Cooper's first points

I have been a bit lax in posting to the blog. We have been really busy lately. I have temporarily gone back to work (long story) and Cooper and I went to four day dog shows, two weekends in a row.

Going back to work has been great. I have earned enough to go to more dog shows! Plus, I do love teaching. I did have to take off to go to the dog shows though, so the class had to have a "sub" sub. I only have a few more days left and then I can go back to being semi retired.

We both had a blast at the shows. It has been a long time since I could just go to the shows and just have fun without worrying about finding majors, etc.

At the Alamogordo shows, I met a couple of people I previously had only talked to online before. What nice, helpful people they are! Both have been in the breed for years and had lots of good things to say about Cooper. One is a handler and helped me with grooming tips. He groomed Cooper for me before every show. The other is a judge and breeder. She gave me handling tips and helped me practice with the wild one.

Bottom line: two points earned in Alamogordo by going best of winners on the days there was competition. He got more confident every day.

The following weekend we went to Los Lunas. Again, we had a great time. I took all I learned the previous weekend and he was able to get one more point. This was done without any assistance, so I was thrilled. So, Cooper now has three points. Only 12 more to go!

Cooper gets his certification

It came in a plain white envelope. It almost got thrown away without even being opened. It looked like junk mail. It was a certificate for Cooper's herding title. He is now, Jo-Lyn's Captive Heart, HCT-S. the "S" stands for sheep even though he tested on both sheep and goats. I guess they use whatever was used first. Cooper was excited because he got extra treats. I guess I will have to frame this along with the ribbons he earned.

Cooper missed his herding lesson

Poor Cooper missed his herding lesson a couple of weeks ago.  It could have been worse.

Friday, June 8, 2012, Cooper turned one year old.  In keeping with our tradition, we went down to "No Bones About It" so he could pick out a birthday cookie.  They also have doggy cakes that are frozen, but I didn't show him those.  He picked out a nice little birthday cake shaped cookie and we also got some of the soft cookie for him and Sadie to share when we got home.  We decided to walk up and down the street and do some window shopping in the little stores of Midtown.  We noticed some smoke up by the ski area and immediately knew there was a fire!  It looked pretty small at the time, but because of where it was burning, I figured that there might some problems heading out for the herding clinic the next day.  They will sometimes close various roads because of smoke, so I decided we would leave a little bit earlier just in case we couldn't take the short cut and had to go the longer route.

I got everything ready to go on Friday night.  I brushed Cooper (no bath since he would be playing in the dirt).  The things that could be loaded into the Jeep were loaded (water, umbrella, chairs, bowl and treats for Cooper, sunscreen for me, etc.) and we went to bed early.  We got up very early and left the house at 5:00 Saturday morning.  I figured it would take a little over 2 hours to get there and it started at 8, so I had plenty of time.

It was really smoky.  Still, we live in a resort area that has had more than its share of forest fires in the past years.  Smoke doesn't necessarily mean that the fire is close.  So, off we went.  We got to the intersection at highway 48 and the police had a roadblock.  They said we couldn't go that way.  I never thought they would close that road, I thought they might close the road at the next turnoff.  Talking to another driver at the road block, I discovered that he had been evacuated from his home about 30 minutes before and he said that he thought homes had burned already.  I "could" have turned around and gone a different way around the fire area, but that would have taken at least an hour longer, maybe more.   Plus, there was no way of knowing at the time exactly how large the fire was, where it was or how close to the house.  So, I just went home.

We had no phone or cell service that first day.  The smoke was very thick.  The flames looked to be over 100 ft tall and you tell it was moving fast.  We had winds of over 50 mph on both Saturday and Sunday which made fighting the fire even harder.

To date over 38,000 acres have burned and the fire is 60% contained.  254 structures have burned (242 commercial and residential buildings and 12 outbuildings).  They are still fighting the fire with air tankers and helicopters and on the ground.  We had over 2,000 personnel fighting as well as over 200 National Guard members.  Most of the people that were evacuated have been allowed to return home.  The Red Cross and other organizations are helping those in need.

