Dog blog

Happy New Year

2012-01-03T08:24:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone. I had a great NY Eve with some neighbours. Stayed up till about 3; unheard-of for us country mice. Skipped the show I'd entered NY Day (was I mad or what to enter that?). My excuse was that a friend was staying over after the party and I could hardly kick her out at 8am. Still, we went to a show on 2nd and my lovely Satchmo got Best of Breed against a strong field and then went on to come 3rd in the Working Group. Nancy Evans of Amazon Dobes was kind enough to say she thought he should have won the group. Shame I spoilt it by leaving my bag of show kit there. The Secretary has taken it home and she lives 1.5 hrs drive from me. Damn.

Christmas in our house

2011-12-30T04:23:00.000-08:00

There were only 5 of us plus the 3 dogs - age 7 to 87 very neatly - but it felt manic. Great time, actually, and Antony and I make a good team in the kitchen. Dogs were pretty good, although I suspect that was mainly because we made sure there was no food left in Satchmo's reach. Maxie developed a penchant for Quality Street - wrapper and all. They went down in one, so there can't possibly have been any flavour. Nonetheless, he still clenched his teeth tight when I tried to get a toffee penny back out. I had visions of it coming out the other end unmarked. If I really hated someone, I could perhaps have washed it an offered it to them. Fortunately, I don't hate anyone. By the time we were back on our own on Boxing Day evening, we were all crashed. As you can see...

Pregnant ladies

2011-12-30T04:20:00.000-08:00

Some of you may remember that, last time she was preggie, Nina had a thing about eating compost and dug almost all the summer plants out of my garden tubs. This time, whilst not actually averse to a bit of compost, she's fonder of wood. She's demolished the tub that one of my clematis has been in for years, and she keeps taking logs off the fireside pile and ripping them up on the rug. Needless to say, this is only ever done when I've just finished vacuuming. (Of course, I say 'she', but we all know Satchmo will be joining in enthusiastically, don't we?)

Puppies!

2011-12-16T03:02:00.001-08:00

Yes, she's pregnant. A litter of 3-4, due 17 January. Already got several people interested, which is a nice position to be in. Nina was scanned Weds; whilst waiting in the vet's reception I realised she had a real gash on her shoulder, so she had a scan and 7 staples in one go (needless to say, only 5 left now). These days they give you a printout of the scan. The embryos are about 2 inches long so far.

Puppies?

2011-11-23T09:58:00.000-08:00

Usual hormone hell for the last couple of weeks while Nina has been in season. Good in one way as it meant Max was really keen to go round the garden 20 times a day sniffing where she's weed. Nasty habit except when it keeps an old dog mobile.

I had to spend 2 nights sleeping on the breakfast room table as the only way to keep Max quiet.

Then, last Tuesday, I took Nina to Jay Horgan's in Staffs to visit Bracco her boyf (Nina's, not Jay's) and the usual deed was done. I took her back Thursday to be on the safe side, but nothing doing. She sat in the back of the car and curled her lip at him.

Fingers crossed. Due on 17 Jan if she's preggie. Bracco has never stopped still long enough for me to get a really good look before, but this time I did and, goodness, Satchmo has his Daddy's head.

Good luck, bad luck

2011-11-07T01:43:00.000-08:00

I've had some serious bad luck in recent years. It's almost as if I used up all the good luck and then it ran out big time. So ... I've lived in Wheelwright Cottage for almost 15 years and during that time, my kitchen cupboards have been organised the same all the time (bear with me, this is going somewhere). So why is it that, having had a metal hob for almost all that time, as soon as I buy a nice halogen one to replace it, a honey jar falls out and smashes it? Never happened in the first 14 years when it wouldn't have done any damage. Never happened when I was flush with money. Just had to spend a couple of hours online (very annoying when a site says they have it in stock, then you get almost all the way through the purchase before you find they haven't) and £200 to get a new one ordered. Fortunately the delivery is for Weds. But then again, perhaps all my luck these days goes into having dogs with lovely temperaments including a 14-year-old who's recovering pretty well from his spinal stroke. If so, I'll stick with that deal.

Magic Max - daily bulletin

2011-10-12T01:07:00.000-07:00

Felt foolishly disappointed yesterday because I coudn't see a specific improvement in Max, but for heaven's sake, he'll be doing backward somersaults if he makes a leap forward in improvement EVERY day. However, today, he's really walking around whenever he wants, wobbly, falls over occasionally, but OK. And he managed to get outdoors on his own, so I followed him and just steadied him from time to time for a minute or two, before using the towel sling again. He's definitely not going to be confined to the sitting room today - wants to have the freedom of the house, and I'm letting him. I'm letting the other dogs do their own thing too. I was worried about Satchmo being too boisterous and knocking him over, but he's being very respectful so far. Now that Nina's around agaain, Max is silently sending Satchmo out of the room again. Wish I could get Satch to do my bidding so easily!

Very trying week

2011-10-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

It's been an incredibly difficult week, but thank God things are looking up now. Last Wednesday Max collapsed while out walking. He lost the use of his back end completely - didn't know where it was. I managed to get him to a neighbour's, and they (bless them) helped me get him back home and then take him to the vet. They sent us home for the night and said they would arrange an MRI for first thing in the morning. It's when you're on your own all night with 33kg of helpless dog that being on your own feels especially hard. I stayed up all night with him. I tried to get him out for a pee at 3.30, but just couldn't. At 5 am, I managed to get him out with a makeshift sling under his waist, but he was too stressed and unstable to do anything. I spent the night convinced he was in his last day. At 7.30 my neighbour helped me get him out and he peed. He lifted Max into the car and I set off to Bristol. They had to carry him in and I hated leaving him there for his MRI.

They didn't find anything on the MRI (eg slipped disc) and the assumed diagnosis was therefore a spinal stroke. Never heard of it before and was amazed to hear that most dogs recover well from this. Of course, Max is 14, so tougher. He came home Saturday with a sling. I was worried whether I would be able to look after him, esp peeing and pooping, but I managed OK with the sling. I put him in the sitting room so he had the carpet for grip and could get outdoors through the patio doors. We sat out in the garden for a while as the weather was lovely. I slept on the settee Saturday night.

