Obviously I've not posted anything in a while to Misha's Blog. But that doesn't mean there hasn't been anything going on!
Last year Misha was shown very lightly. But she still managed to take a Reserve Challenge Certificate at the Three Counties Championship show in JUN, and a Best of Breed, then a Pastoral Group 2 placing at an Open Show.
For the third year running, Misha qualified for the Northern Samoyed of the Year competition, however due to her season timing we didn't attend.
We developed a bit of a problem with Misha just as we were entering the summer show season. It seems she got a foreign object lodged in her tear duct. We took her to two vets and the second one referred us to an ophthalmologist specializing in dogs. He did two flushes and inspections, and a sample sent to the lab. The sample was negative for disease or infection, as was the inspection for anything genetic, i.e. entropion (ingrown eye lid), trichiasis (ingrown eyelashes), etc. Misha got a clean bill of health regarding all that.
The specialist decided we needed to see an ENT and gave us a referral. We visited and she decided that given the history, and Misha's propensity for sticking her nose into bushes and rolling around in tall grasses, it must be a grass seed whose barbs had firmly taken hold.
The ENT wanted us to undergo a scan, meaning Misha would have had to been anesthetized for the third time in two months.
I'm afraid we said no. It was far too much in such a short span of time as far as we were concerned.
Then the ENT told us the solutions to the problem. The least invasive is a one centimeter incision into the tear duct. That's provided the little culprit is close to the surface.
The most invasive is drilling into the bone to create a new channel.
That ain't gonna happen! Too many people have been very willing to share horror stories of dogs they know having had this done. A vet a friend knows told her to tell me that if this were one of his show dogs he would refuse to have the operation.
We may show Misha, but she is our beloved companion, and her comfort is first and foremost to us. Showing is a hobby, not a way of life. This amounts to cosmetic surgery basically. The thing is, the ENT told us there is absolutely no guarantee the treatment will work, or that she will not be permanently scarred. Enough said. Why would we put her through this only to possibly have it crop up again?
It doesn't bother Misha. The eye tears at more times than at others. What has happened is the tears have produced a wet patch that has created bacteria and stained her coat near the eye red. If I can keep the eye dry, then I can treat the discoloured coat. I'm trying to do this as natural as possible, without resorting to peroxide and all sorts of dangerous concoctions. This is Misha's eye we are talking about.
However I do despair because I think the chances of Misha making Champion are gone. She is a fine bitch and deserves to be a champion. But let's face it, this is a beauty competition and she is considered 'marred'. Sure, if we were the 'right' people the chances she would get her tickets would be good. But, we aren't and we won't.
All those judges who came so close in awarding her a CC, but said, "Oh she's young, she has so many years ahead of her." were so wrong.
The real sad part is, this year Misha has taken off. Finally after more than two years of trying to get her to body up she has. She started to eat and filled out. No more willow-the-wisp Junior masquerading as a two and a half year old! Now at three years old Misha's ribs have sprung, and she is a full bodied, well muscled, gorgeous coated, strong moving, beautiful bitch with an attitude!
However, what will be will be. Nothing changes the fact that Misha is more of a joy every day that passes. Her temperament is second to none. She is loving, charming, and gentle. She is so friendly to humans and animals alike. She has a zest of life that is amazing to watch. How excited she gets when she thinks there is an outing in view. Her excitement is catching when she arrives at a destination she loves; whether it's Granny and Grandpa's or a particular dog walking venue.
She will talk to us in little chunters, expressing her happiness, and satisfaction. Misha has her routines for greeting us in the morning. After a walk she must come and say hello to whomever was left behind, and thank you to the person who took her.
During the course of the day she will walk by us and just nudge us as if to say, "I'm here, and I love you."
And the cuddles! A day is not complete without Misha asking to come on your lap for a cuddle.
I ask, who could possible want a better companion? This is the Misha we wanted, this is the Misha whose wellbeing means so much to us.
We will more than likely not be doing many shows this year. Crufts is out as Misha is due to blow coat anywhere from two weeks before to the day she is to be groomed for the show.
We don't like showing a dog out of coat, or coming out of coat, so we will be giving the show a miss.
