Whole New Meaning to Field Poodles!

If you hear the term "field Poodles", you may think of hunting Poodles, who usually are working near the water, retrieving ducks.  If you have interest in working lines Standard Poodles, I would recommend you check out Louter Creek:  http://www.redhuntingpoodles.com/.  My friend Kim Tyndall has recently purchased a Poodle from them and gives them the highest of recommendations. Also, they are the ones who had a red Poodle featured on the TV show many folks love - Duck Dynasty!  Red Standard Poodles are very appealing, but if you have interest in this color, please don't just google the internet, please make sure you are working with an ethical breeder who does all the health clearances recommended.  It is very easy for unethical folks who are simply taking advantage of something unique (just like the parti colored Poodles that are fascinatingly beautiful) to take advantage of puppy buyers through the internet.  Please recognize that this wonderful breed of dog IS definitely plagued by some health problems, so it is EXTREMELY important to check out the breeder thoroughly before you invest.

Photo by Heather Bryan

On a brighter note, the Poodles above however are simply enjoying a field outing in Heber City, Utah (pictured with Melanie North). Some are owned and loved by Heather Bryan of Prodigy Poodles, who captured this special moment in time.  Heather is the breeder and co-owner of our beautiful new pup Hudson.

Just like those pictured above, keep in mind that your Poodle, of any size, is a DOG who will greatly enjoy the outdoors wherever you can find a safe area for exercise and socialization.  I am not overly fond of dog parks (although some are well run and safe, I think most should be approached with caution) but Poodle parties and outings, where owners meet and let their dogs run with one another, are great fun.  I've been to a couple and I had one at Bed & Biscuit years ago, plus we had a weekly socialization class for Standards for a year or so. Dogs are interesting in how well they interact with "their own kind".  

We had lots of fun at our Poodle outings and weekly classes and so did the dogs. There was one German Shepherd who joined our group. She was so funny, different from the Poodles, as she would keep an eye out for any misbehavior that needed to be corrected and would march right in and "correct" the young Poodles, simply with her body language by walking in between the dogs to break up anything before it got out of hand.  We called her the Poodle police!  She was the lovely Elka, who was owned by Pam Gaynor. Elka, we will never forget you...your memory lives on, as an honorary Poodle!  If you would like to read about Elka, please visit an article about her amazing Hospice work on the Knowing Dogs blog:  Elka, Therapy Dog of Excellence. 

Many thanks to Heather Bryan for sharing the above photo of "Poodles having fun in the field!"

Paint Me Politically Incorrect!

Well, I confess. In the Poodle world, I am now 100%, totally, completely politically incorrect!

My first Standard Poodle was politically correct .She was purchased as a pet, at the age of six months, from a show breeder who did not wish to keep her because her bite went undershot. We spayed her as soon as we got her home, we loved her, we socialized her and she became an excellent therapy dog who enjoyed nursing home visits as well as helping me with educational programs at schools (for children of all ages). Her name was Figi. We adored her and as best we could tell, she felt the same about us!

Figi in her director's chair in front of the sign that says "Please keep dogs out of this area!"

During Figi's years with us, other Poodles came and went, because we began to search for a nice Standard Poodle to show, and in addition, we became involved in poodle rescue. A lovely white boy named Teddy was with us for a short time, then went on to become a certified Therapy Dog for a dog trainer and behaviorist who worked with us for over seven years, Judith Rock-Allen.  A few rescues almost stayed permanently, in fact one was taken in from a breeder who had gotten older, who had dogs she had gotten personally from Wycliffe kennels. He was a huge black boy with beautiful movement and a happy personality.

But none of these dogs could match the very special qualities we saw in Figi. We knew, from her health issues, that she would not be with us for an extremely long life, but when we did lose her, just under the age of 11, we still weren't prepared. We had a little miniature Poodle but no other Standards to keep us company.

It was then that we purchased our "Lizzie", from a show breeder who valued the Wycliffe lines, which we had read about, because of Jean Lyle's tremendous influence on the breed. But at that time, we had not read John Armstrong's research, which showed that the many of the Wycliffe dogs had serious health problems, and yet continued to be bred. So we did not know that we were ultimately be heartbroken by buying show dogs from a breeder who still held on to, and in fact, bred very tightly on, bloodlines that were full of problems such as gastric torsion, Addison's disease, blood clotting disorders and even seizures. In fact, before Lizzie was two years old, we purchased a second dog from the same breeder.

