It has been so hot these past two days.  The dogs still can't wait to get out to their play area and run around, but they are barking to come back in within an hour, which is unusual.  It has to be the heat.  They come in and flop down on the tile floor in the kitchen to cool off and then it's back to the door, ready to run some more!

Poor Keisha is in heat - her first one.  She is 16 months old so we were beginning to wonder if she was ever going to come in or not. Lacie had her first heat cycle at 7 months of age!  So poor Rex has to be separated from Keisha now.  I think he is enjoying the one-on-one that he is getting, spending all this alone time with mom!  The girls are outside playing and he is soaking up the attention in the house!  Then we rotate dogs and Keisha comes is so Rex can run around and rough house with the rest. It works out well. 

 

Well, tonight I bathed Zoe, our 5 month old Standard Parti Poodle. She is so darned cute.  She did not enjoy her bath at all and enjoyed the drying session even less!  But we got through it with lots of petting and praise.  The we trimmed nails, which she was great for, and pulled hair out of her ears, which she was actually quite good for as well.  Then we began clipping. She was quite good for that until we got to the face.  Not a happy camper.  But she did pretty good.  I have to have my daughter help hold her for a bit.  She looks so cute!  Her top knot is a bit shorter than I like but it looks nice.  I actually clipped her shorter than usual but it's so hot and so muddy that I decided it would be easier to keep her clean this way. 

Tomorrow I will groom Rex, my brown male.  He's easy to do - he's such a good boy.  I brought him to the vet today to weight him.  He's 64 pounds.  I sure love that boy! 

I love them all.  They bring me such incredible joy. Sometimes they get crazy and they drive me nuts,but they still always make me smile.  They are so full of love.  I feel incredibly lucky and blessed.

It was another very nice, relaxing day.  We worked around the yard all day and the dogs played outside.  It was sunny and warm and windy.  The dogs did their usual crazy running around but soon settled into exploring the woods and digging and snoozing in the sun.  Their pen is big and they have lots to do out there.  They dug up balls that they forgot they had, dug craters that I had to go fill in, and just had a nice day. 

Poor Zoe can't go in the pen with the big dogs - they are just way too rough for her. So she was a bit lonely.  But we played with her and she seemed content to snooze in the shade or lay and watch us work. 

Jazzy just followed us around all day - she doesn't go in the  pen with the poodles very often because they are so wild.  Her hips get sore.  She stays right by us and isn't a wanderer or chaser, so she has her freedom.  She does enjoy torturing our Belgian though - she'll run the fenceline back and forth and poor Tucker can't stand it. Pretty soon he's thundering up the fenceline too.  And it does sound like thunder when that big boy gets going! 

We just got two miniature horses - one came a couple of weeks ago and we got another one yesterday.  They are adorable!  Tucker, at over 17hh, looks enormous next to our little guys!  And they just tease the dickens out of him, just like Jazzy does.  The other two horses, Lucky and Rocky, they ignore both the dogs and the minis.  But Tucker just can't stand it.  He has a ball running around and kicking up his heels.

 Today was a good day.  My favorite part of the day is when I sat down on my swing with a cup of coffee and just watched the dogs and the horses, and then my little grandson riding the minis, my daughters talking and laughing, my husband doing this and that - and I realized, as I always do, how lucky I am. Life is good.  

All you could see were streaks of color as the three older poodles raced around their pen today.  They ran and jumped and just tore around in joy of being outside.  Thankfully we have very sandy soil and the rain soaked in quickly, so they weren't muddy or even very dirty. But their tongues were a hanging, that's for sure.  They were tuckered out, happy pooches when I brought them in the house.  They even had visitors to play with tonight - my best friend stopped over with her two Standard Poodles, Toby and Teddy.  Oh boy - 5 Standard Poodles in one big pen!  They are truly a joy to watch.  Such exhuberance and energy!  I'm sure all of them are going to sleep very well tonight. 

