My to-do list keeps getting longer and longer. We're headed to the Bloomington show this weekend, so tonight is set aside for grooming, grooming, grooming. I also have to make liver bait. The house is going to smell yucky to everyone but the dogs! Liver and garlic….not my idea of an enticing aroma!
The Lhasa entry in Bloomington is a GREAT one! There are major points in dogs the first three days and in bitches all four days.
Tomorrow involves an afternoon drive to Bloomington to meet friends from WI and to nab a grooming space for 6 of us. Then home again to bathe and blow dry the two puppies and Belle. Walker's bath is scheduled for Friday night.
I entered Zach and Belle on Friday. Desi is going along for the ride. Saturday is the big, busy day because Zach, Desi, Belle, and Walker are all entered that day. Thank goodness for friends who have offered to help me at ringside! Desi, Belle, and Walker are entered Sunday and Monday. Zach will stay home Sunday so there is room in the car to take Alvin back to Karen. He is going to be so happy to see her again! Before he leaves I want to get a picture of him and Dancer together. They look so much alike that they could be littermates, so it's easy to predict what their puppies will look like.
Walker will be competing for the first time since a February show in Des Moines. He loves to go to shows, and now that AKC is offering Grand Championship points, I decided to enter him. Otherwise, what is the use of grooming his coat every week? Besides, after showing the 2 six month old puppies for the first time and then taking recalcitrant Belle into the ring, I think I deserve to show a dog I can rely on to sail around the ring like the multiple group winning champion he is!
I'll let you know how it goes. The weather is supposed to be dry (what a miracle) and sunny, with temps in the low 80's. I hope that forecast holds.
And, while we are on the topic of dog shows, here is a link to a great article you just have to read (you may have to copy and paste this URL into your browser): http://humanewatch.org/index.php/site/post/what_i_learned_at_the_dog_show/
Life is good when you have a Lhasa to love you.
Joyce
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Clipping Your Lhasa
I hope it is quite a while before I have to get in the car and make another long drive! Last Saturday I left Macomb to head to Nebraska to attend my niece's high school graduation and graduation party, both held on Sunday. The drive took about 7.5 hours. I admit to speeding! Monday morning found me on the road to Illinois at 6:00. I did not get home until 5:00 PM. I admit to speeding but also to stopping at a couple shopping malls!
Both puppies did well at class, but Zach outperformed Desi. She is still more interested in socializing and sniffing the floor! He is such a pretty Lhasa and a great mover too! Memorial Day weekend will be their show ring debut.
Commenting on the previous entry where I'd posted before and after pictures of Mira, Sarah asked about clipping and getting some pointers so she could start clipping her Lhasa Tashi. Here goes:
First of all, invest in a good, reliable clipper and blades. I bought my ConAir Pro clipper and blades from PetEdge years ago. I noticed when I checked the company's website that it currently is selling an Andis clipper set that looks like a good deal. The set includes the clipper, blades, and combs PLUS a DVD to teach you how to use it all. (I wish I'd have had one of those.) In addition to clipper and blades you also need blade wash and a blade lubricant/cooler (e.g., "Kool Lube").
The thing to remember about clipper blades is that the higher the number, the closer the cut will be. Thus a #10 blade will cut closer than a #7 and so on. I've never used combs but have heard that attaching them leaves the hair a little longer than it would be if a comb was not used. (Combs won't work if the dog is matted.)
I use a #7F on the dog's body and a #10 on the belly area.
It is easier to clip a dog that is not matted, but many people resort to clipping their dog because he IS matted. Either way works, but you'll have an easier time if you can comb or brush through the dog before you start clipping. If you are clipping a matted dog, don't push hard to force the clipper blade through the mat. Use a scissors to cut through the mat first and to give the blade something to grab onto.
As you can see by looking at the picture I posted of Mira clipped down, when I clip, my intent is not to do anything cute or fancy. That is so beyond my knowledge and skills! So if you are looking for directions for a "Puppy Cut" or "Teddy Bear Cut," etc. I am definitely not the person to go to for information! You can probably find directions somewhere on the internet for those cuter clips.