Then, hopefully, come MAY we will be breeding Misha! Oh the excitement! Oh the terror!
We've never bred a litter, I've certainly never thought about it before. But, I think with a Samoyed as fine as Misha, we need to keep her genes alive.
Of course the entire reason why we decided to breed is because we want a Misha puppy. :)
Monday 12 January 2009
Friday 25 January 2008
How to Amuse a Samoyed
If you are looking to amuse a Samoyed an absolute necessity is a basket full of toys. Be prepared to find most of them on the floor at any given time because that is where they should be! This according to the Samoyed.
However, said toys must be thrown, held, shaken, tossed, and pulled by the humans of the household in order to achieve the optimum fun. In fact, the best play toy is the human...the momma figure actually.
Misha has become very playful lately. I think it has to do with the fact I have hit upon the right combination of food and have managed to get her to actually eat it. Misha has to 'earn' her food. I take out a portion of her dry biscuit on our morning walk. She will run and fetch her ball getting the food as a reward for bringing it to me. She also will chase her biscuit ball around the house eating the little nuggets it spews forth.
With her eating properly she has been much more playful in the daytime. And night time.
There are certain toys retained from Misha's puppy hood that she still loves to play with. Each one has a prescribed style of play. Her gummi bone is to be tossed into the air so she can jump up and catch it. Or it must be held and wiggled so she can grab it and give a little play growl.
Her leather bone with the braided ropes on the ends leads to a game of 'Twirly-whirly'. The style of this game is Misha holding one end of the rope while the human spins her around very quickly. She also likes to add a few jumps to the left or right for something different.
But her current favourite is the cheap vinyl squeaky ball. Misha loves this ball. And you know, I can honestly say even though it is the most annoying squeak I don't mind it because of how much pleasure she gets out of it.
Besides, she is very musical in the way she makes it squeak.
She tosses it in the air, she pounces on it with both feet. She nudges it into a corner then noses it. She brings it to us and wants us to throw it down the room so she can chase it. If she loses it under the furniture, she will come to me and make it known she wants me to retrieve it for her. She remembers the last place she put it.
However, it was the game she invented the other night that made me sit back in amazement.
We had been playing and she positioned herself behind M's legs, so she was between the sofa and his legs, little head peeping out at one head. She batted her ball with her paw and sent it rolling towards me - I was on the floor.
I rolled it back to her, and she reached out with her paw and batted it to me. Again I rolled it back to her. This went on like a game of table tennis for several minutes. Misha would either use her paw or nose to send the ball to me. Always gently, always on target, and immediately it rolled to her. The look on her face was absolutely priceless. So concentrated, yet happy at the same time.
It made me stop and think about how Misha directs the way the play sessions go. She lets me know what toys she wants to play with. She invents ways to play. She will put this toy with that one. She will set this one up so and run around then nose it as she passes.
I've played with my dogs before, but it was me directing how the sessions would go. Not with Misha. As I say, she has me constantly in a state of wonderment, and it's usually followed by a fit of giggles.
However, said toys must be thrown, held, shaken, tossed, and pulled by the humans of the household in order to achieve the optimum fun. In fact, the best play toy is the human...the momma figure actually.
Misha has become very playful lately. I think it has to do with the fact I have hit upon the right combination of food and have managed to get her to actually eat it. Misha has to 'earn' her food. I take out a portion of her dry biscuit on our morning walk. She will run and fetch her ball getting the food as a reward for bringing it to me. She also will chase her biscuit ball around the house eating the little nuggets it spews forth.
With her eating properly she has been much more playful in the daytime. And night time.
There are certain toys retained from Misha's puppy hood that she still loves to play with. Each one has a prescribed style of play. Her gummi bone is to be tossed into the air so she can jump up and catch it. Or it must be held and wiggled so she can grab it and give a little play growl.
Her leather bone with the braided ropes on the ends leads to a game of 'Twirly-whirly'. The style of this game is Misha holding one end of the rope while the human spins her around very quickly. She also likes to add a few jumps to the left or right for something different.
But her current favourite is the cheap vinyl squeaky ball. Misha loves this ball. And you know, I can honestly say even though it is the most annoying squeak I don't mind it because of how much pleasure she gets out of it.
