GCH Ebonwald's Be Home By Midnight "Brewer"

I got to see my 'old' guy this weekend, when my parents visited. He was born March 4, 2010, so 5 and 1/3 years old. 

He is out of BISS GCH C-Myste Baledwr Free to Disagree (Pilot) x CH Merrymoon Ebonwald I'm a Q.T. CGC STDs 1/2STDc (Ell). He has sired three litters to date (Ava, Amy and Summer). major pointed kids, champion kids, and lots of loved pet homes!

He is OFA good, PennHIP 90%, PRA line clear, DM normal/clear, EE (does not carry pink), Cardiac Normal, CERF, fluff carrier. 

I absolutely adore his temperament, his sweep/silhoutte and his bred type. His head and expression are exactly what I think of, when I think of a Cardigan male. While not perfect, he does have his virtues, as well as a complete out cross to the black lines with Carbon or Fudge in them. 

He is available to approved bitches.

Link to pedgiree: http://www.cardiped.net/details.php?id=68751

Up and Comers

So these are my 'keepers' from the Tiger x Ballantyne litter, born 11/14/14. 

The first black brindle girl is Cora. (Formerly Helga). From birth she was the 'one' who I was drawn to. I am glad to see that others also appreciate her type and quality.

 The next girl is Ingrid. She was to go to another show home and they decided to go a different direction. I am so glad they did, as her quality and type are just exquisite! I am so excited to watch he grow as well. Different than her sister, above, but all the same refinement, bone, angles as Cora, and just as beautiful of head and expression.

 

Their handsome brother Olaf is below. He caught my eye as a youngster and I prayed that others would see his quality. The depth of quality in the litter was apparent (even with the fluffs!) and his soft eye and expression is exactly what I think of, when I think of a Cardigan. 

 

 

This girl is NOT a littermate to the brindles above. She is KiaLoa (formerly Gia) who is out of the Captain x Ballantyne litter born 8/14/13. She was DNA tested to be homozygous black, and homozygous 'wolf agouti' or 'wild type' (meaning she is not sable or tri). She is turning in to a lovely lady and even though she is technically not showable, her merits as a brood bitch are evident. I cannot wait to see what she produces when she is older and has her health tests complete.

 

In case anyone missed it, we have moved to Iowa for a job transfer/promotion. We have downsized our pack so all the above dogs are living with friends in show homes.  We are ultimately looking for a small farm in SW Wisconsin to call home, so we can bring all the dogs back together and the sheep, cattle, chicken and hogs as well :)

Stay tuned for more updates!

Echo is available

I've decided that Echo is available to a pet/performance home. She has many redeeming qualities but I am moving forward with two litter sisters and both her parents.

She is an absolute love! She really shines with children, adores snuggles, walks, and being with her people. She is 14 months old, UTD on shots, house/crate/leash trained, microchipped and ready to spoil her new family with face licks and morning woofs. PM me for more info.

Eating my words

Boy did my dogs make a liar out of me!

Yesterday when the temps were an all time high for the year so far (67 degrees for those keeping track), my friend Kody and I took the dogs for a walk to our north pasture, along a field road in the heart of our acreage. The dogs were doing really well, as always, off lead, and would come when called, and would stay close by.

I started telling Kody stories about the dogs. Like when Sadie got her name "princess sadie" because she would go well out of her way to avoid any mud, or water puddles on the farm because she was above all of that. I told Kody about how Zoe could never quite figure out how to get across large ponds (she didn't know well enough to go AROUND IT, so would just sit and bark at me). After about four or five stories we came upon a giant spring lake. You know the ones that don't stick around for more than a few weeks..... As I was telling Kody about how my dogs don't swim....

well....you guessed it. They made a liar out of me! Naturally the first two in the water were Ballantyne and Brewer. They had a fascination over the kiddie pool as puppies but what made it worse was they had JUST been given baths the night before. They were up to their chins swimming around the lake. Before I could back pedal on my story all of the dogs (minus Oliver and Daisy who were left in the house) were swimming around.....EVEN SADIE the PRINCESS! I could not believe my eyes! And naturally no camera to record such a thing. I bet if I went again alone not one of them would enter the water.