Using a #7F blade, I start at the back of the dog's head and run the clipper over his neck and back to the base of the tail. Next I clip both sides in the direction the hair grows; then I then do the chest and rear, followed by the legs and feet. I also clip the tail. Some people like to leave the tail and ear hair long. It's just a matter of preference.
Remember that the blade will get hot after it has been in use for a while, so every once in a while, check it by putting it on your forearm or feeling it with the palm of your hand. If it is getting hot, spray it with Kool Lube before you continue clipping the dog.
The head, ears, and face come next. Often I will do the face with a smaller clipper, like a Wahl mustache trimmer, and do some finishing work with scissors. Again, you can leave the Lhasa's ears and mustache longer if you like that look.
If the dog will lie down, have him do so while you do his underside. When clipping my Lhasas that will not lie down (who trained these dogs anyway?), I ask my husband for a hand and he holds them upright on their back legs while I clip the chest, arm pits, and belly areas, generally using a #10 blade. However, I've been known just to keep using the #7F and it works fine.
When the clipping is done, I trim toenails and use the Wahl clipper to trim between the pads of the dog's feet. Then I give the dog a nice refreshing bath.
Ta-Da … a perfect pet: A Lhasa Apso that does not shed and that doesn't have to be groomed for a while!
The unclipped Lhasa at the top of the page is Multiple Group Winning American Canadian Ch. Joyslyn's Piece of the Rock. The photo was taken at a show in Kansas City in 1976 or 1977 by a Hallmark photographer. It later appeared on one of the company's dog calendars. Rocky was our very first champion. (I have ABSOLUTELY no idea why the font size suddenly changed for this paragraph and why I cannot fix it!)
Life is good when you have a Lhasa to love you!
Joyce
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Sharing Mira Photos
We finally took a picture of Mira last night. Since I have been planning to show you how she looks now, compared to her former long-coated self, here you go. She enjoys her short cut, doesn't look as gorgeous as she did in the past, but the upside is that she really did not enjoy lying on her side to be groomed and now she doesn't have to put up with what she considered an "indignity!" Now she can splash through the puddles all this rain has left behind!
Life is good when you have a Lhasa to love you!
Joyce
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Show Results
The dogs in our lives, the dogs we come to love and who (we fervently believe) love us in return, offer more than fidelity, consolation, and companionship. They offer comedy, irony, wit, and a wealth of anecdotes, the "shaggy dog stories" and "stupid pet tricks" that are commonplace pleasures of life. They offer, if we are wise enough or simple enough to take it, a model for what it means to give your heart with little thought of return.
~Marjorie Garber
Mothers should get to do what they want on Mother's Day, and my choice was to enter a dog show. May 8-9 were the first shows we'd been to since the Saturday before Easter. Belle and I went to the Dairyland shows in WI. Results were disappointing, not because we took second place both days (Saturday second out of two and Sunday second out of three), but because Belle once again decided she was not going to walk. She would take a few steps then suddenly, for reasons known only to her, would stop and lie down. Liver helped coax her back to her feet and a few more steps until she would again stop, lie down, and wait. Saturday she did a nice job on the down and back. Not so much on Sunday – plus Sunday's judge was an impatient man who seemed to want to be somewhere besides in the ring judging dogs—so that added some extra stress.
If Belle were not already entered in her next shows, I believe those would have been her last. As those of you who read this blog regularly well know, she has been telling me in her own way since she was a baby that she does not want to walk on a lead. It is time I listened. Not every dog enjoys the show ring. She is obviously one of them. She'll go to the next shows because the major will break without her there. Then I guess we'll hang up her show lead for good. (Actually make that "show leads" since I have tried at least 8 different ones with her, hoping to find one she will respond to!) Something different about these upcoming shows is that the majority of the rings are carpeted. I'm wondering if Belle will be more inclined to show on that surface rather than on mats. Or not.
Desi got to go to the show with us. It occurred to me that Belle had never once gone to a show by herself so I thought she should travel with a companion. Desi gets car sick so she wore a little snood that my daughter knitted for her. It held back ears and mustache enough that she did not slime them. I also put a baby bib around her neck to cover her chest hair. She looked cute but didn't seem thrilled with her new look! (I should get a picture to show you!) By the end of the weekend, she was no longer drooling so the long trip and the car rides to and from the show site each day may have "cured" her.
