29 October 2018

Finlay is 16 months old, not far from being 17 months old, how the time has flown.

The showing - two championship dog shows in two weeks. The TSA Champ show last week where he got 3rd in Junior and 3rd in Post Graduate and then Midland Counties Champ show this weekend where again he got 3rd in both Junior and Post Grad - very consistent.

Finlay got to see lots of his Scottish family on Sunday at the show and I think he enjoyed that. We are constantly told by everyone we meet what a lovely friendly boy he is, he is a cheeky little dog who charms everyone he meets. He's even befriended a dog behaviourist who adores him, so that must be saying something. The video below shows him trying to win over Liz Cartledge at Midland Counties on Sunday, which appeared to be working, but not enough to make her shortlist unfortunately.

The friends - I think Jinpa (another Tibetan Spaniel) is Finlay's absolute number one best friend. But it has to be said Finlay makes canine friends quite easily. He loves to play and is very good at doggy-language and seems to know when it is appropriate to go in for a play and when perhaps being more submissive and rolling over would be a better idea. This mostly works. He does seem to be a big hit with the ladies though, lots of kisses and smiles.....although his mind does inevitably turn to more serious pastimes, which of course we discourage. But boys will (try to) be boys. As for making human friends, well that isn't difficult for a wagger like Finlay.

The hotels - if a show is over a certain travelling distance or it is both distant and early judging we stay away in a hotel. Makes a nice weekend of it. The first couple of times Finlay took this in his stride, but the last couple of visits have not been so good. Last weekend he did a lot of woofing, as it was pointed out to me he is in fact doing exactly what he was bred to do, alert his owners of strange noises. Which in this case was people thumping down the hotel corridors and banging doors. But he did somewhat overdo the alerting and we didn't want to wake the entire hotel! Then this weekend, he was at it again. More woofing, but he was very unsettled, licking a lot and being restless. To be fair, the hotel was VERY noisy, people banging and shouting at 2am and 3am, so we would have had a disturbed night dog or no dog. More practice is required I think!

Training - although Tibbies aren't known for their unflinching obedience, Finlay is learning. He does a good 'heel' now, his waiting is almost faultless and he learns really quickly. This is of course mixed in with typical adorable Tibbie traits of ignoring his owners just when you think he has it sussed. We really want to get his bronze Good Citizen dog award, so are working towards that in due course. He went on a massive romp in a big field with his best friend Jinpa recently, and they were both in a the far distance, a loud whistle from me stopped him in his tracks and with a brief pause of "did you want something dad", he dutifully ran the 200 metres or so back to us. What a star, this is real progress. Not progress enough to just start letting him off the lead everywhere you understand!!

Upstairs - for quite a while after we got him Finlay was not allowed upstairs, mainly because we didn't want his young bones to be stressed too much crashing up and down the stairs. But no such worries now, although a stairgate is in place to stop him going up there when he pleases. He is occasionally allowed upstairs now though and boy does he love it. Here he is with that cheeky look on, you've seen this look before right?

The pictures/video - I really love this video. Obviously Finlay doesn't know he is being seen by a top judge like Liz Cartledge, so he takes it in his stride. Basically, if a judge looks like they are requesting a kiss, they are going to get one. If the judge gets within a certain distance, that 'kissing distance', they are going to get one. It is lovely to see a dog that loves being handled like this. I had an unusual video angle here, as I was above in the upstairs part of the Champ show.

Here is Finlay and Jinpa, who are the bestest of mates. They first met when Finlay was very young and I think they bonded from the start. They both bark furiously when they first sense the other is near and are sad to depart at the end of their walks. It really melts my heart seeing them both together having such obvious fun.

14 October 2018

We went to a dog show, we didn't win any classes, and that's ok.

Since January 2018, we have done 27 dog shows of all kinds - small open shows, larger open shows, breed shows and full on multi-day championship shows. We haven't won classes at all of them, which when you are only just starting out is exactly what you'd expect. Deb and Finlay have learned so much this year and every time we go to a show we learn a little bit more.