Last week I bathed and groomed all the poodles. Now that is a time-consuming job!  I let them play outside most of the day and then one by one, they got their baths.  I trimmed their nails then partially dried them and then let them all finish drying throughout the evening, brushing them periodically.  The next day they were dry and ready for grooming.  One by one I got them groomed and I have to say that this is one time I was very proud of myself - all of them look better than they ever have before. I like to shave their bodies and faces and then scissors their legs. I'm finally getting very comfortable with the whole process and when I compared the pictures of their professional grooms with what I did, I was extremely happy.  My daughter stopped in that night and she was impressed.  I do find grooming the dogs to be very relaxing and satisfying.  The 3 older poodles are so good - they stand, sit or lie down when asked and are just very nicely behaved for the whole thing.  Zoe, my 5 month old, is a screamer and squirmer.  She's getting better though.  I had to have my daughter come down and help hold her for some of it.  But all in all she did pretty well. And I have 4 pretty pooches (whoops, 3 pretty ones and 1 handsome one!).

Poor babies are wanting to get outside so badly. It's been so rainy and stormy that they didn't get to go outside and run today.  They just hover by the door waiting to go into their fenced in area and tear around.  It's wonderful to watch them out there - they have so much fun.  If I put Zoe in there (she's only 5 months old), I can only put one other poodle in with her or they just mow her over.  So our routine is to put Zoe and usually Keisha together and let them play for an hour or so.  Then I take Zoe out and put Lacie and Rex in with Keisha and then the fun begins - they are absolutely crazy together.  They run laps around the yard (which is huge) and then they jump and twist and turn, it's crazy.  They sure do have fun.  Meanwhile, Zoe is on her outside long leash and she's right there by them.  I let Jazzy out with her because Jazzy will stay right in the yard with me.  So everyone is happy and gets their exercise.  Hopefully tomorrow will be nice so they can run around and have fun. 

The mosquitos and gnats sure are getting bad.  And the wood ticks.  Thank God for tick and mosquito products to protect our pets. 

I am leaving town on Monday and will be gone for 6 days.  I am already missing and worrying about my dogs.  My husband will be home to care for them but it is just not the same.  He is good to them but not as careful or attentive as I am.  My older daughter is coming over every morning and afternoon to help feed and let them out, so that's really nice.  I just worry that they will get out and get away, or that they won't remember to fill their water bowl, etc., etc., etc.  I know they'll survive, but it sure is going to be hard on mom!

Today I went to an AKC dog show that is being held here. I had originally planned on showing Rex in obedience, but he just isn't ready.  He has had so many allergy issues and we really kind of just put training on hold.  

I enjoyed watching the show and seeing all the dogs.  I, of course, mostly hung out by the poodle ring and I met some very nice people. I got some good insight into the show world and learned a lot.  I have never shown my dogs in conformation, mostly because I don't want to have to do the fancy poodle clip that is required now that they are older.  I wish I had shown them in conformation when they were younger. I have to say that I was so impressed with the beauty of these dogs.  They make mine look very 'plain' and boring.  But after really thinking about it today I realize that at this time in my life I don't have the time to devote to caring for their coats in a special clip like that.  I will just stick with obedience and agility for now, and maybe sometime in the future I will have a pup that I will show in conformation. 

I am so happy that the weather is getting warmner, but I am not enjoying all this mud!   My sentiments, however, are not shared by my dogs - they are thinking that this is just great.  Especially Keisha, my light apricot poodle.  She is a mud-magnet anyway, and she isn't out in the outside play area for 3 minutes before she's covered in it. She runs through it, rolls in it, jumps in it, lays in it.  And she is just so happy with herself!  The other dogs come in with muddy feet.  She comes in with muddy everything!  So Keisha is getting lots of baths!  I clipped her pretty short to make this a little easier on all of us.  She is so cute!

