Rottweilers Ate My Laptop

This is why I’ll probably never be a pro blogger

kathi — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 01:22:22 +0000

Yikes, what a mess. I have more than a week’s worth of posts that are somewhere in digital hell. Some didn’t publish on schedule (I’m really bad with scheduling and drafts vs. published posts, so that’s not too surprising) and some seem to be trapped inside my BlackBerry. Sorry to those who read via RSS for the upcoming glut of posts leaving limbo.

This is why I’ll probably never be a pro blogger is a post from: Rottweilers Ate My Laptop
Copyright © 2008-2010 K. Wilson except where otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

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No, I don’t like baseball…

kathi — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 04:48:17 +0000

I’ve mentioned more than once that I don’t like baseball. I make a major exception in my baseball dislike to enjoy and appreciate the Little League World Series when a team from Hawaii is playing (I would probably make an exception for a team from Illinois, but only if friends’ kids were on it or if it were from our sector). And even better, this year that team is representing the United States and playing against Japan in the big game tomorrow. Very happy and proud for the Waipio Little League team for one of the best comeback stories of the year!

However. I am truly offended by the crass comments coming across Twitter that insist on comparing the Hawaii-Japan matchup to Pearl Harbor. Yes, Pearl Harbor. How freaking inappropriate is that? I thought the Sugar Bowl revenge comments following the wins against Georgia were somewhat tasteless, but they pale in comparison to the Pearl Harbor comments.

I don’t think I’m particularly humor-impaired. But I’m sad to see there are quite a few people out there who are class-impaired.

(NaBloPoMo | August ’10: 28 of 31)

No, I don’t like baseball… is a post from: Rottweilers Ate My Laptop
Copyright © 2008-2010 K. Wilson except where otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

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Saturday Pet Blogger Blog Hop, Week 17

kathi — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 00:34:20 +0000

Week 17 already! Join Blog Hop co-hosts Life With Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers, and Confessions of the Plume along with us, and many wonderful pet bloggers for the Saturday Pet Blogger Blog Hop!

Saturday Pet Blogger Blog Hop, Week 17 is a post from: Rottweilers Ate My Laptop
Copyright © 2008-2010 K. Wilson except where otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

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Is this a gender thing or an individual learning styles thing?

kathi — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 04:07:16 +0000

I mentioned before that Freya and Axel have different learning styles. Since we’re still working through Susan Garrett’s “The Five Minute Formula to a Brilliant Recall,” I am doing the same set of games and lessons with both dogs, which makes the differences a little more obvious.

One of the key points throughout the recall course is building value: making it valuable for the dog to come to me by reinforcing his/her decision to do so with high-value rewards. After a few weeks of this, it seems that I am way more valuable to Axel than to Freya. Looking back on our lives together, this is not a new development. I think I’ve always been more valuable to Axel than to Freya. I wonder if this is a gender thing, or an individual learning styles thing?

My dearly departed boys Jake and Oscar thought the sun rose and set on me. I’ve often said that I don’t know if any other living creatures will ever adore me the way those two did. My dearly departed girls Heidi and Missy liked me just fine, but they never gave me the impression they would crawl over broken glass to get to me like the boys would. Heidi was my heart dog, female version. I’ve always had a sneaking suspicion that though she loved me, I was not her heart person (that would be my husband, and really, that’s fine).

It might sound like I’m anthropomorphizing, and maybe I am, a little. But I definitely see a difference in how much the current two dogs value me after a few weeks of specifically working on building value for being with me.

So… if you are male, do your female dogs like you better? If you are female, are you in a similar situation to mine?

(NaBloPoMo | August ’10: 27 of 31)

Is this a gender thing or an individual learning styles thing? is a post from: Rottweilers Ate My Laptop
Copyright © 2008-2010 K. Wilson except where otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

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This is why I’ll probably never be a “real” pet blogger

kathi — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 04:23:00 +0000

If I were a real pet blogger, I would be able to keep track of all of the pet-related holidays, observations, special days, and special weeks. The day is almost over and I failed to notice that it was National Dog Day today.

