Celebrate Spring!

 ...Then April cried and stepped aside, And along came pretty little May!

May was full of promises but she didn't keep 'em quick enough for some,

And the crowd of doubtin' Thomases was predictin' that the summer'd never come...

~ section from the lyrics to "June is Bustin' Out All Over" from the musical Carousel

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Emmy, Rusty, and I have spent the last month practicing at home and at various training classes to prepare them for some upcoming shows. Emmy will be in her first show this coming weekend and, in two weeks, Rusty will make his show debut in the Beginner Puppy competitions. I think he is more ready than she is. We'll soon find out.

As usual, I'll be sharing some notes and photos from people who own Joyslyn's Lhasas.

Ted and Ev, who live in Canada and 9 years ago had a long drive to Illinois to pick up their Lucky, wrote, "Attached is a photo of Lucky celebrating his 9^th Birthday at the day care centre. 

Lucky loves playing chase the toy and bringing it back--after all these years he brings it back but has a hard time giving it up. As mentioned b/4 his vocabulary improves a word at a time and now he is understanding the spelled word. A couple of them.  Always enthusiastic and loves attention. Have a Super Week

Shannon wrote, "Hi Joyce! I wanted to reach out and share some updated pics of Minnie as she is now 1 year old!! I can hardly believe it. Minnie is such a lover and showers my family and I with all the kisses! She loves ice cubes, going on walks, and her favorite toy “pumpkin”! She is not a fan of the school bus, vacuum cleaner, or riding in the car! 😂 She did however just take her first road trip to Gatlinburg last month! Once she fell asleep in the car, we were good to go. She loved the mountains and was a great traveler! She is the light of my life and my best friend! I can’t thank you enough for bringing us together. ❤️ Hope you are doing well and I love reading the blog!"

Shelly wrote, "Tucker is getting used to his top knot now and will leave it in most of the day.  Somehow he knows when night comes it gets taken out and he lets me know it's been in long enough! He is scheduled to be neutered on May 7th and Pearce asked what they do with his private parts afterwards.  I informed him I do not know but it is not something we are taking home!!  

Tucker seems to be going through his dominant phase and not allow either Stella (my Mom's 100lb rescue) or Rosie to come by whoever he happens to be next to.  We are trying to correct him of that, although Rosie and Stella are not helping because they seem to be very submissive around Tucker.  Our cat, Scout, who is 13.5 yrs old is the only one that stands up to Tucker and that is the 3rd picture of him hiding under the chair that Scout lays on.  It is sort of a hide and seek game the two play, but most of the time after Scout has hissed enough, Tucker will hide under the chair.  He is such a character.

He brings so much joy to our lives everyday and I cannot thank you enough for continuing to breed Lhasa Apsos!.  I haven't been able to bring myself to cut his hair although he gets a "sanitary groom" every other week.  He is in a very well air conditioned house and the weather has been pretty mild for April so I am trying to hold off as long as I can. I would love to be able to braid his hair like you had Josh's done when we picked T up."

Dawn wrote, "I was going through some photos on my phone and realized it has been a long time since I sent you a photo of Bailey. She turned seven years old in February.  She is still in charge and lets us know if anyone comes too close to the house.  When we had the warmer temps a couple of weeks ago, we had to shut the windows to keep her quiet!  She is doing well and has kept us entertained over the past year. I have worked from home most of that time and she lays right next to my desk in her bed the entire day."

From Janet: "Good morning Joyce, Just wanted to reach out and tell you how much we have enjoyed your blog. The video of Gigi’s tricks was absolutely adorable.  Also Pebbles wants to say Happy Birthday to Millie and tell her congratulations on all her hard work and winnings..  Rusty is absolutely the cutest. I also wanted to send you a couple pictures of Pebbles.... First one is of her all beautiful❤️❤️❤️second is of her helping me wash windows.. ❤️❤️❤️ She continues to be such a blessing and perfect puppers."

Debra sent a photo of her Seng Kye and wrote, "I never cut a Lhasa Apso's hair.  He is growing it long just for me.  Always to the ground in five years.  He is almost there."

