I have finally recognized that, with my work travel schedule and family commitments, me taking Rip to dog shows just isn't going to happen any time soon.
So I found a handler who lives nearby and will take Rip with her on the weekends she shows. This allows Rip to live at home with us the vast majority of the time so I can keep going with his performance training, but still get going in the conformation ring.
This weekend is going to be his first weekend out.
Even though I'm on a work trip, I miss him already. Who will snuggle with me on the sofa at night? Who will pester me to play whenever I try to sit down during the day?
The Husband is not-so-secretly looking forward to a (MUCH) calmer house with only 2 dogs - one geriatric, and one a lazy rehab patient.
I love training Rip, and I'm really trying to make obedience training as fun as I can. I'm hoping this fun will transfer into the ring, and the games I'm training now will help us in obedience, rally & agility.
I'm afraid, though, that some of the things I'm training Rip to do may be "inconvenient" for conformation showing. Oops!
Here are the things I'm probably going to have to apologize to Carolyn and Mandy (and anyone else who may show Rip in conformation) for:
Backing up
Ok, this one I don't feel TOO bad about, as Carolyn told me I should train Rip to back up on command, I'm just not sure this is what she had in mind:
I took on a challenge of training him to back up using the clicker, and it worked! He now backs up far and fast (Rip likes fast) when asked.
Rip also "offers"(does it when not asked to just to see if he'll get a treat) the back up when he thinks you want him to work. This offering of the backup became a little inconvenient even for me (hard to pet or leash up a dog when it up when it keeps backing up with a big smile on its face), so I decided to teach another trick to get Rip to come to me. This led me to training him to...
Go Through my Legs
OK, I taught this one using the clicker, too. It was so much fun to teach! It's also handy because, after Rip goes through my legs, he puts himself into heel position and smiles wildly up at me. So, so, cute. And useful for obedience & agility!
But, oops, Rip thinks this one is super-fun, too, so he offers it when he wants to work, or if he wants attention, etc. Part of training this included him really pushing himself through if my legs are close together (so much fun - he really has to work for it!) - so he's not dissuaded by standing with legs close together.
I recommend that whoever shows him in conformation wear a knee-length skirt, or pants. Otherwise things could get ugly.
Hit the Stantion
This one has nothing to do with counteracting something else I've taught him. I taught Rip to paw at the station so that we have a game to play to reinforce go-outs later on. It was a fun thing to teach, and Rip loves it -- you should see the look of glee on his face when he's frantically pawing away.
But it did occur to me the other day, when Rip knocked down 2 sections of my ring gates with his enthusiastic scratching, that perhaps this one isn't so great for the conformation ring.
But maybe Carolyn can just keep him off the rail unless she's really keeping his attention. Because, oh, did I mention that I clicker trained this one, too, and we both think it's really funny, so he'll offer it from time to time if standing on leash by a stantion.
I think these are the only "incompatible for conformation" behaviors I've taught Rip so far. Unless you count really fast downs, circles to the left and right, and weaving through my legs as a heeling game. But I'm choosing not to count those, so there you go.
I AM trying to make up for this by teaching him a useful ring command. I won't commit to it in writing now, though. Because either:
A) I want it to be a nice surprise for Carolyn and Mandy (and I mean that seriously)
OR
B) I've never trained it before and I have no idea if it will work
I would promise to not train any other incompatible behaviors, but we're already working on barking on command, so I guess I can't do that. Sorry!
After my "Grooming Part 1" post you know I’ve got the (grooming) stuff. That was the fun (albeit slighty painful to the wallet) part.
Now what do I do with it? I watched Mandy, Carolyn & Jeri groom at the Specialty. They made it look easy. I left feeling pretty good that I knew what to buy and how to use it. Then I got home, bought the stuff, and stared at it. What was all of this for again?
To give you an idea of my level of grooming expertise, I’ve still only used my dryer four times – tops. And the only “product” I’ve used is chalk.
I’ve seen how good Rip can look when a skilled person grooms him. I understand the importance of good grooming, and truly, much of my dread of showing in conformation stems from all the *!@# grooming that one must do before entering the ring. All of that grooming takes skill. This means one needs to spend lots of time grooming and practicing grooming. Time that I could be spending training my dogs for performance. Or exercising. Or sleeping, Or aimlessly wandering around Facebook.