What I don't want to do is end up only posting on Facebook for those times we win a class, a fancy rosette or generally do well because that isn't realistic. There are those days when for whatever reason you don't do so well purely in terms of 'scores on the board'. But that doesn't mean it was a wasted day, or a total write-off, it just means today it wasn't our day. If a judge has (say) 4 dogs in front of them, they haven't got any massive faults, they are all within the breed standard on most things then it is going to come down to what that judge believes is the best Tibetan Spaniel in that particular class on that day. Depending on what the judge likes in a dog, that decision may not always fall the same way, we are all human beings - if you worried about it too much you wouldn't go to any dog shows.

You still get to meet up with loads of people that love dogs, be in a venue full of dogs, meet our favourite breed in the whole world, Tibetan Spaniels, have a yarn about the terrible weather (today at least) and drink some slightly dodgy tasting beverage from the on-site facilities. In that respect, totally not a waste of a day, great fun. And on top of that we even got to see a Tibetan Spaniel win 'Best In Show', how awesome is that!

Ok-ok, yes saying all that it doesn't mean we don't think our fido is the best ever, no matter what anyone says, we all love our dogs and they mean the world to us. But as I think I have said before, this is a competition and there will be winners and losers. You can celebrate losing, that's not a crime - I defy anyone who met Finlay today not to have smiled, people gave him their treats and in return he gave them sloppy wet kisses, what's not to like! Our appreciation for Finlay is pretty partisan, but I've smiled and ahhh'd at quite a few other dogs today.....and I wouldn't have done that if I concentrated on the fact that we "lost" in our classes.

Quite a few of you reading this blog have been showing dogs for years, so you'll already know all of this.....for everyone else, perhaps this helps you understand why we've done so many dog shows this year. Yes, we're a bit mad and we've joined a crowd of mad dog showing people!!

Just to clarify, here is what we got:
- Second in Tibetan Spaniel Junior (out of 2 entries)
- VHC (or 5th) in Tibetan Spaniel Post Graduate (out of 5 entries)
- Unplaced in a large class of 16 in Special Beginners Stakes
- Unplaced (although got through to the shortlist of 6) in a class of 11 in Junior Stakes

Finlay doing his thing, he didn't put a paw wrong today, at least not in a big way.

30 September 2018

Here's a thing, September is whizzing past and Finlay is heading towards being 16 months old! For those of you still tuning in we today gained another Junior Warrant point, putting us on 19 points - tantalisingly close to the magic 25 points.

Preparing for shows - we can hardly claim to be experts having only recently started showing, but we have something that works for us. Finlay would get regular brushes whether he was being shown or not, Deb enjoys grooming our dogs and does Finlay 2 or 3 times a week.....not a massively long brush, just enough to keep him tidy and check him out for any ticks or any other issues that you'd spot when grooming your dog. Obviously, Finlay is going to get a brush before he goes to a show. However, he will often get one of Deb's patented cleaning routines, which we call the Underwash™.

What exactly is an 'underwash'?! Well, as you Tibbie owners know, Tibbies may well get dirty when out walking but they don't stay dirty for long - not unless they've been somewhere extremely filthy anyway. The standard muck you'd pick up on a walk through the woods or wet footpath just drops out as the dog dries out. So actually Finlay doesn't get THAT dirty from show to show. But underneath does look better after a quick wash and blow dry and brush out - again nothing that strenuous, 20 mins max, but it makes a difference.

Food time - Finlay is still on raw food, and currently loving it. He does get fussy every now and then, and nothing will be guaranteed to go down when he is in one of those moods. He's a funny dog really, because like now when he is feeding well you think you've cracked it, but suddenly he looks at his most favourite food in the whole world and turns his nose up at it, the little devil. So we go a couple of weeks where you struggle, maybe change flavours or brand of raw food and he's off again. But raw does seem to suit him, at least for now.

