Pay It Forward

The Cardigan world- no- the entire dog fancy- was dealt a cruel blow with the untimely death of Marieann Gladstone on Friday. I am sure that most of the people reading this have their own memories of Marieann, and share the immense sense of loss.

Personally, I cannot think of a single other person "in dogs" that had a greater influence on me- who I am- how I think- what my goals and aspirations are. Unfortunatly, I don't believe Marieann knew how much her influence meant to me. I know I never took the time to tell her- I always thought there would be another chance.

I was wrong.

Marieann was many things, to many people. She was more than my mentor; more than my friend. Although we might not always agree, I always respected her opinion. She taught me about dogs, yes; but more importantly, she taught me about myself. In her very quiet, but very firm way, she never let me get away with making excuses or accepting mediocrity. From Marieann I learned about ethics and standards and values; and I never had a chance to thank her.

I will always regret that.

While discussing the untimely loss of our mutual friend, and how badly I felt about never telling Marieann how I felt about her, another friend suggested that I "pay it forward." ~ that I share with others all the things that I learned from Marieann over the years.

So, over the next few weeks, in the pages of this blog, I will attempt to share with you all the things that Marieann taught me about. I don't have her wonderful way of gently getting the point across without stepping on anyone's toes, but hopefully no one will be unduly offended.

We have lost a great friend and a great asset to our breed. There is no way that I, or anyone, can make up for what she offered. In a large way, my sharing is a way for me to heal as much as it is a way to pay tribute to one of the finest people I have ever had the privelege of knowing, and being able to call a friend.

Blessings to all of you.

Size Does Matter

OK- I have to ask you all a question... when was the last time you read the Cardigan standard? Do you know what the recommended/suggested size of the ideal Cardigan is?

Next question... Do you think that the majority of the Cardigans being shown/bred today are within that size bracket?

Now- I assure you I am not on a witch hunt- and I have always been of the "balance is more important than absolute size" mind set- but- I am getting concerned about the size of some of the Cardigans I am seeing in the rings- and the comments I am hearing, both from exhibitors and breeders- and judges!

To quote our standard: "Ideally, dogs should be from 30 to 38 pounds; bitches from 25 to 34 pounds. Lack of overall balance, oversized or undersized are serious faults."

Think about the male dogs in your house, or the male Specials you have seen out in the last year. What do you think they weigh? What about the bitches?

Imagine what would happen if you took a 30 pound adult dog in the ring? Have you shown a 25 pound bitch?

The fact is, you will be far more successful with an OVERSIZED dog or bitch, then you will be with a correct sized Cardigan. I find that disturbing.

What I found even more disturbing is that I am catching myself looking at my own dogs and wondering... is he going to be big enough? Is she too small? I look at 38 pound dogs as being on the "moderate" size- when, in reality, they are at the top end of the standard. Where I used to say my "Big Boy", Nicky, was as big as I would ever want to have in my house- I realized at the Nationals that he was just average in size.

Size DOES Matter people! The Cardigan is NOT a Large Breed Dog with short legs. Our breed is "a handsome, powerful, small dog." We need to keep that in mind when making our breeding decisions. We need to remember that when choosing which dogs to show.

Bigger is not better- nor is it correct. Bigger may be more impressive to Group judges- but if the judge knows the breed, and is worthy of your respect, he or she should be able to find that correct, balanced, and sound dog of the proper size.

If the breeders don't make the effort to show the dogs of the proper size, how are the judges ever going to learn?

Next time you are evaluating that litter of puppies, please fight the urge to keep the biggest puppy in the litter; think moderate!

Choices and Priorities

Life is all about setting priorities and making choices. We learn that very early, when the decision is whether to play with our friends, or stay inside and finish our homework. It's a little bit depressing to discover that things don't change too much when you are an adult, isn't it? In fact, not only do you still have to make those tough decisions [Do I eat that chocolate cake, or do I go to the gym? Do I go to the office, or do I hang out at home with my spouse?] the consequences for our choices are so much more serious!

The same thing transfers down when you live in a multi-dog household, with multiple interests and venues.

Do you finish that championship first, or start on Agility/Obedience now? Should I breed my bitch NOW- or wait until after I finish her CD? Should I spend the money to go to that important dog show, or should I pay the credit card bill ["You get two notices-- TWO notices!!"]

Sometimes life- those Realities of Life- you know, the stuff that generally really Sucks--gets in the way of the things you really want to do. Things like JOBS- SCHOOL- MONEY--FAMILY-- all take us away from spending as much time as we would like to doing the things we want to do with our dogs.