Watching all of the great groomers at the Specialty has reinforced my need to practice -- shamed me into it, really. So now I’ve resigned myself to using all of the grooming tools more often. Wait, that doesn’t sound very inspirational. I am now up to the challenge of learning how to groom properly.
doG help Maggie, Ziggy, and Rip because none of them is immune. I’ve got three dogs, and they all get to serve as my “test subjects” in this venture. Thus far my focus has been on using the new grooming tools I’ve purchased. The three of them are losing masses of hair right now, so I’m working on using a comb to remove it.
I’ve had all three dogs up on the table every weekend – spritzing them with water and brushing and combing away.
Here’s Rip’s approach:
Grooming again?
Up here with nothing to chew and nothing to chase?
Forget it, I'll just lay down.
Hey mom, can you move that brush a little closer?
Maggie and Ziggy are not quite so tolerant. Maggie can be bought with food, so she gets lots of treats while on the table.
Ziggy doesn’t like to be groomed in the first place (he prefers a scratch to remove the hair) and the table just ads insult to injury. At first he was so unhappy he wouldn’t even take a treat. Now he’ll take a treat, and doesn’t try to jump off. Given his dislike for the table, he’s spared much of my practice. I’ve been doing a bit of brushing/combing – then resorting to the Furminator. Faster and easier all around.
Next weekend my plan is to bathe one of the dogs (whoever is stinkiest/dirtiest), then dry them and try out some product. I’ll just keep experimenting until I get it right (ish).
My overall goal for the next few months is to get comfortable enough grooming that I don’t dread it quite so much. That will leave me free to stress about other parts of showing in conformation. Like getting my wild one-year-old to stand still for the judge….
I mentioned a while ago that one of my goals for the National Specialty was to learn more about grooming Cardigans for the conformation ring. In case I haven’t mentioned it before (though I know I have), it mystifies me that a “wash and wear” dog like a Cardi can take so much grooming. One of the things that attracted me to Cardigans is that they are a breed that looks good naturally – no weird trimming involved.
You can imagine my surprise when kind folks like Cindy and Dawn started to open my eyes to the world of Cardi show grooming.
The first eye-opening thing was all of the equipment, supplies, and stuff required to groom a show Cardi. Prior to selling my soul to dark side of conformation, here is the size of my grooming bag:
A nice, small bag.
I've included the brush to provide some perspective.
What did the bag contain?
A pin brush
A metal comb (that I never really used, but had because Mandy told me to get one when I first got Maggie)
A pair of hair trimming scissors
A curry comb (Denzil liked this one best)
A Furminator (don’t judge me – it’s much quicker!)
Nail trimmers
Apple scented dog shampoo & coat spray
That list seems pretty long, no?
These supplies served me well to prep my dogs for everyday life, and performance events.
THEN I saw Cindy’s grooming equipment and I realized I was out of my league. I didn’t even know a table and dryer were necessary (oh, how silly I used to be…)!
After visiting Cindy, I bought a grooming table and dryer -- the “big ticket” items. I sold most of my herd of Breyer Appaloosas on eBay to pay for them. (Also, I used the sale of the Breyers to support the "see I'm getting rid of stuff" argument in preparation for the arrival of a sea of boxes filled with grooming gear.)
What a pretty dryer!
It still looks new because it's only been used a few times.
My new grooming area in the basement.
Note that I even have an apron.
That makes me official.
Grooming with Dawn convinced me that I also needed some chalk, a chalk brush, a nail grinder, and whitening shampoo. Now I’m ready to show! Right?!?
The National Specialty highlighted how woefully inadequate even my “beefed up” grooming kit was. Based on what Mandy and Carolyn used on Rip at the Specialty (with some extra tips from Jeri) - here’s what I’ve got now:
Look at all the lovely supplies!
Most of them are still unused....
And I get the impression that this is just “the basics.” Where did I get his impression? From the lift trucks lined up to haul people's grooming boxes into the hall at the Specialty. (Some of those boxes were bigger than some of my furniture!)
I also bought a cool grooming bag from Doggone good. That was the best part of this whole shopping scheme – a lovely new bag to organize all my new necessities.
I love this bag. See, it's big enough for all my current gear.
And more! It also has an insulated compartment for bait.
So now I’ve got the stuff. Where do I go from here?
More about that in Grooming Part Two: Now what do I do with all this stuff?
Right now Rip is going through a bit of a "phase."
He has been getting skinny - this one I can do something about - he's getting more food (which he LOVES)
He is looking a bit lanky/leggy
He is shedding strangely - meaning his body hair is "gone" but his voluminous britches and neck fur remain. Odd. (puppy shedding?)