On Friday I got the Canine Good Citizenship certificates in the mail for Rex and Lacie!  I was so proud of them!  Obedience classes and agility has been a lot of fun and they have really benefited from the classes. Rex especially. He was such a timid, scared dog. He was scared of everyone.  He is much more confident now. He's still a shy dog, but he will actually approach people with that bit tail just a wagging!  It warms my heart to see the changes in our boy. He is just so happy - you can see it in his face and his mannerisms.  He is not held back by that extreme fear any more. 

And now we concentrate on Keisha, my monster dog!  She is actually the sweetest dog and so friendly. She's just into everything. Everything is at high speed and full energy with her!  You couldn't find a sweeter, happier, friendlier dog. But she definately needs some classes though - I need to get her out and about more and practice things with some more distractions around her.  The biggest problem with her is her extreme car-sickness.  She's over a year old and it is still a big issue. I don't care how far we go - it can just be a block or two - she urps. Even on an empty stomach. So bringing her to class is not easy, as it's a good 12 miles one way.  Lots of puke to clean up at both ends of the trip, and I can't imagine she feels great after that either. Sigh. It's always interesting with dogs!

And soon I'll have little Zoe to bring to class....

I am so excited - Rex's allergies seems to be clearing up and he is obviously feeling so much better.  His flaky, itchy skin is gone, no more itchy, inflamed ears, no more chewing at his pads.  After numerous suggestions from various people, vets, nutritionists, I decided that one of my vets made a suggestion that really made sense to me. He asked me what I had been feeding Rex in the beginning before he had any problems start.  When I first got him I had him on Nutro lamb and rice.  He said to go back to it.  So I did, and the change was pretty remarkable almost immediately.  He is like a new dog. So Rex will be staying on the Nutro.  Occasionally I also get the canned Nutro and mix some in for a treat and he does well with that too.  His coat is beautiful again and he is full of energy. I'm so happy!!  After all the money I've spent on super expensive foods, vet visits, special shampoos, etc, this is a real treat for us.  Our new puppy, Zoe, is on the Nutro puppy food for large breeds and she is doing wonderfully too. I've heard good and bad about Nutro, but I'll tell you what - I have a Standard Poodle who's been miserable for almost a year.  I think from now on I will leave well enough alone!

We have a new puppy!!  (Check out our site for pictures!!)  She is an 8 week old Standard Parti poodle that we named Zoe.  One site said that Zoe means 'life' and another one said 'full of life' - boy, does that fit!!    She is just full of the dickens.  She is a very confident puppy and just seems to go with the flow and takes things in stride. 

The other poodles and Jazzy have taken to her very well.  They are very tolerant of her baby pranks, such as grabbing on to their hair and giving a good yank.  Poodles are good disciplinarians - those big paws just give her a smack once in a while and she straightens up!  They are amazingly gentle and patient with her. 

So it's back to puppy stuff again.  It's only been a year, but how quickly you forget!  Thank God for crate training.  She is already doing very well.  She is quiet at night, sleeps for about 6-7 hours, and then we go outside and she does her business.  She's a very easy pup.  I took this week off from work so I can be home with her, and it's going very well. 

Why another poodle???  Well you see, I have a disease called MPS.  It is not curable and those who love me have learned that they just have to be understanding.  And really, suffering from this disease isn't all that bad. Thankfully, my husband is amazingly understanding and wonderful about it.  MPS = Multiple Poodle Syndrome    I have it bad...

Today was such a fun day.  Both Lacie and Rex took their 'Canine Good Citizen' tests and passed with flying colors!!  I was so proud of them.  They are the nicest dogs and so much fun to work with.

Next it is Keisha's turn. We are now working on beginning obedience with her and she's a quick study.  She really catches on to things very quickly. My problem with her is that she is so easily distracted. It's hard for her to focus on me when the world is so full of interesting things to look at, chase, chew, and explore!  What is very helpful is that she is very food-motivated!!  I just have to keep a good supply of tasty treats! 