On Sunday, he was dashing round the garden with me supporting him. He still couldn't stand up unaided, but when I let Nina in to see him, he leapt up and ran round the room after her! He wobbled a lot and fell over a bit, but nonetheless... The physio came and took me through the exercises I need to do. He did pretty well though.

By Monday he could get up unaided and walk about the room a bit. This was much faster progress than I expected, and I was thrilled. He even got up 8 stairs to try and find me ... and then got back down with minimal aid from me when the cleaner arrived and was greeted by the other two.

More of the same today. Expecting the physio again tomorrow. Can't rightly say how relieved I am. Long may it continue. God is definitely in my good books!

And Satchmo follows up Darlington...

2011-09-24T08:21:00.000-07:00

with another BOB at Stafford open, plus Working Group 2. My boy! Thanks to judges Colin Gillanders and Alan Brown.

Satch gets BOB at Darlington

2011-09-19T04:54:00.000-07:00

Satchmo (Grafmax Louis Armstrong) has just won his first Championship show Best of Breed at Darlington Show. V proud! Thanks to judge Nigel Morgan. Have been meaning for several years to make the 600 mile round trip to see friends near Newcastle and take in Darlington and NECDS. Finally did it. Great but emotional to see Gerry's best friends after so many years - very conscious of the empty seat at the dining table, but good to see them nonetheless.

Came back via Peterlee for NECDS dobe champ show. As expected, Amazon Russian Ice won limit and a Supeta was 2nd, but Satch came 3rd, so fairly content with that, what with so many professionals there. Lovely atmosphere, lovely people and so many came up to compliment me on Satchmo and tell me they were rooting for us. Long 4.5 hours back from there in heavy traffic and rain.

As these are Satch's first two shows in Limit Dog, I was pretty pleased.

New heart tests for Dobermanns

2011-09-02T07:25:00.000-07:00

The Dobermann Breed Council (1) has announced new tests for early detection of heart disease in dobermanns. Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) can occur at any age, but is more common in older dogs. One of the challenges, therefore, is to identify young dogs that are at risk of developing the disease before they are used as breeding stock.

Troponin I is a protein that is present in cardiac muscle tissue. Increased levels of Troponin I can indicate heart muscle cell injury, as researched by Gerhard Wess and colleagues (2). This could be caused by a number of problems, not just by DCM, but a raised level of Troponin I indicates that echo and Holter testing are needed to test more specifically for the presence of DCM. As the tests only identify whether there is any heart damage at that time, it is important to retest regularly throughout the dog’s life. The Troponin I test is a simple blood test, so it is clearly more feasible to start young and repeat regularly than with echo and Holter testing.

Another possible marker, but with less clear evidence at present, is lactate levels. Lactate is a form of lactic acid, which is produced naturally by animals and increases during exercise or severe illness. If lactate is produced at a faster rate than it is being cleared from the dog’s body, even when it is not being exercised, there is some evidence from Bitten Jönsson’s work in Denmark that this may be a very early marker indeed of the dog’s potential to develop DCM later in life. At present, this assay is for research more than for diagnosis.

The Dobermann Breed Council (DBC) is working with Dr Jo Dukes-McEwan at Liverpool University to carry out Troponin I and lactate assays and the DBC will pay up to £50 towards costs for breeders who are member of a breed club affiliated to the DBC.

(with thanks to Dr Jo Dukes-McEwan and Rebecca Barber)

References

1. Dobermann Breed Council announcement, http://dobermannbreedcouncil.co.uk/troponin.html

2. Wess, Gerhard et al, 20I0, Cardiac Troponin I in Doberman Pinschers with Cardiomyopathy, Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, vol 24, pp 843-849 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/204I2436

Pippi gone

2011-09-02T07:20:00.000-07:00

Pippi went to her new home with Natasha and Julian and their 2 children last Saturday. Last thing I saw she was sitting on Natasha's lap licking her chin. My dogs don't appear to have noticed, but I like to assume there's been a bit of doggy grief in there somewhere. I took Nina to see her other daughter, Ella, yesterday, which she was very excited about.

Shame Pippi fell in the pond just before she left! I was indoors and heard Nina barking - that's nothing unusual as she barks at every passer-by, but this sounded panicky. I then heard a little squeak from Pippi (don't call her Pipsqueak for nothing) and knew exactly what had happened. Dashed out to find her doggy-paddling madly in the deep end - a few feet from the shallow end and beach but at 7.5 weeks that's clearly not obvious. Yoiked the poor girl out, wrapped her in towels and cuddled her till she warmed up and the adrenalin rush died down (in both of us!).

Update - better late than never

2011-08-11T02:21:00.000-07:00

Well, just as it was getting interesting I got sidetracked and didn't make any entries. Sorry about that. Nina was confirmed pregnant at about 4.5 weeks, but it wasn't clear how many - looked small. At 7 weeks she was rescanned and ... just one pup. What a bugger. Rather worrying as you really can't afford to lose one when it's a singleton. However, all went well and she whelped at 6.15 on Weds 6 July.

Little Grafmax Solitaire (Pippi) weighed a healthy 460g. Here she is as a newborn. More like a little rodent than a dog! All has gone fantastically well. She's been given very active interaction and exposure to lots of things to compensate for not having sibling pups and she's extraordinarily confident at 5 weeks. She now weighs 3.5kg.

Satchmo adores her and plays with her very gently. Max hates her and doesn't want her near him. They are all jealous and seeking lots of attention. I started her on solid food at 3.5 weeks and will start weaning her away from Nina today. She's already sold and her new owners have been to see her twice and are coming again this weekend. Have alook at www.grafmax.org for more photos and video.

More puppies?

2011-05-15T13:16:00.001-07:00

I took Nina back to see her erstwhile boyfriend, Bracco, on 5 May. They got on pretty well! Fingers crossed that she's pregnant. If so, pups will be full brothers/sisters to the Grafmax Jazz litter and will be due on 7 July and ready for new homes at end of August. I've told Nina I'd like 8 please. I can't have her scanned until 5 weeks after mating. She's started stealing Satch's and Max's food. Does that mean anything?