AND
Right now I'm feeling a bit "unmotivated" when it comes to competing
There's "house stuff" that seems to keep coming up
I've committed myself to exercising more and eating better
My international travel schedule for work is ever-changing. Each international trip requires one, if not two, weekends away from home. When travel dates keep changing, my ability to enter shows and trials is messed up.
SO
I've been working on stuff I feel comfortable with and enjoy. Obedience (mainly). Since I can't quite bring myself to work on something else "new" (i.e., conformation) - especially when I have a skinny, bald dog - I shifted my focus with Rip back to performance for the time being.
It should come as no surprise that Rip really enjoys obedience. And the good thing is that obedience work gets Rip out to new places, teaches him focus and attention, and involves learning some self-control. All things that he needs for conformation, too :)
This weekend was my local Kennel Club's yearly show. As a club member, I'm not allowed to show in conformation, and I'm required to volunteer at least one day. Meanwhile, the Cardi folks were trying to build a major, so I decided to enter Rip and have someone else show him. It's a really busy, noisy show so if nothing else I thought it would be a good experience for him.
Here's a summary of the weekend:
I got to be Table Steward for
8.5 hours of Obedience on Saturday and
4 hours of Rally on Sunday
Now for Rip's view:
The Summit/Foggybottom crew were a well-oiled grooming machine.
Grooming isn't my favorite, but my tail is still wagging.
Here I am meeting some of the many Cardis around.
Hi, Summit/Foggybottom gang!
Here's me and Alec in the ring.
Don't we look happy?
More chicken, please. I know you've got it.
Hi, nice judge lady. Pay attention, I'm flirting with you!
She didn't give me a ribbon in this class, despite my flirting.
As you know by now, I'm a newbie at conformation handling. That's why I jumped at the chance to attend the handling seminar that Sherri Hurst. She's one of the top Cardigan handlers, and handled Chase for a while, too. It turns out that this was a hands-on seminar, so Carolyn & Mandy prodded me into getting Rip to practice.
What were some of the great things that I learned?
Pick up the your dog and have them ready to get on the table as soon as the dog ahead of you is off the table
Place them on the table nicely - don't just "dump" them there and have to pull them out of heap to get them positioned
When Rip's on the table, hold the collar like I'm picking up a pencil. This looks much better than what I was doing (trust me)
Keep Rip's head up while on the table. I think I'll try to clicker-train this one...
Keep the collar right under the jawbone, and make sure that the skin and fur is smooth underneath
I also learned that I'm not a terrible handler. Sherri complimented me on my handling, and asked if I'd been handling the breed for a while :-) I said yes, in obedience and agility... And no, she wasn't drunk when she said that.
After watching lots of Cardi conformation during the Specialty I've also been working on:
Allowing Rip to move on a looser leash, and move out in front of me more
Stand stay
Back-up
Clearly I have lots to learn for conformation handling, the days at the Specialty made me feel at least a bit more confident, and more importantly, helped me learn what to work on.
I was wondering how I could justify buying one -- since I just bought a really good, but MUCH larger dryer a month ago -- when the Anniversary came along. How convenient that is! A little, lime green dryer would be perfect to celebrate the Portable Dog Dryer Anniversary.
Now I just have to convince The Husband that it's not something I just made up in order to get a another dog dryer. Do you think he'll believe me?
I'm happy (and a bit surprised) to report that it's been a good National Specialty for Rip.
Yesterday in 9-12 month Puppy Sweepstakes, Rip took third place in his class. His "Gramma" Carolyn showed him for me (thank-you Carolyn!). He was a very good boy entering the ring, and on the table (whew). Near the end of the class Rip's "I'm a wild puppy" personality came back, and by the last go-around he was trying to get his fellow competitors to play by running wildly sideways. Not exacty "big-time show dog" behavior, but the boy was having fun!
The lime green rosette that Rip won ensured that he could come back to Iowa with me. I did warn Rip that if mommy didn't get a ribbon, he would have to go back to Oregon ;)
Today Rip was a good boy for Gramma Carolyn again. He took 2nd in 9-12 month dogs. I am so proud of him! He was better at standing in the ring today - not as much sitting down as yesterday.
We did have some excitement in his class, however, when someone outside the ring bumped into and nearly knocked over one of the decorations - a cowboy boot that's about 10 feet tall. This sent the whole class of puppy boys barking. It made me smile...
