Ivy Gables Tibetan Terriers

Macy and Lilly's Trip to Town

2011-12-14T15:12:00.001-05:00

I can't believe it's been over a month since I posted here last. It's certainly a busy time for us here as I'm sure it is for most people. Last week we took Lily and Macy to Petsmart for an outing on our regular shopping day in town and thought I would share a few pictures we took while there. When I am training a dog I always start at home with no distractions. Then we up the ante by making them do whatever it is we are teaching while in the company of other dogs. From there they are asked to do the same thing in town with lots of distractions.

Although Lilly is very personable with us at home I noticed her beginning to get a bit shy when we had company. I thought this might help with that and it did. We had company today and she went right over to say hello.

They both did great with all the people and dogs they met.

I took the pictures using my cell phone and vowed these would be the last ones. I've since pulled out my old Olympus point and click which was my first digital camera. Other than the dreaded shutter lag the old digitals are notorious for, it takes decent pictures so hopefully I'll have better photo's to share with you and inspire me.

Happy Holidays!

Elizabeth

And One Thing leads to Another

2011-11-11T13:23:00.001-05:00

Stack of APDT Chronicle of The Dog newsletters plus dating back to 1999

A week ago I received a call from a woman that purchased a puppy from me about 2 years ago. He was getting reactive while on the leash to other dogs. She has taken him to many classes in the time she has had him as well as to the groomer, back and forth between their summer and winter homes. In fact I'm fairly certain he goes with her and her husband where ever they go when feasible. He has his AKC Canine Good Citizen title and has clearly been adequately socialized. Still, he's a younger adult and this can be an age when a dog is beginning to feel their oats and confident enough to rebel in a way they may not have at a younger age.

While perusing the Dogwise website for books a while back I had seen a book about training reactive dogs that caught my eye. There are a number of them out there but this one was in the top 100 of all books ever sold by Dogwise and had received stellar reviews by many well known trainers. I had seen a YouTube video of Leslie McDevitt with her own dogs and was duly impressed so went back to Dogwise last night to purchase the book. The name of the book is Control Unleashed and there is also a companion set of DVDs..

Who amongst us wouldn't like to have this kind of control of our dogs especially when a strange dog is nearby...and all off leash.

This in turn made me look for my Association of Pet Dog Trainers membership number in order to receive the discount given all APDT members at Dogwise. I couldn't find my membership card with the number on it so I thought maybe it was on one of my APDT Chronicle of the Dog newsletters sent out every other month to all APDT members. It wasn't, but when I pulled out the binder of newsletters I realized what a treasure trove I had in that huge stack of newsletters. APDT has published a book that is comprised of some of the articles written over the years by various members. I had considered buying that book but last night I realized while going through my stack that I had everyone in the book already.

One of the newsletters I came across last night had an article by Stacey LaForge on raising a litter of one. For any of you that don't know Stacey, she's a Tibetan breeder and a long time member of the TTCA. And raising a litter of one can be a problem because the puppy doesn't learn the lessons taught most puppies by their litter mates.

So back to Max....

His owner is working with a trainer and I will continue to keep in touch and offer any and all help I can as well as post about it so we can all learn what works best with a reactive dog.

Elizabeth

One of those weeks...

2011-10-28T22:07:00.000-04:00

Let's see.....

Dog shopping

Dog shopping is always an all day event that fills the entire back of the car and leaves me exhausted. It's like a marathon shopping event. I have to get certain foods at Petsmart and others at Tractor Supply. Next, I hit Sam's club.   Then I go to Walmart for chewies, toys and bottled water to replace the old bottles in the toys.  This week I also went to 2 Goodwill stores looking for crutches and a walker to use in getting ready for the Canine Good Citizen test. They have to be able to be comfortable around people using a walker, wheel chair, crutches etc. to pass.   I found the walker but not the crutches. I also found a few quilts to use in crates or for doghouses.

And by the time I got home and and got the car unloaded I was tired enough to consider giving that walker a try.

Girls in heat

My kitchen has become a girls dorm. We have 5 girls in heat and they have been having a great time with one another. I on the other hand am getting worn out from breaking up all their little girly squabbles from their raging hormones and late night partying. Keeping them in the kitchen keeps them close so I can act as a referee and more importantly keep them away from the boys, who really are just beside themselves that they weren't invited to this party and haven't minded letting me know loudly all about it.

Squeak - MIA

Just in case things were getting a bit mundane, our little Squeak decided to keep things lively by going off on his own little adventure. He was MIA one full night and 1/2 the following day. I, of course was beside myself thinking about him sleeping outdoors all night all by himself, lost, cold, wet and scared.

We have a fenced yard but he had gone out the front door to go potty, which all my adults do. We are back a bit from the road so it's pretty safe and normally I am in charge of this and keep a watchful eye and make sure they get back. But something about a phone call ( about Max) and putting an 11 yr old in charge of bringing him back in went awry. Sigh...

I slept on the couch and called him all night off and on. I awoke the next morning, still no Squeak. I went to our county SPCA and was told they hadn't taken in any dogs in that time frame. The gal at the counter said I looked familiar and since I had been there a week or so ago with a skin and bones beagle who ended up in my yard I thought it was that but it turned out she worked for my vet and remembered me from there.

I told her my sad story of not even having a decent picture of Squeak because my 11 yr old had shaved his face and feet to get out a few minor mats (yikes!) and now he looked like a weird poodle. She said send his picture anyway. I didn't think to leave my number because I was planning on emailing her his picture etc.

Later in the day she called to say someone was there with a dog she thought might be Squeak. She had called the vets for my number (thank heavens for it being a small world sometimes, at least a small county).

The woman that had Squeak then grilled me over the phone to make sure I really was his owner. She asked me to describe him... through my tears I told her he was a long haired black and white dog with a tail that curled up over his back and he had a ridiculous poodle face and poodle feet.   She then asked if I could describe his collar. Really? You mean there are actually other dogs that look like that in our small county that are lost and running around? Ok....he has a red collar on with a pattern and dog bones etc.  I passed and she drove him home to me.

Turns out she's a neighbor and Squeak had a wonderful evening all toasty warm while visiting her and her dogs. He hadn't missed as much as a snack. And if he hadn't been in her warm house visiting she was close enough that he would have heard me calling 1/2 the night but still...thank you for taking care of my dog and getting him home! Honestly, I am grateful she cared enough to make sure he was safe and not leave him out on his own in the rain and cold.

Maxwell

I have kind of a running joke with a friend of mine about me selling a puppy and having sellers remorse as soon as I do. I don't do this with all the puppies I sell. It's actually a very tiny fraction of them but I am particularly vulnerable to this syndrome with gold puppies.  Since I've been known to head to the airport with a gold dog and come home from the airport with the dog in tow more than once she thinks that she really needs to be the one in charge of getting dogs to the airport for me so they will in fact actually make it onto the plane.

The first time was with a gold male from Annie's first litter. He was very handsome but big. I thought he was too big and for that reason I needed sell him rather than keep him and breed him.   I sold him to a woman in Chicago but ended up sending her the money back instead of the dog. I made up some cockamamie story about why he couldn't be sold that I'm still embarrassed about.   In fact, I had gotten almost to the airport with him, stopped at a rest area, sat there a while, said to myself I can't do it and brought him home.   It must have been 2 weeks later I did end up selling him to her after all.

The next time it was a dog going to Utah to a woman named Mary. I made it all the way to Charlottesville airport parking lot that time before heading home with the dog in tow. Ridiculous, I know. I shake my head and roll my eyes at myself when I ever I think about it.

I found myself this week going through the same thing with Max.   I'm in, I'm out.   He's for sale, he isn't. Oh, yes, he is again...really, honest. With age and practice at least I'm cycling through it all faster and with less drama. There was no airport involved. Yet. So for today Max is indeed sold. Don't worry Amy, he's coming - REALLY!

Stay warm all!

Elizabeth

Give Em a Job

2011-10-22T17:33:00.000-04:00

This is Oliver and Oliver is a BIG boy. He weighs in at 43 lbs. Honestly when I picked him a month or so ago I thought he was at least 50 lbs. I guess it's becaue I've never had a Tibetan this big before. I look at my other males and think Yikes! Your big. I look at my girls and then at him and think... yikes! Your really big.

Looking at his parents and what they produced before and since, it's still surprising to me. Of course my hopes of him being that handsome sable dog that would produce the most beautiful sable puppies ever are gone, but still he's got that wonderful Tibetan temperament, sweet and eager to be with and please me, silly sometimes, adorable at others and size aside he's still pretty handsome.... I know you can't tell in this picture with his dirty unkempt coat. You'll just have to take my word...he is.

So I decided to give him a job! Get him a little backpack and make him our official hiking dog. I love to do day hikes and absolutely hate wearing a backpack. I've got a great extra large lumbar pack from Mountainsmith for myself and thought why not get him one too? He could at least carry his own water and biscuits, folding bowl and leash.

After reading lots of online reviews of the different types and brands of dog packs I got him a Mountainsmith bag as well. I trust the brand and liked the extra padding in front and underneath. I purchased a size small because it is suitable for a dog with a girth of 20 - 30". His was girth was 26" so it will probably be useable by some of the other dogs as well. I haven't measured girth on any of the others but I'm guessing it should fit some. The product information also said for use by dogs 20 - 40 lbs and although we were a bit off there I thought better to be tad too small, if that's the case, than too large.

In looking up ratio of appropriate weight for a dog to be able to carry it's general agreed they should be able to carry between 15 and 20 % of their own weight. I would keep it at the lower end especially in the beginning. That means Oliver at 43 lbs. would only be able to carry about 7 lbs. I did read of one person that has their experienced hiking dog packing 25 - 30 % which would be in the 10 - 12 lb. range. My only desire would be for him to come with me and be able to carry his own food and water so this wouldn't be an issue.

While researching packs there was one other pack I fell in love with but it was around $125 and I decided to see if we really use this one first. The other one, Ruff Wear Palisade Pack, had a harness that you put on the dog and then attached the pack to the harness so when you were stopping for a break or lunch you could easily remove the pack without having to remove the whole thing. Since I've also been looking into zip lines for the back seat that incorporate your seat belt system and they require a good harness, I thought perhaps the well made Ruff Stuff harness may be able to do double duty.... but that's another post for another day.

As for Oliver's first time with the pack on.... He didn't seem to mind at all when I first put it on him but there is only crumpled up newspaper in it now. When we get some weight in it we see how he reacts then. I'll let you know.

Elizabeth

Clicker Training 101

2011-10-19T19:33:00.000-04:00

Clicker training Squeak.

This started as an email to someone buying a puppy that wanted to know what clicker training is since the puppy had already been started with a clicker. I know many of you already know a what a clicker is but I get asked this enough that I know many of you don't so here's my answer to what is a clicker and how does this work.

Clicker training 101 (abbreviated course) :-)

Principle

Clickers are nothing more than a little box that makes a noise. It's used as a training tool. Trainers use this noise as a marker to let an animal know a behavior is good and you - the dog - are going to get a reward for doing it. This is also training using positive reinforcement rather than the old out dated methods of "Do what I say or else" that was commonly used in training dogs. It was brought to the dog training community by Karen Pryor. She used it to trained marine mammals, primarly dolphins.

This is one type of clicker.

How does this work?

1. Animal does something - as in he sits down when your trying to teach him to sit. He can do this accidentally or be lured into the position. This is called the behavior in trainer speak.

2. Trainer / owner immediately uses clicker to make noise which is called capturing the behavior in trainer language. The immediacy of this is crucial for the animal to begin to connect the dots....she clicks when I sit....she must want me to sit... if I sit I'll get my reward.

3. Trainer / owner tosses or gives the animal the treat immediately after clicking. Once again the timing is all important.

So...

behavior

click

treat

Always in this order and timing is everything.

Teaching them the clicker

How do I start with green dog / puppy ?

To teach a dog anything using a clicker you have to start by getting him to understand what the clicker is.

At home, find a place small area the dog can be confined in without distractions. I use my kitchen with a gate to keep the dog from wandering away. We have a dog door so I block that. I pick up the food /water dishes, any toys or chewies that may catch his attention and since we have crates in the kitchen I close the doors to them so they can't go in and lie down if they get bored during this initial process. Once they learn the clicker, them getting bored won't be an issue. I also only do this when other people won't be coming in and out of the kitchen distracting us. If my 11 yr. old is there she has to sit quietly and watch. She can't interact with the dog while we are doing this.

Have your treats ready. I use pieces of hotdog. Occasionally I will use cheese or pieces of chicken. Whatever you use needs to be something the dog considers very yummy. Something soft that they can swallow quickly and really want more of is best. It also needs to be small enough that you can give quite a few pieces of without filling up the dog and large enough they can hear it when it hits the floor.

I cut hot dogs length wise and then into pieces about the size of a nickel. For very young 8 - 10 week old puppies I may also cut those in 1/2 as well ending up with a piece equivalent to a 1/4 of a nickel.

When I have the dog/puppy confined in my designated training area and my treats ready I just stand in the middle of the kitchen with the clicker in one hand and a piece of hot dog in the other. I wait for the dog to have settled a bit and be interested in me. Usually they smell food and this isn't a problem.

I then click the clicker and toss them a piece of food. They don't have to do anything for it. I am just trying to teach them the sound and that when they hear this sound it means a treat is going right behind it. I don't say a word through out this. When they've finished the first piece I do it again. And again. And again. And again.

If the dog is frightened by the noise you can put the clicker in a face towel initially to dull the noise. Most dogs aren't frightened by it. And once they catch on that the noise means food they all get over it. Sometimes I'll stop and turn around or move somewhere else in the kitchen and start again.

You'll know he understands the clicker when he looks up at you for the treat to follow the sound. This usually happens very quickly.... 10 or 15 pieces of food tossed. Some dogs, depending on how food motivated they are fast....others may be harder to tell.

Usually the teaching the clicker exercise, is completed in easily under 10 min. so I go right on to teaching the sit in the same session. If after 15 min. or so I am not sure the dog has it I quit and do it again in a few hours or the next day. The majority of dogs / puppies clearly get in the first go round.

Teaching them to sit

The hardest part of this is having patience. You've been throwing food for free up until now. That's done and you are now upping the anti and expecting something for your tidbits.

So you just stand there and wait. They look at you quizzically waiting in anticipation for that next piece to come falling down from your hand. They can see it but nothings happening. You can see the puzzlement on their faces in their eyes as I try and process what happened to make you stop. You stand and do nothing and say nothing. They start scouring the floor to see if any stray bits are there and come back and look at you some more. Then they will walk around and eventually they come back and sit out of boredom. As soon as their bottom hits the ground click and throw a treat. It's timing so the better yours is the sooner they'll connect the dots.

Then you go through the whole thing again. Silently you wait until they sit again so you can click / treat again. The first few times is the hardest for me because even after all the dogs I've done this with I still think....aren't you ever just going to sit? They do. My job is to just be at ready with the clicker and treat, keep my mouth shut and pay attention so I can click when they sit.

