The Canadian Icelandic Sheepdog Club is pleased to annouce that Loki Fra Oddholi is the Therapy Dog of 2006. Loved by Andrea and Steve Barber.
In Loving Memory of Loki and all he gave to his family and friends
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Canadian Icelandic Sheepdog Club- Therapy Dog of 2006 -Loki Fra Oddholi
In Loving Memory of Loki and all he gave to his family and friends
Canadian Icelandic Sheepdog Club -Top Puppy 2006 - Lavendels Vindur
The Canadian Icelandic Sheepdog Club is pleased to annouce that the Top Puppy CISC Icelandic Sheepdog in Canada for 2006 Award goes to
Lavendels Vindur
Breeder: Lavendels Kennel
Owners, Scott and Candise Berard
Handler: Scott Berard
Vindur earned the most CKC points while a puppy in the 2006 Show season, we look forward to Vindur finishing his CKC Championship in the Future.
Thank you to the Judges that put Vindur as BOB, to earn six of his Championship Points to date.
Canadian Icelandic Sheepdog Club -Top Female 2006 -Belglen Runa of Greenstone
The Canadian Icelandic Sheepdog Club is pleased to annouce that the Top Female CISC Icelandic Sheepdog in Canada for 2006 Award goes to
Ch Belglen Runa of Greenstone
Breeder: Belglen Kennel
Breeder: Belglen Kennel
Owners, Belglen/Greenstone Kennel
Handlers, Linda Thompson and V. Sharp
Runa took a number of BOS to earn two three point majors in breed, as well as a number of two point wins to finish her Championship.
Thank you to the CKC/AKC Judges that liked and helped finish Belglen Runa of Greenstone
Canadian Icelandic Sheepdog Club -Top Male 2006-Greenstone AJay
The Canadian Icelandic Sheepdog Club is pleased to annouce that the Top CISC Icelandic Sheepdog in Canada for 2006 Award goes to
Ch Greenstone AJay
Owner/Breeder Mrs. V Sharp
A huge Thank you goes out to his wonderful Handler, Linda Thompson.
Two Group Thirds, One Group Fourth, Ten BOB's.
AJay went Best of Breed everytime he was Shown taking a number of Breed Majors.
A Thank you to the CKC Judges that Liked what they saw in this young man.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Greenstone Kennel Breeder Spotlight Fall 2006
SPOTLIGHT ON: GREENSTONE KENNELS, CANADA
[Editor: For the Breeder’s Spotlight feature, which lets us know more about the breeders who belong to CISC, we plan to alternate between North American and European or Icelandic kennels.]
Kennel and Breeder Name: Greenstone Kennels, Valerie Sharp
Country of Owner: Canada
Number of dogs: Ten Icelandics, plus litters on the ground.
How long have you been breeding: Our first Icelandic was born in 2000, and we got him in 2001.
Names of dogs: Pineridge Vaskur (2000), Tofra Tobba (2001), Tofra Lagsi (2001), Lagsi lives with Grandma Sharp. Folda (2003) Tofra Dalla (2003), Greenstone Ada (2004) Greenstone AJay (2004) Greenstone Alaxander the Great (2004) Belglen Runa of Greenstone (2005) and if all works out my newest baby will be Greenstone Black Pearl(2006)
Favorite story about the dogs: I think some of my favorite stories of the dogs, start with finding them and traveling from Nunavut (Artic East coast) to Pineridge Kennels in B.C. West Coast of Canada to get Vaskur. I had fallen in love with him the second I saw him, and I have never regretted him for a second, although for a little while, I didn’t think I was ever going to get puppies, but I guess all I needed was to move down south and get him a different girlfriend?
I have meet one of my best friends and had amazing trip to Greenland, and Norway, picking up Tobba and spending time with Monika, falling head over heels in love with Tofra Alfur at the time, and I remember calling home to Canada and saying, honey, can I bring this little male home with me, and if you can imagine at the time, I was told no, we don’t want another male. I have always been so thrilled that Pineridge choose to import Alfur, and was truly honored that Sharon from Belglen would allow me to welcome my home to his daughter, Belglen Runa, a very special little heart girl.
I still remember finding Folda, what an adventure that was, I wanted and needed another female, and spent two years looking at every litter born, in every country you can imagine, and this one day, a litter came on one of the yahoo groups, and it had a link to the website with puppy pictures, and I took one look and wanted puppy female number two. I picked up the phone and called Iceland, as its ringing, I think, I wonder if they speak English, well Bibi does and a truly lovely lady, was this one puppy available, well it was the other puppy she wanted to sell, but yes, she was available, but not sure she wanted to send a pup to Canada, so I said, well do you know Monika, she has met me, and so she said she would think about it, and I was to call back at a certain time. So I called Monika straight away, do you know this breeder, do you know this bitch, do you know this puppy. As it turns out, Bibi had been at Monika’s the day before buying dog food, and Monika had meet Folda at that time.
The funny thing was, Monika’s cell phone rang and her husband picked it up, and it was Bibi checking up on me, so Monika had each of us on a different phone, asking the same thing, do you know this person and would you let them have the puppy! Needless to say, Folda flew into Boston, where Jason was waiting for her, and brought her home safe and sound to us in the artic.
Then came Tofra Dalla, what a special dog she is, it was a hard birth, and there were only two puppies, one came to me in Canada, for which I am always grateful, and her brother, went to Norway.
Then come my own puppies. Goodness, what can I say, they were a surprise and turned out to be some of the most wonderful dogs. I think I can honestly say, I watched Alaxander take breath, and knew that he would never leave my side, and I hope I am right.
Favorite doggie activity: Well which one, I don’t know if I have a true favorite, but I think Conformation, Agility, and Herding would be my top three, but we have also done obedience, tracking and therapy work with the dogs. I work very hard to keep the dogs busy, and also to find what each dog’s natural talents are, and then work on that..
Favorite Icelandic in your life so far: I don’t know if I can say, I only have a single Favorite but I can say, that Pineridge Vaskur and his son, Alaxander both hold very special boy places in my heart, and for girls - well I truly love them all, but I would have to say, my happy girl Oppa, always brings a smile to my face, but Dalla and Runa are just as special, we have a different bond, they are so soulful, Oppa and Ada are always happy girls, but I often snuggle and just gaze into Dalla and Runa’s eyes and I think they have a lot of depth to them.
Most proud moments:
Vaskur-Flying in a Helicopter, and being an exploration Dog, and becoming a father!
Tobba-Taking my first BOB and MISC Group Class, taking her to school to help teach the children in Nunavut about Iceland.
Lagsi-Dancing with Grandma Sharp, and being her man!
Folda- 1st Icelandic in CKC to get her CGN, for being the first Icelandic in the Canadian Rare Breeds shows to win multiple Best Puppy of Groups, Best of Group, and Best in Puppy Sweeps. First Greenstone Icelandic to earn her Certified Therapy title. First Icelandic in Canada to have earned her Herding Instinct certificate and competed in the CKC herding program.
Dalla (left)- Watching her learn agility, she is going to be amazing, Second Greenstone ISD to earn her CKC HI, and is now allowed to compete in CKC herding events, First ISD in Greenstone kennel to complete her Tracking training.
Runa: First Female Champion in CKC in Canada!!
AJay- First Male Champion in Canada, First Group Placing ISD in Canada, First Multiply Group Placing ISD in Canada.
Alaxander - First Greenstone ISD to finish his advanced obedience training and we are working toward his CD this fall.
Ada (above left) - First Greenstone Female to point in CKC, Ada has her HI, and she is being actively trained in Agility at this time. Watch for this little lady in the ring near you.
Black Magic Women- It was another late night and after three lovely boys were born, all yellow gene, and fresh blankets were in the box, and everyone was nursing and settled, I sighed and turned off the lamp, and said to Jason . . . No girls and no Black tris, I guess it just was not meant to be, and I heard, grunt, and slurp, slurp, and I flicked the lamp back on, and thought, that puppy is black, and then I leaned over into the whelping box to help, thinking I just wished that. And when I got the chance, I checked sex and I swear I laughed/cried, it’s a female, and it’s black tri. O my god, she is just meant to be mine . . . she is Magic . . . and so her name is Black Magic Women. So for now my most proud moment of her is that she was born!!
(Update, Although Black Magic Women is a very special puppy in my heart, I made the hard choice and kept back Greenstone Black Pearl, a lovely long hair Black tri female)
What was it about Icelandics that made you choose them for your personal breed of dogs: I wanted a medium size dog, that was active enough to go out on camps and hiking/camping trips with Jason and myself, low prey drive because we had cats and would very much like to be parents someday if we are blessed enough, We wanted double coated for the high artic winters (even though the dogs lived inside, it was still cold out there), and I wanted smart enough to be able to work in agility and pretty enough to hold their own in the show ring . . . and after a very long hard search, I found the Iceland Sheepdog.
What is next for your kennel?
1) Finish as many of the dogs CKC Championships as possible
2) Special AJay in CKC in the coming year(s)
3) I would like to get CGN on most of the younger dogs
4) I would like to earn my first obedience and Agility titles on the dogs next year
5) I would like to get more small camping trips, and hiking the river trips in the next year.
6) Anything that puts a smile on their faces, a dance in their step and wag on their tails.
[Editor: For the Breeder’s Spotlight feature, which lets us know more about the breeders who belong to CISC, we plan to alternate between North American and European or Icelandic kennels.]
Kennel and Breeder Name: Greenstone Kennels, Valerie Sharp
Country of Owner: Canada
Number of dogs: Ten Icelandics, plus litters on the ground.
How long have you been breeding: Our first Icelandic was born in 2000, and we got him in 2001.
Names of dogs: Pineridge Vaskur (2000), Tofra Tobba (2001), Tofra Lagsi (2001), Lagsi lives with Grandma Sharp. Folda (2003) Tofra Dalla (2003), Greenstone Ada (2004) Greenstone AJay (2004) Greenstone Alaxander the Great (2004) Belglen Runa of Greenstone (2005) and if all works out my newest baby will be Greenstone Black Pearl(2006)
Favorite story about the dogs: I think some of my favorite stories of the dogs, start with finding them and traveling from Nunavut (Artic East coast) to Pineridge Kennels in B.C. West Coast of Canada to get Vaskur. I had fallen in love with him the second I saw him, and I have never regretted him for a second, although for a little while, I didn’t think I was ever going to get puppies, but I guess all I needed was to move down south and get him a different girlfriend?
I have meet one of my best friends and had amazing trip to Greenland, and Norway, picking up Tobba and spending time with Monika, falling head over heels in love with Tofra Alfur at the time, and I remember calling home to Canada and saying, honey, can I bring this little male home with me, and if you can imagine at the time, I was told no, we don’t want another male. I have always been so thrilled that Pineridge choose to import Alfur, and was truly honored that Sharon from Belglen would allow me to welcome my home to his daughter, Belglen Runa, a very special little heart girl.
I still remember finding Folda, what an adventure that was, I wanted and needed another female, and spent two years looking at every litter born, in every country you can imagine, and this one day, a litter came on one of the yahoo groups, and it had a link to the website with puppy pictures, and I took one look and wanted puppy female number two. I picked up the phone and called Iceland, as its ringing, I think, I wonder if they speak English, well Bibi does and a truly lovely lady, was this one puppy available, well it was the other puppy she wanted to sell, but yes, she was available, but not sure she wanted to send a pup to Canada, so I said, well do you know Monika, she has met me, and so she said she would think about it, and I was to call back at a certain time. So I called Monika straight away, do you know this breeder, do you know this bitch, do you know this puppy. As it turns out, Bibi had been at Monika’s the day before buying dog food, and Monika had meet Folda at that time.
The funny thing was, Monika’s cell phone rang and her husband picked it up, and it was Bibi checking up on me, so Monika had each of us on a different phone, asking the same thing, do you know this person and would you let them have the puppy! Needless to say, Folda flew into Boston, where Jason was waiting for her, and brought her home safe and sound to us in the artic.
Then came Tofra Dalla, what a special dog she is, it was a hard birth, and there were only two puppies, one came to me in Canada, for which I am always grateful, and her brother, went to Norway.
Then come my own puppies. Goodness, what can I say, they were a surprise and turned out to be some of the most wonderful dogs. I think I can honestly say, I watched Alaxander take breath, and knew that he would never leave my side, and I hope I am right.
Favorite doggie activity: Well which one, I don’t know if I have a true favorite, but I think Conformation, Agility, and Herding would be my top three, but we have also done obedience, tracking and therapy work with the dogs. I work very hard to keep the dogs busy, and also to find what each dog’s natural talents are, and then work on that..
Favorite Icelandic in your life so far: I don’t know if I can say, I only have a single Favorite but I can say, that Pineridge Vaskur and his son, Alaxander both hold very special boy places in my heart, and for girls - well I truly love them all, but I would have to say, my happy girl Oppa, always brings a smile to my face, but Dalla and Runa are just as special, we have a different bond, they are so soulful, Oppa and Ada are always happy girls, but I often snuggle and just gaze into Dalla and Runa’s eyes and I think they have a lot of depth to them.
Most proud moments:
Vaskur-Flying in a Helicopter, and being an exploration Dog, and becoming a father!
Tobba-Taking my first BOB and MISC Group Class, taking her to school to help teach the children in Nunavut about Iceland.
Lagsi-Dancing with Grandma Sharp, and being her man!
Folda- 1st Icelandic in CKC to get her CGN, for being the first Icelandic in the Canadian Rare Breeds shows to win multiple Best Puppy of Groups, Best of Group, and Best in Puppy Sweeps. First Greenstone Icelandic to earn her Certified Therapy title. First Icelandic in Canada to have earned her Herding Instinct certificate and competed in the CKC herding program.
Dalla (left)- Watching her learn agility, she is going to be amazing, Second Greenstone ISD to earn her CKC HI, and is now allowed to compete in CKC herding events, First ISD in Greenstone kennel to complete her Tracking training.
Runa: First Female Champion in CKC in Canada!!
AJay- First Male Champion in Canada, First Group Placing ISD in Canada, First Multiply Group Placing ISD in Canada.
Alaxander - First Greenstone ISD to finish his advanced obedience training and we are working toward his CD this fall.
Ada (above left) - First Greenstone Female to point in CKC, Ada has her HI, and she is being actively trained in Agility at this time. Watch for this little lady in the ring near you.
Black Magic Women- It was another late night and after three lovely boys were born, all yellow gene, and fresh blankets were in the box, and everyone was nursing and settled, I sighed and turned off the lamp, and said to Jason . . . No girls and no Black tris, I guess it just was not meant to be, and I heard, grunt, and slurp, slurp, and I flicked the lamp back on, and thought, that puppy is black, and then I leaned over into the whelping box to help, thinking I just wished that. And when I got the chance, I checked sex and I swear I laughed/cried, it’s a female, and it’s black tri. O my god, she is just meant to be mine . . . she is Magic . . . and so her name is Black Magic Women. So for now my most proud moment of her is that she was born!!
(Update, Although Black Magic Women is a very special puppy in my heart, I made the hard choice and kept back Greenstone Black Pearl, a lovely long hair Black tri female)
What was it about Icelandics that made you choose them for your personal breed of dogs: I wanted a medium size dog, that was active enough to go out on camps and hiking/camping trips with Jason and myself, low prey drive because we had cats and would very much like to be parents someday if we are blessed enough, We wanted double coated for the high artic winters (even though the dogs lived inside, it was still cold out there), and I wanted smart enough to be able to work in agility and pretty enough to hold their own in the show ring . . . and after a very long hard search, I found the Iceland Sheepdog.
What is next for your kennel?
1) Finish as many of the dogs CKC Championships as possible
2) Special AJay in CKC in the coming year(s)
3) I would like to get CGN on most of the younger dogs
4) I would like to earn my first obedience and Agility titles on the dogs next year
5) I would like to get more small camping trips, and hiking the river trips in the next year.
6) Anything that puts a smile on their faces, a dance in their step and wag on their tails.
House Training your ISD CISC Fall Issue 2006
TRAIN YOUR DOG: House Training your ISD
By Valerie Sharp
House training your Dog or Puppy is one of the most important things you do. It is vital that your dog or puppy learns to relieve itself outside. It is a good idea to train your puppy to be able to go on all types of footing, grass, pavement, gravel etc.
It will require patience and lots of repetition but soon enough, you will find your dog going outside. Teaching a cue for the puppy to go, gives you a great tool. The first step in a successful housebreaking training program is to have a plan. Hopefully before a dog or puppy is brought home it has been discussed who will take the pup outside and what method will be used. So in regards to planning your housebreaking, it would be a good idea to talk about: A) Who will get up during the night to take the dog out? If this is to be a family puppy, it’s not really reasonable to ask your children to do this, but if there are two adults in the house, it might be a good idea to consider alternate nights.
B) Will a crate be used? I would recommend a crate for housebreaking and other reasons. If used properly a crate can provide the dog with a comfort area to feel safe and a good way to make sure your puppy does not eat or get into any valuables, plus he will naturally fuss, when he needs to go out, which is a great first step to being able to cue you in that he or she needs to be able to ask you to go outside.C) Will the pup be on a leash, if so who will take it out and wait for it to go to the bathroom? This is a good idea in the beginning as it mean that you can control puppies wandering and help teach a "Go pee" " Good pee" on command, nothing is quite as frustrating as standing waiting for puppy at 3:30 am, only to have puppy having a free romp outside, coming inside and squat. This is not a bad puppy, this is an owner mistake, and puppy needs to learn that it’s outside to do its business, and does not get to play until he has done so. Once your puppy or dog understands that it must go bathroom first and foremost, and then it can play, both of you will be much happier in the long run.
Using scent marking to help you train your puppy or dog:
One of the best methods for getting your pup to go outside is consistency. Each time the dog is taken outside to use the bathroom, go to the same area. This will help the puppy learn that this is where it should go to the bathroom and when you go to that area it is time to go to the bathroom.
If you are clicker training, you can click and treat as the puppy is going to the bathroom. If you don’t clicker train, you can still reward with a "Good Pee" and treat the puppy, but in all honesty, I think they do respond just as well to happy praise, and play as reward, so you don’t always need to look to the cookies, consider a good pat, or a play bow and romp with you as a reward as well.
Dogs are creatures of habit, and we can use this to our advantage, by taking your pup out at the same time each day, it will quickly learn and know when it is time to go to the bathroom. The best times are when the pup first wakes up, after eating, after a play romp, when you come home and before bedtime. A new pup will need to go about every 2 hours at first. As the pup gets older its bladder will also grow and the frequency it needs to relieve itself will decrease.
One note of caution is that if you miss a time the dog will let you know!
By Valerie Sharp
House training your Dog or Puppy is one of the most important things you do. It is vital that your dog or puppy learns to relieve itself outside. It is a good idea to train your puppy to be able to go on all types of footing, grass, pavement, gravel etc.
It will require patience and lots of repetition but soon enough, you will find your dog going outside. Teaching a cue for the puppy to go, gives you a great tool. The first step in a successful housebreaking training program is to have a plan. Hopefully before a dog or puppy is brought home it has been discussed who will take the pup outside and what method will be used. So in regards to planning your housebreaking, it would be a good idea to talk about: A) Who will get up during the night to take the dog out? If this is to be a family puppy, it’s not really reasonable to ask your children to do this, but if there are two adults in the house, it might be a good idea to consider alternate nights.
