COFFEE TIME, PLAY TIME!!

Rosie who is 8 years old loves to play. Bonnie who is 2, is pretty much still a puppy. The two of them chase around the kitchen table, roll and tumble each other and just have fun and it is actually good exercise for Rosie. I have decided to let Bonnie grow up more before she has  more pups. She was a good mother but it did take a lot out of her. Watching her play with Rosie she needs another year of maturity before becoming a mom again. Rosie will pick up a toy and go right to her face and tease her with the toy and then the chase starts, round and round the table. It is fun to watch as you don't expect an 8 year old to play that way. Rosie loves puppies and is such a good puppy sitter.

Going to Fryeburg tomorrow to bring Glory home. She has been bred and fingers crossed for puppies in September. If there are pups Rosie will be in seventh heaven! We are hopeful for pups but Glory has had two misses so we will see. She is getting to retirement age and this is her last chance to be a mom. Rosie's toes are crossed, she wants more babies to baby sit. I love puppies too, they keep me so busy which is good for me. I love watching them grow and develop and how they act when they first hear and see. Their little ears flip back and forth taking in the new sounds. This new life is a  miracle!

Rosie is finally worn out, she came to say hi and went to lie down and catch her breath! Bonnie has a bone now and still entertaining herself, she rarely tires.

Take care in this heat and don't take your dog in the car when it is so hot.Definitely don't leave your dog in the car, the heat will kill them quickly.

Rosie is now sound asleep. In a few minutes after resting she will be ready to go again.Bonnie is emptying the toy box.

Hope you all have a good day and keep your dogs cool and you too!

Be safe!

ROSIE

WALKING ROSIE

Rosie is my best friend , she gives hugs which are wonderful. She will give anyone a hug, she just loves getting attention.

We had not walked in about a week as it was either too hot or rainy. It was nice and cool on the trail this morning, very quiet, you can hear the birds and feel nature. I needed to empty my mind as this is the third anniversary of my husbands passing to brain cancer. Getting out on the trail is just the thing to settle your  mind. When I asked Rosie if she wanted to go for a walk she just turned herself inside out. She loves it and it is so good for her as she really needs to lose a few pounds. Rosie is not your typical Sheltie, she has no reserve in her temperament. She loves everyone, except Girly the cat!She is very jealous of Girly and is always giving her the eye. When Girly is on my lap Rosie will just lay there and watch, I can see the look on her face, very questioning. You can see she is not happy with Girly. She would never go after her but she sure watches her when she is around me. Rosie is 8 years old now and has been  with me since she was a baby, so it is ok for her to be a little jealous. At least when we walk she has me all to her self. That is exactly what she wants.The dogs enjoy morning coffee time with me. Rosie and Bonnie will play like they are puppies. Rossie misses the puppies, she used to pick up a toy and tease them to come chase her. She is an awesome baby sitter.I think I will get a treadmill for the winter so I can keep her moving. I would like for her to drop 5 pounds, that would be so good for her. I need to keep her in good shape so that she will be with me for many more years.

What is so special about Rosie is that she and I have the same birthday, I remember the night she was born.

THE EYES TELL YOU SO MUCH!

Expression in the Sheltie face is so important. The eyes can tell you so much.

Like Rosie watching me eat lunch, of course she is a chow hound. I had a sandwich on my desk and she was on the floor watching me. But she did not turn her head she just moved her eyes, from me to the sandwich and back to me again. I guess she thought she was being good not being too aggressive over my sandwich.

One day Chanel came to stay with me, and she not knowing that her mom was leaving was pretty upset when she realized that Mom was leaving. I went to the door and closed the gate so she would not try to leave. The door was open and we were both standing there and Chanel's eyes got so big and round when she realized that Mom was leaving. I have never seen that expression before,She was really shocked that Mom was leaving and not taking her. I will never forget the look on her face.

The other morning Sammy had an accident in the kitchen, and he does know better.But he really had to go and he usually runs down stairs to the door. Well I guess that this time he could not wait and when I said his name and what are you doing, his got this horrific look and he knew he was making a mistake.The look was like OMG what did I just do. I had to laugh, well he really has the concept of house training down.

Shelties should have a moderate, almond shaped eye, that is soft and expressive. Sheltie expression is inquisitive and soft. It really is amazing the different expressions they can get aside from inquisitive and soft. They really do think, you can see it in the eyes. In agility you can see a dog think about which way to go and which obstacle you wanted him to take. Or the playful expression when a puppy is saying "catch me if you can" that is a game that all pups love. But they do need to learn come or here for safety. I love the questioning look they get when you ask a question, they are really trying to figure out what you want.

