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Christmas Eve 2009 “It’s On”…

December 24, 2009

“It’s On….”

A White Christmas!

Charlie checking out the lower field by my house… and the three of us…

When the snow began, we rejoiced… it was and is beautiful….  However after the fourth or so time of shoveling my walk way to the street, the sidewalk in front of my house, my car, the street in front of my house (no plows come down my little deadend street) and then helping both neighbors on each side of my house who have bad backs, then doing my porch and front so the dogs could reach a tree…  let me just say the Ibuprofen stock went up on the Stock Exchange, driven by fools like me overdoing…

Sidewalk from front door to street… still a few more inches to go.

Back deck….

 After a full day of shoveling, walking Zellie (who acted like a six month old puppy) and Charlie Brown (who acted like a fool—no age limited required), we retired to the house and the warmth of a hot chocolate.

 Outside, as night fell,

 We all enjoy our fireplace…

 It was lovely and after an evening of watching the snow, off to bed we went…

But remember the back deck…

 Oh, somewhere around 11:30pm, me in my long undies and already in bed, Charlie decided he needed to go outside…. And the doggie door was blocked by snow and the deck and backyard were not shoveled… and of course he could not forge a path to the nearest tree so he could piddle, oh no, he needed to whine and be a baby boy. 

 When it became evident to me that he would not relent, I got up and trudged downstairs to put on my boots… and force my backdoor open and commence  to shovel all the way from the back door, around the deck to the doggie door and from the doggie door to the steps, down the steps, around the backyard and tree, so my whiny-butt boy could go out and piddle….  Thank god it was dark, because I’m out there in long underwear and snow boots, but no coat and I’m shoveling….  Mind you, I live in Baltimore City, not the boonies… the good news was most sane people were inside having the last drink of the night or already in bed and not outside shoveling in their long underwear so they could not see me or commiserate with me…

The next morning Charlie checks out my handywork…

As is the Kargaard tradition, I will celebrate tonight with a special dinner for me and the guys, then we will sing (no Kargaard has ever been accused of having a good singing voice, so I’m sure the dogs will take cover) and we will open our presents and rejoice in our good fortune.

It is Christmas Eve (morning) and I am sitting inside, writing this missive and thinking about all the joy in my life and wishing everyone as much joy as possible in the new year.  May peace be a reality.

Looks like a white Christmas in Baltimore

Last weekend we had 21 plus inches of snow…. I don’t think it will melt anytime soon although Christmas Eve into Christmas Day the weather is looking like sleet and rain which could make a dent in the snow and might create a new mess.  The dogs and I will snuggle in for the duration, with forays to the local fields for walks (we have beaten down the snow to allow us to circle the fields, while leaving the middle untouched for the most part)…  still pretty deep, even with all the compacting over the last 3 days, so walking is much easier if you stay to the beaten path.

Zellie got her Christmas present early (or at least one of them)… I got her a wonderful “house coat” from Clean Run made by Foggy Mountain.  It is GREAT and Zelda wears it in my house (temps are cold for an old gal).  She is much happier and warmer.  Charlie doesn’t need one in the house yet, although I might get him one just in case.  I highly recommend these coats.    Just copy and paste the link below if you want to see the coat.

http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=2104&ParentCat=155

Charlie Brown has added a new title to his name: VPG II

Sunday, December 13th, 2009  
5am… ugh… and rain… a scenario that just screamed for me to put my pillow over my head, pull the covers up tight around my neck, throw the alarm out the window and go back to sleep, surrounded by my two bed-buddies, Zellie and Charlie Brown…but I didn’t…

Sigh… I got up and quickly got my gear, my dogs and my butt out the door, into my car and on the road to the trial tracking grounds… no coffee because I was sure it would make me have to stop on the way and I didn’t want to be late!

