Capella's First Shows

I am camped out in Lucky at the Great Falls show. Lucky is our RV — what else would one name a Leprechaun?

Sparkle!

Lucky even has a personalized quilt to enhance the dog show luck…

Elizabethanne made that for me — note the lucky four-leaf clovers AND stars!

I am showing only Capella here and the intention is for her to have a fun first experience at shows. She was a bit bug-eyed at everything on Day One but that is to be expected — dog shows are a lot of everything — dogs, stress, noises, new places, grabby humans, smells, etc. — but she settled pretty quickly.

Sparkle and Claire are also with me. Two weeks ago Claire tore her right medial meniscus — this happens in about 4% of CCL repairs. Claire, apparently, drew yet another short straw…

And so Claire had surgery on Thursday and needed to come along so I could keep a close eye on her. This recovery will be quick — two weeks — but yes, another setback.

But Claire is doing just fine, Sparkle is having a blast, and Capella is exceeding the goal. This was Day One…

Yesterday was even better. She was relaxed, playful, happy and did her show dog thing beautifully.

Best of Breed yesterday was Chase Larkspur from the Wildflowers (Major x Daisy)!

Chase in the front and Capella (and me) behind him.

This is a small show and so it is perfect for what I am hoping to achieve — and it is in Montana so relatively close to home (200 miles). We show here today and tomorrow, and then head south to Helena for four more days of shows; Helena is a bigger show and there is a draft test as well so lots of Berners — and Berner Friends!

I hope you are enjoying ribbon-worthy fall weather wherever you are.

Grandparents Day

When I was at the Specialty in May, I quickly realized that all four of Capella’s grandparents were there. That is really unusual. The result? A photo that was used to create this celebratory ad in the latest Alpenhorn…

So cool.

Mom, S/He's Touching Me! and Farewell, Feathers.

I see that Bright Stars Atlas and Dallas Nova Jr. have both inherited their mom’s notion of personal space…

Thanks to Kira for the great photo

That photo also gives us a good look at coats. Kira reports that Atlas has the straighter coat — Dallas Nova Jr.’s coat looks like both Capella and Claire. We will need Tricia to tell us whether Atlas’s coat favors his dad.

And speaking of coats, today is a Rite of Passage Day for Capella — her ear feathers have reached their expiration date.

Check back later for before, after, and instructions for how one trim’s ears in Berners — it is easy!

(Later)

Here is Capella on the grooming table, ready to lose the Puppy Ears…

And here she is after I was done…

Trimming ears could not be easier. Go down to any beauty supply store and get some thinning shears — you can also order on Amazon. No, they do not need to be for dogs.

The other scissors in the photo are for trimming the fur under and around the paws — also super easy.

And then just start thinning.

It helps to have someone feeding treats to the puppy — you want this fun and happy. Leave about 1/2 - 3/4 inch of fur on the flap and make sure to also thin out under/around the ear to prevent knots from forming.

The only thing you can do wrong is to cut the puppy’s ear, and that is actually not easy to do with thinning shears so do not fret about that. Your first attempts might be lopsided — so what? You won’t lose your birthday, I promise, and the hair grows back.

After the ear trimming, Capella had a bath — in just a regular bathtub with dilute human shampoo and lots of cookies.

I have a variable speed forced air dryer, and so I used that next and presto! Clean, non-stressed puppy. Start to finish is less than an hour.

I will touch up Capella’s ears before her show next week.

There are great DIY dog wash places these days that are wonderful options if you do not want to bathe at home. Add a brush, thinning shears, and scissors and you have everything you need to groom your own dog. Easy Peasy.