Windsong Retrievers

The Imposter!

2010-11-15T11:30:00.003-06:00

It’s Tuesday night and Zoomy has her obedience class with Mica, her 14 year old junior handler, coming up. I don’t hear the doorbell but do hear the pounding on the door. By the time I get to the door, find the leash and fumble with the key, the minivan is turning around to leave. I bang on the door, call “Zoomy” (who comes right away for a change), snap on the leash, open the door and let go of the happy girl who hops right into the kennel in the back of the minivan.

I finally sit down to relax and watch as Taiko and Ziva play (she’s on her back, he’s on top of her and they’re wrestling) I catch a glimpse of a purple collar — Zoomy has a new purple collar but Ziva is supposed to have a beige collar. I call Ziva's name and up pops Zoomy.

OH NO, I sent an imposter to class!

I hop in the truck with Zoomy and get to the class just as Mica’s mom is pulling out to come pick up the real Zoomy. She pulled back in and reported that Mica mentioned that “Zoomy” sailed into the crate - she usually sits there and takes her own sweet time before hopping in. But it wasn’t until they got inside that she realized she had the wrong girl.

Oh well, never let it be said that Ziva isn’t an opportunist!

The Meet and Greet Committee (of one).

2010-07-11T18:58:00.009-05:00

Having just moved my office into a new building, I didn't know anyone there. Whenever I went to work after hours, I would take Hunter with me to keep me company and stand guard. One day, I was working away when I noticed that Hunter was not laying by my desk. I got up to check on him and had one of those 'uhoh' moments . . . the door to the hall was open and Hunter was gone. I took off down the hall to find him and that's when I heard it . . . laughter!

I followed the laughter around a corner and found another open office door. I walked in, passed into an inner office and there he was, chowing down on a cheesburger that was laying on the corner of the desk.

"Hunter!" I gasped. He looked up at the sound of his name but he didn't budge from his cheeseburger. Two guys were sitting on the edge of another desk laughing at him. I rushed in, spewing apologies, and went to grab his collar, but they stopped me. "We told him he could have it" one of them said in his defense.

As the story goes, they had just come in with take-out from McDonald's. The boss set his burger down on the edge of his desk and stepped away for something. When he looked up, there was a "huge black dog" standing in the doorway. Nobody moved. The dog walked in and went strait to the cheeseburger. Then, he looked up at its owner with a meaningful look in his eyes as if to say "may I?". The guy told him it was ok, he could have it, at which point, Hunter began to eat it. They started laughing and that is when I came in.

We stood around and talked while Hunter finished eating and swapped names and small talk. Tammy, from the outer office came in to meet him and became Hunter's instant friend. He never came back to work with me that he didn't have to go visit Aunt Tammy. Maybe he was looking for cheeseburgers, but he always found her.

That first meeting could have gone either way. Luckily for Hunter and me, our office mates had a great sense of humor and probably relished the tale they got to go home and tell their kids . . . about the big black dog that appeared like magic and ate their cheeseburger!!!

Sometimes It’s Good To Be Bad

2010-03-15T16:36:00.014-05:00

Some years ago, on one of our hunting expeditions to the Beaver Pond, the infamous ‘secret spot’ whose location Dennis guarded closely (so don’t ask where it is), we found ourselves with a lot of time to kill between duck sightings.

We’d used up all of our conversation topics and Hunter, my Curly-Coated Retriever, had had his fill of being tended, so I decided to practice my duck calling. I had watched the Buck Gardner tapes, practiced calling, watched the tapes and practiced some more, but I still wasn’t very good. I thought I had a pretty good ‘feeding chuckle’ so I started my practice with that one. It was supposed to sound like happy ducks.

A few minutes into practice, Dennis directed my attention skyward to a pair of dark blips heading in our direction. I continued to chuckle. The blips were flying in tandem (chuckle, chuckle), in a slow, gentle rocking motion (chuckle, chuckle), side to side (chuckle, chuckle), as though swinging on the same invisible cord suspended from Heaven (chuckle, chuckle), and they were heading strait for us (chuckle, chuckle). As they neared, it became apparent that we were watching a pair of young, Bald Eagles making their way to our pond, possibly looking for the floundering duck they had heard there. I put my duck call down.

We sat silently, stone still as the pair flew to within 20 or so yards above us, directly over the center of our pond. Then with a breathtaking swiftness, the pair flew together, feet first and locked talons. And, while still gripping one another, began a maddening free fall towards the water. Talons still clutched and within inches of crashing into the water, the pair of Eagles pushed off of each other, flying in opposite directions, outward, mere inches above the water’s surface, then upwards in a graceful arc, rejoining one another at the top of the arc at their original point of contact. It was a Magnificent sight!

Then, side by side they lazily continued on their journey, gently ebbing and flowing on the wind until they were tiny specks on the horizon. Only then did we move, looking at each other, as though to make sure that we both saw what we thought we had seen. Hunter hadn't flinched the entire time, as though he knew the moment was unique.

The game warden later said that we had witnessed a rarely seen, mating ritual. It was the most special “hunting” moment I have ever had.

Now mind you, the Eagles may have come to our Beaver Pond on their own, with us just being in the right place at the right time. But I like to think that I "called" the Eagles to us with my special duck calling.

Yes, sometimes, it is good to be bad.

My dog can do that.

2010-02-20T13:51:00.008-06:00

One evening, as my brother, Pete, and I stood under my carport looking at my Curly-Coated Retrievers playing in the back yard, I noticed that my wicked little puppy had turned the water bowl over, again, and had played with the empty plastic bucket until it was way back in the yard. Pete teased me about having to go out back to get the bucket to water the dogs - like it would be a big chore. But I laughed and told him there was no need, I could send Hunter for the bucket and let him water them from where I stood. Pete was sure that it couldn't be done and said as much so I decided to give it a try.

Sending Hunter for the bucket was fairly easy. He already took back casts and once I got him to the area and told him to fetch it up, there was only one object available to retrieve. A quick "good boy" as soon as he nosed the bucket told him that it was what I wanted and he picked it up and brought it to me.

Now the floor of the carport is several feet above the back yard with a wrought iron railing that makes up the top of the "fence" so Hunter had to prop up on the concrete wall as I leaned over the railing to take the bucket.

The next step was the tricky part. After I filled the bucket from the hose out front, I took it back and called Hunter. He hopped up again and I placed the handle near his mouth and said "take it". I had never taught him to deal with a bucket, especially one filled with water, but he obediently took the handle and hopped down again.

Unfortunately, none of his regular commands, 'drop' or 'leave it', meant anything when applied to releasing the bucket so he just stood there and held it. Things got funny when the other dogs realized that Hunter's bucket had water in it. They started trying to drink as he moved away to protect his bucket. They followed him and the whole thing ended up with a hilarious game of chase. . . Hunter running with his bucket, the other dogs following, trying to snatch a drink on the run. And Pete and I were laughing hysterically as they ran around the yard.

