Do you know how much noise a disgruntled Tervuren can make when he’s confined to a crate at night?
This is not a rhetorical question.
Since Jamie’s “spell” last week, I’ve started crating him at night. The reasons are threefold:
1) He is still occasionally a menace to himself and thinks he can do things that are not a very good idea. Leaping for the bed and crashing backward when he doesn’t make it fall into this category. This is not appreciated by anyone involved.
2) He has become oddly nocturnal - prowling and pacing. His constant motion and difficulty settling down at night tends to disturb the other residents of our house who are firm believers in getting their 8 hours. This nocturnal-ity (is that even a word?) has brought with it the arbitrary Belgian decision that all residents should rise and shine at 4 a.m. We’re early risers at our house but we’re not dairy farmers. Even Phoenix doesn’t want to get up that early.
3) It’s in his own best interest. Morning routines since Phoenix’s arrival 5 1/2 years ago are as such: clock radio clicks on, Belgians leap up and greet the day with a series of chest bumps, ruff biting, growling and ricocheting off the walls and furniture while racing through the house. That was all fine and good when Jamie could keep all four feet under him. He gave as good as he got and it ensured that no one ever slept through the alarm.
While I refuse to call him frail or elderly, at age 13 it’s clear that those rough-and-tumble mornings need to be behind him. Since neither he nor Phoenix see it that way, I’m left in the role of enforcer. An ounce of prevention is worth a trip to the emergency vet.
Hence, Jamie is sleeping (or not) in a crate at night. He’s still loose in the house during the day so really, his life isn’t that awful. I gate him out of the bedroom so he’s not tempted to try flying/crashing bed leaps. He can safely get onto “his” couch, which is where he spends 98 percent of his day. And Phoenix is crated during the day so the Belgian demo derby is not taking place.
Jamie has not been crated at night since he was 2. He thinks this is one of the worse ideas I’ve ever had (other bad ideas included Halloween costumes and handing him off to a friend for veterans class group stays). I swear he deliberately tries to see how much noise he can make at night. He grumbled, panted, turned in circles, barked, dug at the bedding and lashed his tail against the crate sides. Who knew a dog could make so much noise just laying down!
So I moved him to a soft-side crate. I resurrected his old Doggonegood crate (the original classic style - how old is that!), the one with the worn out zipper that I would never trust at a trial site but is good enough for nightly incarceration. He made up for the lack of metal-induced noise by trying to scratch a nest in the canvas floor from 1 to 3 a.m.
Yep. Poster child for disgruntled. I tried explaining it to him. IF you would lie down and go to sleep. IF you would not try ill-advised nighttime acrobatics. IF you would quit with the endless prowling. IF you would please NOT stand at the side of the bed, staring and poking me from 4 a.m. until 5:30 a.m. IF you and Phoenix would try NOT killing each other every morning. THEN you could sleep loose again.
This met with one of Jamie’s very calm, very patient stares. It’s The Look he’s given me for 13 years. The one that says “Yeah whatever, Mom. Get over it.” I love that look. Silly old dog.
My next idea is an ex-pen. I’ll probably have to re-arrange the bedroom furniture first.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Jamie update, agility pics
It's been 7 days since Jamie's vestibular episode and I'd say he's back to about 90 percent normal. He still loses control of his hind end very easily (slick floors, sudden turns) and the hardest part of his recovery has been convincing Phoenix he can't play crash and run games with his brother any more.
Over the weekend, the boys had "spa day," and I needed to put Jamie on the grooming table. I envisioned him putting his front paws on the table and letting me boost his hind end up. He was having no part of that. I finally got him up there but think we'll just groom on the floor from now on, We're going to have to practice getting in and out of the van, though, because he HAS to let me help him do that or he'll fall on his head.
Even though Jamie is back to eating meals out of his bowl off the floor, I'm checking into an elevated feeder for him. He still has to "aim" his mouth at his bowl and really, meals just shouldn't be that much work.
Here's Phoenix in all his glory from a September agility trial (photos by Nieder Arts Photography).
