Good Things Come To Those That Wait

Today is a good day!  :)  

 

That is all!  Carry on!

Playtime!

Here is Sabrina and her little boy Chester who is totally in love with his Aunt Samantha!  Chester will be going to his forever home the first week of April.  He is a lover of a puppy!  And he adores playing with Sam.

Enjoy!

Not Meant To Be

My vet confirmed today that Samantha is not pregnant. 

So we wait. 

Everything happens for a reason.  Even this.

Doubtful

Sadly, I don't think Samantha is pregnant.  We have a vet appointment next Saturday to be sure.  This particular breeding was done with shipping chilled semen cross-country.  And I'm pretty sure it did not take.  So for those of you that expressed interest in one of Sam's puppies, I will do another breeding later this year - next time by physically bringing a dog in house. 

And for the people out there that wonder why responsible breeders charge more for their puppies - here's a little math for you.

Blood work prior to breeding:  $200
I regularly test my stock before doing a breeding to confirm optimal health.  On Sam I did a full CBC panel plus ran a VonWillebrand's test, which is a suggested test by the ASTC.  And this doesn't include the money spent for other tests done prior.  Oh - and don't forget the show entries and handler fees.  Sam was proven worthy to be bred on all levels prior to drawing the blood this time around to confirm it.

Supplies:  $185
Luckily the stud dog owner had the shipment kits - I merely had to purchase the shipping medium and have it overnighted to her.  And thanks to a major snow storm, the first shipment was delayed by two days.  My vet tested the sample to make sure it was still somewhat viable before using it.  Thanks to my continued patronage at his clinic he was gracious enough to check it at no charge. 

Air Shipments:  $225
Mind you I got the corporate rate on these shipments, thanks to being able to ship on my employer's account and reimbursing them.  Had this been on a regular account, the cost would have been closer to $600.

And I hadn't even paid the stud fee yet . . .

Responsible breeders don't just breed to any available dog.  They find the right dog and make it happen - or in this case - unfortunately NOT.  Think about that the next time you look in the newspaper and find a $200 puppy.  Do you really want to buy a puppy from someone that's only counting the money coming in and who doesn't care about the dogs - or the breed - involved in the process?

Someone Got A Haircut!

A few weeks ago, I took Samantha to Tucson for the IABCA Shows.  Her very last topknots.  And in three shows she became American International Champion WoTeH'sin Do U Believe In Magic!  She did well after not being shown since last JUNE!  At first she was tentative but then she remembered exactly what to do.  She got a couple of group placements in the Bred By Group as well.  Judges' comments were awesome.  They loved her head, her outline, her coat, good reach & drive - all good stuff.

Since that weekend I've been promising Sam a haircut.  But I just hadn't gotten around to it.  First this then that.  But tonight was the night!  And she is the spittin' image of her daddy!  Love that face!

Next stop - bein' a momma dog.  Hoping there are babies bakin' in there!

Still In Coat

Here's Sam in her maintenance bands.

She's on a man hunt!  ;)

After Lunch Bath Time

Violet is a wonderful momma dog to her babies.  She is definitely in her zone.  The puppies are becoming more animated and they are starting to do some serious toddling around.  They are more aware now of everything around them and they are starting to interact with each other too.  This week toys will be introduced for playtime.  The other dogs in the house continue to show more interest in the nest, especially Samantha and Kiki.  Kiki constantly is standing up to be nose to nose with the pups and they are now starting to toddle over to that side of the crate to visit with Kiki.  The next couple of weeks will be fun!

Sam's Finishing Picture

Champion Samantha

It's been a while since I posted about Samantha's travels with Greg Larson.  Pictures have finally arrived and my schedule has finally given me a day to catch up!

After winning her first weekend out with Greg in late March, Sam consistently won or took reserve at almost every show.  Here she is winning her first major with Greg in North Dakota early in June.  She went on to win her second major two weeks later in Minnesota and her final point the next week in Illinois I believe.  Not sure of all the dates - I can barely remember what day it is today!