I've watched so many dogs and puppies learn this and each time you can see them processing it and trying to figure it out....what do I have to do to get her to throw those yummy bits again. Most, probably 85%, get it within 10 min. but some take a little longer. I quit for the day or at least that session if they haven't gotten it in 30 min. and that includes the time it took to teach them the clicker. I will go back later in the day or the next day and repeat the sit exercise again. I've never had a dog that didn't get it by the end of the second session.

Introducing the command verbally

Obviously you need to teach them to do this using verbal commands. Wait until you know the dog is going to do this whenever he sees you with a clicker and treat in hand. At that point after the dog sits I say to them "Good Sit Fido" as I'm tossing the treat. I repeat that for a day or so and then I start the next session with "Sit Fido" before the click / treat. Eventually you'll be able to just say sit without a clicker or a treat in hand and have them do it.

This attention Squeak is giving is typical with clicker training

The beauty of this method of teaching is two fold. First they are having to process it themselves so they learn it faster and when they do learn it they don't ever forget. They aren't being pulled and pushed into a position that means nothing to them as it was with the older methods. I've had dogs take days to get "sit" when you were pushing their rear ends down while pulling their collars up and repeating sit over and over again.

The other part of teaching with a clicker that is so great is that your dog will love learning. I've shared on the obedience page of the web site about my first Tibetan, Sarah, learning the old fashion way and hating training although she learned and was very obedient. I was told by a judge at a match that Sarah won that we needed to work on her attitude about it. She had that hang dog look that said she wanted to be anywhere but there doing obedience stuff. When we switched to clicker I got just the opposite attitude. Everyone commented on what a happy dog she was when training or competing. And she was. Today when dogs hear me training another dog with a clicker they bark and carry on because it's not them. This "I want to learn" attitude makes it fun for you both.

Elizabeth

Road Trip

2011-10-18T09:24:00.000-04:00

The weather in Virginia is great this time of year and the foliage is getting pretty as well so when Ann, who was driving down from Pennsylvania to pick up a puppy, asked me to meet her part way to shorten her trip I was more than happy to oblige.

Traveling with adult dogs is not the same as traveling with puppies. Over the years I've learned that traveling with puppies is much like it is with toddlers and pack accordingly.

Puppies:

Play yard - check
Something to go under play yard - check
Water and water dishes - check
Something to play with and something to chew on - check
Plastic bags and paper towels....just in case - check
Collars and leashes - check
Small rugs and mats for the car seats - check
Treats and a clicker in case a moment presents itself that needs clicking - check
Camera just in case a moment presents itself that needs recording - check

Humans:

Thermos of coffee - check
Cookies and a drink for the little human - check
Something to read for the little human - check

It's beginning to feel like a mini camping trip and we are only going 1 1/2 hours away, which ends up being 3 hrs with the return trip, which then ends up being 7 or 8 hrs by the time we meet up, set up, potty puppies, visit a while, check out everything in Petsmart, more puppy potty breaks, eat lunch (if and only if puppies are sufficiently tired to sleep through this), pack up and come home.

Ok, with this much packing I really need to take an extra puppy or 2 to get maximum returns on this little adventure. After all, you can never over socialize a puppy!

Ann, Nicky, Sebastian & LB

Not only did the puppies get to meet Ann while in their play yard, they had a number of other people stop by to say hi as well.

Pet me! No, me!

After getting the puppies all pottied and a short visit with Ann we took the puppies into Petsmart to help her pick out what she needed. After saying our good byes and her heading north we took the remaining 2 puppies back in to investigate all the smells and sounds in a more leisurely fashion.

2 very tired puppies on the way home

Ann - it was wonderful meeting you and we all - Malia, myself and the puppies had a really great time!

Elizabeth

Groomers Expo live streaming

2011-09-09T12:53:00.000-04:00

I got this link this morning and thought some of you may be interested in watching the grooming competition online. I've been to this conference before and it's really fun to watch really good groomers being creative. They have all breeds and some mixed breeds so much of it may not help you with your own grooming but it's still interesting to see. It's held at Hershey, Pa. every year and geared for the professional groomer. I went the year I went to grooming school.

The creative grooming competition starts today at 2pm. There will be more all weekend. Here's the link.

Elizabeth

Puppies, Housetraining and This & That

2011-08-12T20:01:00.002-04:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks. The kitchen has become puppy central. In this photo there are only 3 puppies but the other 7 were out in the puppy pen we set up on the side of the house. It's fairly close to the front door making it easy to get them in and out quickly. I, who rarely uses potty pads, have resorted to using them to keep things as sanitary as possible. We've been working with all the puppies on their house training but they are still puppies and accidents happen.

Truth is, I do love having them in the kitchen. They are so much fun to watch and it's so easy to take a minute to train them when they are right under your feet. And I love teaching a puppy the clicker. They get it so fast it makes me feel like I"m the smart one.

I removed the hutch from the wall that is now all crates so everyone can be crate trained. Crate training makes house training so much easier. If they don't go when they are taken outside they go into their crate for a short time when we come back in. Then we try again. When they potty outdoors they get a treat and a lot of gushy "good puppy, good potty" so they get it pretty quickly; outdoors = good dog + treat, indoors = no, no, no and a rush to the outdoors. I always use the word potty when they are going out as in "T-Bone potty" so they associate the word potty with the deed. It's very helpful to have them know the word potty when your traveling and they may have to go somewhere without grass or whatever it is they are used to at home.

The kitchen dog door was finally put back up and it's amazing how much this item helps with house training. Dogs have an innate desire to be clean and not soil where they live. Being able to get in and out without a person makes it so much simpler for them to just take care of their business when needed all by themselves. I love dog doors. The ones I have install in a minute in your patio door. So simple and easy. Fairly pricey but well worth it.

Bonsai's paperwork finally came back and I have it on the schedule to do AKC paperwork tomorrow. That means I should have papers in hand in under a week to go back out in the mail to anyone waiting for their puppies papers.

Elizabeth

A Kid, A Puppy & Lots of Belly Rubs

2011-08-02T16:38:00.000-04:00

Elizabeth

The weekend

2011-08-01T13:12:00.000-04:00

We had a busy but great weekend. All the puppies got lots of attention from visitors which is also great socialization for them. And it's fun for us humans to meet new friends.

With everyone worn out last night we took advantage of the opportunity to get them all up on the grooming table for a nail trim. The baby puppies actually get their nails done on my lap but everyone else goes on the table. If they are at all leary of the table I start them with a treat and some petting. It works wonders with older puppies. The baby puppies also got wormed, Frontlined and a puppy booster shot. It's always easier if they are on the low end of the energy spectrum when we do these kind of tasks with them. All the puppies were so good for nails. I try and do it frequently enough that they learn it's not something to be dreaded. And for me, it was very nice to check that off the to-do list. I love checking anything off the list!

Hope you all had a great weekend as well.

Elizabeth

Another hot one here in Virginia

2011-07-30T15:57:00.000-04:00

It's hot here today. I'm always looking for ways to let the dogs have the yard and keep them cool too. Besides the pools I frequently make the dogs these great frozen treats using the Premier Kool Dogz Frozen Treat Maker. You can use all kinds of things to entice them to it. We sometimes put little Milkbones or some chicken broth in the water before freezing it. This batch was a few scoops of vanilla ice cream, a bit of vanilla extract and a mashed banana mixed into the water before I froze it. They all seemed to like this even better than the chicken broth or milkbones.

I got mine from Orvis a few years back but I see them being sold a lot of places online now. I need to get another one. I made an extra amount of frozen mix this time using an old square 5 quart plastic ice cream container. I got the frozen mix out of it and placed it in a large shallow pan on the ground so there would be enough room for all the dogs to fit around it and have some at the same time if they wanted to but they seemed to like the raised one better.

While I was online looking for a photo to add to this post of the Kool Dogz I noticed there are tons of recipes for frozen treats. I'm going to try one with peanut butter in it next time.

Stay cool everyone!

Elizabeth

Dog days of Summer

2011-07-28T22:25:00.001-04:00

Honestly, I have no idea what dog days of summer means when other people say it but I do know what it means here & now at my house.   The dogs are always the main focus here but it's been even more so lately.

I have been trying to get the website up to date yet again and the blog of course.    It hasn't been 100% for over a year but with the new computer I've been motivated to get going on it again.  Since I am obviously not a web designer (you all get here via the website, so enough said) it does take me a good chunk of time whenever I do anything on it. Still I do enjoy sharing with you so it's not as miserable a task as it might otherwise be.

Then there has been catching up with paperwork for registrations and AKC records and way to much online doggie shopping. We've been restocking everything....toys (we go through them at an astonishing rate), nylabones, grooming products, syringes, puppy vaccines, wormers, flea and tick meds and the list goes on.   I've been seeing much too much of the UPS man here of late.

We've also been working with the puppies, new and old, on clicker training. I always love that first time with a puppy when you get to see how smart he is.   I love to see how fast each puppy is compared to his littermates in getting the clicker and learning to sit which is what I always start them on.   It's amazing to me to watch how fast they all do get it but there is always one or two that are whiz kids and the occasional slow puppy. It tells me a lot about them and their temperaments and what motivates them as well as what does not.

Add all the above to the normal doggie chores...grooming, cleaning, in & out etc. and it's been hectic.   Next week Ginger goes in to be spayed and Ivy gets her cast off.  Happy to see that go but could do without 2 trips to the vets. It will be nice to be able to have the couch and chairs not covered with upside down tv tables and hassocks etc. to keep Ivy from jumping up on it...which also requires her to jump down, landing not so wisely on her cast and foot. Ouch.

I am also planning on getting some of the older puppies to Petsmart next week for a socialization outting.   We'll see.

BTW, if your waiting for an individual registration for a Bonzai kid, I found I had to DNA him before they would send out the litter registration pkts because he's from out of the country. Luckily I had a prepaid kit on hand to use.   I sent it in over a month ago so as soon as I get that back the rest will be very quick and I'll get them in the mail.

Hope all you guys are relaxing and enjoying summer. Do a little for me too!

Elizabeth

So, you ask, "Do Tibetans get along with other pets"?

2011-07-27T16:34:00.000-04:00

Chicken - 1

Ivy -0

Cat - opted out of the whole thing

Elizabeth

The newest additions

2011-07-26T13:00:00.003-04:00

5/26/11

Elizabeth

Keepin em cool

2011-07-26T12:06:00.000-04:00

So how are you all keeping your guys cool?

Elizabeth

New on the blog

2011-05-29T12:56:00.001-04:00

We're back and we have a new blog address : ivygablesblog.com

After a year ( more like 2 really) of computer issues, I finally broke down and bought a new computer. It's a Macbook Pro and I love it. Sadly, I'm one of those people that gets attached to my computer and I dearly loved my old Sony Vaio with it's tiny 10" screen. I carried it around with me everywhere because I'm also a list person and it was easy to keep myself organized that way. But after 6 or so years of faithful service it was just not cutting it anymore. After way too many hard drive reformats and far too much lost info, I kissed it goodbye and haven't looked back. In computer time it was a dinosaur, but I just couldn't find another laptop that felt right to me until I looked into the Apple's. But the different operating system meant new website software and that felt like a deal breaker until I researched more and found I could in fact put Windows on my Mac. It wasn't quite as simple as putting new Windows software on a pc but it was doable and doable by me.

So, after a couple of weeks of figuring out the new Mac operating system and finally getting brave enough to install Windows and all the Windows based web software on it I use for the website, I'm back to it all. I've been working on updating the website both in looks and content and doing the same here on the blog. The website has always been a labor of love for me but it had become an exercise in frustration. It's now, once again a pleasure and I'm looking forward to adding all the information I've been wanting to add for some time now.

Have a safe and happy holiday everyone!

The last word: Why old dogs are the best dogs - The Week

2010-11-14T13:40:00.001-05:00

This was a great read and had to share it.

The last word: Why old dogs are the best dogs - The Week

This & that

2010-09-07T17:35:00.000-04:00

Joey Repass's 7th birthday party.

This came via email the other day and I thought I would share it.

The summer has whizzed by. I can't believe it's already a week into Sept. The dogs are enjoying the cooler temperatures as much as I am. Ivy got skunked a week or so ago and each evening I smell the skunks out there and hope the dogs haven't met up with one through the fence again.

I, once again, ended up having to reformat my hard drive about the same time Ivy got skunked. I had recieved quite a few emails with pictures to post to the web site when I had time and lost them all so if you sent some and they aren't up please resend. It was a nasty virus that kept giving me a message that I needed to purchase a virus program because my computer was infected but wouldn't let me open anything at all. I finally, after hours of trying was able to reformat but thought the laptop was destined to go for a visit to the shop for a while there. That of course meant I had to reload my web programs so the web site wasn't updated either. Finally got that done yesterday.

I also got an email from the Charlottesville / Albermarle Kennel club yesterday about an event for dogs.

If your in Virginia you may be interested in attending. I plan I going with a couple of the dogs.

Here's part of it.

You are cordially invited to attend Fredericksburg"s Gone To The Dogs!, a gathering in Downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia, October 2, 2010. 9:30-3:30– A dog-friendly venue! All well-behaved, vaccinated, leashed dogs are welcome.

We have planned a full day of activities, to include:

☺ Enter Dog/Owner Look-a-like Contest
☺ Try your luck in the Agility Obstacle Course
☺ The always popular “Best Dog Kisser Contest”
☺ Enter Best Costume Contest
☺ Enter the Scavenger Hunt
☺ Try Doggy Limbo - How low can you go ?
☺ Best Dog Dancer Contest
☺ Snoopy Says......
☺ Enter The Harry Cross, “Izaak Walton Dog Mart” Dog Show
☺ Canine Good Citizen Testing..... and much, much more.

Please visit our web site (www.fredericksburgsgonetothedogs.com) to register and to findthe latest information on programs, activities, vendor information,donations, sponsorship, etc. We look forward to seeing you in October!

Just checking in

2010-08-21T01:43:00.003-04:00

I want to take pictures and Max wants to play instead

The summer has flown by and I have no idea where all the time went. Everyday has been full and everyday I say tomorrow I will make the time to post on the blog, update the web site and respond to the many emails I receive. And then another day goes by with too little time and too many chores and it gets relegated to the next day yet again.

To the many people that have sent emails with updates on your puppies and dogs....thank you. I've read them all and enjoyed the updates and pictures and intend to update the web site pictures to include them.

We also got a nifty award for our web site. Some kind soul nominated us and I would love to say thank you but since I only know his name was Mike I can't do it more personally. Still .....Mike, Thanks!

