Wow...it's been the most incredible time with my little rocket man!

The weekend before last was just incredible....on Saturday we went to a companion obedience show and Elton was entered in the baby class - his very first obedience show. It was a very basic round, but my little boy only went and won it!! During the heelwork the judge was walking behind us saying things like "wow, that is lovely" - whilst judging!! - so I think she was impressed lol All he lost was a ½ on heelwork and a ½ on recall. He won a (non-perpetual) trophy!
Sunday was a breed club (specialty) championship show. Elton won two of his three classes (I was kicking myself because I'd managed to put him in Yearling instead of Junior, I knew I'd made a mistake a couple of weeks after I'd entered but it was too late to change it by then) and Best Phalene Dog. He then went up against the Best Phalene Bitch - who is a Champion with 5 CCs and had in turn beaten an Int Ch - and my little boy was declared Best Phalene in Show!!!

Last Wednesday we went to an all breed championship show (never a dull moment at this time of year ;-)) where Elton was entered in two breed classes. In to the first one we went, and he absolutely showed his socks off! At the Pap Club in his first two breed classes (one straight after the other) he didn't feel right, and although halfway through I had a pretty good idea why - he needed to go out - but I couldn't do a lot about it! I'd taken him out to pee before I groomed him up, but evidently he'd also needed to poo and hadn't. Took him outside straight after his class and sure enough he did, smearing it all down his trousers in the process...joy!

As I was grooming him up on Wednesday I thought he didn't seem quite right...stopped grooming and took him out, he went - and thankfully kept his trousers clean this time! - I'd already taken him out before I started grooming him and I really didn't have the time to take him out again, so I'd have been in trouble if he'd needed major grooming after! From this we've learnt I seem to be able to read my puppy quite well lol which is nice.

Anyway, then it was a bit of a rush to finish grooming him up and get him into the ring on time, but I managed it; and as I say he showed SO well. I was a bit concerned because he used to be a bit dodgy on the table (would go all rocking horse and then lie down) and watching some of the earlier judging I didn't think he would like the way this judge was handling them, but he surprised me and was actually a lot better than I thought he'd be. He really took to the judge actually - when she came down the line he started wagging his tail, and by the time she took her last look at the end he was wagging so hard his whole body was moving! He used to be like that as a puppy, but he appeared to have outgrown it, and I don't remember him ever doing it that enthusiastically! Elton won the class!

My day just got better and better, as we then went back in for his second class and he won that one as well! He couldn't quite contain himself at the end of that class - until that point he'd been keeping his stand and just wagging, at the end he started off wagging and then got up and stood balanced on his hind legs. Vicious ugly creature ;-)

Yesterday we attended yet another championship show. Elton was just in the one class - Junior Dog - this time....which yet again he won!! For me he didn't show as well as Paignton, but he still went well...there just wasn't that extra sparkle. Though it was incredibly hot, so that could be why!

In the UK there is an award called a Junior Warrant (JW). Between the ages of 6-18 months if you win a breed class with 3 or more dogs in you get 1 (open show) or 3 (champ show) points. You need 25 of these points (inc. at least 3 champ pts and at least 3 open pts) and then you can put the letters JW after your dogs name.

Ordinarily I wouldn't bother - if it happens it happens and if it doesn't it doesn't. However....there has only ever been one Phalene to get their JW, and that was a bitch. So, if Elton can do it, he will have his little spot in history as the first male Phalene to achieve it (and indeed, only the second Phalene ever!)

When Elton was doing so well as a baby I thought he could do it...then we just didn't have the numbers, or else he'd be 2nd - he got his first point aged 8 months 2 days, didn't get anymore until almost 12 months (another 3). However, in the last month he has done absolutely phenomenally and I'd started to hope again.

Now he has just under 3 months left, and is up to 17 points! So he needs 8, which sounds easy (he's got 12 in the last 29 days lol)....but all depends on if the judges are good or not!

He's actually won a lot more than many dogs that *do* get their Junior Warrant, but he's doing it the hard way :-P Most dogs get a large amount of their points from open shows....he's only got two of his points from open shows. The judges are less experienced and a lot of them just don't know what he is, or don't like Phalenes and let their judging be biased by that. Which means he need the champ show wins, which (even though you get 3pts instead of 1) is a lot harder, because of the bigger classes and considerably better competition...and we're now running out of time, with just five champ shows left (plus some open shows, so I'm hoping he can break this open show jinx - we really need at least two more points from open shows!)