Besides, she is very musical in the way she makes it squeak.
She tosses it in the air, she pounces on it with both feet. She nudges it into a corner then noses it. She brings it to us and wants us to throw it down the room so she can chase it. If she loses it under the furniture, she will come to me and make it known she wants me to retrieve it for her. She remembers the last place she put it.
However, it was the game she invented the other night that made me sit back in amazement.
We had been playing and she positioned herself behind M's legs, so she was between the sofa and his legs, little head peeping out at one head. She batted her ball with her paw and sent it rolling towards me - I was on the floor.
I rolled it back to her, and she reached out with her paw and batted it to me. Again I rolled it back to her. This went on like a game of table tennis for several minutes. Misha would either use her paw or nose to send the ball to me. Always gently, always on target, and immediately it rolled to her. The look on her face was absolutely priceless. So concentrated, yet happy at the same time.
It made me stop and think about how Misha directs the way the play sessions go. She lets me know what toys she wants to play with. She invents ways to play. She will put this toy with that one. She will set this one up so and run around then nose it as she passes.
I've played with my dogs before, but it was me directing how the sessions would go. Not with Misha. As I say, she has me constantly in a state of wonderment, and it's usually followed by a fit of giggles.
Wednesday 21 November 2007
Misha will get to meet her Aunt!
I spoke to my sister in the States today and got a definitive "I'm coming to Crufts next year!"
Yahoo!
I'm so thrilled my big sister will be coming for a visit. :) Misha will be over the moon with someone else she can pester for fuss and take for a walk.
My sister will be in for a surprise when she meets Misha. Misha is much more smaller and delicate than my other two Samoyeds that she knew intimately.
I can't wait for March. :)
Yahoo!
I'm so thrilled my big sister will be coming for a visit. :) Misha will be over the moon with someone else she can pester for fuss and take for a walk.
My sister will be in for a surprise when she meets Misha. Misha is much more smaller and delicate than my other two Samoyeds that she knew intimately.
I can't wait for March. :)
Friday 12 October 2007
Life gets in the way, but some things must carry on.
Well, nothing has been posted for months. That's because my dear husband suffered a spontaneous pneumothorax, or collapsed lung, suddenly on the 27 SEP. He was hospitalized for over two weeks. The surgeons did operate on him to reattach the lung to the chest cavity. It's not something they do all the time, but given the SP happens usually to people under 40 and DH is over 40 the surgeon decided to fix it aggressively. Hopefully the chance of a recurrence will not be very high.
His recover time has been slow, and fraught with stumbling blocks. First he contracted a cold, and then ten days after he was released from the hospital he developed an air pocket and a partial collapse of the lung. It took two weeks to reabsorb the air and to inflate the lung fully again. To add to that, the surgical sites were not healing properly.
He has now received his release for the wounds, and we have another appointment with the surgeon on the 14DEC to see if he will be released from his care.
In the meantime, DH is still suffering pain from the procedure. In addition, he is unable to walk any distances, or lift anything heavy. Although some patients are back to physical training, sports, etc., within weeks, because of DH's age - which isn't that great, in his early 50s, he is struggling. By this time he had hoped he would be back to taking ambles with Misha, but it's not happening.
So, all of Misha's exercise, play, care, is down to me. In some respects this has worked to strengthen the bond between us, but in another other it has made her highly dependent on me. She now looks to me for every thing.
We last showed Misha on the 20 SEP at a Championship show with a First in her class. Misha showed well, but she was not in full coat at the time. I was afraid I had hampered her chances because I was in absolute crippling pain. I've been experiencing neck and shoulder problems since AUG, and it peaked at that time. The show was on a THU and that MON I could not move without tears streaming down my face. The pain could even be heard in my voice.
It was a cocktail of ibuprofen, paracetamol, and ice that got me through the show.
While I was trying to recover, my husband suffered his lung collapse. When it rains it pours, huh?
While he was/is incapacitated every thing has fallen on me. His care, shopping, feeding, cleaning up, Misha's two walks that can lasts hours, training...everything.
Needless to say, it's one day at a time, and somethings are left undone.
We missed some shows in OCT, and only this last weekend, the 17NOV did we get back to the land of people.