I talk to my dogs a lot and they really listen, even if they don't know what I am saying. They will look at me with questioning eyes and turn their head from side to side to figure out what I am saying. They are such good dogs and companions. I don't get lonely, they take care of that completely. They make me laugh a lot.

My Shelties are just awesome friends.

A HAPPY FACE!

JEEP

LOVELY PUPS GROWING UP!

My pups are all getting close to 4 months now and from the photos that I receive I am so pleased with all of them. They are all very lovely and will be gorgeous adults. I suppose that I am prejudiced to a certain extent. But when I breed I look at pedigrees and then the individual dogs and the dogs in the pedigrees that I know.

I make sure that mom and dad complement each other in many ways. I don't double up on faults,. My dogs are health tested so I know that I have a really good chance on producing, healthy, quality pups.

I did get to see one of my pups yesterday. Her ears had gone up and needed help. We glued her ears so they would tip properly in time. Correct Sheltie ears do so much for the expression. Expression makes the Sheltie.

This pup is in beautiful condition, and very pretty, I was so pleased when I saw her. The fact that her people wanted correct ears meant a lot to me. This pup is going to blossom into a lovely adult.

So if any of my puppy people read this blog, if your pups ears are standing up straight or if hanging down like a hound, I am more than happy to show you how to fix the ears. I can also email you information on glueing the ears in the correct position. But if you like the ears the way they are now that is fine, it is totally your choice.

The dogs have all found a cool spot and are sleeping, they just don't like the heat and I sure don't either. I was going to work in the dog yard this morning and wash the back of the house, but it is already too hot for that. Plus it is Sunday and I usually try to keep Sunday chore free.

My mats should be here tomorrow and Bonnie and I will get started in some basic agility. She is going to love it. I am looking forward to getting back into training. I would love better control with my dogs, when I say sit which they all know I would like to see them all sit on the first command. That would be so awesome. I see people with multiple dogs on places like Face book that are that well trained. So I  know if I put my mind to it I can make it happen. My goal is for them to all sit in a group wearing red bows for Christmas. I had better get going or we will never make it for Christmas. This is going to take some determination and persistance and patience. Certainly I can do this in six months.

Nine dogs all behaving at once. LOL

My pups were a lot of work but also alot of fun. I really enjoyed them and every one was so smart. They all learned their name in days and would come when called. Young pups have brains like sponges and soak up every bit of training you give them. That is part of the reason it is so fun to work with puppies.  I remember when Luke was a baby 9 weeks, I was teaching him to sit and he caught on so quickly. I was using treats and one time I told him to sit and he did right away and I was a little slow getting the treat out so sitting there he stamped his front feet to tell me to hurry up. It was the cutest thing I have ever seen in a young pup. I will have to write more about expressions and what they mean. It is amazing what they can express in their eyes.

All for now! Be safe!

IS IT POSSIBLE????????? LOL

DOGS LIKE IT COOL TOO!

My Shelties are not crazy about this heat and humidity. Nor am I. I have the air running in my little office and the dogs are lieing all around and so is the cat. Guess this is why it is called the dog days of summer, although it seems like summer has been here a long time already. My time sure has been strange with being home almost all the time.

This time of year my huge garage is empty so I decided it would be a perfect place for the dogs to do some agility. It is cool in there and no bugs or ticks. I am waiting on some mats so that we can do a little low jumping.  I think that I will start with Bonnie and Walter as they both have had some agility training. Bonnie is a very energetic girl and she loves to run through the tunnel and jump. She just needs to learn more control and of course more basic obedience. Walter has been to both obedience and agility class, he has a good idea of what he needs to do but it has been awhile and he needs some brush up on his obedience.

It has been three years since I have been to a class and I have really missed it. I took my boy Jeep to agiity class once a week for 8 years, he was a really good worker and he loved it. When my husband got sick I could no longer work Jeep so he went to live with a friend who is excellent in agility. He has earned many more titles since living with her and I am so happy that he has been able to do what he loves.

I hope that Bonnie will eventually love working the way that Jeep does. Bonnie's daughter Fancy, is a natural for sure. Climbing out of the puppy pen at five weeks and just did it, never hesitated, of course I had to put the top on the pen or she would have been out all the time.

For now we can enjoy this small course and just have fun. My sons use the garage to store their boat and trailer in the winter and until late fall it is all mine and the dogs.