Fire is very fickle.  It will burn one house to the ground, leaving nothing behind but ashes and leave the house next door untouched.  This has been a year for records here in New Mexico.  We have one fire that has been burning for over a month now that has burned almost 300,000 acres.  It is the largest fire in New Mexico history.  Our fire here has burned 254 structures, the most in New Mexico history.  These are records you don't want to have.

Cooper is a Herding Dog?!

When I got to Albuquerque for the dog show, I parked in the back.  It is pretty close to the building and usually gets shade at some point during the day.  I noticed when I parked that there was title sign with an arrow near where I was parked.  After we showed, I was returning to my car and decided to check out what the sign was for.  It said "Herding" and had an arrow to the building I was parked in front of.  I thought it would be a herding demonstration so I went in.  They were doing "Herding Instinct Tests".  The keeshond is in the Non-Sporting group in AKC so I wasn't sure if he would even qualify to take the test.  They are an accepted breed in the Herding Breed Association, so I let them talk me into having him tested.  I just thought that it would be funny to watch.

Historically speaking, the keeshond has been used for centuries as an all around dog.  Primarily in Holland, it is used as a barge dog and a farm dog.  In Germany, it is used mostly as a farm dog.  Its duties include herding the livestock, keeping rats and other vermin out of the barn, babysitting the kids and keeping the farmer  warm at night.  As a companion, the kees just did everything that the farmer did.  So, I am not sure why I was surprised at how well he did on the herding instinct test.  He evidently has generations of herding in his genes.

I did not go into the ring with Cooper.  I handed him off to the person in the ring and I hid behind the bleachers so he couldn't see me.  It didn't occur to me that I could go into the ring with him, because the ones I watched, that is how they did it.  He looked for me right at first, then the lure of the sheep was too strong and off he went!  It looked to me that he was just chasing those sheep around the ring, but, I did notice that he wanted them to be all together and when one would break away from the pack, he would go get it and bring it back to the group.  I didn't know enough about herding to know whether he passed or not, but when it was finished, they told he passed!  One person told me he was "Phenomenal."  I still wasn't sure that was a good thing until the judge talked to me and told me how well he had done.  It takes two "legs" to qualify for a Herding Instinct title, so I signed up for the next day.

On Sunday, I again parked in the same lot and Cooper was excited from the time we got there.  He wanted to get in to see those sheep!  I had to practically drag him to where he was supposed to be showing.  After he showed in conformation, I took him back to do the second day of herding.  He was soooo excited!  This time there were goats in the ring.  Again, I handed him off to the person in the ring only this time he never looked for me, he just took off.  He rounded up those goats, he changed direction when the handler told him to and kept his flock in a tight bunch.  All very good things.  Plus, he was having a blast!  Again, everyone there told me how well he had done (and how cute he is).  I think the sheep and goats were a bit confused about that little grey fluff ball bouncing around after them.

Monday came and again we parked in the same lot.  Cooper wanted to go see those sheep and goats, but they weren't there anymore :(  He looked for them for two days and couldn't understand where they went.

I think this is something we are going to pursue.  He loves it and he does need something new.  He is so smart and I think he will learn quickly.  I will take him this weekend to a clinic.  It will be his actual first time to have any instruction.  Hopefully I will get some good pictures.

Albuquerque Dog Show

Two weeks before the big show in Albuquerque, Cooper decided it was a good time to loose most of his puppy coat.  I hate the puppy coat because it is hard to comb and take care of.  It is wooly and soft.  But, I thought he was really looking good for the show until he lost it all.  But, we packed up and left at 6 am for four days of showing.  It was just Cooper and I.  We got to the fair grounds with plenty of time to spare.  I parked in the back lot near the sheep barns (more on that later).  Took out the grooming table and fluffed as much as I could considering he had no undercoat and off we went.  Cooper had to pee on every tree we passed, but that meant he wouldn't have to go once we got inside.  We had to wait a bit, but not too long.  We visited with friends and saw some people we haven't seen in a long time.  The ones from Colorado that were at the Denver shows were surprised at how much Cooper had grown.  He actually had grown about an inch or more in the last few weeks, but didn't gain any weight to go with the extra height.  So he was a bit thin.  He showed pretty good, let the judge go over him and look at his bite without too much wiggling.  He gets better at every show.  He didn't get anything (well, first in his class, but he was the only one).  We met my mom at a restaurant for dinner and then went to my brother's concert.  He sings with the Westside Concert Chorale.  It was a great concert.  Cooper would have loved it, but he had to stay in the car.

