Oh, Buggie Powers

Bug had PT last night. I expected it to be pretty unremarkable, instead my boy was quite ouchie. Gah!

His right hip, which is the one that looks better radiographically, is very tight and sore. He did not want to allow Julie R. to handle it. He is not putting his full weight on his right rear leg, even in the underwater treadmill. He was also out of alignment in the “stair” position. He does not seem to be able to hold this particular adjustment.

Julie immediately commented on the muscle atrophy in his rear that occurred with the odd weight loss after Hush left. I know now is the time to turn more firmly to homeopathy as all tests have come back normal, but he is still not 100%

I am going to schedule an appointment with a different acupuncturist who also does Reiki. This particular acupuncturist is known for being uncannily intuitive. I am very hopeful that she will pick up on something with Bug. Julie recently completed her Level 1 Reiki training and Bug was asking her to perform Reiki on him. He also sent her some healing energy and her hand, which had been bothering her all day, stopped hurting.

With his increased rations he is still only at 31 pounds (should be 32 – 33). Bowel movements are normal and appetite is healthy. Thank goodness he is at least in coat so I do not have people telling me how skinny he is constantly. He is getting a kong with peanut butter and Orijen kibble every day, plus raw, canned food and lots of treats. He is also getting both salmon oil and coconut oil. I am going to stop at Especially for Pets tomorrow. They carry Canine Caviar which has a canned Venison Tripe (good for digestion) and also canned Beaver. The canned Beaver is very calorie dense.

We skipped swimming and only did 15 minutes (vs. 17) in the underwater treadmill (at .5 mph versus 1.4 mph). After the treadmill we iced and used the cold laser on Bug’s hip.

I think it is time to reconsider the Adequan injections. A year ago when Dr. M recommended them Bug was very clear he did not want them. He still does not want them, but I don’t think he knows what he is talking about. They are reasonably priced and I think they are worth a shot. I know other peoples’ dogs that have benefited hugely from them.

Recently there were a few comments online about Cardigans <10 yo not showing clinical signs of HD. I was very frustrated to read those statements given my personal experience with Bug. And yes, I know Bug is just one dog, but I know other Cardigans who also show clinical signs at a younger age. Bug started showing signs at < 5 years old. Personally, I think people tend to not see the signs their dogs are hurting until they hit them over the head (if at all), and I am not talking about just Cardigan people, pet people, or performance people.

I have a blog post about the Amanda Shyne workshops last weekend to write, but I just haven’t had time. Hopefully I will do that this weekend. Ike and I had an awesome time and came away with some really helpful tips. And of course I have puppy posts! I also haven’t been commenting on many blog posts because I haven’t had a time to read many! Hopefully that is something I can catch up on this weekend, too.

If anyone has any tips for Bug I am all ears. I will hopefully have an appointment with both the acupuncturist and the CVH next week.

Sun Splash

Obedience & Nosework

Not much blogging going on here. We've been busy though!

This weekend Irie had her second Foundation Obedience/Rally class. I am so pleased with her work ethic. She has great focus for any dog, let alone a 4.5 month old puppy. We did some "about turns" in our "choose to heel" and she seems to really understand that game. Her "about turns" were quite nice.

We worked on fronts, and if I do not ruin it, she currently naturally gets into a pretty straight front. Please don't let me ruin it (Ike and Bug are both hopelessly crooked!).

Perch work made a leap forward and she is really understanding moving her rear feet independently of her front feet.

Bug had his second Nosework lesson this weekend. A few years ago my friend Marie and I attended one of the first Nosework workshops on the east coast. She started taking classes and I did not. Since Bug can no longer do herding or agility, and we are not that excited about Rally, we were looking for something to do together. My commute makes it hard to be taking two weeknight classes, so Marie offered to give us some private Nosework lessons on the weekends.

Bug is a natural hunter and is really, really enjoying this game. I LOVE seeing him so excited to play. I thought his lack of excitement about Rally and Obedience was due to my lack of excitement about obedience. However, I now see how focused Irie is about Obedience/Rally and I no longer think that it's me. I think Bug just didn't really care for Obedience/Rally. So, we will focus on Nosework together and possibly tracking. I might still do some Rally with him, but I am certainly not going to plan on focusing in it with him.

I was sick last week, so Ike missed Tuesday night class. This week will focus on him, though. We have class on Tuesday and are attending two Amanda Shyne workshops over the weekend. Saturday is a 4-hour workshop on Jumping Skills and Sunday is a 4-hour workshop on Building Drive. I am a bit nervous about Sunday's workshop. I am not sure it will be a workshop Ike enjoys (he really only plays with toys at home and only with select toys). I wish I could do it with the puppy, although I don't think I will need to do a lot of drive building with her! I am mostly going because it is a topic that interests me and I have had to work really hard with Ike. I know there will be other dogs I have to work as hard with and I'd like more tools in my toolbox.

