Tueday, December 29, 2009
Under the  Miss ~ eltoe       
The ongoing photo journal of Katoba Dobermans' 2009 "Miss & Mister" Litter   ~   DPCA Futurity Nominated for 2010
Okay, well mine is not a 9a-5p career day, but it was the longest day the puppies have been without a person at the house ~
~ and, with the numerous additional events of my 'today', it made my day feel EXCEPTIONALLY long ... with worry.
I have tried very hard to schedule my work and time away from home so that Todd was here when I could not be.
But alas, for the first time in 5 months, it did not work out that way ... and I worried and could not concentrate ... and worried some more.
It is NOT fair to set the puppies up for failure ... and it is NOT fair to make them suffer by not being able to "go outside".
And, it is NOT fair for them to have to sit lonely for 1/3 of a clock day with no proper stimulation or attention.
While I miss my dogs whenever I am away from them, today was especially difficult ... today, I worried.
They are the true reason I get up in the morning ... otherwise I am CERTAIN I would find a reason to lay in bed and read a book or watch TV mindlessly.
They are the only beings that prove to me that there IS "perfection of spirit" here on earth.
I am now glad to be home, to have taken care of everything they lacked in the day, and  thrilled that they were so good while I was gone.
They usually eat at 5am and 5pm ~ or 6:00am and 6:00pm ... usually get training & treats mid-day ... and never have to wait longer than 3-4 hours to go potty.
This morning ~ they ate at 5:30am ... got no training OR training treats mid-day ... no attention at ALL throughout the day ... ate at 7:00pm ... and worst of all ...
... they had to go without a potty break for nearly 8 hours ~ that was UNACCEPTIBLE.
THREE CHEERS for ALL the puppies ... they "HELD IT".  ~ hip hip hooray, hip hip hooray, hip hip hooray .
I am so incredibly proud of them ... they are PERFECT ... but, I will NEVER do that to them again.
If I cannot be here for them, I will call my magnifisccent dog-sitter.
Just one more reason I will be THRILLED to have indoor/outdoor runs.
The first ten minutes of this is chaotic.
Too much excitement, too much uncertaintly, and too much movement ... for ME anyway. haha
That part is all about two Competitions: "keep away" and "wrastling".
Keep away is self explanatory; Wrastling is NOT Wrestling, like in the Olympics ...
... no, I mean "Wrastling" as in the smackdown, over-the-head-spinning, tag-teaming-WWF-guys kind of "wrastling".
About 3 mintues of that is all I will tolerate as it can go from fun to fierce ... that they would ruin everybody's "FREEDOM".
TOENAILS & TORTURE both start with "T" ... but then again ...
... so does "TREAT"
Breeders have the ability to start the nail-care portion of grooming from whelp day on.
I usually begin on day 5 - just two days into the early neurological stimulation routine.
With this litter, I began earlier - at three days - after one of the pups suffered a bad scratch from another's razor-sharp-white-tipped-claw.
It was long and deep into those facial folds ~ being facial, the bleeding was bad ~ but "healed" remarkably fast.
That puppy is Erica, and unfortunately, she is permanently scarred about the right side of the face around the eye to the forehead.
Before you go off on a vWd tangent ~ she is a carrier. ... and THAT WAS IT.
Tonight, I dremmeled toenails, (usually do them Sunday & Thursdays) ... they were NOT pleased.
This is something some dogs NEVER learn to tolerate well ... but that will not stop me from proper grooming to keep the nails short.
Logan was a fairly tolerant girl; Rock was GREAT about it and would even hold his paw up for me; Tyler is pretty good, as is Cahill - unless I nick a quick;
Echo has been the supreme-drama-queen since she arrived ... and Misty ... OH LORD, the world is coming to an end !!!!
And then there are these babies .... sheesh, it was a wrestling match with teeth in the beginning  ... each nail day was a day I dreaded.
Two of these little darlings even pottied on me in protest ... I won't mention any names, but they do respond to "Louis" and "Violet". hahaha
Dave Pelton, though, has become the dremmel master and does a great job keeping Louis' feet groomed with SHORT toenails.
e reward for their torturous 2 minutes? ~ I took all their posts out and cleaned their ears ... they LOVED it.
With all of this said ... tonight was different for some reason ... they all sat still in the chair - with VERY LITTLE protest - and allowed me to dremmel away.
It took all of 10 minutes to dremmel NINE total dogs toenails ~ the puppies were near PERFECT in behavior.
A cookie just was not enough ... so the reward for their perfection? ~ Removal of ear posts for the night ... and NO bath today!
Yes, the bath WILL come tomorrow ... and the ears WILL be going back up with Skin Bond and Breath Rites ... but for now ...
... it is all about FREEDOM for the pups and PLAYTIME in the livingroom with Misty and Echo.
Once the crazy-thrill-of-big-big-room-play has died down, the puppies begin to slow down, and all is playful and enjoyable.
They each usually find a toy or two that they particularly love ... and they each find a place to lay down and sometimes a big dog to cuddle with.
The biggest problems arise when there are too many choices. A couple dog beds, a couple blankets on the floor, and a few toys ... that is all they really need.
TOnight, since they were bored for so long today, the rough and tumble play did not die down as quickly  ... my fault and I had to endure it :)
But, but the time they DID slow down ... it was truly enough to tire them out.
We played tug, we played keep-away, we played training games (HA - that was funny), we played catch, THEY "wrastled", and then they ...
I have been asked by several folks how I go about "referree-ing" when all the dogs are together in the same room ...
Well,I never have two males in the same room ... secondly, I make sure everyone has been "outside" before the adventure begins;
third, I participate and stay on top of things - it is only REALLY crazy when I am taking photos;
and when it comes to corrections ...
... if THIS doesn't work as a warning ...
... snuggled up to Grama Echo, and ...
... played kissy-face with Misty, until ...
... all found a place to rest
... THIS is my "sure fire solution".
All the dogs are sleeping now.
It is 11:45pm.
God Bless each of them and give them good slumber.
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Enjoy the life and times of these very special puppies through their eight-chapter photo journal saga,
(click on the links below).
Chapter 8
Chapter 7
Chapter 6
Chapter 5
Chapter 4
Chapter 3
Chapter 2
Chapter 1
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If you are interested in being considered for one of the show prospect puppies available, (see above),
please begin by filling out the questionnaire, (below).
Email it to Kathy at katoba@comcast.net.  Please do not leave anything 'blank' on the form.
Kathy can be contacted at 253.312.4839.
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