Challenges

Occasionally in training or just everyday life, I find that Brice and Eva do not understand what I want them to do (I know that it's my fault). I'm either sending the wrong message or mixed messages so I have to back up and figure out a different way to communicate the message. I happened to see this video today and realized that if Donna can overcome the challenges that she has in training, I can too.



Donna has other videos that can be seen here.

P.S. FYI- we are having issues commenting on blogs where in Settings: Comments, the "embedded below post" is selected

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VET day and blog comments

When the humans got out our leashes this afternoon, we were so excited. We thought we were going to the park to run and play. But we turned left instead of right and ended up at the V-E-T. The Princess was due for shots and she's been having some discharge in her eyes in the last 2 days.

The nice lady put some neon yellow stuff in Eva's eyes and then looked at them with a big fancy flashlight to make sure that her eyes weren't scratched. No scratches but they were a little red and swollen and she has conjuntivitis. Momma and Dad get to put ointment in them 3 times a day. You could say that round one tonight did not go well - Momma was wearing more ointment than she got in Eva's eyes.

Other things-
Our friend Kodak noticed that we added another tab at the top of our blog for MN dog parks. We're going to try to visit as many dog parks and trails as we can this year. We got the idea from Steve and Kat. Their very talented mom started a new blog called Pacific Northwest - On Leash but our page is not going to be as fancy. It's just a way to make Momma and Dad take us to new places.

Our friends in the OP pack commented about not coming back if off-leash. Princess Eva almost always comes when Momma or Dad call her. I'm a little more challenging- if I see a pup in the distance, I continue on and say "Hi" but then I come running back. But they are very careful to only take me to fenced parks.


Sorry there are no pictures. Our humans are becoming more forgetful every day,
Brice

More Park pictures

Way back in June when Momma, Dad and I drove down to Nebraska to pick up "the Boy", we made a side trip to see some of our DWB friends. One of the stops we made was to meet the beautiful and handsome pups of the AO4. They saw that Brice and I have very different personalities. Brice is a very outgoing, confident flirt while I'm a very sweet, shy delicate little girl.

In the comments yesterday, sweet Ammy from AO4 was concerned about how I do with the other pups at the park. I'm not a big fan of lots of noise and fast movement so even though I do say Hello to the calm pups, I'm usually on the outer edges of "Meet and Greet" at the gate. You can see me in the picture below. Once or twice, I've played with another pup at the park but I do zoomies and wrestle only with Brice.

Momma was concerned that you might think that Brice and Max were getting too rough or fighting but what wasn't captured on the flashy beast, was the play bows and zoomies between those two boys. We wish we would have gotten their number so we could have set up another playdate with them.

This park is 27 acres and we spent very little time by the gate. We'd rather go exploring and get out on the trails and open fields where we can run. Since Brice has longer legs and can run faster, usually I'm chasing him.


Since it is our favorite park, we're to try to go again this week before the snow melts.

Princess Eva

The snow fairy returns

We woke up to 4 -5 inches of glorious white fluffy snow. There is still ice under the snow in our backyard so for our safety, we went to the dog park. You can click on each picture to make it bigger.

The meet and greet at the gate

Brice and Max wrestling. Max is a Husky/St Bernard cross.

They were having a lot of fun.

Posing by the frozen MinneSNOWta ocean

One of our favorite things to do is run....

and run.....

and run!

If you ever come to Minnesota, stop by our house. We can show you where all the best parks are.

Princess Eva

Leaping for Joy!!

Back in our post for 40 things, we mentioned that Brice had gone to the vet for x-rays of his hips and elbows to send in to the OFA for evaluation. Don't worry, there was nothing wrong with him.

(Momma - This was info that we wanted to give to his breeder for her records. She does very extensive research including health clearances before she decides to have a litter. Tracking the health and lives of the puppies that she produces helps confirm that she is making the right breeding decisions.)

We got his OFA certificates in the mail yesterday. His elbows received a "Normal" rating and his hips were rated as "Excellent". These are the best ratings that you can get and indicate that it is unlikely that he will develop hip issues later on. The other reason we had this test done is so that Momma could start him on supplements if his ratings came back bad. My sister Tasha had bad hips and was on supplements for most of her life to ease her pain.

Brice most have known what the envelope was going to say since he was doing a lot of leaping and jumping for joy a few days ago at the park.

To celebrate, we got to have our favorite stinky canned food- Evanger's Whole Mackerel in Gravy for dinner. Momma can't stand the look or the smell of it. But Brice and I agree that it is very yummy!

Yes, those are whole little fish

Ask your mom and dad for a treat to help us celebrate.

Princess Eva

Wordless Wednesday

Maggie the Mal is hot! and other stuff

We want to share some miscellaneous items.

We could hardly believe our eyes when we saw a Belgian Malinios listed on the DWB roster. Please stop by and meet our new friend Maggie. She is a former police dog and has one hot picture in her header. She can also be seen on her little brother Karuk's blog. Actually I hope we'll be friends when I figure out how to comment on her blog. They're using the "other" comment form that we never seem to be able to use. Maggie, if you can get my telepathic message, we want to be friends, we just can't comment. If anyone else knows any tips for using her comment form, let our simple minded human know. Edited to add- we finally figured out to use our blog address as "OPENID" in order to leave a comment on the blogs that use that comment form

Brice says "Maggie, can you hear me?"

It is Milkbone's 100th anniversary. If you need a inexpensive pet bed for $10 or toys for $2, Milkbone brand products are cheap at Walgreens during this time. If your local shelter accepts donations of these types of items, these would a nice item to provide a little comfort for the pups that are still looking for their furever homes.

