ELMINGO RETRIEVERS

Tired girls

2012-01-26T18:24:00.000-07:00

Darbi is a tired lady after a long week training.

Not sure what Miikka's excuse is.

A quick update on Miika's leg (torn achilles). It's SO much better!! The brace and rest has worked miracles and one can't tell by looking at her how badly injured her leg was a few months ago. She actually ran a water test in training this week and loved it!

Darbi is an old lady now, but nobody told her! She was driving us bonkers having a break before Christmas and is so happy to be back to work. No retirement in sight for her yet! She has no soundness issues, no hearing issues and I'm so happy to have what appears to be another year with my bestest girl.

Willie T!

2012-01-24T20:02:00.000-07:00

And here she is!!!

My new pup Willie.

She is officially known as Horsetooth's Willie T Wiffic.

From the last "Chopper" breeding ever.

And the best part?? I've only had her a week and she's already scratching at the door to go outside. Pretty smart little cookie.

Poor Gordie. She beats on him pretty good already.

Winter fun in the snow

2012-01-22T17:09:00.000-07:00

Gordie's brother "Goose" (Arson x Miikka) is enjoying the snow in New Jersey!!

I can't get over how much his eyes look like his mom's.

Bonzai!!!

Elmingo Family

2012-01-17T18:03:00.004-07:00

We've arrived in Texas for our annual Winter Trip.

It's also time for the annual Elmingo Family Portrait!!

No dogs were harmed in the taking of this picture...although a number of them were threatened.

From left to right (click on the picture for a bigger view):

Elmingo's Little Man "Zink" (Shaq x Miikka 2009)

Elmingo's Flip Your Lid "Libby" (Shaq x Miikka 2009)

FTCH AFTCH Revilo's Red Hot Rumors "Miikka"

Elmingo's Hat Trick "Gordie" (Arson x Miikka 2011)

FTCH Revilo's At Full Tilt "Darbi" (she beats me, I swear she does)

Elmingo's Cutting Edge "Razor" (Prize x Darbi 2011)

Backwater Smokin Turq "Turq" (Prime x Darbi 2008)

Elmingo's Tic A Tee Boo "Ahti" (Prize x Darbi 2011)

Elmingo's Prime Suspect "Meg" (Prime x Darbi 2008)

As you can see from the Darbi puppies on the right, she seems to throw very LARGE males and little females no matter who she's bred to.

Gordie looks like the biggest Miikka pup I've seen so far. He's only 4 months old and has a lot of bone.

I'm very proud of all my "kids"...near and far. I'm so lucky that a few have come back to us to train so I can spoil them still.

I'll try to get a better pic of them all in the future, but Meg is in season...so we had to stick her off in the corner.

I'm especially proud of the up and comers in this picture. Zink was a top ten derby dog in the US last year. Libby was top 20. Turq was a Canadian National Finalist at 2 years old and his sister Meg is hot on his tail becoming QAA in 2011. Momma D finally got her Canadian FTCH last year and her Prize pups look like they'll be fun in the derby this year. So much to be proud of.

And Gordie...sweet Gordie. With his father's recent passing we are holding him near and dear. He shows a lot of promise and we're excited about his future.

Arson-Gone Too Soon

2012-01-11T18:29:00.001-07:00

FC FTCH LKY'S CONTROLLED BURN

2005-2012

Finalist 2010 Canadian National

I'm very sorry to announce the passing of Arson after a short illness.

He was a special dog to everyone that knew him and will be sorely missed.

The very first time I stood beside Arson was when I won an Open with him in Canada, and it was also standing beside him that I got my first US Open placement.

I know that his owners, Brad & Diane, have broken hearts this evening. My condolences to them.

He was a kind hearted spirit who could be trusted alone with a newborn puppy or small child, but also could be trusted to make a difficult 350 yard swim to the bird with more heart than I had ever seen before.

My husband also mourns his loss this evening. Arson came into Kenny's life as a 6 month old pup with promise and hope. He was a little slow to mature and didn't truly shine until he became an All-Age dog, and shine there he did.

He was in the prime of his life and taken too soon.

His son Gordie, who is lying at my feet as I type this, has very big paws to fill and a very wonderful daddy to look up to.

Arson and Kenny at 2010 US National

Me n Zed

2012-01-03T16:56:00.000-07:00

I love my horse Zed.

He's the coolest.

He's now for sale and I'm sad about that. We've taken him a long ways from being an off the track Thoroughbred to having a second career.

It was the plan to sell him when I bought him, but it's still hard. I'll get another "project" when he goes.

It's also been a tough adjustment going from an ex Western rider to the world of Hunters/Jumpers. The learning curve has been very steep for both of us.

I have a lot to learn, and so does he....but I've had so much fun learning with him.

Puppies everywhere!

2011-12-29T19:04:00.000-07:00

I'm getting a new puppy.

I'm very excited.

I know, I know...it seems like I collect them and I guess I do.

I bought Otto and Stanley last year and sold them to clients of Kenny's. They are still here in training with us and doing great!

I bought Loki and raised her and sold her to the client of another pro. She now visits her own vineyard in Napa on her private plane, so I'm thinking Loki is living a good life. I miss her a great deal.

I have Gordie now and he's a blast. I'm hanging on to him for awhile to see what he's made of.

And now introducing Willie!!! She's from the last ever breeding of NFC AFC Clubmead's Road Warrior, so I had a hard time passing this litter up. She'll be ready to come home to me in a few weeks.

Willie is one of these THIRTEEN puppies. I can't imagine 13. The biggest litter I've ever had is 8 and they were a handful. One of these cute little faces is Willie and I can't wait to meet her.

And re-introducing Stewie. He's from the recent Arson x Miikka breeding and he's Gordie's brother. Stewie now lives in Ohio and is having a grand time getting acquainted to ducks.

He's already a proficient little retriever.

And as an aside, Miss Miikka was spayed just before the holidays. Even though she is young (ish) and had another litter left in her, I decided she has done enough. Having 2 pups on the Top Twenty Derby List in the US this year and many others that are QAA and/or MHs is quite an accomplishment for a 7 year old mom. I'm proud of her and can't wait to see what the future holds for her daughter Libby and I.

Darbi was due to be spayed the same day, but she came into season. I'll have the surgery done sometime in 2012 when it's convenient for all of us.

I have a daughter of each, and that's all I ever wanted.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-21T17:09:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!

From me and the "girls":
Darbi, Miikka, Libby & Ahti.

Training-When do I step in?

2011-12-08T11:22:00.001-07:00

Back when I was an Amateur, I really struggled at knowing when to step in and help my dog. I didn't know if I should handle for a bad line, help for a bad hunt or what to do?

We all know that training dogs is more an art then a science, so there are no black and white rules. Many different variables arise such as what the particular dog needs at that moment vs. keeping the standards of training high. But I will point out some generalizations of training on marking set-ups that I've learned over the past couple of years.

When to re-call:
We re-call for a poor initial line to the mark. We generally only re-call the dogs within the first 75 yards and more often then not it is less then that. A poor intial line does not mean the dog left great, but fell into factors on route.
Too many re-calls, especially ones at a distance, can really erode a dog's confidence and momentum. A re-call is as much mental pressure to a dog as a collar correction is physical pressure.

When to handle:
We handle dogs on marks when a dog loses their line to the mark due to losing the mark itself. This can be due to many factors such as suction of other marks, wind, terrain or just plain lack of focus of the dog. We try to use only enough handle to regain the mark and then allow the dog to resume and get the mark on their own. We don't handle all the way to the bird as if we were at a field trial. Training and trialing is always different.
Our personal belief is that we don't handle for having a bad mark i.e. backsiding a gun. Dogs trained to the All-Age level need to be independent thinkers and learn how to negotiate the tough tests they will see in an Open. We also believe that marking is as much learning where not to go as learning where to go. So if a dog is taking a wide line to a long retired and it looks to be on it's way to hooking the holding blind, we let the dog go. This teaches them to recover, to think, to have perserverance and feel confident in doing so. Many dogs are "area markers" at the distances we're dealing with in modern field trials, so it would unreasonable to expect pin-point marking at the All-Age level all of the time.
Don't forget that water is the #1 "factor" that we handle around. Our general rule is to correct to get in the water, but never to correct to get them out. This is always attrition and many a good water dog has been taught to hate the water due to poor corrections in and around the water.

When to have the gunner help:
We have gunner's help the dogs when they've reached the area of the fall and can't come up with the bird after an extended hunt. Some dogs at times, especially young dogs learning multiples, will "blow" out of a mark if they can't come up with it quickly. It is these types of scenarios where we have the gunner help to keep the dog in the area of the fall. We don't put them right on the bird, but get them back to establishing a hunt there. We don't believe in ever putting pressure on a dog in the area of the fall, as it can lead to dogs being nervous hunting around gunners, popping, "piggy" hunts at the area of the fall, severe blowing out, etc. Dogs need to be relaxed hunting in and around guns considering some of the tight tests we see these days.