In the end, the bucket got knocked down, but Hunter was able to get a drink too.

And all I could say was "I told you my dog could do that".

Soft Mouth; Can you train it?

2010-01-17T12:02:00.009-06:00

"How do you train a soft mouth?" is the number one question that I hear from dog owners, especially from retriever owners. This is often rephrased in the question "How do you prevent a hard mouth?" Some folks believe that a dog is either born with a soft mouth, or not. Based upon what I've seen in the whelping box, I just don't agree with that as a blanket statement.

Starting as pups, dogs learn to communicate using their mouths. The Mama dog "speaks" to her pups by licking them, nuzzling them, and occasionally, when they ask for a correction, by nipping them. It is a natural part of rearing her pups.

When watching pups in a litter grow, they all mouth and bite each other as a part of learning communication skills, and more importantly, good manners. If you observe the litter, planning to pick the puppy with the "soft mouth", you'll probably be frustrated because all the pups mouth and nip in play.

From a retriever perspective, there isn't a separate protocol for training a soft mouth. You'll deal with that as a function of teaching your pup to 'take' an object, 'hold' the object properly and 'give' it to you on command. If your pup doesn't have solid performance in all three of these actions, DO NOT continue. This (moving on too soon) is where the dog learns that he has your permission to chomp it or keep it. Get your solid foundation before you try to build on it. And don't worry if everyone else keeps going, they are working with different dogs. The only dog you need to worry about is the one you are training. There is no room for 'one-upmanship' while training your dog.

The Golden Rule for training a soft mouth is "Start it, stick with it, and be consistent". Well actually, that is the Golden Rule for all training.

It would be a disservice for me to try to tell you in a paragraph "how to" teach your dog what most authors devote an entire chapter to. So, I recommend reading a few good texts before you start training. Read books that help you understand dog behavior (for novices, Mother Knows Best and Know Your Dog , among others, are in my lending library), then read about training in the venue you want to learn. As you tackle each step, go back and re-read the relevant chapter. You'll be surprised how much more it says than it did the first time you read it. If you read enough, you'll see very different philosophies emerge. You'll need to develop your own philosophy and stick with it to avoid confusing your dog.

Ultimately, results with your first dog will be your best teacher. If you have no experience training a dog, I highly recommend enrolling in an obedience class - you'll learn 'your' dog, which is the only dog you'll be training. Don't worry if it doesn't focus on the venue you want to train. The most important function of the class is to teach you what a dog is from the dog's perspective. Building your dog/handler team is the second most important function of the class. Teamwork spreads over all you and your dog do and makes each venue better. Read all you can, talk to many people as you can, work through obedience classes at least twice - once to learn and again to fine tune with lots of distractions - and train, remembering that several short sessions are better than one long session when teaching a pup new things.

And here's a few other things that people forget to tell you. 1. If you have a bad attitude today, don't train today. It will affect your long term results. 2. Positive reinforcement is best, especially for teaching new things. 3. Your dog wants to please you. 4. You will be very good at confusing your dog. 5. Several 10 minute sessions are better than one long session for teaching something new. 6. And to quote a world renowned, professional retriever trainer: "Even bad trainers can get good results if they stick with it long enough".

Ultimately, remember that you are the Alpha in your pack and it is your job to take care of your dog. Never let yourself be coerced into any training tactic that goes against your comfort level. You must learn how to filter through information. Take all you are given, then use what you need. Don't worry about saying "No". I've heard too many folks lament "ruining" their dogs with bad advice. I recall following bad advice once when I could tell instantly that I shouldn't have. The results were long term and I spent hours trying to undo the damage because I didn't think it through first. Now I have no trouble saying "No" when necessary. I'm sure I've done plenty more things wrong, but those had more subtle results.

For Deacon's 'soft mouth' tale, see "A Soft Mouth" on this blog dated May 8, 2008.

Q & A for the day

Is there a good reason for pups to stay in the litter longer?

YES, My pups never leave before they are 8 weeks old and I prefer to keep them a week or two longer. The pups learn most of their good manners from their mom and littermates. If you take them out too early, they miss a critical part of their education. Even though I've trained my own dogs for years, I don't speak "Dog" as well as the dogs do, so I'd rather let the dogs teach the major lessons. It just makes life easier.

I haven't seen statistics, but I would be willing to bet that a good number of dogs who have major "soft mouth" issues, are dogs that left the litter earlier than 8 weeks. (But this is just my guess with no statistics to back it up).

Reflections on the old year, Looking forward.

2010-01-01T22:24:00.006-06:00

2009 was a bittersweet year for Windsong.

In January, we lost our beloved Deacon. He was just shy of his 14th birthday when he began to fade. Finally, he told me he was ready and we made that last trip to the Vet together. I would never leave him 'to go' alone. Saying goodbye is part of being a good dog owner, but it stinks.

In February, the long awaited Riley made a surprise appearance on Friday the 13th. She wasn't planned for a couple of weeks. She is a real beauty. Her older brothers and sister enjoy wagging her around so she should never lack for playmates.

In April, our dear, sweet Star went home. We enjoyed her while she was here and missed her terribly when she left us. We had hoped that a local friend was going to adopt her, but when we made the home visit, the friend had an allergy attack that lasted for days. She was allergic to the mold in her garden that Star played in. She was so upset, she had already told all her friends that she was getting Star. She wanted her so badly, but it just wasn't to be.

April was also specialty month and Destiny and I loaded everybody up and made the trip to St. Louis. We had a wonderful time and were thrilled when Taiko garnered a placement (4th) in the very competitive Bred-By-Exhibitor class. That was Sweet.

Spring and summer weekends were filled with field training, but the group we joined was so far ahead of us that often the terrain and tests they set up were too advanced for our level. With great frustration, we left the group and plan to start over in the spring. Hopefully, we can find some folks training new pups and start in with them, advancing as they do, laying the proper foundation. Better trainers may be able to train their pups on Master level training scenarios, but I need to start at a beginner level and grow the dog to more difficult levels as he learns.

We ended the show year in the fall with both Ziva and Taiko earning their first majors. We'll keep our eyes out for a show where other Curlies are going in 2010.

Throughout the year everyone took either obedience or rally classes and they all took agility classes. We wound those down in November due to my cough/cold. December is typically our month off because of erratic holiday scheduling.

We ended the year quietly, with everyone canine in great health.

The new year holds lots of training classes in obedience, rally and agility. And we hope to start tracking classes too. We'll worry about showing if the economy improves for us. We'll be very busy, and that is very good for us!

Wickedly Smart

2009-09-07T11:43:00.007-05:00

Why do so many Curly fanciers love these dogs?

The breed standard for the Curly-Coated Retriever states:

". . . The Curly is wickedly smart and highly trainable and, as such, is cherished as much for his role as loyal companion at home as he is in the field. . . ." ***

Curlies have an innate problem solving ability that requires a lot of creativity. Many people have developed an opinion of what "wickedly smart" means based on things their Curlies have done.

