Sunday walk in the park (Diekirch)

It was cold but sunny, and I took Kimmy for a 90 minute walk in the nearby town of Diekirch. She had lots of fun and it was a lovely walk for both of us.


Gorgeous young puppy, look at those markings! Just perfect!

We met an older male dog on our walk, he was quite interested in sniffing Kimmy but she played hard to get, of course.

Catch me if you can!

Doberman in motion.

Hey, where is the other dog going?

Oh well, let's see what's further down the path.

Kimmy watched canoeists with interest.

It's hard to get her to pose for the camera!

A little break.

Kimmy enjoyed catching the dry leaves and playing with them.

Photos from today

Isn't she gorgeous?

Kimmy is 19 weeks old

Another week is almost gone. Time flies when you're having fun!

I think Kimmy started teething, she chews a lot, thankfully on appropriate objects mostly. I bought he some pieces of dried/hardened buffalo skins and she loves to chew these, and also rawhide bones and her favourite - stuffed frozen Kongs.

We bought her a new bed because she grew out of the old one, I have to take a photo. I also need to weigh her, she seems heavier again. She is now on Timberwolf kibble, and I add some Almo Natur tinned food to give it a bit of a taste, her fave is chicken and rice. She also likes tuna but is not particularly fond of sardines. Which is just as well because they stink!

Her bladder/bowel control got really good, last week she was left alone in the living room for about 5 hours while we went shopping to Trier, Germany, and she didn't have an accident, that I call a definite breakthrough. I left her two stuffed Kongs and chewy bones so she had something to accupy herself with.

It was an exception to leave her that long, and she did so well.

She doesn't nap nearly as much during the day as she did when she was younger. She follows me around the house wherever I go and is incredibly curious, she literally puts her nose in everything I do.

Our next door neighbour, a retired OB/GYN, is just dying to cuddle her, but she is very slowly overcoming her natural wariness to males. She will come to sniff him, but as soon as he tries to touch her, she backs off again. He thinks she is gorgeous and since he's hard of hearing, he doesn't mind the occasional barking either, ha ha ;)

Kimmy and Gerry really have bonded over the last couple of weeks, she is so happy when he comes home in the evenings, she wags her tail at 100 mph and often piddles a bit on the floor with excitement. She never pees when she sees me so I don't know if I should feel insulted, ha ha - but come to think of it, she is always with me, so there's no need to piddle ;)

Of course, when she does this, we don't say anything and just clean it up, she probably doesn't even realize it.

I bought a clicker on eBay, so I am going to read up on the clicker training method now, and will give it a try. It sounds "easy enough" - click and treat :)

Tomorrow my eldest brother in law is throwing a birthday party for his son, our nephew. I am happy to say that I decided to stay at home with Kimmy instead, ha ha. Gerry and Benny will go without me. Hope they have loads of fun in the garage *cough cough*

Sleepy Kimmy

Heureka!

I finally cracked it! Kimmy pretty much stopped biting/nipping my ankles while walking on leash, but still was a holy terror when off leash. Today, I suddenly got the perfect idea of a solution - and it worked!

I didn't unclip her leash when it was time for off leash walk - I left it attached to the collar, trailing on the ground with her.

Inevitably, as soon as she was free, she went in front of me, turned to face me, walking backwards to avoid getting stepped on, and started grabbing my ankles/boots again. As the leash trailed between her legs right in front of me, I stepped on it, which gave her a jolt, we both were now stopped, I looked in her eyes, gently shook her collar and said "no".

Then I released my foot from the leash, and started walking again. She tried it again in a few seconds, and I repeated the same thing. After the third correction, she decided it wasn't worth it, and left my feet alone for the remainder of the walk.

Rejoice with me! I outsmarted a Doberman!!! :)

You Know You Are a Dog Person When...

You have a kiddie wading pool in the yard, but no small children.

Lintwheels are on your shopping list every week.

You have baby gates permanently installed at strategic placesaround the house, but no babies.

The trash basket is more or less permanently installed in thekitchen sink, to keep the dog out of it while you're at work.

You refer to yourselves as Mommy and Daddy.

Your dog sleeps with you.