Over the weekend, the boys had "spa day," and I needed to put Jamie on the grooming table. I envisioned him putting his front paws on the table and letting me boost his hind end up. He was having no part of that. I finally got him up there but think we'll just groom on the floor from now on, We're going to have to practice getting in and out of the van, though, because he HAS to let me help him do that or he'll fall on his head.
Even though Jamie is back to eating meals out of his bowl off the floor, I'm checking into an elevated feeder for him. He still has to "aim" his mouth at his bowl and really, meals just shouldn't be that much work.
Here's Phoenix in all his glory from a September agility trial (photos by Nieder Arts Photography).
I love it when his paws are going in 4 different directions.
This would be the rare, short-legged malinois variety.
I really think gravity does not apply to this dog.
Love my Skinny Little Dog. He is a gift in so many ways.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Jamie update - happy day
It's been about 72 hours since Jamie's vestibular episode (attack? spell? event? I really don't know what to call it). He continues to make steady, positive progress. From everything I've read, sounds like "recovery" can take up to a month, so I'm pretty happy.
He's moving much better today. Still occasionally wobbles in the back end but that can probably be said for many of us. The only thing I'm seeing is he's no longer as sure footed on the kitchen vinyl as he was before. He also loses his balance and tips over when he tries to spin and keep up with Phoenix, regardless of the footing.
The head tilt is still there and he may just keep it for awhile. Happy to report he ate breakfast (yay!) out of a bowl (yay!) on the floor (triple yay!) this a.m. He still has not regained all his fine motor control and it takes him a bit to approach the bowl and size it up to get his muzzle in it but this was the first morning he was able to eat without it being elevated. If this proves difficult in the future, I'll go back to holding his bowl up for him. It doesn't take him that long to eat, believe me. He was raised by shelties.
He's also getting on and off "his" couch again, something that was out of the question for the first couple of days.
Thanks, everyone, for your concern and positive thoughts. They're very much appreciated.
He's moving much better today. Still occasionally wobbles in the back end but that can probably be said for many of us. The only thing I'm seeing is he's no longer as sure footed on the kitchen vinyl as he was before. He also loses his balance and tips over when he tries to spin and keep up with Phoenix, regardless of the footing.
The head tilt is still there and he may just keep it for awhile. Happy to report he ate breakfast (yay!) out of a bowl (yay!) on the floor (triple yay!) this a.m. He still has not regained all his fine motor control and it takes him a bit to approach the bowl and size it up to get his muzzle in it but this was the first morning he was able to eat without it being elevated. If this proves difficult in the future, I'll go back to holding his bowl up for him. It doesn't take him that long to eat, believe me. He was raised by shelties.
He's also getting on and off "his" couch again, something that was out of the question for the first couple of days.
Thanks, everyone, for your concern and positive thoughts. They're very much appreciated.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Crisis du jour
Jamie had an idiopathic vestibular episode Wednesday. He’s shown slow but steady improvement over the last 48 hours. He’s still a little wobbly but can walk without falling. The head tilt comes and goes. He can’t access his food or water bowls when they are on the floor but can eat and drink when they’re elevated.
When I got home from work Wednesday, he was staggering and disoriented, barely able to walk and clearly in a panic, trembling and panting. I recognized the symptoms immediately, as several friends have had this happen to their dogs.
The vet said there’s no specific treatment, give Benadryl to calm and sedate and keep him from being a hazard to himself, which he was. He’s been crated in a dark room (our bedroom), which seemed to help with the loss of equilibrium and subsequent nausea.
By Thursday morning, he wanted to eat but when I put his bowl on the floor, he didn’t have the eye-mouth-head coordination to do it. I hand-fed him, matching my hand position to his head tilt. We spilled a lot of food but he ate with enthusiasm.
His motor skills improved visibly within 24 hours. He could walk without falling but circled constantly to the right. When I tried to gently turn him to the left to guide him back into the crate, he toppled over. We had to take a convoluted route through the house, always turning right, to get him aimed in the correct direction to get into his crate.
By this morning, Jamie was able to turn both his head and body left and right. He shook and stretched when coming out of the crate, two behaviors I’d not seen him do for 48 hours. His rear legs occasionally operate independently of his front legs but he was able to eat breakfast out of a bowl when I held it at his head level. His head carriage is normal when he’s moving but if he stop, sits or lays down, it tilts.