I can't wait to see what Satchmo thinks about some new brothers and sisters. I should think his nose will be quite out of joint when he sees his mum fussing round new babies.

Secret diary of Maximilian Thorn, aged 13 3/4

2011-05-05T23:09:00.000-07:00

Woke up at 6am and thought, 'My Mum loves me, she won't want to miss a minute with me', so I barked and barked until she realised I was awake and came down to love me a bit more. I went out into the garden for a pee and a sniff and ran back in quickly to see her some more. She didn't seem pleased that I'd come in without waiting for her to do that strange thing where she wipes all my feet with a towel. Still, I probably imagined that - I'm a bit sensitive, you know.

She sat down at that damn thing she calls a computer and appeared to be ignoring me, so I tap-danced and whinged till she turned and laughed and stroked my neck. I love my Mum. She couldn't have been laughing at me of course, cos she loves me too much. She was probably just laughing from sheer pleasure at my stopping her having to look at that weird screen thing. Then she was forced somehow to look back at it again, so I put my front paws on her lap and gave her a big kiss.

She said, 'Off', but I know she didn't really mean it. Then she said, 'I said off, deaf bugger'. Then I knew she really loved me more than the other two, cos 'deaf bugger' is a new term of endearment that she only uses with me. That's cos I'm special. I'm her first dog and today I'm 13 and 3/4. She loves me much more than that scintillating bitch, Nina, who's only a girl after all, and MUCH more than the brat.

Have I mentioned the brat? He and 3 others, indistinguishable from him, came to live with us a couple of years ago. Mum and Nina brought them back from the vet's. They were really small then and I didn't think they'd be an issue, but, boy did they grow quick. They got everywhere. I treated them with the disdain they deserved, of course; ignored them completely, in fact, but that didn't stop them running round after me and doing their poor excuse for barking. (Not proper big boy barking like mine. Hang on a sec while I do a bit more.) Anyway, after 8 weeks, my Mum realised they were pathetic compared to me and paid people to take 3 of them away. (Yes, she did, I saw money change hands.) Seems the brat (they call him Satchmo, but I call him the brat) was so appalling they couldn't afford to get anyone to take him away. And boy did he grow. I've heard people say he's bigger than me, but of course that can't possibly be true.

Anyway, today's my 13 3/4 birthday, so Mum is going to take me for a really good walk and then Emma and Brian are coming for the weekend, specially to see me cos it's my 13 3/4 birthday. Yes, I know it's Mum's and Nina's birthdays tomorrow, but that's definitely not why they're coming; otherwise, why are they coming today?

Got to go - sausages for breakfast. That PROVES my Mum loves me best. The other 2 will get tinned food - heh, heh.

Puppies?

2011-04-19T01:52:00.000-07:00

I've been pointedly not making a decision about whether to mate Nina when she comes into season again in a few weeks. Pro - this is her last year of being able to produce KC-registered pups, probably my last chance to raise more pups, it's good timing (summer, I'm working from home). Con - health risks? I'll be stuck at home all summer.

However, just in case, I sent her for some health checks last Friday. Like most large breeds, dobes are prone to heart problems, esp Dilated Cardiomyopathy, where the heart enlarges. She was given the full test for this 18 months ago, but had some follow-up ones and also blood tests for liver and kidney function. Her heart was fine (she didn't even have to be sedated for the tests; what a good girl) and the blood results should come back soon.

And, rather predictably, that's tipped me into thinking I should mate her if the test results are OK. Otherwise, why pay for them to be done? I expect that decision was already made subconsciously anyway.

I'll use the same sire as for the Jazz litter. Temperament couldn't be better; behaviour, health and fitness good and they're all beautiful head-turners.

And of course, there's no way I'm going to keep one...

Update on New Year resolutions

2011-04-11T06:56:00.000-07:00

Just looked back at the New Year resolutions. Mixed bag (not very mixed; most have been pretty much failures).

"My main wish for Max is that he stays happy and healthy. My resolution is to make sure he gets 2 walks every day to keep him fit." Update - he is happy and healthy. The spring weather has seen him out in the garden a lot and he looks really fit. Can't say it's due to my success in taking him for 2 walks a day, though...

"My wish for Nina is that she stays well and continues to do well at shows. I've just started taking her again and she's had a Best of Breed, a 1st and two 2nds in her first four shows. My resolutions for her are to continue working on her nervousness of unknown small dogs if they come bounding up to her (she's much better, but more to do) and to join an agility club with her." Update - she's well and doing pretty well at shows. RBOB recently. I've taken her once to the village field where everyone walks their dogs and once to Westonbirt Arboretum. Does that count as working on her nervousness? Not really, does it? Haven't joined an agility club, but she has had a couple of agility lessons at our normal place.

My wish for Satchmo is that he stops chewing everything! Are you listening, young man? My resolutions for him are to get him through KC Gold and SWDTBC Intermediate. And to improve my handling, especially to handle him well at Crufts. Update - as with all my dobes, Satch got to 20 months and pretty much stopped chewing everything - apart from his mother's ears. He's got his KC Gold and may take his Intermediate shortly. And I DID handle him well at Crufts - as witness his 2nd and 3rd places!

Too good - I'm suspicious

2011-04-11T06:52:00.000-07:00

Satchmo has been pretty good. He got his Kennel Club Gold last Sunday. He was really well-behaved on his walk yesterday. He hasn't chewed up anything in the garden lately. Why is it that I feel we're building up to something?

Satchmo at Crufts

2011-03-16T09:31:00.000-07:00

Crufts was last Friday. Took Satchmo, mainly for a day out as everyone reckoned the judge likes shorter, stockier dogs. However ... he came 3rd in Yearling Dog and 2nd in Good Citizen Dog. I was very pleased; I think his movement probably swung it as he moved like a dream. It's so nice to have a really big ring to move a big dog in. He didn't pace at all ... unlike the one that won Best of Breed ;-)

Put a sock in it

2011-03-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

So, I used to have several hard rubber balls that made really good garden toys if tied in an old sock; makes it easy to throw them a long way. Needless to say, the socks had disappeared, so I went and got a couple more. Run out of the very fine ones, so these 2 were a bit thicker. Tied them on and threw a couple of times and went out for the day leaving the dogs playing happily with them. Came back to find - both balls, neither had their socks on. Couldn't find the socks whatever I did. Gave Satchmo some old-fashioned looks.