The dogs get healthy preservative-free treats and ample snooze time every day, so at least I didn’t totally fail in observing some of the celebratory suggestions. I had to smile at the idea of scheduling a professional photo shoot, even though it’s something I would in fact like to do. I even know which studio I’d like to use if a bunch of money fell out of the sky into my waiting arms: Sutton Studios.

Semi-related tangent: we, as in my business, had a photo shoot there for one of our promo pieces. It wasn’t with David Sutton, but unfortunately I can’t recall the photographer’s name. The photos were not standard portraits. For example, mine was of my left hand, balancing a monitor on the tip of my index finger. Obviously, I can’t do this, so the shot was done upside down, with me pointing down at the corner of the monitor. We left on my gold bracelet for effect. It had to be taped to my wrist in the correct position. The lights were really hot and I thought I was going to pass out a couple of times. Modeling is evidently not for sissies.

The thought of Freya and Axel chasing each other around a studio filled with expensive photo equipment just chills my blood to subzero temperatures. Let’s just say even more money would have to fall out of the sky to cover the damages.

So, anyway! I should probably make an effort to keep track of all of these holidays and celebrations and observances. You’ll see in the coming weeks whether or not I’ve been successful at that task.

(NaBloPoMo | August ’10: 26 of 31)

This is why I’ll probably never be a “real” pet blogger is a post from: Rottweilers Ate My Laptop
Copyright © 2008-2010 K. Wilson except where otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

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Wordless Wednesday

kathi — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:52:19 +0000

(NaBloPoMo | August ’10: 25 of 31)

Wordless Wednesday is a post from: Rottweilers Ate My Laptop
Copyright © 2008-2010 K. Wilson except where otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

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Un… believable (or, why aren’t my search strings funny any more)

kathi — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 03:58:50 +0000

Having nothing ready to say tonight, once again I turned to my search strings to see if anything amusing has popped up. Well, my search strings are just not funny any more. I didn’t even get any new misspellings of “Rottweiler” for your amusement.

My search strings tell me that I still get a lot of traffic from people looking for updates on Mary Wild and Lora Hunt, though. The most recent updates I could find are far from amusing.

On July 1, Mary Wild received what many would consider an extremely lenient sentence for her neglectful actions which led to the death of seven show dogs she had been paid to handle and care for. On July 21, she supposedly received a lifetime suspension from the AKC. This has not yet been confirmed anywhere that I’ve seen, nor anywhere The Dog Press has been able to find, either… and AKC isn’t talking. Why? I know that I would personally feel better if AKC had something to say about an incident like this one.

AKC’s No Response on Mary Wild

On July 22, Lora Hunt also received a shockingly lenient sentence for her criminally reckless choice to paint her nails while driving which led to the death of motorcyclist Anita Zaffke. She is serving only 18 months in jail for that crime. She is now asking to be freed for up to nine hours every Sunday to attend church services in her hometown. I cannot even think of anything to say that is fit to print on this one.

Please, searchers. Look for something else.

(NaBloPoMo | August ’10: 24 of 31)

Un… believable (or, why aren’t my search strings funny any more) is a post from: Rottweilers Ate My Laptop
Copyright © 2008-2010 K. Wilson except where otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

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Something I really like about sieger shows

kathi — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 04:33:21 +0000

If you’ve been to a sieger (German-style conformation) show, or if you read the article from yesterday’s post, you know that each dog shown gets an individual critique from the judge. This critique is given for all to hear, and a written transcript goes to the owner or handler after the show.

The first dog shows I attended were AKC shows, and the selection of the winners was a mystifying process to me then (and if I’m really being honest, now, too). I knew that the judge was comparing each dog to the breed’s written standard with a hands-on examination plus observing the dog in motion, but I didn’t really get how the judge arrived at the final placements.

I feel like my Rottweiler conformation education was accelerated when I started attending sieger shows, and really paying attention to the individual critiques.