B) Will a crate be used? I would recommend a crate for housebreaking and other reasons. If used properly a crate can provide the dog with a comfort area to feel safe and a good way to make sure your puppy does not eat or get into any valuables, plus he will naturally fuss, when he needs to go out, which is a great first step to being able to cue you in that he or she needs to be able to ask you to go outside.C) Will the pup be on a leash, if so who will take it out and wait for it to go to the bathroom? This is a good idea in the beginning as it mean that you can control puppies wandering and help teach a "Go pee" " Good pee" on command, nothing is quite as frustrating as standing waiting for puppy at 3:30 am, only to have puppy having a free romp outside, coming inside and squat. This is not a bad puppy, this is an owner mistake, and puppy needs to learn that it’s outside to do its business, and does not get to play until he has done so. Once your puppy or dog understands that it must go bathroom first and foremost, and then it can play, both of you will be much happier in the long run.
Using scent marking to help you train your puppy or dog:
One of the best methods for getting your pup to go outside is consistency. Each time the dog is taken outside to use the bathroom, go to the same area. This will help the puppy learn that this is where it should go to the bathroom and when you go to that area it is time to go to the bathroom.
If you are clicker training, you can click and treat as the puppy is going to the bathroom. If you don’t clicker train, you can still reward with a "Good Pee" and treat the puppy, but in all honesty, I think they do respond just as well to happy praise, and play as reward, so you don’t always need to look to the cookies, consider a good pat, or a play bow and romp with you as a reward as well.
Dogs are creatures of habit, and we can use this to our advantage, by taking your pup out at the same time each day, it will quickly learn and know when it is time to go to the bathroom. The best times are when the pup first wakes up, after eating, after a play romp, when you come home and before bedtime. A new pup will need to go about every 2 hours at first. As the pup gets older its bladder will also grow and the frequency it needs to relieve itself will decrease.
One note of caution is that if you miss a time the dog will let you know!
Cooking for Dogs Fall 2006
WELCOME to COOKING FOR DOGS Fall 2006
By Valerie Sharp
Well, over the years, I have been asked what I use for giving extra feedings or when weaning the puppies or kittens, that I raise, I honestly don’t know who wrote or made the recipe that I have listed below, Angela White gave me a version of it, as did Elayne Kaplean, both were slightly different in measurements and one used fresh whole eggs, I combined the two together and make the percents more equal for ease of giving the recipe to be made by hubby in case I was not home.
This is the one that I have been personally using and sharing for the past four years now. I have been successful at using it for hand raising, as well as using it for weight gain in slow kittens.
I truly hope that you will never need these recipes but on the other hand if you are a breeder, I recommend that you keep these recipes and all ingredients on hand, just in case.
Orphan Puppy Formula And/Or Supplement for Mom
The following formula was developed by Dr Stephen Bister (Vet Ophthalmologist)because many of the commercial formulas were known to cause cataracts in the puppies (this warning is on the labels of the most widely used brands)1 cup of boiled water1 cup of plain yogurt1 cup of 2% Carnation milk1 hardboiled egg yolk1 2oz jar of baby beef with broth (no veg.) (this is Baby Food)Mix in blender.Store in fridge, and shake well before using.Warm the bottle up the old fashioned way (in a pan of hot water)....
Do NOT microwave, as the microwave will kill the enzymes.Use 1 oz of formula to 1 oz of puppy per day.... divided into 5 or 6 feedings.This is also an excellent supplement for bitches.... it helps to bring the milkdown and does not give the bitch the runs.This formula is the very best "puppy saver".
Second Orphan Puppy/Kitten Formula and/or Supplement for Mom
This is the recipe that I have used for hand raising orphan kittens and have used it for both mother cats and for extra weight gain for puppies, I have never personally had a issue with my female Iceland Sheepdogs not keeping weight on, they normally come out just as heavy after nursing as before (minus the coat of course).
1 cup boiling water
1 package of gelatin
1 can of condensed Milk (not evaporated)
½ cup of real Mayo (with the eggs in it)
1 cup of plain whole active culture yogurt
Heat your water to boiling, empty the can of condensed Milk into a bowl, with wooden spoon, then add package of gelatin into the emptied can, pour in boiling water, stir to dissolve and stir till sides are clean, then let cool to luke-warm, In the bowl with condensed milk , add Mayo and yogurt, stir together..
Then add gelatin water to mix and stir together, when set, it will be like really thick set pudding, can also pour into ice trays and freeze, then pop out and store in freezer bags (I always double bag them) To get back to drinking liquid, warm over hot water and serve at blood temp. I feed till baby says, I’m full and I normally hand feed every two hours for the first week, then go to every three hours, then on week three every four hours and I normally have them eating out of the dish on their own by week four.
One of the other Recipes that has stood me in good stead during the weaning process, if the kittens get loose stools, so far my puppies have all weaned with no issues, but my kittens, that is a different matter . . .
One large can of pumpkin (not pie filling plain pumpkin)
One two-pound package of hamburger
One Large container of plain whole active culture yogurt (if you can get goat yogurt, it’s worth it)
Cook hamburger (drain some fat off if you got regular, and leave the fat on, if you got lean) cook while stirring so its small bits and until fully cooked (no pink at all), then cool and mix equal parts hamburger, pumpkin and Yogurt.
Once they are doing well on that, you can also try
Equal parts hamburger, Pumpkin and cottage Cheese
Lightly scrabbled eggs
Canned sardines or Herring, mashed together with yogurt or pumpkin
For Fussy Mom’s that don’t want to go back to eating their dry food, I recommend making homemade broth, Throw in anything but the kitchen sink, anything you would put in a soup broth, examples, Bones, veggies (no onions please), garlic, and simmer for a couple hours, cool, store in fridge and warm up, and then pour over the dry food to soak, the moms will snap it up..
Happy Puppy Raising!
By Valerie Sharp
Well, over the years, I have been asked what I use for giving extra feedings or when weaning the puppies or kittens, that I raise, I honestly don’t know who wrote or made the recipe that I have listed below, Angela White gave me a version of it, as did Elayne Kaplean, both were slightly different in measurements and one used fresh whole eggs, I combined the two together and make the percents more equal for ease of giving the recipe to be made by hubby in case I was not home.
This is the one that I have been personally using and sharing for the past four years now. I have been successful at using it for hand raising, as well as using it for weight gain in slow kittens.
I truly hope that you will never need these recipes but on the other hand if you are a breeder, I recommend that you keep these recipes and all ingredients on hand, just in case.
Orphan Puppy Formula And/Or Supplement for Mom
The following formula was developed by Dr Stephen Bister (Vet Ophthalmologist)because many of the commercial formulas were known to cause cataracts in the puppies (this warning is on the labels of the most widely used brands)1 cup of boiled water1 cup of plain yogurt1 cup of 2% Carnation milk1 hardboiled egg yolk1 2oz jar of baby beef with broth (no veg.) (this is Baby Food)Mix in blender.Store in fridge, and shake well before using.Warm the bottle up the old fashioned way (in a pan of hot water)....
Do NOT microwave, as the microwave will kill the enzymes.Use 1 oz of formula to 1 oz of puppy per day.... divided into 5 or 6 feedings.This is also an excellent supplement for bitches.... it helps to bring the milkdown and does not give the bitch the runs.This formula is the very best "puppy saver".
Second Orphan Puppy/Kitten Formula and/or Supplement for Mom
This is the recipe that I have used for hand raising orphan kittens and have used it for both mother cats and for extra weight gain for puppies, I have never personally had a issue with my female Iceland Sheepdogs not keeping weight on, they normally come out just as heavy after nursing as before (minus the coat of course).
1 cup boiling water
1 package of gelatin
1 can of condensed Milk (not evaporated)
½ cup of real Mayo (with the eggs in it)
1 cup of plain whole active culture yogurt
Heat your water to boiling, empty the can of condensed Milk into a bowl, with wooden spoon, then add package of gelatin into the emptied can, pour in boiling water, stir to dissolve and stir till sides are clean, then let cool to luke-warm, In the bowl with condensed milk , add Mayo and yogurt, stir together..
Then add gelatin water to mix and stir together, when set, it will be like really thick set pudding, can also pour into ice trays and freeze, then pop out and store in freezer bags (I always double bag them) To get back to drinking liquid, warm over hot water and serve at blood temp. I feed till baby says, I’m full and I normally hand feed every two hours for the first week, then go to every three hours, then on week three every four hours and I normally have them eating out of the dish on their own by week four.
One of the other Recipes that has stood me in good stead during the weaning process, if the kittens get loose stools, so far my puppies have all weaned with no issues, but my kittens, that is a different matter . . .
One large can of pumpkin (not pie filling plain pumpkin)
One two-pound package of hamburger
One Large container of plain whole active culture yogurt (if you can get goat yogurt, it’s worth it)
Cook hamburger (drain some fat off if you got regular, and leave the fat on, if you got lean) cook while stirring so its small bits and until fully cooked (no pink at all), then cool and mix equal parts hamburger, pumpkin and Yogurt.
Once they are doing well on that, you can also try
Equal parts hamburger, Pumpkin and cottage Cheese
Lightly scrabbled eggs
Canned sardines or Herring, mashed together with yogurt or pumpkin
For Fussy Mom’s that don’t want to go back to eating their dry food, I recommend making homemade broth, Throw in anything but the kitchen sink, anything you would put in a soup broth, examples, Bones, veggies (no onions please), garlic, and simmer for a couple hours, cool, store in fridge and warm up, and then pour over the dry food to soak, the moms will snap it up..
Happy Puppy Raising!
Inherited Cardiac Problems Fall Issue 2006
Health corner: Inherited Cardiac Problems
By Sharon Schaefer
This has been the most challenging title to research to date. Two different heart defects have been reported so far in Iceland Sheepdogs. One is a valve condition present at an early age (probably aortic stenosis) while the other is a cardiomyopathy developing later. I don’t believe that these are just one condition manifesting differently but this is a possibility.
However as OFA has eight ‘murmur-producing’ congenital heart diseases in its descriptive chart for veterinarian specialists, and cardiomyopathy itself is divided into at least four different types (the most common is dilated cardiomyopathy), creating a useful tool for Icelandic fanciers is difficult. Then we add in ‘innocent murmurs’, which should disappear by 6 months of age (there is some belief innocent murmurs may also occur in very athletic dogs).
Technically, cardiomyopathy is an acquired heart disease, not a congenital heart defect and so it does not appear in some lists. However, it is the second most common cause of heart disease in dogs and as the different types of cardiomyopathy occur very frequently in some breeds and almost never in others there must be a genetic predisposition. In humans it is most commonly a genetic mutation. In dogs, this fatal condition usually does not show up until at least 6 years of age when they have already passed it on to puppies. There are studies of Boxers, Dobermans, and Great Danes right now looking for a genetic marker in each of those breeds but whether this will be useful for other breeds is not known.
Even when checked by an A.V.M.A. board certified specialist in cardiology some heart conditions cannot be clearly identified and a few cases not even found. Beginning with a very quiet, careful physical heart examination by a cardiologist provides the most reliable diagnosis. The dog may not be panting, accompanied by a whining sibling, or a chatty owner! If Congenital Heart Disease is suspected then use by a trained specialist of an echocardiograph including pulsed or continuous wave Doppler on top of the physical listening should find all but a very tiny minority of problems. This is also how innocent murmurs are determined. This is a noninvasive procedure but it is expensive and as most heart diseases are progressive it is only valid for a short time. OFA will only accept results from dogs over 12 months of age for its database at a fee of $15.
They have the following warning in their material "At this time inherited, developmental cardiac diseases like sub aortic stenosis and cardiomyopathies are difficult to monitor since there is no clear cut distinction between normal and abnormal. The OFA will modify the congenital cardiac database when a proven diagnostic modality and normal parameters by breed are established. However at this time, the OFA cardiac database should not be considered as a screening tool for these diseases."
In some European countries specific breeds with hereditary heart problems can only register puppies from dogs with a clear cardiac certificate in the previous 12 months just as we recommend annual CERF exams. Heart murmurs are graded by specialists on a scale of 1–a very soft murmur, 2-a soft murmur readily evident, through to 6-audible even when the stethoscope is lifted from the thoracic wall.
The Canine Inherited Disorders Database at Atlantic Veterinary College UPEI has the longest list - twelve hereditary heart conditions in dogs. Four of them can occur individually or in a grouping, which then is named the twelfth condition – tetralogy of Fallot. More recent human studies are suggesting a probable relationship even when only one of the four presents as a disease.
Two studies in dogs have tracked the rate of different hereditary heart defects. The most common, aortic stenosis creates a third of all murmurs. In descending order the others are pulmonic stenosis – a fifth, ventricular septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus, mitral valve dysplasia, tricuspid valve dysplasia, endocardial fibroelastosis, and tetralogy of Fallot with the final two being very rare. In its mildest forms, aortic stenosis creates no problems and the dog will live a normal life. Unfortunately using this dog for breeding is not recommended. The recommendation is that any dog with any of the conditions discussed in this article is not a candidate for breeding.
www.americanboxerclub.org/genetic_diseases.html
www.gdca.org
http://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/learn/animals/dogs/QAheartdisease.asp
http://www.offa.org/
www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov Search: dog/canine heart/cardiovascular congenital
http://www.steynmere.com/AORTIC_STENOSIS5.html
www.upei.ca/~cidd/intro.htm
By Sharon Schaefer
This has been the most challenging title to research to date. Two different heart defects have been reported so far in Iceland Sheepdogs. One is a valve condition present at an early age (probably aortic stenosis) while the other is a cardiomyopathy developing later. I don’t believe that these are just one condition manifesting differently but this is a possibility.
However as OFA has eight ‘murmur-producing’ congenital heart diseases in its descriptive chart for veterinarian specialists, and cardiomyopathy itself is divided into at least four different types (the most common is dilated cardiomyopathy), creating a useful tool for Icelandic fanciers is difficult. Then we add in ‘innocent murmurs’, which should disappear by 6 months of age (there is some belief innocent murmurs may also occur in very athletic dogs).
Technically, cardiomyopathy is an acquired heart disease, not a congenital heart defect and so it does not appear in some lists. However, it is the second most common cause of heart disease in dogs and as the different types of cardiomyopathy occur very frequently in some breeds and almost never in others there must be a genetic predisposition. In humans it is most commonly a genetic mutation. In dogs, this fatal condition usually does not show up until at least 6 years of age when they have already passed it on to puppies. There are studies of Boxers, Dobermans, and Great Danes right now looking for a genetic marker in each of those breeds but whether this will be useful for other breeds is not known.
Even when checked by an A.V.M.A. board certified specialist in cardiology some heart conditions cannot be clearly identified and a few cases not even found. Beginning with a very quiet, careful physical heart examination by a cardiologist provides the most reliable diagnosis. The dog may not be panting, accompanied by a whining sibling, or a chatty owner! If Congenital Heart Disease is suspected then use by a trained specialist of an echocardiograph including pulsed or continuous wave Doppler on top of the physical listening should find all but a very tiny minority of problems. This is also how innocent murmurs are determined. This is a noninvasive procedure but it is expensive and as most heart diseases are progressive it is only valid for a short time. OFA will only accept results from dogs over 12 months of age for its database at a fee of $15.
They have the following warning in their material "At this time inherited, developmental cardiac diseases like sub aortic stenosis and cardiomyopathies are difficult to monitor since there is no clear cut distinction between normal and abnormal. The OFA will modify the congenital cardiac database when a proven diagnostic modality and normal parameters by breed are established. However at this time, the OFA cardiac database should not be considered as a screening tool for these diseases."
In some European countries specific breeds with hereditary heart problems can only register puppies from dogs with a clear cardiac certificate in the previous 12 months just as we recommend annual CERF exams. Heart murmurs are graded by specialists on a scale of 1–a very soft murmur, 2-a soft murmur readily evident, through to 6-audible even when the stethoscope is lifted from the thoracic wall.
The Canine Inherited Disorders Database at Atlantic Veterinary College UPEI has the longest list - twelve hereditary heart conditions in dogs. Four of them can occur individually or in a grouping, which then is named the twelfth condition – tetralogy of Fallot. More recent human studies are suggesting a probable relationship even when only one of the four presents as a disease.
Two studies in dogs have tracked the rate of different hereditary heart defects. The most common, aortic stenosis creates a third of all murmurs. In descending order the others are pulmonic stenosis – a fifth, ventricular septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus, mitral valve dysplasia, tricuspid valve dysplasia, endocardial fibroelastosis, and tetralogy of Fallot with the final two being very rare. In its mildest forms, aortic stenosis creates no problems and the dog will live a normal life. Unfortunately using this dog for breeding is not recommended. The recommendation is that any dog with any of the conditions discussed in this article is not a candidate for breeding.
www.americanboxerclub.org/genetic_diseases.html
www.gdca.org
http://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/learn/animals/dogs/QAheartdisease.asp
http://www.offa.org/
www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov Search: dog/canine heart/cardiovascular congenital
http://www.steynmere.com/AORTIC_STENOSIS5.html
www.upei.ca/~cidd/intro.htm
What's Bugging Her :Bugbites 101 CISC Summer Issue 2006
What’s Bugging Her? : Bugbites 101
Featuring Hints and Recipes by Linda Konkol, sent by Laura Ford
One July morning, our puppy Soley came to jump up on the couch and to our surprise her left eye was swollen nearly shut! A quick check in our dog first aid book informed us that eye injuries need veterinary attention, as damage to the cornea can get worse quickly. We use homeopathic remedies for first aid, so we administered Apis 30c, a typical remedy for injuries with swelling, and phoned the vet for an appointment.
When the vet saw us, about an hour later, the swelling had gone down a lot. The eye was examined with a special light and also using a fluorescent stain that adheres to injured areas. This exam revealed that there was some trauma to the cornea from the swelling, so our pup got two kinds of eye drops. The antibiotic drops would prevent infection of the injured area, and the other drops provided a shield to the cornea while it healed. After some discussion with other dog-owners, we concluded it was most likely a bug-bite that caused the swelling. I received some very useful hints and recipes from Linda Konkol of Braxdin Kennels. Linda breeds Boxers in Northern Ontario, where they have their share of annoying insects. Here are some of her suggestions for stocking your first aid box:
"I would guess that she got bitten by something, like maybe a wasp. They can sting more than once and the yellow jackets especially are ill humoured enough to do so. I recently had a girl that got bitten right by the eyebrow and on the muzzle – the muzzle swelling went away in a day, but the eye sting lasted over two weeks, not helped by the fact the eye was irritated and she kept rubbing it. I use liquid benedryl for insect bites and pills for succeeding doses. That's the reason I use the liquid as it works faster, and on one occasion when I had a silly boy actually swallow a hornet, it also served to smother the thing (I poured the stuff in as best I could with him clenching his jaw tight and me trying to pry it open enough to get some of it down – as you can imagine, he was in absolute agony and screaming as I'm sure the thing was stinging him on the way down more than once).
For other insects, I keep a bottle of water handy with some drops of lemon eucalyptus and peppermint essential oil - about 10 drops of each into about a litre of water. I add a couple of drops of dish detergent to help mix the two so it doesn't plug up the sprayer, and shake it every time I use it. It does degrade if exposed to the light, so if you don't go through it quickly, either keep it in a dark cupboard or refresh with more oil. I actually use a small pump sprayer rather than a trigger spray bottle (the kind you squeeze) because, unless you have a very small dog, your hand will get tired fast!
I find that the lemon and peppermint tend to be disliked by wasps/hornets/bees and insects in general, and the eucalyptus works quite well on mosquitoes. It's also disliked by insects so might help with wasps. And, it also works as a repellent to be used by people. It lasts about a half hour, and if the skeeters are bad, you'll start noticing they get closer after about 15-20 minutes, but it's easy enough to re-spray and at least it's safe for the dogs, and likely better for you than DEET. There is another oil that might be helpful in that recipe, and that is oil of geranium. Bugs in general don't like it. Lemon grass oil can also be used instead of lemon eucalyptus to replace the lemon part, but you still need the eucalyptus oil.