When to do nothing:
There are times when a dog is putting on an extended hunt that is painful to watch. We let these dogs hunt, and then hunt some more. A tough short retired on a hen pheasant will need a dog that is willing to go in and really dig out the bird and feel comfortable doing so. Nothing teaches this more then the dog being rewarded with a bird after an extended hunt in training. As long as the dog isn't doing anything stupid...we let them hunt.

Before you do anything in training to assist your dog (re-call, handle or help), it is always helpful to ask yourself one question: Am I Teaching The Dog Anything? If the answer is no, or "I don't know", then best to sit back and let your dog figure it out.

Gordie's Sleeping Habits

2011-12-02T16:08:00.000-07:00

Gordie has no problem sleeping LIKE his mother.

He also has no problem sleeping ON his mother.

Still alive

2011-11-30T16:19:00.000-07:00

I'm still here.

All is good.

Gordie is already house trained!!! That's the big news in my life. Gotta love it when they catch on fast.

I'm a little blog lazy these days, but I'll try to get some pics and a training article up soon.

Mr. Red

2011-11-23T08:17:00.000-07:00

Looks like he is having fun with his new owner in New Jersey.

Miikka

2011-11-20T18:58:00.000-07:00

This is how she sleeps.

Serious.

Just Gordie

2011-11-11T18:50:00.000-07:00

Two little boys have left, leaving me with one.

A quiet, well semi-quiet, house now.

Before he left Mr. Red is shown exhausted from toy over stimulation.

Too many toys and not enough time for him. He has gone to his new home in New Jersey.

Mr. Orange left to live with his "Auntie Emma" (a Darbi daughter) in Ohio.

And introducing Gordie!

Elmingo's Hat Trick.

I thought the name was appropriate as there is only three pups in the litter and his mother is named after a hockey player.

It looks like he thinks life is pretty tough. He didn't even KNOW the couch was an option until yesterday and now we can't get the little rascal away from it.

Some people hate dogs on the furniture. I respect that. We are a dog on couch friendly household for sure.

7 weeks!

2011-11-07T07:34:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how quickly time flies. Boys are only a day or two from heading to their new homes.

They are fun and busy.

Mr Orange, like any good Miikka offspring, likes to sleep on his back.

And yes, they are 100% paper trained. They are pretty clean little pups.

The boys spend a lot of their time playing outside (i.e. dirty noses) and playing in the kitchen where they crash on their dog bed at the end of a long day. Note: the Angry Bird toy made it's way inside the house, earless.

Can you see it now?

2011-11-03T14:40:00.000-06:00

Peanut thinks she's doing a wonderful job burying her bone.

Weird.

Indoor play

2011-11-02T20:47:00.000-06:00

Puppies were very busy this evening!

Tired

2011-11-01T20:58:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the lack of posts and PUPPY pics lately. We've been busy trialing and on the road. I'll be better this week.

Pups are doing great!! They weather was so nice in Missouri that they spent the better part of each day running around and having fun while we trained.
They also had their first shots and second deworming while there and they came away with a bill of excellent health!!

The trial this past week-end went well. Darbi and Libby were the Green Queens. Darbi Jam'd the Open and Libby Jam'd the Derby.
Libby had 7 pins and one hook (again....) and I was really proud of her work. The last series especially. It was a nice water double with the short bird up on the hill and the long bird across the whole pond, with the gun out of sight while the dogs swam. All the handlers were a little stunned when they shot the test short, then long. This order of throws threw a number of the dogs off.

Libby, as only her mother would do, primary selected on her own after the birds went down and I let her. She smacked the test. The whole situation made me smile as she reminds me more of her mother every day. We don't train on primary selection, largely because of the flyer influence down here in the states, but some dogs do it on their own and it worked in this scenario.

Darbi worked her butt off in a tough Open and had a handle on the short retired (a hen pheasant) in the last series Quad. A number of the early dogs handled or had giant hunts and then that bird seemed to get easier as the day went on. That's the breaks of running early.

That was our last trial of the year...so now for some rest!

Hard Lesson Learned

2011-10-24T08:01:00.000-06:00

I'm still learning this game. I suspect I always will be.

It's hard. Very hard.

When my dogs let me down, I get a little frustrated but move on. When I let them down I can't shake it and dwell and dwell.

First series of the Open in Missouri this week-end was a very hard quad. The two middle birds were giving everyone fits. The short bird was retired and thrown angle back against a tree line straight towards a stand out gun. The birds couldn't have been more then 30 yards apart (I was out there to pick up the blind station later and was stunned at how tight they were). Dogs were just NOT getting the short retired.

When I ran Darbs I tried to get that bird second, and expected to run past it as most everyone else was doing. She PINNED that bird. Absolutely knew where it was and face planted it. Then the wheels fell off...

Judges said only one other dog had done that...blah blah blah...I started talking to them...made a joke or two...

I still had two more birds to pick up but I thought I had it in the bag. There was a fairly straight forward retired gun off to the right and then the stand up gun just deep of the retired.

She came back to heel and I thought I was all that and a bag of chips. Loosey goosey, look at me. I took the bird and sent her for the right retired. Sent her WAY fast, didn't bear down and she left weird and nervous and we ended up handling. Out.

Kenny left me alone for about an hour and then we had the "talk". EVERY bird matters. EVERY send is important. QUIT yakking, bear down and run your dog.

He's right. I let my dog down and it really hurt. Hard lesson to learn and I believe I wouldn't have learned it any other way. I needed to pin the impossible bird to get that one through my thick skull.

Libby ran an amazing Derby. First three tests were a little light for such a big field. The third series water marks were kind of puppy markish, but we all had to run them just the same. They had a 30 yard go bird across a tiny corner of water and Libby hunted that dumb little bird...a lot. Then they set up a giant 4th series as they had too many dogs clean and knew it. Not many dogs did it, but Miss Libby did it better then anyone else. She made the big swim with the gun out of sight the whole way past the short bird.

Pin, pin.

7 flat out pins and a stupid hunt. That is green and no other color these days.

She makes her debut in the Qualifying this upcoming week-end. Qual debut and last Derby as we won't run any more after this. She ages out two months from today.

She's really coming on and I highly doubt I'll be doing any training on 30 yard birds in the future to clean that up...but one never knows.

The Three Amigos came to Missouri with us and they're having a blast! They stay in the trailer with us at night in their box, but come with us all day and spend lots of time outside in the x-pen meeting new people, and some time in a hole on the truck having naps.

Puppies have already been touched by greatness.

L to R: Dave Rorem, Bill Eckett and the Greatness that is my hubby.

Angry Birds!

2011-10-18T16:49:00.000-06:00

Pups are having fun in the yard several times a day.

Miikka was more into her Angry Bird toy.

As you can see, Miikka is still wearing her brace. The foot portion has been removed and it is being used as a "sports" brace now. Her partial tear of her achilles is 95% healed and one can't even tell by looking at her that she was ever injured.

Weaning

2011-10-15T19:07:00.000-06:00

Weaning is always fun.

I wait until Momma tells me it's time and then we dive in.

As you can see, pups are still tubby little guys, so the food I put down for them was ignored the first couple of days.

Mr. Blue actually fell asleep on the food dish last night.

They started to show interest today.

As you can see from the dirty little nose, I've been taking them outside a few times a day now. They are having a blast discovering the great outdoors.

And they were hungry after their evening romp outside! The kibble here hardly had time to moisten as I didn't think they'd want to eat tonight, but when Miikka walked away from them I quickly moistened up another round. It was the first time they dug in to their food!

I let Miikka clean up any leftovers and there wasn't any tonight!

Three amigos walking!

2011-10-11T13:47:00.000-06:00

Well, kinda. Staggering maybe.

And yes, Miikka can sleep through anything.

Home again!

2011-10-10T19:14:00.000-06:00

Back home from Kansas.

We're tired.

Darbi ran a great Open and was dropped after the water blind. I thought it might be good enough, but alas, it wasn't. They went into the water blind with 30+ dogs, so we all knew some would be pencilled. Darbi is never going to run a 3 whistle water blind...that's just not who she is. She runs workman (or lady) like water blinds.

Libby had her marking shoes on...mostly. The last series was a tight, tight land double and I saw dogs hunt the old fall and switch, and do everything in between, and knew I might be in trouble. Libby went a little deep of the go bird and looked over and saw the memory bird gunner almost right beside her...she made a couple jumps towards him and I was quick to hit the whistle. As I've mentioned before, I'm a big believer that no green ribbon is worth letting them get away with bad things, especially at her age. Miss Libby has a bright future ahead of her if I keep her on the straight and narrow.