I've been slowly updating the puppies for sale on the web site today. We have some cute puppies ready to leave and I'm sure had I had time earlier they would be gone already but .... well, I guess I've already discussed that haven't I? We also have 2 older girls.....3 yrs and 5 yrs old to place if the right home comes along that would be a good fit for all concerned. If you've been waiting and watching for pictures of available puppies keep an eye on the "For Sale" page on the web site. I should be adding more in addition to the ones added today over the next few days.

Mom forgot the fan again

2010-07-13T21:20:00.000-04:00

Been a while

2010-07-11T16:00:00.000-04:00

My little gardening helper trimming the cucumber plant

May and June have been crazy busy around here. I'm still working on updating the web site. New pictures of all the puppies have been taken and some are on there already but I still have a few to get up. And even though I love the polls and seeing all the answers I'm going to drop it until fall when I have more time and am more attentive to the blog. I think polls are more enjoyable for all of us when done more consistently than I've had the time to do lately.

The puppies are getting big and are at a fun age for puppy watching. Everything is new to them and oh so interesting. Usually they are out in the backyard in a kennel during the day but I've been so busy gardening out front I decided to moved an ex-pen to the front area by our picnic table so I could spend more time with them during the day while I was working.

Being with them all day in this hot weather has has reminded me how much many Tibetans really seem to prefer cooler weather.

Puppies get whiny when it's really hot and use their water bowl for a pool.

A larger bowl really doesn't seem to help much

Ahhh, I seem to have finally come up with a winner.

About 10 minutes after I set the fan up for them they were all in that corner stretched out and sound asleep.

Challenge of the day

2010-06-14T11:44:00.011-04:00

I swear sometimes it feels like I live with a house full of 3 year olds that are out to get me.    They take turns so no one dog can be labeled as the culprit or instigator.   It's a share the wealth philosophy on their part I guess.

Last few weeks Denver has consistently been getting out of his kennel. He's learned the gate.   He doesn't do it with his nose mind you... he actually gets his mouth around it and raises it.   Easily solved if you remember to put that darn clip on but usually I don't remember because I'm too busy trying to remember something else....like how do Kelly's puppies keep getting in with Ivy's.     They have been in separate rooms.   Not even connected. Neither room is closed or gated because I want the mom's to be able to get to the doggie door or that will become a challenge all it's own.   Every other day or so I'll find Ivy with one or two of Kelly's puppies.   Is Kelly just dropping a few off on a regular basis like a young mother does her children at grandma's house or with a neighbor?    Or has Ivy decided she's better at this so she's just going to take a few now and again? And if that's the case why does Kelly let her?

The first time I found a white and black puppy in with Ivy I momentarily questioned my own sanity. Why didn't I remember Ivy having a white puppy? Was there a second father involved I didn't know about.   Of course, my sense of reality came back and I went and checked the number of puppies with Kelly and found she was indeed short one.    Still I've never caught them in the act so I ponder it.

Last night I was watching a little television just before bed time when I heard a metal pan clanging in the grooming room. Most of the dogs were in their crates but a few weren't.   I didn't think too much at first but it went on for a few minutes and again....my brain kicked in and started mulling it over.   All the dishes that were out on the floor for food and waters were crockery ones and tired as I might be I really needed to get up and check it out. I find Kelly, Tawny and Ivy huddled by the open fridge door finishing off a bowl of hot dogs I cut up earlier in the evening for treats for today. They...Tawny that is, has learned to open my little fridge with her nose. Now, I know if it were a big fridge she couldn't, but the little one's door is just no match for Tawny's love of hot dogs.   It was the second time yesterday she did it.   The first time I was sure I must have left the door open slightly because, after all, who ever heard of a dog opening a fridge door, right?

So how do I correct this behavior? Hmmmm. I know! I'll use a scat mat..... which will work about as good as that clip on Denvers gate.

June 2nd -8th Poll results

2010-06-10T11:55:00.000-04:00

I help my Tibetan to stay cool in summer by:

Keeping a short coat         10 (90%)
Encouraging her to use a pool           2 (18%)
Keeping him inside most of the time          6 (54%)
Using a special cool mat            0 (0%)
Adding ice to her water                     4 (36%)
Other                           0 (0%)
Voters:   11

Scarlet

2010-06-06T19:32:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow Scarlet goes back in for a check up to see if the prednisone has done it's job and the cells in her joints are free of disease or not. She'll get put to sleep for the vet to aspirate some fluid from her knee joint. Hopefully they'll all appear normal and we can start weaning her off the prednisone which is actually quite a long process. If her behavior was the only criteria I'ld say she's fine. I haven't seen her like this in such a long time. It's been great having the old Scarlet back.

Ginger's daughter Spice

2010-06-03T00:00:00.002-04:00

Eggs for the dogs

2010-06-02T18:29:00.000-04:00

Eggs for the dogs

Spring/summer means lots of extra eggs from my 3 hens. We had 4 dozen this morning and nothing I wanted or had the time to make with them so they were all hard boiled and will be given out to the dogs in the next day or so. They just love them. I used to scramble them all but with so many it's much easier to hard boil them and it's one of their favorite treats.

Idiopathic, immune-mediated, non-erosive polyarthritis

2010-05-15T15:26:00.000-04:00

We finally have a name for Scarlet's malady. And it's potentially curable with high dose prednisone. If not curable, controllable with low dose prednisone. The vet that thought it was her cruciate had the same experience every other vet did - he put her under and felt around and said "nope" that's not it. So they aspirated fluid from her knee's, ankles, wrists and elbows and found all of them to be abnormal.

It was great news and good to go get her yesterday and bring her home knowing she won't have to be in pain anymore. And although she isn't all the way back to herself she is certainly walking with a longer gait and clearly more comfortable than she's been in some time.

I'm baaacckkkkkk

2010-05-13T00:49:00.000-04:00

After getting a few emails from you guys... thanks for that BTW.....telling me you missed me I decided it was time to get back on track here. Actually I was just holding out to see if anyone really would notice I was gone and you did!

Not really. My little hobby farm needed attention. All the outdoor animals we have; the dairy goats, heritage pigs and chickens needed to be moved and that meant lots of fencing needed to be taken down and then put back up and so for the past 3 weeks that's about all we've been doing. That and redoing animal housing and a bit of gardening. The farm animals are now way in the back so we can enjoy the dogs and the other animals at the same time. The dogs think we got them there very own amusement/game park out there now. They couldn't possibly be any happier about it and that's not necessarily a good thing.

Today I had to take Scarlet down to Virginia Tech to the teaching hospital there. She's been in a lot of pain again lately and none of the pain meds have been helping. I came home tonight without her. We were there all day and they were still doing testing so I left her and will get her when they are done either tomorrow or the next day. It's 3 1/2 hours from here each way so it's really easier this way and I am so happy they are going over her with a fine tooth comb to see what's going on. Since this started over a year ago I can't count all the doctors she's seen and it's appears today that it may just be a torn ligament in her knee or knee's. We started with a neurologist today and then she involved the orthopedic dept....that's the great part of a large teaching facility like that -they're all there and will just join in rather than making another appt. They sedated her and did more knee films and her left one is abnormal this time. Almost every one of the vets we've seen in the past year have said it was knee's until they knocked her out and then they manipulate it while she's out and say, " no it isn''t that after all". They are measuring the laxness in the joint I guess. I think it's just gotten worse and now it's finally showing up on the films. The orthopedic guy said she actually has a bit of atrophy in it now too. Every single vet has said she's been tough for them to diagnose because they can't get all the dots to connect for any one thing. Maybe this time with her getting worse it will all come together. They also like things that are a bit off the norm and challenging at teaching facilities so I have high hopes we'll finally get to the bottom of this. Since this started with her a year ago we've gone from multiple myeloma to a kidney disorder to it being her transitional spine, and now to her knees. Initially there had been slight irregularities in her blood work which was where the kidneys and myeloma concerns had come from but I think they were just reaching for anything because they couldn't figure it out. I'm crossing my fingers for the knee's. It's surgery but she'll be her old self again and worth it. I must say if it turns out to be a tear or rupture of the cruciate...knee ligament... I am surprised it's been this difficult to diagnose. Hopefully by tomorrow they will be able to give me solid answers so we can move forward.

It's all in the eyes

2010-04-26T23:11:00.000-04:00

I have the urge to apologize to this puppy everytime I see this picture although I have no idea what for.

Thursday's musings, polls & contest winner

2010-04-22T15:54:00.000-04:00

Our second Denver

It's quiet here today and very green. All the leaves are on the tree's and it hasn't gotten really hot yet so I and all the dogs are just content to be outside and enjoy it. Therefore it is quiet. The end of winter and early spring are not quiet. We all have cabin fever and dogs being dogs, say it in a more noisy fashion. Somehow with the past few weeks being so busy with lots of people coming and going and what seemed like my eternal loop to Richmond I missed the fact that we've all settled contenedly into our warm weather routine.

Denver, in the picture above, is in need of a bath and good grooming. When that's done I'll be adding him to the "For Sale" page of the web site. He's a great dog, gentle and sweet. He's the last adult male I will be placing this year so if anyone's been looking for a good older (2 yrs.) male he may be what your looking for. I will be having him neutered before he leaves. I am keeping a daughter from him and Ginger and will try to post a picture of her next time.

Blogger is having issues and I haven't been able to post a new poll this week. Hopefully that will quickly be resolved and I can start them up again. I really enjoy them and find the answers so enlightening sometimes.

Our contest winner of the doggie cookbook was Linda in S.F. It's all packed and addressed and will go out in the mail the next time I am in town.

Almost wordless Wednesday

2010-04-21T21:55:00.001-04:00

(Our first Denver)

April 4th -11th Poll results

2010-04-15T12:00:00.002-04:00

I've had Tibetans:

Over 20 years             0           (0%)
Over 15 years               1           (4%)
Over 10 years               7           (33%)
Over 5 years                 3          (14%)
Over a year                  8          (38%)
I just got my first one     2         (9%)
I haven't gotten one yet 0         (0%)

Voters: 21

Wednesday's snippets.

2010-04-14T21:09:00.003-04:00

It's been a while since I've posted and thought I better write something before you all think I've given up on the blog. I haven't....just been very busy.

The puppies are all about 9 weeks now and quite a few have left already. I let them leave at 8 weeks if someone's at home with them during the day. We've had some people coming to pick up a puppy already spoken and others that have come to visit to see if the breed is right for them or if a particular puppy strikes their fancy. I enjoy making new friends, the dogs enjoy all the attention and it's always good for the puppies to see new faces and be touched and played with by new folks.

And the trips to the airport..... shipping dogs and puppies is at least a 1/2 day event and that's not counting the trip to the vet the day before for the airline required health certificate. One of Gingers little sable girls is leaving tomorrow for Colorado so we will be up and out early for another trip to Richmond. Many people get concerned about dogs flying, I know, but I've never had a problem other than an occasional missed flight which means they just arrive a bit later than they otherwise would have. I think it's easier on them than an extended car trip would be really. And safer too given that they haven't had all their shots and a long car trip means potty stops ..... hopefully not at rest area's. Rest area's scare me where puppies are concerned. Everyone and anyone with a dog, inoculated or not stops to walk dogs at highway rest areas and who knows what your puppy is walking in. I always tell people that drive to pick up a puppy to get off the highway and find a church parking lot or nice neighborhood to potty their puppy at. And carry them into Petsmarts and the vets office for the same reason until they've completed their series of booster shots.

On the plus side of all the trips back and forth to the airport, I've been listening to a great new book on tape "Outliers". It was written by the same person that wrote "Blink". Blink, for anyone that isn't familiar with it, is about the way we think. "Outliers" is about success and what dynamicis created the success of people like Bill Gates or the Beatles. Very interesting if you like that sort of book and I do.

Wednesday's this & that

2010-04-07T12:10:00.002-04:00

Puppies have been heading out to their new homes this week. It's always fun to meet new people and although it's sometimes hard to say goodbye to the puppies I appreciate having more time available with less puppies here. I've been using the time to get my gardens in and to catch up with lots of outdoor work.

I've also been working on obedience with everyone. All the adults as well as the younger dogs are having to refresh their memories and learn or relearn the basics. I absolutely love teaching these guys with a clicker. It's so easy and so fast it makes me look like a far better trainer than I really am. For the first time I am keeping training records of who knows what, what new things they are learning and the time I am spending training with each dog. It's really amazing though how much dogs remember of what they've been previously taught.

Bonsai's picture was on the blog last weekend. He was co bred with a woman in Canada and came to live with me when he was about 5 months old. He's not quite 2 now. He's always been a white and black dog but I noticed his coat is now getting caramel coloring in it. I have had dogs change coloring like that when they were younger but never have I had one actually develop an additional color in their coats at this age. I love it and will be anxious to see what he ends up with for coloring in the next year or so. I am also looking forward to see what he'll give us in puppies. He's got the greatest temperament which I always so appreciate but especially in a male that is intact and going to be bred.

By the way, we only have one more week for the contest for poll questions so if you wanted to enter and haven't, please do. You can see what questions have already been asked by going to the sidebar, then labels and clicking on Polls.

Mar 28 - April 3 Poll results

2010-04-04T22:13:00.003-04:00

My Tibetan's favorite toys are:

A plush squeekie toy - 8 (66%)
A tennis ball - 6 (50%)
A nylabone - 3 (25%)
A rope toy - 1 (8%)
A faux toy - 2 (16%)
Other - 0 (0%)

Voters: 12

The puppies say sticks and sharing's cool too!

2010-04-03T17:42:00.006-04:00

Bonsai says Toys are Cool!

2010-04-03T15:33:00.004-04:00

Saturday's this & that

2010-03-27T21:04:00.004-04:00

I have been trying for a few days to post without much luck. It was on bloggers end so don't know what the issue is or was. I finally figured out if I go to their older version of publishing editor I could post so ta-da...I'm back.

Blogger wasn't the only one with computer issues this week. I was trying to publish a small web site as a subdomain to Ivy Gables for our hobby farm and somehow messed it up and wiped out the entire Ivy Gables site. If you clicked on the web site all you got was one page saying "Welcome to our Tiny Homestead" and a picture of our farm animals. I called my IP before hand and someone told me what to do, I did it and got that. I was beside myself when I went to view the site and realized Ivy Gables was no longer there. After many more phone calls to tech help without any real help, I ended up havng to wipe out the website entirely on my computer and from the servers storage and then republish it from a back up copy. Thank God, I had actually backed it up along with all my pictures to USB storage after the last time I had computer problems and lost all my pictures. Still I hate computer issues. I am never sure if I'm going to be able to figure it out or not. I always do somehow but it's still a crazy maker.

I've finally gotten new updated pictures of the puppies on the web site which you probably already know if you were someone waiting to see them. The one above is one that didn't get on the web site but was cute and a typical photo from a puppy picture taking session. It takes 10 like that or worse for everyone that I put on the web. At least. They are puppies after all. They also got wormed, frontlined and had their nails done at the same time. I like to separate them and do this with just one or two puppies at a time. I get to visit with them and play with them away from their littermates and sometimes I get to see a different side of them that isn't shown with the whole litter together.