Oh, and lest you think that Mr. Naughtypants is turning into some sort of well-behaved show dog, Gramma Carolyn infomed me that Rip managed to tear down one of the table skirts while waiting outside the ring. That's my boy!
I'm sorry about not having any pictures to post. Today after classes were over, The Husband left with dogs to head back to Iowa. Unfortunately he also took the camera with him, so I won't be able to post any photos until I get back home.
I've also learned a lot at this year's Specialty - about grooming, handling, etc. This is a very good place for a rookie handler to be. I promise to share more later.
I posted how our conformation classes went over the weekend, but I never posted what it was like to be "on my own" at a conformation show.
Stuff The stuff that I took to the Show:
Lots of towels
A metal crate, and an old sheet to cover it
Grooming table & arm
Training bag - including treats, tug toys, chew toys, poo bags, and a clicker
Water for me & Rip
Show collar & lead
Show clothes for me
My "human" dog show bag (which has things like chapstick, a comb, mints, tissues, hand wipes, a pen, a granola bar...)
Grooming tools (brush, nail grinder, chalk, chalk brush, pet wipes. That's it.) I know, you conformation pros are probably thinking I'm crazy. But who are we kidding? I could bring a dryer, but Rip hates it, and I end up making him look like a husky, so what's the point? And really, I don't own any other grooming supplies.
The Stuff I wish I'd taken to the show: some chocolate, reading material, and lint/pet hair remover.
Crating Space
When I got to the show I had no idea where to set up. I hopefully pulled up to a sign that said "grooming." I thought this would be a good place to start (clever girl that I am).
I opened the door to a sea of empty crates and tables, with not a lot of spare room available. I stood there for a while. A nice woman walked up to me and I explained that I'd never shown there before, where do I crate? She shoved a few crates over, and made some space for me. Thank you, nice lady!
I set up, then went to get Rip. He and I wandered around a bit, looking for our ring. In the process of opening doors to buildings we managed to set off a whole pack of English Toy Spaniels who were on their tables being groomed -- that was kind of fun ;)
Grooming
We finally found our ring, so I took Rip back to our grooming space. I put him up on the table and thought, "hmmm, what do I do now?" I tried to remember all of the pieces of advice Dawn gave me when I met her in Des Moines.
Unfortunately the only one I could remember was "Cardigans are supposed to look natural." I took that thought and ran with it. Meaning I put Rip on the table, stared at him a while, then brushed his neck, body, and tail. That took about 10 minutes (including staring time).
I now had lots of time on my hands, so I wandered back over to our ring, to see if I could pick up my number. It was still 40 minutes before our ring started, so no luck. I looked around and saw other Corgi people furiously grooming their dogs. That worried me. I saw a Pem woman I know from our club, and asked her how she planned to keep the loose dirt off her dogs. She said she was going to make sure they were really dry so the dirt didn't stick, add some chalk to the paws to try and keep them white, and hope for the best.
Ah ha! There was something else I could do. I had some chalk and a brush. I went back to Rip, and added some chalk to his paws. Thankfully Dawn had warned me about chalk's tendency to get everywhere, so I had extra towels, a dog wipe, and a hand wipe ready. I needed them all.
In the Ring
I've taken conformation classes. I've watched conformation. I showed Dawn's lovely girl Grace. I still have no idea. I can walk in a straight line. I can follow basic ring procedures. That's about as nuanced as it gets.
On Saturday, I sought out some handling advice after I was in the ring. The conformation veterans I was talking to didn't really know what I was asking. Truly. They were very nice, but just too far removed from being ring novices. I see this in agility & obedience, too. The hard core competitors just can't relate at all to the beginners.
On Sunday, a woman I know from performance gave me some feedback - don't touch my dog so much. I appreciate knowing what I can do better. I used to have a riding instructor who yelled things like, "Dear God, you call THAT a sitting trot?!" I can take advice. Bring it on. Sans yelling is appreciated.
In the End
The weekend was nice. I survived. I learned some new things, and I met some nice people. Rip had fun.
Oh, and Penni, Mandy & Carolyn - you have a lot of training to do at the Specialty next week. And I'm talking about me, not Rip!
Rip was a good boy again today. He was little calmer in the ring, and took best 9-12 month dog, and reserve winner's dog. Thankfully one of my friends was there to tell me when to go back into the ring. I think I should re-read the "Show Me" book again so I'm not quite so addled next time.
Here are some pictures from the day. We were in a better building, and The Husband and The Child came to take photos with the good camera.