Can't complain...ran a very hard trying Darbi to the third series of the Open and a fantastic marking Libby to the fourth series of the Derby.

Puppies are big and happy. Pics to come soon!!! And a video or two!

3 Weeks

2011-10-04T19:11:00.000-06:00

Pups sure growing fast!

3 weeks and 1 day old today.

We had a friend bring their granddaughter over the other day. The puppies and her shared many cuddles.

Mommy Miikka cuddling with her boys.

Head rest.

They are really starting to interact with one another...including some play fighting.

Fun in Nebraska

2011-10-03T08:39:00.000-06:00

Elmingo had a great week-end in Nebraska!!

Turq (Backwater's Smokin Turq) finished the Open with a Reserve JAM.
His Momma Darbi finished the Open with a JAM.

They both ran a great trial.

Zink (Elmingo's Little Man) and my Libby (Elmingo's Flip Your Lid) got 2nd and 4th in the Derby respectively. Zink now has 30 Derby points and Libby has 19.

I've heard that Zink is now the highest point Shaq pup in Derbies to date. Makes me pretty proud of Momma Miikka and her pups.

Puppies are doing wonderful. Their eyes and ears are now open. I'll get some pics up soon!

Feed me...

2011-09-27T20:19:00.001-06:00

These are BIG puppies. Enormous.

I've never had such fat little puppies before.

It's an easy explanation...there's only three of them. No fighting at the buffet and no jostling for a meal.

This does not mean that they will be big dogs, nor bigger then they should be...they will drop all the baby fat they're putting on once I wean them.

But right now, these boys are a solid 3 1/2 to 4 pounds each!

Mr. Orange looking for momma.

Mr. Red trying to teeter on wobbly legs.

And Mr. Blue looks like a beached whale. He has no trouble finding his way to the food trough.

They have finished their Early Neurological Stimulation exercises and will be opening their eyes very soon.

FINALIST!

2011-09-25T06:33:00.000-06:00

Way to go Turq!!!

He was a finalist in the Canadian National at only 2 years old.

Momma Darbi and I are so proud!!

Poopy...and puppies!

2011-09-19T20:04:00.000-06:00

Well, poopy.

Lost Darbi in the first series of the Canadian National today. Hard to explain, but she had some bad luck and not ideal wind conditions. It was a very wind dependent test and dogs with bad wind either ended up not finding birds, or going to birds they weren't sent for.

Two previous National champions and one of the top pointed dogs in the US this year also went out in the first series, so at least we were in good company.

It was a downer for sure, but she's still my bestest dog. She has some good trials left in her aging body and she still wants to work hard, so we'll keep moving forward.

But time for puppy pictures!!!

My Three Amigos.

Miikka, as usual, is a wonderful mother.

The little guys are doing very, very well and getting their daily Early Neurological Stimulation exercises.

18 and counting...

2011-09-18T20:13:00.000-06:00

Libby stayed behind in Colorado when we travelled north for the Canadian National.

I just got word that she WON the Derby at the Rocky Mountain trial in Colorado with our client, Kathy, running her. Kathy had only run her once in training, ever, and it did not go well. But it seems Libby left her run around in the training field and ran a great trial for Kathy!

This puts Libby at 18 points and counting. She has 4 more derbies to run before she ages out.

I told my friend to give Momma Miikka an extra cookie tonight.

Speaking of Peanut...her and the pups are doing great! The little guys are thriving and growing like weeds.

Canadian National starts tomorrow morning. We've worked hard all week and we're as ready as we'll ever be.

Keep fingers crossed for Darbi, her son Turq and the rest of the Horsetooth gang!!!

All clear

2011-09-16T17:39:00.000-06:00

A quick note as I have horrible cell here and no Internet. We're moving tomorrow, so hopefully the reception is better and I can get online on my computer, instead of just my phone.

Preliminary autopsy results surprised us. Seems the little boy pup had a similar birth defect as his sister, except there were no external signs like she had. His digestive system wasn't functioning properly and never would as it was mostly undeveloped. Nothing could have saved him.

The vet checked out the three amigos today and said they were in great health and showed no digestive issues at all. It seems we're out of the woods.

I'm ready to move forward.

The "boys" had their dew claws removed today as well and are now back at home nursing and sleeping.

I can't wait to meet them.

Another angel

2011-09-14T17:36:00.000-06:00

And another devastating loss.

One of the little boys died today.

He was doing well first thing in the morning, and a couple of hours it all changed.

My friend called to say he was off by himself and seemed lethargic. I told her to make sure the little guy was warm and try to get him to nurse. In 20 minutes he wasn't improving, and we made the decision to rush him to the vet.

My friend put them all on a heating pad in the back seat of truck, and took Miikka along for good measure.

The poor little guy passed in the 20 minute drive to the vet. My wonderful vet suspected that he had aspirated some milk, but we're doing an autopsy to be sure.

What a nightmare.

The rest of the pups and mom are doing great and he sent them back home with a bill of good health.

I have pics, but won't post them yet. The little guy is in them and I can't bring myself to do it.

It's a coincidence that one had a congenital defect and one most likely aspirated, but it just doesn't seem fair.

Many breeders have experienced similar pain, and some have horrifying stories of loss. Breeding is not for the faint of heart, and we do it for the love of our breed and the dogs itself.

Keep the rest of the pups in your prayers.

4 boys and an angel

2011-09-13T15:00:00.000-06:00

Tears of sadness and tears of joy.

Miikka went into labor only a few hours after we left for the Canadian National yesterday.

She did great and had capable hands with her.

I was in constant contact with the girl who was whelping her and the labor was progressing nicely.

When the first pup came out, we all knew it was not good. The little girl was 6 oz. (normal weight for my pups is 13-16 oz). And the pup had a wound on her abdomen. I told my friend to stop the bleeding and immediately called my friend, Mark Edwards, who is a pro trainer and was staying down the road.

Miikka cleaned the little girl up and she was trying to nurse, but struggling. Mark arrived and grabbed the little puppy and rushed her to the vet. Miikka was not at all concerned when she was taken, so that was a telling sign for me.

I spoke to the vet a short while later and she said the little pup had a birth defect and would likely not survive on her own. I told her to put her to sleep and end her suffering.

In short order, Miikka had 4 big, healthy males, all weighing 16 oz or more.

Those little guys have a big sister that will watch over them forever.

It's the first pup I've ever lost, and I'm sad I wasn't there, but me being there wouldn't have changed a thing.

I'm sad for the loss, but happy that she's not in pain. The boys are thriving and all have gained 2 oz already.

Miikka, as usual, is being a great mom and is very content.

I'll post up a couple pics later as we're still driving.

4 boys and an angel.

Sunset Swimming

2011-09-11T20:54:00.000-06:00

We get some gorgeous sunsets at our place.

Ahti tries to keep us with Momma D and Auntie Miikka. Those two have been at it for years though.

Miikka swims pretty good in her brace.

A new member of the pack! Loki tries to keep up to the big dogs.

Heaven.

Miikka is very big...but not so big that I think there are more then 6 or 7 in there.

We set up her whelping room tonight and it's hard to believe she's due in only a few days.

A friend of mine is moving into the house tomorrow while we're gone to the Canadian National to whelp her. She'll also get started on the Early Neurological Stimulation and be Miikka's best buddy while we're gone. I hate leaving Miikka AGAIN to whelp, I just hate it. Thankfully she's an easy whelper and I've lined up oodles of help in case my friend is in need.

So, we're off to Manitoba tomorrow and will pre-National for a few days in Brandon before heading over to Winnipeg.

Darbi looks great right now. Balanced, marking well and high on life. My goal is to get further then I did last year, which was my first ever National. I made it seven series last year...here's hoping for eight (or more!).

Swim-By in the Rain

2011-09-09T07:09:00.000-06:00

A video of one of the young dogs doing swim-by.

Unfortunately my fingers were over the microphone on the camera...so you can't hear my dialog.

Wyoming Trial

2011-09-06T16:00:00.000-06:00

Had a long, hard week-end in Wyoming.

It was a PRTA Trial, and Kenny and I essentially put it on.

Here's a pic of me running test dog on the water blind with the Luckiest Guy In The World (AKA Kenny) standing behind me.

Yes, I was running test dog. Darbi went out on the land blind after I couldn't get her close enough to the flier crates and poison bird. She knows where "trouble" is and there was no way she was going over THERE.

Handlers watching the greatness that is Darbi.

Kenny running Boomer.

What a neat pic.

Libby ran a great Derby to finish 4th. It was a tight race for sure. She hunted one bird.

I'm getting more and more excited about her.