All these guys were pretty balanced. Not one really shy puppy in the bunch thank goodness. Everyone is appropriately friendly and playful. The wildest one of the them was the white and sable puppy in the above picture. She's a happy girl, not thrown by anything and full of P & V. The first of them will be going home next weekend.

March 18 - 25 Poll results

2010-03-26T20:58:00.006-04:00

Last weeks poll was about the best of Tibetans. This weeks poll is about the other side of the breed. Don't be shy. It is anonymous after all and don't you wonder if it's just your dog or the breed? So tell us - what's the downside of having a Tibetan?

The grooming required 7 (35%)
Housebreaking 1 (5%)
They bark too much 3 (15%)
Afraid of big dogs 1 (5%)
Afraid of other people 1 (5%)
Not afraid of anything 3 (15%)
Hard to teach 0 (0%)
Other 1 (5%)
Nothing they are perfect! 5 (25%)

Voters: 20

Cleaning up the occasional accident painlessly and thoroughly

2010-03-23T00:00:00.031-04:00

If you have dogs, it's a given; you will have an accident on occasion. He was sick or you got delayed and couldn't get home in time to let her out or you have a puppy who's still figuring it all out and you weren't paying attention and whoops, too late. One of my girls got sick this weekend with diarrhia -on carpeting no less, to really make it bad. Hence, this post. Hope it's not too graphic for you but sure wish someone had shared this with me in the beginning of my life with dogs.

I keep a doggie container of cleaning supplies under my sink, ready at all times. It's so important for you to clean it up thoroughly, removing all smells so your dog won't go in that spot again. This is especially important when your just starting out with a new puppy but even older dogs will sometimes go back to the scene of the crime again if it wasn't cleaned in a manner that leaves it so that THEY can't smell it anymore.

So what's in my container?

cut up pieces of old towels, washcloths or rags
a spray bottle of plain water
a spray bottle of pet carpet cleaner mixed with water
a spray bottle of water mixed with bleach
plastic grocery bags or small sandwich bags
salt

For urine on vinyl or tile floors I blot it up a piece of towel, then spray with the diluted bleach sprayer and wipe again. For urine on carpet I blot it with a towel, then spray it liberally with the mix of carpet cleaner and water, leave a few minutes and blot again. I then spray with plain water and blot again to get the excess carpet cleaner up. For feces I just pick it up with a grocery bag or sandwich bag and follow the above, depending on where it was.

The very worst mess to clean up is diarrhia on carpet. You can't use a bag and if you wipe it with an old towel or rag it's going to smear, pushing it farther into the carpet pile making it worse. This is where I use salt. Pour it on liberally and let it sit as long as you can. You'll see the salt changing color after a few minutes. Add more. Repeat this until it's not changing color anymore. Be generous with the salt. Leave it as long as you can and then vacuum all the salt up using the vacuums wand first. If you can wait and leave it over night it would be great but that is not always possible. If you vacuumed too soon you may need to repeat the salt step. Then spray liberally with water and carpet cleaner mix, let sit, wipe it, followed by the plain water spray.

Diarrhea salted

After its been vacuumed.

I usually use a wand to get the salt and then vacuum normally after I've gotten up most of the salt. This looks bad but it is just on the very top surface of the carpet thanks to the salt drawing up most of the moisture from it.

Sprayed liberally with carpet cleaner it's left for 3 - 5 minutes

After sitting with carpet cleaner it's wiped, resprayed with water to remove excess carpet cleaner and blotted.

There is no perfect way to clean a mess like this but I've found this to be the easiest. If your carpet is an imported antique Persian then you may want to check a discreet place with salt first to make sure it doesn't discolor it but I've never found salt to have an effect on my carpet. Do be sure to use a carpet cleaner made especially for pets. They have the special enzymes to remove the smell rather than just mask it. Masking it may work for our noses but it doesn't do the trick for the dogs. Bleach does the same thing but for the obvious reasons can't used on carpet.

Can you tell a difference between the girls & the boys?

2010-03-22T00:00:00.001-04:00

I get asked this question a lot by people calling about puppies.   Some people have their minds made up before they call, but other people are open and want my opinion as to the differences in the genders.   Here's what I tell them.

Boys are generally easier, much easier to housetrain than the girls. It isn't uncommon for a boy to be housetrained by 3 - 3 1/2 months old and be reliable.   Girls on the other hand may get the concept, understand the concept and still have accidents till they are 4 months or more. The incidences lessen as they get older but they have them much longer than boys do. . When boys get it, they've got it and they are solid.

What about boys lifting their legs to mark? Most people today realize that it's the right thing to do to spay / neuter their dogs unless they are showing & breeding.   And most reputable breeders sell  pure bred dogs with a contract saying they are to be spayed or neutered unless it was sold as a show dog.  A neutered male isn't any more likely to mark than a female will and yes, some girls do mark.

What about males wanting to wander off? A neutered male isn't any more likely to wander than a female and today with most people spaying their females, there isn't as much for the males to go wandering off after even if they are still intact.

Boys are generally more laid back and often times more affectionate. Girls can be more particular about things. Like little girls and boys of the human variety, girls want things just so and boys are "whatever".   On the other hand if your wanting a dog for agility, girls are usually faster.

All that being said, these are generalizations only.  There are girls that housetrain quicker than most and boys who don't. Girls who are more affectionate than boys and boys who are very quick and excel at agility.   I think a lot of the stereotypical views about genders came from a time when people rarely spayed or neutered their dogs and the un-neutered boys did go after the girl down the lane who was in full heat along with 10 other males also un-neutered, which then evolved into lots of fighting. There werent as many leash laws back then either. Idea's were set, based around this and handed down from generation to generation. Mom or Dad telling their older kids when they heard they were getting a dog, "make sure you don't get a boy now". Things are different today and personally  I would probably only have boys if I were strictly a pet owner

Good story on Paw's Nation

2010-03-21T11:51:00.000-04:00

I read this story this morning and had to chuckle. Thought you all might enjoy it too. I liked the ending so read it all the way through.

Dog Chews Up Police Car, Lands in Doggie Jail

A dog in Chattanooga, Tenn. who chomped on a police car like a giant chew toy, flattening two tires and ripping off the fiberglass front fender, is behind bars at a local animal shelter, reports the Chattanooga Times Free Press. The pit-bull mix, named Winston, is waiting to hear his fate, to be decided at a hearing on March 25.
The story, which "sounds funny if you're not in the middle of it," says one person familiar with the case, began on Sunday afternoon. Officer Clayton Holmes of the Chattanooga Police Department was sitting in his patrol car "running radar," when he felt the car shaking and got out to investigate, reports the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Officer Rebecca Rayval tells Paw Nation that Holmes "saw a dog chewing on one of the car's tires. The dog was apparently very aggressive."

Finish reading this story by following this link - Great post on Paw Nation!

Flea & Tick season is here

2010-03-20T00:00:00.001-04:00

Don't forget to start using a good tick product if your in an area that has ticks or if your going to be traveling to one. We swear by Frontline here. I've never had a flea infestation and the occasional ticks are dead when found. I have to be especially dilegent about getting Frontline on the dogs in the months of April, May and June here. It seems to give longer protection from flea's than from ticks and those months are particularly bad for ticks.

We're having A Contest

2010-03-19T00:00:00.001-04:00

I love the polls. It's like the short version of having a conversation with people from all over the world that love Tibetans too. But I want your help with the questions. I want to know what you want to know about our favorite dogs. So we're having a contest! The winner will recieve a copy of the book "Throw Me A Bone".

To enter the contest all you have to do is submit a question to be used for the weekly polls. At the end of the contest all names of those that entered will be added to a hat and a winner will be randomly selected. Just emal me your question and don't forget to add your name and address to the email so I can mail the winner their copy of the book. The deadline is April 18th. I will announce the winners name on the blog then. Send your questions to: elizabeth@ivygables.com Good luck!

Can I just add another week to March please?

2010-03-18T10:20:00.001-04:00

I shouldn't complain.   I know. I should be grateful I have the energy for all that spring requires of me, but sometimes it feels like I'm driving as fast as I can and the scenery isn't changing so really I must be standing still. My to-do list is so long now I don't even bother reading it all. And I ~~think~~ know I add more things everyday than I check off. Of course the list isn't just dog stuff. There's all the hobby farm chores as well. We've been working outside everyday until dark, coming in and collapsing on the couch or chair for a few minutes before having dinner and then to bed. I go to bed so tired these days I think I could sleep for a week.   All the years I worked as a horticulturist spring meant 6 very long work days each week and I was sure things would be different when that was no longer my career.   I was wrong.

That said, the dogs are loving being out more every day and I am too. The puppies are playing outside now and they think that's pretty cool. The kennels have the tops on, beds back in, clean dog houses and a plethora of toys.   I've also got a small fenced training area all set up outside for quick lessons and practice.    Now if I can just get caught up so I have time to use it.

If you've emailed or called and haven't heard back yet I apologize.   I'm getting there.   And if you have sent in you spay / neuter verification and are waiting for your AKC papers to arrive I promise I will get them out in the next week or so. You haven't been forgotten and your still on the upper part of that very long to- do list.

Mar 10 - 17 Poll results

2010-03-17T13:12:00.003-04:00

The thing I like best about Tibetans is their:

Personalities            10 (71%)
Coats / looks             3 (21%)
Size                           0 (0%)
Intelligence                1 (7%)
Other                       0 (0%)

Voters      14

Two of my favorites things...Hens and Puppies

2010-03-13T20:43:00.000-05:00

Ok... I needed this today. Too Cute!

You'd be forgiven for thinking that chickens and dogs were not natural bed fellows. But a one-year-old hen that thinks it's a dog has adopted a litter of puppies much to the bemusement of their canine mother. Mabel has taken to keeping the small Owners Edward and Ros Tate saved Mabel from the pot and now the hen has taken to roosting on the litter of puppies.

Mr Tate said: 'Mabel was hatched here about a year ago. She would have gone onto someone's dinner plate but we saved her. 'Unfortunately, she got into an accident with a horse, which accidentally trod on her foot.
'Because of that, she gets terribly cold during the winter so we decided to bring her into the house.

We have a dog, Nettle, which has just given birth to a litter of pups. Within a few days of giving birth, Nettle was up and about, prowling in the yard. 'Mabel observed Nettle's behaviour and, as soon as there was a chance, she hoped into the dog basket to roost on the pups. 'She keeps them and herself warm, while Nettle is outside on the yard.'

Wednesday's snippets.

2010-03-10T19:16:00.001-05:00

Today was 71 degrees out! I worked outside all day in the fresh air. I was tempted to put the tarps back on the kennels but the forecast for the rest of the week was for rain and the dogs wouldn't be out in the kennels if it's raining so I worked on a garden instead. I do believe we are all quite happy with the warmer weather though. The dogs love to play outside and of course, I let them stay out a lot longer in this kind of weather. They just run and run and run. And they love to play tag with each other. At least the younger ones do. The older dogs still like to be out sniffing and checking out the yard. I watched one of the younger dogs this morning initiate a game of tag and he was so funny. He crouched down like a cougar or tiger and tried to sneak up on his pal. I would love to learn to add video's to this blog. Someday when I have time to learn.

We love books in this house so we are frequent visitors of our local libraries. I had checked out "Inside of a dog - What Dogs See, Smell and Know" because it sounded good but then looked on Amazon at the reviews. They were mixed so I may try to get into it and see what I think but I'm not as excited about it as I was before seeing the reviews.

As I'm sitting here writing one of the baby puppies is barking up a storm about something. Probably playing with a litter mate. They are just now starting to play with one another and it's adorable to watch and hear. The little baby bark is too cute. Another reason I need to learn to add video's. Guess I'll go see who's the mouthy one and get my fix of puppy breath.

Mar 2 - 9 Poll results

2010-03-09T19:40:00.003-05:00

The thing most important to me when I got my dog was:

Gender - I like males                  1 (5%)
Gender - I like females             2 (10%)
Colors - black & white           1    (5%)
Colors - not black & white      1   (5%)
Temperament                             11   (55%)
The breeder                                 4   (20%)
Other                                           0

There were 20 voters

Saturday's this & that

2010-03-06T13:29:00.001-05:00

Tucker

Yesterday I took Tucker to town with me because we were stopping at Petsmart for dog food. I especially needed some tiny puppy food. I ended up getting Purina Pro Plan Small Breed Puppy. I usually use the Royal Canin for tiny babies but thought we would try something new. Tucker hadn't been in the car for a while but he was great. I had him in a crate behind my seat and never heard a peep out of him. He seemed to enjoy his outing and getting to walk though the store.

Next we went to Sam's where I filled the rest of the back of the car with large bags of bulk items I needed. I had two other crates in the car too and when the back of the car was full we filled the crates as well. I try to buy as much as I can at a time to minimize the trips I have to make to town.

Anyway, with the car at capacity we headed home. It was probably 8 or so and about a 1/4 of a mile from my driveway when I spotted a dog in the middle of my road. It was painfully thin with all it's ribs showing. I see it here every year after hunting season. Some hunter will lose a dog or two during hunting season and usually I spot them weeks or months later when they will venture through my yard just skin and bones. My dogs let me know an intruder is on the premises. I end up feeding it by leaving a big bowl of food and some water in the front yard. Then it leaves never to be seen again. One year one of them came back for about a week at night looking for food but then was gone. I never could get any closer to it than 10 or 15 feet. Rarely will they let you get close enough to catch them to bring in or take to a shelter. And even if I could catch it do I really want a dog I have no history on, in my home, possibly putting my dogs or puppies at risk? I especially hate to see it when it's very cold out which thankfully last night wasn't. I wonder sometimes if they live or not out there.

Either way I couldn't just ignore this dog. We turned around and went back. She was running straight down the middle of the road. I past her and pulled over. She came up to me and let me pet her on the head and she was even thinner than I thought. She had no collar. We tried to get a leash around her neck but she wasn't buyng that and I didn't know what I would do with her even if I got it on her. Although she was being somewhat friendly she was still pretty skittish. Then a state trooper pulled up and he (bless his heart) tried to help me. I ended up emptying a crate of food with the thought I would put cheese in it and coax her into it. We got the crate emptied, on the ground and right then, off she went, nose to the ground, through a pasture we had pulled up beside. The trooper shined his light on her to see if she was responding to my calling her which she wasn't. I said I guess it wasn't meant to be and thanked him for helping me try to help her and came home. My 9 yr old talked about it for the rest of the evening, hoping she would be ok. I hope so too.