Lizzie died of lymphoma when she was just under the age of 7. By that time, we had met show breeders who were members of the Poodle Club of America, who taught us about the value of out-crossed pedigrees, to try to get away from some of the serious problems in Poodles. We had also, however, been taught that three of the most important things in a evaluating a Poodle are - coat quality, head type and COLOR.  Above all, solid color was very important, if one wished to ever have a Poodle worthy of walking into the show ring. This was all news to us at Meja,because we had been showing Siberian Huskies since the late 70s. Siberians are a working breed, and strucure and efficient movement are much, much more important than the color of a dog. In fact, dogs with any type of markings can be shown in the Siberian ring, and dogs of any color. Sure, some judges will only put up a traditionally marked dog, we had, by the time we got into Poodles, knew of people who were winning in the show ring with Siberian Huskies who were not of the traditional black and white, blue-eyed variety!

We still have a black Poodle, "Kate", who is almost 11 years old, who came from a breeder who loves the Wycliffe Poodle lines, despite some of the problems she has encountered. Out of respect for that breeder, I will not list all of the health problems that my dogs from her, and the littermates of my girls, have endured. But there have been enough that I finally decided it was time to look elsewhere. Since this breeder was the president of the regional Poodle club for many years, I was disappointed that she chose not to follow the guidelines recommended for those who are trying to diversify the gene pool in Poodles, in hopes of producing a healthier dog, but to each their own.

But back to being politically incorrect.  Many breeders of solid colored, gorgeous show quality Standard Poodles will immediately eliminate any dog from the gene pool if that dog has even a touch of white hair on his chest, much less has what some call "multi-colors". Some breeders will even "bucket" any puppies from their breeding who are mismarked--yes, that's right, they will cull them, a/k/a kill them, the moment they are born.

This makes me incredibly sad. Unless there is something negatively connected to a certain color gene (like the lethal white gene that can show up in merle to merle breedings in Aussies and Collies) then there is absolutely no reason to kill a puppy because of its color. In fact, when you do so, you may be killing a dog that has exceptionally GOOD genes for soundness in body and mind...perhaps even a dog that could, technically, change the future of the breed.

When I met Charlene Dunlap of Canine Horizons, a Poodle fancier who is a fantastic dog trainer but is not a dog breeder, I learned a lot about parti colored Poodles. In fact, her Canine Horizons website contains a wealth of information, including photos that prove that Poodles who were basically white with black spots were some of the original dogs that this lovely breed were founded on.

The first time I ever stepped out of the box and brought a parti colored Poodle home, it was on impulse. I named him, on his registration papers, Paint Me Politically Incorrect. He had a wonderful temperament and was an incredibly sweet dog whom I placed with a great family.

As you can see in this photo, "Pete" was a very pretty dog with beautiful markings, but he was not a very elegant Poodle, in fact he was only five months old in this photo...he continued to grow and grow!  He lacked the elegance needed in a correct Poodle head and he was heavy boned, almost to the point of being more like a Labradoodle than a Poodle. I have to admit, I still found him quite beautiful even though I decided, as he grew (and grew and grew!) and I researched his pedigree, I knew he was destined for a pet home, not to be used for breeding.

My Kate is getting older now, and having lost her sister a few years ago, as well as a sweet Standard boy that we had taken in when his owner died, our house had began to feel a bit "Poodle empty". So when I found out that the United Kennel Club allowed multi-colored Poodles not only to be shown in the conformation ring, but also to be show in the sporting clips (as opposed to AKC shows where they must have much more extensive grooming, particularly after they are a year old)....I decided to look for a Poodle who could be competitive in the UKC ring.  Two different breeders offered us lovely black females to show UKC, but we decided to hold out for a male.

Imagine our surprise about a month ago when we received a call asking if we would like to add a lovely 7 month old parti-colored male to our household.  And not one with a questionable pedigree, but a dog from a reputable breeder, and a dog with the structure, type and movement capable of winning in the show ring!

So go ahead....paint me politically incorrect!  If what it takes, to find diversity in Poodles is to take a chance on something other than just a standard black, then I vote for diversity. It is time to put color aside, and breed for good health, so we can stand a chance at saving the breed we love.  But keep in mind, being a parti-color does NOT mean that the dog has an outcrossed pedigree (in fact you can look up Pete's pedigree and see that it is heavily linebred).  It is more important than ever, if looking for a parti-colored Poodle, to deal with a reputable breeder, one who will show you the health clearances of the parents!

We are already in love with our boy Hudson, who is quite a character. We wish for not only a sucessful show career, but also for a long, happy, HEALTHY life for our new boy.

Melanie Schlaginhaufen

Paint Me Poodles, Meja Siberians

www.knowingdogs.com

www.knowingdogsblog.com

(c) 2013, Melanie Schlaginhaufen, all rights reserved. No portion of this article, including photos, may be reproduced without the author's permission.