Karen wrote, "Hi Joyce...  Kimmi has really come out of her shell.  She is so funny and fun.  John takes them on walks every day which seems to be helping her shyness a lot!  She also barks now.  You can tell she's a girl; her bark is "higher" than Huck's."  

Kathleen wrote, "Hi Joyce, I forgot to let you know that Beau was neutered two months ago. He is thriving and continues to be my most loving Lhasa. Everyone uses the same word to describe him, ADORABLE. Needless to say, I agree completely. He has remained small just 15 lbs., the perfect size for a dog who wants to be held and cuddled. We are a perfect pair.Thanks"

Kathy sent photos of Jampa and wrote, "Jampa is doing well. I was on leave for 6 months, so he had me around home all the time. But now I'm back to work.  He's started to wake us up at night with his barking. Sometimes he needs to go potty, other times he's just looking for company, I think. Our bedroom is upstairs and Jampa is downstairs at night.  (He never learned to climb our steep steps to go upstairs, but climbs "regular" steps just fine.)
I've been doing all his grooming by myself for two years, but recently he started shedding undercoat again and his leg hair was fluffy like cotton and difficult to groom. I just couldn't keep up with it.  So, I bit the bullet and took him to the groomer's for a haircut.  I imagine it was kind of like taking a child to kindergarten the first day. I had to leave him there and was anxious the whole time. I kept telling myself that he can fend for himself and he'd be just fine.  And, of course, he was just fine. The groomer said that he behaved very well and that I had done a good job training him.  Huh, you mean all that time on his grooming table at home for 2 years translated into behaving for perfect strangers while being bathed and groomed? Apparently the answer is yes!  I didn't want to give up on grooming his long hair, but I'm glad I finally did!  See photos before and after."

Kris and Fernanda took Titan to his first grooming appointment and wrote, "I forgot to tell you that the groomer said that he did super well and she complimented his temperament. Of course I can’t stand how deliciously handsome he is. The groomer also advised not to worry if he fell asleep right away after getting home since the whole grooming experience is a lot of mental stimulation. Welll... my little HIGHLANDER came home as happy as could be and played quite a lot before finally resting. Our hearts are full with so much love our family and home are ecstatically happy with this munchkin. For that we thank you. #forevergrateful"

Thank you all who took time to write and send photos. I enjoy them so much and also enjoy sharing them. Some of you have told me they really like seeing relatives of their own Lhasas.

Sharing Some Good AKC Resources

AKC is an excellent resource for all things doggy! If you have friends who are looking for a puppy, you might help them out by sharing the following resource about finding a reliable breeder. I know many people are looking for Lhasa puppies -- or even retired adults -- and having trouble finding one. I get phone calls and emails from people who are broken-hearted because an elderly Lhasa passed away and they are now ready for a puppy but cannot find one.

I wish I had a way to let owners of elderly Lhasas know that they should get on waiting lists now. If a breeder contacts them saying a puppy is available, all they have to do is ask to be moved down on the list.

It hurts my heart to know that people who have had Lhasas for so many years and want another one either have to wait and wait for months. That gets old when a person aching for a puppy. Too many times the decision is to buy another breed.

Sadly, there are so many scammers out there, taking deposit money for puppies but never sending the puppy.

Anyway, here is the link to the AKC resource about finding a good breeder. Please share with your friends who are looking for a dog.

Another AKC resource is the one about using Benadryl for your dog.

Thank you for reading. Be well and continue wearing your mask and being cautious about COVID.

I'll leave you with this in honor of May:

'Til next time,

Joyce

Special Day!

 

Today is indeed a special day for our family. Today is our 49th Anniversary! I recall seeing a photo of the 50th Anniversary of my grandparents. They looked so old! I suppose when our grandkids see photos of us in coming years, we'll look old too. (I think maybe they already think so!

Here's the happy couple -- young, naive, in love -- with no idea what the years ahead had in store. It's been quite a ride. Here's to many more years together!

We were married the Saturday after finals week, both of us seniors in college and looking forward to our last semester in the fall when we'd be student teaching.

A year later, in March and April, we already had two Lhasa puppies! To read that story click here.

What's New?