Which- brings me back to my first line- Life is all about setting priorities and making choices.

I tend to go through this on a regular basis; this taking stock of where I am in my "dog life." Who do I have in the house- what am I doing with them- what do I want to do with them- what SHOULD I be doing with them that I am not able to do-- etc. I always end up with a "where do I go from here..." session...

I am a goal-setter, but unfortunatly, I tend to set somewhat unreasonable goals. I think it goes along with being "slightly" competative- Type A personality. As a result, I get frustrated when I haven't attained all of the goals I had set for each dog in the time period I had set aside! Inevitably, my frustration leads to a sense of disappointment with myself- never the dogs, for its never their fault!

However, in January I made only one New Years resolution- to not set unreasonable goals for myself- in any area of my life. I don't need to have the cleanest house, the best grades, spend every weekend with my grandchildren, and have the top obedience scores or the #1 Cardigan. Any of those would be wonderful- but I don't NEED any of them- and I don't need to make myself- or the people around me- insane while I try to reach unreachable goals.

Accepting that I have limitations is not easy- nor is lowing my personal bar a bit to allow for some breathing room. I have had to constantly remind myself that its all a matter of My Personal Choice...

My priorities have definitly changed! Whereas in the past I would be showing every weekend, I am enjoying the time I am spending at home with my husband and my family and the dogs. I am really enjoying working in Obedience and playing in Agility. My husband and I are looking forward to taking a vacation together, and we haven't done that in a long time!

Breeding and showing dogs is a very greedy hobby- it will quickly take up all of your available time and money. If I can offer one word of advice to a new person coming into our sport, it would be to go slow- take your time, and learn early on to set your priorities and make smart choices! Don't let dogs shows take over your life- and don't find yourself over run with dogs! Its not fair to the dogs- or to yourself- and especially not to your family!

And- no matter what- remember to have fun! It's all just a game!!

Home from the Nationals

We are home from the CWCCA National Specialty! PHEW!! What a week!!

We had a fabulous National Specialty! We brought home lots of Rosettes and coolers (trophies)! I think the count on Rosettes was 20 at my house, another 4 or 5 at Lisa's house, and then there are those that went to Mandy's house, and Terri's house, and Lisa Phillips' house....

We also brought home 2 new titles!! Yeah for Bugsy---aka--- the dog who could not be trained! Bugsy now has a CD and an RE behind his name~ with placements for each leg earned! He finished his RE with a first place and a score of 99, too! His CD scores were not quite that impressive, but it was good enough for a second place! Bugsy can now brag that he is a balanced dog-- Ch. Xtacee PV Bugsy Malone CD, RE, HIC--- now to get serious with that dumbell and drop on recall... and agility stuff!

Sera (Ch Xtacee Moonlight Serenade) won the 2010 CWCCA National Specialty Brood Bitch class, followed by her beautiful puppies, Morgan and Will-Smith-Jacob. For me, this was the biggest thrill of the National; this is the first time I have ever won this award. Sera also made it to the bitter end in Best of Breed~ but no AOM~ again. Maybe the 3rd time is the charm? Guess I will have to take her to another National to find out? Sera did win the Best Blue Bitch award in the Megan competition for the second time.

Jitterbug (Ch. Xtacee Lifes A Dance) won Best Black Bitch in the Megan- and by the end of the week, had somewhat learned to stand still and bait! Her show career is over; now we can have fun learning rally, and agility, which is her real love anyway!

The Veterans had a lot of fun! Granpa Nicky won the 11 +older class, both in the Sweeps and the regular classes! He really enjoyed being a show dog again- of course, it will take him a week to sleep off all the excitement!

George came back, almost 2 years post surgery, with style. He won the 7-9 Veterans class Sweeps and Regular classes, amid cheers and tears! He loved being in the ring, and moved out with almost the same beautiful foot timing. George was given an Award of Merit in Best of Breed- a fitting end to his show career! Now George can hang up his show lead, next to his AOM ribbon!

Terri Clingerman joined us for the week, with Cricket (Spotman x Dora). However, Cricket opted to leave her hair at home. None the less, Cricket placed in her Sweepstakes class and showed beautifully all week! I think we may have Terri almost converted... she is starting to think about a second cardigan, anyway!

