Farset Graduates from Puppy Class

Farset graduated from puppy class on Wednesday.  

She is now about 4 ½ months old (20 weeks) and up to 68 pounds. At this point, there better be a darn good reason for me to pick her up. Getting her into the car when Lagan is in the car is one of those reasons.

Farset started the class when she was 10 weeks old.  The instructor, the other student, and I figure that Farset gained 40 pounds while in the class. She went from a small harness to a large harness during that time. When we started the class, she was smaller than her classmate, a cocker spaniel. When we finished, she was so big the cocker spaniel could walk under her and had been able to do so for several weeks. I just wish we had taken a before and after picture. I do have an after picture that I will eventually post.

She learned so much in that class.  Things that were never covered in all of the obedience classes that I had taken with Lagan.  I haven't decided if I am going to move her up to the intermediate class soon or if I want to wait a little while.  I would like to work on conformation (what they judge in dog shows)with Lagan and her.  There is a class on Tuesday nights
at a different place.  It is a drop in kind of class, you just go when you can.  
I would also like to take Lagan through the intermediate class.  He could use the practice. 

It figures that a week before the end of class, Farset "forgot" the "down" command.  She also forgot how to stay.  She is driving me crazy in that respect.  I think that it is just a matter of working through it.  Some of it is due to her wanting to be close to me.  Right now, she inevitably breaks a stay or wait when I am out of view.  So we have been working on all of it here at home.

There are two practice matches coming up.  One at the fairgrounds on Feb 23rd and one at the Durham Kennel Club on March 8th.  I really want to enter her in both of them.  I would love to bring both her and Lagan to the event at the fairgrounds on Saturday, but there is no way for me to handle both of them in that kind of situation.  I can do ok when they are both just walking around outside, but not with a big crowd inside.  Yet another thing to practice.

So much to do, so little time.

Life has been busy

I know that it has been a while since my last post. Things have been really busy. I am walking lots of dogs every week day and the pet sitting is picking up again too. The economy seems to have significantly affected personal travel and is causing people to cut back on the extras. When talking to friends and acquaintances who own small businesses, they are feeling it too. I do have enough business that I need to add a dog walker or two soon, and hopefully a pet sitter by the end of March.

Farset continues to grow. As of last Wednesday, she is up to 62 pounds. She only gained 2 pounds during that week. I expect her growth to slow down a little bit.

We will be going to the fairgrounds on Feb 23rd to participate in a B match. The AKC is hosting an event at the Dorton Arena. You can find out more at: https://www.akc.org/news/index.cfm?article_id=3425 B matches are for inexperienced dogs to get some practice being in the ring without the points. They allow puppies as young as 3 months old, so it will be perfect for Farset.

There are regular dog shows at the fairgrounds from March 18 through 23. I will only be able to show Lagan since puppies need to be at least 6 months old before they are able to go into the regular match. I plan to showing Lagan and Farset at the hound show at the fairgrounds on May 11 & 12th. That assumes that I have an additional handler.

 

Update on Farset with Photos!

Farset turned 4 months old yesterday (Feb 7th). According to the vet's office, she is up to 61 pounds. When we came in about 4 weeks ago, she was 40 pounds, so a gain of 20 pounds. That averages out to be 5 pounds a week. No small feat (or feet :) as the case may be). She and Lagan are really enjoying playing together. I've included a photo of that. She also likes to snuggle up to him. He is not all that interested, but he puts up with it. She is tethered to our kitchen island in the photo of her snuggling to her. She is pretty reliable when it comes to the house breaking thing, but she wasn't at the time of the photo.

Good Calories, Bad Calories - a must read

If you eat and are concerned about your weight &/or health, you really need to read Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes.  

It is a little difficult to read.  It contains lots of analysis of scientific (and not so scientific) studies regarding food, weight, exercise, and health.  

Basically it says that everything that we have been told regarding eating healthy 
and how to lose weight is wrong.  He shows how almost none of the information 
we have been told is not backed up by any study/research/biochemical pathway, etc.  Plus he shows how some of the seemingly new radical ideas about food and eating are not not new. 

Also that not all calories are the same.  Carbohydrate calories behave very differently in our bodies than fat calories.  

It is truely mind altering.  An absolute must read.

For more info on this book check out the following websites:

http://www.randomhouse.com/knopf/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781400040780

He wrote an article for the NY Times back in 2002 which led him to writing this book. You can read the article at:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F04E2D61F3EF934A35754C0A9649C8B63

There is a YouTube film of the Larry King live show featuring Dr. Andrew Weil and Gary Taubes.  You can see it at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoQGRJqGQTs

I Wish I Could Find Time to Do Crafty Things

Right now I have been so busy with work that I haven't been able to do much crafty lately.  I do look at pattern books and dream.  I found one with designs that I can actually imagine wearing.  They are in the book "Fitted Knits" by Stephanie Japel.  I have also been excited about Nalbinding.  The only thing that I am currently working on is in Nalbinding.  Not quite a week left before I need to finish.  I have at least two more inches before I finish.  I may still run into problems finishing the edges, etc.  

Farset hasn't been getting as much training lately either.  I haven't had a chance to do any of our homework since our last puppy class.  I am going to see the effects of that in a couple of hours.

I have been doing some serious reading, see my next entry.