Cut to next few days when old Max was being a bit sick here and there, but dogs do that, so ...

THREE days later, I came downstairs in the morning to find a large pile of vomit. Unusual that, as they usually eat it again (aaargh). I don't really need to tell you that both socks were in it, do I? Poor old Max had managed to eat two full thick socks. Poor wee laddie. Better out than in, I suppose!

Life's not fair!

2011-02-14T01:27:00.000-08:00

Satch has been really good lately. Good stays, good on walks. Then Saturday I was preparing myself a really nice cold chicken salad (you can see where this is going) when the postman arrived. The back door was open as it was such a lovely day and the dogs all rushed out, so I had to step momentarily outside the back door to take the post through the gate ... and stepped back in to find the chicken breast in Satch's mouth. Got it back, not without a little difficulty, but obviously out of the question to eat it. I had to make do with an omelette and the dogs got chicken for tea. Life's so not fair!

The joys of dog ownership

2011-02-03T23:53:00.000-08:00

Got up yesterday morning and could tell before I started to come downstairs that there had been an 'issue' overnight. Got into the breakfast room to discover one of the three dogs had had real squits. Spent a happy half-hour cleaning that up. Couldn't have been Max as he would have called me. So both Nina and Satch got a very small breakfast. All well during the morning - several lots of workmen there laying flooring and carpets, servicing the Aga, delivering radiators. Then, after they'd all gone (thank goodness) I discovered some more in the hall and extending on to the sitting room carpet - which had just been professionally cleaned, at great expense, exactly a week before. Whilst cleaning that up, I realised there was some more on the sitting room carpet. Oh joy. Concluded it was Satchmo (there was a bit of evidence, if you know what I mean). So no dinner and no training class for him. Still, that meant Nina could go. We did a bit of agility - going over a jump, through a tunnel, over another jump, picking up a retrieve item and bringing it back the same way. She gets soooo excited about agility that, to start with, I couldn't stop her going backwards and forwards through the tunnel in a frenzy of excitement. Bless.

Dobermann eating deer

2011-02-01T03:45:00.000-08:00

Gross bit of video from Xmas time. Monster Nina found this in a field and wouldn't give it up until there was only a little bit left. Needless to say, much of it appeared on the floor the next morning...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S5kyQo1V5w

Tomboy again

2011-02-01T03:40:00.000-08:00

Yet again, I came home from a day out last Weds and found Nina had a 3 inch tear in her side. Actually, rather embarrassingly, I didn't find it on Weds at all - I didn't notice till Thursday morning. So, no breakfast for Nina as it was clearly a general anaesthetic jobbie. Off to the vet for first appointment of the morning (I think they keep it free for us). Collected her about 4.30 and had usual 'I need to sleep but I don't want to so I'm going to stand here and waver about all evening'. Getting better now. Nurse Satch did his usual job of licking it clean all the time. Although clean is perhaps overstating it. You never know where that tongue has been. No - worse - you DO know where that tongue has been!

The Nina Simone Guide to Parenting

2011-01-07T07:48:00.000-08:00

The Nina Simone guide to parenting – a guide for first-time mothers

1. If in doubt, lick its bottom
2. When leaping from the bed to shout at a passing horse, try not to tread on more than two of the puppies
3. If the horse is imaginary, try not to tread on more than one
4. When all else fails, lick its bottom
5. If it won’t stop suckling to have its bottom licked, stand it on its head and do it anyway
6. Try not to look at the puppies with too much disdain as you pass the nest, or your mum might not let you out in the garden as much
7. Remember, this is the one time you’ll be allowed to eat as much as you want – cultivate a constant hungry look and head for the kitchen every time your mum goes in there
8. If the puppies cry, ignore them; they’ll fall asleep eventually
9. If they’re suckling and you want to get out of the bed, get out anyway; they’ll drop off at some point
10. If in doubt, lick its bottom

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T02:13:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year. What will 2011 hold for Grafmax dobermanns?

My main wish for Max is that he stays happy and healthy. My resolution is to make sure he gets 2 walks every day to keep him fit.

My wish for Nina is that she stays well and continues to do well at shows. I've just started taking her again and she's had a Best of Breed, a 1st and two 2nds in her first four shows. My resolutions for her are to continue working on her nervousness of unknown small dogs if they come bounding up to her (she's much better, but more to do) and to join an agility club with her.

My wish for Satchmo is that he stops chewing everything! Are you listening, young man? My resolutions for him are to get him through KC Gold and SWDTBC Intermediate. And to improve my handling, especially to handle him well at Crufts.

On the fourth day of Christmas ... I strangled Satchmo

2011-01-01T02:07:00.000-08:00

On the fourth day of Christmas my Satchmo chewed for me...

Four doggie collars
Four leather shoes
Three organisers
Two of Nina's moo-moos
And a really nice honeysuckle tree

The dog collars were all on Max's neck at the time.
The leather shoes were all real favourites except one.
The latest organiser had been bought only two months ago
And the honeysuckle had been cultivated for years to the point where it climbed right over the wall. It's now a two-inch stump.
Sigh.

Satchmo passes another exam!

2010-12-05T06:24:00.000-08:00

Satchmo and 8 others took their Foundation test at the Southwest Dog Training and Behaviour Centre yesterday. The exercises include things like a stay amongst chickens, walk and wait, formal recall etc. The tricky bit is that you can't use any extra commands. Satch lost 1 point for raising his head off the floor during the lie flat; and 2 x 1/4 points in the formal recall, for sitting slightly at an angle and finishing a bit wide. Nonetheless, he did really well. All the dogs passed, even the ones that were having real problems only a few days ago. V v proud as always.