In a pinch, you can also dab on Vic's Vapo-Rub (or the generic equivalent) and it really helps with the skeeters and black flies. It's just a bit messy, and some dogs will lick it off if it's in spots they can reach. I've used it on both the dogs, and me and had fairly good results except it doesn't seem to have much effect on wasps. It also doubles as a distracting smell if you put some of it under the chin of any intact boys you have when one of the girls happens to be in an "interesting" condition. It doesn't get rid of the boy’s ability to smell her scent but it helps to keep them from losing their mind completely!
And with all of that, there may be an unexpected bonus. Someone asked me what I use for fleas - and all I have to say on that is - WHAT fleas? I have not seen a flea in years. I don't use any products on the dogs as a deterrent other than what I use for the flying insects, and my dogs do go to training classes where I know some dogs have had flea problems, but with all these things, it might be a side benefit. It's possible that they might not like all these nasty (to bugs) smells either.
The other thing than can cause irritation is stinging nettle or motherwort. Even a coated dog may have enough short hair around the eyes or muzzle to be affected by it. I've had puppies get into it when some was missed along a fence line and they were just covered in bumps and puffy. What works on that is a solution of rubbing alcohol and baking soda - just dump some into a bottle's worth of the alcohol and it doesn't matter if all soda dissolves. Soak the area. While the swelling and bumps take a couple of days to go away, the relief is almost instant. Rubbing alcohol is actually a really good thing to have on hand for any sorts of itchiness, I find, as it gives instant relief. I wouldn't be marinating the dog in it as it is drying but for a dog that itches badly enough that they are willing to chew a body part off; it can give instant, and sometimes surprisingly prolonged, relief."
Featuring Hints and Recipes by Linda Konkol, sent by Laura Ford
One July morning, our puppy Soley came to jump up on the couch and to our surprise her left eye was swollen nearly shut! A quick check in our dog first aid book informed us that eye injuries need veterinary attention, as damage to the cornea can get worse quickly. We use homeopathic remedies for first aid, so we administered Apis 30c, a typical remedy for injuries with swelling, and phoned the vet for an appointment.
When the vet saw us, about an hour later, the swelling had gone down a lot. The eye was examined with a special light and also using a fluorescent stain that adheres to injured areas. This exam revealed that there was some trauma to the cornea from the swelling, so our pup got two kinds of eye drops. The antibiotic drops would prevent infection of the injured area, and the other drops provided a shield to the cornea while it healed. After some discussion with other dog-owners, we concluded it was most likely a bug-bite that caused the swelling. I received some very useful hints and recipes from Linda Konkol of Braxdin Kennels. Linda breeds Boxers in Northern Ontario, where they have their share of annoying insects. Here are some of her suggestions for stocking your first aid box:
"I would guess that she got bitten by something, like maybe a wasp. They can sting more than once and the yellow jackets especially are ill humoured enough to do so. I recently had a girl that got bitten right by the eyebrow and on the muzzle – the muzzle swelling went away in a day, but the eye sting lasted over two weeks, not helped by the fact the eye was irritated and she kept rubbing it. I use liquid benedryl for insect bites and pills for succeeding doses. That's the reason I use the liquid as it works faster, and on one occasion when I had a silly boy actually swallow a hornet, it also served to smother the thing (I poured the stuff in as best I could with him clenching his jaw tight and me trying to pry it open enough to get some of it down – as you can imagine, he was in absolute agony and screaming as I'm sure the thing was stinging him on the way down more than once).
For other insects, I keep a bottle of water handy with some drops of lemon eucalyptus and peppermint essential oil - about 10 drops of each into about a litre of water. I add a couple of drops of dish detergent to help mix the two so it doesn't plug up the sprayer, and shake it every time I use it. It does degrade if exposed to the light, so if you don't go through it quickly, either keep it in a dark cupboard or refresh with more oil. I actually use a small pump sprayer rather than a trigger spray bottle (the kind you squeeze) because, unless you have a very small dog, your hand will get tired fast!
I find that the lemon and peppermint tend to be disliked by wasps/hornets/bees and insects in general, and the eucalyptus works quite well on mosquitoes. It's also disliked by insects so might help with wasps. And, it also works as a repellent to be used by people. It lasts about a half hour, and if the skeeters are bad, you'll start noticing they get closer after about 15-20 minutes, but it's easy enough to re-spray and at least it's safe for the dogs, and likely better for you than DEET. There is another oil that might be helpful in that recipe, and that is oil of geranium. Bugs in general don't like it. Lemon grass oil can also be used instead of lemon eucalyptus to replace the lemon part, but you still need the eucalyptus oil.
In a pinch, you can also dab on Vic's Vapo-Rub (or the generic equivalent) and it really helps with the skeeters and black flies. It's just a bit messy, and some dogs will lick it off if it's in spots they can reach. I've used it on both the dogs, and me and had fairly good results except it doesn't seem to have much effect on wasps. It also doubles as a distracting smell if you put some of it under the chin of any intact boys you have when one of the girls happens to be in an "interesting" condition. It doesn't get rid of the boy’s ability to smell her scent but it helps to keep them from losing their mind completely!
And with all of that, there may be an unexpected bonus. Someone asked me what I use for fleas - and all I have to say on that is - WHAT fleas? I have not seen a flea in years. I don't use any products on the dogs as a deterrent other than what I use for the flying insects, and my dogs do go to training classes where I know some dogs have had flea problems, but with all these things, it might be a side benefit. It's possible that they might not like all these nasty (to bugs) smells either.
The other thing than can cause irritation is stinging nettle or motherwort. Even a coated dog may have enough short hair around the eyes or muzzle to be affected by it. I've had puppies get into it when some was missed along a fence line and they were just covered in bumps and puffy. What works on that is a solution of rubbing alcohol and baking soda - just dump some into a bottle's worth of the alcohol and it doesn't matter if all soda dissolves. Soak the area. While the swelling and bumps take a couple of days to go away, the relief is almost instant. Rubbing alcohol is actually a really good thing to have on hand for any sorts of itchiness, I find, as it gives instant relief. I wouldn't be marinating the dog in it as it is drying but for a dog that itches badly enough that they are willing to chew a body part off; it can give instant, and sometimes surprisingly prolonged, relief."
Seat-Belt Rules! CISC Summer Issue 2006
Seat-belt Rules!
By Bonnie and Sushi the Shiba Inu
On January 8, 2005 at 5:30pm, I had no idea just how important it was to ensure a dog's safety in a car. Gone are the days where the happy pooch can run amok in the car, head sticking out of the window. If you allow your dog to do these things, please read my story.
Saturday was a fairly normal winter day. Snow on the ground, not too cold, roads were clear. I hadn't taken Sushi, my then 1.5 yr old male Shiba Inu, to the off leash park in several weeks due to the weather, but today seemed like a good day to go. Or, so I thought. Sushi and I spent over an hour at the off leash park, we met a Shiba mix, and Sushi played with several of his pals, having a wonderful time playing in the snow. It was starting to get dark, so that meant it was time to go home.
To leave the park, sometimes you had to wait because of traffic - lights had not been installed in the area yet. I was waiting and waiting to turn left, and then another car pulled up behind us. I didn't want to make them wait either, so I thought it was best to turn right. Two minutes later, I wish I had waited. An oncoming car, coming right off of the 410 highway, for some unknown reason, turned and hit the car in the next lane in front of me, with enough force to knock that car into the ditch. Within 2 seconds, I went from thinking, "Thank God that car isn't going to hit us", to "Oh my God, we might die". I saw the car about to hit my car, I heard Sushi scream, and then it was black.
When I opened my eyes, I could smell the airbags. Sushi was quiet, so I quickly managed to get out of the car to check on him. He was scared, but physically he was ok. Exactly 1 week before, I hadbought Sushi a safety harness for the car. He had had one before, but could easily get out of it. This one fits more snugly on him, and he can't move around as much - he can sit and lie down.
When I finally took a look at my car, which by the way was a complete write-off, there was no doubt in my mind, that if Sushi hadn't had some kind of restraint in the car that day, he would have been seriously injured or dead. The oncoming car had not only hit the front end, but had then managed to also hit the driver's side of my car, the side where Sushi was.
Even though I was wearing my seatbelt and both airbags went off, I had 7 months of physiotherapy for my knees and back. Sushi didn't suffer any physical problems. But, it did take about 2 months for him to not be afraid in the car. I have since taken a course in First Aid for Pets.
One month after our accident, a good friend of mine emailed me. She and her dogs had been leaving another off-leash park, and they were in a very bad accident. The dogs were not restrained. Both dogs survived with some bruising, they were very lucky. Because of the impact, the smaller dog flew back into the upper back area of the car. My friend has since purchased a car barrier.
Not long after that, I witnessed an overly excited dog, which WAS in a different style of seatbelt harness, jump out of the front passenger window - he saw the dog park and just couldn't wait. He was unhurt, but the owner was visibly shaken up.
Please find the proper restraint for your dog in the car. Do not allow your dog to sit in the front seat. Small children are not allowed, why should your dog? Do not let your dog stick it's head out of the window. Flying debris could hit your dog.
Sushi now rides in the car comfortably, always wearing his seatbelt harness. The seatbelt loops through the back of his harness. He sits in the middle where he can see us and we can see him. He still associates the car as a "good thing", and he feels the same way about his seatbelt harness. So do I.
[Ed. Thanks to Bonnie, and to Sushi for modelling his safety harness. Sushi’s seatbelt harness is the Canine Friendly Vest Harness http://www.caninefriendly.com/ This harness and other brands are available at pet stores throughout Canada.]
By Bonnie and Sushi the Shiba Inu
On January 8, 2005 at 5:30pm, I had no idea just how important it was to ensure a dog's safety in a car. Gone are the days where the happy pooch can run amok in the car, head sticking out of the window. If you allow your dog to do these things, please read my story.
Saturday was a fairly normal winter day. Snow on the ground, not too cold, roads were clear. I hadn't taken Sushi, my then 1.5 yr old male Shiba Inu, to the off leash park in several weeks due to the weather, but today seemed like a good day to go. Or, so I thought. Sushi and I spent over an hour at the off leash park, we met a Shiba mix, and Sushi played with several of his pals, having a wonderful time playing in the snow. It was starting to get dark, so that meant it was time to go home.
To leave the park, sometimes you had to wait because of traffic - lights had not been installed in the area yet. I was waiting and waiting to turn left, and then another car pulled up behind us. I didn't want to make them wait either, so I thought it was best to turn right. Two minutes later, I wish I had waited. An oncoming car, coming right off of the 410 highway, for some unknown reason, turned and hit the car in the next lane in front of me, with enough force to knock that car into the ditch. Within 2 seconds, I went from thinking, "Thank God that car isn't going to hit us", to "Oh my God, we might die". I saw the car about to hit my car, I heard Sushi scream, and then it was black.
When I opened my eyes, I could smell the airbags. Sushi was quiet, so I quickly managed to get out of the car to check on him. He was scared, but physically he was ok. Exactly 1 week before, I hadbought Sushi a safety harness for the car. He had had one before, but could easily get out of it. This one fits more snugly on him, and he can't move around as much - he can sit and lie down.
When I finally took a look at my car, which by the way was a complete write-off, there was no doubt in my mind, that if Sushi hadn't had some kind of restraint in the car that day, he would have been seriously injured or dead. The oncoming car had not only hit the front end, but had then managed to also hit the driver's side of my car, the side where Sushi was.
Even though I was wearing my seatbelt and both airbags went off, I had 7 months of physiotherapy for my knees and back. Sushi didn't suffer any physical problems. But, it did take about 2 months for him to not be afraid in the car. I have since taken a course in First Aid for Pets.
One month after our accident, a good friend of mine emailed me. She and her dogs had been leaving another off-leash park, and they were in a very bad accident. The dogs were not restrained. Both dogs survived with some bruising, they were very lucky. Because of the impact, the smaller dog flew back into the upper back area of the car. My friend has since purchased a car barrier.
Not long after that, I witnessed an overly excited dog, which WAS in a different style of seatbelt harness, jump out of the front passenger window - he saw the dog park and just couldn't wait. He was unhurt, but the owner was visibly shaken up.
Please find the proper restraint for your dog in the car. Do not allow your dog to sit in the front seat. Small children are not allowed, why should your dog? Do not let your dog stick it's head out of the window. Flying debris could hit your dog.
Sushi now rides in the car comfortably, always wearing his seatbelt harness. The seatbelt loops through the back of his harness. He sits in the middle where he can see us and we can see him. He still associates the car as a "good thing", and he feels the same way about his seatbelt harness. So do I.
[Ed. Thanks to Bonnie, and to Sushi for modelling his safety harness. Sushi’s seatbelt harness is the Canine Friendly Vest Harness http://www.caninefriendly.com/ This harness and other brands are available at pet stores throughout Canada.]
Agility Event Report-Summer Issue 2006
AGILITY EVENT REPORT
By Kathryn Ananda-Owens, Northfield, Minnesota, USA
On June 28, 2006, demonstrating perseverance, fortitude, and an uncanny resemblance to the Energizer BunnyÔ, Aldebaran Tisla (Viva) became the first Icelandic Sheepdog to complete the Clean Run Ultimate Weave Pole Challenge, establishing a breed record of 20.84 seconds at an event sponsored by the Agile Canines Training School in Burnsville, Minnesota.
A descendant of Canadian ISD Pineridge Elska, Viva began her agility pursuits by happy accident at a local puppy class, one that introduced elements of foundation training in order to foster trust between dog and handler. On the day the tunnel was introduced, Viva nonchalantly trotted through it, collected her treat, and immediately ran back to the opening of the tunnel, staunchly refusing to let the next puppy have its turn. Having thus declared tunnels in particular and agility in general to be her passion, she never looked back. Her first trial, a CPE event on New Year’s Day 2005, was nonetheless chosen due to the absence of weave poles in the novice standard class. How far we have come!
The Ultimate Weave Pole Challenge, conceived and sponsored by Clean Run magazine, is a competition designed to crown the fastest dogs to weave sixty weave poles in each breed or height category. It is intended to be a recreational event and not an event for which handlers specifically train. Indeed, those who actively trained for the event in Minnesota as often as not saw their dogs pop out of the weaves with only one or two poles remaining, to the collective groans of the audience. For a handler whose dog had not succeeded at weaving twelve poles as recently as January of this year, staring at ten contiguous sets of poles running the length of a soccer field was more than a little daunting. Would Viva even enter correctly? Would she make it past a dozen poles?
She did. In fact, as a team, we seemed to get a rhythm going, what with me issuing a fresh "Weave!" command with each new set of poles, and Viva exhaling audibly each time she wove left. In the silence of the indoor arena, I felt like a coxswain. With each passing pole, my respect increased for the loyalty and resolve of my teammate. She kept going, and going, and going. Somewhere in the range of forty poles, I remember thinking, "She may actually do this!" And then immediately tried to put the thought out of my head, recalling a recent trial where my body language, anticipating success, had pulled Viva out of a set of twelve poles with one to go. We finished. We finished?!? Somewhere, someone announced a new world record for Icelandic Sheepdogs.
Life is back to normal now, after an article in the local paper and a spate of is-this-the-dog-that-completed-the-sixty-weave-pole-challenge moments of brief fame at area trials. We’re working on our weave entries, since they’re not so hot, and I’ve promised Viva she won’t have to try to defend her record. Her time wasn’t extremely fast, so consider letting your furry weave-a-maniac in on the fun the next time there’s a Clean Run Ultimate Weave Pole Challenge in your neck of the woods. You too could come away with a world record! Just remember to save an extra good treat for your teammate – it’s a long way to weave.
P.S. In the weeks since Viva set the CRUWPC breed record, she subsequently became the first Icelandic Sheepdog to earn AKC titles in agility. Further news of her exploits may be found at www.agilityspaz.blogspot.com.
By Kathryn Ananda-Owens, Northfield, Minnesota, USA
On June 28, 2006, demonstrating perseverance, fortitude, and an uncanny resemblance to the Energizer BunnyÔ, Aldebaran Tisla (Viva) became the first Icelandic Sheepdog to complete the Clean Run Ultimate Weave Pole Challenge, establishing a breed record of 20.84 seconds at an event sponsored by the Agile Canines Training School in Burnsville, Minnesota.
A descendant of Canadian ISD Pineridge Elska, Viva began her agility pursuits by happy accident at a local puppy class, one that introduced elements of foundation training in order to foster trust between dog and handler. On the day the tunnel was introduced, Viva nonchalantly trotted through it, collected her treat, and immediately ran back to the opening of the tunnel, staunchly refusing to let the next puppy have its turn. Having thus declared tunnels in particular and agility in general to be her passion, she never looked back. Her first trial, a CPE event on New Year’s Day 2005, was nonetheless chosen due to the absence of weave poles in the novice standard class. How far we have come!
The Ultimate Weave Pole Challenge, conceived and sponsored by Clean Run magazine, is a competition designed to crown the fastest dogs to weave sixty weave poles in each breed or height category. It is intended to be a recreational event and not an event for which handlers specifically train. Indeed, those who actively trained for the event in Minnesota as often as not saw their dogs pop out of the weaves with only one or two poles remaining, to the collective groans of the audience. For a handler whose dog had not succeeded at weaving twelve poles as recently as January of this year, staring at ten contiguous sets of poles running the length of a soccer field was more than a little daunting. Would Viva even enter correctly? Would she make it past a dozen poles?
She did. In fact, as a team, we seemed to get a rhythm going, what with me issuing a fresh "Weave!" command with each new set of poles, and Viva exhaling audibly each time she wove left. In the silence of the indoor arena, I felt like a coxswain. With each passing pole, my respect increased for the loyalty and resolve of my teammate. She kept going, and going, and going. Somewhere in the range of forty poles, I remember thinking, "She may actually do this!" And then immediately tried to put the thought out of my head, recalling a recent trial where my body language, anticipating success, had pulled Viva out of a set of twelve poles with one to go. We finished. We finished?!? Somewhere, someone announced a new world record for Icelandic Sheepdogs.
Life is back to normal now, after an article in the local paper and a spate of is-this-the-dog-that-completed-the-sixty-weave-pole-challenge moments of brief fame at area trials. We’re working on our weave entries, since they’re not so hot, and I’ve promised Viva she won’t have to try to defend her record. Her time wasn’t extremely fast, so consider letting your furry weave-a-maniac in on the fun the next time there’s a Clean Run Ultimate Weave Pole Challenge in your neck of the woods. You too could come away with a world record! Just remember to save an extra good treat for your teammate – it’s a long way to weave.
P.S. In the weeks since Viva set the CRUWPC breed record, she subsequently became the first Icelandic Sheepdog to earn AKC titles in agility. Further news of her exploits may be found at www.agilityspaz.blogspot.com.
AKC Summer Show-CISC Newslettter issue summer 2006
Alberta Kennel Club Dog Show
Show Report by Candise and Scott Berard
The weekend started with a bang of thunder, literally. Not only was there thunder and lightning, but also rain and even hail. Scott, Robert and I managed to put the display tent up, though the pelting hail didn't help much. The set up was successful and the display tent was ready to go at about the same time as the rain finally stopped!