It was a 'good' water pond too. The ones with the mucky water, the slim, the algae, the goo. The stuff that stains their coats.....and smells REALLY nasty. so yes ALL the corgis AND Mitcham..

Humble Pie? Eating my words? I'm not a liar, but I sure felt like one.....wow was I embarrassed.

But the good thing I guess is all the dogs slept REALLY well last night and they were VERY happy when we got home. If only they'd learn how to bathe themselves.....

Luck and Fun!

Well. I figured this is my 3rd conformation show in the past 10 months. My how time flies!

I entered the "big hairy beast" hoping for a cross over major to finish him. he needs only 2 points!

I entered Ava for training practice for the Fargo shows. there are only 2 bitches so only one point, but its more for practice than anything. She less tube-y than before so who knows. If I' m correct, the other bitch is also a Carbon grand daughter so he won't have much to choose from :0

I also entered Zoe. She's back in coat, good condition, and the judge is the gentleman who gave her her first four point major. I guess its sort of a 'hey look she's finished! thanks!' kind of entry. I'm not expecting to win, as there are four bitch specials (no male specials) so its more or less of a thank you entry.

I entered all three goons again in Fargo to support my Kennel Club and the CWCCA Supported Entry. As it turns out, if Mitcham doesn't finish tomorrow, he has three more chances in Fargo as there are bitch majors all three days! Fingers crossed he finishes in the next two weekends. Then he is GETTING SHAVED!!! :D Then we will do herding and agility!

i really wanted to enter Ell at the Fargo show but she is completely out of coat and still needs to gain some weight back. She's getting the same amount as Mitcham, so she should start to bulk up pretty soon. She is tight coated anyway, so to see her without a stitch of hair on is amazing...its nice to see structure but it makes for a hideous (but loving) dog :P

Raw

Just did a day trip for more raw food. I need a bigger chest freezer...and a tub!

120 pounds of chicken necks
40 pounds of chicken backs
40 pounds of beef kidney
40 pounds of beef liver
40 pounds of femur bones (for the dogs to chew on and me to step on in the middle of the night)
120 pounds ground beef (with organ meat ground in it as well)

So without the bones its 360 pounds of meat. I sometimes also get ground chicken, ground chicken necks/backs and turkey necks, but I like to 'switch it up' a bit.

My entire bill for the 400 pounds of meat/bones was around 230.00. Without gas that was approximately 57 cents a pound. I was paying nearly 2.00/pound for the Evo and my dogs liked Evo, but it wasn't so easy on their tummies! Evp, if I got the same amount in weight would have cost me over 800.00 dollars! Yikes!

yes I do have cottage cheese, veggies, fish, salmon oil, missing link etc that I use as well and that is not added to the cost, but I also don't feed all of those things all the time. And i gave a lot of that in addition to kibble anyway!

Oh and i have farm raised eggs that I collect each morning from my 'girls' and the dogs thank me for giving them something else yummy to eat!

Both my litters have been raised on raw and I have got to tell you the litter box and the pooper scooper outside are cleaned WAY less than when I was raising a single puppy on kibble. All that filler in kibble just isn't good!

I'm disappointed in the Delta Society changing their rule on raw diet. While I understand their concern, I would think that the people have a higher risk of getting pneumonia from the people who work there or visit there, than getting salmonella from dogs that eat raw. I also think that I could get struck by lightning or win the lottery (which by the way is less likely to happen then the lightning hitting me!), but those chances are pretty low. Maybe higher than the salmonella transfer between species.

Updates!

Oliver update: Its been 14 days since he went down in the back. I thought our Acupuncture appt was LAST wednesday (like the vet wanted) but the appt making lady decided I apparently didn't NEED to come in last week. UGH. So THIS wednesday we are going up to have him checked out. Ell is also going for a routine quarterly check up. The chiropractic vet is the 'corgi curse' or so they've told me. He said he's NEVER seen a corgi come in that didn't need adjustments (even if they were just in for shots or checkups). I'd like to have the other dogs go but the first visit they do xrays of the spine in several films and they have a 'new pet exam' and fee amongst many other things...totally around 300-400 per EACH DOG for their first visit. I'm sorry I just can't do that.