Poop has become a source of conversation for you and yoursignificant other.

You can't see out the passenger side of the windshield because thereare nose-prints all over the inside.

You have 32 different names for your dog. Most make no sense, but she understands.

Your dog eats cat poop, but you still let her kiss you (but not immediately afterward, of course).

You like people who like your dog. You despise people who don't.

You carry dog biscuits in your purse or pocket at all times.

You talk about your dog the way other people talk about their kid.

You sign and send birthday/anniversary/Christmas cards from your dog.

You put an extra blanket on the bed so your dog can be comfortable.

You'd rather stay home on Saturday night and cuddle your dog than go to the movies with your sweetie.

You go to the pet supply store every Saturday because it's one of the very few places that lets you bring your dog inside, and your dog loves to go with you.

You open your purse, and that big bunch of baggies you use for pick-ups pops out.

You get an extra-long hose on your shower-massage just so you can use it to wash your dog in the tub, without making the dog sit hip-deep in water.

You and the dog come down with something like flu on the same day. Your dog sees the vet while you settle for an over-the-counter remedy from the drugstore.

Your dog is getting old and arthritic, so you go buy lumber and buildher a small staircase so she can climb onto the bed by herself.

Your license plate or license plate frame mentions your dog.

You don't think it's the least bit strange to stand in the back yard chirping "Meg, pee!" over and over again, while Meg tends to play and forget what she's out there for (but what your neighbors think of your behavior is yet another story).

You match your furniture/carpet/clothes to your dog.

You have your dog's picture on your office desk (but no one else's).

You lecture people on responsible dog ownership every chance you get.

You skip breakfast so you can walk your dog in the morning before work.

You are the only idiot walking in the pouring rain because your dog needs her walk.

You don't go to happy hours with co-workers any more because you need to go home and see your dog.

Your friend's dog acts as Best Dog at your wedding.

Your weekend activities are planned around taking your dog for a hike (both days).

You keep an extra water dish in your second-floor bedroom, in case your dog gets thirsty at night (after all, her other dish is way down on the first floor...).

Your freezer contains more dog bones than anything else.

You never completely finish a piece of steak or chicken (so your doggets a taste, too).

You shovel a zigzag path in the back yard snow so your dog can reach all her favorite spots.

You avoid vacuuming the house as long as possible because your dogis afraid of the vacuum cleaner.

You keep eating even after finding a dog hair in your pasta.

You make popcorn just to play catch with your dog.

You carry pictures of your dog in your wallet instead of pictures ofyour parents, siblings, significant other, or anyone else remotely human.

Your dog is the star of your World Wide Web site!

Your parents refer to your pet as their granddog.

You hang around the dog section of your local bookstore.

Your jewelry box contains no jewels... just those fasteners from vari-kennels.

Every time you read the name Bob, you think the guy's first name is Best of Breed.

Your hungry hubby comes home from work, lifts the cover of the pan on the stove and says, "Is this people food or dog food?"

Your hungry hubby once ate the dog food and asked for seconds.

You don't give a second thought to using the brush you just used on your dog to give a quick run through on your own hair.

At your dinner parties, you always double check the butter before putting it on the table.

You put important papers in your latest issue of your breed magazine you know you will find them there.

You have dog hair stuck on tape on wrapped gifts.

You have dog toys and treats in your briefcase.

You have several albums filled with the 8 by 10 pictures of your dogs but you can't locate any pictures of your kids to send tograndma.

You show up at the car dealers with a ruler, to measure and see if your big dog crate will fit.

Before the actual purchase you make the dealer cringe by insisting that you load both crates and dog into the shinny, new vehicle to make sure it works!

You can't get the groceries in the car because its A) already full of dog food B) you have that big old crate in there.

You visit relatives only if there is a dog show nearby.

You remove all the seats from the van except the two in thefront so you have room for crates...

The passenger seat is full of dog stuff.

You cringe at the price of food in the grocery store but think nothing of the cost of dog food or treats.

You put popcorn in the clean dog dish for movie night.

When you get your latest roll of film and there isn't a singlepicture of a two-legged person in it...