I’m optimistic about a full or close to full recovery. I don’t know if he’ll have another “spell.” Hope not. It was scary enough for both of us the first time.
When I got home from work Wednesday, he was staggering and disoriented, barely able to walk and clearly in a panic, trembling and panting. I recognized the symptoms immediately, as several friends have had this happen to their dogs.
The vet said there’s no specific treatment, give Benadryl to calm and sedate and keep him from being a hazard to himself, which he was. He’s been crated in a dark room (our bedroom), which seemed to help with the loss of equilibrium and subsequent nausea.
By Thursday morning, he wanted to eat but when I put his bowl on the floor, he didn’t have the eye-mouth-head coordination to do it. I hand-fed him, matching my hand position to his head tilt. We spilled a lot of food but he ate with enthusiasm.
His motor skills improved visibly within 24 hours. He could walk without falling but circled constantly to the right. When I tried to gently turn him to the left to guide him back into the crate, he toppled over. We had to take a convoluted route through the house, always turning right, to get him aimed in the correct direction to get into his crate.
By this morning, Jamie was able to turn both his head and body left and right. He shook and stretched when coming out of the crate, two behaviors I’d not seen him do for 48 hours. His rear legs occasionally operate independently of his front legs but he was able to eat breakfast out of a bowl when I held it at his head level. His head carriage is normal when he’s moving but if he stop, sits or lays down, it tilts.
I’m optimistic about a full or close to full recovery. I don’t know if he’ll have another “spell.” Hope not. It was scary enough for both of us the first time.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Success, failure and expectations of fun
I do obedience and agility with my dogs.
I have friends who do obedience but not agility.
I have friends who do agility but not obedience.
I have friends who do both obedience and agility.
We all find the games we play with our dogs highly rewarding for a variety of reasons - sharing a relationship with another species, the physical and mental challenges of training and competing, the delight in problem solving, overcoming obstacles, the sense of achievement, the simple joy of spending time with an animal we love. The list can go on and on. Winning ribbons and prizes might be on that list but I’d guess the childish fascination with ribbons and trophies has passed for most of the folks I show with.
It’s not about the ribbons but frequently it IS about what they represent - a level of achievement. Whether or not we are able to achieve our perception of success often impacts our perception of fun. Repeated failure is generally not considered fun.
Exhibitors in any venue whose dogs fail repeatedly usually take one of two routes: they change something in their training so they can succeed or they leave the sport. It’s human nature to want to feel successful at anything we do. Even though you may not care about winning the NOI or being on the agility world team, most people have a minimum level of expectation for themselves and their dogs.
Either of the above choices is totally acceptable. No matter how much you love your dog, it’s not written anywhere that you have to love agility or that you have to love obedience (or tracking, nosework, herding, earthdog, freestyle, protection or anything else) because others proclaim these activities to be “fun.” You will naturally gravitate to the sport(s) you genuinely love and once you’re there, you’ll be willing to work through whatever training issues might stand between you and your goals because you DO find most aspects of that sport fun and rewarding.
Most of us would agree we have chosen to participate in our selected dog sports because they are fun. They appeal to us on a level we find hard to explain to “non-dog” people. Having said that, “fun” is highly subjective.
The Farmer is convinced that getting up before dawn to drive two hours, dragging crates and chairs through the snow into a semi-heated horse arena in March and sitting around in that arena for the next 7 hours, during which time you get to “play” for less than 2 minutes is not what a normal person would consider “fun.” He is quite sure he is normal. He is quite sure I am not.
So, “fun” is largely in the eye of the beholder. It’s probably safe to say none of us would do ANY sport if we didn’t think it was fun.
Right now, Phoenix and I are a bit of a mess when it comes to obedience. Although we’ve had occasional moments of brilliance, showing him in obedience this year has not been a lot of fun. So we’re taking (another) temporary break from showing.
But training him is a riot! Our ring issues have reflected training issues and as I’ve accepted a few inconvenient truths and looked for ways to change our training, that training has become more and more rewarding. I hope eventually it will pay off in the ring, where it will allow us to have genuine fun together.