Sunday was more of the same.  We left the motel with plenty of time, got to the fair grounds, fluffed and he showed better than he did the day before.  The results were the same.  On Monday, he showed even better and got Reserve, but on Tuesday, even though I thought he showed even better than he had the other days, he didn't get anything again.  The puppy took Winners all four days.  I think it was because he was the only dog with any coat.  The other dog that was being shown had lost his coat like Cooper had.  Plus, Cooper was a bit thin because of his growth spurt.

All in all, we both had a great time.  We got to mingle with other people with the same interests, we got to visit with my Mom and my son took me out to lunch for Mother's Day.  I did some shopping which is always a good thing, even if you don't buy much.  I learned the things I need to work with Cooper on the most for him to do better at the shows.  It was good to get back home though.  Now, to find another show to go to that isn't too far away.

UKC Show

Grandma had been wanting for me to take her to visit her cousin in Paris, TX. Cooper and I wanted to try our hand at showing at a UKC show. When I found that there would be four shows in Paris, it was like the planets became aligned. There was a lot of planning involved. Because I wasn't completely sure that the trip would happen, I didn't pre-enter the shows. You can enter the day of the show in UKC so that worked best for me. Cooper didn't have a UKC registration number either, so I had to apply for a temporary number. It was easy to do over the phone. He got the temporary number and now all his points that he earned will transfer over to a permanent number at a later date. I probably could have just applied for the permanent number, but I really didn't think there would be enough time.

After the final decision of the time frame (Mom comes down here on Wednesday, we leave on Thursday, arrive in Paris on Friday), it was packing time. I was told that UKC shows are much more laid back, but that didn't help me in deciding what to take. The weather there had been in the 80's and really humid with lots of rain. I decided on taking pants with tops both summery and some a bit warmer, just in case. I packed all the grooming stuff and Cooper's stuff and we were ready. I packed Mom's trunk with her stuff, my stuff and Cooper's stuff. She had brought some fruit for us to eat and was planning on putting it in the back seat. I said that was where Cooper was riding, so we put that in the trunk as well.

And, we're off! (thank goodness for GPS) Cooper rides well and was immediately asleep. We stopped in Lubbock to eat and potty and continued on our merry way. We got as far as Gainesville, TX and stopped for the night. We called for directions to a Motel 6 south of town. It was new and about 10 miles out from where we were. The room was very big. It had 2 queen size beds and a large flat screen TV. There was plenty of room for Cooper to run and play. What a nice place! We left early the next morning and was in Paris by noon. I drove out to the show grounds just to make sure I knew the way. It was only a few minutes from my mom's cousin's house.

I went out to the show grounds to enter for the shows. It was relatively painless. Just fill out the form, put in the temporary number I received over the phone and pay the money. Easy Peasy! I was told to be back at 10. There were 2 shows each day. I mistakenly thought that one show would finish and then they would start the second show. Boy did I have a lot to learn. The show started almost straight at 10 like they said. There was no ring times, however. They just put up a schedule of the breeds entered and the order they would show. Cooper was in the Northern Group, which was after Juniors, Terriers, Guardians and Gun Dogs. There are a lot of breeds in UKC that are not in AKC, so I saw some dogs I had never seen before. Like the Spanish Water Dog. It looks kind of like the Portuguese Water Dog, but is is not combed out and is left all curly. They evidently come in a lot of different colors. As the morning wore on, I noticed that as soon as a breed finished in one ring, they would go into the second ring with another judge. So, they did both shows simultaneously. After all breeds in one group had shows, they did group judging. At times I was really confused as to what was going on, but everyone else seems to think things were going very smoothly. Of course, they decided to take a lunch break right before my group so we had to wait some more.