We had qualified for and attended the Samoyed of the Year event. It's a knockout match, dogs and bitches compete against each other until one is selected the winner.
We managed three rounds, getting knocked out in the Semi-final. That round the judge eliminated the remaining two bitches. The final comprised of four dogs. Guess what the judge liked! ;)
I'm not disappointed in Misha's performance. She was incredible and I was so proud of her. I think she was the youngest competitor in the adult division. All the dogs and bitches there are the cream of the Samoyeds. They have all won Best of Breed, or have come second to BOB.
Here is a sampling of the evening:
Misha is all the round photos. In the first one she is at the front of the group, then at the end in the next two rounds.
So, we carry on and hope our health improves and we can get back to doing every thing we enjoy.
In the meantime, Misha is happy, healthy, and loving as always.
We hope to make the British Samoyed Club show on the 02DEC, so fingers crossed.
His recover time has been slow, and fraught with stumbling blocks. First he contracted a cold, and then ten days after he was released from the hospital he developed an air pocket and a partial collapse of the lung. It took two weeks to reabsorb the air and to inflate the lung fully again. To add to that, the surgical sites were not healing properly.
He has now received his release for the wounds, and we have another appointment with the surgeon on the 14DEC to see if he will be released from his care.
In the meantime, DH is still suffering pain from the procedure. In addition, he is unable to walk any distances, or lift anything heavy. Although some patients are back to physical training, sports, etc., within weeks, because of DH's age - which isn't that great, in his early 50s, he is struggling. By this time he had hoped he would be back to taking ambles with Misha, but it's not happening.
So, all of Misha's exercise, play, care, is down to me. In some respects this has worked to strengthen the bond between us, but in another other it has made her highly dependent on me. She now looks to me for every thing.
We last showed Misha on the 20 SEP at a Championship show with a First in her class. Misha showed well, but she was not in full coat at the time. I was afraid I had hampered her chances because I was in absolute crippling pain. I've been experiencing neck and shoulder problems since AUG, and it peaked at that time. The show was on a THU and that MON I could not move without tears streaming down my face. The pain could even be heard in my voice.
It was a cocktail of ibuprofen, paracetamol, and ice that got me through the show.
While I was trying to recover, my husband suffered his lung collapse. When it rains it pours, huh?
While he was/is incapacitated every thing has fallen on me. His care, shopping, feeding, cleaning up, Misha's two walks that can lasts hours, training...everything.
Needless to say, it's one day at a time, and somethings are left undone.
We missed some shows in OCT, and only this last weekend, the 17NOV did we get back to the land of people.
We had qualified for and attended the Samoyed of the Year event. It's a knockout match, dogs and bitches compete against each other until one is selected the winner.
We managed three rounds, getting knocked out in the Semi-final. That round the judge eliminated the remaining two bitches. The final comprised of four dogs. Guess what the judge liked! ;)
I'm not disappointed in Misha's performance. She was incredible and I was so proud of her. I think she was the youngest competitor in the adult division. All the dogs and bitches there are the cream of the Samoyeds. They have all won Best of Breed, or have come second to BOB.
Here is a sampling of the evening:
Misha is all the round photos. In the first one she is at the front of the group, then at the end in the next two rounds.
So, we carry on and hope our health improves and we can get back to doing every thing we enjoy.
In the meantime, Misha is happy, healthy, and loving as always.
We hope to make the British Samoyed Club show on the 02DEC, so fingers crossed.
Friday 21 September 2007
Show Dogs
Most people think of a show dog as one who is pampered and protected, never allowed to be a 'real dog'.
I'm here to bust that myth wide open.
When we were looking for a new family pet I was asked by breeders if we wanted a dog for showing or a pet. I said I would show our pet to any one who would look. That answer seemed to go over well. ;)
We weren't interested in showing. All we wanted was another beautiful expressive Samoyed to come into our lives.
It just so happened that the pup we were destined to get was from show stock, and very good show stock at that.
Our agreement was for one show. Misha's litter was the first for her sire. They wanted the pups to be seen so people could see what he was capable of producing.
We trained, at least I did, Misha came by it naturally. I felt so lost and out of my depth, I had no clue.
I read what ever publication I could get my hands on. I watched tapes of Crufts. I always felt I was missing something.