Back at home, Zach, who I predicted would deal Lynn fits because he would be lonely without Belle and Desi, had a great time playing with Boris, our Russian Blue cat, and did not seem to miss any of us in the least. He always seems to rely on Desi for direction, so I thought it would be good for both to have some "away time."
Bob and Lynne, if you are reading this, thanks for coming to the show to meet us and for not laughing at me in the ring with Belle! Desi appreciated the extra attention! It was good to meet you at last.
Life is good when you have a Lhasa to love you!
Joyce
~Marjorie Garber
Mothers should get to do what they want on Mother's Day, and my choice was to enter a dog show. May 8-9 were the first shows we'd been to since the Saturday before Easter. Belle and I went to the Dairyland shows in WI. Results were disappointing, not because we took second place both days (Saturday second out of two and Sunday second out of three), but because Belle once again decided she was not going to walk. She would take a few steps then suddenly, for reasons known only to her, would stop and lie down. Liver helped coax her back to her feet and a few more steps until she would again stop, lie down, and wait. Saturday she did a nice job on the down and back. Not so much on Sunday – plus Sunday's judge was an impatient man who seemed to want to be somewhere besides in the ring judging dogs—so that added some extra stress.
If Belle were not already entered in her next shows, I believe those would have been her last. As those of you who read this blog regularly well know, she has been telling me in her own way since she was a baby that she does not want to walk on a lead. It is time I listened. Not every dog enjoys the show ring. She is obviously one of them. She'll go to the next shows because the major will break without her there. Then I guess we'll hang up her show lead for good. (Actually make that "show leads" since I have tried at least 8 different ones with her, hoping to find one she will respond to!) Something different about these upcoming shows is that the majority of the rings are carpeted. I'm wondering if Belle will be more inclined to show on that surface rather than on mats. Or not.
Desi got to go to the show with us. It occurred to me that Belle had never once gone to a show by herself so I thought she should travel with a companion. Desi gets car sick so she wore a little snood that my daughter knitted for her. It held back ears and mustache enough that she did not slime them. I also put a baby bib around her neck to cover her chest hair. She looked cute but didn't seem thrilled with her new look! (I should get a picture to show you!) By the end of the weekend, she was no longer drooling so the long trip and the car rides to and from the show site each day may have "cured" her.
Back at home, Zach, who I predicted would deal Lynn fits because he would be lonely without Belle and Desi, had a great time playing with Boris, our Russian Blue cat, and did not seem to miss any of us in the least. He always seems to rely on Desi for direction, so I thought it would be good for both to have some "away time."
Bob and Lynne, if you are reading this, thanks for coming to the show to meet us and for not laughing at me in the ring with Belle! Desi appreciated the extra attention! It was good to meet you at last.
Life is good when you have a Lhasa to love you!
Joyce
Monday, May 3, 2010
More Updates
In family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony. ~ Eva Burrows
What a wonderful month April was – especially the week of April 21- 28 for that was the week we welcomed my mom who drove here from Nebraska, our daughter who flew in from Miami, and our son who drove home from college. They came to celebrate our granddaughter's 4th birthday.
Family is so important. As I go through the routines of each day, and get caught up in the tasks and frenzy of deadlines and to-do lists, it is easy sometimes to forget that simple fact. Then there is sort of a loneliness that creeps in and a wish to be able to just hug my mom or one of the kids who live away from "home." With two of them away now, I understand how Mom felt when we left Nebraska and moved to Illinois.
Anyway, being apart makes coming back together even more special. We had a great time. Now that our children are all "grown," they feel a little freer to expound on some of the secrets of their childhoods and deeds that, at the time they were committed, I am certainly glad that I was unaware of what was going on! The stories, the reminiscing, the laughter, the traditions, the making and sharing of meals, the celebrations—these are the heart of family.
On another topic – Some news that people have been waiting for: we may be having puppies in late June! It's way too early to tell yet, of course, but the breeding has been done. Now we wait.