Basic Dog Rules

NEWSPAPERS: If you have to go to the bathroom while playing in the front yard, always use the newspaper that's placed in the driveway every morning for that purpose.

VISITORS: Quickly determine which guest is afraid of dogs. Charge across the room, barking loudly and leap playfully on this person. If the human falls down on the floor and starts crying, lick its face and growl gently to show your concern.

BARKING: Because you are a dog, you are expected to bark. So bark--- a lot. Your owners will be very happy to hear you protecting their house. Especially late at night while they are sleeping safely in their beds. There is no more secure feeling for a human than to keep waking up in the middle of the night and hearing your protective bark, bark, bark...

LICKING: Always take a BIG drink from your water dish immediately before licking your human. Humans prefer clean tongues. Be ready to fetch your human a towel.

HOLES: Rather than digging a BIG hole in the middle of the yard and upsetting your human, dig a lot of smaller holes all over the yard so they won't notice. If you arrange a little pile of dirt on one side of each hole, maybe they'll think it's gophers. There are never enough holes in the ground. Strive daily to do your part to help correct this problem.

DOORS: The area directly in front of a door is always reserved for the family dog to sleep.

THE ART OF SNIFFING: Humans like to be sniffed. Everywhere. It is your duty, as the family dog, to accommodate them.

DINING ETIQUETTE: Always sit under the table at dinner, especially when there are guests, so you can clean up any food that falls on the floor. It's also a good time to practice your sniffing.

HOUSEBREAKING: Housebreaking is very important to humans, so break as much of the house as possible.

GOING FOR WALKS: Rules of the road: When out for a walk with your master or mistress, never go to the bathroom on your own lawn.

COUCHES: It is perfectly permissible to lie on the new couch after all your humans have gone to bed.

PLAYING: If you lose your footing while chasing a ball or stick, use the flower bed to absorb your fall so you don't injure yourself.

CHASING CATS: When chasing cats, make sure you never--- quite--- catch them. It spoils all the fun.

CHEWING: Make a contribution to the fashion industry . ...Eat a shoe.

Sweet dreams, Kimmy and Gerry :)

Doberman Property Laws

My husband playing with Kimmy

She just loves having her tummy rubbed and her ears scratched! :)

She is such a cuddlebug! I think we'll keep her ;) Ha ha!

What a good, affectionate doggy, I am so in love with her :) This morning she woke me up by licking my big toe. It's Saturday so we didn't have to get up, but her body clock told her to wake up as usual at 7 AM. So I got up and went to pee first, and while I was in the loo, Kimmy went somewhere, so I then looked for her, and found her in the guest room, curled up on the bed, snoring away. So I did the only sensible thing possible, and curled up with her and had a good snooze. Awww, sleeping with this awesome doggy heating pad is just heavenly! I definitely recommend to anyone likes to be warm in bed ;)

She didn't even fart. Like I said, what a wonderful doggy! :)

20 Principles of Breeding Better Dogs

by Raymond H. Oppenheimer

1. Remember that the animals you select for breeding today will have an impact on the breed for many years to come. Keep that thought firmly in mind when you choose breeding stock.

2. You can choose only two individuals per generation. Choose only the best, because you will have to wait for another generation to improve what you start with. Breed only if you expect the progeny to be better than both parents.

3. You cannot expect statistical predictions to hold true in a small number of animals (as in one litter of puppies). Statistics only apply to large populations.

4. A pedigree is a tool to help you learn the good and bad attributes that your dog is likely to exhibit or reproduce. A pedigree is only as good as the dog it represents.

5. Breed for a total dog, not just one or two characteristics. Don't follow fads in your breed, because they are usually meant to emphasize one or two features of the dog at the expense of the soundness and function of the whole.

6. Quality does not mean quantity. Quality is produced by careful study, having a good mental picture of what you are trying to achieve, having patience to wait until the right breeding stock is available and to evaluate what you have already produced, and above all, having a breeding plan that is at least three generations ahead of the breeding you do today.

7. Remember that skeletal defects are the most difficult to change.

8. Don't bother with a good dog that cannot produce well. Enjoy him (or her) for the beauty that he represents but don't use him in a breeding program.