Mood - he is a happy dog, there's no doubt about it. He has many girlfriends and even a few boy friends who he absolutely adores. He seems to bring out the best in dogs. That is not to say he isn't beyond a grumble at some dogs, he is a young male dog so to be expected.....but something to keep an eye on to make sure it doesn't develop. Most of the time he just wants to play, today at a Tibbie breed show in Ampthill he once again made more friends. He is a joy to own, he is a mischief too which I think is the puppy still within him but also there is a certain Tibbie mischief along with it, I'm a sucker for it.

In the car - from the moment we got him he has been a good traveller, until recently. The last couple of long drives he has been less happy and looking a bit car sick. He hasn't drooled or actually been sick, but nonetheless he hasn't looked happy for some reason. So today we tried some Zylkene and a spot-on calming solution and the drive up was much better and he slept most of the way of a 2-hour drive. Going home is normally fine because he is tired after a dog show. A success I think, but we'll see how we go, maybe it is just a phase.

The ball - oh boy, is this dog ball obsessed.....balls with squeakers anyway. We had to buy him a new one because he destroyed one of his others. He will play with it for ages as well as actually fetch it, we haven't had a Tibbie fetch a ball before. He even whines for his ball when it has been put away from the day before.

A few photo's to finish. This one was taken on the Hamble river, on the ferry from Warsash to Hamble villages. Finlay loved looking at the water and yachts going past and of course loved the fuss from the assistant ferryman.

Messin' about on the river

Finlay does love the ladies, this is Angie, one of Theresa and Hailey's Tibbies. Finlay really fell in love this day and it seems he made an impression. Not often a boy will sneak in a kiss on a first date!!

Love ya babe!

9 September 2018

Today Finlay was exactly 15 months old, and what a day it was at Richmond Championship Dog Show at Loseley Park, just outside Guildford.

To think we only started dog showing in earnest, and dog showing with Finlay in January 2018. The first couple of shows at Taunton and Chichester this year were a world apart from where we are now, Finlay was an unruly puppy and such a handful, almost a little monster (a cute adorable monster, but still).

Deb then knuckled down training Finlay and set out to achieve......what exactly? She obviously wanted him to behave a bit better and to have a bit of fun showing him. We both felt it would be nice if maybe Finlay went on to win the odd class. So as the year flew past, it turns out we are now into show number 22. We didn't set out to win lots of classes, qualify Finlay for Crufts or for him to win a RDCC (Reserve Dog Challenge Certificate). But that is exactly what has happened. When you work so hard towards improving your performance, it seems a surprise to suddenly achieve something so momentous. It really shouldn't be a surprise, because it has been hard work, but crucially it has been fun and we've made loads of new friends.

One of the things I'd never considered before dog showing was the commitment you need. You get up early (or travel and stay overnight), you travel long distances and for all that you may not get placings. We've been fairly lucky with the weather so far, but it's been cold, raining, boiling hot, windy....sometimes all on the same day! But something drives you to want to do it nonetheless, so it seems we have caught the dog showing bug, whatever that is. The other thing that occurs to me is just how difficult it can be to come second....let me explain that for my non-dog showing friends.

At a Championship show the dogs and bitches are judged separately. There are typically around 8 classes in both dog and bitch - the winners of each dog class (and bitch class) will then line up in a "Challenge" (all 'unbeaten' dogs). The Challenge Certificate is then awarded to the best dog and bitch on the day, as decided by the judge. In each class there could be only 1 dog/bitch, or there could be many, a dozen or more....although in our limited experience, not that many in the dog classes. So you have to win your class, if you entered more than one class you have to have won them all. If there were 30 dogs entered, then you are aiming to be the best of 30 on the day. What Finlay won today was the 'Reserve' (Dog) Challenge Certificate (or RDCC), so in simplistic terms, second place in the dogs. So saying "we came second" really only tells a fraction of the story, because in reality we beat all the other dogs bar the CC winner. It isn't something that happens very often for any dog exhibitor, so we'll treasure this moment for a very long time.....