Favorite photos - Part 1

2011-09-01T09:23:00.000-06:00

I have some favorite pictures of the "girls" over the years.

Some are great and some are of poor quality, but I still love them none the less.

Darbi and me. My bestest girl.

Darbi and Miikka: The Bridges of Madison County - one of their many adventures.

Darbi and me awaiting our turn at a field trial many years ago. I love this pic because it shows how much she loves doing this with me.

This one always makes me smile. Little Miikka hopping in the fresh snow. Peanut was just a baby here.

The infamous party hat photo shoot. Miikka was bored with the whole affair.

Miikka always got the stick, and loved to laugh about it. She is so athletic.

Darbi dock jumping in British Columbia.

The typical Miikka expression. "Look at me...I'm cute...aren't I cute?"

Best friends

2011-08-30T19:48:00.000-06:00

Loki and Ahti are best friends.

Unfortunately for Ahti, and even more unfortunate for me, is that she will be heading out to be a kennel dog in the next few days. Time for her to grow up a little and learn that working is the most important part of her day.

She is great during her obedience lessons, and we started with "hold" today. She marks gangbusters and runs back as hard as she runs out.

I'm going to shed a few tears as we walk the 50 steps to the kennel building, but it's best for both of us. She's been spending lots of time in there as of late, so the first day will be more of a shock to my system then to hers.

Congrats Eider!

2011-08-29T19:57:00.001-06:00

Congrats to NMH Elmingo's Pacific Eider*** MH WCX for finishing the Canadian National Master Hunt Test!!!

I remember this pup well (I remember them all well, but he sticks out in my mind) as I flew him out of Calgary as a wee babe on Boxing Day.

He is from the Shaq x Miikka litter of 2007 and turns 4 later this year.

Eider and John are having lots of fun together in hunt tests and field trials.

Way to go!!!

Cheater, cheater pumpkin eater.

2011-08-21T18:20:00.000-06:00

Had a fun time at the Cheyenne field trial this week-end.

Darbi ran a great Open and finished with a RJAM. She didn't have any bad birds and was super fun to run. And NO CREEPING or breaking. The honor was in the fourth series and she watched the birds a little too closely, but didn't move. :-)

Unfortunately I had to pick up Libby in the third series of the derby. It's hard to describe the bird, but she was not getting out "early", but getting out way wrong and cheating the water no matter which way you looked at it.

No green ribbon is worth letting her get away with a water cheat.

Funny thing is that her brother Zink did the exact same thing which left Kenny and I scratching our heads as to why these two very solid water dogs did what they did. They must have saw something that flummoxed them as usually they take too much water.

Whatever it was, we'll never know.

I wish dogs could talk...oh wait...no I don't...or Libby would never shut up.

Peanut is Pregnant!

2011-08-15T14:26:00.000-06:00

Miikka had her ultrasound this morning.

She's pregnant!!

Vet saw "6, but probably there's more".

Ultrasounds are inaccurate at best, but a good vet can usually count within 2-3 pups. Generally their estimate is lower then what is in there.

Can't wait!

Lil Miss Manners

2011-08-11T18:25:00.000-06:00

Loki (the Arson puppy I'm raising) has been taught to not be rude when another dog is eating, and butt in to their food dish.

Here she is practicing every bit of restraint she has while watching Ahti finish her dinner.

Miikka's Brace

2011-08-10T16:37:00.000-06:00

Miikka got her new brace on Monday. It is a custom made orthotic made by OrthoPets.

It is a world famous company and I'm so lucky that they happen to be in Denver.

A week ago, they made a cast (mold) of Miikka's leg and the brace was designed just for her and her injury.

She is showing no discomfort while wearing it, and we take it off at night when she goes to bed. She will be able to be a lot more active while wearing this and it will be adjusted every two weeks as her achilles tendon heals.

When she is all better (8 weeks they guess), then the brace can be used as a "sports" brace for her.

The things they can do nowadays...

Libby on the List

2011-08-07T17:40:00.000-06:00

My Little Libby, who mysteriously lost her brain the last two week-ends, was back in full force this week-end.

She WON the Derby, which put her on the US Derby List. Her littermate Zink was second, thus giving Elmingo a great Derby showing and I'm sure that made Momma Miikka and Daddy Shaq very proud.

Zink now has 27 Derby points and Libby has 12.

Kenny ran Darbi in the Open and they went out in the first series. It was a tough test and Darbs tried real hard.

I need to break out my camera as I haven't been taking many pictures lately. Look for some this week.

Not One Bird

2011-08-01T07:30:00.001-06:00

I didn't get one bird at the trial this week-end.

Nada. Zip. Zilch.

I have to think back about 4 or 5 years to the last time that happened...when Darbi broke in an Open in Canada.

Well, she did it again. She broke in the first series of the Open.

I'd like to think that a 175 yard flyer is NOT a breaking bird...but nobody told Darbi that.

She.Just.Left.

And to add misery to company, she tried to break AGAIN on the honor when she was ON LEASH.

To say I was stunned, was an understatement.

Darbi is creeping?? And now breaking??? What happened to my dead serious, dead steady dog?? Well, she is having the time of her life...that's what is happening. It is a fine balance to train a dog at this level. We have her in the right frame of mind, the BEST frame of mind, that she has ever been in. But we need to reel her in a little bit...just a wee little bit. Too much pressure on line and she gets stale...too little...and well, we know what happens now.

And Libby...Little Lunatic Libby.

I picked her up on the flyer in the first series of the Derby.

She was quiet in the holding blind. Good going to line and watched the birds nicely. But when I released her, it was akin to a patient escaping a mental hospital without their medications. She went under the arc of the flyer and ran WAY deep and then started to run around in random places. I got tired of watching it and picked her up. Well, my sweet little dog that is so nice in training WOULD NOT pick up and I had to walk out to the field and get her. The Walk Of Shame they call it...and shameful it was.

This week-end will go down in the Anals of Field Trials (spelling mistake intentional) I'm sure.

But my spirits were lifted thanks to the children of my "girls".

"Turq" (Darbi x Prime 2008) WON the Qualifying at this trial and "Zink" (Miikka x Shaq 2009) was SECOND in the Derby, bring him to a total of 24 Derby points at 19 months.

WAY TO GO kids!!!

Seven Stages of Grief

2011-07-24T18:22:00.000-06:00

The streak is over.

Libby didn't just not finish the Derby this week-end, she did so in spectacular fashion.

First series was a TINY little double. Not tight, not long, no cover changes...the longest bird wasn't over 70 yards. Serious.

She pinned the flyer and then went under the arc of the memory bird, and without hesitation, went hyper speed back to the flyer.

As I stood on the line watching this, I went through the Seven Stages of Grief:

1) Shock & Denial: "No way she is going back THERE"
2) Pain & Guilt: "I wonder if it's because I haven't been getting on her for making dumb loops behind a gun. Maybe it's my fault."
3) Anger & Bargaining: "TWEEEETTTTT. GET IN HERE!!"
4) Depression & Reflection: "That was depressing."
5) The Upward Turn: "Well, it WAS just a little test and she's been doing bigger stuff".
6) Reconstruction: "I need to work on her run around in the first series".
7) Acceptance & Hope: "Hey, she's cute anyways and it made me laugh".

And then I was over it. On to the next trial. She's just a dog after all, isn't she?

On a happier note, Darbi finished yet another Open with a JAM. She's finished 3 of the last 4 here in the US and is running great!

She was in fantastic shape going into the last series as one of only 17 of 75 dogs to do the first series (and she did it very well) and she had a great water blind. The last series was a big Quad, which scared me to death. She got one bird pretty ugly, but did the test without a handle. She was so much fun to run, as she has been as of late.

Kenny said to me after "she may not be the most talented dog I've ever seen, but she is certainly one of the smartest I've ever trained". She used her brains to figure the test out and didn't look too shabby doing it. I'm thinking I should let Kenny run her soon...but I just don't want to give her up. We're having WAY too much fun, just the two of us.

Go Pedro

2011-07-20T19:26:00.002-06:00

I guess dropping his name yesterday on this blog helped!

My racehorse, affectionately known as Pedro, WON tonight.

Yeah Pedro!

Miikka had her ortho consult today. She's going to get fitted for an orthotic brace and we have a treatment plan in place for her. The ortho vet thought that with her improvement since the injury, and further physio treatment, she should be back to normal in 8-12 weeks. It brought tears to my eyes. He even felt that she may be able to chase a tennis ball, do light hunting and pretty much do anything but field training in the future.

Such a great day today.

Flip Your Lid

2011-07-19T19:05:00.000-06:00

Look what I found!!

I have a book full of old win pictures from when my Grandparents had their horse racing stable.

As you know, I've named all my dogs after horses raced under the Elmingo Stables banner.