Here I am being a nice boy on the table.
Oh! Who's this nice lady coming my way?
She's here, and she talked to me!
Let me lick her. Let. Me. Lick. Her.
After this the judge asked my mom to reposition me.
That was a pain, but it was worth it - I made the judge smile!
Mom. Give me the cheese.
Don't make me jump for it, because I'll leap right now.
Rip and I showed in conformation today for the very first time.
The morning went something like this:
4:45 am - curse at alarm
5:00 am - leash up 3 dogs and take them for a walk
5:30 am - shower, do hair & makeup, drink a TheraFlu sinus (I've had a cold for more than a week)
6:10 am - on the road - first stop: Starbucks
7:30 am - finished grooming dog
8:00 am - loitering outside the ring I'll show in
8:30 am - in the ring - our class was first in
So how did we do? Well, we didn't embarrass ourselves. Rip was a nice boy in the ring, and only tried to accost the judge once. Apparently the judge looked very lick-able. And Rip was really a good boy overall - he seemed to take everything in stride. The show grounds were really noisy, and a few times he got the "what was that!?!" look when there was a new noise. But he settled right back down and was quickly wagging his tail again. This bodes well for his future performance career.
I also got to meet lots of Cardi people - which is always fun!
Here are a couple pics from the day. Sorry about the quality - I brought our old camera and the building was quite dark... But thanks to Cathy for taking the photos!
Look, mom - I can stand nicely
Oh, here comes the judge.
Can I try to lick him again? I missed him when I was on the table...
What does Rip have in common with older men in Pakistan?
Answer:
A henna colored beard!
Look just below the brindle markings on his face.
Now compare the color with the white of the baby gate.
See it now?
Yes, my lovely puppy has some not-so-lovely staining on his white fur.
How could this have happened?
Has he ordered some henna dye online?
Has he been traveling to Pakistan when we're not paying attention?
There has to be an explanation!
Nevermind. I think I just figured it out.
Yep. It's a saliva stain.
This is Ziggy and Rip's favorite game.
The bite and hold.
The Husband keeps reminding me that Rip's conformation show debut is in 2 weeks. He keeps saying something like, "That stain isn't going away on it's own. You need to get it on it now."
I know he's right. I have Chris Christensen's "whiter than white" in the the cupboard. I just can't seem to get motivated to use it. Maybe later today.... Or tomorrow....
On Thursday, he attended conformation class and charmed the instructor/judge. Who can resist the lovely waggy-ness?
We do have some things to work on though - mainly on the table. Mainly about holding still on the table when the lovely, lickable judge is approaching.
Also, he's been a little wierd about having his stifles messed with. He collapses in the rear like he's going to lay down like a frog. The instructor dryly commented "that's not really good..." Since class night, I've had him up on the table, petting and moving his hind legs -- giving clicks and treats if he stands like a normal dog, and "uh-oh" if he starts to collapse. He's getting a little better. My goal is to have this fixed by our next class.
Don't worry so much about stacking my hind end, mom.
Look how cute my face is!
On Saturday we went to a local show-n-go for obedience. Ziggy was awesome in Beginning Novice. Rip was only a spectator, but behaved like the Tasmanian Devil. I really should have walked him before going. It took me a good 15 minutes to settle him down so that he wasn't accosting other dogs and humans. He had a great time, though, and was worn out when we got home.
Don't listen to mom, I'm calm...
See how I'm just standing here?
Oops, I forgot about this photo.
Oh, and this one, too...
Can I blame this one on Ziggy?
See he's biting me...
Shoot, how can I explain away fighting with the old dog?
There's a term in the horse world called "push button." If a horse is a "push button" horse, it knows what to do, and nearly anyone can ride it. Push button horses are great for beginners.
On Saturday, I was lucky enough to show a "push button" Cardi. Dawn at Daybreake mentioned to me a while back that she was coming to Des Moines for a show, and asked if I'd like to join her there to learn more about grooming, showing, etc. That sounded like fun to me - go to a dog show, get to meet a fellow Cardi blogger, and learn more about conformation, too - so I said yes!
Dawn also asked me if I wanted to show one of her Cardis, Grace, to practice. This sounded like a good idea to me -- get into the ring with a well-trained, finished dog to get some practice.
We met on early Saturday morning, and I got to watch Dawn (and Cindy at Foggybottom, too) get dogs ready for the ring. I also got to ask a lot of "basic" questions like, "when did you give your dog a bath?" and "how do you set her up on the table?"