Serious stuff

2010-12-02T00:10:00.001-08:00

Serious post this time. A few weeks ago, I thought I was going to lose Max. He's 13 yrs and 3 months and that's old for a dobe, but he's been so fit I've always kidded myself he'll go on for ever. Anyway, he'd been quite a couch potato since I've not been going out to work, especially when there was a cold, wet spell. I'd noticed he'd lost muscle tone on his back end. I had a couple of days when I couldn't walk them much and I then came down one morning to find a lake of pee and Max losing his back end every few secs. Poor lad couldn't make it to the door, but peed across the doormat and then couldn't cock his leg. Big panic and off to vet. Transpired he'd presumably both got lazy and stiff and also been leaving it too long to go for a pee, so he had a urinary infection. Anti-inflammatory eased the stiffness; antibiotics cured the infection; and 3 walks a day, rain or shine, built the muscle tone back. I shall learn that lesson and not let it happen again. Coddling him is obviously riskier than sending him out in bad weather.

Slapstick flatcoat

2010-11-15T00:09:00.000-08:00

Molly the flatcoat retriever is very brave and aggressive ... as long as there's a gate between her and the three dobes. When she walks past with her owner, she races up to our gate, barking like a thing possessed, and then clearly enjoys the degree to which Nina, especially, gets wound up by this. Was at the gate yesterday with big softie, Max, and Molly saw us and started at her fastest gallop, barking manically ... just as Max and I opened the gate and came out to start our walk. Well, if she could have gone into reverse, she would have done. She put the anchors on so hard that she slipped on her side and slid about two yards on the ground, still on her side. She then got up and stood a couple of yards away, feigning nonchalance, looking in the opposite direction, studiously ignoring us, while her owner and I stood there, hands on knees, crying with laughter. Been feeling very stressed so, thanks, Molly sweetie, you really cheered me up.

Not hell ... not really even purgatory, except for Satch

2010-10-20T13:15:00.000-07:00

Things are gradually subsiding. I let Max and Satchmo play with Nina this afternoon. Satch jumped and skipped round his mother, playbowing and saying, "I love, love, love my Mum. She's so exciting to be with. Much more than usual. Let's play, play, play." Sweetie. He just doesn't get it, does he? Max knows Nina won't let him near her, so he mounts Satch instead. So, Satchmo is playbowing at his mum and wagging his tail and all of a sudden, Max is on his back end that he's inadvertently pointed skywards. You can see Satch thinking, "I don't know much about sex, but this isn't how I imagined it'd be."

Hormone hell - yet again

2010-10-15T01:27:00.000-07:00

OK, so Nina's in season again and this time two sexually mature boys to keep away from her. As luck had it, I was already scheduled for 4 days away with friends, so I took the boys and got someone to house sit Nina. However, back yesterday and at least one dog whining all the time. Mostly Satchmo (typical boy), but both Max and Nina do join in regularly. (Short pause here while Satch tried to climb on my lap. Fey little look - what a poor boy I am, please cuddle me - and then belched in my face.) Max won't eat at all now, at least not dog food. Half a dozen sausages by hand and a pound of biscuits doesn't, of course, count as eating.

Anyway, Max now in kitchen barking and howling, Satch whining in my ear and Nina in the sitting room scratching my lovely oak door and whining. At least another week of this...

At night the two boys are in cages and Nina in the room with them. If I put Nina in the cage instead, Max pees on her. The joys of dog ownership.

Good day at SW Working and Pastoral

2010-10-03T02:55:00.001-07:00

Satch was the only dog in Junior, so needless to say, got a first. I also took Nina, first proper show for about a year, and she won open bitch, which I was thrilled about. And then Satchmo won BOB. Very pleased, as he was up against four other dogs. Had to persuade one of the exhibitors whose dog Nina beat to handle her in the BOB line-up. He was very nice about it and complimentary about her. Long wait for the group judging and no placing in that, which is not surprising as Satch is still only 16 months and therefore still a bit immature. Good day out though.

Emma's stuck inside the computer - get her out!

2010-09-30T03:57:00.000-07:00

Just been taken totally by surprise by my first Skype videocall. Emma called from Spain and we were chatting away, when Satchmo got alert and then anxious; climbed on my lap and first stared at the computer, then started trying to nudge random bits each time Emma spoke. I'm sure she preferred seeing bits of Satch's head and neck to a rather washed-out pic of me, anyway.

House(trained) - Doctor Satch to the rescue

2010-09-28T12:40:00.000-07:00

Nina tearing her ears wouldn't have been too much of a problem if Satchmo hadn't decided to give them frequent and thorough medical attention. He kept licking them inside and out. Constantly. Unfortunately, hygiene is not his strong point and he still licked them after he'd been drinking from a disgusting-smelling bucket (found out why after; dead fledgeling in it). So, antibiotics for Nina and a lot of shouting 'Leave it' for Satch.

Then I fell over and grazed my hand and knee badly. Satchmo felt he could deal with it much better than a wash and a plaster - but in this case I decided to disagree strongly. Got to wear trousers to keep him away from my knee. He sniffs it though - makes me feel as if I have a very smelly knee.

Normal service is resumed

2010-09-28T12:34:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long gap. I surprised myself in June by resigning from my job as CEO of 2 companies after 19 years. Just finished a couple of weeks ago. It disrupted life in many ways and, strangely, took my attention away from the dog blog. Was it a clever move? Tell you in 6-12 months...

Nina's in the wars again. She seems to sense when I've posted off some show entries. She hasn't been shown since early Sept 2009. I had entered her for a few more last autumn, but she ripped another bit out of herself. I've been focused on Satchmo since then, but I took both to the Companion Dog Show at Berkeley Show and she moved so nicely (winning open and best movement) that I thought I'd show her again a bit. So now she's ripped both ears (inside and out) on brambles. Found them and cut them down (no, silly, the brambles). Inevitably, by far the most noticeable scar is on the ear nearest the judge. Still, let's see how she gets on.

(She's snoring at the moment. Why do the bitches snore and the dogs not??)

Still a leather fetishist

2010-07-31T12:03:00.001-07:00

Remember the blog about Satch and his leather fetish (early May)? Well, it's still going on. He's now removed a total of three collars from Max, eaten the leather and left the buckle/chain/dog tag or whatever. I'm only relieved that he must chew them into small pieces; I was not looking forward to helping 20 inches of leather out of his bottom. Max is now sporting a fetching multicoloured fabric collar.