If he doesn’t get it he’s been incredibly unlucky; he’s won so many variety classes (don’t count) or breed classes with just 2 dogs in, and got so many 2nds in classes that would have given him points. He has until the 14th November, so please keep your fingers crossed that we can get the remaining 8 points!

So I will leave you with this - Elton and his Best Phalene in Show rosette and trophy :-)

I utterly despair of Solei. I have other news, but I didn't want to detract from the good with the bad - so we'll save that for my next post!

Last Saturday we went to a companion show and Solei did two obedience classes. He wasn't particularly happy, his heelwork was laggy/wide - though interestingly in the harder class he did we had heelwork with a change of pace, we did slow and his slow heelwork was lovely for most of the time we were in slow! Ground wasn't very good, so that could well account for that - he felt safer at a slower (less bumpy!) pace.

In the easier class I had to call him twice in the recall (unusual) because he wasn't paying attention....though to be fair behind him was a ring full of dogs doing fun classes, and behind that was a kennel full of barking dogs!

Harder class he decided he wouldn't retrieve, so that blew that! We've been having a few problems with retrieve since his meltdown a few weeks ago :-P It took such a long time to build his confidence up with the dumbbell, and he hadn't been retrieving it that long.

Stays were fine in both classes, but the whole thing just left me rather depressed really!

To cap it all I have now been waiting for a puppy for more than two and a half years - I've already been through numerous matings/litters - from bitches being mated and then having to be spayed due to pyometra, to litters of the wrong sex, mismarked...etc.

There were two litters due around a month apart. The first was born at the very end of June, only two of the right sex - one mismarked, the other the breeder is keeping. Ok, no big deal I think....second litter is coming up. They were born on August 1st....only one of the right sex, dodgy markings and she's spoken for anyway. Oh yay.

I'm seriously questioning myself at the moment....I'm so emotionally drained by it all. There's only so many times you can find out a bitch is pregnant, and however hard you try not to you get excited and start making plans....only for the puppies to be born and all your hopes to be dashed again. And again. And again.

So much to write, so little time....

I didn't really do anything with Solei the weekend before last in the end...did a small amount of heelwork and tried a retrieve or two, but the environment didn't really lend its self to it.

The Sunday before last I went to a Papillon Club Championship Show with Elton and Darwin. Under an American judge, so didn't really know what to expect. It was Darwin's first time at a champ show for almost a year, he was so excited to be there! Showed pretty well and came out with a 5th in Post Grad Dog, which was a good result (I was hoping to qualify him for Crufts - 1st-3rd - but never mind, still good to be placed!)
Elton was an absolute star...he was 2nd in Yearling Dog (12-24mths, so at 14 months he was one of the younger), behind a dog who was at the top end of the age spectrum. He then went back in for Graduate Dog, which he won!! Finally also being declared Best Phalene Dog. He's such a star <3

Solei continued to improve throughout the week....I had him out in the garden every day at least once, often twice, practicing heelwork in the correct chair on bumpy grass. Rewarding very frequently! The slight problem being when I discovered on Wednesday that we no longer had a retrieve!! He's back to being not very happy about picking up the dumbbell, but I can no longer use the toys I was using before - now he's used to the dumbbell he mouths them too badly and messes around. His heelwork did steadily improve as the week went on, though I wasn't sure if his confidence was building in general or just in the garden...figured I'd find out at the weekend LOL

So, Saturday dawned and off we went to Solei's second ever open obedience show. Arrived nice and early so I could calm myself and him down, as we had a running order (RO) - in UK obedience you turn up to work your dog whenever you like, but they always randomly draw the first 10 dogs, to avoid the situation where nobody wants to be first!!.

He was entered in two classes - the first class (drawn 5th) was Pre-Beginners Dog or Bitch (HOL, HF, Recall, Sit Stay, Down Stay), and the second class (drawn 10th) was YKC Graduate (same as above + retrieve).