Since I last wrote, Millie has been in 4 shows at which she was selected as Best Opposite Sex to Best of Breed and earned points toward her Grand Championship. I love showing that girl. We have two weekends of shows coming in May when Rusty and Emmy get to be shown for the first time. They have been attending some conformation classes in preparation for the big debuts.

Here are those two hooligans, waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. They have conspired to trip me. They never move!

Here is a recent photo of Rusty taken the day he turned 4 months (April 5). He is a pretty Lhasa!

And then there is Emmy, who is 6 months old as of April 8.

Emmy has a LOT of coat and right now it does not lie flat but bushes out all over, making her look a yard wide. However, she comes by it naturally as her maternal grandsire, Rafe (GCH CH Joyslyn's Inherit the Wind), and great grandsire, Walker (GCH CH Joyslyn MiToya Wind Walker), had similar coats. Here are some photos so you can see how the bushy coats soon developed into beautiful cloaks that draped their bodies.

Here is Walker as a 7 month old puppy, winning his first championship points at a May 2003 dog show.

Not what you'd call "elegant", right? Now see what he looked like in September 2003 when he won his first major. Quite a transformation! The following month, he was awarded Winners Dog at our National Specialty.

 And now, here is Rafe at age 6 months when he won his first points. Rafe was on a true puppyhood winning streak, finishing his championship at age 8 months, even taking Best of Breed over older specials.

Here he is a year later winning some grand championship points.

So now I am going to stop worrying about Emmy's crazy coat!

Speaking of Coats...

Here is an article from my website that some of you may find helpful.

Coat Care Reminders

by Joyce Johanson

I was recently contacted by a reader who had concerns about the lack of length of her two-year old show male Lhasa's coat. She asked if I could give her any hints about things she should or should not be doing. It's difficult to evaluate coat without being able to see or feel it, but I do have some hints that may help those of you with similar concerns. Consider the dog's health, his environment, the products used on his coat , the amount and type of grooming he receives, and his heredity.

Health
Fleas or internal parasites are obvious deterrents to healthy coat growth. Fleas cause the dog to scratch and break coat. Internal parasites cause a dry, lusterless coat that tends to be brittle and break easily. Dry skin can also cause scratching and coat damage. Solutions are flea control and prevention, which often is easier said than done; a visit to the vet to determine if parasites are present followed by medication to get rid of them if they are; and a vitamin-mineral coat supplement which adds fatty acids to the dog's diet. If you feed your dog a balanced diet, his coat should be healthy, and no supplement should be necessary. However, Lhasas often need extra fat in their diets to aid skin and coat condition, so you might consider adding a supplement designed to aid healthy coat growth. A poor coat is often a sign of a thyroid problem, so if you have tried everything else and nothing works, ask your vet to check the thyroid.

Environment
Environment includes not only where the dog is housed but also where he is exercised and allowed to play. If your aim is to grow a nice show coat, the sad fact is that you can't treat your Lhasa as if he were "just a pet." If you allow him to constantly run and play on carpet, resulting static electricity causes coat ends to snap off. If he's allowed to roll on carpet or on the bed or sofa, the same thing happens. If you let him exercise in the back yard so grass and dry leaves can catch his coat, you risk coat damage. Now, I am not an advocate of show dogs living atop a grooming table for the sake of a lengthy coat, but I do advocate being careful with coat and avoiding situations that can cause damage to the coat. A cemented or graveled exercise area is not only easier to clean than a grassy one, but also easier on coat. There is also less of a chance for flea infestation if the dog exercises on cement. Try to keep your dog on vinyl or wood floors while he is spending time in the house with you. If you keep a pillow in your dog's crate or sleeping area, cover it with a fabric that will not catch coat or cause static electricity.

Products
Clean coats grow better than dirty ones. Well conditioned coats grow better than those in poor condition. Numerous products are marketed which make keeping a coat well conditioned an easy task. Choose a shampoo and conditioner for your dog's coat type. You may choose products marketed for dogs or choose from the variety of human products. In most cases, the results are the same. What works for one dog's coat type may not work for another's, so you often have to experiment. If a Lhasa's coat is in very poor condition, you may want to use hot oil treatments on a regular basis to begin controlling the damage and making the hair more resilient. If matting is a problem, often keeping the dog in a conditioning oil between baths is recommended. These conditioning oils come in either aerosol or liquid concentrate forms. Either type is effective when used on a clean coat on a regular basis. The aerosol conditioner is sprayed on a dry coat. Spray it layer by layer as you brush through the coat. The concentrate is diluted with water and poured over a wet dog after his bath. The coat is then blow dried as usual. 