It was a chilly Friday morning when we started, but luckily for us, the weather cooperated for the rest of the weekend. That morning we had several pleasant encounters before we had even entered the ring. As Robert and I were hanging around the front entrance, waiting for Ralph and Auður, we were approached by a lady who asked if she could "pet the Icelandic". Talk about surprised, I swear both Robert and my mouth nearly dropped to the floor. Once I finally got my speech back I asked how she knew what type of dog they were. Her response was, "I have done my research". Shortly after that, we had someone else approach us. This time it was his second guess at what kind of dog it was, but it was still impressive. Whatever we are doing, we must be doing something right! People are finally getting to recognize our breed.
When we met with our first judge of the weekend, Robert was bombarded with questions as soon as he entered the ring. "Are they supposed to have dew claws?" "What do these dogs do?" "How do they herd?" these are only some examples of the questions that Robert was asked.
It was unfortunate that the judge clearly knew nothing about our breed but expected. The Judge even went as far as to ask our opinion on the choice that he made for the winner. The reasoning for his pick was that he chose the dog that he felt had the most solid structure and cleanest movement. It was a interesting insight into what made this particular judge pick one particular dog over another, and with it being my first time in a ring, I was extremely appreciative of his patience.
The Best of Group event went as expected. Being an unknown breed to the judge and unfamiliar with the standard, we were not surprised to not be placed. I'm sure as the breed becomes more recognized, we will change this, and this I am sure of!
The next day was much better for the dogs. They'd finally settled down over the excitement of being somewhere new and were showing much better form! The next morning we headed back to the show, only to find ourselves with another judge who knew nothing of the breed, or it’s standard. We found out from a conversation later on in the weekend, that this judge was basing his opinion more on the handling of the dogs then any other attributes.
The third day was the day we had all been waiting for. This was the day that we would be judged by the first actual FCI judge. We had no idea whether he had judged Icelandic’s before, but he did not ask us for any information about the breed. He was very professional and thorough and seemed to know what he was looking for. To Pineridge's credit, Laski was the winner!
On the fourth day, everyone seemed quite ready to finish the show. Four days is quite a long stretch to be in high gear! As we were waiting to go in for Best of Group, we had the pleasure of chatting with two of the judges. We asked them about what they thought of the breed. Their main comments seemed to be geared more towards the handler’s inexperience in the ring. This didn't come as a surprise to us, as most of us are in fact quite new to this! When Scott got out of the ring with Vindur he had a huge smile on his face, which since he didn’t place seemed odd, but as he explained to me, I guess when he was parading Vindur around someone from the crowd said "What an awesome looking dog".
In the end, we accomplished what we set out to do. We were mainly there to have fun and bring some recognition to Icelandics. Our dogs could not have been better ambassadors for the breed! There are more people who know about them now, as well as more judges who have a better idea of how the breed should be judged. Each one of our dogs, whether a winner in the ring or a winner in our hearts, is part of an amazing Icelandic Sheepdog community.
Show Report by Candise and Scott Berard
The weekend started with a bang of thunder, literally. Not only was there thunder and lightning, but also rain and even hail. Scott, Robert and I managed to put the display tent up, though the pelting hail didn't help much. The set up was successful and the display tent was ready to go at about the same time as the rain finally stopped!
It was a chilly Friday morning when we started, but luckily for us, the weather cooperated for the rest of the weekend. That morning we had several pleasant encounters before we had even entered the ring. As Robert and I were hanging around the front entrance, waiting for Ralph and Auður, we were approached by a lady who asked if she could "pet the Icelandic". Talk about surprised, I swear both Robert and my mouth nearly dropped to the floor. Once I finally got my speech back I asked how she knew what type of dog they were. Her response was, "I have done my research". Shortly after that, we had someone else approach us. This time it was his second guess at what kind of dog it was, but it was still impressive. Whatever we are doing, we must be doing something right! People are finally getting to recognize our breed.
When we met with our first judge of the weekend, Robert was bombarded with questions as soon as he entered the ring. "Are they supposed to have dew claws?" "What do these dogs do?" "How do they herd?" these are only some examples of the questions that Robert was asked.
It was unfortunate that the judge clearly knew nothing about our breed but expected. The Judge even went as far as to ask our opinion on the choice that he made for the winner. The reasoning for his pick was that he chose the dog that he felt had the most solid structure and cleanest movement. It was a interesting insight into what made this particular judge pick one particular dog over another, and with it being my first time in a ring, I was extremely appreciative of his patience.
The Best of Group event went as expected. Being an unknown breed to the judge and unfamiliar with the standard, we were not surprised to not be placed. I'm sure as the breed becomes more recognized, we will change this, and this I am sure of!
The next day was much better for the dogs. They'd finally settled down over the excitement of being somewhere new and were showing much better form! The next morning we headed back to the show, only to find ourselves with another judge who knew nothing of the breed, or it’s standard. We found out from a conversation later on in the weekend, that this judge was basing his opinion more on the handling of the dogs then any other attributes.
The third day was the day we had all been waiting for. This was the day that we would be judged by the first actual FCI judge. We had no idea whether he had judged Icelandic’s before, but he did not ask us for any information about the breed. He was very professional and thorough and seemed to know what he was looking for. To Pineridge's credit, Laski was the winner!
On the fourth day, everyone seemed quite ready to finish the show. Four days is quite a long stretch to be in high gear! As we were waiting to go in for Best of Group, we had the pleasure of chatting with two of the judges. We asked them about what they thought of the breed. Their main comments seemed to be geared more towards the handler’s inexperience in the ring. This didn't come as a surprise to us, as most of us are in fact quite new to this! When Scott got out of the ring with Vindur he had a huge smile on his face, which since he didn’t place seemed odd, but as he explained to me, I guess when he was parading Vindur around someone from the crowd said "What an awesome looking dog".
In the end, we accomplished what we set out to do. We were mainly there to have fun and bring some recognition to Icelandics. Our dogs could not have been better ambassadors for the breed! There are more people who know about them now, as well as more judges who have a better idea of how the breed should be judged. Each one of our dogs, whether a winner in the ring or a winner in our hearts, is part of an amazing Icelandic Sheepdog community.
Pineridge Kolperla-UKC Show information 2007
Show Dates are March 24th and 25th, 2007
There were Three ISD's in Breed Class at all four shows.
Pineridge Kolperla was entered in Female Class, and she earned
Show One: Best in Class, Best Female, Reserve BOB
Show Two: Best in Class
Show Three: Best in Class, Best Female, Reserve BOB
Show Four: Best in Class, Best Female, Reserve BOB
This means that Pineridge Kolperla earned Legs withs with competition and 95 points!
A Huge congrats goes to Kol and Donna, and thanks for the great updates, and we look forward to finding out that she earns those last five points in the near future!
There were Three ISD's in Breed Class at all four shows.
Pineridge Kolperla was entered in Female Class, and she earned
Show One: Best in Class, Best Female, Reserve BOB
Show Two: Best in Class
Show Three: Best in Class, Best Female, Reserve BOB
Show Four: Best in Class, Best Female, Reserve BOB
This means that Pineridge Kolperla earned Legs withs with competition and 95 points!
A Huge congrats goes to Kol and Donna, and thanks for the great updates, and we look forward to finding out that she earns those last five points in the near future!
Cooking for Dogs -CISC Summer Issue 2006
WELCOME to COOKING FOR DOGS
Summer 2006by Valerie Sharp
Hello Folks, I can not take credit for these recipes, they came on one
of my Yahoo show dog lists, and I thought hmmm, first because they are great
for showing, which is something that a lot of us are trying to start doing.
However that is not really the reason that I have decided to put them
in the newsletter, the real reason is that some of us, have trouble keeping
weight on young dogs, really active dogs, and on studs while females are in
heat, so these are good for all the reasons listed above. So enjoy and give
them a try, my own dogs loved them, and I am using the Fat Balls to try and
keep weight on my younger males while all my females are in season.
FAT BALLS
Given to me by: Jim White
Great for adding weight!
5 lbs Hamburger
1 Box TOTAL cereal
1 Can(medium) Instant Oatmeal
1 bottle Molasses
1 Dozen Eggs
Half Jar Wheat Germ
1 lb Pork Lard
This recipe makes LOTS of 1" round 2" long balls
Good to freeze and have made ahead of time.
Growing Hair on a Doorknob
Long attributed to Judith Suhr, she just told us: "This recipe is in The Quincy Kennel Club's cookbook and was submitted by Virginia Knocke!"
1 lb. Peanut Butter
1 lb. honey
1 lb. diaglo (powder) or Mirra coat
1 pt. Lavitamin also known as Lixotinic (Can be found at http://www.kvvet.com/)
.
Have peanut butter at room temperature. Mix all ingredients together. This will be very thick and sticky. Stores indefinitely in refrigerator. Make into balls according to size of the dog.
Small dogs should get 1-3 teaspoons daily,
Large dogs should get 1-2 tablespoons daily.
Guaranteed to grow hair-- even on doorknobs. If you can get the doorknobs to eat and digest this--it will grow hair!
Pat Hastings Seminar Report: Part 1 Puppy Puzzle, CISC Summer Issue 2006
Pat Hastings Seminar Report: Part I, Puppy Puzzle
Report by Valerie Sharp
Hello Folks
Welcome to the Pat Hastings Series. I was thrilled to be able to attend a seminar on the Puppy Puzzle and Structure in Action Seminar in Ottawa, Ontario.
So I am going to try to pass on some of the things learned from this seminar, I believe that I will be doing it in three parts, clearly this will be part one. Pat pulls no punchs so to speak, so some of the things she says are a bit harsh, but as I am following my notes, forgive the ! and Capitals, but that is the way she says things, and I don't see any point in not trying to show that.
Ok, so a little bit of information about Pat Hastings, she has in the past 20 years done structure and temperament tests on 25 thousand puppies, she has worked with 26 different breeds over the years, and has had over 250 Best in Show winners. Pat is also a All-Breed AKC judge and has done Breeding, Puppy Puzzle and Structure seminars around North America for years.
First things that she said was there are no picks of litters. In a litter of puppies that does not outdo either parent, or in a litter of puppies that come from Pet Quality or Poor Quality adult dogs, there is not a star among them, even the best in a litter of Poor pups is still a poor quality pet example of the breed..
Also if there is a star puppy, that one puppy that has that special "wow" factor that draws you to him or her, but you don't like the rest of the litter or the parents, just remember that "wow" puppy while perhaps a good choice for the Show Ring, is not a good choice for your breeding program, that "wow" pup carries in it every single thing that you don't like about that litter, parents and pedigree.
On the other hand in a good litter of pups, that are equal or even better, improve on the parents, you can have one or two or even in the rare time have three pups in a say a litter of five or six that are great examples of the breed.
No litter of puppies is all show quality!! If you are honest , and truly look at the puppies, someone is better then the others.
Second thing, when it comes to pups, it s a good idea to stop looking between the puppies, don’t compare them to each other, compare them to the ideal in the breed standard.
It is so important when you look at puppies that it is only done at the correct time, which is eight weeks of age, give or take 3 days on each side of eight weeks If you look at structure at seven weeks or younger, then you can’t see true form, and by nine weeks, it’s the same thing.. If you
are looking at buying a puppy, according to Pat if the tests was done too soon or too late, then its better to look at the parents and pedigrees and disregard the evaluation of the pup, as it not going to reflect what you can expect as an adult.
Ok, this is hard to hear but I am going to quote her:
The WORST person to do the test or evaluation is the breeder
Followed by anyone in your breed!
The BEST person or persons to do the test is someone outside your breed.
Ideally you should try and get a group of breeders together for a puppy structure party, we were lucky enough to get such a list together in the Ottawa area and I have found looking at other breeds and other litters to be very valuable, and I greatly look forward to seeing what the results will be the first time I get the chance to have the group together for an ISD structure puppy party.
So in following with the puppy puzzle, I recommend for total details, please buy the book, and the video. However in basic, any dog under 3, out of a total score of 9, would be a pet dog only and NO performance homes for these pet dogs, just plain old couch/family dogs.
Now, I know that some folks did the What? on this one, but here goes.. According to Pat, never, ever sell anything but your very best Show Quality Puppies for a performance home. If the dog does not meet the standard in structure, type and temperament, then pet it into a non-show, non-performance home.
A Top Quality Performance dog needs every bit of the BEST structure and Temperament your breed has to offer in order to be able to have a long term partnership in the Performance Ring be it, Agility, Herding, or Obedience.
Pat said this is something for every pet home to think about, if someone says, this puppy is not a good Show dog but it’s a good performance dog, to look twice and stop and ask why..
Example given, Dog does not have a good tail set, and has too steep of a slope to his angles to do well in the show ring, those very same issues will be there in the performance home, and those weakness will be the first areas to start to break down, and then as the rest of the body tries to cover from the weak spots, they will start to break down, and so on and so on.
Now this was one that was amazing to me, in its truest form it makes total sense but I honestly wonder how often we as breeders stop to think about it.
"Structure affects Temperament"
In a litter of pups we are often drawn to the first out of the box, the first to walk , the first to run, the busy pup, and we often have folks that say, this is the most outgoing pup.. well according to Pat, that is most often the weakest pup in structure in the litter.
When a puppy or a dog has a fault, it will cause them to physically move to alleviate the stress
It takes good structure to remain still. So although your favorite will most likely be the busy pup, stop and take a good hard look at your quiet puppies, the odds are good that they have better structure
Well that’s it for this part . . . more on puppies next time and adult structure in the third part.
Report by Valerie Sharp
Hello Folks
Welcome to the Pat Hastings Series. I was thrilled to be able to attend a seminar on the Puppy Puzzle and Structure in Action Seminar in Ottawa, Ontario.
So I am going to try to pass on some of the things learned from this seminar, I believe that I will be doing it in three parts, clearly this will be part one. Pat pulls no punchs so to speak, so some of the things she says are a bit harsh, but as I am following my notes, forgive the ! and Capitals, but that is the way she says things, and I don't see any point in not trying to show that.
Ok, so a little bit of information about Pat Hastings, she has in the past 20 years done structure and temperament tests on 25 thousand puppies, she has worked with 26 different breeds over the years, and has had over 250 Best in Show winners. Pat is also a All-Breed AKC judge and has done Breeding, Puppy Puzzle and Structure seminars around North America for years.
First things that she said was there are no picks of litters. In a litter of puppies that does not outdo either parent, or in a litter of puppies that come from Pet Quality or Poor Quality adult dogs, there is not a star among them, even the best in a litter of Poor pups is still a poor quality pet example of the breed..
Also if there is a star puppy, that one puppy that has that special "wow" factor that draws you to him or her, but you don't like the rest of the litter or the parents, just remember that "wow" puppy while perhaps a good choice for the Show Ring, is not a good choice for your breeding program, that "wow" pup carries in it every single thing that you don't like about that litter, parents and pedigree.
On the other hand in a good litter of pups, that are equal or even better, improve on the parents, you can have one or two or even in the rare time have three pups in a say a litter of five or six that are great examples of the breed.
No litter of puppies is all show quality!! If you are honest , and truly look at the puppies, someone is better then the others.
Second thing, when it comes to pups, it s a good idea to stop looking between the puppies, don’t compare them to each other, compare them to the ideal in the breed standard.
It is so important when you look at puppies that it is only done at the correct time, which is eight weeks of age, give or take 3 days on each side of eight weeks If you look at structure at seven weeks or younger, then you can’t see true form, and by nine weeks, it’s the same thing.. If you
are looking at buying a puppy, according to Pat if the tests was done too soon or too late, then its better to look at the parents and pedigrees and disregard the evaluation of the pup, as it not going to reflect what you can expect as an adult.
Ok, this is hard to hear but I am going to quote her:
The WORST person to do the test or evaluation is the breeder
Followed by anyone in your breed!
The BEST person or persons to do the test is someone outside your breed.
Ideally you should try and get a group of breeders together for a puppy structure party, we were lucky enough to get such a list together in the Ottawa area and I have found looking at other breeds and other litters to be very valuable, and I greatly look forward to seeing what the results will be the first time I get the chance to have the group together for an ISD structure puppy party.
So in following with the puppy puzzle, I recommend for total details, please buy the book, and the video. However in basic, any dog under 3, out of a total score of 9, would be a pet dog only and NO performance homes for these pet dogs, just plain old couch/family dogs.
Now, I know that some folks did the What? on this one, but here goes.. According to Pat, never, ever sell anything but your very best Show Quality Puppies for a performance home. If the dog does not meet the standard in structure, type and temperament, then pet it into a non-show, non-performance home.
A Top Quality Performance dog needs every bit of the BEST structure and Temperament your breed has to offer in order to be able to have a long term partnership in the Performance Ring be it, Agility, Herding, or Obedience.
Pat said this is something for every pet home to think about, if someone says, this puppy is not a good Show dog but it’s a good performance dog, to look twice and stop and ask why..
Example given, Dog does not have a good tail set, and has too steep of a slope to his angles to do well in the show ring, those very same issues will be there in the performance home, and those weakness will be the first areas to start to break down, and then as the rest of the body tries to cover from the weak spots, they will start to break down, and so on and so on.
Now this was one that was amazing to me, in its truest form it makes total sense but I honestly wonder how often we as breeders stop to think about it.
"Structure affects Temperament"
In a litter of pups we are often drawn to the first out of the box, the first to walk , the first to run, the busy pup, and we often have folks that say, this is the most outgoing pup.. well according to Pat, that is most often the weakest pup in structure in the litter.
When a puppy or a dog has a fault, it will cause them to physically move to alleviate the stress
It takes good structure to remain still. So although your favorite will most likely be the busy pup, stop and take a good hard look at your quiet puppies, the odds are good that they have better structure
Well that’s it for this part . . . more on puppies next time and adult structure in the third part.
Ezri's Story (One Dogs tail of living with Seizures) Summer Newsletter 2006
Ezri’s Story
By Carrie and Danielle
We fell in love with the breed. We had never seen one other than in a book. But we fell in love with everything written about the Icelandic sheepdog… the breed’s intelligence, its loving nature, its loyalty, its energy, and its northern physique. I had never had a dog before, and we are both therapists and wanted to use our dog for work, so we spent a great deal of time researching a breed that would match us and our world. After we decided we had to have one, we found out they were a rare breed, especially in the USA. But we were determined, and we did our research.
Danielle found a well renowned breeder in Canada, and after speaking with her we decided it was the breed for us, and Val was the breeder who would find us a match. So we waited for Ezri. We waited for quite some time. And we drove to Canada to get him when he was old enough. He was a quieter one in his pack. We fell instantly in love. We spent a few nights in hotels, and at such a young age he did wonderfully well enduring being away from his family, waiting for a call name, and dealing with the small quarters and strange smells of hotel rooms. He rode quietly in my lap most of the way home. He played, he made us laugh, and we finally decided on the name Ezri. Ezri means "my help" which we thought would be good, given he would be working with children and teenagers who had been horrifically physically and sexually abused, were removed from their homes, and had no one to give them unconditional love or affection.
Ezri knew the minute he walked through the door that he had arrived at his home. He grinned from ear to ear, leapt and jumped, and did loops through our home (lots of open space). He was home. Ezri grew bigger and stayed happy. He did all the things puppies do, and brought us joy. I like to hope that we made him as happy as he made us. We read all the material (and Val gave us a lot), began training and he took easily to everything. He loved people instantly, adored other dogs, and was growing into his paws. He did wonderfully at work, he was so gentle with the children and met them where they were at emotionally. My work worshipped him, and he brought joy everywhere he went. We crate trained, took him to work, and started puppy class. We were all doing great.
