An Alternate

A lovely walk in Cwn Dulyn over the well mended bridge. It was muddy, wet and slippery at times, but my god we all enjoyed it. I must admit it left me wishing I'd thought to take everyone there, another day I promise guys. The dogs love a change as much as we do, smells, sounds and sights are so unavailable to their well-being. As you can see dear Siska took herself over the wall and decide to stay there - as you do! 

On my way home I called in to Wynnstay to pay off my huge dog food bill. I've decided to try 30 bags of Gold and 20 of Titanium this time, such a shame that we feel we have to compromise on quality to suite the price. I didn't feel out of place in Wynnstay, an agricultural merchant, in my wet and dirty dog walking attire, but what I hadn't counted on was how long I'd have to stand and wait in the hot reception on Steve's doctors surgery whilst they sorted out his prescription. I'm sure I was starting to steam and smell!!! 😝

I Didn't Like It

It's not often I'll come home from my first walk and say I'm not going back, but today I did. The mist was so thick that by the time I saw the digger on the track I was almost in him. Well slight exaggeration I had seen the lights from far enough, but without them, well it would have been a disaster. In their wisdom to improve the track they've made it worse, I guess in time it'll settle, but at the moment it's a nightmare! 

I could hear John's whistle, but couldn't see him or his dogs, but what was mostly unnerving was that I could only just make out the large wagons going up and down to the quarry. Now if I could only just see them then I worried that they would not see one of the dogs should they head off in the wrong direction. Sammi and Ross love to run, luckily one call and they both come flying back, but "what if?," was all I could think. I imagined Orin deciding he needed to pee on the other side of the track, as he does. Now the sun may shine out of his back side, but I also know exactly who he is. He's no Tali, she'd just say "Feck off I'm doing this," he's more a "Hang on a minute I'll be there when I've done this," kind of guy. Seriously, if he did throw a deaf one and go over the track, well those guys would never be able to stop in those slate laden lorries. No, I didn't like it and I wasn't going back!

Shows

Shows with breed judges are few and far between this year and because of that I entered Wrexham without doing any research on the judge. With the show in 2 weeks, on the 15th, I decided I should take Kaiah to club last night. Bethan knew of the judge and now I think I need to learn to stand Kaiah with a reasonably flat overline. Hopefully I can get Ian to eat crisps outside the ring and that may get her to use her ears! LOL. I've also entered Sammi in Veteran, her coat is hanging out so she may have to stay at home. I hope not as she still in top form.

Kaiah and I practicing last night, not too bad is it!

Bloat Again

Loki had bloat again this morning, I gave him one of the pills prescribed by the vet, stopped him pacing and massaged his belly. He has had at least 6 of these episodes previously over the years. I felt he was slow to respond to the tablet and gave him another as that is the suggested cause of action by Ken the vet. They are basically stomach tablets to dissipate the trapped wind and hopefully avoid a life-threatening torsion.  Steve and I took turns to massage his belly and keep him still until he settled. 

Loki is in a high risk category, being deep chested, male and having a first generation family member who has had a torsion.(His brother) He is also quite a stressy dog and one who pants and sucks in a lot of air. As Loki is prone to bloat we already take precautionary measures, he has three smaller meals a day and is on Yudigest tablets daily as well as live yogurt. I've unfortunately seen bloat and torsion and know one can lead to another quickly, so even after he settles, we keep a very close eye on him. 

So what did we see this time? Well it's starts with his tongue. Initially, you think maybe he has something stuck between his front teeth, so you look, but there is nothing there. He continues to constantly flick his tongue in an out like a snake then quickly becomes unsettled, panting and pacing. If you let him out he grabs at any grass or greenery that he can find, so we keep him in and give him his first tablet. I massaged his slightly swollen belly and he seemed to settle but as soon as I stopped it all started again. Steve massaged his belly and I gave him the second tablet before taking over the massaging. Gradually as the wind dissipates he relaxes and settles. The worst of it was all over today within about 15 mins and I put that down to the pills as the longest episode before we had the pills lasted about 2 hrs. 

The link below is for that scary 2 hr episode - before we had the tablets - please read it, it may save a life ... 

http://talistails.blogspot.com/2021/09/what-next-for-poor-loki.html

Size Matters!