Oh, and he had a go at one of my rather lovely pale blue shoes that I bought in the states. I think I can just about still wear it. I'm very well aware that he thinks suede is potentially even more tasty and generally sensually appealling than ordinary leather, as he keeps licking my suede shoes, but so far he hasn't got any further than that (as far as I know).

Satch the Elizabethan dandy

2010-07-31T11:48:00.001-07:00

Poor Satchmo got a little histiocytoma (benign lump) on the inside of his elbow. As he was worrying it and making it raw, the vet nipped it off and put in 2 layers of stitches. Next day ... top layer of stitches gone. Back to the vet for staples. Lasted till Monday. By then the bit he'd worked the staples out from was infected. So, the elizabethan collar came into play. He was a very good boy and let me put it on, but was then scared, unsurprisingly. I walked round the garden with him before bed to encourage him to wee, but he wouldn't, so I resigned myself to a puddle on the floor overnight. But no, nothing the next morning and he still wouldn't pee. It was eventually at least 14 hours and then he peed like a horse.

It was impossible not to laugh as he ran for the door and then - boof - shot back at least six inches as the collar hit the door frame and proved action and reaction really are equal and opposite. Amazing how quickly he got the hang of it though. Not sure how much good it did as I caught Max licking the wound for him several times. All well now.

Another funny thing was that, when I took him for the op, I also took Nina for a day with some other dogs. When I picked her up, I was told she wouldn't play and wouldn't even eat treats; was just quiet and sad. Could this be because I took her son to the vet and left him there? She was fine once she got home and saw he was OK. Bet she kicked herself afterwards for missing out on the treats.

Satchmo the narcissus

2010-06-27T01:14:00.000-07:00

Came back from a trip abroad and Satch stuck to me like glue. I went upstairs to unpack and he came too. I looked up from the suitcase to find him stood with his front paws on the dressing table stool, studying himself very seriously in the mirror. How cute is that?

World's most expensive hand job?

2010-06-27T01:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I made an appointment for Max to have semen taken for storage and later AI. He's still very fit at almost 13, clear of all the main genetic diseases, beautifully proportioned and a perfect gentleman.

So, I was at my neighbour's a few days before and said I was taking him for a very expensive hand job. Her teenage son's friend immediately asked if he could come too. We both pointed out that he probably didn't need to pay that much. My friend asked how they do it and I said, "I'll tell you after Friday." Lots of jokes about needing to take doggie magazines, plus ciggies and whisky for after.

So, I took Max up to Malvern and we queued behind 7 bloodhounds. (Didn't realise how huge they are. And how dribbly.) I was slightly perturbed to hear that semen had only been succesfully taken from 1. I thought, "No problem for Max, he's all over Nina and she's not even in season."

Anyway, we went in and there was this sweet little collie bitch standing there patiently as the teaser. Then it became clear what the problem was. She was way past her peak of season. Max was interested in the room, the people ... anything except the bitch. Even lifting her tail and sticking his nose there did nothing. I did discover the way they do it ... just exactly the normal way, except with a latex glove. She commented that Max has one testicle slightly larger than the other. I know this and take a photo of his back end every couple of months to make sure it's not getting any bigger. I told her that I have a folder on my PC called 'Max's back end' where the photos are, and she said my friend's son's friend would probably want to be in there too. Guffaws of laughter from both of us. Very surreal having a chatty conversation with the vet across Max's back as he was being, well, wanked. Complete waste of time, and still cost me £50, but an interesting experience.

Does Nina wish she had babies or is she just pissed off with Max?

2010-05-30T01:53:00.000-07:00

Nina has come to the end of her false pregnancy and seems, to all intents and purposes, to have post-natal depression. Or maybe she's just fed up with Max following her around and licking her fanny.

There is definitely a noticeable hormonal change at that point. I always know exactly which day it happens as Max goes off his food and starts trying to mount her. (He mounts Satchmo too, which leaves the pup looking confused). It's like a lesser version of his behaviour when she's in season. He had to sleep in my room last night as he wouldn't stop barking excitedly.

I've started giving Nina Tic-Tacs like I do in her season. Hope it helps, for all our sakes.

If she carries on being depressed for too long, it'll be off to the vet again for some cabergoline (prolactin suppressant). They must be missing us anyway; it's at least a fortnight since we were there...

Satchmo gets his Kennel Club Silver

2010-05-30T01:48:00.000-07:00

Satchie baby passed his Kennel Club Silver Good Citizen Test Saturday at 12.5 months! Pretty good considering he hadn't been going to classes for several months and only had 3 before the test (test rather sprung on me as I hadn't picked up that a date was set due to not going to classes for a while).

Neither of us much enjoyed the road walk in the rain. He had been a bit funny about getting in the car, but our brill trainer Ann Nash had given me a tip to sort it (involving cheese - surprise, surprise) which worked perfectly.

On to gold now, and then SWDTBC's Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced. he'll catch up with Mummy Nina if she's not careful. She's in advanced. Might have to take them alternate weeks.

Two dog shows coming up next week, so fingers crossed.

No, Max, you're 12 YEARS old

2010-05-28T23:35:00.000-07:00

Went for a 10 mile walk yesterday with a friend (turned out to be 11 miles, but that's another story). Satch is too young and Nina can be a bit of a pest when she's excited, so we took Max. I dithered a bit about that as he will be 13 in August. He's very good at looking sorry for himself and a bit of a waif and stray, so sometimes I think he's feeling his age. However, true to form, he had no problem with the walk and even behaved like a naughty teenager the whole time. Very like Satch at 12 months, in fact.

He ran off twice and wouldn't come back when called, so I had to put him on a lead. He tried to steal biscuits from my bumbag. He pulled on the lead while I was trying to walk down a steep slope. He ... get the picture?

Needless to say, he was much less tired than us when we got back and spent at least an hour playing in the garden with Satch. He's having a lie-in this morning, though.