Here is one of my own examples:

Bath day at our house used to consist of everyone getting a bath then going to the basement to dry. They would each get a rawhide chew (chewie) as they went down the steps and were content to stay in the basement and work on those chewies until they were dry.

One day, Hunter needed to prepare for a vet visit scheduled for the next day so he was the only one who got a bath. As I sent him down the steps into the basement with his chewie Singer ran down the steps expecting a chewie too.

I laughed at her and told her "No bath, No chewie". She barked at me, trying to make a good case for getting her own chewie but I just repeated myself, "No bath, No chewie". We left Hunter in the basement and I brought her back up with me so she wouldn't pester him for his chewie.

Back upstairs, I went to the study to do some work and didn't give her another thought, but I kept hearing her barking from the other end of the house.

Finally, out of desperation, I got up to go find her and there she was, standing in the bathtub, barking for me to "Come".

"OK" I said, "You can have a bath". Yes, I stopped right then and there and gave her a bath, then sent her to the basement with her chewie.

She was happy. She had to work through the problem to get what she wanted, but she succeeded.

Other folks have many, many tales of their Curlies' exploits - some much more wicked, but all equally smart.

Q & A For the Day:

Why are Curlies referred to as "potato chip dogs"?

Because it is hard to stop with just one!

*** from the Curly-Coated Retriever Breed Standard published on the American Kennel Club website at: http://www.akc.org/breeds/curly_coated_retriever/index.cfm

Inspirational puppy "tail".

2009-04-01T13:53:00.012-05:00

Chauncey and Linus,

A "Tail" of Friendship and Hope

This is the story of Chauncey, Windsong Tabor Drums On Water, John and Sue Woodliff’s eight month old Curly-Coated Retriever pup (born 06/27/2008) and Linus, the year and a half year old Heeler/Mutt mix that Chauncey has befriended.

On a warm sunny day in May, 2008, Linus was enjoying the sunshine while watching his owner, John’s son, Jeremy, doing yard work - of the gardening type. To keep him out of harm’s way, Jeremy had put Linus on a 30 foot line, staked in an area of the yard that was not being worked. Unfortunately, Sneaky Cat was teasing Linus while Jeremy worked. Linus took off after the streaking, Sneaky Cat, and when he hit the end of his 30' line, he flipped into the air and landed on his back, suffering severe spinal cord damage. Linus was about a year old at the time.

Although the choices were grim, John, Sue, & Jeremy opted to give Linus a chance and put him into some pricey new wheels, which gave him mobility, while allowing him to use his rear legs when possible. Linus can take a few steps but primarily uses his wheels to be mobile.

Enter "Wheels", as John affectionately calls him, into Chauncey’s story. Wheels recently came to stay with Chauncey when Jeremy had to relocate with his construction job on a temporary, yet long-term assignment.

So how does an eight month old Curly pup get along with a much smaller invalid? By making him forget that he is handicapped. Together the boys "run" and play on a daily basis. A favorite of both boys is a good game of "Stick".(photos enclosed) . The tug of war that ensues is usually won by Chauncey, but Linus doesn’t give up. Not even a blizzard can stop the games.

According to John, Chauncey plays and runs with Linus, letting him have the upper "leg" at times. They get along exceptionlly well, and Chauncey never leaves Linus behind. He actually watches out for him, letting him catch up, though Chauncey can run cirles around him. They eat, sleep, play, romp, and get into trouble together. Chauncey has given Linus companionship and encouragement to get up and get moving.

Jeremy thinks Chauncey is a very good companion for Linus, and having him around has given Linus more energy and someone to enjoy life with. We are encouraged that Linus has a better quality of life with his "wheels" and Chauncey to give him a reason to get up and get going. They do get along exceptionally well, and we hope their companionship to each other will make a difference in their lives for years to come.

A true story as told by John Woodliff and Iva H. Darnall, Originally Published in the April, 2009 Issue of The Curly Commentator, the official publication of the Curly-Coated Retriever Club of America (CCRCA)

The perils of training blinds.

2009-01-25T21:21:00.017-06:00

Training for blind work with Hunter, my Curly-Coated Retriever, was never ordinary. The theory is that you set up your training scenarios and run through them. Simple, right? Well, it was rarely simple for us. When I would set up blind drills, things usually happened.

On more than one occasion, as Hunter was swimming across the pond in the direction I had sent him, someone else's bumper that had been underwater, stuck in the mud, would just pop up in front of him. Naturally, he would think that I was sending him for the unexpected bumper so he would get it and return to me. I usually saw those and rarely tried to correct him for stopping early. We would then move on and set up something else to try to accomplish what I had originally intended to work on.

Often when we would train for land blinds, he would find someone's lost bumper in the grass, and again, he would retrieve that one and think his job was done. The problem with unexpected bumpers was that I didn't know they were there and couldn't see them right away, so often I confused him with more commands when he stopped prematurely. Since we were training blinds, I had to accept his find and let him think he did the right thing (which technically he did - he went out cold to a place he didn't choose to go and brought back his bumper).

The absolute worst training snafu, however, occurred on a pond we used to use all the time. I had sent Hunter toward the far bank on a line where he would have to swim past a point and push to the far side. As he neared the point, however, a Mama duck with her string of little ducklings swam across his path a few yards ahead of him and clearly, Mama duck knew he was there and was hurrying her crew as fast as she could. Hunter stayed on his line until it crossed the ducks' path then he took a hard left and began pursuit of the family.

I blew my whistle, I called him to come in, (I really didn't want him to traumatize a baby duck) but Hunter kept pursuing them, and he was gaining on them. None of my usual training commands were working. After all, I usually used those commands to put him on to ducks. And I'm sure in his mind, he knew that I meant for him to get that duck before he came in. It was right there.

As a last resort and with less than a yard to go before he caught up with the last straggling duckling, I pulled out one of my obedience commands and yelled "HUNTER, LEAVE IT!"

Like magic, he dropped his pursuit and swung around to face me, confused as to why I no longer wanted the ducks, but willing to obey the command. I yelled "Good Boy!" and "Hunter Come!" And to his credit, he headed toward me.

We had used that pond to train many times before and there had never been ducks there. Nor have there been ducks there since. Oh well, when you were out with Hunter, you learned to expect the unexpected.

Q & A for the day:

Why is it important to train for blinds?

A well trained retriever is a great conservation tool. He will retrieve each bird down and the hunter can take his limit.

Sometimes, when the dog is retrieving a downed bird, the hunter will shoot another one and the dog will have no idea where the second one fell. When the dog returns with his bird, the hunter will send him to the second bird. With training, the hunter can set the dog up, pointing him in the right direction and send him "back" toward the bird. Using a series of whistles and hand signals, the hunter can steer the dog to the spot of the fall. If the wind is in his favor, the dog's nose will guide him in, if not, the hunter can guide him to the fall.

The blind is first taught up close, then distance is added. You get quite a feeling of achievement when you and your dog communicate well enough to achieve the goal.

A very good year, in reflection.