I found this post in my drafts - no idea why it was never completed and posted ... but this is as it was, probably written in January .. ish, I've just added photos. The first is Orin with Kaiah and Siska - The male so obvious, and the second photo is of the hugely imposing Kaiser (Kai) 

This week the subject of height and weight in young GSD's, particularly males has been greatly discussed on Facebook. A well known and respected kennel had been running on brothers, though both look amazing, one has grown too big for the show ring. The breeder is now looking for a pet home for the dog, I don't disapprove, I think he would be better off in a pet home than spending his days in a kennel whilst his brother goes off gallivanting. A lot of these dogs do not live in the house like ours, not my choice, not my way of keeping dogs but in this kennel I know they will be well cared for. 

A friends puppy is giving her great concern, he is now 65cms at 7 months. That is top height for an adult male. We know that males roughly grow 5 cms after 6 months of age and bitches roughly grow 2.5 cms after 6 months of age. I looked back at my records, at 7 months Orin was 62.5cms and just under 32kg. Ross 63cms and 32.8k. Loki 63.5 cms and 31.8kg. Mikey was 63cms but no weight recorded. Louis was 59cms - 29.20kg. At 8 months - Orin 64cms + 33kg- Ross 64cms + 34.1kg - Loki 64cms + 33kg.  Orin adult height is 66cms - the other two are taller - about 67 -68cms Louis ended up 61.5cms and Mikey was dead on 65cms. So yes, if my puppy was 65cms at 7 months I would be concerned, but it is what it is, we can't change it and without doubt no matter how tall he becomes, this puppy will not be sold on. Another friend has a puppy who when last measured was smaller than Louis at the same age, I really hope he makes size for her as he's a cracking chap. 

I have to admit at the shows I attend I've found that size rarely makes a huge difference, males should be 60 - 65 with a leeway of cm either side.  Louis was within the size limit, but he did lack length of foreleg and there is no doubt on occasions it went against him. On the other side of the coin, Kai was 69cms, and that on occasion that also went against him. The breed is rarely measured at KC shows, but at regionals every animal over 2 years is measure at every show. I have tended to stick to KC shows as they are my preference but Orin could easily hold his own at either! 

Loki has done more than his fair share of winning here, and I can only think of two judges who commented on his height .. but I appreciate it is only one consideration when judging the whole dog. If the taller dog is more constructionally correct than the correct size dog then it's down to the judge which he sees the more serious failing I guess. I have to admit though Louis was my everything, I do prefer a larger male to a smaller male. A male should ooze masculinity ... though to be fair there was nothing feminine about Louis. A bitch should not be doggy and masculine, but somehow a masculine bitch is easier to accept than a feminine male. Looking at the animal in the ring we really should know if it's male or female at a glance, luckily I've never doubted anyone here!

Feeding Time

Last week we chatted a lot about feeding and diet. Joe said he was feeding his on 2/3 kibble and 1/3 raw. I have always fed kibble and use to firmly believe that adding to that was not sensible as kibble is a "complete meal."  But as the years have gone by, I find myself adding more bits and pieces to the diets, not because I feel they need it because complete is complete, but now I'm less convinced that I'm doing any harm by adding things. 

I add a spoonful of live yogurt to their breakfasts daily, and they get tinned pilchards or sardines every other night, of course it's only one piece of fish each. If we have chicken I boil the bones to make a broth adding any leftover veg or even the highly nutritious skins to the broth. I will even boil up just the skins (Potatoes, carrots swede etc)  and add them with the liquid to their breakfast, I can't believe how much they all love it, even Ross! Yesterday I found myself with a bag of spinach in the fridge that really needed using. I boiled it up and added to their breakfast today, well this was the first no-go, Zeus and Ross told me where to stick it and I noticed Orin took his time over it, of course the bitches loved it! I did make the two boys another breakfast which they wolfed down, and will not add it to their food if the situation arose again. They get a raw carrot daily and often get raw broccoli, which they love. I think they even prefer the raw veg to bonios, fish treats and chicken feet, which they also get daily! 

I hate waste, we really try not to waste anything at all, if it can't be reheated or recreated and eaten by us or them, then it goes in the compost, or even into the field for the birds or the fox. 