Little LeeLoo (Xtacee the Fifth Element- Sera x Powell)- had a great time, too! She placed in all of her classes, and won her sweeps and her regular class on Sunday at the Del Val Specialty. She is quite the head turner! Such a sweetie!! Her owner, Lisa Phillips, is obviously head over heels in love with this girl!

Morgan did not learn to be a show dog over the week- but he certainly had fun trying! He placed second in a very large 6-9 sweepstakes class, and then I threw him to the wolves and showed him in Bred By Exhibitor against all the adult dogs. He was the youngest dog in the class (6 months, 3 days) and yet he placed Fourth!! Go Morgan!! On Sunday he won both his Sweepstakes class, and the Bred-By class!

And the, last but certainly not least, is Will-Smith-Jacob. Owned by myself and Mandy Bossi (and trained by Caitlyn, of course), WSJ strutted his stuff to win the 6-9 puppy dog class, and then on to Reserve Winners dog.... and BEST PUPPY IN SHOW at the CWCCA National Specialty 2010

I am already making plans for Texas-- and hope to see you all there!

CWCCA National Time...

Are you getting excited yet? It's almost time for the CWCCA National Specialty!!

GULP!!

Two or three years ago, when I was asked to do the Juniors Program, and then a few minutes later, "Hey Kathy, you'll do RV Parking, right?"-- it didn't seem like such a big deal! After all- I was working full-time; my job was secure (or so I thought)- I would be on vacation- I would have lots of help(!!) and it WAS the local specialty!!

Fast forward to 2010... Perhaps I should have titled this Blog... My, how times have changed...

Less than a week until THE BIG EVENT...

1) I am unemployed~ However, instead of being on an unending vacation- I am in school full time, and our Nationals just happen to fall two weeks before Final Exams for Spring Semester. If you remember back to your college days, that means that our National falls during the LAST week of classes. The week I get back from the Nationals will be what they nicely call "Reading Week"~ which actually means your last ditch chance to get any and all assignments in to the professors in for grading...

What this has meant to preparation for the National has meant several bouts of absolute PANIC! Like- OMG- I am NEVER going to get all this CRAP done in time to leave- kind of panic!

Not to mention that I have been carrying 18 credits this semester; I mean- SERIOUSLY- only CRAZY people do that!!

2) The Good news is I have had quite a bit of help from other CWCCA Members and friends to pull this together- and I may actually survive this experience with some semblence of sanity.

That is, providing that nothing else goes wrong in the meantime...

Between school, my husband, my petsitter, my children, my car-- and the RV parking issues and the Juniors gifts and whatever else seems to not be cooperating... it does seem like there are forces bigger than me trying to keep me away from this years National Speciatly....

AT any rate... My intention is to have a GREAT time- see all my friends, enjoy all the wonderful Cardigans, and create wonderful memories to keep me going until the next CWCCA National Specialty!

I am looking forward to seeing everyone next week! Travel safely!!

Bugsy in Syracuse

I decided to take Bugsy to Syracuse for the Obedience and Rally Trials. I wanted to see just how much I needed to work on before the Nationals~ knowing full well that Bugsy really wasn't ready to compete in Novice B obedience, and that he still had some issues for Rally Excellent!

Besides, it was a great excuse to visit Terri Clingerman and Cricket (Spotman x Dora), who has become one of our absolute favorite puppy people and a great friend!

The original plan was that Lisa and I would only take George and Bugsy up for the weekend so that we could devote undivided attention to the "smart" dogs... but it didn't quite work out that way!

1) we forgot it was Easter weekend, which meant that Lisa didn't have a dog-sitter! Her daughters had "other plans" so would not watch her other dogs

2) Sera and Jitterbug both came in season- and while normally all of my dogs can go out together, and my hubby is wonderful about taking care of them when I am away- the two girls don't get along when they are in season, and naturally the intact boys can't go out with the in-season girls... so a quick calculation made it obvious that we were going to have to bring a few extra dogs along for the ride.

Friday evening we arrived at Terri's just in time to see a brand-new baby lamb! I wanted so badly to bring her home! So very cute! We walked the dogs and visited with everyone and settled in, then enjoyed an incredible dinner with Terri's family.

Saturday dawned as a beautiful, sunny day! Temps were in the low 80's~ a complete suprise in Syracuse, NY! We left the "extra" dogs at Terri's house, since she has such a wonderful set up and we weren't going to be gone all day.