Finally, in order to become 'Best of Breed' on the day, the Dog CC winner and Bitch CC winner go head to head to decide the overall BOB winner. Doing that any more than once is quite some achievement, because it means multiple judges over a period of time will have judged a dog/bitch to be closest match to the breed standard of those competing on the day. That is no mean feat.

Here is a rundown of what Deb and Finlay actually did today - thanks to breed judge Evelyn Moore Hurley and Special Beginners Utility Group judge Sandra Marshall:
- Tibetan Spaniel Junior Dog - 1st
- Tibetan Spaniel Special Beginner Dog - 1st
- Tibetan Spaniel RDCC
- Best Tibetan Spaniel Special Beginner (he beat the Bitch Special Beginner)
- Special Beginners Utility Group - Group 4/Reserve
- Utility/Gundog Special Beginners Stakes class (20+ entries) - unplaced

It did turn out to be quite an emotional day, yes so I'm a bloke, but I don't mind admitting it really hit me seeing Deb and Finlay win the RDCC. Deb looked so shocked seeing the judge walk towards her. As for Finlay, he lapped up the applause.....he loves applause whether it is for him or not.

Another thing I've been proud of are our Special Beginner achievements. It is an opportunity to get the Tibetan Spaniels in front of more judges and more people sat around a ring noticing the breed. We've only recently started showing Tibbies, but we've been in love with Tibbies since the late 1990's, having owned two before. We're constantly bumping into people whilst out walking asking what breed Finlay is (same when we owned Louie and Nemo before) and saying how lovely they are. So getting the breed noticed and appreciated is something that we are both passionate about. Who wouldn't want to love a Tibbie!!

Today was a very special day!

Aileen bred us an incredibly cute, happy, handsome, healthy, adorable, feisty Tibetan Spaniel....and that was not by accident either. Only careful breeding can achieve that, I'm so pleased that we met her at Crufts in 2017 and took the plunge to travel almost the entire length of the UK to go and see Finlay. It was well worth the trip.

This is what all the fuss is about, the RDCC. This is the certificate you get on the day, apparently we will receive something further in the post directly from the Kennel Club. Never believed we'd actually get one of these....at this point, can't ever believe we'll get another!

Finlay's very first Reserve Challenge Certificate

Here is Finlay getting looked over by our judge from today, Evelyn Moore Hurley. The wag is ever present of course....

This was the Dog CC, as the judge was having her final deliberations over who to choose

Finally, this is the video Google made of the day

28 August 2018

'Balgay Kitang Po' - aka Finlay - one year, one whole year!!

It seems incredible, but we picked up Finlay from Aileen on the 28th August 2017, one year ago today. 

It is always going to be an adventure owning a puppy, any size/any breed, they are all an experience that you'll want to enjoy. But owning a puppy isn't easy. Settling into a new home, house training, chewing, innoculations, tantrums....so many things. But it is all worth it.

Finlay was the easiest puppy to settle in, he slept his first night without crying or complaint and has been like that pretty much every night since. House training felt like it took forever, but in reality it was pretty straight-forward. From the moment we got him he has been such a happy-go-lucky character, happy, smiley, waggy. Whether it is within our local area, my dads care home, the local shops or the dog showing circuit, everyone knows Finlay for the happy outgoing dog that he is. He melts everyone's heart and is a pleasure to own.

Now don't get me wrong, it isn't all roses, but it is all part of owning any dog. He isn't always the most obedient and compliant dog. Partly this is his own individual character and partly this is typical Tibbie. From quite a young age, he has been asserting what he believes are his rights as a developing male dog and it has taken a pretty firm hand to guide along and make sure he knows what is acceptable and what isn't. 

