I am SOOO proud of my girl Isis! She is 10 months old and had picked up dock diving with aplomb. At the Indianapolis State Fair there is dogsdocks.com hosting competition dock diving for dogs. Today, August 6, 2010 we took Isis up bright and early to practice. After some coaxing and getting her paws wet she hopped right in and didn’t want to stop! Right now in America there are 2 dock diving dogs: Isis and Finley.
Isis will compete in the novice sometime next week. Today she jumped an average of 11 feet with one jump up to 14 feet. o give you perspective, there are labs jumping 18+ feet with some labs jumping to 26 feet!
Here is a short video… longer ones and photos coming later
My girl Cleo is up in Canada with her Nana, Paula. She’s getting to play and romp with her mom and cousins. I have to admit I can’t wait until I get my girl back but scheduling has proven to be difficult, but I know she’s in good hands!
Here is a video of the Biscay Water Dog clan romping in the yard. Notice the red curly mop that is Cleo taking down Rocket who was recently imported from France.
Here is a short video of Barbet (French water dog) Isis from Paula Ballak (Biscaywaterdogs.com) whom I work with in breeding. Paula also helps in showing Cleo, Isis, and Cinna at the CKC. She even championed Cinna at the CKC!!
You can see (and hear) the demise of one Polar Bear toy. The sound inside the toys really drive the dogs nuts. We’ve gone through oh 5 hedgehogs, 2 polar bears, countless squeakier balls, etc. Ours love to pick up the hedgehog and whip their head around with the toy. I assume this is a natural dog instinct. We even see that in our 7 pound chihuahua, lola.
So I know I am oh a mere 6 months behind on this video, but hey while we are all roasting in 90+ degree weather it’s a nice thought to see the cold snow.
Here is my boy Cinna, imported from France with Elaine (http://chiensdeau.free.fr/BarbetenBresse/), Dyna, Lia, Cleo and Isis all pounding the white fluffy snow. It was snowing as we took the video so apologies for it being a bit dark.
In my blogging this summer, I am trying to help potential barbet buyers see the personality of the Barbet to ensure they are the right fit. No dog is perfect and I vehemently feel buyers should do their research in both breeders and dog breeds. The barbet is an active dog needing lifelong love and training.
One of my favorite quotes: “there are no bad dogs, just bad owners.”
Joanne is such a great Barbet owner! She takes Finley dock diving, to agility, and continuously works on training him. She is also a founding member of the Barbet Fanciers Club of America. She has begun to post some cute videos of Fin and I thought this one was extra adorable. Being the Barbet is a water dog, a child’s pool sometimes may have to suffice unless you live near water.
“être crotté comme un Barbet”—to be very, very muddy… Is an old French saying very appropriate for Barbet. Most of my barbet love to shove their noses into a mud puddle or just wade around in muck. Below is a video of my Cleo getting a bath and the mud coming out. Vive le Barbet!!
Canine dental care is important. I’ve heard of many dogs with terrible tartar which often results in lose of teeth and pain. A pup in pain is not a happy camper. In efforts to keep my Barbet’s teeth clean and pristine I’ve been starting to brush their teeth. Take the below video of Isis for example. We placed a tiny bit of canine tooth paste which often is a meat flavor and Isis didn’t want to stop. I merely held the tooth brush and she chomped away.
I was perusing some Barbet blogs and I came across one of my favorite’s: The Friendly Barbet. They posted a great post on Satine’s first dog show which coincidentally was Cinna’s first CKC dog show as well. He had been shown once in France at the Bourg en Bresse show in February 2008.
Thanks so much to Chris and Ula for posting this video. They are doing a phenomenal job up north with their Nappyroots Kennel. Not to mention all the work they’ve done in getting all their beautiful Barbet confirmed and championed in Canada. I hope they’ll rub off some of their hard earned wisdom on us Americans who have much to learn when it comes to showing Barbet!
Another huge shout (or woof?) to Amy Ballak who is a champ handler and also who I named Amelia (lia) after. You can see her in the video handling Mr. Cinna. She has done so much in showing him in the CKC and I’m forever grateful. One of these days I’ll have to get my scared butt in the ring and hopefully Amy can help guide me. You can see me of course behind the camera in the corner
This week I am house sitting in the glorious town of Alexandria. Barbet Dyna and Lola (or kennel name Luna if you will) are keeping me company. I am elated to be here as this area is so dog friendly. On King street there was just as much good dog watching as there was people watching. Not to mention almost every shop has a bowl of water (or treats!) out for the pooch parade.
Easter morning was full of peep eating and Dyna and Lola harassing the squirrels and neighbor cat who eggs them on. Below you can see and hear these two ladies in their barking glory.