Satchmo wins a few more firsts

2010-05-19T12:25:00.000-07:00

Well, we are having a good run at shows. We went to a Dobermann open show Sunday and Satch got 2 firsts, a second and a third. Amongst others, he beat Amazon Russian Ice and Amazon The Kandy Man, both of which have been winning quite a lot. As he behaved appallingly, just like last time at that venue, I was doubly pleased. The judge was definitely judging the dog and not the handling!

We did special pre-beginners obedience as well ... also appallingly. Satch's finish at the end of his recall consisted of a complete clockwise circle followed by a half anti-clockwise circle to end up in the right place. Oops. Shame they don't give marks for artistic impression. And he's supposed to be doing his KC Silver award in a week or so. Mind you, he hasn't been going to classes for months until last week. And it wasn't his fault he needed a crap during the stays and couldn't settle.

Satch's birthday pres

2010-05-19T12:21:00.000-07:00

Well Satchmo liked his birthday present from his sis. I took him to my Dad's for coffee (no, no, I had the coffee, silly) and he definitely liked it. When we got home I gave it to him again and within minutes Max did his best John Wayne walk across the room and said 'The toy's mine, pal' and that was the end of that. In the end I took it away from both of them and put it in the toy basket, which is on a chest of drawers. I now keep finding Satchmo balancing awkwardly on the breakfast table bench trying to nudge open the lid of the basket and get it back out.

Happy birthday puppies

2010-05-13T22:42:00.000-07:00

Anticipating by about 14 hours, but it's the Grafmax Jazz litter's first birthday today. The whole experience has been an immense privilege and joy. I think back to when they were small enough for all four to climb on my lap and go to sleep after their post-breakfast play, and I miss that, but there are new joys as they grow ... and, given the chance, Satch still climbs on my lap in the evening for a cuddle and a sleep. Sometimes he wants to curl up on my chest, but I draw the line at that (albeit with difficulty; it's no easy thing getting 35kg of dobe off your chest).

I've sent the other three puppies birthday cards with dobermann puppies on them, which I'm sure they'll appreciate. I've got one for Satchmo (it was a special deal for four, honest) and I guess the best way for him to enjoy it is to let him rip it up. He has a present from Ella's family, which I'll give him later and hope Nina doesn't take it off him.

I'm working at home today, so I can make a bit of a fuss of him. He's managed to steal the bed nearest me at the moment; that's normally Max's privilege.

Just realised this blog service is obviously working on Californian time or some such as it thinks it's still 13 May, but it's definitely 14 May as I type, and that's their birthday.

Normal service resumed

2010-05-11T13:53:00.000-07:00

Came home today to find a large piece of honeysuckle on the patio. That one was my favourite and was only just recovering from being demolished some years ago by my late lamented Ellie at the same age. Oh well.

Suspicious

2010-05-10T23:13:00.001-07:00

Can't find anything naughty that Satchmo did while I was at work yesterday. Very suspicious, very very suspicious.

My clever boy

2010-05-09T10:41:00.000-07:00

Satchmo went to Birmingham National today and picked up 1st in Puppy and Novice, so v v proud yet again. Ella got a 4th in Novice. Both hard work, but we're getting to expect that now. A fun day out with Nic too. Good to meet up with Jay and little Dora and pick up some useful handling tips too.

Satch the minimalist designer and leather fetishist

2010-05-03T06:14:00.000-07:00

Satchmo knows what he likes. He likes minimalism. He likes leather. He's been working on my organiser for a while now and, at the third attempt, has got it back to basics. The spine is still there, but the cover isn't. The cover was leather. The bit that makes the rings spring open is gone too, so it takes brute force to open it now.

My new black leather high-heel shoes are rather minimalist now, too. That is, there's only one of them left, which is fairly minimal.

I washed Max's leather collar Friday and left it to dry (you soooo don't want to know what was on it). Next thing, I see Satchmo playing with the buckle, with half an inch of leather attached. Have still not found the other 20 inches, which is rather worrying. Keep eyeing Satch up, but he doesn't look like a dog with a leather strap wound round his gut.

He came running downstairs today looking extraordinarily pleased with himself, with one of my tan ankle-boots in his mouth. Headed that one off at the pass, but no doubt there's more to come.

Nothing to do with the dobes

2010-04-30T02:02:00.001-07:00

This post is (almost) nothing to do with the dobes. I've just got back from running a 2700 delegate international meeting in Prague. So what? So, a week or so before it was due to start, the Icelandic volcano erupted and all flights stopped. It was touch and go for a while. We sent one team overland in a minibus driven by my neighbour and the rest of us took a 26 hour train journey. We had 127 invited speakers; most got there, we videod some of the US ones, and made a few substitutions. But it went soooo well. The President of the client society said I'd stopped the volcano. I suppose if I can control an adolescent dobermann by willpower, a volcano should be a no problem. I volunteered to accompany my neighbour back in the minibus. We started out from Prague at 09.45 Weds and got home at 22.15 yesterday evening (Thurs). V tired and glad of a shower. Dobes v happy to see me. Much jostling for front row position in the chin-tickling stakes.

Showgirl

2010-04-16T23:27:00.000-07:00

Or perhaps Nina did it on purpose just to get out of going to a show tomorrow. The last time I entered her for one, she dashed off in the fields and came back ripped to shreds. Had to have 3 staples in one front leg and 1 in the other. The vets love me! The insurers don't. If I'm not in for more than a fortnight, the vets start dusting off the redundancy plans.

The things Nina will do to get a bit of attention

2010-04-16T23:19:00.001-07:00

Poor Nina does occasionally tend to miss out on the attention, what with Satchmo being a hoodie and Max flirting (he's sat on my lap as I write). Not in the last few days though. Little tomboy Nina (aka Miss Bean) has been in the wars yet again (third time in 12 months). This time I got home from an overnight trip to find a horribly deep cut about three inches from her tail. Looks for all the world as though she's been stabbed with a chisel. Off to the vet yesterday morning, general anaesthetic, took 20 minutes to clean out (ooh), and she now has a very unattractive bald patch and 7 staples. Poor wee lassie. In usual style after something like this, she needed to come home and sleep, but just wandered pathetically around with her tail clamped down, wobbling slightly, and couldn't settle till bedtime. What goes on in their doggie heads? Does she think if she falls asleep she'll wake up back at the vet's? The nurse didn't want to let me have her back; she was totally enamoured. Apparently, it usually takes 2 to remove a line from a dog's wrist, but Nina just sat and gave paw. My little beauty. A bit better this morning; she stood up and put her tail up and wagged briefly when I got up. Back in bed now, but then she never was a morning girl.