I found a picture of Libby's namesake in the stack of photos.

From the looks of the purse money, Flip Your Lid was running in a bottom claimers race, but a win is a win.

My Grandparents are the couple on the left in the photo. Sadly my Grandma passed away years ago, but I own a share of a racehorse, Cactus Cut, and Grandpa is his "honorary" owner. It's been so much fun to share a horse with him and I owe my love of horse racing (and horses) to my Grandparents.

Flip Your Lid actually raced for Rotary Stable, which was a partnership between my Grandpa and a friend of his.

Green Team

2011-07-18T14:53:00.000-06:00

Tim jokingly called themselves the Green Team...and the name stuck.

Left: Elmingo's Pacific Eider MH *** - owned by John Hatfield (Shaq x Miikka 2007)

Middle: Elmingo's With One Twist*** - owned by Time Duhaime (Shaq x Miikka 2007)

Right: Elmingo's Violence On Request - owned by Rod Neterer (Prime x Darbi 2008)

THREE Elmingo puppies ran the triple Qualifying in Logan Lake, BC a couple weeks ago and they did very well. All three finished one or more!

What is to be extra proud of...is that all are Amateur owner handled and trained. We had Matti for a short time 1 1/2 years ago, but Tim has done pretty much all of her work himself. I "believe" it was Rod's FIRST field trial and he trains by himself in Alaska. What an accomplishment!!

I'm so proud of my Elmingo babies and it's nice to see that no matter where they are from, or where they go, they are all one big family.

On another note:

Miikka was bred for the second time today to Arson. We'll ultrasound in 26 or so days. Keep fingers crossed!

Growing Up

2011-07-16T13:03:00.001-06:00

Elmingo's Lone Ranger ("Spur" Prize x Darbi 2011) doing some retrieving.

All the pups in the litter are starting to lose their baby teeth and will shortly begin formal training. It's a big step to move from being a puppy to the beginnings of being a "big dog".

And what does Spur think of this upcoming change in status...

Pfffttttt.

Getting closer

2011-07-12T18:00:00.000-06:00

Miikka is getting closer to ovulation. It "looks" like we'll do the first breeding to Arson on Saturday. We're going to re-check her progesterone on Thursday to be sure.

We're doing a "side by side" Artifical Insemination with this breeding to protect Miikka's leg.

Miikka has been used as a "teaser" for Arson this past week while we collected him so we can ship some of his semen to a breeder in Australia...so she pretty much thinks he's a pervert.

Her leg is MUCH improved, but we still have a ways to go.

Some people have asked me if this injury was genetic, but I've been assured by people way smarter then me that it is not and it was due to wear of tear, much like any athlete can hurt their achilles.

A giant thank you goes out to Dr. Shmon in Saskatoon, who has been an invaluable resource, and to Dr. Burns, who's a reproduction vet by trade, but he's who I see for everything and he's wonderful.

Miikka has an appointment with an ortho vet next week to carry forward with her treatment, which will include a moderate splint and some physio, which I've already started.

I'll do anything for the Peanut.

Me Thirsty

2011-07-07T17:12:00.000-06:00

Loki makes it pretty clear to me when we run out of water.

Couple of Pics

2011-07-05T18:32:00.000-06:00

A couple of pictures of Libby and I from the Double D/Q this week-end.

Here we are on line for the fourth series. I remember what was going through my mind at the time: "Her ear is bugging me...I'd like to reach down and flip it back". Seriously. That's what I was thinking.

OCD anyone?

And she's off!

A fun picture of Libby's litter brother Zink and their daddy Shaq. Shaq is now retired after an amazing career.

7 for 7

2011-07-03T20:48:00.001-06:00

Way to go Libby.

She finished 2 more Derbies in Colorado this week-end and is now 7 for 7. She was great in the water, but loose on land, so she finished with two JAMs. I'm starting to call her a Walmart Bag as she's taken a new liking to sailing with the wind and hooking guns. We'll work on that. There's ALWAYS something to work on.

Libby's brother Zink finished with a third today, giving him 21 Derby points now!!!

Another great week-end for Horsetooth in Canada. Final tally of the three weekends up there is 10 dogs qualified for the Canadian National, 3 titled dogs (including my very own Darbi!) and a 1st, 2nd and 3rd today.

I'm exhausted. Long week-end. Part of the double Derby/ Qualifying was on our property this week-end, so I've worked hard getting the place in tip top shape. Now for some rest.

Peanut is in

2011-06-27T17:11:00.000-06:00

Miikka is in season.

We're breeding her to FC FTCH LKY's Controlled Burn.

I'm very excited about this breeding for many reasons.

Arson is level headed, consistent and tries very hard. As mentioned in previous posts, he got three AA placements with three different handlers in 2 week-ends this year. Amateur First with Brad, Open Second with Kenny and Open Second with me. Not many dogs can say that. One of the very first times I ran him...EVER, we won an Open together in Canada. As I walked off the line that day. after the last test, I said to Kenny: "so this is what it's like to drive a ferrari!".

His mother (FC AFC Mizpah Miss) is also our house dog. She is a 3x National Finalist and Kenny says Arson is a lot like her. I love how they're not great at any one thing, but they're sure good at everything. Arson can mark, he can run blinds, he's very good in the water, he's stylish, he's tractable...what's not to like?

I think he's a great match for Miikka.

I'm not just breeding to Arson, I'm breeding to his mother Miz. "Families to families". That's what I've been taught from breeders I look up to. I've also been around a brother of Arson's and trained with Miz's mother quite a bit a number of years ago.

Plus, I have a puppy here I'm raising...she's 11 weeks old...from Arson's first breeding. She is a hoot. She retrieved, literally, right off the plane. She's easy to have around and seems like a smart little gaffer.

I like the family. I know the family. Let's go for it.

Three in a row!

2011-06-25T21:16:00.000-06:00

Another great day for Team Horsetooth in Saskatoon!!

1st - FC Westwood's Sunday Silence (NEW FTCH!!!)
2nd - Big Red Herding Cats
4th - FTCH AFTCH Maralan's CEO
RJ - Backwater's Boomer

Now we have SEVEN qualified!!! (Plus Ollie makes eight of course).

YEAH!!!

Scratch!

2011-06-23T17:43:00.000-06:00

For all of you Darbi fans out there...

HI Mom!!

...she is being scratched from the trial in Canada this week-end. She met both her objectives in short order, a title and a National Qualification.

We're going to give Momma D a rest and try to qualify a couple more dogs.

Our focus is finishing her FC now.

Handsome boys

2011-06-21T09:04:00.000-06:00

First litter, last litter for Darbi.

On the left is Elmingo Flight DirectorXXXVI*** (Tiger x Darbi 2006)

and on the right is Elmingo's Lone Ranger (Prize x Darbi 2011)

Both of these handsome boys live in Ohio.

I think it's safe to say that Darbi throws herself. :-)

FINALLY! FTCH Darbi

2011-06-19T20:17:00.000-06:00

Darbi got ANOTHER third today in the second Open at Lethbridge. She is now FTCH Darbinator.

It's been a long time coming and she deserves it.

Tears of joy for my "heart" dog, my first trial dog and the 4-legged love of my life.

I'm going to need a couple days to let it sink in.

Kenny WON the Open again the second day with Backwater Boomer...a wonderful up and coming young dog. He's only 3 and made it to the fourth series in the last two US Opens he ran in. Although all the dogs in the kennel are special to me, Boomer grabbed my heart from day one and he's my best buddy.

This was Miikka's and Ahti's reaction when I told them.

First day in Lethbridge

2011-06-19T09:13:00.001-06:00

Good first day in Lethbridge, Alberta for Kenny and the gang.

1st - FC Westwood's Sunday Silence
3rd - Revilo's At Full Tilt
4th - Backwater Smokin Turq
RJ - FTCH AFTCH Maralan's CEO

Darbi needs ONE more point for her FTCH. It's been a long time coming! Like I've always said...she really struggled the first years with me training her, not knowing what I was doing, and she's finally the dog I knew she always could be under Kenny's tutelage.

And CONGRATS to Darbi's son Turq (Prime x Darbi 2008) for placing in his very FIRST Open!!! I couldn't be more proud.

It takes only a placement to qualify for the Canadian National and we have FOUR qualified already (plus Ollie makes 5). Arson qualified by way of his being a National finalist last year. Ollie is qualified too via his finalist status, but he is now enjoying his well deserved retirement.

Arson is competing in the US National Amateur this week. Good luck Arson!!!

Another Open today. Fingers crossed for everyone.

What makes a good dog.

2011-06-13T18:27:00.001-06:00

From here on out, I'm going to try to do some training articles from time to time.