In certain circumstances you can rely on him to be unreliable. He isn't too bad off lead, but on occasions there isn't a treat in the world that is going to persuade him that coming back to us is the right thing to do. So off lead time is strictly limited to the safest of places. Open the front door and he's going to be out of it, I know where he'd go as we live just around the corner from a recreation ground which he loves and our road is relatively quiet. However, it is a circumstance that we just don't allow to happen. Tibbies and road sense, I've never met one that has any!

Dog showing....that was never on the cards when we got him. We asked Aileen if it was ok to show him, on the remote off-chance we ever did, "yes of course" she said. Hahahahahaaaaaa, the remote off-chance, we never saw that one coming. Whether Finlay has taken the dog showing world by storm we'll have to wait and see. Certainly FINLAY believes he has taken the dog showing world by storm - whether he wins or loses, he wags. That is all we'd ever ask of him really. The additional benefit of owning Finlay which we hadn't expected was all the new friends we'd gain as a result of the dog showing, so hello to you all!!

The puppy period, whilst sometimes difficult, is of course a complete joy and you don't ever want it to end. At 14 months old (getting on for 15) he is still very puppy at times and it is gorgeous to see. At some point he will grow up, and it seems to happen quite suddenly. Until then, we shall continue to enjoy puppy Finlay.

Here he is with a suitably regal Tibbie look on his face.

I'm posing dad!

This is a Finlay wagging compilation video. Here he is at various dog shows doing his thing, and he simply cannot do it without a tail wag. I love the last segment of the video which was during the Windsor Breeders Competition where the judge, Liz Cartledge, goes along the line of Tibbies and gets their attention - Finlay is the only one that gets a quick stroke under the chin for his cheekiness. What a star!

Finally, the part we didn't expect, the rosettes and prize cards that Finlay has won during the 8 months or so that we've been showing him. It is quite a collection for just one dog in a short period of time.

For those of you unaware, a red card or rosette is a first place.

12 August 2018

Finlay is 14 months old now, but we still call him a puppy....because he is.

Although he is growing up and in some ways he is showing signs of maturity, he is SO very puppy at times - and I wouldn't change that for the world. When you get a puppy, the time whizzes by, and they are such happy times but before you know where you are that puppy has grown up. My advice, take it all in and savour every moment of it, and in my case take 1,000s of photos and videos to look back on. You'll be glad you did.

Rough and tumble
When you are out and about with your dog, not every other dog you meet is going to be friendly, every experienced dog owner knows that. With the 2nd of our Tibbies, he was attacked by a black lurcher-type dog when he was only about 14 weeks old and despite everything we tried he was always likely to be grumpy with larger black dogs. The experience stayed with him, not helped by Tibbies being able to bear grudges for a lifetime! So we were anxious to avoid something like this happening again, but Finlay did find himself being attacked by a Tibetan Terrier (TT). 

My wife met this dog whilst out walking Finlay, the owner wasn't bothered but his dog was on a lead as was Finlay. Fin went up to this dog cautiously, rolled over on to his back.....so clearly sensed that the dog was dominant, so he did the right thing. A quick growl from the TT and he was attacking Finlay, he made contact and broke the skin on his ribcage. Finlay legged it and was very upset. "Is he an entire male" asked the owner, he is, "oh he can be a bit funny with entire male dogs". Well thanks very much. Following this, Finlay has been a bit cautious with other dogs and lost his confidence a bit. Nothing to worry about I think, he got a good telling off by a Tibbie recently, but he took it in his stride. He knows the difference between being put in his place (even very firmly) and plain aggression. It turns out that this TT is known in the area for being very unpredictable, shame we didn't know it sooner.....

It just goes to show that you always need to be on your guard. All we need to do now is avoid reinforcing any of Finlays anxieties, so far so good, but it isn't an easy task.