Thursday's snippets

2010-03-04T13:22:00.000-05:00

Kayla & Company

I had planned on getting puppy pictures up the other day but got side tracked when I started to clean something, don't even remember what it was now, that started a mini spring cleaning fest. After being at it for 2 days I am ready for a time out. All the mud was really getting to me from the melting snow. Even the gravel yard got done. We have a Paulonia tree that shades it that is beautiful when in bloom but the rest of the year it drops it's oversized leaves and every time we have even slightly bad weather there are twigs and small pieces of branches to rake up. With the storm we had 3 very large limbs come down one of which I will have to saw into pieces to get it into the woods where it can decompose. We were able to get it over the fence for now. I also needed to move gravel around which is heavy work but the dogs had worn it all away where the gate connecting the two yards is and because there is a slight slope there all the water sits there in a puddle. Every dog has to go through that puddle if they go into the big yard so having that gone is wonderful and will eliminate much mud. YAAAAA!

I took puppy pictures last night. All the puppies got their second worming and nail trimming at the same time. Kayla was much more interested in the new toy I pulled out for puppies. She walked around with it all night and then took it to her crate that night. She decided she wanted to sleep in her crate rather than with the puppies and I let her. The puppies didn't seem to mind and it's good practice for them to be away from mom at times given that they are eating real food now. They are getting their puppy food soaked in water with a little warmed goats milk added just before they get it. If I had gotten to Petsmart I would have picked up some Royal Canin Tiny puppy food which has such small pieces they can eat it dry. Actually they try and eat this puppy food dry but it's a bit big for such little puppies so I like to soften it for them.

Gingers babies

Ginger and her babies in their 3' x 3' puppy playpen

Gingers such a good mom. She never wants a time out from her puppies. Not that Kayla's a bad mom but she isn't as devoted to her kids as Ginger is.

It's hard to see in these smaller pictures but I've started "labeling" puppies for easier identification in pictures. I use doggie nail polish and usually paint some on a white part of their coat. For now Kayla's boys are green and her girls are yellow and Gingers boys are blue and her girls are salmon. It comes off eventually (usually it only stays on about a week) and makes it easier for everyone to have them color coded. I have used little collars but too many times I've found them in their mouth instead of around their necks. Of course when that happens they can't get it out and have to wait for me to notice or my 9 yr old. to see and tell me so I just like the nail polish better. Very shortly they will all be playing together and it really makes it nice to see who's who at a glance.

It's right about now I am I can begin to see temperaments in some of the puppies. Up until this point it's hard because the first couple of weeks they don't even have their eyes open. Then they spend time learning to stand and walk. Next they realize they have littermates and begin to interact with each other. Last night while I was worming them and doing their nails I could see a glimmer of who's who. Still it will be another couple of weeks before I am comfortable trusting my judgement of each puppies personality. It's always fun to watch and see them master new things and get more comfortable with their environment and each other and become playful little puppies.

Tuesday's this & that

2010-03-02T12:03:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how fast this week has gone by. The puppies are getting big and wanting to be out and about and are now big enough to climb out of their whelping area. Then like children they change their little minds and cry until I put them back in. Yesterday, I finally put them in 3' x 3' puppy playpens so they no longer can climb in and out on their own and I could sleep through the night without having to go put them back in. The puppy playpens are designed with grating for the floor rather than a solid flooring and they are up off the floor so you can put newspapers under them to catch urine and feces. I am not using them that way though. I put a piece of covered plywood on top of the grating so they have the whole area for comfort and then I use little ramps for them to use to get in when it's time for them to come out. Right now mom's are still cleaning up after them mostly and I change the bedding frequently so they are clean.

I'll post pictures later today hopefully.

Feb 22 - Mar 1 Poll results

2010-03-02T11:31:00.002-05:00

For treats I give my dogs:

Rawhide                                4
Biscuits                                  9
People food / table scraps      4
Homemade treats                   2
Nothing due to allergies          0
Other                                     2

Voters 11

Feb 15 -22 Poll

2010-02-23T12:53:00.000-05:00

Last weeks results:

I socialize my dogs by takig them to:
Pet friendly stores                  9
Doggie daycare                      3
Walks in the neighborhood    11
Dog parks                              7
Obedience classes                  6
Friends homes                       6
Everywhere I go                    4
No where                             0
Other                                     2

Voters 15

Monday's this and that

2010-02-22T19:33:00.001-05:00

I have cabin fever. We need sunshine and dry ground. I still can't get into my driveway. Since the last time I went out, I actually got stuck 1/2 way out on the road until my neighbor came to my rescue, I have been staying home unless I absolutely had to go out. The same great neighbor came to deliver hay this weekend for me in his truck. I got my car out on the road so he could get in to unload the hay and he got stuck in exactly the same place I do. The bare spot is where the car was when it snowed. I don't know why I didn't have more trouble getting out given all the trouble I'm having getting back in. I have really wanted to take a few dogs to Petsmart for socialization but don't dare.

The dogs also have cabin fever. Most training has come to a standstill since everyone is crabby and if they hear me with another dog training they have a fit which distracts both me and the dog I'm working with. I know it's because no one is getting the exercise they normally do but it's still getting old. GRRRR. Or maybe it's just because I'm hating it and they are feeding off my mood. Either way we aren't doing much. I watch them run through the yard and it's more like a caricature of running. The snow is soft so they sink into it which would probably be funny to watch if I wasn't hating it so much. Mud everywhere because there are some spots without snow. Just enough to be messy. The dogs jump on me and I am as muddy as they are. Of course this is why when I first moved to Virginia my wardrobe changed from any interesting colors to all black. I did get some paint for the kennel area that matches the soil. It's a pretty rust color....just like the dirt. What was I thinking painting it white? What do you think?

New paint color on left and paw prints on right.

This is right beside the stairs where I have a dutch door so the dogs have to stand up and brace themselves with the wall to see over the door. Ok...enough of that. I did after all live in Colorado for 20 plus years. But....there's always a but ....I only had one dog when snowy then muddy, melty, messy times came.

The puppies are getting big. Last night I realized I had to help Kayla feed her litter. They have started getting out of their little whelping box to go find mom when they are hungry. Usually mom's will lay outside the box when they have no more milk. Both Fri. and Sat. night I was awakened by little puppy cries that went on long enough for me to get up and investigate. They had gotten of the whelping box onto the hard floor which of course is cold and then they can't get back in so they just cry. Last night I thawed out some goats milk from my does and started bottle feeding them. It's really fun if they are hungry. When you first put the nipple in their mouths the first time they are totally disinterested and you can almost hear them saying "what are you doing to me?... Get that thing out of my mouth!". Then they taste the milk and suddenly it's like a person dry and parched in the desert getting water. They lock their little mouth around the nipple and hang on while trying to stand up on their little hind legs to get more faster. You can feel their little bellies swell with the milk until they are satiated. This of course brings your relationship with the puppies to a new place. They begin to get as excited when you walk by as they do when their mother does.

I don't care how bad a day your having you can't help but smile when you see babies like this.

Tuesday's snippets

2010-02-16T11:01:00.002-05:00

Snoball Sammy

Picture sent in from Patty Nash in Plano Tx.

This past week has gone by in a blur. When you have a number of animals, schedules are all important and the snow and lack of power for 4 days just seemed to mess everything up long after the power was back on. We had to deal with redoing housing for some of the hobby farm animals which is/was time consuming. It was only yesterday that I finally got my car dug out and then only because it started snowing yet again and I feared if I didn't get to the store for dog food I would run out. After getting myself dug out and to the store, I got stuck again getting back in my driveway. I was half in and half on the road furiously trying to dig myself out of my mess when a neighbor came with his truck and pulled me out so I could try again. I finally got myself back in the driveway enough to not be hit anyway.

Tawny and I have mananged to get in a little training time in spite of all there has been to do. Hopefully we'll get more time this week. She's a happy dog and loves it which makes it a good diversion from all the other chores for me. I also find when I am actively training one dog I tend to be more consistent with all the dogs. Little behaviors that might have been allowed to slide a bit are dealt with more quickly and positively which is always a good thing.

The puppies are getting big and I don't have them on the web site yet. Hopefully today! I try to fit in time everyday to hold each one to get them used to it. Usually it's a good thing to do in the evening when I'm tired and just sitting on the couch reading or watching a dvd. No one has their little eyes open yet. Gingers should be very soon now. Both the mothers are such good mothers. Most Tibetans are though.

At an APDT conference I attended years ago a speaker that trained police dogs was talking about teaching puppies clicker training while they were still in the whelping box. He said everytime he picked a puppy up and took it away from it's mother to hold, he used the clicker just as he put the puppy back on it's mother's teat. This was the ultimate positive reinforcement and association of clicker and reward.

DJ - Breed winner at Westminster yesterday

Last night Westminster Kennel Club dog show aired the non-sporting group live. My friend Pat Bernardo's dog DJ won the breed so he was in the group last night. Since I have given up television I didn't get to see it but her husband Denny called and narrated for me. It's wonderful to have friends that indulge your quirks like not having tv in a television based world. Anyway.... Congratulations to Pat and Denny, DJ and Lynn (his handler) on their big win yesterday!

Feb 8 - 14 Poll

2010-02-16T09:49:00.000-05:00

Last weeks results:

My Tibetan is / are:

Pets                             10
Shown in conformation   2
Shown in obedience     0
Shown in Rally               1
A therapy dog               0
Other                             2

13 people voted

Our adventure last weekend

2010-02-10T21:19:00.000-05:00

Today is a beautiful sunny day here in central Virginia. A far cry from the snow storm it was suppose to be, thankfully.
The weekend was an experience. I lived in Colorado for many years and never had the experience of losing power for an extended period like that from bad weather. The storm had just started Friday evening and was suppose to be here all day Saturday as well so I knew we were in for it when it the power went out before the storm was 1/2 way through and it had been forecasted to be a record breaking storm for this area. It started with rain that froze on everything and then the snow on top of it just was too much weight for many tree's and limbs.
I was so concerned for the Ginger babies but they seemed to do well Friday night. Of course the house didn't get too cold the first night. I think it was in the 50's. Saturday Kayla had her puppies. I did begin to panic a bit when she went into labor because it was cold and the puppies would be starting out at 50 degree's and they would be wet. I decided to bring my digital thermometer in and see where the warmest place I could find was. It was the room all the crates are in. I then put her in a 500 airline crate with the front and sides covered. Then I moved Ginger there as well. I closed the register in the room so no air warm air would escape. The temperature from all the dogs in that one area plus us two humans stayed between 59 and 64 degrees. It flexuated depending on how much I was letting dogs in and out. The inside of the girls crates with the puppies was even warmer so they were pretty snug. The rest of the house got pretty darn cold though.

Then my Tilly decided to throw me a curve. She wasn't bred.....to my knowledge anyway. She had been in heat with Kayla so the timing would have been right and I do have a child in the house so sometimes things magically happen here. Gates get opened by magic, things disappear also by magic and dogs are let in or out of kennels by magic....you get the idea. Anyway, I got Kayla settled and I notice Tilly nesting her bedding in her crate. She wimpered a bit and nested more. I had just groomed her and didn't notice her feeling pregnant so I put her on the grooming table and checked her nipples and sure enough she had milk. I still couldn't feel puppies though. I checked her vulva and nothing. I decided it must be a false pregnancy. I was snowed in with no way to get her to a vet for an exray to confirm this which was not a comfortable feeling. She carried on for 18 hours like that. I finally put one of Kayla's puppies in with her to see if she would quit if she had a puppy. She was fine once she had a puppy but when I then took the puppy away it was worse than before. Probably wasn't the smartest thing I could have done but I wanted to see if her "labor" would stop if she had a puppy. She was a wreck all weekend.
The other issue was enough water for everyone. I had filled a few containers but not nearly enough. We finally pulled out the barbeque grill to melt snow in desperation.
Any dreams I may have ever had about going off grid at some point were promptly squelched with this adventure. I was about in tears I was so happy when the lights flicked back on. Hot water, heat, tv, food that's hot. Yes, life is good once again.

Feb. 1 - 7 Poll

2010-02-09T20:52:00.000-05:00

Last weeks results:

My Tibetan is kept in:

A Full coat 5
A Puppy cut 8

There were 13 voters

Quick check-in

2010-02-09T19:09:00.000-05:00

We've been without power since last Friday evening. Got it back on a few hours ago but while checking my email I saw we are due for another storm tonight and all day tomorrow so I am rushing around trying to get things ready in case we again lose the power. Mostly I need to get enough water for everyone for a good amount of time. And prepare food that's good cold. We managed to keep the babies warm and toasty which was my biggest concern when it first went out.

Anyway, I hope I am just doing an exercise in being prepared for the worst and we won't need it and am very very grateful for this afternoons reprieve from the cold and dark. Hope to be posting tomorrow. Stay warm and safe all.

Ginger's litter

2010-02-03T20:02:00.000-05:00

Ginger with her new babies

Ginger decided to have her babies today. It was early but I've only had one litter ever that went the 63 days it's suppose to be. She still took me by surprise because it was so quick. Usually when labor is immenent a dog won't eat. I give my guys lots of treats which even a mother in labor will take but they normally give it right back in the form of a mess to clean up. Still it's a warning I'm grateful for. Not today though. I let her out at 3pm and gave her a treat when she came back in. Her crate door was open and she went in and started digging her quilt so I started getting her whelping box ready....just in case. Well before I had it set up and the heat lamp on she had already had 2 puppies. It was maybe 15 minutes. Within 30 or 35 minutes she had 5 puppies. And then one last one about 15 minutes after that. I know I've never had a dog deliver so quickly with so little fanfare upfront. Usually it's just the opposite....lots of whining, panting, pacing (me) and lots and lots of nesting.

Anyway, we ended up with 3 girls and 2 boys and I haven't checked the last one for gender yet. If you look at the picture I took of her Monday in my last post it's pretty hard to believe she had 6 puppies in that belly.

They are all healthy looking and nursing well. She's eating and drinking and so all is well.

Monday's this and that

2010-02-01T12:32:00.000-05:00

Ginger in a mommy cut

It's been pretty busy around here with various things but I'm overdue with a post here.   We got a lot of snow again over the weekend but with a washer again it was a piece of cake keeping the dogs and the house dry and tidy.

Ginger got a bath and a mommy trim last night. I wanted her coat short enough not to mat up from puppies crawling through it but enough length to it to keep her and the babies warm. If it were warmer I would have used clippers but they would take her coat too short so I hand scissored her.   I trimmed up her ears because they had a few mats on them and although I could get them out the puppies would just mat them up again.   Besides I really like the look sometimes just for a change.

Opie's in a new home.   Hopefully a forever home.   He has another Tibetan to play with and a new mom that has worked with humans with disabilities so I have confidence in the match.    He was very submissive for about 5 minutes and then was his playful happy self.   Reports are that he's a keeper, doing well and all are happy.

Jan 25 - 31 Poll

2010-02-01T12:29:00.000-05:00

Last weeks poll results:

Who does your dogs grooming?