I have sure learned a lot in the past 2-3 years while being with Kenny and I have a LONG ways to go. But I hope to add some things that I have learned on this blog.

According to Kenny, four things make a good field trial dog:

1) Trainability
2) Marking
3) Desire
4) Guts

Trainability is a all-encompassing label. A trainable dog is one that is intelligent, a team player, handles pressure well and learns. Trainable dogs may not always know what it is that we're trying to teach, but they WANT to learn and generally do not make the same mistakes over and over.
Dogs that are low on the trainability scale can include:
-dogs that are hard to force fetch
-dogs that are very difficult in the water and don't imrpove
-dogs that have trouble with multiples
-dogs with a poor attitude

Marking is somewhat genetic and somewhat taught. Knowing WHERE to go is genetic, and knowing where NOT to go is taught. Some dogs never figure out where NOT to go (they keep going back to the flyer regardless of the number of lessons against this) and these dogs would be also low on the trainability scale, as well as marking. Great markers never seem to have to be taught this lesson.
Knowing where not to go is just as important as knowing where the bird is in the big All-Age tests judges put up.
I have seen puppies at 6 months of age not knowing how to mark a single at 25 yards, and never improve. This could be due to poor eyesight, lack of focus, lack of desire, too MUCH desire or just missing the genetic quality that makes a good marker. I have seen fantastic markers out of no-name parents, and very poor markers out of very accomplished, titled parents. Generally, the better the family, the better the marker though.

Desire can be a tricky one. It is inherently genetic, but desire can also be taken out of a dog pretty quickly with poor training. Especially with young dogs, we try to not make the learning more difficult then the desire of the dog. Kenny calls it the plateau. When a dog is ready, they need to be pushed upwards and onwards. This will cause stress for the dog (and owner!!). It will take time for the dog to reach this new level of expectation, and no more degree of difficulty should be added at this time. Once a dog "plateaus" at this level and begins to have a large amount of success over time, then we can do another push up. This type of training keeps the desire level high and the dog progressing. The desire needs to be there in the first place though.

Guts is an intangible quality. We believe guts are taught. A dogs LEARNS that it can swim 250 yards in a cross wind and be brave in doing it. But, as with the other criteria, some dogs never get those guts no matter how well we try to teach it.

As you can see, all these criteria blend into one another. Guts is desire, and desire is guts. But a dog can have desire with no guts and vice versa. It really is more an art then a science.

Be sure to teach slowly and thoroughly. Don't push the dog more then it's ready for and don't ever "test" for guts. Evaluate your dog thoughtfully and work on the weaknesses. There is no such thing as the perfect dog.

Another win!!

2011-06-13T12:06:00.000-06:00

Congrats AGAIN to Rett and Zink for winning another Derby. This is the third win by 17 months for this wonderful team. Zink now has 19 derby points.

Zink is a littermate to Libby and is out of the Shaq x Miikka litter of 2009.

Way to go!!!

Productive Week-end

2011-06-12T19:34:00.000-06:00

Back home from the trial in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Had a very fun week-end.

Darbi finished the Open with a JAM. She was in very good shape going into the last series, but had a big hunt on the last bird of the trial. I was very proud of her...and told her so. She did a few things that made me especially proud.
She tried very hard and went very tight to obstacles (gunner and flyer crates) on the double land blind. Darbi does not like going tight to anything she thinks may get her in trouble...so I was so happy that she trusted me and took the great cast she took to slide by the crates.
She ran an excellent water blind. The initial line was past water...another thing that makes her squeamish. And there were several dicey water re-entries that she took on her own. A dog needed to be seeking water on this blind, as they were out of sight at several critical moments. She was balanced enough to run past water and then hit every piece of water afterwards. And she did it in only 4 whistles!
I was most proud of her last series. She went off line on her own going to the last bird TRYING to be a good girl and take an extra piece of water. Some dogs did this and never recovered. She ended up deep and upwind of the bird and worked in out on her own. A real effort on her part.
She didn't even creep! Okay...maybe she did...but just a tiny little bit.

And Libby got a Reserve JAM in the Derby (5th place). It was a very fun Derby to run and I really enjoyed it. Libby needs big water tests to really shine, and unfortunately for us we ran three land series and a little water series. She is becoming more focused every day and takes her job very seriously. She does not take life seriously at all though. She does get happy feet on her land marks, but her hunts are becoming better all the time. The judge called her a "pocket rocket" which made me laugh...that's my Wibbs.

Miikka's Leg

2011-06-02T21:19:00.000-06:00

Poor Peanut.

Although she doesn't look too bad today, I thought I would share a quick video of what her leg looks like.

Classic Achilles Injury: dropped hock and curled toes.

We're consulting with an ortho specialist to see what we can do for her.

Ahti the brat

2011-06-02T15:55:00.000-06:00

A neat photo of Darbi's daughter Meg with her BLUE ribbon from this past week-end!!

And speaking of Darbi daughters...I haven't posted about Ahti in a while. I thought it was time for a little update. As much as Libby is her mother's daughter, so is Ahti. She is an "easy" puppy, just like Darbi was and is so much fun to have around.

I tried to take a nice picture of Darbi to celebrate her third place in the Open two weeks ago...

but Ahti decided SHE needed to be the center of attention.

Darbi looks like she's actually laughing at her daughter (or is wondering how she ever gave birth to such a brat).

One day Ahti...one day.

New QAA!

2011-05-31T09:51:00.000-06:00

CONGRATS to Elmingo's Prime Suspect (Meg, Prime x Darbi 2008) for winning a very tough qualifying here in Colorado.

This makes Meg Qualified All-Age!

Her brother "Turq" (Backwater's Smokin' Turq) received a RJAM in the same Qualifying.

Way to go!!

Also, Libby was second in the Derby this week-end. She ran a great trial, but could not beat Riot, who we also train.

Libby now has 4 starts, with 3 placements and a JAM. I'm very proud of my consistent little Wibbs.

Just what I needed

2011-05-27T15:14:00.000-06:00

Nothing like a picture of a handsome puppy to life one's spirits.

This is "Spur", from the Prize x Darbi litter.

It Gets Worse

2011-05-26T21:45:00.000-06:00

Devastating news today.

Miikka came up lame a couple days ago. She's never been lame a day in her life. I was very worried that it was a cruciate as it was her back leg and she wasn't putting much weight on it. She was walking on her toes almost.

I was throwing the frisbee for her the day before.

I took her into the vet yesterday and he did a work up on her. He said it didn't appear to be a cruciate, but he sent her x-rays in to a radiologist to determine the cause of her lameness as nothing obvious stuck out at him.

The diagnosis came back today. Achilles tendonitis.

He said BOTH back legs showed severe wear and tear of her achilles tendon. He also said she had two old, small fractures in one hind leg. I was floored as she had never shown any signs of lameness before.

And this is where it gets bad...

He said she needs to be on an activity restricted "diet" for the rest of her life. No frisbee throwing, no training, no hunting. She can do some swimming and go on walks once her bad leg feels better, but that's it.

I cried.

I need to wrap my head around this, and do lots of reading and research. He said if I continued to work her in any way (including fetching a tennis ball), then she could have complete achilles rupture and she would never be able to walk normally again.

It just sucks.

Poor Peanut

2011-05-24T17:59:00.002-06:00

Some people have asked where Miikka has been at trials this year.

Miikka has been retired. It was a devastating decision for me to make, seeing as she was in the prime of her life and is a very talented dog. I'll admit I cried when I finally decided.

Kenny and I came to the conclusion that she has chronic hearing loss.

When Miikka was about 2, she went stone cold deaf after hunting for a few days. I thought it odd, but never gave it much thought after that. This has happened almost once every fall while hunting.

The problems with her slipping whistles started when she was 3.

We've never been able to overcome it. She started to panic (popping, etc.) in training when going out past about 250 yards and it started to make perfect sense to us...that was her hearing limit. She was great to that point.

Kenny doubted my diagnosis, but he took her hunting last fall and she came home...stone cold deaf. For about 2 days.

She is still doing some light training with us, and we'll never get her in trouble again for slipping a whistle. It's not her fault. She loves the work.

So, be careful hunting your dogs. Keep them behind the gun. She was a hunting "creeper" and had the muzzle blast go off over her head many times. I just didn't know any better. There's a study out from Mississippi State University all hunters should read.

http://www.msstate.edu/web/media/detail.php?id=1812

Water Puppy

2011-05-23T21:02:00.000-06:00

Little Asia (Elmingo's Shanghai Surprise, Prize x Darbi 2011) is having a blast in the water.

The weather has warmed up enough in Canada for her to show off her little water wings.

The Rocky Mountain trial ended up being a very fun one for me. Darbi, as I mentioned in the last blog, finished with a third in the Open.