My original USA understanding of showing was you get a dog, you get a handler to train and show the dog, you don't get to spend a lot of time with your dog.
Not so here. Samoyeds are best if they are owner shown. The owner is the person who spends the most time with the dog, they are the one who understands its foibles and habits, what makes it spark. We much prefer that arrangement. :)
One show has turned into a show career for Misha, chasing the title of Champion.
However, Misha is a pet, a companion, a very spoiled member of the family. She is first and foremost a dog. She has her training sessions and her walks. She does roadwork and then runs and plays in the fields. She loves to get mucky, to roll in the grass and some not so nice things! She loves to meet and play with other dogs. People are amazed when they see her tumbling around and being tugged and pulled by their dogs then find out she is a show dog.
The one common phrase is, "It's so nice to see a show dog playing like a regular dog."
I'll never forget one of the 'Nine O'Clock Dog Walkers Club' member who used to allow her Boxer to chase Misha and bowl her over with a paw swipe. Jack is just a huge, active, hyper bundle of energy. His owner would laugh and encourage Jack to have a go at 5 month old Misha. When we went to out very first Championship show and won her class, which gained us our entry for Crufts 2007, then came home and told Jack's owners, what a difference! All of a sudden they were calling Jack away from Misha, not allowing him to play with her. In fact most of the people got a little funny about letting their dogs rough and tumble with Misha. I had to tell them to please not do that. Misha needed the companionship of the dogs.
If I had to make a choice between showing Misha and letting her enjoy life with canine companionship, I know what the choice would be. It's a joy to watch her meet the dogs and run with them.
On the other hand there are some breeders and show people who keep their dogs in kennel and take them out only to work them and show them. How sad. They are missing some of the best times of their, and their dogs lives. I feel very bad for them not knowing the joy of their four legged companions. The love and affection they can give you with just a look and a sigh.
Showing is a hobby with us. If Misha did not enjoy it I would walk out of a class with her and never enter her in a ring again.
But most of the time, Misha is a fun loving, squirrel chasing, ball chasing, happy go lucky playing machine!
I'm here to bust that myth wide open.
When we were looking for a new family pet I was asked by breeders if we wanted a dog for showing or a pet. I said I would show our pet to any one who would look. That answer seemed to go over well. ;)
We weren't interested in showing. All we wanted was another beautiful expressive Samoyed to come into our lives.
It just so happened that the pup we were destined to get was from show stock, and very good show stock at that.
Our agreement was for one show. Misha's litter was the first for her sire. They wanted the pups to be seen so people could see what he was capable of producing.
We trained, at least I did, Misha came by it naturally. I felt so lost and out of my depth, I had no clue.
I read what ever publication I could get my hands on. I watched tapes of Crufts. I always felt I was missing something.
My original USA understanding of showing was you get a dog, you get a handler to train and show the dog, you don't get to spend a lot of time with your dog.
Not so here. Samoyeds are best if they are owner shown. The owner is the person who spends the most time with the dog, they are the one who understands its foibles and habits, what makes it spark. We much prefer that arrangement. :)
One show has turned into a show career for Misha, chasing the title of Champion.
However, Misha is a pet, a companion, a very spoiled member of the family. She is first and foremost a dog. She has her training sessions and her walks. She does roadwork and then runs and plays in the fields. She loves to get mucky, to roll in the grass and some not so nice things! She loves to meet and play with other dogs. People are amazed when they see her tumbling around and being tugged and pulled by their dogs then find out she is a show dog.
The one common phrase is, "It's so nice to see a show dog playing like a regular dog."
I'll never forget one of the 'Nine O'Clock Dog Walkers Club' member who used to allow her Boxer to chase Misha and bowl her over with a paw swipe. Jack is just a huge, active, hyper bundle of energy. His owner would laugh and encourage Jack to have a go at 5 month old Misha. When we went to out very first Championship show and won her class, which gained us our entry for Crufts 2007, then came home and told Jack's owners, what a difference! All of a sudden they were calling Jack away from Misha, not allowing him to play with her. In fact most of the people got a little funny about letting their dogs rough and tumble with Misha. I had to tell them to please not do that. Misha needed the companionship of the dogs.