Do I want Satch slow roasted or barbied?

2010-04-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

Well, this week's little adventure is another incident with a cable. While the builder was away buying some bits and pieces (technical building term, that) for the pond, Satchmo was managing to grab the cabling from the new pond pump, drag the pump up out of 5 ft of water and over the edge and leave it in the middle of the drive. First thing I knew was getting home from work and finding a note saying, 'How do you want your dog cooked ... slow roast or barbie?'

Got home today to find he has dried mud on him. Don't even want to think what he's been doing. Will no doubt discover it tomorrow morning. Must ask his mother to chastise him a bit more, but to her he can do no wrong.

Satch the electrician and gardener

2010-04-08T13:19:00.000-07:00

Satch has recently: pulled up all the cabling for the outside lights so I had to pay the gardener to dig new trenches for them; pulled up another bit and bitten through it (fortunately - or not - the power was off so no 12v shock); bitten a chunk out of the TV aerial; demolished 2 honeysuckles; stolen various of the builder's tools and chewed the handles; broken an eggcup (actually that might have been Max). Still love him, so he must have quite some boyish charm...

Happy Easter

2010-04-05T10:21:00.000-07:00

Dogs are happy. Nina's season is over, we're all together. We even sat together in front of a log fire yesterday. I've been home most of the time as it's the Easter break, and there have even been some decent walks. Doggie heaven. Pretty much Susie heaven too.

Got to go - Satch making it quite clear he wants his dinner.

Hormone hell

2010-03-31T23:24:00.000-07:00

Hormone hell in this house recently. Nina's in season, so she's stir-crazy from being kept indoors. She's on a diet of Tic-Tacs to mask the attraction to Max and Satch. It has worked, in that we didn't have a night when Max barks all night, which we usually do. He barked a lot, mind, and nearly drove me mad, but at least I didn't have to sleep on the breakfast room table, whch I had to do last season. Why does he quieten down when I'm in the room? I don't even want to go there!

Satch is funny. He's not been allowed to cross paths with his mum much either, but when he does, he just thinks playing with mum is so, so exciting. He wags his tail faster than I've ever seen before, play bows and jumps around, but clearly has no idea why he's finding her particularly exciting right now. I'm sure he'd work it out if they were together for long, though, so they've definitely been kept apart.

Things are finally starting to calm down. They're all together as I type this - Max sat on my lap; situation normal. I always feel as though I've got him back from a journey when he starts to be able to turn attention to me again after a week or so of total monomania with Nina. Maybe he'll even start eating again soon. He won't touch dog food - tinned or dried - for about 10 days. Predictably, he doesn't seem to think sausages and dog biscuits (fed by hand, of course) count as food, so that's what he's been living on, but he's still skinny.

Satchmo wins again

2010-03-31T23:22:00.001-07:00

Well, we're doing well at Open shows. On 20 Feb at Bristol & District, Satchmo got Best Puppy, Reserve Best of Breed and then Best Puppy in the Working Group. V v proud of him. Needless to say, he was really hard work, but if you get it right with him, he looks fabulous, just poised and quivering.

A few boasts

2010-02-21T10:15:00.000-08:00

Satchmo got his Kennel Club bronze obedience award on 5 February. Didn't put a foot wrong. His sister Ella got hers at the same time. That was a bit more nailbiting - right up to the day before, every time her owner, Nicky, called her in for a recall, Ella just ran straight over to me. Serious work was put in getting Nicky to jump up and down sounding like a banshee, and it worked a treat.

Satchmo also won Best Puppy (BP), Best of Breed (BOB) and Puppy Group 2 (PG2) at Yeovil and District Open Show in January, so you can imagine how proud I was. He got 1 third and 2 seconds at BDDC and also 2nd in obedience there, so that was pretty good too. Ella also got a second at the same show.

Very pleased with both puppies. Totally unbiased and objective, of course.

Episode 2

2010-01-20T13:12:00.000-08:00

Well, that really did start a stream of consciousness, didn't it? Episode 1 in October; episode 2 in January. Satchmo is 8 months now; he is one gorgeous little boy. I use that euphemistically as he's about 37kg now. What a sweetie. V beautiful; v bonded; v good. V v time-consuming. Today I put all three dogs in the car together - WW3 did not break out. Max looked a bit pissed off, but then he's good at that. Walked them all in the snow. How come pavement not cold enough for snow to settle, but dogs' backs cold enough?

Took Max to vet yesterday to get checked up after recent swollen ankle (abscess). Usual Max Wall impression - legs bent, creeping along with excuse for a tail clamped to bum. No I know Max Wall didn't have a tail, but you get the picture. Vets will never know what a proud, handsome boy he really is.

Nina has new red collar. Her colour. My colour. Who would think a new red collar could be as enhancing on a dog as a new red dress would be on me...

Introducing the grafmax dobes

2009-10-15T14:21:00.000-07:00

Hi. Grafmax is my kennel name for my dobermanns. I have two adults - Max (Kenex Spain at Grafmax) and Nina (Cosajoro Nina Simone at Grafmax). Then, in May 2009, I did something really crazy, considering I live on my own and work full time - I bred my first litter. They are the Jazz litter - what else could they be with Nina Simone for a mother? I have kept Satchmo (Grafmax Louis Armstrong) and I'm part owner of Ella (Grafmax Ella Fitzgerald). The other two pups - Grafmax Billie Holiday and Grafmax Fats Waller - live some way away.

It was a fantastic, and seriously expensive, experience breeding and raising a litter. I really enjoyed it and I'm so proud of Satchmo and Ella. They were five months old yesterday and they've both had their Kennel Club Puppy Foundation Certificates for some time.

I've just posted off their first dog show entry forms and I'm really excited about that. I'll be gutted if they don't get anywhere.