I’ve thought obedience was fun since I showed my Novice A dog when I was 9 years old. If I didn’t find it fun, I would have abandoned Phoenix’s obedience career a long time ago and pursued other activities with him. I can’t explain why I think I love obedience any more than I can explain why I love strawberries and hate plums.
While I wish I could have avoided the issues that have caused our ring time not to be fun, I know this whole experience with Phoenix is invaluable. The last couple of years with this dog have been part of a priceless (and ongoing) journey.
Obviously, this business of having fun is a very complicated thing. Finding a balance between dreams, goals, reality and the whims of the obedience and agility fates is vital to finding the true fun in your chosen sport. The “we’re having fun no matter what” attitude is a nice way to recognize there’s more to life with dogs than getting titles but sometimes it’s a false pretense that does more harm than good. I see people come out of the ring disappointed, frustrated and angry. They are obviously not having fun “no matter what.”
It’s okay to make mistakes and hit rough spots and be disappointed and admit you’re not having fun. It helps us grow as trainers and in our relationships with our dogs. It’s part of life. The fun is out there, sometimes you just have to look a little harder for it.
I have friends who do obedience but not agility.
I have friends who do agility but not obedience.
I have friends who do both obedience and agility.
We all find the games we play with our dogs highly rewarding for a variety of reasons - sharing a relationship with another species, the physical and mental challenges of training and competing, the delight in problem solving, overcoming obstacles, the sense of achievement, the simple joy of spending time with an animal we love. The list can go on and on. Winning ribbons and prizes might be on that list but I’d guess the childish fascination with ribbons and trophies has passed for most of the folks I show with.
It’s not about the ribbons but frequently it IS about what they represent - a level of achievement. Whether or not we are able to achieve our perception of success often impacts our perception of fun. Repeated failure is generally not considered fun.
Exhibitors in any venue whose dogs fail repeatedly usually take one of two routes: they change something in their training so they can succeed or they leave the sport. It’s human nature to want to feel successful at anything we do. Even though you may not care about winning the NOI or being on the agility world team, most people have a minimum level of expectation for themselves and their dogs.
Either of the above choices is totally acceptable. No matter how much you love your dog, it’s not written anywhere that you have to love agility or that you have to love obedience (or tracking, nosework, herding, earthdog, freestyle, protection or anything else) because others proclaim these activities to be “fun.” You will naturally gravitate to the sport(s) you genuinely love and once you’re there, you’ll be willing to work through whatever training issues might stand between you and your goals because you DO find most aspects of that sport fun and rewarding.
Most of us would agree we have chosen to participate in our selected dog sports because they are fun. They appeal to us on a level we find hard to explain to “non-dog” people. Having said that, “fun” is highly subjective.
The Farmer is convinced that getting up before dawn to drive two hours, dragging crates and chairs through the snow into a semi-heated horse arena in March and sitting around in that arena for the next 7 hours, during which time you get to “play” for less than 2 minutes is not what a normal person would consider “fun.” He is quite sure he is normal. He is quite sure I am not.
So, “fun” is largely in the eye of the beholder. It’s probably safe to say none of us would do ANY sport if we didn’t think it was fun.
Right now, Phoenix and I are a bit of a mess when it comes to obedience. Although we’ve had occasional moments of brilliance, showing him in obedience this year has not been a lot of fun. So we’re taking (another) temporary break from showing.
But training him is a riot! Our ring issues have reflected training issues and as I’ve accepted a few inconvenient truths and looked for ways to change our training, that training has become more and more rewarding. I hope eventually it will pay off in the ring, where it will allow us to have genuine fun together.
I’ve thought obedience was fun since I showed my Novice A dog when I was 9 years old. If I didn’t find it fun, I would have abandoned Phoenix’s obedience career a long time ago and pursued other activities with him. I can’t explain why I think I love obedience any more than I can explain why I love strawberries and hate plums.
While I wish I could have avoided the issues that have caused our ring time not to be fun, I know this whole experience with Phoenix is invaluable. The last couple of years with this dog have been part of a priceless (and ongoing) journey.