If I had to make a choice between showing Misha and letting her enjoy life with canine companionship, I know what the choice would be. It's a joy to watch her meet the dogs and run with them.
On the other hand there are some breeders and show people who keep their dogs in kennel and take them out only to work them and show them. How sad. They are missing some of the best times of their, and their dogs lives. I feel very bad for them not knowing the joy of their four legged companions. The love and affection they can give you with just a look and a sigh.
Showing is a hobby with us. If Misha did not enjoy it I would walk out of a class with her and never enter her in a ring again.
But most of the time, Misha is a fun loving, squirrel chasing, ball chasing, happy go lucky playing machine!
Thursday 13 September 2007
Interesting Meetings
Misha and I have a routine every morning. After I have my morning perusal of the internet, shower, and get dressed we set off on our morning walk to the park and lake.
We are actually lucky in the location of the house because we have some very nice walks available.
With a little walk through the cul-de-sac, across the road and down a gravel road, we cross the bridge over the canal and start walking the path. At that point I can take Misha off lead and allow her to trot ahead or linger behind to have her investigations.
She loves the freedom. If she gets ahead of me she will check to see I'm not too far behind. Sometimes she will stop and wait, sometimes she will just slow her pace.
When she lags behind there will be a sudden pounding on the pavement as she comes flying up behind me. Misha will stop and nudge my hand with her nose to tell me she is there.
If for any reason I feel I need her by me, a dog is coming, people or children, a call and a hand to the pocket grabs her attention and she flies to my side.
We will carry on and arrive at the park. Once there it's for certain Misha will meet all sorts of two and four legged friends.
I can say without prejudice that Misha is a very stunning dog. Her breed is one you do not see a lot of nowadays. Many times she is mistaken for a Chow or a Husky. Although those breeds and Samoyed share the Spitz breed genes, that's as far as it goes. So, it's usually up to me to educate people about her breed.
A groomed Samoyed is a thing of beauty. The longer guard hair has silver tips that literally shine in the sun.
So when a person sees a medium sized, gleaming white dog trotting along with her fluffy tail held high and curved over her back, ears erect, bright intelligent eyes taking in everything, and a smiling face, they have to stop us.
Their first instinct is to bury their hands in her fur. Of course Misha absolutely adores the attention. And if the person is walking a dog so much the better. Misha sets about making friends with the dog.
Up until a few months ago she used to want to jump on all the dogs to get them to play. Now she has matured a bit in attitude she is prone to nose nudging them and asking them to play. Over the course of the past year she has discovered the ones who aren't interested in playing so after a cursory hello she will move on.
Eventually we get to the fields. This is a place of great fun. Misha will chase her ring or a ball, or play with other dogs. This is a great meeting place for the dogs and a lovely chance to socialize.
We met a 13 week old Eurasier puppy named Dakota in the fields 4 weeks ago. He is such a lovely little chap. His is a breed that has no standing with the Kennel Club at the moment. It's a breed that is only about 50 years old. It was created in Germany, and is a cross between a Chow and a Keeshond. They found they needed to add another breed into the mix to control the personality and to add more to the gene pool, so a Samoyed was crossed with it as well.
The result is a very striking animal.
Dakota is all puppy. The tumbling, biting, running, barking puppy.
I've been working with Dakota and his owner for the last 4 weeks. We've been doing some off lead training. It's best to teach a dog to recall as young as you can. I made the mistake not letting Misha off until she was almost 4 months old. I had a lot of training to do with her. I am now firmly of the opinion the younger you start them off lead the better you will be able to teach recall. Any future pup will be off lead as soon as possible!
He has been so funny the last few days in his actions. Dakota is reaching the gangly stage - all legs and head. His little legs just fly over the ground. He is off to investigate every thing he possibly can in the shortest time possible.
The one trait of Eurasiers is they are very timid of people who are not their family. All this time I've known him and treated him when he has come or stood, or given me downs, he barely will let me touch him. He will take treats from my hand, he will lick my fingers. But if I stretch that little bit to pet him, he is off like a rocket!
Dakota has shown himself to be a quick study and very obedient. But, he is a pest to poor Misha! :)
I do have to say that she has shown the most amazing tolerance with him. She allows him to tumble over her, pull her ears and tail. He nibbles at her legs and paws and tries to jump onto her back.