A few weeks after he was neutered, we were driving to the train station to pick up a friend with our happy now six-and-a-half month old puppy safely ensconced in my lap napping. I know, I was setting myself up for when he needed to sit in the back, but I just couldn’t resist, he was so loving and cuddly. About twenty minutes into the drive, something terrifying started to occur. Ezri’s head began twitching in a tight, rigid way, he began whimpering, and I immediately began to comfort him. "Something is wrong." I said to Danielle, who was driving the car. The motions did not stop, but rather increased. He looked at me in terror and confusion. I cradled him and called his name in my best soothing voice, hoping this would help. I was trying not to panic. And then his eyes lost focus and began to roll in his head, his body began to go rigid and he was panting and whimpering horribly. I raised by voice frenetically, trying to comfort him and simultaneously alert Danielle to my level of panic and concern. "Danielle, SOMETHING IS WRONG!" I kept repeating it frantically, and she swerved on the highway to pull over on the side of the road to help me.
Ezri’s whole body went rigid, he began to convulse, and his legs began to move in rigid unnatural ways. Every now and again his eyes would refocus and look at me in stark terror, begging. His whimpering became less and less audible, and he began what anyone who has endured a grand mal seizure with a dog knows is paddling. I began to call his name, yelling hysterically. His head was twisting in odd positions, his body was completely flat and rigid, and then suddenly he stopped making the small noises, his eyes glassed over, and his whole body went still. "DANIELLE" I screamed, "HE"S NOT BREATHING!" Danielle grabbed him out of my lap and began shaking him, repeatedly calling his name. "Ezri…Ezri… Ezri…" she shouted in a firm you are not going to die on us voice. After what seemed like forever, his chest began to move up and down, and he began convulsing again. Slowly his body became more malleable and his convulsions lessened. Ezri’s eyes began to focus and he became more aware, but neurologically he still was not quite right.
We rushed him to the local animal ER and they whisked him away to do tests. He was still wobbly on his feet and could not walk in a straight line. We stood there helpless, wondering what was going on, and waited. The doctor came back and stated that Ezri had a grand mal seizure. They mentioned toxins, asked us questions, and stated they would keep him over night for observation and to be able to intervene in any other seizures given the severity. They had never seen the breed before and asked about his gum color. Eventually they sent us home after putting a down payment on the testing. That was the first payment of a long line of payments. We did not even get to say goodnight. He was only six months old.
We went home that night lost, exhausted, and fearful. I was covered in his saliva and he had defecated in the car during the seizure. We still had to pick up our friend who was still waiting at the train station, two hours later. The house was so empty. We were too overwhelmed to cry. What is a toxin? We prayed it was toxin. You know it is bad when you hope your puppy got into a substance that temporarily poisoned him. We barely slept that night, and jumped when the doctor called in the morning. They had cleaned out his system, they had done blood work. There was no sign of a toxin in his blood. Ezri had another seizure overnight, and they had given him valium to interrupt it. The doctor through out various phrases: Liver shunt? Meningitis? Brain abnormality? Epilepsy? He was very young to have epilepsy, they said. Liver shunts could involve surgery and be repaired, or cause death. The vet recommended we take him home and set up an appointment with one of the best animal hospitals in the state. They told us to take him there immediately if anything went wrong. "If anything goes wrong??" I thought to my self,, "it was all wrong." We had been so carefree just a day ago.
We took our puppy home. He was so tired, and his nose was rubbed raw from pressing against the wire crate in the hospital. He still wagged his tail at us. His leg was shaved where they had put in an I.V. tube. The whole house tried to pretend it was all okay. It wasn’t. We all tried to sleep, but we ended up just watching him sleep. Ezri tried to be okay. He tried to play, he tried to be his usually loving self. But he wasn’t. He twitched convulsively, his head moved at odd rigid angles sporadically. He was far from okay. He got worse as the day went on. Eventually it impacted his motor coordination and we moved from tentative hope and denial to panic yet again. He watched us with anxiety and hurt as we packed up his blanket and toy again, and rushed him back to the hospital
This time we went to one of the best animal hospitals in the country. It looked like a people hospital, with long benches, sitting areas, vending machines and televisions for those waiting. They came out in scrubs, and rushed him in. He looked back at us, with begging, bewildered eyes, but he never made a sound. We cried. They brought us out his tiny collar. I held it endlessly in my hands. We sat there for hours, waiting. We watched the endless stream of injured animals and their owners. We put down our deposit to treat him.
Eventually the doctor came out. They had looked at the tests done at the ER. At this time, and given his age, not much made sense. They had never seen an Icelandic Sheepdog before, and wanted to know if epilepsy or liver shunts were common. The doctor said they needed to do tests and they needed to keep him overnight and would start him on medication for seizure control. He was so young, they said, it could be a variety of things. Epilepsy in a puppy so young was worrisome and given the intensity of the seizure they were concerned. We were welcome to come back in the morning.
We left our puppy again that night, to go home to an empty, vacant house. We called Val. She said she had no knowledge of liver shunts or epilepsy in the breed but would call around and do research. When we returned the next morning, they still did not know what had caused the grand mal seizures. All the possibilities were terrifying for a dog so young. His prognosis was not good. He needed to stay in the ICU because another seizure like he had, if untreated, could kill him. He had stopped breathing after all. The doctors were friendly and gracious, they talked about how cute he was, how friendly, how sweet. They went over the treatable medical issues that they could test for, and treat with medication, surgery. Epilepsy is a "rule-out" diagnosis they said. They had to rule out everything first. A liver shunt could be treated or surgery could be done to fix it if caught in time. Meningitis could be addressed if caught in time. "What do you want to do?" they asked. "We want our boy to be okay." we replied. And we consented to the testing to find out what was wrong.
We went to billing, as nothing is covered. It is 100% the owners cost. You have to pay 50% up front, they said sadly. I could tell they felt bad, felt bad asking, felt bad taking. I wondered what happened to the animals whose owners did not have credit cards. Danielle and I looked at each other, and the credit card came out. A thousand here, a thousand there, the bills began to accrue. What could we do? He was our boy.
Ultra sound, spinal tap, IV’s in each leg, shaved belly, shaved legs, shaved back of the head. We lay on the cold floor of the visiting room with him, cuddling him, for as many hours as they would let us. He would sleep, eventually. He would only sleep well when we were there they told us. He looked at us begging, "why am I here?" he seemed to say "Why can’t I go home?". Don’t get me wrong, they were great with him. They loved him, they had great bedside manner. He was the only puppy there. They gave him toys, and when he barked himself into hysteria, and rubbed his nose raw against the wire crate, they chained him to a wall, on a blanket in the middle of the ICU, where he would be more relaxed. They played with him and gave him extra TLC. They let us visit him there, longer than the normal visiting hours, with his IV in, his cone on his teeny shaved head, surrounded by the moans, whimpers of animals in pain, and the low hum of machinery, helping animals to breath, to measure things, and tests. They tried incredibly hard to keep all the animals relaxed and loved. But like any hospital, it was still the ICU and the sterile environment, coupled with the palpable pain of the patients in close quarters was immeasurably painful and sad. We cried when we left the building. He was so young, so little, he barely weighed ten pounds. We cried at home, missing him, dealing with the pain that he probably did not understand why we kept leaving him there, day after day. He stayed there for a week. Val remained in close contact, she did research, and she waited for daily updates .She called all over the world looking for history. Were there any other Icelandics who had seizures? Liver shunts? Epilepsy?
Our friends and family rallied for us. They love him too. They offered the small amount of fiscal support they could, they sat with us in the ER. Our friend who is a doctor for humans did research for us, comparing treatment options. Testing here, testing there. We finally said enough. One test came back slightly irregular, was it a liver shunt? The internal medicine doctors stepped in. They discussed exploratory surgery. He had a team of doctors. Epilepsy is a rule out diagnosis. Finally, we drew the line. They were fairly certain they could rule it in, but wanted to continue tests because of irregular liver enzymes. Our puppy was a shell of what he had been. Sure, he tried for us, he wagged his tail when we entered the room, he gave deep sighs when we laid down on the cold hard sterile floor with him, and every now and again, he would try to play with us. His soul was the same, his sweetness, the love in his eyes. But he did not smile anymore. He did not fight the bandages, the cone, the IV, he was accepting. He was only six months old. We reached the painful conclusion that the testing was done. He was only a puppy and we would not cause him any more pain. If he was not meant to make it, and the seizures impacted his quality of life beyond measure, then we would do the humane thing. But we were damned if he was going to spend one more day of his short life undergoing intrusive testing.
Seven thousand dollars later we brought our exhausted, beaten down, bandaged, shaven puppy home, still unsure as to what diagnosis was accurate, and if he would survive. Truth be told, we were beaten down and exhausted too. We agreed to start oral medication, meet with our Vet regularly and would take it from there.
You are probably starting to ask when does this story get better? Well it does. Sure, we dealt with all sorts of things. It took all three of us weeks to unwind from the experience, the panic and the seizure activity. The medicine made our quick, sprightly agile puppy gangly and clumsy, exhausted and with constant stomach problems. But the agility issues passed. His barking became a huge issue, because he had learned in the week he was there that it was sure fire way to get what he wanted .We were just happy (initially) that he felt like barking. We dismantled the crate, and he slept at the end of the bed (still does) because his seizure activity occurred in his sleep and we worried that when his body went rigid we would not be able to get him out of the crate. We also could feel the bed shake if he started to twitch abnormally, and we became quite adept at interfering in shaking him awake if any seizure activity stirred.
Ezri was formally diagnosed with epilepsy at that time, although it had manifested oddly (in his sleep) which is rare. We watched him intently when he slept for months on end (still do, but are less hypervigilant). Our local vet ran simple blood work and found that his liver levels were normal, which was a relief to us. Ezri resumed puppy kindergarten and they welcomed him back. Ezri is amazingly resilient, his happy personality returned, and his hair grew back. The kids at work learned what epilepsy was and gravely agreed to follow any direction I gave if he had a seizure while they were present.
Over time the medication worked more effectively, and the seizure activity slowed. Ezri grew and time passed by. Although our anxiety remained, it lessened as we realized we could manage this, and so could he. He moved towards adulthood, we shared his successes with Val, and he is a cherished member of our family. He is grinning up at me right now, from his favorite place at my feet, even as I write this, waiting patiently for me to stop typing so we can play. He learned to swim, to play tag in the pool, and to bark at the birds from our bedroom window. He grew old enough for rawhide.
Time continued to move forward (as it does for us all) and Ezri continues to shine. He is a favorite at day care, loved by both families and follows us where ever we go. He is friendly and loving and clearly driven towards agility. About four months ago we realized his seizure activity had ended, and that he had not had any seizures in over eight months. His medication level it turned out was below therapeutic level (less than required to work). We talked to the vet and their team of doctors and agreed to try him off his medication.
Ezri has been off his medication for four months now and he looks great. His stomach difficulties decreased substantially (I always think he carries a bit of anxiety around with from the whole experience, goodness, knows, we do). He is seizure free currently. The doctors tell us that if he continues for another few months seizure free they will remove the diagnosis of epilepsy completely. If that happens, we will likely never have an answer to why he had the seizures, but quite frankly, as long as they don’t come back, we are all set. Ezri brings us countless hours of joy and love, and the sparkle and caring soul that showed through his eyes as a puppy remains. We feel privileged to be a part of his life. If you will excuse me now, I have to go, Ezri keeps pawing my leg and nosing me, waiting to play, and if our experience has taught us anything, it is that life, laughter and joy with our loved ones should be cherished, appreciated and acted upon on a daily basis.
Update for 2007, Ezri, Carrie and Danielle have a new Icelandic Puppy in the house, his name is Greenstone Black Moon, A lovely big Black tri half-Brother to Ezri, and they are best buddy's, Black Moon also goes to work with his owners.
Thanks for listening.
Fondly,
Carrie, Danielle & Ezri
Although it looks like Carrie, Danielle and Ezri are going to have a happy ending to their tale, seizures and inherited epilepsy in Canines is something that should never be taken lightly. If your ISD has seizures, please consider using the information below.
UPDATED MARCH 2006: Dr. Yuri F. Melekhovets, Laboratory Director of HealthGene Corp., Toronto, Canada, has announced that his group has located the gene responsible for producing inherited epilepsy in canines. HealthGene Corporation is the largest private veterinary DNA diagnostic and research laboratory in Canada. DNA-based testing for animal infectious and genetic diseases. HealthGene now is studying the various mutations that produce different forms of epilepsy in different breeds. Dr. Melekhovets requests that owners of dogs with epilepsy submit blood samples to further that research. Samples should come from dogs which have been medically diagnosed with epilepsy or have had symptoms of epilepsy for at least two years. Two vials of blood samples per dog should be sent in lavender topped tubes, together with a pedigree and brief health history (whether it has seizures, when they started, whether they are mild or severe, and what type of diagnostics have been performed). Send the samples by FedEx, using HealthGene's account number (#238368138), using FedEx's International Air Waybill with the following information for "ShipmentInformation":a) Commodity description: "Canine Blood Samples for DNA Testing";b) Total Declared Value for Customs is $1.00;c) international first; andd) 3 copies commercial invoice.Send the vials to this address: HealthGene Laboratory, 2175 KeeleStreet, Toronto, Ontario M6M 3Z4 Canada. Dr. Melekhovets may becontacted at: telephone: 905-669-5399; fax: 905-669-2235; email:dr.melekhovets@...Source http://www.cavalierhealth.org/epilepsy.htm
By Carrie and Danielle
We fell in love with the breed. We had never seen one other than in a book. But we fell in love with everything written about the Icelandic sheepdog… the breed’s intelligence, its loving nature, its loyalty, its energy, and its northern physique. I had never had a dog before, and we are both therapists and wanted to use our dog for work, so we spent a great deal of time researching a breed that would match us and our world. After we decided we had to have one, we found out they were a rare breed, especially in the USA. But we were determined, and we did our research.
Danielle found a well renowned breeder in Canada, and after speaking with her we decided it was the breed for us, and Val was the breeder who would find us a match. So we waited for Ezri. We waited for quite some time. And we drove to Canada to get him when he was old enough. He was a quieter one in his pack. We fell instantly in love. We spent a few nights in hotels, and at such a young age he did wonderfully well enduring being away from his family, waiting for a call name, and dealing with the small quarters and strange smells of hotel rooms. He rode quietly in my lap most of the way home. He played, he made us laugh, and we finally decided on the name Ezri. Ezri means "my help" which we thought would be good, given he would be working with children and teenagers who had been horrifically physically and sexually abused, were removed from their homes, and had no one to give them unconditional love or affection.
Ezri knew the minute he walked through the door that he had arrived at his home. He grinned from ear to ear, leapt and jumped, and did loops through our home (lots of open space). He was home. Ezri grew bigger and stayed happy. He did all the things puppies do, and brought us joy. I like to hope that we made him as happy as he made us. We read all the material (and Val gave us a lot), began training and he took easily to everything. He loved people instantly, adored other dogs, and was growing into his paws. He did wonderfully at work, he was so gentle with the children and met them where they were at emotionally. My work worshipped him, and he brought joy everywhere he went. We crate trained, took him to work, and started puppy class. We were all doing great.
A few weeks after he was neutered, we were driving to the train station to pick up a friend with our happy now six-and-a-half month old puppy safely ensconced in my lap napping. I know, I was setting myself up for when he needed to sit in the back, but I just couldn’t resist, he was so loving and cuddly. About twenty minutes into the drive, something terrifying started to occur. Ezri’s head began twitching in a tight, rigid way, he began whimpering, and I immediately began to comfort him. "Something is wrong." I said to Danielle, who was driving the car. The motions did not stop, but rather increased. He looked at me in terror and confusion. I cradled him and called his name in my best soothing voice, hoping this would help. I was trying not to panic. And then his eyes lost focus and began to roll in his head, his body began to go rigid and he was panting and whimpering horribly. I raised by voice frenetically, trying to comfort him and simultaneously alert Danielle to my level of panic and concern. "Danielle, SOMETHING IS WRONG!" I kept repeating it frantically, and she swerved on the highway to pull over on the side of the road to help me.
Ezri’s whole body went rigid, he began to convulse, and his legs began to move in rigid unnatural ways. Every now and again his eyes would refocus and look at me in stark terror, begging. His whimpering became less and less audible, and he began what anyone who has endured a grand mal seizure with a dog knows is paddling. I began to call his name, yelling hysterically. His head was twisting in odd positions, his body was completely flat and rigid, and then suddenly he stopped making the small noises, his eyes glassed over, and his whole body went still. "DANIELLE" I screamed, "HE"S NOT BREATHING!" Danielle grabbed him out of my lap and began shaking him, repeatedly calling his name. "Ezri…Ezri… Ezri…" she shouted in a firm you are not going to die on us voice. After what seemed like forever, his chest began to move up and down, and he began convulsing again. Slowly his body became more malleable and his convulsions lessened. Ezri’s eyes began to focus and he became more aware, but neurologically he still was not quite right.
We rushed him to the local animal ER and they whisked him away to do tests. He was still wobbly on his feet and could not walk in a straight line. We stood there helpless, wondering what was going on, and waited. The doctor came back and stated that Ezri had a grand mal seizure. They mentioned toxins, asked us questions, and stated they would keep him over night for observation and to be able to intervene in any other seizures given the severity. They had never seen the breed before and asked about his gum color. Eventually they sent us home after putting a down payment on the testing. That was the first payment of a long line of payments. We did not even get to say goodnight. He was only six months old.
We went home that night lost, exhausted, and fearful. I was covered in his saliva and he had defecated in the car during the seizure. We still had to pick up our friend who was still waiting at the train station, two hours later. The house was so empty. We were too overwhelmed to cry. What is a toxin? We prayed it was toxin. You know it is bad when you hope your puppy got into a substance that temporarily poisoned him. We barely slept that night, and jumped when the doctor called in the morning. They had cleaned out his system, they had done blood work. There was no sign of a toxin in his blood. Ezri had another seizure overnight, and they had given him valium to interrupt it. The doctor through out various phrases: Liver shunt? Meningitis? Brain abnormality? Epilepsy? He was very young to have epilepsy, they said. Liver shunts could involve surgery and be repaired, or cause death. The vet recommended we take him home and set up an appointment with one of the best animal hospitals in the state. They told us to take him there immediately if anything went wrong. "If anything goes wrong??" I thought to my self,, "it was all wrong." We had been so carefree just a day ago.
We took our puppy home. He was so tired, and his nose was rubbed raw from pressing against the wire crate in the hospital. He still wagged his tail at us. His leg was shaved where they had put in an I.V. tube. The whole house tried to pretend it was all okay. It wasn’t. We all tried to sleep, but we ended up just watching him sleep. Ezri tried to be okay. He tried to play, he tried to be his usually loving self. But he wasn’t. He twitched convulsively, his head moved at odd rigid angles sporadically. He was far from okay. He got worse as the day went on. Eventually it impacted his motor coordination and we moved from tentative hope and denial to panic yet again. He watched us with anxiety and hurt as we packed up his blanket and toy again, and rushed him back to the hospital
This time we went to one of the best animal hospitals in the country. It looked like a people hospital, with long benches, sitting areas, vending machines and televisions for those waiting. They came out in scrubs, and rushed him in. He looked back at us, with begging, bewildered eyes, but he never made a sound. We cried. They brought us out his tiny collar. I held it endlessly in my hands. We sat there for hours, waiting. We watched the endless stream of injured animals and their owners. We put down our deposit to treat him.