As we got ready to go into the ring, Dawn talked me through the judge's routine, and showed me the finer points of showing Grace. Grace is an excellent girl, by the way. She tolerated a new handler (after a bit of bribing w/ steak) and is a pro in the ring. The good news is that despite her rookie handler, Grace took Best of Opposite! What a good girl.
Thanks again, Dawn for the coaching and for allowing me to show your lovely red girl!!
Now I guess I'd better get to work on Rip, as I'm planning to take him to his first show the first weekend in April. And based on the gap between Grace and Rip - I've got a LOT of work to do...
P.S. - Carolyn, does this count as "just doing it?"
I know, it’s great to learn new things and grow as person, but I’ve got to say that I dread trying to turn
This:
A wild, naughty adolescent blur
Into this:
A Champion show dog.
This is Rip's dad, Wally.
Rip inherited the handsome part, but not the "standing still" part...
Obedience, agility, rally = no problem.
We’re already training for them, and my wild boy loves it. I understand who's who, what's what, and where to show in these performance in events.
This conformation thing? Scary.
I've had a couple of people ask me when I'm going to take Rip to his first conformation show, and I've got to say I’m in denial that I’ve committed to showing Rip to his championship. The shows begin here again at the end of January. January! That’s this month! We’re not ready for the end of January! Maybe the end of March/early April shows?
Right now it all just seems like so much extra work, and way too many things to learn.
How to plan a show schedule, and know where to show?
What class do I enter Rip in?
What do I do when I get to the show site?
What am I supposed to wear?
And the grooming? My biggest dread. How can a “wash and go” dog like the Cardi take so long to groom for the breed ring? I don’t know and, truthfully, I don’t have much desire to find out…
And I'm sure there are dozens of other things I don't even yet know to ask. Yikes.
Yes, I know I volunteered to this, and made a commitment when I got Rip to show him in the breed ring. I just need to suck it up, get signed up for some shows, and fumble around like an idiot for a while. Maybe I'll even enjoy it at some point?
Thankfully, nobody else showed up for class tonight, so we got some great one-on-one attention with the instructor. She was very helpful. I told her it was my first time at this, and I basically know nothing, so bring it on! I think she felt a little bad at first, since she had to tell me how to do everything. And when I say everything I mean that she had to show me how to hold the excess lead, where the collar should be placed when moving, the best way to place the legs on the table, the types of patterns I'm likely to see in the ring.... Well, you get the picture.
I also talked her into getting some pictures of Rip. Even though he was a little squirmy on the table (Rip says, "Just how long DO you want me to keep my feet in one place, mom?!") I wanted to get some pics for his other mother(s). So here you go. None of them is a perfect shot, but hopefully you get the idea...
(this one's my favorite)
P.S.: I've got one ear back in tape. It stays up about 90% of the time, but it gets a little "lazy" sometimes and folds back, so I've put it back in the tape for another week or so to see if that helps. At least there's no crown required...
PPS: Oh, I almost forgot, our instructor said Rip was a STAR for his first time out!
Last Saturday The Child and I took trip to Foggybottom. We got to meet Cindy, learn about grooming tools, and meet the Dirty Dozen.
Grooming Tools
Many thanks to Cindy for taking me through her grooming toolkit, and giving me many tips on what to look for, and a few things to avoid. I have to say that I was a little bit frightened. How can so many grooming tools be needed for a "wash and wear" dog? I mean, I knew it was more involved than just wash and wear, but I had no idea how much was involved!
The other thing scared me a bit was when Cindy mentioned the upcoming shows (e.g., Des Moines in January) where I could show Rip. January?!? That seems so soon. I thought I had more time than that. I must have looked surprised, but then Cindy mentioned that he will be six months old by that time, and old enough to go in the ring. She also kindly offered to save me a grooming space and help me groom Rip to get him ready. That will be very helpful!!
The Dirty Dozen
I took The Child along with me so he could help socialize the Dirty Dozen. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures (there are some good one's on the Foggybottom blog), but let me tell you - 12 puppies is a LOT. When they were let out of their ex-pen it was like a sea of little dogs flooding the room. It's like when you spill a little bit of water - it just seems to go everywhere. It was the same with the Dirty Dozen - when they started moving around the room, there were corgis everywhere.
The Child really enjoyed the puppies. They were seven weeks old at the time, and very sweet. He enjoyed running from place to place and being followed by a little brindle tide. When we left, The Child told me he missed the puppies, and wanted to go back...