Loki Today

Maybe I watch too much, but I felt Loki was lacking spark today. He was slower than usual and kept forgetting his toy. He tripped over his front foot a couple of times and I felt he seemed tired quickly. After giving him a long rest on the bed I took him out to the garden this afternoon and can't say that I could see much wrong, but it is important that I make a note of these observations. Loki is only on 5mg of steroid every other day now, so there is plenty of scope to adjust the dose or even just add the odd extra tablet. We'll see how he goes this week ...

Making The Most Of It

Lovely To Be Out

Return Of The Cat

Jimmy Choo arrived home about 8.30pm last night. (So he was AWOL for 24 hrs) He was hungry, tired and very cuddly. 

I really do find a no show so stressful these days, but I appreciate the PM's yesterday checking up on him... and me! 

Jimmy Choo

 I haven't seen Choo today, well actually he wasn't here for supper last night. I've been out calling and looking, there is no sign of him. I swear I was never this kind of cat owner till Isla went missing, now I just don't cope if I don't see them at least once a day. 

Day 20 ...

... and it's almost over, Orin is now completely happy to just chill on the sofa. 

I may try them together for a walk tomorrow. 

Brothers

This concludes the evidence for the prosecution

Now You See What I Mean?

I would never put this photo to be judged on Facebook, though of course the position is obviously exaggerated here, but great to prove a point. From this angel you can surely see the narrowness in the chest, splaying of the legs, the weak pasterns, and the ten to two feet? I still don't get it, why is this such a classic fault in L/C GSD's when most are born from S/C parents. Zeus was one of 8 surviving puppies born, 7 S/C and he, the L/C. Is it something to do with the L/C gene? It's not coincidence, too many unrelated L/C's have this fault - so to someone like me looking in, it must be to do with the L/C gene that carries from S/C parents. I cringe seeing animals like this in the ring, and cringe even more when they beat us, but that's another story. So as beautiful as he is, as they are, I really can't see past this serious fault. Light eyes and untidy croups will never stop a dog doing a days work, but those legs and feet? Well to me that's a different story. 

Zeus' Nail

Last week Zeus was a little lame on his back right. I'm not one to rush to the vets and kept an eye on it. It honestly didn't seem to escalate but then we noticed his outside nail was pointing in an odd direction. He was not limping and we wondered if he'd caught it on something. 

On Monday whilst I was in Nantwich Steve let me know that the paw had started to bleed, I rang the vet and made an appointment for Tuesday. As things didn't go to plan and I had to go back to Nantwich on Tuesday I had to cancel the appointment. Zeus was not lame and there had been no further bleeding so we decided to see how it would go. This morning I thought the nail looked weird again and by this afternoon it had come out completely. There was no blood, no swelling and he doesn't seem bothered by it. I contacted the vet and have been advised if it's not bothering him to leave it alone, so we will.

I'm hopeful it's a one-off, an accident and not a condition that can affect dogs where their nails come out ...(lupoid onychodystrophy) 

No Go Again

There was no further mating yesterday and no AI either, all we can do now is wait and hope. Without a natural full mating I'm pretty disillusioned really, if she hasn't taken it'll be heartbreak followed by 7 long months of re-planning and maybe re-considering my options. Though I had no intension of mentioning the mating on Facebook unfortunately Joe has, leaving me with a lot of nosy PM's to answer! Please, as always, what's written on the blog stays on the blog? It's going to be a long 5 weeks before we know anything and now I will continue Siska diary for publishing later. 

20/3/23

 It seemed like the longest day ever, another failed attempt at mating in the morning. He is a young, inexperienced dog who is yet to gain that extra bit of drive. Once he's missed, he just wants to play. Plan two was then set into force and we visited a vet specialising in fertility. He did a progesterone test on Siska and it was great news, after almost doubling every 24 hrs between day 11 and 13 (6.6 - 23) she had only risen to 50 by 5pm last night, so she was still within the optimal stage for mating. The males sperm was tested and found to be in good order (82 million per 1 ml) and the vet went on to perform AI on Siska. When natural mating occurs the sperm reaches the eggs with 6 hrs, with AI it is basically dropped onto the eggs. Because of Siska levels the vet and the owner of the dog suggested we try again today, initially for a natural mating and if not AI again. Well we've come this far - this could well be the most expensive litter to try and conceive yet, but there is no going back now!

Throughout everything, Joe has bent over backwards to help us, yes it is in his interest to get puppies on the ground too, but I honestly can't see many people doing as much to help. Siska has been amazing, and Vesco, well he's just lovely.