Foundation Competition Obedience and Rally

Yesterday Irie started a foundation competition obedience and rally class. There are two other dogs in the class and they are both fairly young, too. There is an 8 month old terrier and a 1 year old Berner.

Irie was very vocal when we first got there, but she settled down fairly quickly. The first thing we worked on was heel position against a fence. Have 5 treats in your hand, click and treat your dog in the correct position, heel out of it. Irie is not pressure sensitive at all and did a great job with this.

Next we did some "Choose to Heel" and I was very please with how she did since we were outside in a yard that sees a variety of dogs.

We finished with some perch work. At home I use a dictionary, but I would like something I can bring with me to class and use in different location. Last night I went to target to see if they had any small stools that might work They did not, but they did have yoga bricks! I bought a cork yoga brick and I think this will be the perfect size for Ms. Irie. And, since it is cork it is not slippery!

We both had a good time and I am looking forward to practicing and seeing where this takes us. :)

Herding, Lesson 2

Yesterday Irie had her second herding lesson. Wow, what a difference a month+ makes. At her first lesson Diane said she showed sustained interest in the ducks, but she really just watched them and moved them slightly. This lesson she was VERY interested, and had a blast moving those duckies around.

The first time in the pen we let her move the ducks by herself, just to see what she would do.


There was a 15 week old Boxer there for a lesson, as well, so we put Irie up in the car and watched him work. He was quite awesome!

The second time Irie went in the round pen, Diane started to tell me what she wanted me to do and then asked if I would prefer she go in. With Bug I would almost always say "no." In this instance I said, "YES!" I would much prefer Irie have a very positive experience then deal with me being stressed and fumbling to be in the right spot. We can do that later! ;)



At the end of the lesson Irie walked the ducks in to their kennel.



Diane also went over the dry work we can be working on at home, including getting the pups used to the rake. I am SO happy Irie isn't phased by the rake at ll. She respects it, but does not think it is a big deal at all. I am happy that pressure sensitivity is not something we will have to work on. We will have to work on a steady flat-footed walk-up. As you can see in the video her natural stride is a bit exuberant!

Diane's sheep are due to lamb in January, but if the weather holds we are planning on a lesson in about a month.

I am so excited about this girlie. She is just a joy and, although I am biased, I feel like she really has the little extra intangible you cannot put a word to.

Liebster Award

Ellen over at Pupparoos awarded us with the Liebster award.

 

Liebster means “dearest” in German, and the award is intended to help up-and-coming blogs get the attention they deserve. As with any award, there is a bit of ceremony involved. In order to accept the award, we must do the following:

1. Copy and paste the award on our blog.

2. Link back to the blogger who gave us the award.

3. Pick our five favorite blogs with less than 200 followers, and leave a comment on their blog to let them know they have received the award.

4. Hope that the five blogs chosen will keep spreading the love and pass it on to five more blogs.

Don't feel obligated to play - I won't be offended! Here are the five blogs I'll name (and I have no idea what some of them have for a follower count):

1. Agility Adventures: I love reading about Kathy's training adventures with Cricket, Breeze and all her dogs. Kathy shares a lot of great info.

2. Merlin's Friends: This blog posts infrequently and it is different than a typical blog. Bobbie, the blogger from Merlin's DM Blog, started this blog after she lost he PWC, Merlin, to DM (Degenerative Myelopathy). Each post is from a different contributor and talks about their experience with their dog and DM. It is a heart wrenching blog to read, but I think it is really important to have these stories out there. There is a lot of disagreement in the Cardigan world about how worried we should be about our dog's DM status. There is not much you can do if your dog tests Affected (just supplements which might or might not help and PT when symptoms appear) and to date we haven't really seen what that means in Cardigans. Personally I think we should test breeding stock and continue to breed Affected dogs, but to Clear dogs if possible. I have one Carrier and my new puppy is either a Carrier or Clear. I think, even if it is an old dog disease in our breed (some think it is), it is still a difficult thing to go through. Reading these stories gives you a better appreciation of the emotional strength these owners must show when there companions are faced with a debilitating disease that destroys the body slowly, but leaves the mind and spirit intact.

3. Wags n Woofs: Lani blogs about training her three Cardigans in obedience and agility, her international travels, and her new home and family. Recently her middle dog went down in the back (IVDD), so she has blogged a bit about that experience and his recovery.


4. 4 The Dogs: Kathy blogs about her Cardigans and the rescue she is involved with, ForPaws Corgi/Corgi-x Rescue.I love reading the inspirational stories about the dogs and puppies who come through her rescue as well as her successes in the rally ring.


5. Tail of Two Corgis: Taryn blogs about her two corgis Wilson and Jimmy; Her journey toward her and Jimmy's MACH; and provides great photos and comic relief along the way.


Thank you, Ellen for making me think about the blogs I read!

Merry Christmas!