Eventually the doctor came out. They had looked at the tests done at the ER. At this time, and given his age, not much made sense. They had never seen an Icelandic Sheepdog before, and wanted to know if epilepsy or liver shunts were common. The doctor said they needed to do tests and they needed to keep him overnight and would start him on medication for seizure control. He was so young, they said, it could be a variety of things. Epilepsy in a puppy so young was worrisome and given the intensity of the seizure they were concerned. We were welcome to come back in the morning.
We left our puppy again that night, to go home to an empty, vacant house. We called Val. She said she had no knowledge of liver shunts or epilepsy in the breed but would call around and do research. When we returned the next morning, they still did not know what had caused the grand mal seizures. All the possibilities were terrifying for a dog so young. His prognosis was not good. He needed to stay in the ICU because another seizure like he had, if untreated, could kill him. He had stopped breathing after all. The doctors were friendly and gracious, they talked about how cute he was, how friendly, how sweet. They went over the treatable medical issues that they could test for, and treat with medication, surgery. Epilepsy is a "rule-out" diagnosis they said. They had to rule out everything first. A liver shunt could be treated or surgery could be done to fix it if caught in time. Meningitis could be addressed if caught in time. "What do you want to do?" they asked. "We want our boy to be okay." we replied. And we consented to the testing to find out what was wrong.
We went to billing, as nothing is covered. It is 100% the owners cost. You have to pay 50% up front, they said sadly. I could tell they felt bad, felt bad asking, felt bad taking. I wondered what happened to the animals whose owners did not have credit cards. Danielle and I looked at each other, and the credit card came out. A thousand here, a thousand there, the bills began to accrue. What could we do? He was our boy.
Ultra sound, spinal tap, IV’s in each leg, shaved belly, shaved legs, shaved back of the head. We lay on the cold floor of the visiting room with him, cuddling him, for as many hours as they would let us. He would sleep, eventually. He would only sleep well when we were there they told us. He looked at us begging, "why am I here?" he seemed to say "Why can’t I go home?". Don’t get me wrong, they were great with him. They loved him, they had great bedside manner. He was the only puppy there. They gave him toys, and when he barked himself into hysteria, and rubbed his nose raw against the wire crate, they chained him to a wall, on a blanket in the middle of the ICU, where he would be more relaxed. They played with him and gave him extra TLC. They let us visit him there, longer than the normal visiting hours, with his IV in, his cone on his teeny shaved head, surrounded by the moans, whimpers of animals in pain, and the low hum of machinery, helping animals to breath, to measure things, and tests. They tried incredibly hard to keep all the animals relaxed and loved. But like any hospital, it was still the ICU and the sterile environment, coupled with the palpable pain of the patients in close quarters was immeasurably painful and sad. We cried when we left the building. He was so young, so little, he barely weighed ten pounds. We cried at home, missing him, dealing with the pain that he probably did not understand why we kept leaving him there, day after day. He stayed there for a week. Val remained in close contact, she did research, and she waited for daily updates .She called all over the world looking for history. Were there any other Icelandics who had seizures? Liver shunts? Epilepsy?
Our friends and family rallied for us. They love him too. They offered the small amount of fiscal support they could, they sat with us in the ER. Our friend who is a doctor for humans did research for us, comparing treatment options. Testing here, testing there. We finally said enough. One test came back slightly irregular, was it a liver shunt? The internal medicine doctors stepped in. They discussed exploratory surgery. He had a team of doctors. Epilepsy is a rule out diagnosis. Finally, we drew the line. They were fairly certain they could rule it in, but wanted to continue tests because of irregular liver enzymes. Our puppy was a shell of what he had been. Sure, he tried for us, he wagged his tail when we entered the room, he gave deep sighs when we laid down on the cold hard sterile floor with him, and every now and again, he would try to play with us. His soul was the same, his sweetness, the love in his eyes. But he did not smile anymore. He did not fight the bandages, the cone, the IV, he was accepting. He was only six months old. We reached the painful conclusion that the testing was done. He was only a puppy and we would not cause him any more pain. If he was not meant to make it, and the seizures impacted his quality of life beyond measure, then we would do the humane thing. But we were damned if he was going to spend one more day of his short life undergoing intrusive testing.
Seven thousand dollars later we brought our exhausted, beaten down, bandaged, shaven puppy home, still unsure as to what diagnosis was accurate, and if he would survive. Truth be told, we were beaten down and exhausted too. We agreed to start oral medication, meet with our Vet regularly and would take it from there.
You are probably starting to ask when does this story get better? Well it does. Sure, we dealt with all sorts of things. It took all three of us weeks to unwind from the experience, the panic and the seizure activity. The medicine made our quick, sprightly agile puppy gangly and clumsy, exhausted and with constant stomach problems. But the agility issues passed. His barking became a huge issue, because he had learned in the week he was there that it was sure fire way to get what he wanted .We were just happy (initially) that he felt like barking. We dismantled the crate, and he slept at the end of the bed (still does) because his seizure activity occurred in his sleep and we worried that when his body went rigid we would not be able to get him out of the crate. We also could feel the bed shake if he started to twitch abnormally, and we became quite adept at interfering in shaking him awake if any seizure activity stirred.
Ezri was formally diagnosed with epilepsy at that time, although it had manifested oddly (in his sleep) which is rare. We watched him intently when he slept for months on end (still do, but are less hypervigilant). Our local vet ran simple blood work and found that his liver levels were normal, which was a relief to us. Ezri resumed puppy kindergarten and they welcomed him back. Ezri is amazingly resilient, his happy personality returned, and his hair grew back. The kids at work learned what epilepsy was and gravely agreed to follow any direction I gave if he had a seizure while they were present.
Over time the medication worked more effectively, and the seizure activity slowed. Ezri grew and time passed by. Although our anxiety remained, it lessened as we realized we could manage this, and so could he. He moved towards adulthood, we shared his successes with Val, and he is a cherished member of our family. He is grinning up at me right now, from his favorite place at my feet, even as I write this, waiting patiently for me to stop typing so we can play. He learned to swim, to play tag in the pool, and to bark at the birds from our bedroom window. He grew old enough for rawhide.
Time continued to move forward (as it does for us all) and Ezri continues to shine. He is a favorite at day care, loved by both families and follows us where ever we go. He is friendly and loving and clearly driven towards agility. About four months ago we realized his seizure activity had ended, and that he had not had any seizures in over eight months. His medication level it turned out was below therapeutic level (less than required to work). We talked to the vet and their team of doctors and agreed to try him off his medication.
Ezri has been off his medication for four months now and he looks great. His stomach difficulties decreased substantially (I always think he carries a bit of anxiety around with from the whole experience, goodness, knows, we do). He is seizure free currently. The doctors tell us that if he continues for another few months seizure free they will remove the diagnosis of epilepsy completely. If that happens, we will likely never have an answer to why he had the seizures, but quite frankly, as long as they don’t come back, we are all set. Ezri brings us countless hours of joy and love, and the sparkle and caring soul that showed through his eyes as a puppy remains. We feel privileged to be a part of his life. If you will excuse me now, I have to go, Ezri keeps pawing my leg and nosing me, waiting to play, and if our experience has taught us anything, it is that life, laughter and joy with our loved ones should be cherished, appreciated and acted upon on a daily basis.
Update for 2007, Ezri, Carrie and Danielle have a new Icelandic Puppy in the house, his name is Greenstone Black Moon, A lovely big Black tri half-Brother to Ezri, and they are best buddy's, Black Moon also goes to work with his owners.
Thanks for listening.
Fondly,
Carrie, Danielle & Ezri
Although it looks like Carrie, Danielle and Ezri are going to have a happy ending to their tale, seizures and inherited epilepsy in Canines is something that should never be taken lightly. If your ISD has seizures, please consider using the information below.
UPDATED MARCH 2006: Dr. Yuri F. Melekhovets, Laboratory Director of HealthGene Corp., Toronto, Canada, has announced that his group has located the gene responsible for producing inherited epilepsy in canines. HealthGene Corporation is the largest private veterinary DNA diagnostic and research laboratory in Canada. DNA-based testing for animal infectious and genetic diseases. HealthGene now is studying the various mutations that produce different forms of epilepsy in different breeds. Dr. Melekhovets requests that owners of dogs with epilepsy submit blood samples to further that research. Samples should come from dogs which have been medically diagnosed with epilepsy or have had symptoms of epilepsy for at least two years. Two vials of blood samples per dog should be sent in lavender topped tubes, together with a pedigree and brief health history (whether it has seizures, when they started, whether they are mild or severe, and what type of diagnostics have been performed). Send the samples by FedEx, using HealthGene's account number (#238368138), using FedEx's International Air Waybill with the following information for "ShipmentInformation":a) Commodity description: "Canine Blood Samples for DNA Testing";b) Total Declared Value for Customs is $1.00;c) international first; andd) 3 copies commercial invoice.Send the vials to this address: HealthGene Laboratory, 2175 KeeleStreet, Toronto, Ontario M6M 3Z4 Canada. Dr. Melekhovets may becontacted at: telephone: 905-669-5399; fax: 905-669-2235; email:dr.melekhovets@...Source http://www.cavalierhealth.org/epilepsy.htm
Hereditary Deafness in Dogs-Newsletter Issue Summer 2006
Hereditary Deafness in Dogs
By Sharon Schaefer
The only hereditary deafness known in dogs is early onset, so one hearing screening (BAER/P) is good for life and it can be done as early as 5 weeks of age. Unfortunately for Icelandic fanciers a majority of deafness in dogs is connected to the various white patterning alleles of the S series - si (Irish spotting), sp (piebald), and sw (extreme white) are all implicated through various different breeds although sp and sw are more prevalent.
Studies have not been done in Icelandics and there is no reported puppy deafness. As more breeders continue to work with and produce higher white factor puppies the greater the chance of this changing.
Unfortunately again, the experience of other breeds is that unilaterally (one ear only) deaf pups cannot be identified by any simple means - they cope very well and even bilaterally deaf pups mimic their littermates. Even breeders experienced in identifying deafness need to isolate the pup and create a slight sound out of sight.
If there is any air current created or sound vibration the pup may respond to that so that a bilaterally deaf puppy can behave to us as though it hears.
The genetics that produce white hair and skin also suppresses the pigment cells in the cochlea inside the ear. The cochlea converts sound into nerve impulses through the vibrations of tiny hairs. When the pigment cells do not develop this interferes with the formation of cochlear hairs and neurons. When there are no cochlea hairs, deafness occurs.
Pigment-associated hereditary deafness (this alsorefers to deafness associated with the Merle gene which does not occur in Icelandics so will not be discussed in this article) is a secondary deafness occurring about 2-4 weeks after birth. It is caused when the nourishing bed (striavascularis) for the tiny hairs of the inner ear breaks down resulting in death of the hair cells and deafness. The mode of inheritance is not identified in any of the breeds studied but in the Dalmatian it appears to be single locus but with incomplete penetrance through action of an unknown number of other genes.
Genetically, unilateral deafness is bilateral deafness that is not completely expressed so no deaf dogs, whether one or both ears, should be used in breeding. As with other hereditary diseases breeders should also avoid repeating a breeding that produced a deaf puppy.
The Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response is an objective test which identifies hearing in each ear through the use of four electrodes and ear plugs. A click is generated through one ear for 2 minutes while brain waves are read by a computer. The test is not painful and with patient and firm handling to stay still for 2 minutes (then 2 more minutes for the other ear) most dogs are quite comfortable with the procedure. A printout of the waveform is provided to the owner. In Canada, this test is available at each of the four veterinary universities as well as privately in Scarborough, ON and through the Calgary Dog Fanciers Association.
Addresses are on the Dalmatian Club page. The equipment can be moved to different locations and some breed clubs sponsor clinics in various locations. The price this year at one university was just over $100 for the first pup then about $40 for each littermate Interestingly, albinism does not have any association with deafness, nor do other genes reported to produce white or light coat color in dogs - flecking, ticking, or dilution with fawn.
In other breeds white patterning (occurring from an absence of melanocytes) together with blue eyes significantly increases the chance of deafness. When the white pattern gene is more strongly expressed it suppresses melanocytes not only in the skin but also in the iris of the eye and the stria of the ear.
Not all deaf animals have blue eyes and not all blue eyed dogs are deaf but there is a statistically significant link so breeding to blue-eyes animals is not recommended for most breeds.
For example, blue eyes are not allowed in the Dalmatian standard in Europe but they are allowed in the US. The incidence of deafness is 50% higher in the US Dalmatian population.
Working in the other direction, Dalmatians with a patch of colour are less likely to be deaf than the average. This association holds true in other studied breeds.
So that less than 2% of Coloured Bull Terriers are deaf while just under 20% of White Bull
Terriers are deaf (sample size over 600).
Several universities in the USA and Europe are currently working with different breeds in attempts to identify the molecular DNA level mechanisms for inherited deafness in dogs but they have not yet been successful.
www.btca.com/Health/health.html
www.dalmationclubofcanada.ca/deafness.html
www.lsu.edu/deafness/baerexpl.htm
www.lsu.edu/deafness/Tufts.htm
By Sharon Schaefer
The only hereditary deafness known in dogs is early onset, so one hearing screening (BAER/P) is good for life and it can be done as early as 5 weeks of age. Unfortunately for Icelandic fanciers a majority of deafness in dogs is connected to the various white patterning alleles of the S series - si (Irish spotting), sp (piebald), and sw (extreme white) are all implicated through various different breeds although sp and sw are more prevalent.
Studies have not been done in Icelandics and there is no reported puppy deafness. As more breeders continue to work with and produce higher white factor puppies the greater the chance of this changing.
Unfortunately again, the experience of other breeds is that unilaterally (one ear only) deaf pups cannot be identified by any simple means - they cope very well and even bilaterally deaf pups mimic their littermates. Even breeders experienced in identifying deafness need to isolate the pup and create a slight sound out of sight.
If there is any air current created or sound vibration the pup may respond to that so that a bilaterally deaf puppy can behave to us as though it hears.
The genetics that produce white hair and skin also suppresses the pigment cells in the cochlea inside the ear. The cochlea converts sound into nerve impulses through the vibrations of tiny hairs. When the pigment cells do not develop this interferes with the formation of cochlear hairs and neurons. When there are no cochlea hairs, deafness occurs.
Pigment-associated hereditary deafness (this alsorefers to deafness associated with the Merle gene which does not occur in Icelandics so will not be discussed in this article) is a secondary deafness occurring about 2-4 weeks after birth. It is caused when the nourishing bed (striavascularis) for the tiny hairs of the inner ear breaks down resulting in death of the hair cells and deafness. The mode of inheritance is not identified in any of the breeds studied but in the Dalmatian it appears to be single locus but with incomplete penetrance through action of an unknown number of other genes.
Genetically, unilateral deafness is bilateral deafness that is not completely expressed so no deaf dogs, whether one or both ears, should be used in breeding. As with other hereditary diseases breeders should also avoid repeating a breeding that produced a deaf puppy.
The Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response is an objective test which identifies hearing in each ear through the use of four electrodes and ear plugs. A click is generated through one ear for 2 minutes while brain waves are read by a computer. The test is not painful and with patient and firm handling to stay still for 2 minutes (then 2 more minutes for the other ear) most dogs are quite comfortable with the procedure. A printout of the waveform is provided to the owner. In Canada, this test is available at each of the four veterinary universities as well as privately in Scarborough, ON and through the Calgary Dog Fanciers Association.
Addresses are on the Dalmatian Club page. The equipment can be moved to different locations and some breed clubs sponsor clinics in various locations. The price this year at one university was just over $100 for the first pup then about $40 for each littermate Interestingly, albinism does not have any association with deafness, nor do other genes reported to produce white or light coat color in dogs - flecking, ticking, or dilution with fawn.
In other breeds white patterning (occurring from an absence of melanocytes) together with blue eyes significantly increases the chance of deafness. When the white pattern gene is more strongly expressed it suppresses melanocytes not only in the skin but also in the iris of the eye and the stria of the ear.
Not all deaf animals have blue eyes and not all blue eyed dogs are deaf but there is a statistically significant link so breeding to blue-eyes animals is not recommended for most breeds.
For example, blue eyes are not allowed in the Dalmatian standard in Europe but they are allowed in the US. The incidence of deafness is 50% higher in the US Dalmatian population.
Working in the other direction, Dalmatians with a patch of colour are less likely to be deaf than the average. This association holds true in other studied breeds.
So that less than 2% of Coloured Bull Terriers are deaf while just under 20% of White Bull
Terriers are deaf (sample size over 600).
Several universities in the USA and Europe are currently working with different breeds in attempts to identify the molecular DNA level mechanisms for inherited deafness in dogs but they have not yet been successful.
www.btca.com/Health/health.html
www.dalmationclubofcanada.ca/deafness.html
www.lsu.edu/deafness/baerexpl.htm
www.lsu.edu/deafness/Tufts.htm
In Loving Memory of Reykur
In Memory of Reykur
Written by Chelsea Schaefer
It is with great sadness that I inform all of you that our Icelandic Reykur (Belglen's Reifur), passed away on June 1st at the young age of 14 1/2 months. We welcomed Reykur into our home last August, and he had become an integral part of our family immediately. He was full of energy, happiness and love to spare every day that he was with us, and even our most crotchety cat tolerated his exuberance most of the time, and even welcomed it occasionally.
Reykur enjoyed any activity we involved him in, from his formal training classes, to at-home lessons.
His greatest trick mastered was the 'weave' where he would weave in and out of my legs as I walked. His brains and good looks attracted positive reactions from all who came into contact with him. He was exceptional with young children and babies, although a bit excitable at times.
Some of his favorite activities included playing fetch in the backyard with his toys for hours on end, chasing snow and water from the garden hose, cheering at my ultimate frisbee games, going for long walks, biking and rollerblading, playing with his friends at the dog park, accompanying us on road trips and relaxing at the end of a long day.
He was exceptionally well-behaved and mature for his age yet he still had the innocence of a puppy who has not yet advanced into adult doghood. Unfortunately his zealousness for new adventures was responsible for his passing, as he escaped in search of excitement and new friends.
Reykur will be greatly missed by all who knew him, and especially by those of us who called him family. He had a special way about him that touched each of us in a different way. As we go on with our daily lives, and as summer plans unfold in his absence we will continue to remember how much he would've enjoyed each moment with us.
He was the ray of sunshine that brightened each day and although he is gone, he will never be forgotten.
Written by Chelsea Schaefer
It is with great sadness that I inform all of you that our Icelandic Reykur (Belglen's Reifur), passed away on June 1st at the young age of 14 1/2 months. We welcomed Reykur into our home last August, and he had become an integral part of our family immediately. He was full of energy, happiness and love to spare every day that he was with us, and even our most crotchety cat tolerated his exuberance most of the time, and even welcomed it occasionally.
Reykur enjoyed any activity we involved him in, from his formal training classes, to at-home lessons.
His greatest trick mastered was the 'weave' where he would weave in and out of my legs as I walked. His brains and good looks attracted positive reactions from all who came into contact with him. He was exceptional with young children and babies, although a bit excitable at times.
Some of his favorite activities included playing fetch in the backyard with his toys for hours on end, chasing snow and water from the garden hose, cheering at my ultimate frisbee games, going for long walks, biking and rollerblading, playing with his friends at the dog park, accompanying us on road trips and relaxing at the end of a long day.
He was exceptionally well-behaved and mature for his age yet he still had the innocence of a puppy who has not yet advanced into adult doghood. Unfortunately his zealousness for new adventures was responsible for his passing, as he escaped in search of excitement and new friends.
Reykur will be greatly missed by all who knew him, and especially by those of us who called him family. He had a special way about him that touched each of us in a different way. As we go on with our daily lives, and as summer plans unfold in his absence we will continue to remember how much he would've enjoyed each moment with us.