My wish today, this morning is for a natural mating, if not, well there is plan two again! 

Disappointment Today

                  

Sadly, today didn't go to plan with a slip mating this morning and a no-go this afternoon. Though bitches can get pregnant from a slip mating the chances are reduced dramatically. I must admit I'm very deflated, we will try again tomorrow, we can only hope that Siska's eggs do not mature and go over as quickly as Kaiah's do. Theoretically, they should be viable tomorrow and possibly into Tuesday, but as we know these bitches regularly don't read the book, do they Kaiah! Anyway a couple of photos, one of me with Vesco, and one of me with the old man, the superstar Fransisco. 

Happy 3rd Birthday

Zeus and Orin

Orin and Cookie Kids

Bear, Hobnob with mummy Cookie (Yes you read it right!)

Rufio, Bruno

Lovely pups, Bear and Rufio looking particularly like Daddy O

Guess Work

"The biggest litter size, therefore, will be achieved when a bitch is bred two days after ovulation, when both semen and eggs will be at their peak viability. However, a successful pregnancy can still result if the bitch is bred any time between the 2 days prior to ovulation to the 4 days after ovulation."

Until I tested Tali I'd had never tested a bitch before and we did still travel, South Wales for Arko Vom Hunhengrab and Apollo Von Dakota, Crewe for Chanask Jamiroquai and the sire of the B litter, whose name currently escapes me (and I'm too lazy to look it up - it will come to me) and we met Rangmore Arko near Queenseferry. We went twice 48 hrs apart and hoped for the best ... I think the earliest was with Nikki, day 10 and 12 - she had 8. 

Of course where testing comes into it's own is when you have bitches like Kaiah, without the test we simply would not have got her pregnant, she's just so bloody late! Sammi is also late, but ovulation on day 16 is still doable had we mated on day 14 - but Kaiah doesn't ovulate till day 20, when most bitches have gone over! 

Oh ... Fabelhalf Arazi ... that was his name! 

Day 13 And Test 2

A huge jump up in 48hrs, just like her mother and grandmother, if not worse. Today she's on 23, not quite doubled every 24 hrs as that would have taken her to 26.4 - but not far out eh! (19 -31 -ovulation recently occurred - mate immediately or within 2 days.) We are taking her to be mated at 10 am tomorrow. So if she doubles in the next 24 hrs that takes us to 46. (32 -64 - eggs have matured, optimal potential for fertilization, breed immediately or within 1 day.) I will be honest, I would have preferred to have gone today and tomorrow, but I have to fit in with Joe's plans too. Ringing in my head is - "breed early for bitches!"  Just out of interest and to compare - Kaiah went from 4.9 to 15 in 48 hrs and Sammi went from 8.2 to 23.6 in 48hrs, so Siska has taken more of a jump. Kaiah was mated about 30hrs after the 15 test, Sammi was mated twice, the afternoon of the 23.6 test and 24 hrs later. Whilst Fransisco mated Sammi twice he would not mate Kaiah a second time.

Orin is still reasonable calm, but I've looked back and it was day 14 that he lost the plot last time, so that would make us think that the eggs were maturing on that day of her last season too. When they are maturing they soften and the sperm finds it easier to fertilize them, though sperm from a health young male can live for up to a week, mating is more successful if the mature eggs are already laying in wait ... The boys were still frantic on day 16 last time, I think they get more desperate as the unfertilized eggs mature, but by day 17 things were starting to settle.

If I had to guess I'd say Siska ovulated yesterday evening, there was a difference in Orin between 5 pm when he went past her to eat his meal, to 10pm when he rejected his carrot and I had to pull him away from her crate (And Orin LOVES carrots!) We always used to say the ideal time for mating was 48 hrs after ovulation, well Sunday morning may be a tad early - but it takes 6 hrs for the sperm to travel to the eggs - we won't be far out! (I hope) 

Vet Google says " Following ovulation it takes the eggs 2 days to mature and be ready to be fertilized. Ovulation of multiple follicles may occur over a 12 – 36 hour period. Once mature, the eggs are capable of being fertilized for 2 days. Therefore, the fertile period begins 2 days after ovulation and lasts for the next 3 – 4 days" (Ovulation in GSD bitches is known to be about 17) 

Day 12

There is still little interest in Siska, but Zeus and Orin didn't eat this morning. Knowing how quickly things can change I would never now leave Siska with either of the entire males but of course another advantage now is that Ross can go walkabout with the girls.