9. Use out-crosses very sparingly. For each desirable characteristic you acquire, you will get many bad traits that you will have to eliminate in succeeding generations.

10. Inbreeding is a valuable tool, being the fastest method to set good characteristics and type. It brings to light hidden traits that need to be eliminated from the breed.

11. Breeding does not "create" anything. What you get is what was there to begin with. It may have been hidden for many generations, but it was there.

12. Discard the old cliché about the littermate of that great producer being just as good to breed to. Littermates seldom have the same genetic make-up.

13. Be honest with yourself. There are no perfect dogs (or bitches) nor are there perfect producers. You cannot do a competent job of breeding if you cannot recognize the faults and virtues of the dogs you plan to breed.

14. Hereditary traits are inherited equally from both parents. Do not expect to solve all of your problems in one generation.

15. If the worst puppy in your last litter is no better than the worst puppy in your first litter, you are not making progress. Your last litter should be your last litter.

16. If the best puppy in your last litter is no better than the best puppy in your first litter, you are not making progress. Your last litter should be your last litter.

17. Do not choose a breeding animal by either the best or the worst that he (or she) has produced. Evaluate the total get by the attributes of the majority.

18. Keep in mind that quality is a combination of soundness and function. It is not merely the lack of faults, but the positive presence of virtues. It is the whole dog that counts.

19. Don't allow personal feelings to influence your choice of breeding stock. The right dog for your breeding program is the right dog, whoever owns it. Don't ever decry a good dog; they are too rare and wonderful to be demeaned by pettiness.

20. Don't be satisfied with anything but the best. The second best is never good enough.

Mr Kitty in da house!

He is here with me in the computer room, sitting in an empty cardboard box, and Benny is petting him :)

Here are some more pics I snapped today:

Benny and Mr Kitty really hit it off!

Kimmy wants to have some fun, too!

Kimmy and Mr Kitty wrestling

I'll get ya!

In Ben's playroom

Hey, ENOUGH of the pictures. Go get me some milk!

Mr Kitty still here

I wonder if he's lost or abandoned, or just "roaming" the neighbourhood. I checked his ears for a tattoo (none), felt his neck/back for a chip (none), and of course, he's not wearing a collar.

On the advice of Jocelyn, I will put a collar on him (if he lets me, ha ha) with our phone number and see what happens.

This little beast is not afraid of anything! Lets Kimmy lick his ears and sniff his arse, too. Kimmy thinks it's a great playmate! They just spent a good half hour playing together in our driveway.

Kampfkatze alias The Fight Cat

So yesterday at noon I was walking Ben home from preschool, when we saw a cute little kitty on the street. It was still small so I would say not yet fully grown, a male. Benny was so excited and went over to pet kitty and it let him pet and cuddle a bit.

Then we kept walking home and kitty followed us, which Ben found hilarious.

We reached our house, and as soon as I opened the front door, swooooosh and kitty was inside! We never saw this cat before so I was surprised he would come right in. Maybe male cats are not that afraid of strangers?

So we took our shoes off while Mr Kitty surveyed our hall, then the kitchen, and eventually went into the living room, where Kimmy was having a nap. Of course, the moment Kimmy saw the intruder, she jumped up on all four and started barking. Mr Kitty looked at Kimmy with this "oh puhleeeze, you don't expect me to be afraid of you, do you" expression and leisurely strolled through the living room.

Kimmy started getting closer to Mr Kitty who started getting his fur a bit in the toilet brush position, and when Kimmy tried to sniff him, he hit her with his paw on the nose! Kimmy jumped right back, turned to look at me with this puzzled look.

Meanwhile, Mr Kitty started running and Benny ran after him, and I ran after Benny, and Kimmy ran after me. Fun!

We all followed Mr Kitty upstairs, where he hid under the bed in the guest room. Kimmy barked and tried to get to the cat, then Ben tried to get to the cat from the other side, and I took a few photos with my camera.

Mr Kitty under the bed

Kimmy sitting beside the bed, waiting for the cat to come out

Then all of a sudden, Mr Kitty made a beeline out of the bedroom straight into the bathroom, closely followed by Ben and Kimmy.