It is very dark at 5:00 am! It was just barely light at 7am… Tracks were laid and we were done by 8:15am… Charlie passed… more later

Obedience and a light rain… Dobermans do not like to sit in the rain on the wet, cold ground… heck alot of dogs don’t like to sit on the cold, wet ground.  It is totally amazing to me how tightly Charlie can pull his gonads up when the need arises… his butt did touch the ground in obedience… Charlie passed…  more later

Jurgen did the helper work for Charlie Brown and after all was said and done, I thought to myself…. a helper’s job is to be safe, to provide the dog the opportunity to do the best job possible and to help showcase the dog’s strengths when possible. Jurgen did that and more for Charlie. We passed… more later 

This is what I posted to a  doggie list serve…

 I believe most of the people who know me, know that Charlie Brown is an AKC Champion and that showing in the AKC breed ring is important to me… part of what Charlie is doing in Schutzhund is special because he is from AKC conformation lines, not working lines, and I want people to realize the Doberman can and should be able to be built to the standard, to have bone and substance, to move correctly and to know that there is a reason conformation is important… because we want our dogs to work and to be built to “last”… We also want our dogs to have the proper working temperament, while being able to be a part of our day to day household. Charlie Brown and Zelda are my family and must interact with friends and neighbors in social settings.

Charlie Brown has officially added the VPG II title to his list of accomplishments! That is the second level in Schutzhund and we will begin working towards the third and highest level in the Spring… We hope to someday be the sixth Doberman with an AKC Championship and Schutzhund III title and one of the first to be owner, BREEDER, handled and trained to both his AKC breed majors and two of his singles, owner, BREEDER, handled and trained to his AKC obedience titles (he is one leg short of his CDX) and owner, BREEDER, handled and trained to his Schutzhund titles.

Schutzhund has to be one of the hardest sports I have ever completed in with a dog! It is three different venues and the training is intense, all year round and outdoors in rain, snow, sleet, heat and cold! The sense of accomplishment is wonderful!

Charlie’s scores reflect the hard work he has put into getting this far!

Tracking 91 out of 100
Obedience 92 out of 100 and Highest Scoring Obedience in Trial
Protection 96A out of 100 and Highest Scoring Protection in Trial

Charlie got High VPG II in Trial, High in Trial (over all dogs that competed)…. And the awards mentioned above (High Obedience and High Protection).

We went home with four trophies and a huge smile…. Charlie ate very well Sunday night! I am still on Cloud nine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Holidays to one and all….

December 2009

Dear Friends and Family,

When I was young, especially about this time of year, I would bemoan the slow march of time, the dawdling step by dawdling step, rather than the head-long plunge from Thanksgiving to the year-end holidays.  Now, as a not so young “kid”, time seems to barrel past me and the new year comes and goes and I scratch my head in disbelieve that 2009 is almost gone and the final year, of the first decade, of the 21^st century, of the 3rd millennium is upon us.

January - Silly Charlie Brown

February – Happy Valentine’s Day

March – Happy 4th Birthday Charlie Brown

April – Happy Easter

May – Happy 9th Birthday Zelda…

 June – Fun at my bro’s place in SC

July – Patriotic Dogs

August – Charlie playing with Jurgen in the Potomac

September – my guys enjoying the last of Summer….

October – The Dobermeister Mummy 

November – Happy Thanksgiving

December – Happy Holidays

It has been a wonderful year.  Zelda, Charlie and I are healthy.  Charlie is working diligently towards his Schutzhund II title.  Zelda, arthritis and all, continues to romp and play and maintains her status as the top dog in the house.  As for me, I enjoy my work, my dogs, my house, my family and my friends.  I’m addicted to the show “Bones” on Thursday evenings, I’m making leashes as an outlet for my desire to make something with my hands.  I am only one year shy of Six-O, my hair has turned silver (for the most part) and I am happy. 

I wish each of you health and happiness and many more years with your good friends and family.

With love and affection,                                 Lyn, Zelda and Charlie Brown

CDX final leg–NOT… :-(

It was not to be….  Left Baltimore at 6am and drove to Salisbury (2 1/2 hour drive) on Friday morning.  Charlie was the first Open B dog in the ring at 10:10 am and I didn’t want to get there too late. 

The room had three rings.  One alone and two butted up against each other along the center fence.  Open B in one ring and Utility in the other.