I do                           1
I have a groomer        6
Both                           7

There were 14 voters

Tuesday's this & that

2010-01-26T15:35:00.000-05:00

It's been wonderful weather here the past few days so have been getting lots of things outside done.   Got the kennels all raked out and some mulch down in them that was left from last season.   Every year I have about 6 cubic yards delivered for the kennels and then keep replenishing it through out the summer as it gets worn down.    It keeps the dogs cleaner and it's softer for them although they always have Coolero beds too.    Usually I would wait to do this until March but with all the leaves down now I want the rest of the old pile moved so I'll have a spot ready for the new.

Sear's is here as I speak putting my washer back together.   It's now been 6 weeks without a washer and I feel like it's Christmas morning.   I took them 3 weeks to come out when I initially called and then when they did come out they said it needed an entire new inside; drum and everything that holds it together to spin.   A week later 3 huge boxes arrived and a few smaller ones.   I asked them if they were rebuilding the entire thing and without much humor said they did believe so.   I guess having a new Duet washer in an old shell was almost worth the wait given that it was on the last week of the warranty when I called repair.   Dogs make a LOT of laundry though and about one more week without a washer and I may have gone over the edge. Now it's going to take me a week to catch up. And I will be grateful for each and every load I get to do. Amen.

I have yet to start training Tawny. I did get an area set up for more serious training so we're heading in the right direction, but why is it so hard to get started on some projects?   Diet, exercise, training programs? Once I start I"m good but dang I can procrastinate at times.   Maybe it's winter.

Jan 18 - Jan 24 Poll

2010-01-24T23:47:00.000-05:00

Last weeks poll results:
My dog/s sleep:

In my bed -                   5
In my bedroom -             5
In a crate -                    10
Where ever he wants -   4
Other -                         1

17 Voters

Friday's this & that

2010-01-22T18:40:00.001-05:00

I came across a picture of my Taffi when she was pregnant a while back. She was sooo big. I am posting here just for fun. She's not pregnant now. Ginger is and she's starting to show a bit but I think it's going to be a smaller litter. She's a very lean dog and that can throw you sometimes so she may surprise me. We'll see.

I decided to start my training goals with Tawny's and add from there. I am giving myself a year for her AKC CD title. I will add to the list as I get going on it with a few of my other dogs. I will probably continue to refine it as we move along but I needed to start somewhere. A year should be more than enough time to do it well and not have it become stressful for her or I.

Annie loved her cupcakes.....too much so. She's never been a dog that got things off the table but she got into them before I gave them out and ate 4 before I even realized it. When I picked her up she felt pregnant she was so full. Anyway, she did enjoy her day. I gave out the rest and everyone devoured them in record time.

Annie's Birthday Cupcakes

2010-01-20T13:55:00.004-05:00

Annie's Birthday Cupcakes

2 cups of stewed chicken
1 1/2 cups of cooked rice
1 1/2 cups of shredded carrots
6 cups of flour
1 tbs garlic powder
3 eggs
4 tbs of baking soda
water to correct consisteny

Mix all ingredients together well. I use my Kitchen Aid mixer with the paddle. Add water till mix seems about the consistency muffin mix usually is; pretty wet but not pourable. Liberally oil muffin tins. Use a large spoon or dry measuring scoop to fill muffin tins almost full. Bake for 20 - 30 min. at 375.
These are very moist on the inside and the tins feel heavy. They are substantial and a couple could be a meal. You can frost these or not. I call them cupcakes if I do and muffins if I don't.

Frosting

I used goats cheese because we always have it in the freezer from our goats but cream cheese is what I would use otherwise. I only put a bit of it on each one because it's messy and too much dairy isn't good for them. I use the honey to help bind ingredients.

12 oz Cream Cheese
2 Tbs. Honey
1/2 stick margerine or butter

Whip till consistency you want. Put a dollop on each one after they've cooled.
Makes 24 cupcakes

This mix will be somewhat sticky because of the chicken

This is a great way to use up all the chicken bits and skin etc. left from making soup if you don't want to just stew up chickens for the dogs like I do. You can freeze the chicken bits until you have time to bake. You can also substitute brown rice for the white or use another vegetable if you want.

Speaking of homemade foods for dogs..... does anyone else use Recipe Zaar? I love that site. I use it for my human cooking. I looked on there today and there are almost 3 dozen recipes for various dog foods and treats. I love this particular site because it allows people to rate each recipe using stars and write reviews which is nice. I like to see what luck others have had making something or how they changed a recipe to make it work better. I think I may add this recipe there.

Recipezaar Dog Food Recipes

This & That

2010-01-19T16:29:00.001-05:00

Well I am still pondering my training list. I want it to be realistic so I'll stick to it and that's a hard one.   It's tempting to write down too many goals with too many dogs and then get discouraged because I'm overwhelmed.   The other side of that is to not set high enough expectations.   So....I'm still working on my list.

I have always enjoyed the obedience with the dogs more than the conformation for a number of reasons. Obedience, agility, rally or any of the performance venues seem to me to be more rewarding because you get back what you put into it. You can go into a show ring and there are so many variables you may get what you deserve and you may not but in performance you qualify or don't based on how you and your dog do that day.   Your qualification isn't dependent on who's there as it is in the show ring. I also love the bonding any training produces between you and your dogs.

Scarletts not doing as well as she was and I'm disappointed.   She doesn't seem to be quite as uncomfortable but still she's not moving as well as she was.

Tomorrow is Annie's 12th birthday and I am making chicken muffins tonight for everyone.

Jan 11 - Jan 17 Poll

2010-01-17T23:42:00.001-05:00

Last weeks poll results:

My Tibetan is:

Black & White      8
Sable & White       2
Gold & White         1
White & Black        6
White & Sable        1
Black                      0
Brindle                    0
Other                      1

14 Voters

Fitting in training

2010-01-17T13:36:00.000-05:00

Tibetans are smart. That's just a given. And if you train them using positive methods they like to be trained. It's like a game where they know at the outset their gonna get something good. So why don't we do more training with them? I think most of us have great intentions, but the time.....not so much. And when we do have time it's so much easier to sit and play with them, groom them or whatever else we like to do with our dogs than to come up with a training plan and stick to it. It's sort of like exercising; hard to get started but rewarding if and when we do. So I am making a commitment today, with you all as my witnesses, to train, train, train. I am going to make a list of goals for the dogs and I am going to put it on sidebar of the blog and then I will either be motivated by it being public and do it or embarrass myself with empty promises of training. I am making my list today!

The web site, ears and pads & thank you

2010-01-13T13:21:00.001-05:00

I am still working on the website feverishly. It needs to be done but is time consuming. If I could just stop life for a few weeks I could knock it out really fast but alas that's not real life so I am muddling along and hoping everyone understands and will be patient. I am always amazed by the number of people that I get emails from thanking me for the website and the information on it. Many I've never met but that just stumbled upon my web site somehow. Their appreciation and thank you's inspire me to give as information as I can. I know how much easier a task is when your first learning about something if someone shares their knowledge with you rather than you having to reinvent the wheel. And we all had to start learning somewhere.

I just posted an article with lots of pictures on it about how to clean your dogs ears and pads on the grooming page of the web site if any one is interested. I get many questions about ears and pads are really something dogs need to have done but isn't always thought about so they are on the grooming page now. Let me know what you think.

http://ivygables.com/Grooming.htm

And my thank you to those of you that are participating in the polls. It's more fun the more of you that take a minute to do it so to you ....Thanks! And another thank you to all the people that have written to let me know you read what I write. I would have stopped adding to the web site and never would have started the blog if you all hadn't let me know it was something you enjoy and learn form. Thanks!

Opie

2010-01-13T11:25:00.000-05:00

Opie with a marrow bone in his mouth

I got Opie on the web site today. He has been bathed and scissored to even him out. He's learned to sit for a treat and what a clicker means. He's really got a great little temperament and if just the right home doesn't present itself he'll live out his days here. I may look into a prothesis for him. I really don't know much about them but I've seen pictures of dogs with theml. I don't know if it will benefit him or not because he runs like the wind out there with the other dogs now. It was really amazing to watch. The vet had said dogs with the use of only 3 legs do fine and compensate extremely well but still it was shocking to see just how fast he can run or climb a flight of stairs. The vet also said we could amputate his leg when we neuter him and that it was an easy operation and not very costly either.

I think for me the biggest problem with him has been myself. You just want to baby him and he doesn't need that. He needs to be treated like all the other dogs. Lots to think about but for now he's happy, running with everyone out there and enjoying his life..

Jan 4 - Jan 10 Poll

2010-01-11T00:36:00.003-05:00

Last weeks poll results:

How many Tibetans are you owned by?

One                  5
Two                  4
Three                2
Four or more     1

12 voters

Coat color and how it can change

2010-01-11T00:00:00.083-05:00

Sarah

I get so many people that ask me if Tibetans coat color can or will change. It can and it may. In sable colored dogs it almost always does. Some will change a bit and some more dramatically. Sarah's coat to this day is one of the most extreme examples of color change I've ever seen. Ultimately as you can see in the above photo her coat was beautiful but it went through some pretty awful stages along the way. You could actually see the lines where it would change from one shade to another.

Here's another view of the same photo but up a bit closer

black tips then a beautiful rich reddish brown, the a darker almost black brown, next a lighter tannish brown and next to the skin almost black again.

Most Tibetans don't have this drastic a change in color. This was all in her first year of life. It settled down after that and although it continued to change a bit it never went back to these extreme color changes of her first year of life. I've had a lot of sable dogs over the years but she stayed a very dark sable which most of mine don't.

So here are a few of my observations on Tibetans and how their colors can and do change. Sables will change. I've never seen one that didn't. When someone is looking at a puppy of mine and says "oh that's just the color I've been looking for" I tell them they will be disappointed if they think their dog will stay what it is for it's entire life. The colors will change, usually getting lighter. They may lose some white from the muzzle and blaze as well.

Black and whites usually keep the black. They may lose some white, most especially on their muzzles and face. Sometimes they will also get ticking anywhere they are white. This can include the whole body if they were a white dog with markings of another color. This isn't as set in stone though as a sable's color change is. It's a gene and it just depends if they have it or not.

Annie as a puppy

Annie at 4 years old

Panda was born with an almost all white body with a few large black spots on him. He looked the same way at 10 weeks when he was sold. As an adult he looks very different. He's got a lot of ticking now making him appear very salt and pepper. I think it's very nice on him but not all people like ticking. This isn't the best picture but I think you can see how much ticking he has.

Another time you will see a dramatic color change is when you have a sable dog clipped. The coat will be very light when they are clipped. It will usually appear a light tan or even greyish. Then as it lengthens again all the black will grace the tips as it did before and it will usually darken to a richer sable as well.. I don't even pretend to understand how that happens but it does.

Memories

2010-01-10T16:44:00.002-05:00

Having to redo my web site because of my hard drive reformat has been a lot of work but in the process I ended up working on both the prior adoption page and the photo album page today. I don't usually spend much time on those 2 pages so it was due anyway. I guess when your busy it's out of site, out of mind.

I can't believe how many memories were on those two pages for me. Every picture I moved and repositioned brought back long lost pages in my mind of packing dogs up for shows, dog show people I met along the way, taking dogs to handlers or phone calls from them about wins or loses, people that bought puppies from here and their visits, dogs that are no longer with us for one reason or another etc. ectc.

Annie winning BOS Westminster 2002

This old photo was Lynn showing Annie at Westminster. It was a nice win and it's a nice photo but the memories it brought back to me was of the whole long weekend in New York. Annie had won the Pedigree Award which is given to the top dog of each breed for being # 1 in your breed that the year prior. It was Annie's second time winning it. Pedigree puts on a special night for the owners at the Plaza Hotel. Black tie. Very fancy. Very special. They do it the Sat. prior to the Westminster show which is held at the gardens on Mon. and Tues. That year Lynn, the handler and Pat, Annie's breeder came too. It was such fun and a once in a lifetime thing for me. Twice actually but you get the idea. It was an amazing weekend. It also brought back all the tears when it was time to leave after the show. Annie had lived with Lynn for almost 3 yrs during her career and Lynn had grown to love Annie. It was an emotional parting. She cried and I cried and people just watching that knew what was happening cried as they watched Lynn having to say good bye to Annie that Tues. Lot's of memories.

Both of the above photo's were taken as Lynn was getting her ready to go in the ring for the last time as a team. You can see how unhappy Lynn was in the top photo. My taking her home after that last show was like a cloud hanging over the whole day.

Amber

This old photo of Amber reminded me of hitting the road with the dogs in my motor home to go to shows. It was so much work but a lot of fun too. It would take me a whole day to pack. All the dog show stuff; dryers, grooming tables, crates, expens, food for them, food for me, show clothes, travel clothes, filling it with water, filling it with gas, checking everything 3 times over.

You can't really see it but the dogs are in a double expen

The first Ivy Gables Piper

This little Tibetan was the first adult dog I sold. He was out of my very first litter I believe and he was still just under a year if memory serves me. I knew it was the right thing to do because he would be one of two dogs and get lots of attention and you can not keep them all. I had wanted to show him which is why I had kept him but decided he really was pet quality and not to show him. I met his new owners 1/2 way at some friends of theirs in Maryland. I cried so hard they felt horrid buying him at that moment. He has a wonderful home with them and it was the right thing to do but that was so hard.

I could go on and on about all the memories but that's all I'll make you all endure for now. A friend once told me to make sure my life was filled with lots of good memories because in the end that's all we have. Good advice.

More snippets of this and that

2010-01-09T19:28:00.000-05:00

I ended up doing a lot of shopping these past couple of weeks, for dog supplies.   I have a bit more time with little outdoor chores, the holidays behind us and no puppies.     It's a good time to go through things and update what needs updating and replace what needs replacing.

I bought more baby gates....you can never have enough baby gates when you have various ages of dogs and puppies.   I LOVE LOVE LOVE the First Year Hands Free one. More people come here and can't figure it out because you just step on it and it opens.   Handy always.   Expensive though as far as gates go.   I got my other ones at Petsmart but did a search and found Amazon has them much less expensively with free shipping to boot. After about 5 yrs of constant use I had two that needed to be replaced.

I also bought a Scat Mat.   I love them. This is about our 3rd I think.   It's great for those dogs that jump the gates you buy. My Joey is a jumper.   His sister Ginger is too. They are both light boned and just glide through the air it seems. My only two that do that.   So I put the Scat Mat on the floor in front of the gate and that ends that. I put both the First Years gate and the Scat Mat on the widget so you can link to the Amazon page for pictures of them if your interested.

I still need to buy more Coolero beds for this summer for outdoors in the kennels. I love them and more importantly the dogs love them. I use them inside and out but the ones left outdoors all year need replacing every other year or so.

My washer still isn't fixed.    They came and determined they had to replace the entire inside drum and whatever else that holds it in place. The parts are on order and will be delivered here. They come back on the 25th of Jan. to finish the job.   6 Weeks without a washer in a house with many animals. Yikes!