Feeding
Despite having times when he would eat and eat and eat, he can be a fussy little devil. He has been on a raw diet for around 5 months now and it really seems to suit him. He is putting on muscle and his coat is in great condition. We are on Natural Instinct complete raw food, which includes veg as well as the meat. He can be on a particular flavour, which seems like it is his favourite ever, then bam.....he stops eating it. Change flavour and he is off again. We have this cycle continually. The important thing is, he is doing well on it. 

(sorry about the next bit, but dog owners will understand) The nice thing for us about feeding raw, is what comes out of the other end. There is a) much less of it, b) it is much firmer than kibble-poo and finally c) it smells much less. 

He also enjoys raw beef bones, it keeps him occupied for ages licking out the marrow-bone. He doesn't have them very often, but they are a right treat for him. Spoiled dog, possibly!!

Rosettes
After all of the 17 dog shows we've been to this year, Finlay and Deb have amassed a rather impressive collection of Rosettes and prize cards. I put all the rosettes in a holder specially designed for the purpose and seem to have filled it completely up already. This is with just one dog in just 8 months, I hate to think how many some of our dog-showing friends have got laying around!!

As always a couple of photo's and video to finish. Fin does love a little paddle, not too deep but enough to wet his paws. He doesn't go full on swimming, yet.

Messin' around in the river....

This next one is yet another one of him waving, I already have several of this behaviour. He loves to wave, and in this case it was waving for a belly and chest rub. Well seriously, who could ignore this, I know I can't.....

6 August 2018

On Sunday 5th August, we (surprise surprise) went to another dog show and had more success winning Best Special Beginner at the SWTSC Open show. This lead me to thinking, what is it about Special Beginners?

This is how the kennel club classifies it:
https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/activities/dog-showing/already-involved-in-dog-showing/special-beginners-competition/

This is the key criteria:
"For owner, handler or exhibit not having won a Challenge Certificate or Reserve Challenge Certificate, or for those breeds not allocated Championship Status, Best of Sex or Reserve Best of Sex at a Championship Show"

What this means is that new exhibitors and their dogs get a chance to compete on a more even level with other people at a similar stage of their dog showing 'career'. Many of the people showing their Tibbies have been doing so for many years and have so much experience, it can be difficult going up against them. It is a competition after all! But where Special Beginners classes are offered, Deb and Finlay know they have a fair chance of competing and that encourages us to both go to shows (both Open and Championship) and take extra classes which also means more experience showing. Actually, some of the people we meet at SB classes (the AV ones generally) have actually been showing quite a while, so they or their dogs aren't necessarily inexperienced, they just haven't won a CC or RCC yet.

Although we're new to this showing lark, I think Special Beginners (SB) is a fantastic initiative by the Kennel Club, and for us it is working. Of course we will blow this if we ever go and win a CC or RCC with Finlay, which at the moment seems a long way off :-)

We've entered into two main types of SB classes, either breed specific or Any Variety SB Stakes, where we meet loads of different breeds. We've had very good success with the breed SB classes, in fact Deb/Finlay have yet to be beaten in a breed SB class, which is pretty amazing. The AV SB Stakes are much harder. Sometimes these are AV or AV Utility, but either way, they are often pretty large classes, a dozen or so at least. So to get a placing at one of these classes is very satisfying but isn't easy, Deb/Finlay have managed it on a couple of occasions, but they haven't won one yet. 

What I like about the big SB stakes classes is getting a Tibbie 'seen' at this level. There are certain breeds that are there every single time we are in a stakes class, but not often are Tibbies seen. So I think we are given an opportunity that would be a shame to miss, so often you go to these stakes classes and quite a few entries do not turn up, often because they are still stuck in breed classes or couldn't, for whatever reason, stay for the class. That is a shame. We've had two cracks at the SB Utility Group, one of which we came Group 4, which I gather was quite a coup. These groups are always right at the end of the show, and at 4pm after a long day with a 2 hour+ drive home, it would be easy to give up and go home, but we've been good so far!

I don't think I'd have a different view on Special Beginners if Deb/Finlay hadn't been so successful in this area! But then you always sing when you're winning..... ;-)