The first class Solei worked probably better than ever. Certainly as good as his best ever....I came out with a stupid big grin on my face! Didn't matter how he'd scored, I was over the moon with his performance...especially off the back of the issues we've been having the last few weeks.

Then when I went to get him out for the stays he was let out before I was ready and he hurt himself jumping up on me. Not sure if that was what started it or whether he'd had enough anyway, but he went really stupid again - "world is out to get me". He did stays (clear) and then I put him away for as long as possible, hoping he'd recover. Problem with that was I then had to take him in for classs #2 without warming up (didn't like to warm him up either cos he was being stupid) and he wasn't as bad as I'd thought, but he was still pretty horrendous...his attention wasn't with me, but it's so hard to find the balance with Solei - if he's too focused on me he's too aware of the chair and every bump, if he's not focused enough on me he's better about the chair and bumps but his attention drifts and he doesn't concentrate properly, especially on turns.

Oh and retrieve, in case you're wondering - he didn't run off lol but he dropped it halfway back, half lay down and mouthed it badly before bringing it the rest of the way back. I've now ordered him a custom made smaller, lighter one so hopefully that'll help - I know he does find the existing one a bit heavy.


He almost got us into big trouble as well....in the first class his marks reflected the performance I felt he'd given :-D and he went into the lead, he lead the class almost all day...and it was the class I reeaaaally didn't want him to win XD Thankfully the fourth dog from the end beat him, so he ended up 2nd which was a superb result. Round one over!
 
On to Sunday, and round two. I really didn't know what to expect...I had a feeling Solei would be much more aware of bumps and much jumpier, which he was. Much less confident...and he had a lousy handler!

Once again he was in two classes, Pre-Beginners again the same as Saturday, and also the Pre-Beginner Stakes. Once again he had a RO - 6th in the Stakes, thankfully not drawn in the other.

Which is where the lousy handling came in! Solei usually has clear recalls. On Saturday he lost 1 on his recall, which is unusual for him (but for which I was very grateful as it put him 2nd rather than joint 1st!). I put it down to one of those things.....until he did exactly the same on his recall in the Stakes, which put him out of the running - he wouldn't have won, but with a clear recall he'd have placed. It took it happening both days for me to realise it was me, so then I paid particular attention to where I had my hands and feet when he did his recall in the second class!! Which was subsequently clear, which proves it was me...just a shame I didn't realise before I ruined his chances :-(

In the second class he was ok, lost almost all of the marks he lost on lagging and working wide (chair complex strikes again!)...I say almost because midway through heel free he suddenly had a massive itch which he had to stop dead, spin round and attend to!! LOL He finished 8th and they were placing to 6th, but he got the judge's special award which the judge is given to award to whomever they wish.

So overall we had some lovely results :-) and I'm still flying from seeing him do what I know he's capable of. There should be some video to come, I haven't sorted it out yet.

Back on the up :-) I hope.

Since my last post there have been no major setbacks, I'm reluctant to go as far as to say that Solei is totally over it - as I'm being careful - but he's been fine with everything I've done since he appeared to turn the corner on Tuesday!

I'm still keeping all toys away from him, not worth the risk of going backwards! Later today or tomorrow I'll probably reintroduce the dumbbell as I don't think he's ever really had a problem with that. This silliness started a week last Sunday, I tried to do some holding practice on the Monday at obedience and he wouldn't, but he didn't seem scared of it (it was more the behaviour he was displaying before I got him comfortable picking it up) and that was the last time he saw the dumbbell so I'm hopeful it'll be ok. No tuggy toys or anything remotely similar are allowed to go near him yet!! I'm probably being overcautious, but I really don't want to go through all this again just because I've shown him a toy too soon.

Fingers crossed for tomorrow - I'm going to a companion show so will be trying a little bit of obedience practice with him and see what he's like in a more show like environment. His heelwork and recall is once again fine at home, we don't practice stays at home once they're solid, but I have no reason to think they should be a problem. Eight days to go until day #1 of the show! I'm going to keep him away from obedience on Monday, so tomorrow will be the only chance he gets to practice except for warming him up prior to competition the following weekend.

Today is also a special day....Solei turns six years old! Can't believe it, even though I haven't had him since a puppy time really does fly.