He was the ray of sunshine that brightened each day and although he is gone, he will never be forgotten.
Tofra Kennel-Newsletter Spotlight- Summer Issue 2006
SPOTLIGHT ON: TOFRA KENNELS, ICELAND
By Monika Karlsdottir
[Note from the editor: For the Breeder’s Spotlight feature, which lets us know more about the breeders who belong to CISC, we plan to alternate between North American and European or Icelandic kennels. The current Spotlight on Tofra Kennels is well-timed since several of the dogs currently being shown in Canada are Tofra descendants. As well, two Tofra dogs, Hofi and Snubbur, were the first two registered CKC Miscellaneous class Icelandic sheepdogs, in 1992. Tofra dogs continue to blaze new ground worldwide as recently another Tofra descendant, a grand-daughter of Tofra Stjarna, is the first ISD to be exported to Scotland. ]
Kennel Name: Töfra Icelandic Sheepdogs (Töfra means Magical or Charming)
Country of owner: Iceland
Number of dogs: 3 females at the moment, 4th coming soon
How long have you been breeding: Got my first ISD in January 1989. I had my first litter in 1991.
Name of dogs:
International Nordic Icelandic, Swedish, Norwegian Champion Foldar Freyja, age 12 years.
Nordic, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish Champion Norwegian Winner 1999 Töfra Frigg age 9 years. Töfra Birta Freyja age 3 years.
HólmfrÃdur fra Olafsfjördur born Nov.26th 2005.
Favourite story about the dogs: I have a few favourite "moments" with my dogs, stories of puppies that beat the odds, a heart wrenching yet miraculous story of when Freyja was hit by a car in front of my eyes and only had minor injuries, wonderful memories of the times when the German
Shorthaired Pointers and Icelandics interacted together. To pick out just two I’d have to say a visit to an old age home and the time my two females had a litter together are very dear to my heart.
I used both Frigg and Freyja as companion dogs at an old age home in Oslo. I will never forget the difference in their "approach" and it seemed they always knew best. Frigg had her special friends that she had to visit and Freyja had different friends that she felt needed her special attention. And they would go directly in the direction of their own different "friends" each time we arrived.
The first time I took Freyja she got to visit a lady who was bedridden and couldn't talk clearly so never talked much at all. She had very shaky hands as well and I had not visited her with Frigg so I didn't know how I was to go about letting Freyja "talk" to a bedridden woman because the bed was so high up that it was difficult for her to get at her to be able to pet her.
Well Freyja KNEW how to approach this case and before I could blink she had hopped up into bed with the woman lied down and started licking her hand. I gasped and the woman started crying hysterically, right away I tried to tell Freyja to get off the bed. At that the woman talked to me for the very first time and said "please let her stay!" I realised that the reason she was crying was because she felt the love from Freyja and she missed her dog that she had to leave when she got sick.
I let Freyja stay on the bed and the two of them had a special time together, the woman spoke endlessly to Freyja and petted her with her shaking hand. The nurses were amazed! This was a moment I will never forget and I learned that sometimes we have to just let the dogs do their work without human interference. That day it was hard to leave. I thought how I would so love for someone to bring a dog to visit me if I were in that situation.
The other favourite moment that brings a smile to my face every time I see the photos, was when Frigg and Freyja each had a litter of puppies that were all raised together. Freyja needed a C-section and Frigg had given birth to her litter that same day. Freyja of course was groggy and sore and her milk glands weren't quite working yet so in dire need we decided to see if she would allow Frigg to feed her puppies until she was feeling a bit better. Well it was the sweetest thing, they accepted our interference and the two of them settled down together in the whelping box, all through the upbringing they took turns but it was obvious that Frigg would rather feed them and Freyja preferred to clean them. It was so sweet. One of my favourite moments was when at just a day old they got into the whelping box together and Freyja gathered ALL the puppies as if to say "MY puppies" but she left one of her own for Frigg so she wouldn't feel left out. Then the two of them looked at me so proud of their little family. These two love each other dearly there is no doubt about that.
Favourite doggie activity: I used to like agility but we don't have that here except for an amateur practice group. I guess I'd say clicker training is my favourite doggie activity, that and just lazing on the couch with a blanket of dogs!
Favourite Icelandic in your life so far: Wow, it's hard to answer this question, they are all so special in so many ways. Hófi was an amazing mind reader and so in tuned to my emotions. Her son Snubbur had a special place in my heart as does Frigg and Frigg's son Töfra Ljósálfur, he is a little angel. All my dogs claim a bit of my heart but I will admit that the most special one even though she wasn't born in my home has to be Freyja and I really don't know why. She is like a soul mate, she is a bit of a character and sometimes a real brat but I think she'll take a very large piece of my heart the day she leaves this world.
Most proud moment: I have a few proud moments that involve my dogs, of course dog shows are always fun and the obedience trials that we received our medallions pop to mind. However I will admit that the proudest moment had to do more with the second generation and onwards, when my vision seemed to become reality. It was at a specialized breed show where Töfra Stjarna was honoured in a sense for her great contribution to the breed.
What was it about Icelandics that made you choose them for your personal breed of dogs: I don't really know if I can say I chose the Icelandic, I'd say it probably chose me. I have some Canadian Indian blood in me and I suppose that's why I feel strongly about saving creatures from extinction and my over the top fascination with wolves. Since I can't save the wolves my interest turned to dogs! When I went to look at Hófi and her siblings the Icelandic sheepdog was still on the verge of extinction and I realised that what I wanted to do was to help keep this ancient and precious jewel of Iceland alive. The history of the ISD impressed me to the point that I felt strongly about wanting to be part of it having a future as unchanged as possible. Iceland has given me a home and a life I couldn't have imagined as a young child growing up in Canada so I felt destined to give something back.
I had a German Shepherd when I got Hófi, I had always loved the wolf like look of the GSD. I later learned that my great grandfather trained GSD's in the war in Germany so maybe dogs are in my blood through him. I am a Spitz breed lover, the ISD was to me the perfect sized dog for a home, not too big and still large enough to be a "real" dog. Little did I know that once I got Hófi there'd be no turning back, the ISD is definitely a dog breed that grows on you. My intentions of helping a breed survive grew more intense after getting to know the breed up close and personal. They are so beautiful with an incredible sociable temperament and learning ability, to my surprise far easier to train than the GSD or any other breed I'd met.
I was extremely lucky to find the litter Hófi was born in, black tricolor was very rare in those days and Hófi's breeder was also very particular to use only dogs with double dewclaws and good tails. I feel I couldn't have gotten a foundation animal from a better bloodline. From the moment I got Hófi I realised that the breed needed to be preserved with all it's special traits including the double dewclaws, strong erect ears (erect during the first 8-10 weeks unlike many other breeds), color variety, their cute little butt with the ancient trait (mentioned in 1900 but that is fast disappearing in the population) the hair growth covering the anus that is so special to our breed (photo included) along with the tightly curled up tail that gives them that special happy wiggle, their smiling expression and harsh weather resistant coat.
I decided when I started out to emphasize on breeding for well structured short hairs, while also keeping the long haired and all the color varieties in my dogs. Everyone was focussing on the long haired just for their cuddliness and saleability and they become the rage and unfortunately still are to a large extent, bad structure and all.
It's my belief that it's much harder to breed good short haired dogs because they can't hide faults under their coat, every fault in a short haired dog is visible and thus makes it more of a challenge to breed for structure.
Breeders of only longhaired dogs I feel often get more credit than breeders of shorthaired and the longhaired often do better at shows because of their coats alone, they are definitely more "showy". Today we are getting a new type of coat and it’s becoming more and more popular because it is eyecatching. It’s an in-between coat that is hard to tell if the dog is longhaired or shorthaired.
Freyja was my second female, I didn’t plan on another female at the time but she was impossible to pass up due to her sheer beauty and special traits. Some of which Hófi didn’t have like the slightly longer coat, the hairy butt, and the more refined better head with smaller ears that are correctlyplaced.
What is next for your kennel: My Kennel is in a bit of a waiting stage at the moment. Although I call myself a breeder, my dogs are family members above all else. This has been a bit of a negative in a "popularity" sense since I only have very few litters. I tend to think of them as little miracles and every one is special. I don't "throw" my dogs away to make room for more and I also don't add too many into the home that will make it harder to give them adequate attention.
Frigg and Freyja are old now and will have no more puppies, my youngest Birta is 3. I originally took her back to find her a new home but I might have 1 litter from her and possibly keep her, she is so much like her mother it’s uncanny.
My hope however is wrapped up in one of my great grand puppies that I am importing from Holland this summer. She is out of Frigg's daughter Töfra Ljósbrá Lotta who was born in Norway and Icetop's Samur who is out of Skessu Salka, a daughter to Snælukku Bjartur (Hófi's grandson). Little Hófi as I call her (Hólmfridur frá Olafsfjördur) is a sweet little red and white shorthaired with double dewclaws, she is most likely a homozygous tan so I’ll have to find a black tri male for her to bring back that color to my line again. I wouldn’t want to lose that little bit of the original Hófi. She is out of a rarer bloodline which makes it exciting to try to find mates for her to bring out the best of the lines in future and to hopefully add to family lines that have almost died out due to others using the "popular dogs".
Hófi will hopefully improve hip status in my kennel and I will try to find a good strong male to improve on bone as well. My main concern has always been to keep bloodlines alive without losing the looks, special traits, working ability, temperament or personality that characterises THE ICELANDIC SHEEPDOG of old. I definitely want to continue to build on what I started with and keep the variety as best I can.
By Monika Karlsdottir
[Note from the editor: For the Breeder’s Spotlight feature, which lets us know more about the breeders who belong to CISC, we plan to alternate between North American and European or Icelandic kennels. The current Spotlight on Tofra Kennels is well-timed since several of the dogs currently being shown in Canada are Tofra descendants. As well, two Tofra dogs, Hofi and Snubbur, were the first two registered CKC Miscellaneous class Icelandic sheepdogs, in 1992. Tofra dogs continue to blaze new ground worldwide as recently another Tofra descendant, a grand-daughter of Tofra Stjarna, is the first ISD to be exported to Scotland. ]
Kennel Name: Töfra Icelandic Sheepdogs (Töfra means Magical or Charming)
Country of owner: Iceland
Number of dogs: 3 females at the moment, 4th coming soon
How long have you been breeding: Got my first ISD in January 1989. I had my first litter in 1991.
Name of dogs:
International Nordic Icelandic, Swedish, Norwegian Champion Foldar Freyja, age 12 years.
Nordic, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish Champion Norwegian Winner 1999 Töfra Frigg age 9 years. Töfra Birta Freyja age 3 years.
HólmfrÃdur fra Olafsfjördur born Nov.26th 2005.
Favourite story about the dogs: I have a few favourite "moments" with my dogs, stories of puppies that beat the odds, a heart wrenching yet miraculous story of when Freyja was hit by a car in front of my eyes and only had minor injuries, wonderful memories of the times when the German
Shorthaired Pointers and Icelandics interacted together. To pick out just two I’d have to say a visit to an old age home and the time my two females had a litter together are very dear to my heart.
I used both Frigg and Freyja as companion dogs at an old age home in Oslo. I will never forget the difference in their "approach" and it seemed they always knew best. Frigg had her special friends that she had to visit and Freyja had different friends that she felt needed her special attention. And they would go directly in the direction of their own different "friends" each time we arrived.
The first time I took Freyja she got to visit a lady who was bedridden and couldn't talk clearly so never talked much at all. She had very shaky hands as well and I had not visited her with Frigg so I didn't know how I was to go about letting Freyja "talk" to a bedridden woman because the bed was so high up that it was difficult for her to get at her to be able to pet her.
Well Freyja KNEW how to approach this case and before I could blink she had hopped up into bed with the woman lied down and started licking her hand. I gasped and the woman started crying hysterically, right away I tried to tell Freyja to get off the bed. At that the woman talked to me for the very first time and said "please let her stay!" I realised that the reason she was crying was because she felt the love from Freyja and she missed her dog that she had to leave when she got sick.
I let Freyja stay on the bed and the two of them had a special time together, the woman spoke endlessly to Freyja and petted her with her shaking hand. The nurses were amazed! This was a moment I will never forget and I learned that sometimes we have to just let the dogs do their work without human interference. That day it was hard to leave. I thought how I would so love for someone to bring a dog to visit me if I were in that situation.
The other favourite moment that brings a smile to my face every time I see the photos, was when Frigg and Freyja each had a litter of puppies that were all raised together. Freyja needed a C-section and Frigg had given birth to her litter that same day. Freyja of course was groggy and sore and her milk glands weren't quite working yet so in dire need we decided to see if she would allow Frigg to feed her puppies until she was feeling a bit better. Well it was the sweetest thing, they accepted our interference and the two of them settled down together in the whelping box, all through the upbringing they took turns but it was obvious that Frigg would rather feed them and Freyja preferred to clean them. It was so sweet. One of my favourite moments was when at just a day old they got into the whelping box together and Freyja gathered ALL the puppies as if to say "MY puppies" but she left one of her own for Frigg so she wouldn't feel left out. Then the two of them looked at me so proud of their little family. These two love each other dearly there is no doubt about that.
Favourite doggie activity: I used to like agility but we don't have that here except for an amateur practice group. I guess I'd say clicker training is my favourite doggie activity, that and just lazing on the couch with a blanket of dogs!
Favourite Icelandic in your life so far: Wow, it's hard to answer this question, they are all so special in so many ways. Hófi was an amazing mind reader and so in tuned to my emotions. Her son Snubbur had a special place in my heart as does Frigg and Frigg's son Töfra Ljósálfur, he is a little angel. All my dogs claim a bit of my heart but I will admit that the most special one even though she wasn't born in my home has to be Freyja and I really don't know why. She is like a soul mate, she is a bit of a character and sometimes a real brat but I think she'll take a very large piece of my heart the day she leaves this world.
Most proud moment: I have a few proud moments that involve my dogs, of course dog shows are always fun and the obedience trials that we received our medallions pop to mind. However I will admit that the proudest moment had to do more with the second generation and onwards, when my vision seemed to become reality. It was at a specialized breed show where Töfra Stjarna was honoured in a sense for her great contribution to the breed.
What was it about Icelandics that made you choose them for your personal breed of dogs: I don't really know if I can say I chose the Icelandic, I'd say it probably chose me. I have some Canadian Indian blood in me and I suppose that's why I feel strongly about saving creatures from extinction and my over the top fascination with wolves. Since I can't save the wolves my interest turned to dogs! When I went to look at Hófi and her siblings the Icelandic sheepdog was still on the verge of extinction and I realised that what I wanted to do was to help keep this ancient and precious jewel of Iceland alive. The history of the ISD impressed me to the point that I felt strongly about wanting to be part of it having a future as unchanged as possible. Iceland has given me a home and a life I couldn't have imagined as a young child growing up in Canada so I felt destined to give something back.
I had a German Shepherd when I got Hófi, I had always loved the wolf like look of the GSD. I later learned that my great grandfather trained GSD's in the war in Germany so maybe dogs are in my blood through him. I am a Spitz breed lover, the ISD was to me the perfect sized dog for a home, not too big and still large enough to be a "real" dog. Little did I know that once I got Hófi there'd be no turning back, the ISD is definitely a dog breed that grows on you. My intentions of helping a breed survive grew more intense after getting to know the breed up close and personal. They are so beautiful with an incredible sociable temperament and learning ability, to my surprise far easier to train than the GSD or any other breed I'd met.
I was extremely lucky to find the litter Hófi was born in, black tricolor was very rare in those days and Hófi's breeder was also very particular to use only dogs with double dewclaws and good tails. I feel I couldn't have gotten a foundation animal from a better bloodline. From the moment I got Hófi I realised that the breed needed to be preserved with all it's special traits including the double dewclaws, strong erect ears (erect during the first 8-10 weeks unlike many other breeds), color variety, their cute little butt with the ancient trait (mentioned in 1900 but that is fast disappearing in the population) the hair growth covering the anus that is so special to our breed (photo included) along with the tightly curled up tail that gives them that special happy wiggle, their smiling expression and harsh weather resistant coat.
I decided when I started out to emphasize on breeding for well structured short hairs, while also keeping the long haired and all the color varieties in my dogs. Everyone was focussing on the long haired just for their cuddliness and saleability and they become the rage and unfortunately still are to a large extent, bad structure and all.
It's my belief that it's much harder to breed good short haired dogs because they can't hide faults under their coat, every fault in a short haired dog is visible and thus makes it more of a challenge to breed for structure.
Breeders of only longhaired dogs I feel often get more credit than breeders of shorthaired and the longhaired often do better at shows because of their coats alone, they are definitely more "showy". Today we are getting a new type of coat and it’s becoming more and more popular because it is eyecatching. It’s an in-between coat that is hard to tell if the dog is longhaired or shorthaired.
Freyja was my second female, I didn’t plan on another female at the time but she was impossible to pass up due to her sheer beauty and special traits. Some of which Hófi didn’t have like the slightly longer coat, the hairy butt, and the more refined better head with smaller ears that are correctlyplaced.
What is next for your kennel: My Kennel is in a bit of a waiting stage at the moment. Although I call myself a breeder, my dogs are family members above all else. This has been a bit of a negative in a "popularity" sense since I only have very few litters. I tend to think of them as little miracles and every one is special. I don't "throw" my dogs away to make room for more and I also don't add too many into the home that will make it harder to give them adequate attention.
Frigg and Freyja are old now and will have no more puppies, my youngest Birta is 3. I originally took her back to find her a new home but I might have 1 litter from her and possibly keep her, she is so much like her mother it’s uncanny.
My hope however is wrapped up in one of my great grand puppies that I am importing from Holland this summer. She is out of Frigg's daughter Töfra Ljósbrá Lotta who was born in Norway and Icetop's Samur who is out of Skessu Salka, a daughter to Snælukku Bjartur (Hófi's grandson). Little Hófi as I call her (Hólmfridur frá Olafsfjördur) is a sweet little red and white shorthaired with double dewclaws, she is most likely a homozygous tan so I’ll have to find a black tri male for her to bring back that color to my line again. I wouldn’t want to lose that little bit of the original Hófi. She is out of a rarer bloodline which makes it exciting to try to find mates for her to bring out the best of the lines in future and to hopefully add to family lines that have almost died out due to others using the "popular dogs".
Hófi will hopefully improve hip status in my kennel and I will try to find a good strong male to improve on bone as well. My main concern has always been to keep bloodlines alive without losing the looks, special traits, working ability, temperament or personality that characterises THE ICELANDIC SHEEPDOG of old. I definitely want to continue to build on what I started with and keep the variety as best I can.
Icelandic Sheepdogs -Richmond CKC Show 2006
Making History: Richmond Show 2006
Report by Laura Ford
The 2006 Richmond Show, held by the Ottawa Kennel Club, was the first show that my husband and I attended as participants instead of just spectators. We had met our first Icelandic Sheepdogs at this show in 2005 so we were very pleased to bring our puppy Belglen Roskva (Soley) and to help out with the CISC breed booth. It was a great opportunity to share this wonderful breed with the public, other dog fanciers and the judges. In fact, the breed was to receive more publicity than any of us expected!
It was a long drive in the early morning to get to the show. Valerie and Jason were endlessly patient even with all my questions at the last minute while the dogs were getting ready to go into the ring. There was a class of seven Icelandics, six females and only one male, but as it turns out Greenstone Ajay had a fantastic time at the show.