For now there are not any dog shows or competitions but it takes a long time to be good enough to compete in agility. And I know that I am not fast enough to keep up with Bonnie so we will just play agility. Bonnie has a natural herding instinct, bugs, birds, butterfly's, she just loves to chase, her instinct is very strong. Maybe some day we will try a herding test to see how strong it really is. Her concentration is very strong. Except when she is being naughty, getting into something she should not then she has very selective hearing.

I am really looking forward to see what she can accomplish.  She will not have pups for sometime as with her seven it took a lot out of her and she needs to get back into condition and mature more. She was a great mom but she needs a good break. She needs to have some fun.

Be sure to not take your dog with you in the car in this hot weather and never leave your pup in the car alone when it is so hot. Dogs can suffocate very quickly when it is so hot. And that would be a tragedy.

Everyone be safe and well! Spend time with your dogs, they love the attention and the love to please.

BONNIE

SHELTIE CONVERSATION

Yes there is such a thing as Sheltie conversation. Especially when they are the only ones you have to talk to. If I have something good to eat, Rosie will sit there in front of me and look at me and then look at my dish. She does not even turn her head, she just moves her eyes and then rolls her eyes back to me. It is so funny, I know exactly what she is thinking. She has very expressive eyes. A little too large for the breed but they tell you everything. Even if Girly the cat is sitting there her eyes will go to her, then to me, like really this is not for the CAT!Then to the food. This could go on for several minutes,  Rosie is a special girl, she loves everyone and does not hesitate to let them know. She is not your typical reserved Sheltie. She has to be the center of attention, food or no food.  Now Keeper who retired with me a couple of years ago has a different way of expressing himself. He will pull his lips back and give you this funny smile showing his teeth. It really is hysterical. I should try to get a picture of him doing this. Sometimes he will do it for no reason at all, at least no reason that I can see. Maybe he is expressing his joy of living here and being a full time house dog, he just loves being in the house. Now Bling is another funny one, she will come and stand in front of me and bark and wag her tail. Sometimes it is for food and most times it is just to say hello and after the greeting she will lie down next to my chair. I just heard from the vet and Bling's blood work is good. One type of white cell a little high but nothing to be concerned about. As for the seizure all we can do is watch and see if it happens again. If there is nothing in the next month I will go ahead with her spay and teeth cleaning. Hopefully I will not see another seizure. Anyway we are talking about the Shelites conversation. When I let everyone go potty for the last time before bed, sometimes I forget Bling and she will come and find me and tell me that she needs to go out. I will ask her if that is what she wants and she answers with two barks. It is always just two barks. She is a funny girl, but I love her. I knew Bling along time ago, I whelped her very first litter for my friend and I fell in love with her then and she probably was about 2. At that time I promised her she could come retire with me when done with babies. Two years ago she retired and came here with me. Took her a little while to settle in but she did and now is very comfortable. She is a little different but sweet in her own way.

Brooke is my own senior who has been with me since she was 8 weeks. She was a difficult pup and wanted her own way and now at almost 11 she still wants her own way. She will stare at you and you just have to figure it out and if you don't she will just walk away. Guess it was not that important.

The young ones have their own way of conversation also. But that is for another time.

• ROSIE

ALL IS WELL!

The pups are in their new homes and all are doing well. They are learning house training, walking on leash and riding in the car. I am really pleased with the care that they are given. I have been in touch with all and progress is being made. It makes me feel good to know the choices I made for them were all the best.

Now to get back to my normal routine, which really is not normal with this stay at home order. I now need to find a good fence contractor and get the large exercise area built. The dogs really need more exercise and the larger area will do that for them. I may even set up a little agility equipment so that we can play agility some. The younger dogs will love that.

Bling is going to the vet for a check up and blood work. She had a seizure about a week ago and I have no idea what brought it on. We will know more about her in a week or so. It was mild but it did scare her.Since she is getting old it could just be an old age thing, but I need to know. I wonder if it is the flea and tick medication that I used on the dogs. I hate using that stuff as it is chemical and you never know for sure what it can do or the reaction it could cause. But when the tick population is heavy as it usually is in May I do use it. As the summer goes on I don't use it but when fall comes and ticks are breeding and plentiful I will use it one more time.

All the dogs are shedding and that will be my chore for this week, it is almost on going with all the dogs. They look so nice when they are all done. One of these days I will treat myself to a professional grooming for them.

I have to thank all my puppy people for being so understanding about not coming into the house to visit the pups when they were little. It was very different but we all had to be safe. Thank you all!

I know it is a pain to wear a mask when you are out but is does show respect for others and for yourself.

Be safe, be well!              

                                                         A big helper!