Mira's beautiful coat was clipped over the weekend. Lynn had to do it. I couldn't face the task. I'll get a picture of her and post it one of these days. I think she is enjoying the freedom a short coat brings.
Belle and I are leaving for a dog show in Wisconsin this coming Friday. The entry is low, but we are looking forward to the trip and seeing some of our favorite Wisconsin Lhasa people and meeting some people I've been corresponding with about a puppy. At the end of May, Zach and Desi will be old enough to go to the four Bloomington, IL shows over Memorial Day weekend. I have the entries for them, Belle, and Walker made out and ready to mail…but when I calculated the cost, I couldn't bear to write the check last night. Yikes! (All I could think of was "I sure hope they'll all walk or this is so going to be a waste!") So I'll face that task this evening!
I'll give you an update on Belle and the Wisconsin shows the next time!
Life is good when you have a Lhasa – and family – to love you!
Joyce
What a wonderful month April was – especially the week of April 21- 28 for that was the week we welcomed my mom who drove here from Nebraska, our daughter who flew in from Miami, and our son who drove home from college. They came to celebrate our granddaughter's 4th birthday.
Family is so important. As I go through the routines of each day, and get caught up in the tasks and frenzy of deadlines and to-do lists, it is easy sometimes to forget that simple fact. Then there is sort of a loneliness that creeps in and a wish to be able to just hug my mom or one of the kids who live away from "home." With two of them away now, I understand how Mom felt when we left Nebraska and moved to Illinois.
Anyway, being apart makes coming back together even more special. We had a great time. Now that our children are all "grown," they feel a little freer to expound on some of the secrets of their childhoods and deeds that, at the time they were committed, I am certainly glad that I was unaware of what was going on! The stories, the reminiscing, the laughter, the traditions, the making and sharing of meals, the celebrations—these are the heart of family.
On another topic – Some news that people have been waiting for: we may be having puppies in late June! It's way too early to tell yet, of course, but the breeding has been done. Now we wait.
Mira's beautiful coat was clipped over the weekend. Lynn had to do it. I couldn't face the task. I'll get a picture of her and post it one of these days. I think she is enjoying the freedom a short coat brings.
Belle and I are leaving for a dog show in Wisconsin this coming Friday. The entry is low, but we are looking forward to the trip and seeing some of our favorite Wisconsin Lhasa people and meeting some people I've been corresponding with about a puppy. At the end of May, Zach and Desi will be old enough to go to the four Bloomington, IL shows over Memorial Day weekend. I have the entries for them, Belle, and Walker made out and ready to mail…but when I calculated the cost, I couldn't bear to write the check last night. Yikes! (All I could think of was "I sure hope they'll all walk or this is so going to be a waste!") So I'll face that task this evening!
I'll give you an update on Belle and the Wisconsin shows the next time!
Life is good when you have a Lhasa – and family – to love you!
Joyce
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Things are Rather Dull Around Here!
What is drama but life with the dull bits cut out. Alfred Hitchcock
What's going on at Joyslyn's Lhasa Apsos? Sorry to say, not all that much.
However, in the interest of keeping this blog active, I'll fill you in on the hum-drum aspects of life around here since the last post. Well, Lynn and I had our 38th anniversary on the 15th. Note that I said "had" not "celebrated!" The big day seemed to pass unnoticed by two of our children. The other one sent a card a week early, but hey…at least that one remembered. My sister sent a card. My mom forgot. Heck…even my husband forgot. In the morning, we discussed going out to dinner but neither of us cared where we went, so we decided to decide later. When we got home from work I asked, "What do you want to do for dinner?" He said, "Oh you don't have to fix anything, I went out to Aurelio's (our favorite pizza buffet) for lunch, so I am not hungry!" Hmmm…that got the evening off to a great start.