2009-01-01T08:25:00.002-06:00

2008 was a very good year.

We ended the year with everyone we started with. Parents, kids, grandkids, brothers, sister, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and dogs. All are healthy, happy and greeting 2009.

We also extended our family quite a bit. Yes, we added Taiko and his littermates and their new families. Taiko is a blast and the extended families are wonderful. They love their new curly kids and they send pictures. We also added Zoomy, a wonderful girl that is settling in nicely. Funny, I went from majority oldsters to majority youngsters in the household and things move much faster now.

Our summer was pretty much taken up with puppies but we did manage to squeeze in a few shows with old and new friends. Ziva was out of coat at every show we attended (and at one show after the pups she had NO curls) but we had fun and she garnered quite a few reserves, so we have hope for the new year if the coat will just coincide with show dates.

Destiny was able to attend every show with me and competed in Juniors at most. I never knew how much fun kids and dog shows could be. We'll be doing more of this in 2009.

We already have training plans for the new year. In January Taiko starts his second obedience class (he is just six months old and will be in formalized training for awhile-I am the one that needs the structure). He will also start obstacle familiarization in agility. Plus, he gets to do field work with the girls. Ziva will continue her obedience training and agility, as well as field work. (We have to take a hiatus from field work in the winter since our training partners are out hunting, duh). Zoomy will take novice obedience classes so that we can develop a mutual rapport. We haven't had time to figure out what she likes to do yet. I'm also hoping to enter someone in a tracking class that starts in the spring so that I can learn the mechanics of it. The old ones will continue to hold their places of honor and share the love.

In spite of all our big plans for the new year, we are most excited by the addition of a new human family member. Due in February, we're expecting a baby girl, call name Riley!

Happy New Year!

Destiny and the Junior Dog Judging Contest

2008-10-19T18:52:00.003-05:00

To my great delight, Destiny, my 12 year old granddaughter, was a last minute addition to my Louisville show trip. It was too late to enter her in any Junior Showmanship classes but she was able to participate in a junior handling clinic and a Junior Dog Judging Contest.

The announcement came over the loud speaker: Last call for all kids interested in signing up for the Junior Dog Judging Contest. Most of the Juniors pre-entered the contest when they sent in their Junior Showmanship entries and received their packets by mail. When Destiny signed up, she received a packet which contained four breed standards: the Boxer, the Border Collie, the Boston Terrier and the American Staffordshire Terrier. Destiny had never read a breed standard before (not even the Curly). She had exactly 30 minutes to prepare and learn all she could about the four, selected breeds.

It was an interesting competition. An AKC Judge did a show exam of the four or five dogs in each breed presented. His exam included a physical exam and bite, down and back, then around. The Judge ranked the dogs 1st through 4th but did not announce his placements. The Juniors were to try to place the dogs the way the Judge had.

The Juniors were allowed to spread out on two sides of the ring to watch the Judge’s examinations. When the Judge completed his placements, they were invited into the ring for a closer look at each dog while the entry was stacked in the center of the ring. They did not perform a physical examination or further movement exercises. The Juniors wrote their placements on a card and handed it to the Steward as they left the ring. This was repeated for three breeds, the Bostons showed up but didn’t wait around to be examined - they’d already had a long day.

After all breeds had been examined, the Judge conducted a personal interview with each Junior. The Juniors had to explain to the Judge why they put each dog in its particular placement order and what they liked/disliked about each one. During the interview phase, only one breed was discussed, the American Staffordshire Terrier. Some of the Juniors appeared nervous during the interview phase of the competition but Destiny was quite at ease and very animated in explaining what she liked about each dog and why she placed it in the order that she did.

Upon completion of the interviews, the scores were tallied and the Juniors were awarded placements from fourth through first. Out of the 20 or so Juniors who participated, Destiny was awarded second place. She had tied for first in her rankings of the dogs with the personal interview being used as the tie-breaker. Not bad at all for a kid who started "show doggin" 10 months ago.

I do believe she has "the eye" for it.

Originally Published in the June, 2008 Issue of The Curly Commentator, the official publication of the Curly-Coated Retriever Club of America (CCRCA)

Q & A for the day:

How does a youngster learn more about Junior Showmanship?

The American Kennel Club has a Juniors' section on their website at www.akc.org. There are links to the rules and lots of other resources for kids. Juniors are separated by their experience level and their age so that they compete against similarly situated kids.

You can even compete with your spayed or neutered purebred dog, and/or your previously unregistered purebred (with just a few steps to get it a PAL number - info also on the AKC website).

Junior Showmanship is a growing sport and it is fun for the kids that compete. New kids have started at almost every show we've been to. And, a kid that tries hard can compete with the seasoned competitors in no time.

A Delightful Diversion

2008-09-25T17:35:00.002-05:00

For the past several weeks we've been fully immersed in another endeavor. We've had puppies!! Six little curlies were born June 27. Watching them grow, morphing from little furballs into little doggies was so much fun. When they were tiny, I could sit by and watch them for hours. As they got bigger, it was more of the same.

Finding the perfect home for each pup was a challenge but worked out wonderfully in the end. Several of the pups will be hunting companions, a couple have children, another couple have grandkids and all will be family companions. It just doesn't get any better than that.

And the little guy that stayed with us . . . he is fabulous!!!

The photo journal of the pups is linked off of our home page but be forewarned, there are a lot of pictures (in case you are prone to puppy fever) and a few videos too.

Needed - longer arms.

2008-06-14T10:50:00.005-05:00

One of the perks of owning Curly-Coated Retrievers is the type of games you can play with them. Hunter, my first CCR introduced me to the fun of field training. I joined a great group of folks who had trained other retriever breeds for many years and they were very patient in teaching me the ropes. After awhile, I found the confidence to go out by myself to work on drills.

On one particular occasion, Hunter took extreme advantage of the pond in between us. I had sent him on a blind retrieve across the pond (several bumpers were already placed on the other side so he would see no bumper fall). When he got to the other side, however, he must have figured out that my arms weren't long enough to reach him so he could do as he pleased. And he did. He investigated every interesting smell he could find and peed on lots of things. He was having such a good time that he failed to notice that I was trotting around the pond.

He was so intent on investigating his latest find that until I said "Hunter, Heel!" from two feet away, he didn't even know I was there.

I know I've mentioned his "Oh S#!#!" look before, but this was the first time I ever saw it. He looked directly into my eyes and I could read his mind. He knew that he was in trouble and he instantly tried to fix it by snatching up his bumper and jumping into the pond, heading strait back to the spot where I had been standing on the opposite bank.

"Oh no you don't", I said and I called him to heel. To his credit he came out of the water, tail tucked between his legs and he slunk over to where I stood. He looked so pitiful standing there, dripping wet. He didn't even shake. He knew he was caught. A guilty conscience goes a long way with this dog. And before you wonder, "does he act that way because you beat him?" I can say absolutely not!! We train with praise! Besides, unless you can administer a correction simultaneously with the mis-deed, you may as well save it because the belated correction is totally useless as a teaching tool.