Rally Excellent started walk-through at 8:30, and Bugsy was the first dog in A. It was a complicated course- the judge really liked those cross-ring angles! Mr. Bugs was AWESOME and right on target until we got to the "Back up 3 steps"~ I backed up... Bugsy sat down and watched me!... OOPS! So I circled him back out of the station, and we tried it again (3 points there!) The second attempt was only slightly better- Bugsy turned sideways and walked toward me instead of backing. ~

Our score in Rally Exc. A was an 89- we lost 10 pts on that Back up station, and a point on the pivot Left~ but it was good enough for a 2nd place!

We were not as fortunate in Novice B!

Focus was an issue in Obedience~ Bugsy must have felt my apprehension come down the lead! He lagged on lead and through the figure 8- Moved his feet on the Stand for exam (GASP-- he never does that in class...) then came the off lead heel...

Bugsy spied a dried leaf off to the left, so he went and picked that up as soon as we started the off lead heel. He carried that through the rest of his off lead heeling. He did all of his sits- most a bit crooked. Heeled very wide on his about turns- (making sure he was checking outside the ring, you know...) The good news was he stayed on his recall-- and he did his finish-- almost perfectly!! Final score was a depressing 174-- but at least he qualified!

Back to Terri's~ and some intensive training on focus and attention~ we even trained right next to the sheep pen!

Then we got to watch the amazing Cricket train on the sheep (I just love that little girl!! Just wait to see all that dog can do!) and had a scrumptious dinner and crashed for the night...

Sunday was a bit chilly and we were all tired... even the dogs seemed tired! Because we were leaving directly from the show, we had to load the van and bring all the dogs.

Once again, Rally was first. The class was smaller, probably because it was Easter Sunday (Good people were in Church). This course had better flow, and the stations were less challenging; Bugsy, however, was not as focused this morning. (or maybe it was me?) We finally clicked about 1/3 of the way into the course~ the last station was the Back up 3 steps== once again- I backed- Bugsy stood up on his hind legs, turned toward me and stood still. I circled him around and came back into the station, and the second time he did a beautiful back... I was THRILLED (this station has always been tough for us!)

We ended up with a 94 and 3rd place-- losing 3 pts on the back- a single pt on a 360 (sniffing), a single pt on his sit/stand/down (took 2 commands to down) and a single on his halt/call front/finish right/ (finish crooked).

On to Novice B-- without time to put him away for much of a break! I proofed him on his stand really quickly... did some play/release/quick sits first... and off we went. I was, frankly, worried- since he was not really into it in Rally.

So I worked really hard at being very cheerful in Obedience- I heeled him very quickly- smiled a lot- tried to maintain eye contact with him. In between exercises, I did a lot of physical "touch" - good dog- rah rah stuff (which I normally don't do except in training)

He "felt" good! I knew he heeled a bit wide a few times, but his sits were better- he was with me more- and he was connected. He stayed for his stand and his recall was great~ his finish could have been better (sat crooked) but it was acceptable.

On his stays he ended up on a steel grate covered with matting; I was so worried he was going to break; I could feel the grating shift when I left him and he was fidgeting. Thats the longest 1 and 3 minutes!!!

Final score was a 189--- AND a 4th place!!! For a dog that is really not ready~ I was THRILLED!!!

So~ the final tally for the weekend was 2 Rally Exc legs and 2 Novice Obedience legs going into the National~

AND~ a wonderful weekend with some great friends!

Website Woes

My old website is dead and buried. www.xtaceecwc.com is forever gone. Gone with it is all the hours of work I put into it~ which makes me very sad! I had a lot of great stuff on that website, including a guest book that dated back 7 or 8 years!

I have purchased another domain name through GoDaddy- my new website will be www.xtaceecardigans.com

All I need is the time to upload photos and put this new website on the "map". Of course, Time is the one thing I just don't seem to have enough of these days!

However, I did decide that the format of the new website will be slightly different. My new website will contain the basics about Xtacee Cardigans; the photos of most of the dogs, and information on upcoming litters, and a little about my history in the breed.

But the "meat" of the website- all the writings about CHD and raising Cardigans and Raw Diets and positive training and discussions on the standard and breeding ethics-- and any other subjects that jump into my feeble brain- Iwill post on my blog. I will make sure there is a link to the blog from my new website, but people will have to look a little bit to find stuff!

Hopefully, it will make things a little easier for me to maintain, as well. I know that my website was not as timely as it could have been, and I also know that I don't "blog" as often as I should.

At any rate, look for the announcement on the new website being up and running sometime in the next few weeks.

Until then... just remember that Patience is a Virtue... or something like that!