On Friday, Ajay won Best of Breed, and went on to the Group Ring . There he was placed Group 3rd by Judge Betty McHugh. This is a wonderful achievement for a newly recognized breed. Ajay continued his winning streak by going Best of Breed on Saturday and Sunday as well. In his first weekend of showing, he earned more than ten points towards his CKC championship.
The girls also showed very well, with Belglen Runa going Best Opposite Sex on Saturday and Sunday, and Greenstone Ada taking the BOS on Friday. As our Belglen Roskva was the only puppy in the breed, she got some extra show practice in the Puppy Group ring. In unofficial competition, she received a Group 3rd place in the sanction match. In the Puppy Sweepstakes she took 4th place in Group 7, Junior puppies.
It was such a thrill to watch the moment when Ajay was awarded the Group 3rd. Among the 7 dogs attending the show, the judges and spectators saw dogs of different colors (clear and shaded sable and chinchilla), various markings and both the long and medium coat types. While walking the dogs, we got numerous questions and comments on the breed. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive with a lot of interest in this medium-size, agile, colorful and attractive breed.
Honor Roll
CKC Pointed Icelandics or Announcing New CKC Championships or CKC Titles
Thanks to Valerie Sharp for compiling and submitting these show results.
Running Point Total for 2006 show season, but only the current shows within the three month newsletter will be added per newsletter. If you show in CKC, ARBA or UKC shows, in Canada or in the U.S., please send the club your show results information. We will be happy to include any results that have been missed, in the next newsletter. Have a great year in the show ring!
March Shows
Friday March 10th-Calgary
Lavendels Vindur - Best of Breed 1pt
Lavendels Vindur - Best Male of Breed
Lavendels Vindur - Best Puppy of Breed
Saturday-March 11th- Calgary
Pineridge Vanadis - Best of breed-2pts
Kappi - Best Male of Breed-2pt
Lavendels Vindur - Best Puppy of Breed
Pineridge Laski
Sunday March 12th -Calgary
Pineridge Laski - Best of Breed-1pt
Pineridge Laski - Best Male of Breed
Lavendels Vindur - Best Puppy of Breed
May shows
May 12th Arnprior show
Greenstone Ada-Best of Breed-2pts
Greenstone Alaxander the Great BOS
Belglen Runa of Greenstone- reserve winner female
May 13th-Arnpior show
Greenstone Ada-BOS-1pt
Greenstone Alaxander the Great-BOS-2pts
Belglen Runa of Greenstone-Reserve Winners
May 14th- Arnpior Show
Greenstone Ada-Reserve winners
Belglen Runa of Greenstone-BOB-1pt
May 26- Richmond Show
Greenstone Ajay-BOB- 3pt Group 3rd Greenstone Ada-BOS -3pt
Belglen Runa of Greenstone
Folda-Reserve winners bitch
Tofra Dalla Hektorsdottir
Tofra Tobba Traustisdottir
Belglen Roskva-Best Puppy
May 27- Richmond Show
Greenstone Ajay-BOB 3pt
Greenstone Ada-Reserve Winners Bitch
Belglen Runa of Greenstone-BOS-3pt
Folda
Tofra Dalla Hektorsdottir
Tofra Tobba Traustisdottir
Belglen Roskva-Best Puppy Group 4th Puppy Sweeps
May 28- Richmond Show
Greenstone Ajay-BOB 3pt
Greenstone Ada-Reserve Winners Bitch
Belglen Runa of Greenstone-BOS- 3pt
Folda
Tofra Dalla Hektorsdottir
Tofra Tobba Traustisdottir
Belglen Roskva- Best Puppy
Report by Laura Ford
The 2006 Richmond Show, held by the Ottawa Kennel Club, was the first show that my husband and I attended as participants instead of just spectators. We had met our first Icelandic Sheepdogs at this show in 2005 so we were very pleased to bring our puppy Belglen Roskva (Soley) and to help out with the CISC breed booth. It was a great opportunity to share this wonderful breed with the public, other dog fanciers and the judges. In fact, the breed was to receive more publicity than any of us expected!
It was a long drive in the early morning to get to the show. Valerie and Jason were endlessly patient even with all my questions at the last minute while the dogs were getting ready to go into the ring. There was a class of seven Icelandics, six females and only one male, but as it turns out Greenstone Ajay had a fantastic time at the show.
On Friday, Ajay won Best of Breed, and went on to the Group Ring . There he was placed Group 3rd by Judge Betty McHugh. This is a wonderful achievement for a newly recognized breed. Ajay continued his winning streak by going Best of Breed on Saturday and Sunday as well. In his first weekend of showing, he earned more than ten points towards his CKC championship.
The girls also showed very well, with Belglen Runa going Best Opposite Sex on Saturday and Sunday, and Greenstone Ada taking the BOS on Friday. As our Belglen Roskva was the only puppy in the breed, she got some extra show practice in the Puppy Group ring. In unofficial competition, she received a Group 3rd place in the sanction match. In the Puppy Sweepstakes she took 4th place in Group 7, Junior puppies.
It was such a thrill to watch the moment when Ajay was awarded the Group 3rd. Among the 7 dogs attending the show, the judges and spectators saw dogs of different colors (clear and shaded sable and chinchilla), various markings and both the long and medium coat types. While walking the dogs, we got numerous questions and comments on the breed. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive with a lot of interest in this medium-size, agile, colorful and attractive breed.
Honor Roll
CKC Pointed Icelandics or Announcing New CKC Championships or CKC Titles
Thanks to Valerie Sharp for compiling and submitting these show results.
Running Point Total for 2006 show season, but only the current shows within the three month newsletter will be added per newsletter. If you show in CKC, ARBA or UKC shows, in Canada or in the U.S., please send the club your show results information. We will be happy to include any results that have been missed, in the next newsletter. Have a great year in the show ring!
March Shows
Friday March 10th-Calgary
Lavendels Vindur - Best of Breed 1pt
Lavendels Vindur - Best Male of Breed
Lavendels Vindur - Best Puppy of Breed
Saturday-March 11th- Calgary
Pineridge Vanadis - Best of breed-2pts
Kappi - Best Male of Breed-2pt
Lavendels Vindur - Best Puppy of Breed
Pineridge Laski
Sunday March 12th -Calgary
Pineridge Laski - Best of Breed-1pt
Pineridge Laski - Best Male of Breed
Lavendels Vindur - Best Puppy of Breed
May shows
May 12th Arnprior show
Greenstone Ada-Best of Breed-2pts
Greenstone Alaxander the Great BOS
Belglen Runa of Greenstone- reserve winner female
May 13th-Arnpior show
Greenstone Ada-BOS-1pt
Greenstone Alaxander the Great-BOS-2pts
Belglen Runa of Greenstone-Reserve Winners
May 14th- Arnpior Show
Greenstone Ada-Reserve winners
Belglen Runa of Greenstone-BOB-1pt
May 26- Richmond Show
Greenstone Ajay-BOB- 3pt Group 3rd Greenstone Ada-BOS -3pt
Belglen Runa of Greenstone
Folda-Reserve winners bitch
Tofra Dalla Hektorsdottir
Tofra Tobba Traustisdottir
Belglen Roskva-Best Puppy
May 27- Richmond Show
Greenstone Ajay-BOB 3pt
Greenstone Ada-Reserve Winners Bitch
Belglen Runa of Greenstone-BOS-3pt
Folda
Tofra Dalla Hektorsdottir
Tofra Tobba Traustisdottir
Belglen Roskva-Best Puppy Group 4th Puppy Sweeps
May 28- Richmond Show
Greenstone Ajay-BOB 3pt
Greenstone Ada-Reserve Winners Bitch
Belglen Runa of Greenstone-BOS- 3pt
Folda
Tofra Dalla Hektorsdottir
Tofra Tobba Traustisdottir
Belglen Roskva- Best Puppy
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Cooking For Dogs Fall issue of 2005
WELCOME to COOKING FOR DOGS
by Valerie Sharp
Sometimes there is nothing more wonderful than giving your dog a new cookie or treat that they are madly in love with. We often buy these types of treats but in fact, if you like to cook, there are a great number of healthy homemade doggy treats of all kinds to be made. Here are a few to try out. Happy Baking.
Waggy Dog Treats
2 cups white or whole wheat flour 1 egg yolk
2 tsp honey 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 Tbsp vegetable oil 1 Tbsp molasses (I like Fancy for it, it’s a bit sweeter)
1 Tbsp Wheat Germ 1 Tbsp powdered milk (skim or whole will work)
½ Cup water
In a large bowl mix all ingredients. Knead dough on floured surface until firm (if you find it dry add a tiny bit of water, then work again) Roll the dough 1/2 inch thick, and then cut into strips 2 inch by 1 inch long. Place on cookie sheet 1 inch apart, and cook at 350 for 15 to 20 min. Cookies should be firm to the touch. Then turn your oven off, and leave the cookies in to harden for one to two hours. Will normally keep for up to three weeks in the cookie jar, if your dogs will let them last that long. Make about 40 2inch cookies.
Have you ever sat down after a long walk or run with your dog, and had a bowl of ice cream?
O the look of hope on your pup's face that maybe, just maybe, you will give him a spoon or let him lick the bowl.. Well if you have one of these, surprise him or her with their very own bowl of joy "doggy style"
Bowl of Joy.
2 cups Low fat Sour cream (or plain yogurt)
¼ cup water
4 Bananas
¼ cup honey
Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor, cover and blend until smooth. Pour mixture into a freezer safe container. Freeze till firm. Remove from freezer and allow to soften before serving.
For a slight different look, or to make it a Christmas Bowl of Joy, add a few red or green Maraschino cherries and tsp of colored juice.
by Valerie Sharp
Sometimes there is nothing more wonderful than giving your dog a new cookie or treat that they are madly in love with. We often buy these types of treats but in fact, if you like to cook, there are a great number of healthy homemade doggy treats of all kinds to be made. Here are a few to try out. Happy Baking.
Waggy Dog Treats
2 cups white or whole wheat flour 1 egg yolk
2 tsp honey 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 Tbsp vegetable oil 1 Tbsp molasses (I like Fancy for it, it’s a bit sweeter)
1 Tbsp Wheat Germ 1 Tbsp powdered milk (skim or whole will work)
½ Cup water
In a large bowl mix all ingredients. Knead dough on floured surface until firm (if you find it dry add a tiny bit of water, then work again) Roll the dough 1/2 inch thick, and then cut into strips 2 inch by 1 inch long. Place on cookie sheet 1 inch apart, and cook at 350 for 15 to 20 min. Cookies should be firm to the touch. Then turn your oven off, and leave the cookies in to harden for one to two hours. Will normally keep for up to three weeks in the cookie jar, if your dogs will let them last that long. Make about 40 2inch cookies.
Have you ever sat down after a long walk or run with your dog, and had a bowl of ice cream?
O the look of hope on your pup's face that maybe, just maybe, you will give him a spoon or let him lick the bowl.. Well if you have one of these, surprise him or her with their very own bowl of joy "doggy style"
Bowl of Joy.
2 cups Low fat Sour cream (or plain yogurt)
¼ cup water
4 Bananas
¼ cup honey
Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor, cover and blend until smooth. Pour mixture into a freezer safe container. Freeze till firm. Remove from freezer and allow to soften before serving.
For a slight different look, or to make it a Christmas Bowl of Joy, add a few red or green Maraschino cherries and tsp of colored juice.
Training Tips CISC Newsletter Issue Fall 2005
TRAINING TIPS
submitted by Valerie Sharp & Sharon Schaefer
Training general reminder: dogs don’t generalize very well so any lesson your dog has learned in the house to perfection he may not perform in the back yard or any different location (or with different people or animals present). Practise all the lessons wherever and whenever possible, with as many different twists as possible, so that your dog has his best chance of becoming the successful companion you want.
Leash Training: Leash training should be a gradual, relaxed learning process not an out and out tug of war. You can start this exercise quite young, by first allowing the puppy to become accustomed to a lightweight collar around his neck for slowly lengthening intervals. Next tie a string or lightweight puppy lead to the collar and allow it to drag. Puppy will be quite surprised at first and may try to gnaw the leash, do not allow him to do this. Distract him with a toy or treat.
After he has become used to the leash dragging, pick up the leash and follow him around the room. Move on to gently guiding the puppy in your direction, using voice and treats. If puppy suddenly balks, stand still and give the puppy a little slack. Let him correct himself when he pulls against the leash. There is a fine line between the puppy correcting himself and you actively jerking him about. Puppy soon learns that if he sticks with you the leash does not tighten. Use your voice to praise and encourage him when he is moving nicely on lead. If you have an older leash trained dog, walk them together. Puppy will naturally want to follow the older dog and will put up less of a fuss. If you have started the early training exercises he will already be in the habit of following your lead. Soon he will be following you about like a...puppy!
The Loose Leash Game - put your dog or puppy on leash. Place some special treats, toys, or other people or dogs across the room. Lock your hands, holding the leash, to your chest (no corrections!!). Begin to walk towards the special attraction (no commands!!). As soon as the leash tightens back up to the starting line. Begin again, and again, and .... When your dog can walk across the room without tightening the leash they win the reward - eat all the treats or play with the special toy or play with other dog, person, etc.
Chewing: One of the biggest problems people have with their puppies is indiscriminate chewing. It is annoying to find your best shoes (and it is ALWAYS your best shoes) chewed beyond recognition. What you have got to understand is that the puppy is not being malicious. Puppies have GOT to chew. Just like the babies they are, they are teething. Provide the puppy with his own (legal) chewies, and keep anything you do not want chewed picked up and out of the way. If your puppy starts chewing something he should not, remove the item, tell him "no, bad chew or bad teeth", and give him one of his own chewies. Then praise him for chewing the correct item. It is not enough to tell him when he is wrong, finish the job and tell him when he has got it right!
Electrical cords are a major hazard not only to your puppy's health, but also as a fire risk. Limit the puppy's access to a room until it has been puppy proofed. Puppies do not need or deserve free run of the house. I would recommend a crate for your puppy's protection when you leave the house or he is unsupervised. Those of you who do not see the need to puppy proof have unrealistic expectations, and are bound to be disappointed when something you treasure is destroyed.
Yes, puppy can be taught that something is a "No, no", but until he has learned that lesson a few of your possessions will feel his teeth. I would not recommend giving the puppy an old, cast off shoe. The puppy will not be able to discriminate between his shoe and your best shoe. Rawhide chews, Nylabones, large bones (you can buy sterilised bones at pet supply stores), tennis balls, and braided rags are safe alternatives. Make sure he does not whittle his chewies down to a small enough size that he could choke on them or swallow them and create a bowel blockage.
Do not allow your puppy to chew on your hands or nip at your heels. This is a different behaviour than teething. This is how he would play with his siblings to determine his place in the pack hierarchy. You are the pack leader, do not let him get the idea he can challenge you for the position. His need to chew will taper off as he gets his second set of teeth well set in, but older dogs will still chew because they enjoy it. Set the ground rules early and everyone will be happy.
Editor's Note: It would be nice to have regular 'columns' or question-&-answer sections on areas such as Health, Grooming, Training Tips, Dog Humour, and so on.
Any questions or anyone willing to share/contribute in any of these areas (even for one issue) or others please contact me - Sharon Schaefer, Box 568, Ituna, SK S0A 1N0 306-675-4410 belglen@canada.com . The deadline for the next issue is late November.
GROOMING Ideas for grooming time - use a rubber bath mat for traction on top of an appliance such as washer or dryer. The dog is easy to reach and on a non-slippery surface. Just don’t let them jump down!
submitted by Valerie Sharp & Sharon Schaefer
Training general reminder: dogs don’t generalize very well so any lesson your dog has learned in the house to perfection he may not perform in the back yard or any different location (or with different people or animals present). Practise all the lessons wherever and whenever possible, with as many different twists as possible, so that your dog has his best chance of becoming the successful companion you want.
Leash Training: Leash training should be a gradual, relaxed learning process not an out and out tug of war. You can start this exercise quite young, by first allowing the puppy to become accustomed to a lightweight collar around his neck for slowly lengthening intervals. Next tie a string or lightweight puppy lead to the collar and allow it to drag. Puppy will be quite surprised at first and may try to gnaw the leash, do not allow him to do this. Distract him with a toy or treat.
After he has become used to the leash dragging, pick up the leash and follow him around the room. Move on to gently guiding the puppy in your direction, using voice and treats. If puppy suddenly balks, stand still and give the puppy a little slack. Let him correct himself when he pulls against the leash. There is a fine line between the puppy correcting himself and you actively jerking him about. Puppy soon learns that if he sticks with you the leash does not tighten. Use your voice to praise and encourage him when he is moving nicely on lead. If you have an older leash trained dog, walk them together. Puppy will naturally want to follow the older dog and will put up less of a fuss. If you have started the early training exercises he will already be in the habit of following your lead. Soon he will be following you about like a...puppy!
The Loose Leash Game - put your dog or puppy on leash. Place some special treats, toys, or other people or dogs across the room. Lock your hands, holding the leash, to your chest (no corrections!!). Begin to walk towards the special attraction (no commands!!). As soon as the leash tightens back up to the starting line. Begin again, and again, and .... When your dog can walk across the room without tightening the leash they win the reward - eat all the treats or play with the special toy or play with other dog, person, etc.
Chewing: One of the biggest problems people have with their puppies is indiscriminate chewing. It is annoying to find your best shoes (and it is ALWAYS your best shoes) chewed beyond recognition. What you have got to understand is that the puppy is not being malicious. Puppies have GOT to chew. Just like the babies they are, they are teething. Provide the puppy with his own (legal) chewies, and keep anything you do not want chewed picked up and out of the way. If your puppy starts chewing something he should not, remove the item, tell him "no, bad chew or bad teeth", and give him one of his own chewies. Then praise him for chewing the correct item. It is not enough to tell him when he is wrong, finish the job and tell him when he has got it right!
Electrical cords are a major hazard not only to your puppy's health, but also as a fire risk. Limit the puppy's access to a room until it has been puppy proofed. Puppies do not need or deserve free run of the house. I would recommend a crate for your puppy's protection when you leave the house or he is unsupervised. Those of you who do not see the need to puppy proof have unrealistic expectations, and are bound to be disappointed when something you treasure is destroyed.
Yes, puppy can be taught that something is a "No, no", but until he has learned that lesson a few of your possessions will feel his teeth. I would not recommend giving the puppy an old, cast off shoe. The puppy will not be able to discriminate between his shoe and your best shoe. Rawhide chews, Nylabones, large bones (you can buy sterilised bones at pet supply stores), tennis balls, and braided rags are safe alternatives. Make sure he does not whittle his chewies down to a small enough size that he could choke on them or swallow them and create a bowel blockage.
Do not allow your puppy to chew on your hands or nip at your heels. This is a different behaviour than teething. This is how he would play with his siblings to determine his place in the pack hierarchy. You are the pack leader, do not let him get the idea he can challenge you for the position. His need to chew will taper off as he gets his second set of teeth well set in, but older dogs will still chew because they enjoy it. Set the ground rules early and everyone will be happy.
Editor's Note: It would be nice to have regular 'columns' or question-&-answer sections on areas such as Health, Grooming, Training Tips, Dog Humour, and so on.
Any questions or anyone willing to share/contribute in any of these areas (even for one issue) or others please contact me - Sharon Schaefer, Box 568, Ituna, SK S0A 1N0 306-675-4410 belglen@canada.com . The deadline for the next issue is late November.
GROOMING Ideas for grooming time - use a rubber bath mat for traction on top of an appliance such as washer or dryer. The dog is easy to reach and on a non-slippery surface. Just don’t let them jump down!
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