I was having a bit of difficulty not laughing at him so I decided to let him off the hook and put him back to work. I made him hold his bumper and sat him at the edge of the pond. Then I walked back around the pond to my original spot, faced him and from across the water I called, "Hunter Come!"

Now I had great visions of Hunter plunging into the water and swimming to me in a direct line, as he should have done to begin with. Instead, at my call, he took a sharp right turn and ran around the pond in the exact route that I had just taken.

Oh well, I was training blinds, not bank running so I held my tongue since he technically obeyed the command I had given him. After this episode, I decided that we needed to end the training session on a good note so I set him up again, held my breath and sent him "Back" across the pond for the last bumper. This time, he hit the water, swam across, picked up the bumper, turned and swam strait back to me.

Good dog!

Q & A for the day:

Hmmm, two good topics for this one so I'll pick the one folks have the most trouble recognizing - timing the praise or correction.

What do you mean, timing the praise or correction is everything?

I'll start with an example, you are teaching your dog to sit . . . he is right in front of you and you tell him to "sit" . . . and for the first time, his bottom hits the floor . . . you are sooooo excited that you throw your hands up in the air and clap . . . he experiences your delight and jumps up to celebrate with you . . . and you say "Good Dog".

You have just praised your dog for jumping up, not sitting. So the next time you want him to sit, he will remember how much praise he got when you said "sit" for jumping up and he will try to give you the jumping up behavior that he found most rewarding. He won't want to sit.

He's not a 'dumb dog' that can't learn to sit, he is a smart dog that learned what gets him praise and he repeats the action that got it for him. To reinforce the sit behavior, you must administer the praise while his bottom is still on the ground - it takes only seconds to miss the opportunity to praise correctly so you must be ready. If you miss it, say nothing, and try again.

It also helps to know that a dog's attention span for learning new activities can be counted in seconds, 5 - 10 seconds max, depending on age. So if you want to correct him for a misdeed, he must be doing the misdeed at the time of the correction. If you catch him chewing a chair leg, tell him "no chew" or "bad chew" and give him something appropriate to chew on, then follow up with a "good chew" - or whatever words you choose to use. Choice of word doesn't matter as long as you are consistent - it is the voice, not the word that counts - but command consistency helps during the learning process.

This is also why house training can take so long for some dogs. They don't associate a correction received well after the deed is done with actually doing the deed in the house. And shoving his nose in the pile doesn't help - he no longer associates an old pile with the 'doing of the deed'. That is why a crate is very useful in house training. The dog is contained in his den until you can escort him outside - then GO with him so that you can praise his doing the deed outside where you want it. Afterwards, keep a close eye on him and if he starts sniffing around the room, take him out again and if he performs praise him again. In house training, diligence is everything.

Be careful that you don't fall into the house training trap of training the dog to use the revolving door. If you let him out the door, he pees and comes back in, then gets a cookie, no matter what you are saying, in his mind he is being praised for coming inside - not peeing outside. That's why some dogs have to "go" so often - they are really going outside so that they can come right back inside and get a cookie :-). This is exactly why you need to go outside with the dog - so that you can give praise for the correct behavior - peeing, not coming in the door - the praise always comes outside. Lots of folks have spent lots of dollars going to the vet to make sure their dog doesn't have an infection because they always have to 'go'.

You will be amazed at the results you can get if you remember the proper use of these two words: "timing and praise".

Million Dollar Babe

2008-06-07T12:53:00.000-05:00

In the very, wee hours of the morning (4:30 a.m.), Singer, aka the Babe, my 11 y/o Curly-Coated Retriever, barked and woke me up. Thinking she had to go outside to make a nature call I (very grudgingly) rolled out of bed to let her out. It always irks me when she says one thing then does something else, but once I got up she obviously didn't want to go outside - still, since I was up, and the other girls were creating a ruckus now too, I let them all outside. As I walked back through the house, the doorbell rang, at a time when doorbells should not ring! I hate the adrenaline rush you get when doorbells ring at the wrong time.

I did an immediate about turn and let the girls back in, then went to a window that had a view of the door and there, bent over and peeping in the front door pane, was a shirtless man, that shouldn't have been there. I really hate the adrenaline rush you get when you see shirtless men that shouldn't be there.

My brain left my body at the sight of the man, but somehow I managed to think "shotgun" and I took great comfort in holding it while I dialed 911. The man was gone by the time the police came.

We'll never know what plans the prowler had, if any, but thanks to the Babe, we're safe. Now the other girls were probably helping too, but since Singer barked first and woke me up, she gets the credit. Deacon was in another part of the house so he didn't get to help. He is my second line of defense if anyone gets past the girls.

The Babe - a million dollars. . . sleeping through the night under her watchful eye/ear, priceless.

She climbs trees

2008-05-18T08:37:00.000-05:00

The first time ever I saw her climb . . . (ok, I went lyrical because her name is Singer).

We had traveled to Flora, Mississippi (near Jackson) to run an AKC hunt test conducted by the Magnolia Hunting Retriever Club. Singer, my Curly-coated Retriever, was 9 1/2 months old and needed to pass the test to earn her AKC Junior Hunter (JH) title.

For those who don't know, at the Junior level, two judges and the dog and handler stand at the line, a bird goes down and the dog is sent to pick it up immediately. The dog must pick up two individual retrieves on land and two on water and they are graded in several areas in order to pass the test. They must pass four tests to earn the JH title.

No water test is ever "easy" when you are the one standing at the line, but this one was stacked against the Babe. First, as she swam through the "flock" of decoys, she got tangled in one decoy's line and dragged it across the pond, continuing towards her bird as though the decoy wasn't even there. She shook the decoy at the bank, picked up her bird and retraced her path, strait back to me through the water.

Then, on the second mark, the bird was supposed to be thrown in the water just behind a fallen tree that was designed to be an obstacle in the direct line between the dog and the fall. The bird was thrown, and Singer began her swim towards the fall, and by necessity, the tree.

When she reached the tree, however, instead of swimming around it as the other dogs had done, she swam directly into it (there was no easy path through it). Then, she started trying to climb it . . . she would hook her front legs over a limb, move them up to a higher limb, pull her back legs onto the first limb . . . and sink back into the water, as the lower limbs had no resistance in the water to help hold her weight. This was repeated several times, but she wouldn't give up. She kept trying to get high enough to break free of the water.

Back on the line, the judges and I kept trying to figure out what she was doing. We thought she'd gone nutz! And I was trying to decide whether it was time to call her in (knowing she wouldn't come back without a bird). I didn't want to go swimming to get her and the judges never said "pick up your dog" so I waited. And she just kept trying to climb that tree.

After what seemed like an eternity (time stands still on the line), but more like one or two minutes, she broke water and literally climbed about four feet into the tree. She came down with her duck! Unbeknownst to anyone, the bird had accidently been thrown into the crown of the fallen tree - we had all watched it go down but assumed it had fallen into the water behind the tree. My little girl watched it go down too, and she followed the mark and her nose . . . into the tree, and she didn't give up until she got her bird.