Morgen and Cole Haight Dropping In

Morgen and Cole Haight

Lovely Morgen Haight, a Crabapple Downs Poodle

I absolutely never post twice on the same day, but after that long article, I just had to post something pretty and positive for my readers tonight!

My friend Jeanne Haight has been so kind, from practically day one of this blog, to share photos with me of her dogs.  

The resident queen at the Haight household is Morgen, pictured above after a recent groom.  She always has such a soulful, deep look in her lovely dark eyes. The little mustached boy beside Morgen is "Cole", a Moyen sized Poodle from Crabapple Downs.

I mention their breeder because reading a recent article on her website actually was the inspiration for the article below about health versus showing, etc. Arlene Mills is the breeder of Jeanne's sweet Morgen and Mr. Cole. I found the honesty in Arlene's link on her website entitled "Genetic Research/Poodle Health Registry" quite refreshing.

Thank you Jeanne, for sharing photos of your sweet Poodles!   Happy St. Patrick's Day, give them a green cookie from me tomorrow!

Fun in the Mud Puddle & Link to More Fun!

Need a smile today?

I promise, I mean I really PROMISE that you will get a smile and happy feeling from the web page link underneath this cartoon by Charlene Dunlap, which links to the limericks for this and a few more adorable drawings!

Click here for the page that will make you smile!
Poodle Cartoons and Limericks by Charlene Dunlap of Canine Horizons

Who are these handsome landscapers?

Don't forget the contest! You can scroll down and find out whose Poodles are on the tractor by looking at older posts on the blog, or just post a cute caption (this photo is just begging for an adorable caption!)

Fun Photos from Scotty's Journal

My gorgeous parti Poodle boyfriends Scotty and Joey continue to send me their journal and I know you will LOVE seeing their photos and hearing the latest! Here is a note from Scotty, back from March 19. For more recent updates, please see the boy's personal website, which is always so much fun!
Canine Horizons Website Two Featuring the Parti Boys

Scotty's Journal - March 19, 2012 - Monday

We've had really warm weather here - mid 80s in the daytime so we get up early and get all our activities done in the morning and then we dogs sleep in the afternoon.

This weekend, we all had baths - nice looking bunch, huh?

Here's Joey -- Mom says he has TONS of hair because it is SO thick and plush.

This morning we went for a walk in the park down from our house..

Here's Joey and me at the end or our walk - see how big I'm getting!

A family portrait < bark, bark, bark, bark >

I sent Aunt Mellie lots of photos of us training and playing, we are learning so many new things! Be sure to visit our website to see more. Aunt Mellie wanted to make sure you saw this fun photo taken of Joey when we all practiced catch. We sat in a group and Dad tossed us cookies, what fun!

Thank you Scotty! Love to all of you, Aunt Mellie

Keeping Up with the Movie Crew

If you are a regular reader, you've seen posts in the past about my amazing friend, Poodle trainer Charlene Dunlap, of Canine Horizons. She trains her Poodles to do all types of fascinating behaviors and makes movies of them to showcase their talents.

Charlene's original Canine Horizons website is a wealth of information about Poodles and dog training, and also has many clips of her dogs in action. Since Poodle actors Sydney and Jyah are getting older, Charlene has added two parti boys to her crew this past year. I have greatly enjoyed keeping up with their exploits and training.

These young actors have their own website now, so you can also enjoy keeping up with them through this link:
http://www2.caninehorizons.com/

Here is an update that the lovely red and white boy Scotty sent to his "Aunt Mellie" earlier this week:

Joey and Scotty's Journal - February 14, 2012 - Tuesday

Here are some pictures of Joey and me playing in the obstacle yard. It's hard to see me coming down the ramp right behind Joey because of his tail.

Mom was really surprised when I went up the yellow tunnel (see below right) to the top (8-feet high) all by myself and then came down it again. This is one of the last obstacles in the yard that has to be refurbished.

Mom sprang her right index finger - see the pink tape? -- so, she couldn't help Dad brush us out today. She wanted to be with us though so she made herself comfortable while Dad brushed all of us dogs. Dad ran and got the camera -- "for posterity" he said.

Now, it's my turn to be brushed

Joey and I lay together like this a lot -- Mom says we look like bookends. < arf >

Love,
Scotty and Joey
with Jyah and Sydney

Thank you Parti boys and friends! I hope Mommy's finger is better now.

Note to readers: Unfortunately, my blog format does not do the photos justice, plus there is so much more to see on their website. You can even preview the boy's first movie--for free--on their website so take a look today: The Parti Boys Website Enjoy!