We haven't been to any dog shows, but I did send entries for Belle to go to the Badger and Janesville shows on May 8-9 in Wisconsin. Zach and Desi are growing. Teeth are coming in and I'm not really thrilled with either of their bites but gums are still swollen and both have a mix of baby teeth, adult teeth breaking through, and big gaps where there are no teeth. Time will tell, but right now I'd say she is going to be undershot (not horrendously, thank God!) and he may be scissors. (YUCK!) I am hoping that his lower jaw grows just a tiny bit. The two have been going to training class every Tuesday night. Desi gets car sick and either throws up when the car stops or drools all the way there and I have to get her cleaned up so the trainer can at least touch her on the table without getting grossed out. Zach always gets to go first so Desi has time to dry off. Zach likes class and moves right out. Desi not so much. At home she prances down the street. He puts his tail down and takes tiny steps. (Picture me beating my head against a wall!)
One thing I am very thankful for is that both puppies are totally amenable to lying on their sides to be groomed! A couple times on the table and they were into it! Compare that behavior to Breaker's. He still thinks I must be trying to kill him if he has to lie on his side to be groomed. He is a brat, but you can't help but love him. He is full of such joy and good will. What he needs is something to do with all his energy. Unfortunately, I am NOT a person interested in training for and competing in performance events; otherwise, I'd have him in agility training for sure.
Other than working and coming home to groom dogs and train puppies what have I been doing with all this down time? I've been spending more time with our granddaughter. Thankfully, she thinks that visiting grandma and grandpa is special and fun. I decided to re-read the Harry Potter books. I've also been reading some political blogs. However, I may have to stop. I am getting totally irritated with politicians who are putting party before country, with those in the Tea Party who think fascism and socialism are synonyms and who misspell words on their stupid posters, and with a certain screechy-voiced ex-governor whose blatherings incite people who can't think for themselves. Enough about that.
Today, I discovered a website that made me laugh. First, remember all those motivational posters with the lovely nature or animal photos and the nice quotations that hung on the walls of your high school or perhaps still hang in your workplace? Well, if you have a warped sense of humor (as I evidently do) you might enjoy a visit to Despair.com to view the "tell it like it is" posters there. For example, one poster has a lovely picture of a salmon swimming upstream, jumping a waterfall and aiming right for the jaws of a huge bear. The poster is titled "AMBITION." Under the photo are the words "A journey of a thousand miles sometimes ends very, very badly."
Evidently, the company sells t-shirts and other products in addition to the posters. If you have a pessimist in your life – or someone with a warped sense of humor – this site may be of help for Christmas and birthday gifts.
On a lighter note, family is headed to town this week. My mom is visiting from Nebraska and arrives tomorrow. Our daughter is coming from Florida on Thursday. Our son is coming home from college to spend the weekend. The big event is our granddaughter's 4th birthday. It will be great to see everyone and have some much needed family time. There will be lots of laughter. We always have fun when we are together.
Life is good when you have a Lhasa – and family – to love you!
Joyce
What's going on at Joyslyn's Lhasa Apsos? Sorry to say, not all that much.
However, in the interest of keeping this blog active, I'll fill you in on the hum-drum aspects of life around here since the last post. Well, Lynn and I had our 38th anniversary on the 15th. Note that I said "had" not "celebrated!" The big day seemed to pass unnoticed by two of our children. The other one sent a card a week early, but hey…at least that one remembered. My sister sent a card. My mom forgot. Heck…even my husband forgot. In the morning, we discussed going out to dinner but neither of us cared where we went, so we decided to decide later. When we got home from work I asked, "What do you want to do for dinner?" He said, "Oh you don't have to fix anything, I went out to Aurelio's (our favorite pizza buffet) for lunch, so I am not hungry!" Hmmm…that got the evening off to a great start.
We haven't been to any dog shows, but I did send entries for Belle to go to the Badger and Janesville shows on May 8-9 in Wisconsin. Zach and Desi are growing. Teeth are coming in and I'm not really thrilled with either of their bites but gums are still swollen and both have a mix of baby teeth, adult teeth breaking through, and big gaps where there are no teeth. Time will tell, but right now I'd say she is going to be undershot (not horrendously, thank God!) and he may be scissors. (YUCK!) I am hoping that his lower jaw grows just a tiny bit. The two have been going to training class every Tuesday night. Desi gets car sick and either throws up when the car stops or drools all the way there and I have to get her cleaned up so the trainer can at least touch her on the table without getting grossed out. Zach always gets to go first so Desi has time to dry off. Zach likes class and moves right out. Desi not so much. At home she prances down the street. He puts his tail down and takes tiny steps. (Picture me beating my head against a wall!)