Afterwards, I accused the judges of trying to sabotage her tests because she was curly. They laughed, but they were amazed by her performance.

Over time, Singer has climed into a few more bushes and trees looking for things real or imagined. And I smile every time I pass those bright orange ribbons that remind me of the tense moments as I watched the nutty little Curly try to climb a tree.

Q & A for the day:

How can I get my retriever involved in training and running a hunt test?

I'll say this first - you are looking at spending hours training, gas traveling and cash for the accessories. You may make friends with folks who do the same thing. And, if you get hooked, you'll be doing it a lot more. You might even find yourself trading in your car for a vehicle that can carry your dog and your "stuff" - I moved up after a few years. I managed quite well using two folding General crates and a sun shield, operating from the trunk of my Thunderbird (and there weren't that many places that I couldn't get to in the car).

Hunters use training for hunt tests to keep their dogs conditioned during the off season. Others participate for the pleasure of the sport. So there are usually people out training in many areas for a number of reasons.

Sometimes, you can see folks out training and you can walk up, introduce yourself and express your interest in getting started. (In the summer, look for them at dawn when the day is still cool - they're usually done by mid-morning.) They may or may not be helpful, but you can usually get the name of someone to contact who will be helpful. Don't confuse 'hot and tired' with indifference, although you may see either, but you can still get that name.

You can also ask your other dog associates - e.g. someone at the obedience, agility or conformation club will know who trains their retrievers. Or, you might check at the sporting goods store that carries dog training equipment. You may find them at work or at church, you just have to ask (or check the parking lot for vehicles with dog crates and DU decals). You get the picture.

In today's information age, clubs are pretty easy to find. When you contact a local club, you can usually find out who is training in your area. Many clubs actively mentor newcomers and will put you in touch with someone who can help you get started.

The Amercan Kennel Club lists their test-giving clubs on their website at http://www.akc.org/clubs/search/index.cfm?action=perf&display=on,

just select "hunting tests" and your state. A contact for each club is listed. If you have to write, send your email address and a phone number to make it easier for them to contact you.

The United Kennel Club (UKC) lists their clubs as well at http://www.ukcdogs.com/Clubs.nsf/ClubViewHRC?Open&Start=1&Count=30&Type=HRC&List=A

In my opinion, the UKC tests are the most fun and realistic (patterned after actual hunting scenarios and emphasizing gun safety) to run.

The North American Hunting Retriever Association lists member clubs at http://www.nahranews.com/html/nahra/clublist.htm These folks are not everywhere but I've heard good things about their tests.

There are also pro-trainers out there (both good and bad - interview them like you would a nanny for your child) but I don't recommend going that route, at least until you determine that you like the sport enough to become involved in it. All of my dogs have been owner trained and handled. I love the sport and have nothing to prove that would require the use of a pro trainer.

A soft mouth

2008-05-08T08:22:00.001-05:00

Deacon, my Curly-Coated Retriever, has a very soft mouth. Since he was not actively field training, I might have missed this fact except for an incident that happened one spring morning.

Every morning the dogs run outside in a fenced back yard then come in and hang out with me for awhile before I have to go to work. One morning, after the dogs had been back inside for about half an hour I noticed that unmistakable look on Deacon's face and knew that he was hiding something in his mouth. You know the look, the cheeks kind of puff out and it's the only time that he isn't under foot.

Fearing the worst, I stuck out my hand and said "Give!". He hesitated for a few moments then moved to give me his prize. Very gently, he placed an object in my hand. . . a bird. . . a baby bird . . . a tiny, featherless baby bird. . . that was now opening and closing its mouth waiting for "mama" to provide the next meal. The baby bird had been comfortably hiding in his mouth for half an hour.

I didn't have the heart to tell Mama Deacon that his baby would not survive. . . it was too young to survive without a real mother bird. We went out and looked for a nest but there was none to be found. We left the baby where its mother could find it if she was looking for it and went back inside.

Also see: Soft Mouth; Can You Train It posted on this blog on 01/17/2010.

Q & A for the Day:

So, what is a soft mouth in retriever lingo?

The dog must have a firm grip to hold a bird, from a small dove to a large goose. The soft mouth is best evidenced by what the dog delivers to you. . . a bird without teeth marks or crush injuries (from the dog's jaw). A soft mouth is evidenced by a firm hold with no chewing or chomping. The bird has usually been shot so there will be blood, but the retriever should not be enticed by the blood to determine that the bird should become his own dinner (yes, it happens). There is some confusion with this point, though, because a soft mouthed dog can also decide to eat the bird, but that is usually a training issue.

A well trained retriever is a great conservation tool. Hunters who take their daily limit without a good retriever (human or canine :-) have probably left several dead birds at the hunt site because they couldn't reach or find them. A good hunting dog will retrieve every bird that falls so there are no unnecessary kills required to meet the limit.

For those hunters that "kill" more than the legal limit so they can leave with a limit. . . shame on them. Every bird down counts. If they want to take them all home, they should get a good 'huntin dawg'.

First Day on the Job

2008-03-08T23:17:00.000-06:00

I still shudder when I remember my first day on the job. I'd hurried home from class and let my two Curly-Coated Retrievers and my pound puppy of the Husky persuasion out the back door. We had a lovely little privacy fenced yard where they could run and play. In the meantime, I put on my best suit, and psyched myself up for my new job.

Just as I was putting on the finishing touches I heard an "explosion" of dog out back which sounded like they were killing each other. I ran out on the deck looking for the dogs - they were, they were . . . where were they?

Finally, I spotted the back half of young Deacon, sticking out of the dog house and wagging like crazy. This was really strange as the dog house was left over from a prior tenant and probably housed a Chihuahua. The door was only 12 inches tall. Still no sign of the other two.

I crossed the yard and grabbed Deacon and backed him out of the dog house. Ah, there are the other two, in the dog house. This was even stranger as the dog house was tiny, and the 120 pounds of dog still in there were packed in like Sardines.

As the best strategy I could muster was 'divide and conquer' I took young Deacon and tossed him in the kitchen, then went back for Hunter. I ordered Hunter out of the dog house. He came, but was ready to dart back in so I took his collar and led him away, then locked him on the deck.

Finally, I went back for Niki. He kept his tail towards me and wouldn't turn around so I got down on my knees, stuck both hands in the dog house (that's all of me that would fit through the tiny opening), grabbed a hold and pulled. Strangely, he didn't fight to stay in the doghouse and he slid right out . . . with the source of the problem. He had a choke hold on a racoon. A now, asphyxiated racoon. It took a great deal of effort to convince Niki to give up his prize. And the instant his grip loosened, I put distance between the two and took him inside.

After securing the dogs I decided to leave the racoon where he lay. I wasn't a hundred percent sure he was dead and I didn't want to risk being attacked. Plus I had used up all of the spare time I had allowed myself before I had to leave for work.