And Libby finished the derby with a JAM. She hadn't been trained hardly at all since her spay and was a bit wild, but I'm still proud of her for finishing her third derby in a row.

A few things to work on this coming week including Darbi's newfound CREEPING habit that she has developed. Man alive, she must have been out 15 feet in front of me by the time the flyer was shot in the last series. I almost fell over and admittedly laughed out loud.

Darbi n Me

2011-05-21T20:14:00.000-06:00

Just a quick note. It's been a LONG week-end, and still one more day to go (Derby tomorrow).

Darbi and I were THIRD in the Open today. She was so much fun to run. She crept quite a bit in the last series, and I almost died laughing...but we'll need to work on that.

:-)

Tough Night

2011-05-19T20:48:00.002-06:00

Tough night at our house.

Ahti and Miikka.

Derby List

2011-05-15T10:42:00.000-06:00

Way to go Rett and Zink for winning ANOTHER derby and making the derby list!!!

5 starts and 4 placements for Zink so far and he's just starting out.

Zink is out of the 2009 Shaq x Miikka litter. He's Libby's littermate.

Poor Wibby

2011-05-10T18:27:00.000-06:00

Libby has had a rough week or so.

She had her first heat cycle in mid March and I noted it was an abnormal cycle. Short, and not much swelling. I wanted her to have one heat cycle before spaying her because she has an "innie" vuvla. They are no big deal and will most likely will pop out after one cycle.

I noticed a week or two ago that Libby had some mammary development. I chalked it off to a false pregnancy, but thought it odd to have such development after just one heat cycle.

Last week-end, at the field trial in Lincoln, I noticed one "boob" was quite big and when I felt it there seemed to be a hard boiled egg in there. I phoned my wonderful vet in Fort Collins and he told me to "take her in right away". Off to the emergency vet we went and she was put on lots of antibiotics and anti-inflamatories.

She ran the derby the next day and got a 4th place.

Well, I took her in for a re-check a few days later and while the hard boiled egg had subsided, she still had redness around the one mammary gland. We decided to spay her sooner rather then later.

I picked her up this afternoon and the vet (who's a reproductive specialist) said it was a very good thing we spayed her when we did. Her uterus was "abnormally large" and he was getting worried about infection. While he said it was not pyometra, she was probably suffering from an extreme split heat cycle.

He'd only seen one other case like hers in 15 years of doing reproductive work in dogs. Especially weird because she's so young and it was her first heat.

So Libby is living up to her nickname of "Lucky".

She is at home resting as I type this. You can see the one infected mammary that was shaved a week ago. She is going to be a spoiled little girl for the next week or so.

Beautiful Day

2011-05-08T15:20:00.000-06:00

It is absolutely gorgeous here today. 28C.

I am getting a ton of stuff done around the house.

The girls and I took a break to go play in the ponds for awhile.

And now the view from my front door. So peaceful.

Nebraska Musings

2011-05-02T11:18:00.001-06:00

I had a great time in Lincoln, Nebraska!!

I ran 4 dogs in the Open and got a second place with Arson!!! Thanks to Brad & Diane for giving me the privilege of running this great dog. Two Open seconds and an Amateur WIN in two week-ends with three different handlers is pretty cool.

Click on the picture above for a bigger view of the last series. There was 13 dogs invited to the last series and only two did it without handling, double handling or picking up. Of course, one of those two was Arson!

The pic is not a view from the line...the line was quite a bit to the right and about 40 yards up from the first channel of water. The long right hand bird (about 375 yrds) was shot first and it was visible under the arc of the flyer. Both long birds retired. Getting dogs to look tight past a flyer station and across a huge piece of water was very difficult for some handlers. The left hand bird (about 275) was shot second and the short flyer on the point was shot third. Dogs were handling and picking up on both long birds.

Of course, the white van was NOT there during the test. :-)

The Derby was also fun. I started 3 dogs and got a 4th place with my very own Miss. LIBBY and a JAM with Goose. That's two starts and two placements for the Wibbster.

I learned a lot, made some mistakes and had great fun.

So Nervous

2011-04-27T18:09:00.000-06:00

I'm off to a field trial tomorrow.

It's not my first trial, it's not even my first trial alone...but it's my FIRST trial alone as a PRO. Kenny is staying home and I'm taking 7 dogs to Lincoln, Nebraska.

I'm pretty nervous.

One dog I'm taking, "Arson", was second in the Open and WON the Amateur last week-end, so no pressure...no pressure at all.

And a fun picture of our Derby warriors from the Kansas City trial.

First place was Riot, who's a riot, and second and third were my little Elmingo dogs Libby and Zink.

Sleuth

2011-04-25T15:49:00.001-06:00

Tartan Mystery Man of Elmingo

Meet Sleuth! He is another adorable puppy from the Prize x Darbi litter. He was known to me as "Blue".

Prize had very well endowed ears, and so does Darbi (who both have the large-eared Lean Mac in their pedigree). I don't think there's any question that these pups will have good sized ears.

A big congrats to Meg (Elmingo's Prime Suspect - Prime x Darbi), for getting a third place in the Qualifying at the Jayhawk trial!!

Missouri Pictures

2011-04-20T09:31:00.001-06:00

Some random pictures of the past couple weeks.

A BIG congrats to Elmingo's Pacific Eider MH (Shaq x Miikka-2007) who became Qualified All-Age at a trial in BC last week-end!! The Miikka/Shaq pups have had a great couple of weeks.

A picture of Stanley and me running puppy marks. Stanley is also a Shaq pup and he is quite the character. Notice our choice of retrieving items that particular day.

Miss Yellow from Darbi's recent litter is now "Asia" (Elmingo's Shanghai Surprise). She is now in Ontario with her new owner and doing wonderful.

And while Asia was showing off her great retrieving skills, Ahti demonstrates what she does best. That is sleeping on my dirty training shoes.

Libby is becoming all grown up! She is running land and water blinds, multiple marks with retired guns and is still an all out clown. She looks so much like mommy Miikka that it's eerie sometimes. Libby is really starting to come on in training and it looks like she and I will have much fun at field trials in the years to come.

We've been training in Missouri this week and last. Nice to get out of the Texas heat. The property is gorgeous! This is just one of the many ponds on the place we are training at. This property is owned by Bill and Becky Eckett.

There are quite a few resident geese at Blackwater Retrievers. This one stood out.

And introducing Otto (Horsetooth's Otto Know). He is by FC AFC Dare To Dream and out of a QAA female. He is one week older then Stanley and an absolutely wonderful puppy.

Now you know why it's called Marcy's Daycare at training sometimes. These little guys are a full time job.

Good week-end!

2011-04-18T07:51:00.000-06:00

A great week-end for Elmingo at the Kansas City Field Trial.

Turq (Prime x Darbi 2008) got a third in the Qualifying. Yeah Turq!!

And Miss Libby got a SECOND in her first Derby. Her brother Zink was third. Nice thing was that Kenny won with Riot, so Horsetooth had 1, 2, 3 in the Derby.

Darbi ran very, very well in the Open. The land blind especially, was her shining moment. It was very difficult and lots of dogs picked up. She did it in only 3 whistles and worked her butt off for me. Unfortunately she was dropped after the water blind. She has only been back in training a couple weeks, so we were very proud of her.

Pictures coming soon!!

Cowboy Up

2011-04-13T18:47:00.000-06:00

I'm finally back on line!!

Yeah!!

We have arrived in Missouri and will spend the next week or so training and running a trial.

I got an update and some pictures from "Red's" new owners. They say he is doing great!

He is now known as "Spur" and will be formally called Elmingo's Lone Ranger.

We sure miss him here, but it looks like he is having a ball!!

No blogging for a bit

2011-04-08T20:57:00.000-06:00

WE (my significant other*hint*) broke the air card. No internet other then my iPhone until we get back to Colorado.

The puppies have all gone to their new homes other then the one staying with me, Miss Pink. Apparently I blogged mostly pictures of her, so no one was surprised she was the pup I decided to keep.

Her name is: Elmingo's Tick A Tee Boo and she is known as Ahti (I pronounce it Addy). Tick A Tee Boo is yet another racehorse once owned by my Grandparents.

Ahti is the Finnish god of water, so I thought the name was fitting for her.

Pics when I get Internet on my computer again. :-(

One down...

2011-04-03T18:45:00.000-06:00

...four to go.

Mr. Orange left for his new home today. His new owners drove down from Colorado to pick him up. I hope they have a quiet drive home.

We've had a very busy week, so sorry for the lack of pictures. Lots of clients in training and long days in the field.

Of course the puppies came with us every day. They were always close to the action and were out of their pen between tests so they could explore and play.