If I had been smarter, I would have proofed Charlie for other handlers yelling commands to their dog(s)… and we would have worked indoors with the spectators sitting right at ring side with food, kids and other dogs…  and finally, I would have been more aware of what was going on in the ring right next door…. but alas, I was not smarter.  Lucky for me the food, kids, other dogs outside the ring did not create any big issues for us… Charlie’s heeling was good, his fronts good, his finishes a tad slow, distracted and crooked, but still ok.  His retrieve over the high jump, his figure eight, his down on recall and his broad jump all good…  and his retrieve on the flat would have been good… would da, could da, should da…. sigh… you can see where this is going.  I threw the dumbbell and sent Charlie–he went, he retrieved, he was on his way back… until the lady in the ring next to us sent her dog on the go-out and then SCREAMED “SIT”…. poor Charlie was only 10 paces from me when he froze at the high pitched scream to sit… he didn’t know what to do.  He knew it was not me, but he just looked like a deer in headlights….  he didn’t drop the dumbbell, he just stopped and stared sadly at me… he was totally confused….  I waited, then called him in and he did a good finish…. I felt so badly that he thought he had done something wrong, when he really had not…. he didn’t have the experience or knowledge to know what to do when a different handler screamed loudly a command that didn’t fit with what he was doing. 

We will wait until the Spring and outdoor shows return to garner Charlie’s final CDX leg.  He knows the stuff, he does it well and he will get the final leg… but for now we are focused on his SchH II. 

Good man CB….you tried…  and you did a good job.  There is always a next time!

November–ack–2009

How in the heck did it get to be November already?  This time of year is a mixed bag for me… I love the holidays–Halloween, T-day and Christmas and the New Year!  Give me a glass of champagne and watch me fall asleep long before the bell tolls in the new year….  But I enjoy it all.  What I do not like is the 2 plus minutes of sunlight we lose each day, until finally December 20th (or is it the 21st?) rolls around and I begin counting and watching the 2 minute increments add daylight until Spring and the time change make the days long and glorious again!

With the time change and the dark evening walks, Charlie and Zelda wear collars that blink like a Christmas tree each time they move and a strobe light hangs from their collar showing me their paths across the darkened field as they trot here and there (or in Charlie’s case-charge headlong in every direction chasing the smell of rabbit and fox and occasionally deer).  As I see his flashing strobe streak this way and that, my heart jumps into my throat and I pivot with each change in direction, determined to watch his every move in case he goes from chasing the smell of a fox or deer, to chasing the real thing! 

Life is busy in the Big B…  Charlie is preparing for his SchH II and will trial for the final, I hope, leg on his CDX title.  Training takes up just about all of our free time.  Work is busy and my friends are understanding when it comes to my lack of a real social life other than training and work.  I have no clue how someone who is involved in training a dog is able to maintain a relationship.   Thank goodness Zelda is so understanding!

Charlie’s tracking is still suspect.  I don’t have confidence in my ability to teach him or in his ability to do what he will need to do to pass his SchH II track… good conditions and luck will need to be a part of the equation.  That is not to say he cannot track.  He can and does and he doen’t quit… but, he can and does get confused and I blame my lack of knowledge.  Still we trudge on.

Obedience has a few quirks.  We are working on a moving stand.  I’ve never taught it before, but we are making progress.  Will we have it by Dec 13/14th?  Don’t know.  The other areas that need some improvement are his sits (too slow) and his crooked front/finish positions.  I’m not panicing on that, but would like to improve.    Right now Charlie’s performance is more polished than mine, but we will do ok.

Protection. Hmmmm.  We are working on Charlie’s obedience in Protection and his desire to “tell” me to get a move on.  Little by little we are making progress on focusing him on his obedience in protection and not barking at me–redirecting his energy and focus.  

His bites are not always full and that drives me nuts.  I must rely on Charlie’s training director and the helper to train Charlie and help him get it right and my desire to be in control must take a backseat—aggghhhhh…. this is very hard on me.  I can’t fix it; I don’t fully understand what it would take to fix it…. and I have to maintain control over my emotions in order to allow Charlie to focus on his job.

December trial is closer than I’d like!

Bad News/Good News

The DPCA and UDC has cancelled the Working Dog Trial at the National… Naturally, I’m bummed… Charlie and I have been working hard to get ready for our first ever National level event and only our second trial… the first being our SchH 1 last November.  We wanted to show that a dog could work and look pretty and that owners were not crazy for trying to go to the National and show an AKC Champion in obed, the working trial and in Breed…  we will still do Obedience and Breed depends on whether we bother to stay for the entire week.  Without the Working Dog Trial, I’m inclined to go home early…  save the $ and and the vacation for another day.    So that is the bad news.