Anyway. Oliver has a sling now thanks to Auntie Sarah. He also still loves to do the 'wheelbarrow races' across the yard to Grandma's house. He loves to sit on the couch with her and let her scratch him and pet him all over. He's kinda spoiled. And very sassy yet. If you dare to quit petting him, he sure lets you know that that is NOT acceptable and he moans and groans and woofs and squirms about. Silly boy.

Zoe is in full blown heat. She had her hussy butt up against the fence for Mitcham to sniff. He sniffs and walks away. WHAT A GOOD BOY! Needless to say they are now on opposite sides of the house (one on the east side dog pen, the other in the front yard. Lucky for me Mitcham doesn't wine and stop eating like Justice did. And Oliver can't hump anything with his rear out of commission so he's of no help for heat detection any longer either!

I figured Daisy was due to come in to season so today when I finally got around to taking her in to the vet for a weight, she weighed 32.7 pounds. I asked the vet to swab and culture her. Um she's also in full blown heat. About two days away from ideal breeding time, but she is already flagging and standing for my vet to take the sample. She's not even hardly swollen. Zoe looks like a bee stung her back there....a really BIG bee!

The four remaining pups got their 2nd DHPP shot today. Bella leaves tomorrow for Pittsburgh! That leaves me with the trio of terror. Actually they are all very sweet, smart, and mellow puppies. I'm really tickled with them!

Sadie and I missed our chance at an Agility trial in Fargo this weekend. The closing date happened on the 5th of this month, while I was still dealing with the initial shot and emotion of Oliver going down, I obviously didn't have that on my mind and missed the entry. Oh well.....no rush I guess with that!

Ell is 'over' the puppies, but she does play with them a lot. I'm trying to save what little hair she has left and trying to put her 2 pounds of weight back on so she's back at 28 pounds. I wanted to show her in Fargo, but there is just no way she is even competitive at this 'post puppy' stage.

Ava is getting lots of leash and table time in preparation for the Fargo show. I hope I don't trip over her or have to drag her across the ring. And I hope those huge ears stay up when the judge asks for ears instead of the 'why the HELL are you making me do this?!!" look she gave me tonight. 'le sigh'

Dog Weights and tick/flea control

Since the only scale i have on the farm is a gigantic cattle scale (that does pounds in 25 pound increments) I loaded up the motley crew for weights and headed to my second home, the vet clinic! I wanted to know weights mostly for tick/flea control Frontline products...

Here are the weights:

Mitcham, 22 months - 59.1 pounds. Gosh he is ALL hair!

Oliver, nearly 5 years - 35.5 pounds. He is extremely lean and fit. Not overweight and heavy like another blogger is saying is why his back went out (and that its my fault nonetheless!)

Sadie, 5.5 years - 30.5. She is about a pound and a half too big yet, so we'll stick with her diet

Zoe, 3 years old - 34.4 pounds. Barb P and i were always nervous she'd never be big enough...lol. I think she still has some 'baby weight on' and I'd like to see her back at 32, so she'll join Sadie on that diet'

Ell, 2.5 years old - 25.7 pounds. She needs to gain back about another 1-1.5 pounds to be back at pre breeding weight. She put a lot of herself into nursing those pups!

Ava, just over 5 months - 20.3 pounds!!!! She looked like 14 pounds, but she's already 20 pounds. She'll be bigger than her mother then, as Zoe was 18-22 pounds not until she was 12-18 months old! Ava is a tube right now...long and lean. Could be her high metabolizm and her raw diet.

I forgot Daisy at home (no seriously) so she'll go back in this afternoon and I'll have a current weight on her. She was about 30 pounds last time she went in.

Aside from having Guinea Hens for tick control, what does everyone recommend for tick/flea control? I was going to use Frontline but gosh that gets so expensive.

I couldn't have gotten this far ....

I had been gushing recently about the breed and how excited I am to be in it, with all the great Cardi people I've met and gotten to know. All the shows, the chats, the fun nights after showing.

However I couldn't have gotten this far with Cardigans if I hadn't had a great group of people locally that supported me and had my back when times were a lot rougher. These people have really been the base of why I like the breed so much. Sure its fun to see EVERYONE at the big shows a couple times a year, but the smaller shows that are in my area (upper Midwest) are the ones that I enjoy equally as much, with the 'local' group of people that I see much more often.