I was hot, sweaty, and dirty. The best I could do was knock off the dirt, wash my face, put on a forced smile and go. Luckily, my first day on the new job was totally uneventful compared to the excitement that led up to it. And if anyone thought I looked a mess, they kindly didn't say so to my face.

The racoon did, in fact, meet his maker that day. The best I can figure is that he was surprised by the dogs and tried to escape by running into the dog house - not a very good plan. Nobody was bitten or scratched and the racoon didn't have a mark on him. The vet assured me that everyone was current on their shots so they were safe. The dog house was removed a couple of days later. And after awhile, I calmed down too.

Q & A for the day:

How can you make your dog leave wild critters alone?

Acutally this is a trick question. Always remember, a dog is what he is, a dog. If there is a critter that invokes the dog's prey drive, the dog will most likely give chase. A high degree of training may allow you to call your dog off, but that will not prevent him from going after wildlife if left unattened. The best way to make your dog leave critters alone is to deter them from coming into his space. Remove food, water and hiding places and make the area inhospitable for wild life. But note, when the dog is in the area, water must be available for him, just take it up when he comes inside. There will be some instances where you can't remove those things that attract wildlife (a pond comes to mind) and you may always have critters. In that case, just be sure to maintain the dog's protective immunities (vaccines) to those ills most likely to affect him.

A mud puppy

2008-02-20T12:32:00.000-06:00

I know I don't hold the monopoly for owning the 'best puppy in the world' but Singer, my curly-coated retriever, was pretty close, if you ask me. She could sit quietly in my lap for long periods of time (through a business meeting) and visit with the person sitting next to me - of course, she ended up visiting herself around the room from lap to lap and had to be collected after the meeting.

She loved field training. At 3 months of age she discovered the joys of "duck" and never looked back. She was such an avid retriever that she took one of my older dog's places when we went training (is there really an unwritten rule that when training with a group you're limited to two dogs?)

She really was a sweetie, but she did have one terrible flaw. She loved mud! This flaw first surfaced when she was a tiny pup. While walking in the park one day, she spied a mud puddle. Being on a leash, she couldn't get to it so she "ordered" me to get close. I wasn't sure what she wanted but followed her pull, snapping her back just in the nick of time when I realized she wanted to do a belly splat into it.

If you've never seen a puppy throw an all out temper tantrum, you missed it. It was so funny. We laughed at her while she wiggled, squirmed and screamed trying to reach that puddle. She pulled to the end of her leash and tried throwing herself at it. Had she been older and bigger that might have worked. The only way to distract her was to put distance between her and the puddle so we moved to dryer ground. She's never really gone for mud as an adult, thank goodness, though she has retrieved birds in some pretty scuzzy water without complaint.

Q & A for the day:

Is there really any harm in giving in to your dog?
Yes! Giving in implys that you made the concession and the dog got what it wanted. The only consistent thing about successful dog training is Consistency. If the dog ever learns that he can wait you out, you have created a larger problem. If you give a command, you must get the action requested - no exceptions. The number one booboo is calling the dog to come to you when you have no way to make sure he comes. If you are going to teach commands, you must have sufficient control of the dog to make sure he obeys the commands you give. A long leash is the best tool for teaching Come. The Golden Rule (or one of them) is "Never give a command you can't enforce".

Tackling Toenails

2008-02-10T09:10:00.000-06:00

When Hunter, the 3 year old Curly-Coated Retrievier, joined the Windsong family, he came with monster toenails. Not only were they way too long, they were also too big for the clipper that I used on Niki, the Huskyish pound puppy, and they were jet black so I couldn't see through them. In retrospect, it is probably good that the clipper was too small as I could only nip off less than 1/8 inch at the tip of the nail. Hunter let me do one, count it, ONE toenail, before he screamed and jumped and ran away. I was stupefied, but that didn't matter at the moment because I was so busy running around behind him wiping up the blood spots from where that one toenail bled (I later learned about the wonderful stuff that can stop bleeding). The quik had grown to the end of the toenail.

After much study on alternative methods to do toenails, I settled on a cordless, dremmel drill to takle the job. Now, how was I going to make him let me touch those toenails? It wasn't going to happen, according to Hunter so I had to figure out a way to make him trust me again.

And then I hit on his weak spot, his belly. Hunter would lay beside me on the floor and let me rub his belly forever, nudging my hand every time I stopped. It dawned on me one evening that while rubbing his belly, I could turn the dremmel on and let him get used to the sound. He learned fast, that if he laid still, I would keep rubbing his belly so the noise became a tolerable nuisance. Next I adjusted our shared space so that I could reach his belly and all the toenails without moving. Then I started messing with his feet while I rubbed his belly, and then touching a toenail with the dremmel. It is amazing how much annoyance he was willing to accept as a trade off for his belly rub.

To make a long story short, we tackled those monster toenails. Now, all my Curlies get early toenail training with belly therapy and the dremmel drill. It is a process, but when complete, they tolerate getting their nails done. When I announce "toenail time", they all willingly join me in the living room and wait for their turn to get their toenails done. They come to me, I never have to get up (I sit on the floor to do toenails) and hunt them down or drag them to the dremmel. They come, lay down and roll over, belly up and wait for me to get started. Deacon is notorious for trying to go twice and Ziva is learning that trick too. It's almost funny having to shove off one Curly while another one claims the magic spot that belly rubs come from. Notice, I said almost - there's nothing like being squished between two big dogs who both want to be in your space.

When I hear other Curly-Coated Retriever owners talk about their toenail woes, I offer up my belly advice (I wrote an article for the Curly-Commentator about it once). I'm also told by some owners that cookies work for them. If you want to look up the psychological terms for this trade-off behavior, feel free. I'm just happy that it works and that we have a great experience at toenail time. It seems that everything good in life begins and ends with a belly rub.

Q & A for the day:

While we're on the topic of toenails, and assuming you end up with the belly side of the dog at your disposal, What are some other things you can do during the toenail process?

I have a toenail kit that contains first aid stuff, medicated powder, triple antibiotic cream, scissors and a few other handy items. The scissors afford me the opportunity to do some underside grooming, if necessary. I use toenail time to examine the entire underside of the dog. I find any bumps, lumps, scratches, rashes or other problems at this time. Since some dogs only give me one shot at doing their nails, it is essential that the kit be in reach so that I can address whatever I find without getting up. And they don't mind the exam if it is camoflauged as a belly rub.

Hunting Retrievers

2008-02-06T13:52:00.000-06:00

Although the Windsong Curlies are city dogs, they enjoy a relatively private back yard where interesting critters abound to retrieve . I've gradually learned to accept the occasional gift of an unlucky squirrel or bird which wasn't fast enough to escape from whichever Curly-Coated Retriever was hunting in the back yard.

I'm rarely able to intervene, but once I was successful.

Hunter was prowling for prey when I saw him dash towards the back of the yard. He caught a Chipmonk that tried to escape from him by climbing the fence (dumb move). I yelled at him to "drop it" and he did, for all of two seconds.