Anyway here she is with Greg and judge Paula Hartinger.  Thank you Paula for this nice win!

Many thanks to all of the judges that put Sam up, to Greg Larson for his lovely presentation and to Tiger Allen for flying Sam to and from Minneapolis.  She'll finally be home this week!

Samantha will not be bred until 2012.  I'm still looking at my options there.  Whoever the lucky boy will be - you can rest assured he will be special!  ;)

Samantha's Third Point

Samantha is out being shown by Greg Larson.  This was her first point with Greg going Best of Winners.  The judge that day does not like hairspray - so here she is au'natural!

My grooming 101

When people ask me how to keep a Shih Tzu in full coat, my answers are simple. Start with a well bred coat, brush daily and find products you like that enhance the coat texture and make your job easier.

I never lie about what I use and nothing I use is a secret. The fact of the matter is that anyone can keep a Shih Tzu in full coat - you just have to brush it. The products you use are a matter of personal preference. Put 10 Shih Tzu exhibitors in a room and I will bet you that you will get 10 different answers about what they use. Some of them will tell you the truth. :) What I have found though is that some products make life a lot easier than others. There are things to use for bathing, for staining, for damage repair, etc. Today I'm going to focus on bathing. Why? Because I just groomed out my two girls - Samantha and Sabrina - and they look FABULOUS. Too fabulous not to share.

The well-bred coat part of the formula is probably the most difficult part. I am lucky right now because I have some fabulous black & white coats to work with. They are strong, silky and forgiving. Staining is minimal and texture is to die for. These things make my job a LOT easier!

Here are my "secrets" that aren't really secrets. Ask anyone that knows me, they will tell you these are my tools of choice.

My favorite shampoo:


Best Shot Ultra Wash. Of course I follow with:


Best Shot Ultra Plenish Conditioner and:


Best Shot Ultra Vitalizing Mist.

And YES - all of these products have silicone in them! OH.MY.GOD. How can anyone use a silicone product?? It breaks coat! It dries coat!

Forget what you have read about silicone on Shih Tzu coat. Silicone today is engineered to be friendly to coat. This stuff ROCKS in my opinion. It leaves a finish that you just don't get with anything else. And believe me, in the past 12 years I have tried A LOT of product. I have used this stuff exclusively for the last 6 years. Judges lift up the coat on my dogs, feel it and several comment about the luxurious texture. The coats drop nicely from the body and the undercoat is extremely manageable. The coats stay cleaner, longer. The coats do not break. My dogs run the house, on tile, but their yard is crushed rock over hard packed AZ dirt. To say AZ is dusty is an understatement. And DRY. This climate is killer on everything. And this stuff is amazing.

I never strip the coats, I just do the same thing with each washing session. And I rinse COMPLETELY until the rinse water runs clear between both shampoo and conditioning.

After bathing I wrap the dog in a couple of towels and sit with them for a few minutes to soak up some of the water. Then I put them under the dryer. I use a tourmaline, ceramic, ionic blow dryer, 1800 watt on low heat and low speed. It is a model by Revlon which I bought at Wal-Mart. Yes it's for humans. I have a dryer holder I bought several years ago called a Hair Maid. That way both of my hands are free to work on the dog.

My brushes:

I call this my Mason Pierson knock off. I once spent the big bucks for a Mason Pierson brush. Loved it! LOST IT at a dog show. Or someone ripped it off. Whatever - it disappeared. So I sought out a knock off. You can buy this brush at Ulta. It is a pocket sized brush and costs about $17. I LOVE this brush. It works well on separating the spider webbing in undercoat without damaging it.

If I find some matting I will break it apart and work this brush thru it. If it is a stubborn mat, I will spray with the Ultra Vitalizing Mist and work it in then leave the mat to soak. I'll make my way back to the mat in question after a few minutes.

