Rally Dreams, Pet Store Trips, and Compromising Principles
Lyla "graduated" into the 3rd and final level of obedience class about 4 weeks ago, and has been doing beautifully. So beautifully in fact, that we attend an Intro to Rally class the other day. I think it would be lots of fun for Lyla and I to try and since I will be going to shows with the new pup anyway, I can take one more dog and crate and do Rally with Lyla. So Lyla and I will be starting Rally classes sometime next month with the hope of competing at Brando's Memorial Day Weekend show.
Lyla and I went to PetSmart this morning, which was fun. There was a boxer rescue group there and one of the dogs did NOT like Lyla. Uh-oh! I also asked the girl at the checkout, who was kind of ignoring all the dogs, if she wouldn't mind please petting my dog if she is sitting. She didn't seem too happy about it, but she did it. I've been working really, really hard on this with Lyla and need all kinds of different people at different places to help us practice, so I just got over my not wanting to inconvenience the moody teen checker. I was so proud when Lyla sat the entire time!! With any luck Lyla and I will be able to pass our CGC test soon.
And finally, Brando, the new puppy, is getting down in the pasterns, which is very discouraging. He is already on a lower protein, but all-natural, grain-free adult food, but after much talking with several dog show people, and B's breeder/co-owner, we have decided to put him on a lower-quality food. It was a tough decision for me to make since I have very strong feelings about food, but today I contributed $23 to my absolute least favorite dog food company a la Pat Hastings' gospel of puppy raising. Brando is a huge fan of his "doggy McDonald's" and eats it with glee. What kid wouldn't? I told him not to get too used to it, it was only for a few weeks and then back to the healthy stuff! =)
Comment
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Comment by Jane Christensen on March 7, 2010 at 5:39pm
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I have to admit I don't know what "down in the pasterns "means either! Sounds like you are very busy! Good luck to all of you!
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Comment by Sky and Lyla on March 7, 2010 at 5:38pm
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Oops, "happening" not "yapping."
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No judgement here, I just learned what it meant a week ago, lol. It basically just means that his ligaments in his front legs aren't strong enough for whatever reason and his 'wrists' are pointing in instead of being straight. In dogs where it's really bad from the side there is a strong angle and it looks like they are walking on the wrist rather than the paw. I hope that makes sense. Like I said, I just learned about it only because it's yapping to Brando, so I can spot it better than I can explain it. :) Most people attribute it to growing too fast and/or too much protein in the diet.
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Comment by Geri & Sidney on March 7, 2010 at 5:25pm
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please excuse my ignorance, but what does "getting down in the pasterns" mean?
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Comment by Beth on March 7, 2010 at 5:03pm
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Way to go Lyla! Glad to hear she's doing well. If agility doesn't work out for Jack, we may try Rally. I'm still working on getting Maddie ready for CGC, too.... we're trying to master "down" and "stay."
I looked up Pat Hastings and saw a discussion mentioning how, in "the wild", pups nurse then are fed regurgitated food, then spend some time eating just the scraps. Well, most dogs don't regurgitate food, so I guess they were talking about wolves. However, my understanding of packs is that the lower-ranking (usually young) get the scrapings and the breeding pair get the prime parts (organ meats and stuff). In poor hunting conditions, the pups are generally the first to go. Trying to mimic nature is not as simple as it would first sound on paper. Many young carnivores are fortunate if they don't go through periods of near-starvation. Anyway, that's a bit off-topic but I hope that Brando's new diet firms up is pasterns, and I have great respect for how hard it must be to reconsider strongly held beliefs. Brando is a fortunate guy to have such a dedicated owner.
Good luck with all of them!
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