Obviously, this business of having fun is a very complicated thing. Finding a balance between dreams, goals, reality and the whims of the obedience and agility fates is vital to finding the true fun in your chosen sport. The “we’re having fun no matter what” attitude is a nice way to recognize there’s more to life with dogs than getting titles but sometimes it’s a false pretense that does more harm than good. I see people come out of the ring disappointed, frustrated and angry. They are obviously not having fun “no matter what.”
It’s okay to make mistakes and hit rough spots and be disappointed and admit you’re not having fun. It helps us grow as trainers and in our relationships with our dogs. It’s part of life. The fun is out there, sometimes you just have to look a little harder for it.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Harvest
Just a few pics from harvesting soybeans at our place over the weekend. Yeah, it was as dusty as it looks.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Septemberfest . . . um . . . Oktoberfest
I got to take a day off from running at the Scott County KC agility trials this weekend to cover Oktoberfest. It's still September but that doesn't stop the Amana Colonies. They're ahead of their time.
This is Barefoot Becky and the Ivanhoe Dutchmen, one of the musical acts entertaining this weekend. She's barefoot. Trust me. The steins were full. Trust me.
This is the Middle Amana float in this morning's parade. This proves A) you can drive a semi tractor trailer through "downtown" Amana and not run over any one and B) someone in Middle Amana thinks they're funny.
Explanation: this year's Oktoberfest theme is "Amana Colonies, Seven Villages, Seven Wonders." There are 7 Amana villages - Amana, Middle Amana, High Amana, South Amana, West Amana, East Amana and . . . Homestead, where I live.
Homestead was not originally an Amana village. It was already established before the colonies were settled. The Amana colonists BOUGHT Homestead (you can do that?) after setting the other 6 villages to get access to the railroad. Middle Amana was the last village settled and is celebrating its 150th birthday this year. The kicker on their float was "Why did we bother to buy Homestead if Middle is so perfect?" Wise guys.
There were activities for kids, too, including a bunch of straw bales they could jump back and forth on. It was an amazingly popular attraction. Only at Septemberfest in Amana.
Alas, I was not able to photograph the bratwurst races this year. Either I had my schedule wrong or nobody signed up to do it. Last year's event featured people drinking beer, wearing bratwurst costumes and drinking more beer. Yep. Beer and weiner suits. Really. Just let your imagination run with that and it will be as good as any actual photo.
Can't have Oktoberfest without a polka band and dancing.
I would have dressed up, too, but my dirndl is at the cleaners.
You're never to old to wear lederhosen.
The gentleman in the center was being honored
for helping start Oktoberfest in the Amana Colonies back in the mid-60s.
I guess that was in the last century.
This is Barefoot Becky and the Ivanhoe Dutchmen, one of the musical acts entertaining this weekend. She's barefoot. Trust me. The steins were full. Trust me.
This is the Middle Amana float in this morning's parade. This proves A) you can drive a semi tractor trailer through "downtown" Amana and not run over any one and B) someone in Middle Amana thinks they're funny.
Explanation: this year's Oktoberfest theme is "Amana Colonies, Seven Villages, Seven Wonders." There are 7 Amana villages - Amana, Middle Amana, High Amana, South Amana, West Amana, East Amana and . . . Homestead, where I live.
Homestead was not originally an Amana village. It was already established before the colonies were settled. The Amana colonists BOUGHT Homestead (you can do that?) after setting the other 6 villages to get access to the railroad. Middle Amana was the last village settled and is celebrating its 150th birthday this year. The kicker on their float was "Why did we bother to buy Homestead if Middle is so perfect?" Wise guys.
There were activities for kids, too, including a bunch of straw bales they could jump back and forth on. It was an amazingly popular attraction. Only at Septemberfest in Amana.
Alas, I was not able to photograph the bratwurst races this year. Either I had my schedule wrong or nobody signed up to do it. Last year's event featured people drinking beer, wearing bratwurst costumes and drinking more beer. Yep. Beer and weiner suits. Really. Just let your imagination run with that and it will be as good as any actual photo.
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