After I have worked thru any matting, I then go to:

My trusty Chris Christensen Fusion Brush. The handle is a dried ash and it is light as a feather. The bristles are brass plated with finished ends. This means two things - the brass plating eliminates static electricity. The finished ends are smooth and round. These two things eliminate coat breakage. I personally work with pocket sized brushes. I hate full size brushes in general. I find the smaller brush allows you to concentrate on getting a good blow out - nice and straight. And it forces you to get into all the nooks and crannies - to get out those mats that love to hide under arms and in back of ears.

I follow with a teflon coated Greyhound comb and then use a small slicker to ease out any pin mats that remain.

I work thru the entire coat, starting with the head first. I stop when the headpiece is dry and I band it. I have a couple of combs I use - mostly the full sized Greyhound mentioned above, but on the face I use an orange rat tail comb I found at Sally Beauty Supply. It's called a "bone" comb. Someone tried to tell me it was made of real bone, but it isn't - it's just orange plastic. But its gentle around the face and I find the rat tail easy enough to use to separate the topknot sections and the facial furnishings. If I want to get fine detail around the face, I use my small 5" greyhound, also teflon coated, that has one side that has teeth almost as close as a flea comb. It works well to get around the eyes and making sure there is no "gunk" left around the delicate eye area. I use lubricating eye drops on a cheesecloth type towel to go around the eyes if they need detail cleaning. And follow with the small Greyhound comb.

For more detail work, I have another rat tail comb with a metal tail. I use this for parts down the back mostly and not around the face.

Once thru with the head, I start on the body. I work from the front show-side paw and work from the bottom up, move to the back paw the same way and then the side coat on the show-side. Then I work the tail area and back skirt. Then move from back non-show-side paw to front non-show-side paw. Finally the chest area. Then I go back thru the whole coat and spot dry whatever wasn't completely dry from the first go around.

My philosophy is that if you take the time to do a good blow out - you will spend less time ironing on show day. And on non show weeks, taking the time to do a good blow dry means less matting I believe.

Anyway - those are my wash day "secrets." Take them for what you feel they are worth, but don't say I don't share any of my trade secrets! ;)

Here are Samantha and Sabrina.

NOTE: I did not receive any gain, financial or otherwise, from endorsing any of the products mentioned above.

Flagstaff Kennel Club

Samantha took WB and BOS both days this weekend at the Flagstaff Kennel Club shows for her first two points! She had a great time and I think she's figured out that everyone who meets her thinks that she is absolutely adorable!

Thank you judges Raymond Bay and Robert Widden for Sam's first two points!

Samantha is on her way!

Samantha

Samantha and Sabrina

Here are my girls!

This litter was a repeat breeding of

Tuxedo - BPISS CH WoTeH'sin S'Dandi's Black Tie-N-Tails.

Doesn't this face . . .

. . . just melt your heart???

This is pretty cool!

We're exhausted!

Today the puppies went for a photo shoot. What a day! I can't wait to see the results! But we are SSOOOOO tired! At least I am - the puppies are running around here getting into stuff because THEY got to sleep on the hour ride home! Mom on the other hand - well, let's just say I could use a nap. No rest for the weary though - I have to head to the store before the pharmacy closes to pick up Reeves' refill on pain meds. The old guy is still kickin'!

As soon as I get the first draft of pictures - I'll put something up. They will be adorable!

Violet and her puppies - 7/25/9

Playtime with mom!

Do You Believe In Magic?

Well, here is my pick puppy - no, they aren't eight weeks old yet, only six, but I've made a choice - subject to change but probably not.

Introducing Samantha - WoTeH'sin Do You Believe In Magic?

All I can say is C U T E!!

All the puppies are doing very, very well. They are all eating hard food and drinking from their water bottle. They play like banshees now. They are LOUD and getting L O U D E R every day! Their momma Violet makes a few trips into the nest still to nurse them a little, but she's pretty tired of their teeth!

Puppies are so much fun. I spend way too much time watching them every day. They grow up SO fast!