The pups were also introduced to water this week. Although it was muddy water, it had a firm bottom and was actually "running" water for the pups. The temperature was a balmy 30C, so it was a perfect time to show them that water felt nice and cool. I stood on the other side of the channel and we coaxed them back and forth.

They thought it was great fun!! A few pups even went swimming in the deeper end of the channel.

And the unofficial "sixth" puppy, Miikka, enjoyed it as well.

Sigh.

We joked that the puppies were "little rich kids" as they had so many toys.

The tunnel is a big hit, as it is with all my litters. They spend oodles of time running in and out of it.

Way to go Elmingo Kids

2011-03-26T18:24:00.000-06:00

Congrats to two Elmingo kids.

Elmingo's Prime Suspect (Prime x Darbi) got a Reserve JAM in the Qualifying in Louisiana. This was Meg's first US Qualifying.

and

Elmingo's Little Man (Shaq x Miikka) got a third in the Derby in his first Derby, also in Louisiana. Zink is only 15 months old (Libby's littermate) and has all summer and fall to run Derbies.

Way to go kids!!

Sleepy Heads

2011-03-25T19:30:00.000-06:00

Busy day for the wee ones.

I think they'll sleep soundly tonight.

They love their new Sponge Bob digs and are fully "potty box" trained.

Website!

2011-03-22T20:36:00.001-06:00

My website is down.

I need to renew my domain. Whoops. One has to renew every few years and I just forgot.

I'm on it...I promise.

Random pictures

2011-03-22T20:35:00.000-06:00

I love frog legs. It is even cuter on puppies.

The babies are loving training! We make sure they are comfortable and in the shade in the heat. We let them out to play a couple of times a day and they entertain the whole training group.

Here is little Stanley checking out the pups.

Speaking of Stanley...I thought I should introduce him. He is a 12 week old pup I bought out of California. His sire is FC AFC Wood River's Franchise (same sire as Libby) and his mother is the very nice AFC Flyway's Ruby B Gonia. I am very excited about this pup. Here he is shown chasing his first live duck.

And he had no problem with it.

And oh ya...Kenny and I got married yesterday.

:-)

Miss Libby

2011-03-20T19:46:00.001-06:00

Libby was going to run her first derby next week-end in Louisiana.

She came into season last week.

Oh well, she could use more training.

She's coming along real nice and looks like she's going to be a fun dog for me.

Unfortunately Libby is going to have to be spayed. She will not pass an eye CERF. I wanted to let her have one heat cycle and we're going to spay her as soon as it's convenient.

She's one of the reasons why I'm a little leery about getting puppy eye CERFs. Her condition should have been caught at her eye CERF at 7 weeks old, but it wasn't. It happens. CERF vets are humans too, and the puppy's eyes are changing so much at that age. I've always gotten puppy eye CERFs and probably always will though.

A bit heartbreaking for me as she's the first pup I've kept out of one of my breedings. But, she marks great and can see fine. I'll have a nice trial dog where I won't have to worry about heat cycles after this one.

I wouldn't trade her for the world.

Save You $$$

2011-03-18T18:31:00.000-06:00

Darbi loves her Gallery Furniture T-Shirt.

Training days

2011-03-17T21:22:00.000-06:00

I'll post more pics/videos soon...I promise!!

Pups have come to training with us for 2 days now. They stay in an x-pen and have a blast. They are obviously becoming well socialized to gun shots, 4-wheelers, dogs barking, etc. etc. They haven't turned a hair with this all going on.

And the pups have moved in to their new digs as well. I use a "potty box" with my litters and they learn to go potty in one area and play/sleep in another. This litter is catching on to the potty box concept faster than any other litter I've had. It's a win/win as they learn to stay clean and I have an easy job of cleaning up after them.

I'll post pics and/or a video tomorrow.

Darbi is still nursing, but only once a day now. She stills hangs out with the puppies more often then that, as I put a t-shirt on her at the other times. This lets her spend time with her brood without being chased around relentlessly. Another win/win.

Pups are always fun, and I think it's because of the beautiful weather and the ability to have them outside all the time, but this litter is just so easy.

Didn't take long

2011-03-14T21:06:00.000-06:00

Darbi went in to nurse this evening and jumped out when they latched on. And it happened twice more.

Then she gave me the stink eye.

I got it loud and clear...full steam ahead with the weaning.

On a cute note, yellow jumped out of the whelping box (more like crawled and strained) just to poop on my carpet. She was trying to be clean. It was precious (other than the poop part). So pups will be moved to their new digs where they will have a "potty" box in the next day or so. It teaches them to be clean and are much easier to housebreak that way.

Weaning

2011-03-13T21:17:00.000-06:00

The puppies are in the process of weaning.

Sort of.

Usually at about 3 1/2 to 4 weeks, I introduce the pups to moistened puppy kibble. I wait until their mother hasn't nursed them for awhile and then present it to them. Sometimes they take right to it, and sometimes they sit in it, play in it and basically do everything except eat it for a few days. During this time, the mom has as much access to the pups as she wants. I continue these once or twice daily feedings until momma looks at me and says "they are yours now". And thus, we would begin full fledged weaning.

This particular litter took right to the puppy kibble. First day, they ate it all up. And so I started feeding them every day, twice a day. The moms usually back off at this point and I pick up the slack with feedings. Darbi hasn't backed off much yet. She hasn't regurgitated any food for them (normal for my two girls) and is still spending time in the whelping box and letting them nurse regularly.

I believe in gradual weaning and doing it at mom's pace. It seems Darbi isn't ready to start full-fledged weaning yet, so I will continue with our schedule of daily kibble feedings to get them used to the food. She will tell me when she's ready by throwing up some food for them, or letting them nurse for only short periods before jumping away (those sharp puppy teeth!). She still goes in and lays down and falls asleep with them.

I can't say enough what a great mom she is and raising pups out of her is just too easy.

She'll be ready soon enough though...it's almost time.

Outside Playtime

2011-03-12T18:14:00.000-07:00

Puppies are starting to go outside a few times a day now.

I'll tell you, it's different for me to have a litter NOT in the middle of winter. This is a first for me. In the past, I've had to plop them in a snowbank for 5 minutes at a time to introduce them to the great outdoors. they were not happy campers.

It was 28 degrees C today and they were outside several times. Once for a couple hours...when it cooled down to 22C. What a treat!!

They were initially overwhelmed by being outside their whelping box at first, but now they seem to enjoy their time in the sun. I can't wait to take them for little adventure walks and puddle jumps in the coming weeks.

Bright and Early

2011-03-08T19:28:00.000-07:00

First thing in the morning is one of the most active times of the day for the puppies.

So, I took this video as soon as I got out of bed. The whelping box hadn't been cleaned (excuse the mess), and I most certainly hadn't had my first cup of coffee yet.

I wanted to share what I wake up to every morning. It is SO much fun.

Chicken

2011-03-05T16:47:00.000-07:00

While Darbi is well over her chicken fetish...I still don't have the heart to take it out of the box.

Unsteady Gait

2011-03-02T19:42:00.000-07:00

The puppies are starting to walk short distances, although on wobbly feet.

They still sleep most all of the time, but in about a week, they will start becoming very fun and active.

A Prime daughter

2011-03-01T19:43:00.000-07:00

I got this picture of "Harper". She is a Prime x Darbi daughter and has a fabulous life in Alaska.

Harper is on the right in the photo and is pictured hunting with her buddy Skeeter.

Good Bye Prime

2011-02-28T20:31:00.001-07:00

FC AFC Tartan Prime Time

2001-2011

Prime (left) winning the Amateur at Centennial in 2009.

Darbi (right) getting the second in the Amateur behind Prime.

He was unbeatable that day. And on many other days.

It's hard to find the words to say how sad I was to hear that Prime passed away 2 days ago.

He was special to me in so many ways.

I first met Prime when I loaded Darbi into my car and made the 16 hour drive to Colorado to breed her to him. What most impressed me about Prime was his consistency.

I would not know for some time after that breeding, but that road trip changed my life in so many ways. I got to see Prime every day the past year or so and it was still his consistency that awed me. He shared a special relationship with his owner Barb and it was an honor to watch them run as a formidable team.

Prime placed in the last Open he ever ran last year and I was there to see it.

He leaves a legacy with many, and most of all in his many "kids". I was fortunate enough to have 7 great pups by him and although they have big paws to fill, I hope they make their daddy proud.

My heartfelt condolences to Prime's family, Barb & Jim Howard.

Nose to nose

2011-02-28T20:20:00.000-07:00

Orange had a nice nose to nose visit with his mom.

Miss Pink decided that she was going to try spooning tonight.

And then Darbi did her one better and showed her how it was done.

Got Milk?

2011-02-26T17:18:00.002-07:00

There's nothing like an evening milk moustache.

Miss. Libby says "I don't sit for boring camera shots".