The judge, as in AKC conformation, is comparing each dog to the breed standard. But he or she will give an oral critique of each dog, starting with the dog’s age, moving to dentition, going over the whole dog from tip to tail, and finishing up with comments on the dog’s movement. The show typist is typing this critique word for word as it is given. I have been a show typist many times, and it was a wonderful way to be guaranteed a seat where I could have a great view of every dog and not miss a word of the judge’s critiques. Of course, it was then also my job to make sure I did not miss a word of the critiques!

If you haven’t seen a sieger show critique, I have two of Freya’s critiques to share.

This one is from her first show. Some judges’ critiques are very detailed, and others are somewhat brief. This one is definitely one of the brief ones, even though it does cover the important points and accurately reflects her conformation at that time.

6 months old, sufficient head, good eye color, good neck, good chest, sufficient angulation, good color, good coat, good movement, correct scissors bite

This one is from her last show, and it’s very detailed. It also shows what I saw as she matured, and like many Rottweilers, she was not quick to mature. As an adult, she has a beautiful head. Unfortunately, she did not outgrow the hockiness in her rear end, which is reflected in her not-so-great movement. That, too, is documented in her critique.

2.5 years, complete and correct scissors bite, medium to large size, compact female, very good bone and substance with very good head, very good stop, correct ears, strong muzzle, dark eyes, dark mouth pigmentation, front turned out slightly, good topline and bottom line, good angulation in front and rear, closed a little in rear, very good coat, slightly wavy, markings well defined but could be richer, front movement all right, not enough reach and drive in rear

That’s it for “Sieger Show 101″ for tonight!

(NaBloPoMo | August ’10: 23 of 31)

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Two weeks till showtime!

kathi — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 03:49:47 +0000

In just over two weeks, Axel will be headed out on a short road trip with his breeder. That’s right, it’s showtime again! This time, he’s going to a sieger (German-style conformation) show: American Rottweiler Verein’s 2010 Nationals.

Once upon a time, we could count on at least three or four sieger shows a year within easy driving distance. This hasn’t been the case in the last few years. Axel’s last sieger show appearance was when he was about 18 months old; he’ll be four this November. It was his very first show outing and he did very well, placing second in a fairly large 12-18 month old class.

As you probably know by now if you’ve been visiting us here, shortly after his second birthday, Axel started showing in AKC and has since earned his AKC championship. Now you might think that an AKC champion will automatically do well in other conformation venues, but this is not always the case. The sieger judges value movement and athleticism more than the AKC judges, and Axel is an athletic dog who did well at his first sieger show, so I’m hoping he has a good chance at a placement next month.

I know I’ve been promising to write a real post about sieger shows for a while now. But for now, I am just going to send you to an article that explains sieger shows simply and better than I could at the moment:

Conformation Shows – German Style: A Beginner’s Guide

And since I always try to find ways to show off my own dogs, I’m going to send you to Axel’s galleries from his first sieger show:
Axel – USRC Nationals ’08
Axel – more USRC Nationals ’08

The show photographer for that event was Christina Meacham of vom Blaurasen Rottweilers, who does a lot of sieger show photography. You can get a good idea of what the venue is like by looking through some of the albums from shows that she has photographed:
Rottweiler Sieger Show Photography

I’ll talk more about our past sieger show experiences and our last-minute preparations for this one over the next couple of weeks.

(NaBloPoMo | August ’10: 22 of 31)

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Black and red!

kathi — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 01:31:12 +0000

Freya! Freya! The mail just came, and the package I just opened is for you!

Remember the giveaway we entered over at Neil’s blog, Life With Dogs, about a week ago? Well, look what you won, and Karen from Doggie Stylish sent it to you so quickly, too! Let’s put some pictures up to show how pretty you look in your black and red collar!

Freya says, “Mom, why are you taking photos of the back of my head, when my face is the most beautiful part of me?”

Well, Freya, your Undercoat of Doom is kind of getting in the way. We want to show everyone the details on your beautiful new collar, as well as your own beauty.

Freya says, “Okay, fine. Thanks, Karen! Thanks, Neil! I love my new collar.”

Axel says, “Where’s mine?”

Looks like we will be placing an order for another collar very, very soon!

(NaBloPoMo | August ’10: 21 of 31)

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