Then he snatched it up again, so I started walking towards him and ordered him to "leave it", which he did, for two more seconds.

Then he snatched it up, yet again. You have to appreciate that the critter kept trying to escape each time it was spit out, so the "chase" kicked his prey drive into gear and Hunter would grab it again.

Hunter was so absorbed with his prey that he failed to notice how close I had come.

"HUNTER!!" I yelled. He looked up, strait into my eyes, and I could literally see him thinking, "Oh S#!#!" He spit the Chipmonk out and ran for his life!

The poor thing wasn't dead - I could see its heart beating ninety to nothing through its chest. I picked it up by a rear foot and carried it to safety. It laid there for five minutes before it dove under a leaf pile, never to be seen by us again.

Hunter always had a soft mouth. The Chipmonk didn't have a scratch on him (slobber yes, but no gashes or crush wounds). Afterwards it was funny, but in the moment, I worried about all the unhealthy things that wild Chipmonks might carry.

Q & A for the day:

What should you do when your dog catches wild creatures? First, don't ever try to take a "live" anything out of his mouth, you might get bitten (by either of them) or scratched. Chances are if he doesn't let it go, or chew or crush it to death, he'll get tired of it after awhile and lay it down. If it is already dead, you can tell him to give it to you. When he gives you the prey, a newspaper bag or grocery bag makes a quick glove and disposal unit in one.

"Give" (or any word you use for that action) is a trained action. The best time to teach your dog to "give" you things is well before he catches wild game - using toys and other objects - rewarding him with treats or his favorite toy when he performs correctly.

If your dog was bitten or scratched, you should call your vet to be sure, but if he is up on his vaccinations, including rabies, he should be OK. Treat any scratches with anti-bacterial salve but check with your vet for the best treatment for puncture wounds.

Curlies in the basement

2008-02-05T20:20:00.001-06:00

With wild weather storming around us, civil defense sirens blaring and little time to worry whether we'd be better off upstairs or down, I decided we'd all go to the basement.

What fun? I could only get two dogs down the steps at any one time. Then when I got the other two heading down, the first two would run out. Yes, we're going to practice that in the daylight.

Eventually everyone made it down to the basement. I need more toys down there. And maybe a storm kit with chewies and other things. I'll do that in the daylight too.

Luckily, everything passed us by. The curlies enjoyed our time in the basement but were glad when we went back upstairs for a late supper.

Today's timely Q & A:

Since we spent time in the basement tonight, what did I learn that I should have had down there in case of emergency? The weather casters said stick some i.d. in your pocket so I did that and grabbed my weather radio/flashlight. But I should have had some extra leashes down there too . . . and some toys and chewies to keep them happy and busy . . . a first aid kit and a jug of water with a bowl to pour it in. I'm sure I'll think of other things too, but that is a good start.

Conformation

2008-02-04T20:53:00.000-06:00

After a few years of not having a "show dog", Ziva joined the family and we have opted to show her. She has participated in Junior Showmanship with Destiny, our family junior, and gone to some practice shows. We haven't had any competition yet in the classes but are planning to attend a show soon where there will be other class dogs.

The challenge for me is learning how to run around the ring without tripping over my own two feet. And I'm working hard on co-ordinating my leash hand and my cookie hand. That is one too many things for me to think of while running. I'm taking a class for practice so fingers crossed, I won't fall on my face.

My favorite part of showing is visiting with other Curly owners that I don't get to see often and comparing notes about who is doing what with their dogs.

Between show dogging, agility, field work and therapy work, Curlies tend to keep their owners very busy.

Q & A for the day:

The Curly standard includes the term "wickedly smart". What does that mean?

Curlies have an innate problem solving ability that requires a lot of creativity. Many people have developed an opinion of what "wickedly smart" means based on things their Curlies have done. Here is one of my own examples:

Bath day at our house used to consist of everyone getting a bath and going to the basement to dry (as they aged, the steps became a problem so we have since modified the routine). They would each get a rawhide chew (chewie) when they went down the steps. One day, Hunter needed an unscheduled bath so he was the only one to get one. As I let him into the basement Singer ran down the steps expecting a chewie too. I laughed at her and told her "No bath, No chewie". She barked at me, trying to make a good case for getting her own chewie but I just repeated myself, "No bath, No chewie". I came upstairs and went to the study to do some work but I kept hearing her bark from the other end of the house. Finally, I got up to go find her and found her standing in the bathtub. "OK" I said, "You can have a bath". Yes, I stopped right then and gave her a bath, then sent her to the basement with her chewie. She was happy. She had to work that one out to get what she wanted. Other folks have many, many tales - some much more wicked, but all equally smart.

Talking tail

2008-02-03T19:06:00.000-06:00

Deacon, the Curly-Coated Retriever has a very expressive tail. Yes, it can sweep everything off the coffee table (which is why I don't have one). Yes, it can leave a bruise if it swipes me when he is very excited. But his tail says it best when it whispers. Using just the 3 inch tip, his tail can tell me he is hopeful, or excited that I might have a cookie for him.

I think the tip of his tail only talks to me - with the other dogs, he uses his full tail to express himself.

I love to tease the tip of his tail. I can whisper to him under my breath and his tail starts 'listening' in anticipation. First, I can almost see the hair on the tip flick, then barely a half inch will peek up. Finally, he is tentatively wagging the full 3 inches of the tip. Ultimately, when he can contain himself no longer and he springs up, his entire tail is thumping and I wonder if I should brace myself for a full body hug. Of course, when he is super excited, he wags his entire rear end and the tail just follows.

Today's Q & A:

The number one question I get about the Curlies is "What kind of dog is that?" The number one response to my answer is "I've never heard of them, a Curly Lab?" I explain that the Lab and the Curly are distinctive breeds and are not related to each other, the Curly predating the Lab. And no, that isn't a Lab head, it is a retriever head. This last does seem to help.

Welcome

2008-02-02T12:23:00.001-06:00

I'm not sure what a "blog" is, but since I learn best by 'doing', here goes everything. As you can tell by my dedication, I'm a dog lover.

My breed is the Curly-Coated Retriever and I've loved them since 1995. My first Curly, Hunter, was 3 years old when he joined our family (which included a well loved pound puppy of the Husky persuasion). Hunter was such a delight and had a temperament that matched what I thought of when I thought of "Dog" such that he converted me to the breed. I'm sure everyone loves their favored breed for a similar reason. Should you ever have the opportunity to adopt an adult dog, I say "Go for it". They can enrich your life in so many ways.

Now, for today's Q & A:

After a myriad of other questions including what kind of "mix" are they, a typical question is "Do Curlies shed?" In answer, I say "Yes they do but I'm glad. Because their hair grows to a certain length then falls out, there is no need to do the constant grooming that Poodle owners do. It is a trade off. Now to put the shedding into perspective, Niki, the Husky shed more than all 3 of my Curlies combined."

This got a bit lengthy so I'll talk to you later.