The 28th of this month my Annie will be 12 yrs. old.   I can't believe she's that old already. She acts like a puppy most of the time.   She doesn't seem to physically age.     I hope she stays that way too for many more years to come. Her two kids, Joey and Ginger seem to be staying young and agile as well.   There really is so much to genetics.    I'll have to take her on an outing that day and bake something special for her.

Scarlet is still doing well today and little Opie is back to his sweet playful self.   He ran and played  with all the young adults today. He's like any other dog...just a little slower.    I will get him on the web site next week.

I am going to have to start talking more about all my healthy dogs.   It seems like I've spent a lot of time writing about special needs dogs to the exclusion of all my healthy dogs which is btw the majority of them.   I guess it's human nature to talk about the problems sometimes because they are what take up your time and can present you with the most challenges.

And lastly, the grooming continues..... lots of pictures are being taken for here and the website grooming page which I lost in the reformatting of my hard drive.   On the bright side it can never hurt to up date pages that have been there since I started the web site years ago.   With better capabilities to take really good pictures it's a good thing. I'm very visual so I appreciate pictures myself.

Miss Scarlet

2010-01-08T21:39:00.001-05:00

Scarlet last spring when we were first trying to figure out what was wrong with her

Since I had to reformat my hard drive I ended up going through pictures to see what I had and what I lost. I came upon this one of Scarlet when she first was having trouble with her mobility last March. She spent all her time on that bed by where I sit on the couch other than when she was being carried in and out to potty.

She is continuing to do well. I haven't seen much more improvement since the first treatment but she's on no drugs at all and comes up the stairs from outside or downstairs with just a little trouble. On level ground she's actually been slow running. We have dutch doors in places in the house and she's been standing on her hind legs with her front paws up on the ledge to see what's going on which is just amazing considering last week she could barely get up from lying down without help while on rimadyl. Today was her third treatment. She goes 3 times next week as well. As I said initially if she doesn't get any better than she is now I am happy. Her life now is relatively normal and she seems much happier and not in any pain at all. We can both live with that.

Scarlet this morning

Opie

2010-01-08T21:14:00.001-05:00

Opie before he left in Sept.

Some of you that have followed the web site may remember Opie. Opie was the little sable and white boy born last June with a deformed right front leg.   His father is Nacho who I believe carried the gene for this so I neutered him right after Opie was born.
I was lucky enough to get Opie back last night from a less than good situation. He's a great little puppy and I am happy he's back here so I can find a more appropriate home for him where he's cared for and loved the way he should be. I got him back with his coat chopped up & matted (how does a 6 month old get that matted?) no shots given since he left here & an ear infection.   We had all that snow over Christmas and I'm sure that contributed to the mats but at this age it's uncommon on a dog kept inside to have mats even if they went out in snow. You usually don't see mats until their undercoat starts coming in at about 7 or 8 months.

Oh well, I am usually pretty good at placing puppies and have turned down more than a few homes over the years but I missed the mark on this one. Just glad he's here now. I'll groom him and take him in to my vet's next week to get checked over and up to date on his shots.   I had medicine for his ears and started that right away.

Opie last night when he got home.

He polished off a bowl of food within 15 min. being home. He was fearful but not so much so that he was going to pass on a new tasty food. He was terrified of all the dogs barking at first but I just put him in the kitchen with Tawny and bless her heart, she was so good with him. He was so scared at first he tried to get between the fridge and the wall to get away from her, which is impossible. She made big circles to give him his space and made no eye contact with him and basically ignored him other than an occasional glance which is exactly what he needed from her at that time. She just let him be until he was comfortable and today they are playing as if they were never apart. She did great with him. I was so proud of her, especially given her history. It didn't take long for him to be the happy puppy he was.

Scarlet and her diagnosis and treatment...the good and the bad

2010-01-05T20:10:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was Scarlets big day. She was spayed and while under sedation additional films were taken to try to pinpoint where her pain is coming from. The vet wanted to check the laxity in her joints while she was sedated so he could freely manipulate her. He felt it had to be double cruciate tears that were painful but not completely torn.   He wasn't the first vet that said that.   But when the other vet took exrays he said " no, that's not it".   Each one of the vets that have seen her have said in the end "she's a mystery".   Nothing fit.

This has been going on now for almost 10 months.   She's been seen many times and no one could really say what or why. Blood tests and lab work were done and more ex rays than I can count have been taken. The only thing that has helped her to get up and walk has been prednisone but long term there are many reasons not to give this drug. Liver and kidney failure and glaucoma are just a few.   As my vet said, "it will shorten her life".   My reply was " I would shorten her life before watching her go through much more of this".

I had high hopes he would be right about it being a double cruciate tear and then we could take care of this. They were dashed when he showed me the films when I went to pick her up. She didn't have anything wrong with her knee's and the only thing this can be attributed to was the transitional vertebra in her spine.

This wasn't good news.   Firstly, OFA, on their website, says you can breed dogs with transitional vertebra. This is as bad, in my opinion, after going through this with Scarlet, as hip dysplasia is. I can't imagine bad hips being much more painful than what she's been going through.   Yet OFA gives them a certificate and says you may breed them as long as you don't breed them to another dog with the same thing.  The theory being that her offspring could be in this kind of pain but only if they get it from both parents. I believe this to be wrong. She shouldn't have been bred and had I known what I now know she wouldn't have been bred.   I will write to OFA and tell them our story and ask why they feel this is ok.

I was the last person at the vets when picking her up and I was so discouraged because it's awful to watch an animal hurt and prednisone was a bad long term drug and rimadyl is about as effective as taking an aspirin after major surgery. We discussed the options and he told me about a new alternative therapy...laser treatment for pain management.   I was guardedly skeptical but desperate enough to agree to give it a try.   He said "lets do the first one now before you leave". It was late but I was grateful he was willing to stay and get it done.   She would have to go every other day for two weeks and then you taper off and then do it on an as needed basis.   The treatment was about $40 ea. Less costly than surgery but a waste of money if it wasn't really effective and with alternative treatments you never know.   He had treated her wound from surgery before I went to pick her up because she seemed to be in pain when she woke up. He didn't charge me for that one which was nice.   It only took about 10 or 15 minutes and a vet assistant brought her out to me.   I worried about her future on the way home and pretty much all night. I really didn't have high hopes for the laser being affective.

This morning to my utter delight Scarlet got up on her own and actually walked very close to normally. I was and still am shocked.   It truly brought tears to my eyes to see her not in pain without drugs. Her stride was still a tad choppy but much longer than she's had.   She usually shifted her weight constantly from leg to leg back and forth the whole time she stands but she was just standing without shifting at all.   She has been that way all day too.   I immediately emailed the vet with my news.   When he called later in the day I told him if she gets no better than she is today I would still be happy.   She probably will improve though if this is only her first treatment.   I tell you, if you have a dog in pain and laser treatment is available locally give it a try.   If it's half as effective as it was for Scarlet you will be glad you did.

I'll keep you all updated how things go with the rest of her treatments this next 2 weeks.

Dec 28 - Jan 3 Poll

2010-01-04T07:44:00.001-05:00

Last weeks poll results:

What do you feed your dogs?

Dry kibble                       4
Wet food from a can        2
Wet homemade food       2
People food                      2
Other                               1

5 voters

Happy New Year and more this & that

2010-01-03T12:11:00.003-05:00

Hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable New Years Eve and day.

We've been feeling less than well at our house with sneezes and sniffles. Even Scarlet got in on the act with 2 vet visits this week.

Scarlet has been a mystery girl since last March with something affecting her mobility. She has so much trouble getting up sometimes I've been having to help her raise her rear end. Once up she does just ok getting around.   I first took her to the vet in March where they thought she had multiple myeloma.   She didn't. More vet visits and prednisone. The prednisone worked fairly well but didn't cure whatever she has. Lots of exrays taken of back and rear legs with only comments about how well her back and legs look.   She was OFA'd good but with a transitional spine.   OFA's website discusses transitional spines and I was assured repeatedly by all the vets this has nothing to do that.   She's going tomorrow to be spayed and have yet more exrays done while she's under for a better look. If that doesn't produce answers then we go back to Virginia Tech with her.   She's just 5 years old so hope we can get the answers we so need to resolve this for her.

As I've learned over time with the dogs, if you have them long enough and have enough of them sometimes things come up, just as with people, that isn't easily explained or understood.   You hope for easy answers when they are sick or hurting and usually you get them but not always.   I will keep my fingers crossed tomorrow that something explainable will show itself.

As for my week of grooming...the only dog that got groomed was Scarlet.   So next week will hopefully see me get this past weeks work done.   Between Scarlet and being sick and the washer not working we got little done on our list of to-do's. I did, at least, get all the software back on the computer after having to reformat my hard drive. Unfortunately I lost a lot of pictures along the way. Sigh. I've yet to update the web site though.   Maybe today.

As a side note.... If anyone thinks the "olden days" are better I am here to tell you after doing much laundry by hand this week... for the most part...I'll take today with our modern conveniences. I hate laundromats. The machines they have don't do a good job. I was tempted to just go buy another machine rather than wait but I did not.

Happy New Year!

Dec 20 - 26 Poll

2009-12-28T00:48:00.002-05:00

Last weeks poll results:

What are your favorite presents to give your dogs for Christmas?

Toys                        2
Bones or chewies     3
Other food treats     0
Collars or leashes     1
Clothing                  0
Other                      0
Nothing - bad dog    0

3 voters

Christmas & this and that

2009-12-28T00:28:00.004-05:00

This was the scene looking out my living room window Christmas. I usually don't have the bird feeder on the porch because we have cats too but since the cats stayed in with all the snow it was a wonderful treat to watch the birds out the window. I put some warm water out for them and sprinkled seed all along the top of the railings as well.

All the dogs have been experiencing cabin fever and are really getting tired of not being able to just flat out run. We spent a considerable amount of time trying to keep an area of the small yard swept free of snow which of course is impossible when you've gotten 18" of the stuff. The dogs just had to wade in it if they wanted more of the yard than the 10' x 10' area we cleared for a potty place. Some of the younger guys thorougly enjoyed it and didn't seem to mind a bit having to hop through all the snow. The older dogs weren't as enamored with it so they've been getting a lot more couch time to make up for it.

Usually I make doggie cookies for them for Christmas but getting all this snow and trying to keep on top of it my time for baking was really limited so they just got extra store bought biscuits and a larger than normal chewie for their Christmas treats. I had already bought all the ingredients so I will freeze the perishable parts and use for making them Valentines day treats.

To add insult to injury my wonderful Whirlpool frontloading washer decided to come unhinged. Somehow the basket isn't stable in it right now so Sears was called but they can't be here until the 5th of Jan. I do at least one load every single day of doggie laundry. Yikes! I don't dare use it although it is working. It just sounds like it's going to come through the side of the machine it's so loose. I guess I'll be spending time at the laundromat. And my hard drive messed up and I had to reformat it yet AGAIN so the website will be further out of date before I get that all reinstalled and downloaded etc. etc. At least with the blog I can stay in touch. Small blessings. We have to be thankful for them where ever they may be.

Tomorrow starts a week of grooming. Nails will be trimmed, pads shaved out, ears plucked and bathes will be had by all. I use an Arco Moser clipper by Wahl for fine detailed trimming and an Andis clipper for body work when doing puppy clips. Usually I have a hard time finding the Moser blades and have to get them online but I found one at Tractor Supply of all places. I'll try to do pictures. I get so many people asking me what they should tell a groomer when they take their dogs in to be clipped.

Just for Fun Weekly Polls

2009-12-21T16:47:00.001-05:00

Aren't you always just a bit curious about what other people do when their dogs do this or that? I am. So I've decided to add a weekly poll to the site. This will be a great way to find out. I will add it each Sun. from now on and I will also add a post at the end so that the results will be remain available in the archives in case you miss one and want to see the results.

Feel free to make suggestions in the comments section if you have an idea for one and I'll try and fit it in. So come on....join in and tell us all what you give your dogs for Christmas.

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow

2009-12-19T04:10:00.001-05:00

So far we've got over a foot since it started at about 4pm.   I didn't want to take the tarps off the kennels because even though we aren't putting the dogs out in them they will go in when they are just out in the yard.   Ok....I didn't want to because I was just being lazy and hoping I could get away with leaving them up till spring.   I should have known better.

The only other bad snow we've had since I've lived in Virginia I had left the tarps up. That time I didn't know better. I woke up the next morning and the snow on the tarps had actually collapsed the kennels.   It bent the top poles the tarps were on but even worse, the weight when it collapsed bent the top pole holding the chain link so they were still straight on the bottom but made a V shape on top. It' was a mess.   I thought I could just keep going out and shake the snow off the tops. I tried that a half dozen times in as many hours.   The last time I went out one top piece that holds the tarp had bent so I just undid the rest before I had a repeat of the last bad snow.

Now I just have to keep an area cleaned off so the dogs can get out to potty. They love the snow! They run and run and run in it.   Then they come in like little snow critters.    I'll have to take pictures in the morning.

Great Owners

2009-12-17T13:29:00.003-05:00

I got this card in an email today and it really warmed my heart and made me reflect on how lucky I have been in connecting with some really great people that truly love their dogs and make them a large part of their families, not just when it's easy because it's a great dog but when it's really hard, for one reason or another as well.

The family that have the dogs in the above picture started with the little back and white dog, Sadie, on the left. They really were devoted owners to Sadie. I got pictures and notes about Sadie on a fairly regular basis. It was very clear they loved Sadie profoundly. Especially memorable was a video I received from the Dad in the family about putting Sadie to bed. It followed Sadie through the house and up the stairs and ended with Sadie all tucked into a big bed. It was adorable, maybe more so because there was so much love in that video.

If your honest as a breeder and you've been doing it for any time you end up bringing into the world puppies that have congenital defects. You can test for some disorders and minimize this to a certain extent, but still just like in the human world things happen. Genes come together in a way that create a defect that you didn't expect. I've always said there is no shame in producing a puppy with a congenital defect. The shame comes in not dealing with it in a responsible way afterwards.

When I got the video from Sadie's dad I had a dog that was about a year old that had been born deaf. We had one other deaf puppy born a year or so earlier and had been having the dogs tested for hearing to try and figure out where this gene was coming from. Because dogs can produce a defect that they themselves don't have but carry a gene for, it can be a bit like detective work. We finally had it pretty much figured out and eliminated the dogs we believed were carrying the genes from the breeding program.

The next step when you do produce a puppy with a fairly significant defect is to decide if euthanasia is appropriate or if there is an alternative way to give the puppy a good life. The decision was pretty easy for me. The puppies weren't in pain and seemed to deserve a shot at a home and family. So I got a book and read everything I could on the Internet as well about training a deaf dog. I realized with the first puppy that because they don't have the same distractions as a hearing dog they actually pay more attention and pick up things quicker. We made hand signals for sit, down, no, good dog, potty and go out. After she had learned all this we got her spay and found a great home for her. When Lil Bit came along (she's the dog on the right in the above picture) and was deaf as well, we did the same thing with her and then began looking for a home for her.

