauhan. There we all met with full families and, because all the pretty frost has melted, had the muddiest walk imaginable in Greyfield Wood. I'm hoping I managed to get a better photo with Kate's camera after mine died. Here's my 'best' attempt.















People L-R: Isabelle, Jerome, Emily, Jane, Jay, Adrian (with Dorothy on his back)
Dogs L-R: Taika, Neka, Kaija, Maija (with Keskiyo behind), Rauhan

What is everyone looking at, you may be wondering? They are watching Emma try to catch Sukka, who escaped. Ah, what japes. Anyhow, just have a look at the colour of the dogs - particularly Maija's formerly white legs.

cold

Boring weather discussion alert.

All over the UK there have been unusually happy Lappies these last few days. Yup, it's been snowing a-plenty. But not here. And while that's just fine by me, I'm sure the dogs are feeling hard done by when they hear about what their friends and relatives have been up to.

They've been enjoying the temperature in the garden, though, and skidding around on the patio-turned-ice-rink. If you're a long-time reader of this blog, you might remember Keskiyo lounging on the frozen pond last winter. Yesterday he dropped his tennis ball "into" the pond and was delighted to find that it didn't sink. It was very amusing watching him gingerly testing the ice to see if it would hold his weight - and almost falling in head-first when it didn't.

He's pretty sure he can reach it if he just tries hard enough.















And speaking of cold, a couple of weeks ago we met up with Jo, George & Tarkka for a defiant walk on the beach because we were all fed up to the teeth with the endless weeks of rain, rubbish walks and soggy dogs. Apart from the ferocious wind and horizontal sleety rain, it was a great, although it did take some hunting to find a bit of beach on which to walk as the tide was in. But, Lappies being what they are, thought the disgusting weather was just fab, thank you very much, and even had a paddle or two in the water. Brrr!


















Tarkka enjoying the wind blowing rain in his face



















And having a paddle

bath (the dog show, that is)

Every year I say I won't enter the Bath Champ show because the weather is invariably disgusting; cold, windy and unbelievably wet & muddy. This year, however, I had to go because several of my puppies would be there, including Kaija making her debut. And, wow, were we blessed with the weather! It was sunny & blazing hot. We started out set up outside in the shade of the benching tent, but soon had to move in so that the Lappies wouldn't all melt away.

Keskiyo's lovely sister Curly (Elbereth Suvi at Cochochr) got her first Best of Breed. I'm sure it won't be her last, though, as she's a beautiful Lapphund. Taika was 3rd and Keksi 5th in the large Postgrad Bitch class. Tarkka racked up another Best Puppy in Breed and went on to represent the Lappies in the Puppy Group once again. And Kaija got best puppy bitch and has qualified for Crufts.

It was so much fun showing her, even though she was a teeny bit embarrassing, refusing to show the judge her teeth. Oops. That's always the toughest part for the pups, I think. Jane and Joe have gone off resolved to practice some more. Who knows? Once of these days perhaps Joe will have the nerve to take her in himself. Well, perhaps when she's a bit more used to the whole thing, anyway.

Here they all are in a rare still moment. Unfortunately, Daniel had to leave immediately after coming out of the ring so Keksi is missing from the group. Again, I don't have permission from any of these people to post their photo, so let me know if you object & I'll edit it straightaway.


















L-R: Paula & Inko, Jay & Maija, Jo & Tarkka, Isabelle & Taika, Emily next to Kaija with Joe (Apologies for chopping your head off, Joe!)