Kimmy barked at Mr Kitty, and he jumped up on the edge of the bath tub, to gain height advantage.

Benny then took Mr Kitty in his arms and carried him downstairs, while I took Kimmy and led her down as well, and put her in the kitchen. Then Benny and I let Mr Kitty out the front door outside, thinking he will be relieved to be away from that big bad dog.

To our surprise, Mr Kitty went straight back inside the house!

Benny said that we should keep him then, but I am sure he is not a stray, so we can't do that, so we put him outside again and closed the door.

Benny cried!

In the evening, suddenly I hear scratching at the window right beside my computer - it was Mr Kitty trying to get in! I don't know what exactly he likes here. Must be Kimmy ;)

I opened the window and let Mr Kitty inside, because Benny wanted to pet him. Kimmy came over to look what was going on and when she saw the cat, she wanted to play, she bowed down and wagged her tail excitedly. Mr Kitty came closer, and again, hissed loudly and hit her with his paw (and claws!) right in the face. Ouch! Kimmy was so perplexed! Clearly, Mr Kitty doesn't know how to play with dogs ;)

So we had to put Mr Kitty outside again and he spent another half an hour scratching at the door and meowing loudly.

Kimmy graduated from Puppy Class

to Youth Obedience class!

Her first lesson was this morning. Usually pups graduate from Puppy Class at 6 months of age, but the trainer said Kimmy is mentally ready for the obedience challenge :)

Thank goodness it was a sunny morning today. So even thought it was -6 C, it was still bearable. Kimmy was such a good girl! The trainer was impressed, actually, how well she was doing in her first obedience lesson.

There were 5 other dogs, two of them Rottweilers (litter brothers), 7 months old, untrained - their first lesson, too. They were there with an elderly woman and her adult son. They both had problems keeping them contained on the leash. The trainer told me this would be Kimmy at 7 months if we never trained her. Untrained Rottweiler looks scary!

First we practiced the "heel" while walking in pairs, then in fours, the goal was that the dog's attention stays on the master, and that she doesn't let the other dogs distract her. Kimmy did well in the paying attention area, but her heel is more like "almost stumbling under Katie's feet, trying to jump up and grab her thigh with my front paws and give it a hug" walk.

The trainer said she will calm down as she matures, not to worry. I decided to believe him ;)

Then we practiced recall, the master put his dog into a sit stay/down stay and went away on the other side of the field, then called the dog and rewarded with a treat. Because Kimmy doesn't have a reliable stay yet, the trainer held her leash to make sure she doesn't run after me, and released her leash when I called her. My princess ran to me like the wind and did a nice sit before she took the treat. Awwww :)

Then we all stood in a circle and one by one, took the dog off leash and went zig zag through the outline of the cicle, again the aim was that the dog doesn't get distracted by other dogs and follows the master. This exercise the trainer thought Kimmy couldn't do off leash, but I tried and she did wonderfully, paying attention only to me. It was such a nice feeling :)

Then the trainer told us about the importance of teaching our dog never to take food from a stranger (who might want to poison it), then he went around, offering cubed cheese to the dogs. Those who have been in the classes for a long time have totally ignored the cheese. The Rottweilers both lunged after the treats and their owners had a hard time pulling them back.

Kimmy who LOVES cheese tried her darndest to get to it, but I pulled her back and said "Pfui", which is German for "eewww".

Then we again stood in a circle with our dogs and the trainer wanted to see how well they respond to their names.

When the dog was not looking at him, the trainer called his name. The dog should perk up at hearing his name, even from someone else than his master. The older dogs all looked at the trainer when he called their name, one of the Rottweilers totally blanked and the other only looked after repeated calling. Last one to go was Kimmy. Friendly dog she is, when the trainer called her name, she ran up to him, jumped up and licked his face. Ummm, I think she likes the trainer, ha ha :)

He was laughing and said that she is a wonderful puppy :)

Snoozing sweetly

Photos from today's walk

Kimmy 4 months old
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Caught in the act!

These cuties

are from France :)



http://www.dobermann-dgw.com/

If you speak German