They make these times just as fun, with many stories, and laughter shared over adult beverages (and CAW) , shared grooming space, reservations at restaurants, prodding to enter another show so we can hang out more etc.

About 16 months ago I took lots of photos of friends at the Rochester, MN show. You'll have to check the archives for that. It was fun filled weekend with just about every 'local' person in attendance. I'm sorry to say I couldn't share the majors that weekend, but it WAS fun to get them >:)

So Wanda, thank you for taking a chance on me with Zoe. You've been there from the beginning and I thank you for your help and suggestions along the way, and for helping so much with the whelping and evaluation of my very first litter!

Rus and Sherilyn, us 'newbies' in the breed at the same time, its been a fun ride with you guys! Shows, grooming, those amazing bars (food not the liquor establishments!), grooming hints, saving space, etc. Special thanks to helping show my girls in the ring when I needed another handler!

Cindy for her help with just about everything I can think of! Grooming ideas for Mitcham, road trip to the National in '08, letting me crash at your place along the way, helpful hints for training, and the support I needed in the beginning!

Dawn for being my motivator for entering Oliver in Rally, and Sadie in Agility! Without your prodding and pushing, I probably still would not have titles on the dogs! You were a Godsend at those trials and making sure I knew what to do and where to go. I would still be wandering around lost if you hadn't been telling me what to do! She's also been great for dog sitting when I had to be away from my babes.

Lynn Stoltzman doesn't have a blog, but she was and is also a great local gal who has supported me and helped me along the way! It was great to catch up with her on Monday before I went to pick up Ell! Libby looks amazing for age 11 and Logan is a happy boy too. She and her daughter Rachel have been great friends outside of the dog world too, coming up to my place to hang out during Holiday parties and such!

Barb Peterson for showing Ell for me every time I had Zoe in the ring! She has put 8 of her points (or is it 10?) with her handling her in the ring for Winner's Bitch when I had Zoe and Ell both entered and they both won their classes! Also thanks to her for Mac, who although he didn't turn out like we hoped, she trusted me with him (and Maggie) and that is a wonderful thing. She and Steve open up their house to me every year for the Duluth show and share grooming space too.

These people above are wonderful people who I know have helped me along the way, and most importantly helped my love for showing and trialing grow. It would be a lot less fun in the breed if I didn't have these people! I"m really forever grateful.

Now.

When is the next show?! :)

Inspiration

A little history lesson on me :)

Its always a good idea to reassess what made you fall in love with the breed. About 6 years ago I started researching herding breeds of dogs. I wanted something ultimately for herding our cattle and we had had German Shepherds, mutts, Rough Collies, Australian Cattle Dogs, Border Collies and English Shepherds in the 100 years before I had dogs of my own on this farm. I remember only the last three, but there are many stories of the ones before hand that did such great work. Heck there was even an Airedale in the mix that did decently at herding cattle.

I had been looking at all of the herding breeds on the AKC website and did not want a breed with long hair. Our farm dogs had to be shaved every summer from the mats they got. Before purebred dogs (show dogs) I believed what every farmer believed. Dogs had a purpose, a job. They slept outside in a dog house, or in the dairy barn. They protected us at night from intruders (four legged or two) and were always at our side wherever on the farm we went. They didn't go in to town for shots, the large animal vet came and gave the shots on site.

Getting my own unique breed of dog was a huge undertaking. I had decided early on it would sleep in the kitchen of the house, but be outside like a real farm dog most of the time. I would of course take it in to town to get shots and it would like to ride in the cars unlike most of our farm dogs. I studied on breeds I liked. I really liked the Beauceron but was having a hard time finding any that were reasonably priced (under 1,000 dollars).

I went to our local rodeo and while I was watching bull riding, a couple of kids walked through the area with some Pembroke pups. I was immediately at their side asking questions. I went home and spent the next few days researching the breed and trying to find local breeders that I could go and visit. I was on the phone with several of them for many hours and thought this was the breed for me.

A short legged dog that couldn't destroy a house (at least not the top 3/4 of it) that had a short coat requiring little grooming (ahem) and was still ultimately a cattle dog and didn't act like a little yippee squirt.