Can you Help Raggedy Andy?

Raggedy Andy is just six months old, but he has a heart condition that will greatly limit the length of his life.

His breeder is in Northern New Hampshire and would like to simply give this special boy to someone who can love him for whatever time he has left. It would be wonderful if someone had the funds to take him to a veterinary specialist school, to see if there is something more that could be done for him, but his regular vet says that sweet Andy was just born with a "bad ticker" so he may simply have only a short time to live and be loved.

This boy is still young, birthdate in March of 2011. He is a Moyen sized Poodle, which is a smaller sized Standard Poodle.

If you can help by offering him a forever home, please email me at knowingdogs@yahoo.com and I will send you contact information for his breeder. If you love Poodles but cannot add another to your family, yet you still want to help Andy--perhaps you could donate to help get him to a veterinary school just in the chance that they might have a miracle up their sleeve for him. If you could help in that way, let me know that too--as his breeder could find a volunteer to take the time to drive a day or more to get him to a canine cardiologist if funds were available. There are many people who own and love Poodles from this breeder, and all are networking for little Raggedy Andy.

Thanks also for prayers for little boy Raggedy Andy. Prayers for a home to love him for whatever time he has here, that is the very least he deserves!

Melanie

Oh...the Life of a Star!

That Joey, his journal never ceases to amaze me! I hope his "crew" of photographers and trainers are well paid, as he sure does keep them busy (but I heard a rumor that they are VOLUNTEERS, that Joey has talked his human parents into doing all this, can you imagine?)

Don't you just love Joey? Here is what he is up to today:

Joey's Journal - August 22, 2011

Hi, Everyone ~~

Hey, Cuzzin Shea, I like spaghetti as much as you do! Mom and Dad had that for dinner last night -- only they told me it was "worms". I like worms so much and gobble them down so quickly that Mom had to take several pictures just to get one where you could actually see the worms.

Today, after going to PetSmart, we ate at Qdido's Mexican Grill which is in the same shopping center. It was really hot outside - 85 in the shade - but there were lots of people coming and going so we had loads to look at -- and, oh boy, the smells!

Thought you might like to see how we do green-screen/chroma-key. In this green-room video (this is a still from it), I'm lying on the floor then I get up and put my feet on the box and look up. In editing, Mom cuts herself out of the frame.

In the second picture, Mom has chroma-keyed the green out and and put me into a "Basket Sales in the Republic of Georgia" clip. In commercial movies, they do this sort of thing all the time. Mom says that using chroma-key on fuzzy dogs is really difficult. Also, she and Dad are trying to find a better solution than the painted walls and floor we currently have because light reflects so strongly on paint that it reflects green onto my white hair and it's hard to key it out without making parts of me disappear like the green does.

There's lots of stuff to learn in this movie-making business! < woof >

Love,
Joey

Joey's Journal Sunday August 21, 2011

Joey's Journal - August 21, 2011

How are you all today? Cool, I hope. It's gradually getting cooler here and we can stay out longer in the mornings. I've only ever known hot outside weather so I'm looking forward to when the outside is "air-conditioned" too.

We're resting now 'cause Mom and Dad are going to shoot more green-screen video of me later so I thought I'd show you what I did this morning. You will note, I'm sure, that as a movie star I have puparazzi constantly following me around. < bark, bark >

Here I am going over the top of the "straight maze" and going down through the incline tunnel. Mom and Dad don't put me on things - they wait until I want to try it on my own. Mom keeps telling me, "You're just a baby, you can't do this one yet." So, that's the one I want to do!

Mom and Dad were astonished when I jumped up the separated platforms this morning -- and also when I jumped back down. (Luckily, Puparazzi Mom was on hand to record it.) I've watch Jyah and Sydney doing this loads of times and, since I'm a big boy now, I thought I'd try it.

Sway bridges are easy peasy! In the second picture there's a long ramp at the end where I came up to go through this tunnel.
I sure like having my own door so I can come and go as I please. (Note from Charlene: Joey doesn't know that when he goes out, one of his parents always looks out the window to watch what he does and to make sure he's safe.)

We're going to go do more movie stuff now.

Love,
Joey

Missing a Special Friend?

I have sat where you are sitting. I have stood where you are standing. I have stood frozen with my hand on the door because I dreaded opening it--I did not want to go into a house that was missing the dog I so deeply loved.

A friend of mine is today, as I write this, watching her elderly dog fail. He is a sweet, kind soul and it is the first dog she has ever lost so it is particularly difficult. I want to share something with you what I just shared with my friend.