It was about that time that I received the video about Sadie. I knew Sadie's dad had been looking for another Tibetan so I offered him Lil Bit and he agreed to take her. It was perfect for Lil Bit because deaf dogs often do better in a home with another dog. The deaf dog will read the hearing dogs cues and it makes it easier for them. I shipped Lil Bit off to her new family and after a bit of an adjustment period things seemed to be going well.

If that were the end of the story it would be great but it wasn't. When I was doing my research on training deaf dogs I repeatedly read that the main problem with deaf dogs and the one that makes many breeders choose euthanasia as opposed to training and placing them is that some deaf dogs will bite at some point when startled. It's usually when they are awakened. They don't have the filter of sound to ease them into consciousness. This isn't the only time they may bite from being startled but the most frequent one. You can see this one coming can't you? Yes, Lil Bit began biting. She's a loving dog and sweet but when startled on occasion she began to nip or bite. I don't believe Lil Bit is a bad dog nor does this family. She's a victim of the circumstances of what she was born with. It's been a challenge for this family I am sure, but so far, they've somehow managed to keep Lil Bit and deal with her issues.

I feel blessed by this family that has given Lil Bit a good home and lots of love. And I feel blessed by all the other families that have done the same for other dogs or puppies that have been less than perfect in one way or another. I believe there is a special place in heaven for you all. Happy Holidays.

Putting the kennels to bed for winter

2009-12-09T08:31:00.003-05:00

It's wet and cold here in Virginia. We were blessed with an exceptionally nice autumn. Normally we put the kennels to bed in Oct. and this year we used them for a couple of hours a day all the way through till about a week ago unless it was rainy. Even with them being covered they get muddy in them. The dogs come in at night always and in spring and fall we only use them for a few hours a day. In the summer they are used more but on really hot days everyone comes in during midday.

Even when the dogs are in them more we let them take turns being out in the yard to run. The kennels are a nice and easy way to keep different age dogs separated. The older guys don't always want to be part of the busyness the younger dogs love. And puppies can't annoy the older dogs or get put in their place by the adolescents. I think everyone misses going out for longer periods during the day when we don't use them though.

This and that

2009-12-06T23:09:00.001-05:00

Hardly seems possible it's been a week since I last posted. This has been a week of being as busy as I am in the spring. Part of the reason is because we TURNED OFF THE TV...yikes! We love television in this house. Too much so. I call Direct TV a couple of times a year and have it turned off. We are too far into the country to get anything on regular TV so it really means no TV. It's almost shocking how much gets done when I do this. When I compare TV time to non TV time productively I can't imagine why I ever turn it back on.

Much of the week has been spent on my hobby farm things. With the first very cold weather I ended up building more/different animal housing which was fun and a learning experience. Then one of my dairy goats came in season and had to find a "boyfriend" for her which was time consuming and as it turned out they didn't like one another so fruitless as well. We left her for a stay over but when I picked her up on Sat. in the very cold wet slushy weather I was told things didn't get better with mom gone. Goats, unlike dogs, only come into season in the fall so it takes on a more urgent tone. No babies, no milk. Oh well.

My girls of the doggie variety may have brought her into season because I have number of them in heat as well. It's always an interesting time when the girls come in. One brings in another. And it lasts a long time. Goats do the same thing in 24 hours. Dogs last weeks. And the last week is a test of how much you love your dogs. Both the girls and the boys are miserable. And vocal about how miserable they are. And even the girls not in season get in on the act. Lots of drama, all night crying and sometimes howling, fighting, testing boundaries that any other time wouldn't even be acknowledged.

We did end up breeding Ginger and Denver yesterday. She's an very pretty golden sable Annie daughter and he's a tri so should get some nice colors. Since we haven't had puppies since last June it will be nice to have babies around again. Still it will be good to have things back to normal. Everyone, dog and human will be ready for a couple of nights of good sleep to make up for the past couple of weeks.

Learning about our dogs and how to train them

2009-11-29T17:46:00.005-05:00

I love to learn new things and anything dog related is always going to catch my eye. Reading is a great way to learn new things so I consequently have a room in my home that is wall to wall books and a large number of them are dog related.

If you've been here before you may have noticed the addition of the Amazon.com My Favorites widget in the right sidebar. I love love love Amazon.com. I buy a number of books online as many books I want are more specialized than the local Barnes and Noble keeps in stock. I also love that I can buy many of them for next to nothing at Amazon. Just a few months ago I bought Dog Rules by Kyra Sundance at Amazon.com for $.01.... yes, that's one penny, plus shipping of $3.99. A bargain any way you look at it. Many books I buy online at Amazon are purchase used. They describe the condition so I can get books in good or new condition very reasonably and never leave my home.

I wonder though, how many of you know of Dogwise.com.   As the name implies it's a dog bookstore online.   It has many more titles in the dog category than even Amazon.com has.   I found them at a conference I attented years ago for APDT. They had a table there with so many wonderful titles I didn't even know existed. Occasionally they are at a dogshow as well.   There online bookstore is frequented by dog behaviorists, trainers and other dog professionals as well as pet owners so they carry titles not likely to be easily found elsewhere. I highly recommend visiting their web and looking over the many titles the next time you want to make a dog book purchase.

As for the Amazon.com's My Favorites widget, many of those are books I have now. Some are titles I want. One is not available any longer ...the Leslie Neilson video for the recall.   I added it anyway, because if you are interested in obedience and have difficulty with the recall....as I did with my Sarah....Leslie is awesome and Dogwise may carry it. I saw her at that same conference I discovered Dogwise at and have a tape of her presentation at that conference that helped me immensely when I was getting ready to show Sarah in obedience.

I think the 2 most valuable no matter where you are with dog ownership are "Culture Clash and "The language of Dogs".  The langueage of dogs could clear up so many of those questions about why a dog is acting the way he's acting. That question is mostly asked when the way the dog is acting is problematic for the owner who has no clue how to "read" the dogs behavior. Jean Donaldson wrote Culture Clash and brought a new perspective to how we look at our dogs and the dogs perspective on being trained.  Knowing the dogs perspective can help figure out how to teach the dog so they want to learn what it is your teaching. People getting puppies for the first time or for the first time in a while may do well with "Raising a Puppy You Can Live With".   A number of the others are for more serious obedience training and not really good for general interest unless your competing and some were added just because they are interesting.   I have not yet read the one by Marc Beckoff on dogs morals but I am sure it will be on my coffee table within the month. I don't know why but I love the "101 Dog Tricks" by Kyra Sundance but I do.  Maybe I just admire her devotion and commitment to her beloved Chalcy.    Or maybe it's just because when it's all said and done I love books almost as much as I love dogs.

Meet Tawny - part 2

2009-11-27T18:25:00.001-05:00

As I mentioned in the last Tawny post, she was a stinker as a very young puppy. She was not at all tolerant of the other puppies if they had something she wanted. She would growl, lunge, pin them down until she got what they had. To make matters worse she was the biggest of all the puppies, male or female. After a bit of time it got so they just gave her whatever she wanted without her having to challenge them for it. She had established herself as the dominant dog of their little pack.

I would get stressed over her being a bully frequently. I would keep the more timid puppies in the kitchen with me while the others were out playing so there was no chance of them experiencing Tawny's wrath. I had made up my mind early on that I wouldn't keep her. I planned to sell her as an only dog because she was just the opposite with people. She was so sweet, so loving, so thrilled to get your attention and affection. I knew she would be a great puppy as long as she was an only puppy or if there was another dog in her new family-to-be's home already, it would need to be older, larger and not too submissive.

When I started teaching the dogs clicker though I found myself wanting to keep her. I struggled with her being exactly what I wanted for obedience and what her dark side would mean if I kept her for my other dogs. I put her on the web site for sale. Of course, primarily because of her coloring, I had many inquiries. Then I had 2 people that decided they wanted to buy within a 24 hour period. Here it was, decision time. I told them both no, I had changed my mind and I was keeping her. Yikes! What was I getting myself and my other dogs into? It felt like a bad decision but I just couldn't let her go.

I usually have an attitude that things work out as they are suppose to. If you are patient and don't force things, somehow it just works out. We may not know how a difficult situation could possibly work because we can't see the solution but in a way you could never have imaginged, it does. I also believe dogs are the very best teachers to other dogs. They show them exactly what behaviors are exceptable and which ones aren't much better than most humans ever could. Their punishment can be swift, to the point and very effective. Usually for a puppy it comes from an adult dog. But sometimes it can come from other puppies.

And that's exactly what happened to Tawny. The other puppies decided they had put up with enough of her nonsense. They began to fight back. They sort of joined forces and as a group, put her in her place. And then, with some success at giving Tawny a thorough thrashing they gained confidence. And like many bullies, when backed into a corner, Tawny cried uncle. I could never have planned it or counted on it working out like it did but some how it did work out. Better than I could have ever planned.

Now, when I hear a puppy crying outdoors because play is getting a little rough and I think I should probably stick my head out the door and see who it is and if they need me to intervine it's always just that, play that's gotten a little too rough. And it's always Tawny that is on the bottom crying now. She's as good natured now, with the other puppies, as she always had been with people and I am so glad I kept her.

It was very interesting to watch this all unfold. It reminded me of a title to book I've been wanting to read; Wild Justice - The Moral Lives of Animals by Marc Beckoff and Jessica Pierce. I may have to add it to my Christmas wish list.

Rainy days and Tibetans feet

2009-11-23T13:31:00.002-05:00

I hate rainy days. I especially hate many rainy days strung all together. Our forecast says it’s going to rain through Thanksgiving day. I only hate rainy days because the dogs hate them. They look out and say “no, we don’t have to go out, thanks anyway”. Or if I make them go, they sit on the stoop where they aren’t going to get wet and just watch the rain come down until I let them back in. Now this is only the case if I have the big yard closed and they have to do their business in the gravel yard. If I give in, which happens a lot, and let them run in the big yard, they are fine with going outside. But then what’s the point of having a gravel yard? I separated the yards, in part, so they wouldn’t get their feet so muddy on wet days. Which brings me to my next subject - feet.

I love Tibetan feet. It’s a big part of what makes them look Tibetan. The longer the coat is on their feet the cuter they are. But those feet are also like little mops in rainy weather that suck up dirt, leaves and anything else loose they run through. And they’re like Velcro. Once debris gets in it’s a nuisance, at best, getting it out. I keep feet trimmed pretty short for the most part and I always shave their pads when I do nails but still the dogs hate having their feet messed with especially when they are wet or matted. And of course wet feet make matted feet unless you mess with them so it’s a no win situation. Which brings me back to my first subject. I hate rainy days!

Meet Tawny - part 1

2009-11-22T01:21:00.001-05:00

Tawny was born this past June. She's a pretty color but that's not why I kept her. I've been wanting to train another dog for obedience and was keeping an eye on the puppies this summer to see who might be a good candidate and Tawny surely fit the bill.

I wasn't at all sure I wanted to keep her initially. She was one little stinker of a puppy. Loving and sweet and exuberent with people but ~~queen bee~~ a bully with the other puppies. When you have a multi dog household, life is much easier if everyone behaves cordially to each other. Having a difficult puppy around or at least one that thinks the world should go according to their wishes isn't always conducive to living harmoniously. Well, to be real honest, most of time having a multi dog household isn't conducive to living harmoniously. Like having a large family of children, someone's always got an issue or isn't feeling well or didn't get their share of treats or attention, so the idea of keeping a puppy that wants to be # 1 right out of the whelping box was making me question my sanity.

I went out one day in mid summer when the puppies were about 8 weeks old and one by one brought them in, alone, into the kitchen and taught them what the clicker was. A clicker, for anyone that doesn't know, is a small hand held plastic box that has a piece in it that when depressed makes a distinctive noise.You make a noise with the clicker and toss the dog a piece of a treat. Usually something soft and yummy and of high value in the dogs mind. I use little pieces of hotdogs. You don't say a word while doing this. Slowly and silently you repeat this until they look up expectenly when they hear the noise. I read somewhere with most dogs it takes 20 times of click/treat for them to associate the noise and treat. Now they are ready to learn using a clicker. You just wait until they do what you want them to do and click and treat them. This is always the hardest part for me. Patiently waiting for them to sit. You can't cheat and talk or do what we used to do years ago and push their little butts to the floor making them sit. No, you have to wait for them to do it on their own. They don't know they are doing anything for you. They just get tired of waiting for you to throw them a treat and eventually sit. Click and treat immediately...as soon as their little butts hit the ground. Click first and then toss the treat to them. You will have to do it a few times but they do figure it out and a lot quicker than they do when we repeatedly push their bodies into whatever position we want them to be in while say over and over again - sit, sit sit Rover sit. When you are teaching with a clicker you can actually see the wheels turning as they are trying to figure out what it is that's getting you to throw that treat. And you aren't using verbal language at all at this stage. Eventually you verbally label it but that comes later. For now your teaching the dog to learn and think for him self.

So one by one the puppies were put to the test. How long did they each need to figure it all out? It's always fast with the clicker but some puppies aren't particularly food motived and that slows it down and others are like little adhd puppies at first that can't stop moving long enough to see what I've got in my hand. Some even shy away at first from the noise of the clicker. But they all did learn the clicker and a sit before they went back out to play with their siblings. And none took longer than 1/2 hour. But Tawny was so focused and food motivated she was making me take notice. She was a quick study for sure.

Within a week she had mastered sit, down, touch my hand and touch the end of a dowel. And she was loving every minute of it. While the other puppies were out running around in the yard playing puppy-tag she would sit at the back door wanting to come back in to "play clicker".

First post to new blog

2009-11-21T19:11:00.000-05:00

Well this is my first post to the new blog.   So many people email me to tell me they follow the Ivy Gables web site and enjoy keeping up with what we are doing or have going on that I decided this might be a fun addition. Hopefully it will also be a place for me to refer back to when I can't quite remember when exactly I did what or when I am just in the mood to reminisce.

As time goes by I wish I had kept better track of some of the more memorable events that have happened with all the dogs. Some things are easy to remember....Annie's Best in Show wins, Sarah getting her AKC obedience title, my first litter of puppies. Those are easy, but there were many many days and steps leading to those accomplishments. Many of those memories have been lost forever because I didn't journal them.

Sometimes I will be trying to teach a new dog or puppy something and know I've done it before but just can't quite remember how I did it.  Or a dog will have an injury or be sick and I know I know what this is and have been here before but can't quite shake that knowledge out of my brain.   And behavior issues and solutions - I've come up with some creative things over the years but can't always remember what exactly it was I did when so and so was doing this or that.

So hopefully this will be the place to write down those things. You know, the little things that are our days that add up to weeks and months and then if we're lucky years and decades.