Upon reading about them on the AKC website I found a cousin called the Cardigan Welsh Corgi. Immediately I was drawn to their look. And their uniqueness. Having vehicles, pigeons and other hobbies that were uncommon and unique I was really fascinated in this breed. I went to the CWCCA website and read everything I could. Google was my new best friend. I searched for breeders on the CWCCA website that I could visit or contact. At the time there were none in WI, ND, SD listed and only one in MN. I contacted her. She had told me she had just had a litter.

I really had wanted something originally to herd the cattle and as my interest keeping getting higher I thought 'heck I show pigeons, how hard can dog showing be?' and asked if she had any show potential pups available. Sadie came home with me a couple months later!

I learned quickly at the Fargo-Moorhead Kennel Club training classes all the errs of my ways in teaching dogs things. It was a complete 180 degrees on what I thought should happen with dogs. And my training excelled with the new direction with the help of Mary Morris, a great friend and mentor. Sadie also wormed her way into my heart and eventually the entire house was hers to claim. yes even the bed. Its amazing how different 'real' dog people think versus your average farmer or average person in the world. I digress...

I then was so excited about the herding prospect that I went and purchased ducks for her. Sadie was a natural. I started looking at small breeds of sheep as the one time Sadie DID herd the cattle, I was terrified as Sadie looked so tiny out there but she knew exactly what she was doing. That is how I got my Shetland Sheep. We all know that story, and if you don't, well I have about 85 of those sheep now :)

My very first B match show was in Mason City, Iowa. Dawn Fisher and Sadie's littermate Magic came down to play too. I was entering a world I had never really thought about, or seen. Especially not first hand. It was overwhelming. It was exciting.

Fast forward a few years. I've now done agility, rally , obedience, herding, CGC. I've gone to two nationals, and one Western Reserve, which we all know is the world's largest regional specialty. I've gleaned websites for information on the breed, always learning, always asking. I've scoured and researched pedigrees, asked for photos, asked for answers, begged to see dogs move.

While doing all of this research and question and answer time, I was always drawn to a certain 'look'. Its no secret that Cardigans, although an uncommon breed in the US, has MANY styles and looks. I collected as many old handbooks and bulletins that I could find. I read them over and over and over and over. There are not a ton of dogs that really float my boat. Before anything else I always have looked at what I feel is breed type and style. Outline. Silhouette. I was always getting drawn to the older Joseter, Kennebec, Pluperfect, Chandler lines. However this photo sealed the deal for me:

This is Pluperfect Pennyroyal aka "Clover". She is a linebreeding (mother/son) and her outline and construction here was just enough to take my breath away. This is my inspiration. I never was able to see her move, and I always feel that i got into the breed 'too late' as I wasn't able to see any of the 'greats' alive and in the fur.

Upon further research (I do a lot of it on the breed) I found this photo of Clover in the 1996 CWCCA handbook. Still breathtaking and still exactly what I think a Cardigan should look like.

Then this cardiped.net comes along and I find this STUNNING photo of Pluperfect Pennywise aka Labsheeda. Its one I hadn't seen before and wow another photo that took my breath away.
I could gush about him, but I'll let the photo speak for itself. He has so many merits I would run out of room or you would bore yourself reading it. Truly a remarkable dog.

Just over three years ago (or is it 4?) I contacted Barb Hoffman about a show potential female from one of their upcoming litters. I was really wanting a sable, but in the end, realized that construction is more important than color. I was offered Ell, and I took the opportunity. One to say I'm so glad I did! I am so thankful for that opportunity to own such a typey, lovely bitch that goes back to these two a fore mentioned red dogs.

Barb is always the one I go to for answers first, and she is a great mentor and role model and also a great friend. She's always making me look at things in a new light. When Ell's grandmother "Hannah" was awarded Best Veteran two days at the Western Reserve and one day awarded BOS under breeder judge Nancy Cunliffe, I could not be happier or more proud for such a great and wonderful breeder and friend. Her and Jon have done some wonderful breedings together and I think I'm more excited for their litters than they are, just so I can see what they have and watch them grow.

I really think watching pups grow and mature is key to understanding the breed and how they develop. Looking at old bulletins and handbooks when the now veterans were pups is really an eye opening experience.