Almost three years ago, our lovely Standard Poodle Lizzie was diagnosed with lymphoma. We spent the summer that year driving her back and forth to a wonderful veterinarian that was almost an hour and a half from our home. She did not respond to the treatments as well as we had hoped. Often her blood count would drop dangerously low, and she would have to miss a week before the next treatment, until she was stronger.

We were told that dogs do not lose their hair from chemotherapy treatments. But Lizzie did. Poodles don't have the same type of hair as most dogs, their hair is more similar to a person's hair and it did start to come out as the weeks passed. It was hard to see our lovely girl with bald patches, and even harder to watch her stumble when we took her outside to play. Her lymphoma had spread to her neurological system.

That August we made the decision to stop the treatments, and Lizzie had a fairly comfortable month before it was time to let her go. When it was time, our local veterinarian was kind and compassionate.

Lizzie was only eight years old. I was totally unprepared to lose her at such a young age. In addition, my teenage son had just been diagnosed with cancer, and was in between surgeries at the time that Lizzie left us. I was an emotional wreck.

One day while sobbing on the phone, I told a friend that the thing that bothered me the most was the thought of Lizzie sitting at the "Rainbow Bridge" looking for us. Lizzie had some separation anxiety during her life, always acting very distressed as we walked away if we had to leave her for boarding or even grooming appointments.

My friend told me that years ago when she lost a beloved dog companion, she had asked God to show her what happened to her dog after he died. She did not tell me what she had experienced, but just encouraged me to pray that God would show me.

Several nights later, I was laying in bed, praying and crying softly while I asked God again to please give me some peace about Lizzie. I told God how I hated the fact that there is nothing in the Bible that tells us for sure that our pets will be in heaven.

I am not sure if I was asleep or if it was a vision just before sleep, but suddenly I could see....the most gorgeous green grass, unbelievably colored flowers...and there was Lizzie, playing with some children who appeared to be around six or seven years old.

Lizzie was performing some of the "tricks" that I had taught her years before...a child was giving her the cues and she was doing her "spins" and "sit pretty", while the other children were clapping their hands with delight. Then they would run and she would run...and they would flop down on the grass with her. Lizzie was giving kisses and receiving hugs.

But best of all...Lizzie was totally focused on these children and she was definitely "in the moment", very happy, not looking around or showing any signs at all of worrying about anything. Her coat was beautiful and black again, and she was full of life, no stumbling, no sign of illness in any way. 

There is a Steve Green song called "Safely Home" that is written as if God is speaking to us after we have lost someone we love. it says "They are strong...and free...they are safe...with me".

Last week we lost our Gusto, a/k/a "Goose", an older Standard Poodle who lived with us for the last five years  after his owner passed away. Goose was the happiest and most cheerful doggie soul I have ever known. I hope that today he is being a clown, playing tennis ball (his favorite) perhaps with children who have always longed for a special dog like him. They may not have had a dog while they were on earth, but Gusto can give them great joy now. I am sure they will find him a fun and most faithful friend. But still, my heart longs for him and misses him.

Deepest empathy goes out to my friends who have recently lost special dogs...Joni, Jeanne, Donna, Hope, Cleeta, Veronica, Marie and Johnnie.  I know how much it hurts and my heart goes out to you. But have peace and know that they are...once again....strong and free.

(c) 2011-2014, Melanie Schlaginhaufen, may not be reprinted in any form or fashion without the author's permission. Melanie may be reached at her Knowing Dogs website, www.knowingdogs.com. Photos are of Lizzie in her younger years, and are the property of Melanie Schlaginhaufen, please do not copy or reproduce in any way. Thank you for respecting copyrights throughout this website.

Cold Weather Craziness!

Cooler weather is here, and for many dogs, that means a case of ants in the pants!

It seems odd that precisely at the time of year many of us want to just put on our warmest jammies, watch old movies and hibernate in bed until Spring, our dogs want just the opposite!

Why does the cooler air make my dogs act silly and hyperactive?  It made sense to me years ago when the only dogs I owned were Siberian Huskies. Of course they loved the cold weather, because it meant weekly outings to a nearby park early on Saturday mornings. They did not go to the park for walks, but were hooked up to a 3 wheeled rig to do what they loved more than anything else in the world--running in harness. That was several decades ago, and in my younger days, I didn't mind getting up at 5:30 am (because the park would give us access to the trails only before 7 am) in order to allow the dogs to do what they were bred to do. It was also tons of fun going out for breakfast afterwards with our running buddies (other Siberian owners)  to "talk dogs".

Poodles can also learn to run in harness--I have read articles about a sled dog racer who runs a team of Standard Poodles. I don't know how he deals with the little snowballs that form in their