Cooper goes into the ring like a pro. This is, of course, his third time at a show. The judges all wanted me to show them the bite rather than handling the mouth themselves. That worked out best for me. Cooper stacked and remained still while I show the bite and the judge went over him. He got first in his class, Best Male, and Best of Breed. Three ribbons! Of course, he was the only keeshond there, but still. Then into the group where he got Second to a cute little Eskie. He got a nice red and black rosette ribbon. Next, we went into the ring and did it all over again with the same results, except he got second in group to a different eskie.

Sunday seemed easier since I knew what to expect. Of course, the weather couldn't cooperate two days in a row. It was raining. It really came a downpour during the night and there was water standing everywhere. The show site was a concrete slab under a cover, so was pretty dry. It was, however, really wet in the parking lot and there was no dry place for Cooper to potty. Not that the little mud puppy minded. He would have loved it if I had just let him go play in all that wet grass. He looked great. The coolness and the humidity made his coat look even better than it had the day before. The results from the two shows were the same as Saturday, but the judges both said some very nice things about him. The second judge asked me to show to her again when he got older. She said he was "Stunning!"

All in all, we had a great time. My mom got to visit relatives that she doesn't get to see very often. I got to do something I had never done before and meet some very nice people. Cooper had a blast and got to play with some cute little dogs. He got a new toy to celebrate his wins that he just loves. We saw lots and lots of wildflowers. I have heard about how pretty the Bluebonnets are this time of year in east Texas, but have never seen them before. How beautiful they were! Plus, there were lots of other types of flowers that we didn't know what were.

Sadie's Testing Day

February 26th was the day that Miss Sadie had to be tested to renew her therapy dog certification. I have been spending a lot of time training Cooper and very little time refining her skills. She knows what to do, but will she do it when asked?

We had to go to El Paso for the test. The organization that we used to test with in Albuquerque is no longer doing it, so we had to find an alternate location. The people we met were very nice and very good. I was pleased that they were able to fit us in with such short notice.

Sadie was a hit. Most of the people we saw there had never seen a Keeshond up close. She is an excellent ambassador for our breed.

She was calm and attentive and followed all the commands like the pro she is. I had to laugh when they did the "Leave-it" test. They put a squeaky toy in the middle of the room and we were to walk by it without her touching the toy. Sadie would NEVER put something into her mouth like that. You just don't know where it has been after all.

Now to go to see Dr. Becky. The health screening is extensive and a lot of paperwork, but Becky is an old pro at it by now. She will look at the tooth Sadie lost while in Denver to make sure it is not broken under the gums while there. Maybe I should take Cooper and weigh him. I know he has to weigh more than the 22 lbs. I got here.

After the vet appointment on Tuesday, we will have a new picture taken, then mail everything off. This is the earliest we have ever gotten everything done.

Denver Dog Shows

We made the 9 hour trip to Denver easily. It was sunny all the way. We went to the show site early on Friday to see the weight pull demonstration. We saw a different demonstration 3 days. My favorite was the dancing dogs, but also liked the Flyball. The weight pull had poor sound and it was hard to understand and hear, but it was pretty impressive.

Cooper did well for his first real shows. He got better every day. I discovered that he needs to walk around the vending area and the grooming area quite a few times before showing. He needs to be a little bit tired. On Friday, he got Best Puppy and then a puppy group 3. He didn't do well enough to win any points. He is still quite a bit smaller than the big boys that were there. I weighed him when we got home and he only weighs 22 lbs. he will probably gain at least 10 more pounds in the next couple of months as he begins to fill out. We learned what to work on. He really doesn't like for the judge to feel his "business", but checking the bite is getting better. We really need to work on the gaiting, not running around the ring too

Sadie lost a tooth, probably while belaying tug with Cooper. Could have been a back tooth that wouldn't show, but no, had to be right in front.