Keisha is such a happy dog.  She just be-bops through life with a sunny disposition and mischeif in her eyes.  She doesn't mean to get into trouble - she is just so curious, and life is just so full of fun things to look at and chase and get into and chew and tear apart...

Tonight I wanted to trim Keisha's top knot and face, but I didn't really want to give her a full bath, so I just washed her from the neck up!  That was interesting but went very well.  She had just gotten a bath last week but I didn't finish grooming her.  In the meantime, she had a rawhide that somehow got into her topknot, making the hair a bit sticky/crunchy! 

Anyway, she looks so darned cute.  She has the biggest brown eyes and when her topknot is trimmed up nice she looks absolutely angelic and innocent and so sweet.  Keep in mind that looks can be deceiving and that little one frequently not so angelic! Last night she nudged a drawer open on my computer desk and took out all the pens, pencils and markers!!  Thankfully I caught her before the chewing started.  I can only imagine the permanent black marker all over her light hair - not to mention my carpet and tile. 

I get such a kick out of the difference in my dogs' personalities. I just love watching them and seeing how they act and react and interact.  Fascinating. 

I don't know if I could pick a favorite.  They are all such a big part of my life and fill my heart with such joy.  Each of them loves me and enjoys being with me.  I feel the same about them.  I am so blessed.

Took Rex to agility class last Thursday and he did so well!  After 2 weeks off because of a severe allergy/itching problem I wondered how he' be, but he seemed to totally enjoy being back to work.  He is such a fun dog.  (He is still itching around his eyes but I'm thinking perhaps he is finally getting better.  I'm almost afraid to say that.)  He sure got tired out in class.  Towards the end he was so tired that he ran into the tunnel and when he got to the middle, he laid down and didn't budge.  That was that - he was taking a siesta!  Everyone in class was laughing and the instructor had to hit the outside of the tunnel to get him to move.  His butt was dragging, tongue hanging out - definately ready to go home. 

When his class is over I will enroll Keisha in beginning obediance.  I am so looking forward to working with her.  Keisha has a totally different personality than the other two poodles.  She is my wild one - full of energy, always into something, and just too busy to settle down for too long.   She's a lover though, and I think she'll just love being in class.  She is a very resonsive dog and very quick to catch on to new things.  She is also very food-motivated, so treats will be a BIG plus with her. What I really think Keisha would enjoy is agility.  She is so high-energy that I think something like agility will really be enjoyable for her.  She has a quick mind and seems to enjoy figuring things out. 

These dogs are so much fun.  I love going to classes with them.  Lacie and Rex were the best dogs in their obediance classes and it's just a blast to see them suddenly catch on and 'get it'.  They move with such grace and such a bounce in their steps.  They are a joy to watch. 

Tomorrow is grooming day, at least for two of them.  I hope to get all 3 done in the next couple of days.  I have been a bad mom - I haven't been brushing them like I should and I have some matts to take care of.  I feel badly about that; life has just been very crazy and busy lately.  So we will attack those and get everyone prettied up and looking nice. 

Keisha has such a thick, wooly coat.  Her topknot is just unbeleivably thick.  Right now it is hanging over her eyes and looks horrible.  Time for a new do for that little girl!  She has the most gorgeous big brown eyes. When she is groomed she is just adorable.  Her eyes are her best feature. 

Lacie and Rex also need their topknots trimmed.  Lacie has very fine, silky hair so her topknot has to be kept a bit shorter to keep it looking nice.  Rex has thick curly hair - his topknot is pretty impressive.  He has a wonderful coat to work with.  I sure wish I had gotten him at a younger age so I could have shown him in conformation as a young pup.  Now I'd have to get a show clip and I just don't want to do that. 

Right now all 3 dogs are chewing on bones.  I got some nice ones from the butcher and the poodles are thinking they're in doggy heaven.