One thing I am very thankful for is that both puppies are totally amenable to lying on their sides to be groomed! A couple times on the table and they were into it! Compare that behavior to Breaker's. He still thinks I must be trying to kill him if he has to lie on his side to be groomed. He is a brat, but you can't help but love him. He is full of such joy and good will. What he needs is something to do with all his energy. Unfortunately, I am NOT a person interested in training for and competing in performance events; otherwise, I'd have him in agility training for sure.
Other than working and coming home to groom dogs and train puppies what have I been doing with all this down time? I've been spending more time with our granddaughter. Thankfully, she thinks that visiting grandma and grandpa is special and fun. I decided to re-read the Harry Potter books. I've also been reading some political blogs. However, I may have to stop. I am getting totally irritated with politicians who are putting party before country, with those in the Tea Party who think fascism and socialism are synonyms and who misspell words on their stupid posters, and with a certain screechy-voiced ex-governor whose blatherings incite people who can't think for themselves. Enough about that.
Today, I discovered a website that made me laugh. First, remember all those motivational posters with the lovely nature or animal photos and the nice quotations that hung on the walls of your high school or perhaps still hang in your workplace? Well, if you have a warped sense of humor (as I evidently do) you might enjoy a visit to Despair.com to view the "tell it like it is" posters there. For example, one poster has a lovely picture of a salmon swimming upstream, jumping a waterfall and aiming right for the jaws of a huge bear. The poster is titled "AMBITION." Under the photo are the words "A journey of a thousand miles sometimes ends very, very badly."
Evidently, the company sells t-shirts and other products in addition to the posters. If you have a pessimist in your life – or someone with a warped sense of humor – this site may be of help for Christmas and birthday gifts.
On a lighter note, family is headed to town this week. My mom is visiting from Nebraska and arrives tomorrow. Our daughter is coming from Florida on Thursday. Our son is coming home from college to spend the weekend. The big event is our granddaughter's 4th birthday. It will be great to see everyone and have some much needed family time. There will be lots of laughter. We always have fun when we are together.
Life is good when you have a Lhasa – and family – to love you!
Joyce
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Quick Update and Some Photos
Dogs have given us their absolute all. We are the center of their universe. We are the focus of their love and faith and trust. They serve us in return for scraps. It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made. ~Roger Caras
I hope everyone had a good Easter weekend. I certainly did. Saturday was spent at a dog show in DeWitt, IA, just a two-hour drive from home, so it is one of the closer shows I go to. Marsha was there from ND and it was great to see her and her three puppies who made their ring debut that day. Belle took Winners Bitch and got her first point, so that was a highlight. However, she refused to walk on the last go-round. She had had enough I guess!
I think it is time for Belle to go back to class.
The puppies Zach and Desi seem to be enjoying class. At least they are walking (are you listening, Belle?) and having a good time. Desi discovered a piece of bait another attendee dropped. She gobbled it right down and then spent the rest of class with her nose on the floor seeking more goodies, in spite of the liver I was using for bait. I don't know what goodie she discovered but it was better than liver to her taste buds!
Zach and Desi are teething. Gums are swollen and toothless, for the most part. Their teething reminds me of a picture I once received from a family who'd purchased a puppy from us. In the photo was a gorgeous dining room table. Its legs had been placed in colorful plastic sand buckets of the type children use at the beach. Funny! No caption was necessary.
Photos of Bell and Mira are at the top of the page. Mira is the black dog. Lynn sent Mira's photo files to Wal-Mart to be printed and when I went to pick them up, I had to swear that we took them ourselves and they were not copyrighted. I was irked but Lynn took it as a compliment.
Not much else is new around here. We are still (im)patiently waiting for Dancer to come in season again. My guess is that she is going to come in only once a year so it'll be July or August. I hope I am wrong!
Life is good when you have a Lhasa to love you.
Joyce
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