The good news is we now have until early December to try and get ready for our SchH II…

Tracking on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009

So few opportunities to track before the working dog trial on Oct 16th…  how to fit 100 more tracks in less than three weeks??? 

Charlie and I tracked on Sunday with Jurgen, Jennifer and Chris.  Jurgen took me to the spot where he wanted me to start, pointed to a tree in the distance and said,  “Lay your first leg to that tree, no article, turn left and go towards the high grass with an article half way there and turn right at the high grass and lay your last leg with an article at the end….  SchH1 track, ok?”  “Sure, I say…” and off I go laying my track, using food sporatically for motivation or where I thought Charlie would have an issue.

We aged the track approximately 45 minutes to an hour and when it was our turn, I suited the boy up and with Jurgen, Jennifer and Chris following, off Charlie went on the first leg…  not as deep a nose as I would have liked (one of our problems in general), but on course.  On we went, and on and finally, Jennifer asked me where I had laid the turn.  I pointed to a tree in the distance and everyone commented on how long the leg was… and as it turned out, so did Charlie…

I had misunderstood just which tree Jurgen was pointing to–the one that was 100 feet or so from the start or the one that was 250 or so feet from the start…. oops.  At 150 or so feet, Charlie seemed to think I had forgotten the turn and decided he should, perhaps, throw one in for me… One Big Sigh.  With a correction, he continued, found the turn and his nose actually got deeper.  He did fine on the second leg, indicated the article nicely, found the turn and got about 100-150 feet into the final leg, before he was “done”… he shook his body, I corrected him, he put his nose in a groundhog hole next to the track, I corrected him strongly and restarted him.  He gave up on the distractions and finished the track, indicated the final article (leg was another long one at 200-250 feet)…. what was I thinking???  Charlie did it… Jurgen didn’t say anything about my tracklaying–he didn’t have to, but he did say I should feel good that Charlie, with some help, finished the track, indicated the articles and showed me that he needed work with longer tracks to ensure he understands the track is not done, until it is done and I release him and reward his performance….  we will work on it.  His next track (tomorrow morning) will be shorter and easier and this weekend I will push him again with track legs that are not uniform, with one short leg, one long leg and one medium leg …. 

Time is slipping away…. I’m excited, but very, very nervous… 3 weeks to go!

September 11, 2001

Eight years.  So long ago and just yesterday.

RIP

 TO ALL THOSE WE LOST.

Getting ready to trial…

I’m goint to the Doberman Pinscher Club of America’s National in Kentucky from Oct 9th through Oct 17th and Charlie Brown will compete in AKC Obedience for his CDX; in the Working Dog Trial for his IPO I and he will compete for Best of Breed in the breed ring.

I don’t know how you go from having months and months to prepare for your next competition, to all of a sudden realizing you have less than a month and you KNOW you need 100 more tracks under your belt and the control issue in protection still needs more work and omg, but the fronts and finishes are still not straight….

So it goes.  I look at where Charlie is and where he needs to be and I wonder how I didn’t fix some of these issues before now.  I knew they needed fixed, didn’t I? 

We’ve worked on improving Charlie’s technique in the escape bite.  We’ve worked on his technique on the re-attack (he is one heavy dog when he decides to act like a Rottie and sit on his haunches).  But we are woefully behind on working on his control.  He will stay under control, but I am forced to give constant verbal and body language reminders for him to stay focused on the task at hand, rather than the next bite he wants… and then he barks his frustration and desire… which causes him to lose concentration on doing what he is being asked to do…. how hard is it to stay next to me, in good position, while we walk to the proper place on the field for the escape bite?  How hard to stay focused on me and what I am asking?  The sad, but true answer is almost impossible.  Like all boys, he wants, what he wants, when he wants it and he is willing to bark out his demanding request of, “Let’s rock Mom… move out… I can beat you there… just let me go…. hurry, hurry, hurry….” 

More work necessary and less than a month to get it….