Also, please stop by Opy's blog to read about the bushfires in Australia. We know that everyone has financial concerns and many, including our Momma, have lost their jobs but if you can spare a dollar or two, please consider donating to RSPCA. That link discusses what they are doing for the animals injured or displaced by the bushfires and has a link to make financial donations.

Momma's new favorite picture of Princess Eva

Woof ya later,
Brice the Handsome & Princess Eva

A special day of love

Now go find your bipeds and tell them that Princess Eva and Brice
recommend lots of belly rubs, snooter smooches and treats.

The snow thief visits

It's been a little warm around here the last few days. Currently, it's a toasty 38 degrees and Momma has some of the windows open! That means the snow thief has paid us a visit. I think he followed somepup here from Pennsylvania.

Our front yard is losing it's snow

The backyard is a mess but notice the neighbors' yards are still white.
That's because they don't have pups to run and play in it.

It looks like a yard of slush but since it has been melting and refreezing it's ice covered by a layer of water. So we're not allowed to run and play because we might slip and hurt ourselves.

Did anyone watch the Westminster Kennel Club show last night? We had to watch the herding group and we were cheering for all of the Belgian breeds and especially the Belgian Tervuren Ch Sky Acres Spy Plane. You can see the video for the Belgian Tervuren judging here and Spy's handler is the one with the curly blonde hair. Since a Belgian didn't win the group, we are happy the Puli won and wish him good luck in the Best of Show judging.

Tonight, our Sibe and Malamute friends are competing so we'll be cheering for them and a lot of the other furries.

Woof Ya Later,
Princess Eva

Off to the park - Updated

We took the humans to the park yesterday and they finally remembered to bring the camera.

Going downhill with no brakes

I think I see something interesting!

It was a majic teleporter!
Khyra had all of her snow stolen so she came to join us.

La-La-La We can't hear you calling our names!
Get these strangers out of my way. I see pups up ahead.

Now you tell us that you have treats.

The princess after we got home.

40 Things

Stella tagged us a long time ago to share 40 things about us. Since we do everything as a family, the items on the list include things about Eva, Brice, Momma and Dad.

EVA
1. came from a unethical breeder that Momma thinks was acting as a front for a puppy mill
2. is not registered
3. does not play with toys in the house and only her tennis ball outside
4. does chew on a nylabone occasionally
5. her nails grow so fast that Momma can't keep up with them
6. her butt fur and undercoat mats really easy
7. always sleeps on the floor next to dad's side of the bed
8. is allowed off leash when she goes out to the get the mail
9. is scared of thunderstorms, fireworks, and loud children
10. has her own tiara
11. does not like peas but loves cauliflower
12. assumes that the fridge door opening means she gets some cheese
13. her favorite place is the dog park
14. really loves our neighbors Sheryl and Sunnie
15. is on a blanket on the couch gnawing a split knuckle bone

Brice
1. gained a pound between the last vet visits
2. went to the vet on Tuesday to have his hips and elbows x-rayed for evaluation by the OFA
3. his uncle is the #4 Terv in the country and has competed at Westminster in previous years
4. growls in his sleep
5. usually sleeps next to Momma
6. burps after every meal
7. won best of breed at his first dog show
8. when he is up on his hind legs, you don't have to bend very far for a kiss
9. sometimes his teeth are involved in a kiss
10. Both Brice and Eva are very paw oriented
11. loves to be brushed
12. gets his nails dremeled
13. thinks everyone is his new best friend
14. loves to clean his sister's and Momma's ears
15. is on a blanket on the bed gnawing on a bone

Momma and Dad
1. have been married for 18 years
2. Dad grew up on a farm
3. Momma gave Dad a motorcycle for their 10th anniversary
4. Dad is the oldest of 5 kids and Momma is the youngest of 2 but her brother died two years ago
5. Before us, they had 3 cats - Angel, Taz and Lola and 2 pups - Tia and the one and only Tasha
6. Momma was born on Thanksgiving
7. Dad's favorite movies/documentaries include Star Wars (only the original 3), Shawshank Redemption, the Thin Man series, The War (Ken Burns), most military movies
8. Music tastes include everything from Vivaldi to Flogging Molly to Kid Rock to Elvis to Aerosmith to Dean Martin. But very little Country, Rap or Opera.
9. Momma's favorite dinner includes great crusty warm bread, imported butter, a thick rare grilled steak with mushrooms, and a dessert with dark chocolate. Don't clutter the plate with veggies.
10. Dad always calls Momma when he leaves work and since he just called, it's time to go.

That was a challenge. If you haven't done it, consider yourself tagged.

Woof ya later,
Princess Eva

February is Pet Dental Health Month

Have you seen my smile? I have strong white teeth but we are still working on improving Eva's. There are various ways to keep your teeth clean including brushing, special toys and treats and our preferred method - gnawing on bones that have received our Momma's seal of approval. Not all methods are appropriate for every dog so please discuss the options with your vet.

I hear you asking "Brice, how can I tell if I have dental problems?" Let your mom or dad open your mouth and look inside. Ask them to look for the warning signs of gum disease - bad breath, red and swollen gums, a yellow-brown crust of tartar around the gumline, broken teeth and pain or bleeding when they touch your gums or mouth. Another sign of a problem may be a change in your eating or chewing habits. If they notice any of these problems, ask them to take you to the vet.

It seems like a minor issue but the inflammation and infection associated with periodontal disease may damage other organs such as the heart, liver, and kidneys, or lead to other serious health problems.

Thank you for reading our PSA.

Brice

Pictures and a Birthday wish!

Happy Birthday Ammy! You don't look a day over 2!

So we found the CD of my baby pictures. There are over 300 pictures of me and my littermates so Momma narrowed it down to just a few.




Did you notice that Tervs change color a lot as young pups? After a quick dark/light/dark/light as pups, we continue to get darker as we mature.

Woof ya later!
Brice