Grooming
Sometimes a Lhasa's lack of coat is caused by abusive brushing and/or over-brushing. Unless your Lhasa is going through a coat change and seems to be matting constantly, there is no need to brush him daily. A thorough brushing once or twice weekly, with spot checks of troublesome areas (e.g., neck, behind ears, "arm pits") throughout the week, should suffice in most cases. This is especially important during the coat change period. The logic behind this is that if you are grooming your Lhasa incorrectly, you are causing the damage to the coat. The more often you groom him, the more damage you cause.

Here are some things to keep in mind about grooming your Lhasa:
1) Brush the coat in layers.
2) Lightly spray each layer with a detangler or conditioner before you brush through it. This will lubricate the hairs, cut down on static, and make removing tangles easier.
3) Turn your wrist down and toward you when you reach the coat ends. Don't flick the brush upward. That practice tends to break coat ends.
4) Avoid using a comb on the ends of the coat. Use the comb to loosen mats and to work loose hair through the coat, but when you get it near the ends, use a brush. It's easier on the coat.
5) Avoid using a slicker brush. It's too easy to abuse the coat with one if you don't know how to use it correctly.
6) Brush the coat gently. If you rip through it, you'll rip it out.
7) Don't brush a dirty coat. Wash any dirty or sticky areas with a rinse-less shampoo and allow them to dry before you groom the dog. Such areas include the feet, mustache, loin area on a male, and the rear end if there are particles from a stool stuck to the hairs. A male often gets urine on his side coat in the loin area. Never comb or brush through it without rinsing it. It's sticky and breaks easily.
8) If your Lhasa gets a stuck stool, don't think, "I'll just wait til it dries and then brush it out." You'll wind up brushing it out along with coat you can't afford to lose. Shampoo the offending piece(s) from the coat and condition as necessary.

Heredity
Of course, it is possible that your Lhasa comes from a line that produces slow coat growers or poor coats. Some investigation into his background should tell you if that's the case with your Lhasa. If it is, others who have Lhasas from the same lines may be able to provide strategies for you to help you grow coat. Sometimes you have to wait for the dog to mature before his coat comes in nicely. In some cases, you may have to give up your plans for your dog's show career. While a sound Lhasa that has great movement may win single points with a poor coat, you cannot expect him to be competitive when it comes to majors unless his coat is in good condition. All other things being equal, the judges are bound to select the dog that is in the best condition.

Of all the possible conditions that may cause your Lhasa's coat problems, heredity is the one that is most difficult to overcome. You can affect some control over his nutrition and health, his environment, and his coat care, but if a poor coat is his heritage, you may be fighting a losing battle

Notes and Photos from Others

Thanks to those who sent updates and/or photos.

From Nick about Sophie: "My new puppy, Sophie, is doing great!  I’m happy to say she is fitting in well with my parents’ dogs, Zoey and Lilly, who are staying with me.  She LOVES them so much! She is growing on them too I think. She is full of energy and loves to play, especially in the yard with Zoey and Lilly.  I caught this awesome family portrait of all three on my deck! 

She goes to work with me everyday right now and will start puppy kindergarten next week. I think she will love that especially the daily playtime with other puppies...It’s been a lot of work, but I know I made the right decision getting her. Sophie is adorable, and I’m really enjoying her! Thank you!" 

(The trio on the deck is Lilly, Sophie, and Zoey. Zoey (the black Lhasa) is also a Joyslyn's Lhasa. Her parents are Breaker and Onyx, for those of you who are curious to see relatives to your Joyslyn's dogs.)

Kathleen sent this photo of Sophie's brother Mel.

From the Johnsons: "We hope your family is safe and healthy...Snickers just loves these donut toys. 