Trip back took 11 hours. We were stopped on the highway for 2 hours while they cleared a wreck. It is a narrow two lane road so no way to get around. We could have turned around and gone another way, but that would have taken us almost 200 miles out of the way

Cooper's first show

Cooper is finally old enough to enter in his first show. There has been a lot of preparations up to this point. We train every day. Even though we go on walks and have done different kinds of training, when I put the show chain on him, he acted like he had never been on a leash before. It was bucking bronco time. So, time with a show collar and lead is now a regular part of his training. He stacks (stands) like a pro now, but I still am unsure how he will react in a ring with all the distractions and noise of a real dog show.

Grooming also requires training. I have to say that I have been a bit lax lately with grooming and nails. So, I fear that it is going to take me a while to get him show ready. My original plan was to use the Dremel on his nails at lease every other week just so he would be used to having it done. Well, that hasn't happened. He does pretty good, but he still seems stressed because he is not sure. He will get better at being still with practice. I hope.

His coat is very thick. On Sunday, Sadie was given a bath and completely combed out. Her coat gets a little soft after bathing so it has to be done at least a week before a show or it doesn't look right. Cooper still has that wooly puppy coat that is hard to comb. He will get a bath (to get rid of that stinky boy smell) probably Monday or Tuesday. I will do nails on both probably Friday then both will get spritzed and fluffed right before the show. Hopefully, neither will roll in anything between their bath and the show.

Update:
Cooper had his nails and feet done Friday morning. I then went to the store to get Super Bowl snacks and got rear ended on the way home. Back and neck sore for the rest of the day. Cooper took this opportunity to dig and roll in the dirt. So, Saturday I had to wash his legs and groom him again.

We got to the show site at noon and the ring time was 2:05. We had plenty of time to walk around and get Cooper used to the sights, sounds and smells of an indoor show. He really didn't like dogs in crates barking at him as we walked by. The floor is very slick there and he had trouble walking. It took a good 10 minutes for us to go more than a few yards. The vendors that were by the front door got a good laugh at his legs going 100 miles an hour and his body going nowhere.

Ring time:

Cooper went into the ring first. The judge proclaimed him the "wiggliest puppy". He was so excited and happy. His tail never stopped. I don't think the judge got a chance to actually go over him especially his bite. At least he didn't jump up on the judge or lick him in the face. Thank goodness for small favors.

Sadie decided she didn't want to show for Tiff. I don't think she was as bad as she can be. She at least moved well. She looks good and what's not to like about that sweet face. She is always interesting in the ring. You never know what you are going to get. Are you going to get the one that can wow the judge and all that see her? Or will it be that "other" one that is horrid or just not interested in being there?

Cooper got both a blue and a purple ribbon. Of course, he was the only one there. So, he got both first and last place in his class. He really likes the blue ribbon, not so much the purple one. Sadie got Best of Winners and Best Opposite Sex by default.

The ribbons were not the point. The goal was to get Cooper to a real show for some experience and to remind Sadie. Goal accomplished, bring on Denver!

New Show Leads

Now that I am no longer working, I have time to try different things. I have been making some new show leads. Some are braided leather with beads and some are braided satin cord with beads. Not sure which I like the most. The satin is a bit thicker than the leather and comes in lots of bright colors. It is very soft in your hand and seems to be very strong. The leather is more traditional. Because it is more natural in color, the beads really stand out and make a statement. I plan on making a lot of different ones and maybe see if I can sell them. Or, I could make some to match every show outfit I have so the dogs and I could match.

White Sands

No, all that white stuff isn't snow! We went to White Sands National Monument. Cooper seemed to be a bit disappointed because he thought it was going to be like snow, but it wasn't. He got the hang of running and playing pretty quickly though. We hiked and took tons of pictures. It was so warm, at least in the 60's. It was so cute to see their paw prints on the white sand where there were no other marks.