Siska's not a happy bunny, Kaiah laughed! 

Joyal's Crufts Pics

 Orin

Siska's class - well some of it.

I love this photo of her - doesn't she look stunning

Test 1

The result was a predictable 6.6

 6 is a minimum of two days before ovulation, 7 is a minimum of 1 day before ovulation. 

Going from her last season I'd say we'll be mating Saturday, Sunday or Monday. (days 13, 14 or 15) According to my notes by day 17 of her last season things were settling down here, so yeah, I'd say Sunday ... ish! lol

Loki And I Went AWOL

Sometimes it's nice to go off for a secret walk with the older male of the family.

I've Made It Official

 We had given things a lot of thought and want to let his mates know that Ross is now well and truly retired from the show ring. As beautiful as we think our dogs are, and he is, we have to realise that not every dog can be a show dog. Not every dog has the right character to be in the ring, and we have to put their needs before the hope of a red card. Don't get me wrong, Ross loved going to shows, loved the socialising but when it came to going in the ring, well he wasn't that keen. My dogs happiness come before any show success so whilst some of his mates will still be going off to shows, the brown clown will be staying home to supervise any gardening or DIY that goes on at home. 

Of course blog followers knew this a couple of months ago but after seeing a couple of stressed out dogs at Crufts I thought it was the appropriate time to make it official on Facebook and see if the penny drops with other owners. Mainly it's the same dogs from show to show losing the plot in the ring, and crated and covered like a parrot outside the ring. In the ring I honestly fear the lead breaking or the handler falling, this is a terrifying accident waiting to happen. 

Ross was never aggressive in the ring, well Ross is never aggressive full stop, he was just bored. He made no effort on the move and stood as if the world was at an end. After a break over covid I tried to show him twice last year, once with Sarah handling and once handling him myself, it was worse than ever, the break did not do him any good. So what is the point wasting £30 entry fee when the dog makes it obvious that he doesn't want to do it? 

Puddle Photos!

Crufts Photos

Orin 

Siska

Callan

The Crufts Adventure

I guess our Crufts adventure started on Thursday afternoon with a somewhat snowy drive to Swinton. I have to admit I was apprehensive about leaving Steve and equally apprehensive about how Orin and Siska would behave in someone's home. There were no worries, no concerns Steve was fine and the dogs behaviour was impeccable from the beginning to the end of the adventure.  The dogs have never stayed anywhere before and other than being a little unsettled with the heat in the house they did really well overnight. 

The M6, especially the toll was quite snowy with the fast lane being mostly out of use, but we got to the NEC without incident. The long walk from the car park to the halls was really not funny, especially with two dogs eager to get on their way. I found walking on the grass when possible was much safer. I've done that walk plenty of times in December and March to be prepared for any weather. 

Jackie's puppy Kai was in first, there were only two in the class but the other puppy had already done some winning. Kai gave a great performance and won the class, he later challenged the MPD winner and was BPD ... a great start. 

Callan was in PGD, there was an entry of 16 dogs, 14 of which were present. Callan was shortlisted and then placed 1st where he remained till the end of the class. Maybe one of the highlights of the day was seeing Bethan in tears as her precious boy won the class. 

Orin was in straight after Callan, 8 of the 9 entries were present in limit dog. After taking that jump into limit I was really pleased with how Orin looked and went. To be second in that class was an achievement in itself, but to be called in to challenge was just overwhelming - maybe one day, dreams may come true eh! 

To great interest from the public, Siska spent most of the day relaxing in her chair, she must have been the most photographed dog on the day. Anyway, she gave a very nice performance in the ring and held her own in a difficult class with a lot of older bitched, 14 of the 15 entries were present in her class too. I was thrilled with her place and there were some nice bitches behind her. Being on day 5 of her season made no difference whatsoever and other than a quick flirt with Sully, well no one seem to notice.  

I must admit by the end of the day I was desperate to get away, I just want to get some food and come home! Anyway thanks again to everyone who made it possible. Frank and Linda for giving us a bed for night, Ian for driving, Sarah for handling the gang and Linda, Bethan and Joyal for the photos and Ian for the super videos. (All the photos and videos are on Facebook)