Occasionally she will tell him off and put him in his place, but it's all part of the learning process for him. Today she took off after him, letting him have what for! He ran away with his tail between his legs whimpering. Misha never even touched him.
I think she is gentle and will make a very good mother.
There are so many other friends we've made on our walks. They too will have their stories.
We are actually lucky in the location of the house because we have some very nice walks available.
With a little walk through the cul-de-sac, across the road and down a gravel road, we cross the bridge over the canal and start walking the path. At that point I can take Misha off lead and allow her to trot ahead or linger behind to have her investigations.
She loves the freedom. If she gets ahead of me she will check to see I'm not too far behind. Sometimes she will stop and wait, sometimes she will just slow her pace.
When she lags behind there will be a sudden pounding on the pavement as she comes flying up behind me. Misha will stop and nudge my hand with her nose to tell me she is there.
If for any reason I feel I need her by me, a dog is coming, people or children, a call and a hand to the pocket grabs her attention and she flies to my side.
We will carry on and arrive at the park. Once there it's for certain Misha will meet all sorts of two and four legged friends.
I can say without prejudice that Misha is a very stunning dog. Her breed is one you do not see a lot of nowadays. Many times she is mistaken for a Chow or a Husky. Although those breeds and Samoyed share the Spitz breed genes, that's as far as it goes. So, it's usually up to me to educate people about her breed.
A groomed Samoyed is a thing of beauty. The longer guard hair has silver tips that literally shine in the sun.
So when a person sees a medium sized, gleaming white dog trotting along with her fluffy tail held high and curved over her back, ears erect, bright intelligent eyes taking in everything, and a smiling face, they have to stop us.
Their first instinct is to bury their hands in her fur. Of course Misha absolutely adores the attention. And if the person is walking a dog so much the better. Misha sets about making friends with the dog.
Up until a few months ago she used to want to jump on all the dogs to get them to play. Now she has matured a bit in attitude she is prone to nose nudging them and asking them to play. Over the course of the past year she has discovered the ones who aren't interested in playing so after a cursory hello she will move on.
Eventually we get to the fields. This is a place of great fun. Misha will chase her ring or a ball, or play with other dogs. This is a great meeting place for the dogs and a lovely chance to socialize.
We met a 13 week old Eurasier puppy named Dakota in the fields 4 weeks ago. He is such a lovely little chap. His is a breed that has no standing with the Kennel Club at the moment. It's a breed that is only about 50 years old. It was created in Germany, and is a cross between a Chow and a Keeshond. They found they needed to add another breed into the mix to control the personality and to add more to the gene pool, so a Samoyed was crossed with it as well.
The result is a very striking animal.
Dakota is all puppy. The tumbling, biting, running, barking puppy.
I've been working with Dakota and his owner for the last 4 weeks. We've been doing some off lead training. It's best to teach a dog to recall as young as you can. I made the mistake not letting Misha off until she was almost 4 months old. I had a lot of training to do with her. I am now firmly of the opinion the younger you start them off lead the better you will be able to teach recall. Any future pup will be off lead as soon as possible!
He has been so funny the last few days in his actions. Dakota is reaching the gangly stage - all legs and head. His little legs just fly over the ground. He is off to investigate every thing he possibly can in the shortest time possible.
The one trait of Eurasiers is they are very timid of people who are not their family. All this time I've known him and treated him when he has come or stood, or given me downs, he barely will let me touch him. He will take treats from my hand, he will lick my fingers. But if I stretch that little bit to pet him, he is off like a rocket!
Dakota has shown himself to be a quick study and very obedient. But, he is a pest to poor Misha! :)
I do have to say that she has shown the most amazing tolerance with him. She allows him to tumble over her, pull her ears and tail. He nibbles at her legs and paws and tries to jump onto her back.
Occasionally she will tell him off and put him in his place, but it's all part of the learning process for him. Today she took off after him, letting him have what for! He ran away with his tail between his legs whimpering. Misha never even touched him.
I think she is gentle and will make a very good mother.
There are so many other friends we've made on our walks. They too will have their stories.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