I've got so much to learn yet, and many more questions to ask (just beware!) and I'm really excited about the breed. I hope that I can have a lasting affect on the improvement of the breed overall, even though I'm just getting started now.

Along the way I've met many other great wealth of knowledge people besides Barb and Jon. JoAnne Beashau is another mentor and one who tells me like it is. Sometimes it was an eye opener, other times it was exactly what I needed to hear and I knew it, but didn't want to accept it. Carolyn Cannon has been a great person to go to, to ask questions and pester :) Kim Shira, Denise Waiting, Paul Chen, Sarah Keth are also some of the folk not so lucky to get away from the question asking. But I think they enjoy it, or they wouldn't answer my emails and phone calls :)

Its all about learning and asking questions. I think when you stop asking, you stop learning. So in that case my questions will never cease! >:)

Thank you to ALL of you who have helped make this such a fun, exciting, friendly journey of growth for me. It really is appreciated!

Back in the saddle

Sadie and I FINALLY got back to agility training tonight in Fargo. Yes its 90 miles. One WAY. 180 round trip in the big Expedition (the focus wagon's motor blew on me last week and i'm not replacing it. the motor costs more than the car is worth).

I was pretty anxious going into the ring as I didn'tk now if Sadie would be terrible (we were bumped up three levels from our last training level) and not remember anything or go off course or something. It was actually me we had to worry about! My trainer looked at me and finally said' Garrett, gather yourself and start over' LOL. Ok note taken!

Sadie was looking really good. We did serpentine jumps, contacts (perfect on the teeter and tire finally!) and down on the table with little coaxing. We did front crosses, rear crosses, weaves, broad jumps, panel jumps, triples, doubles, singles. You name it we did it! Sadie was SUPER happy to be back to doing something.

The silliness was right before I got into the vehicle i tripped and sprained my RIGHT ankle. Remmeber I broke my LEFT foot last September? That's why I hadn't been back to class. Well that and Zoe being pregnant. I didn't want to leave her, or bring home terrible koodies or something.

I also took the pups up for socialization and evaluations by non corgi breeders. Hey they got the structure down! They all sat happily in a Cocker xpen (the ones with the grated floor) and I just put a plastic piece and blankets over the grates. They watched us and the other dogs do agility and obedience, cuddled the people and wormed their way into several hearts. One friend even asked if I had any females left available, which I sadly said no! She would have been a perfect home and does NOT want a boy. Even after all the puppy kisses!

I'm going to take Zoe and Daisy to Detroit Lakes (only 60 miles round trip) for obedience and hopefully get their CGC/TDI hopefully if nothing else.

I brought Daisy in for her OFA certifcation for her Thyroid. She was SO good in the clinic, giving hand and face licks to all the techs and happily standing amongst us while we waited for the blood to clot so they could spin it down and send it out. Now we just wait for the results!

a busy dog day. If i didn't have dogs, I wouldn't have a life :)

Flashback Friday

OK so I'm over by 7 minutes for Flashback Friday but I was going through old photos of sheep and found this adorable photo of my dogs from last summer. Here is "Princess Sadie" overlooking/guarding/babysitting her pack. Oliver is on the right somewhat alert, Ell is in the front passed out, Mac is in front of her also passed out and Zoe is looking like she is starting to fade into sleep.....What a great photo I think!

Searching for the 'dog mobile'

Ok so the Expedition has got to go! I cannot fit all my dogs in the vehicle, OR all of their supplies! I tried doing that going to the National this year and I fit all the Cardigans but not Mitcham, and most of the supplies had to go on a cargo carrier.

I do have the Ford Focus wagon for trips that require less dogs (this weekend Mitcham, Justice and I are going to Duluth Fri-Sun) but what happens when my entire family is gone and I need to take ALL the dogs AND all of their stuff??

No I refuse to get a minivan!! Bring on the full size vans! Any brand or model that you really have liked? It was only a matter of time really. This way I could even bring an inflatable bed to sleep on in the van if it ever came to that ;) Do the cargo vans have heaters and A/C in the back or would I need to get a passenger van and take the seats out?

Thoughts?

Sleepy Wednesday?

Oliver getting comfy with Grandma