He must have over 15 of them for all shapes and colors. We know we have told you many times he is the best dog!!!!! So much character and loves for us!!  Thank you as always"

From Chris and Patrick: "Teddy wanted to make sure that we reached out and wished Archie a VERY Happy Birthday! We are headed to Austin today to celebrate his birthday with the grandkids and hunt for Easter Eggs Sunday! I think he will be really good at finding the eggs...Wanted to send a couple of pictures - one from him celebrating Mardi Gras since his dads have roots in New Orleans. He liked his long hair but didn't like dad having to keep him still enough to get all the puppy hair out. So, he went to the spa on Monday for his birthday week pampering and got his first real haircut. And thus, the other picture showing him right after he came to live with us and today.He has such great expressions and still is talking up a storm. Thank you again for making him a part of our lives.  We couldn't imagine being without him."

 From Michelle: "Hi Joyce, I hope all is well with you and your family! Tomorrow is the big day, Sunny is having us trained! I sure hope we pick up some good tips on things we can do and get started on a new path of getting out and about new experiences. We’ve had both vaccines now as of yesterday so we’re ready. I don’t know if Sunny will ever be comfortable with travel? I read your blog and have to admit it brought tears to my eyes about Archie. He may have decided that the show ring wasn’t for him but he will make a wonderful loving pet for some lucky person! ... Here’s a new picture of Sunny. We got a big trim this time on his face, we finally cut the beard since all the black tips had grown out. And as much as I love his beautiful coat it gets very thick and was becoming very difficult to keep him free of mats. The groomer said his coat was so soft and free of mats but her clippers were having a problem with it clumping up in the blade guard so she ended up using our clippers and they worked just fine. Now we’re both much happier without the constant struggle of brushing several times a day and now once is enough! Take care, we’ll keep in touch."

I told Michelle that the coat she described is exactly like our CH San-Dhi Joyslyn Icon's coat. Connor is Sunny's great grandsire. Those soft coat genes skipped some generations to show up!

Then Michelle responded, "HA, I have often thought that Sunny looks somewhat like Connor from the pictures you have on your website. I really like the one Lynn took of him jumping up and down in his pen, he got the perfect shot of him up in the air! Beautiful boy!" 

She was referring to this photo of Connor.

From Terry about Rudy: "Hi Joyce, Hope you had a very Happy Easter. I took Rudy for a physical before his neuter. He has his rabies shot & he is doing Great...He weighs 12.7 # with a full coat of hair. I started to give him a summer hair cut.  His long hair was beautiful  with the black tips."

From Cindy: "Just wanted to say how much I enjoy your blog and especially the info on Archie!
Our Luther is almost 6 now. I call him a scardy cat bully! He acts so tough but is basically timid. AND like Archie, sounds are the enemy.....wind, cars, thunder etc.; however, he's still my Velcro cuddle bug. I had to buy an extra wide chair to go with our new sofa so he had enough room to sit with me. Hubby's recliner has enough room on the foot rest.
Enjoy this beautiful spring and keep up your fabulous work with the lhasas and the blog."

Kris and Nanda wrote, "Hi! Titan got his second round of shots today. He is really brave and super smart. I mean... next level smart! He was completely potty trained on his third day at our house. He knows where to go and he goes on his own. He also walks in and out of his crate for naps - as he pleases. Our neighbor has a Berneise  Mountain Dog who is huge and who barks pretty loud. When he walks by our front door barking, Titan totally ignores him. We are used to dogs that are afraid of the vacuum cleaner. Ti chases it! We actually worry a lot about him because he jumps things and tries life KAMIKAZE style. What a blessing! What a gift! It’s been a rewarding experience. We sometimes walk around saying praises to you: “God bless Joyce!”

I told her that Titan sounded just like his older full brother, Gus. Judy, Gus' owner, has often remarked on how smart he is! The two resemble each other a lot also - both are black with white "accents!" 

Here is Titan and below his photo, older brother Gus.

Kassia wrote about Leelu, "Chris and I have decided she is always photo ready! Going to register for puppy classes at last!"

And Finally...

Here is an article that popped up regarding how to give a dog a pill. I thought some of you might be interested.

How To Give A Dog A Pill

  

'Til Next Time...

Joyce