Sleepless in Columbus

So here I am. Can't sleep. Covered in poison sumac. Filled with vitamins and steroids. Legs blotted with bruises and scratches from digging at myself in my sleep.

Pretty picture? I know. I'm living the dream. The past two weeks I had bronchitis very badly. Now all this week its been hives and sumac. I've been down for almost a month. God I hope this stuff clears up soon. I dread to think what plagues will be heading my way next.

This is rather a pointless and ranting blog entry about my ex, Scott. Although, I'm not sure he can technically be an ex. We were never really together. The man was creepy. Fine. I came out and said it. He was absolutely positively the kind of guy made your skin crawl: but, it was a subtle thing. Scott was creepy in a way I couldn't put my finger on, until his drunken episode on my 30th birthday party.

I haven't seen Scott since that day. I don't want to see Scott ever again, or talk to him, or run into him, or think about him. He, apparently, does not feel that way about me. He emailed me on April 23 and told me he was checking into rehab the next day. Then, he emailed me on May 11 and again told me he was checking himself into rehab, also for the next day. His next move was to send a text asking me for my help in finding someone to care for his 90 lb dog while he was in rehab. He said that he KNEW I didn't want to talk to him, but that it was for the dog.

  The first time he emailed me and told me he was going in to rehab, I was polite but firm. I told him that I was glad I had encouraged his desire to rehabilitate himself, but that I didn't want anything else to do with him. The second time, I did not respond. If I had responded, I would have been rude and that would have been pointless.

Well, I've moved on. Kind of. I've been seeing this guy named Chris, but I'm not really holding out hope. He's cool and everything. He doesn't give my friends the creeps, which is always a plus. He seems super interested, but then I saw on Facebook that he was taking a girl to her brother's wedding. He has not mentioned that to me. Its enough to make me want to back way off, but I'm willing to see if he'll tell me on his own. Hrm. I guess its not a huge deal. He's not really everything I'm looking for. I'd really rather for my future mate to have a good job and be a little bit more thoughtful. Who doesn't wish that, though?

And he does have positives: he's super cute, he's a hard worker, he's out doorsey, he make enough of a living to have a decent house, he LOVES dogs, he seems like a nice guy.

I don't know, though. You can't put your eggs into one basket, but when you date too many people you start to wonder why you even bother.

Dating is a bitch, that's for sure.

Will semantics save your dog?

So, I admit it. I stalk forums. I no longer post, mostly because I don't get anything out of them anymore. But one post caught my eye and I think that it did perhaps lead me down a path of questioning whether it really matters if your dog is reactive or only aggressive, and also how difficult it can be to differentiate between the two in the first place. I personally feel that it only matters in a clinical sense, but probably does not have much bearing in the real world. I can tell you that if Harper encountered a dog of either persuasion, it wouldn't occur to me to differentiate between the two prior to using a can of bear mace to save my dog.

 

Reactive dogs, according to what I'm given to understand about canine behavior, are outwardly vocal: You will see the snarling, lunging, over-the-top frothy behavior that most people associate with dog aggression. A reactive dog is likely to initiate a confrontation, but will not usually see it through until the brutal end. It is possible to calm a reactive dog, and even train and redirect the reactivity toward a more appropriate outlet (such as a toy or a bite sleeve). Reactive dogs are easy to spot, because they will tell you how reactive they are!

 

Dogs that are truly aggressive are silent. Some behaviorists have compared dog aggression to prey drive, as dogs stalking animals exhibit similar behaviors as dogs that are dog aggressive. Dogs that freeze, lower their head, and proceed to stalk their intended victim are much less easy to recognize, and therefore more dangerous, then a dog that is reactive. Human beings are wired to pay more attention to what someone says as opposed to how someone is standing. This makes dog aggressive canines even more dangerous; sometimes we don't notice the warning signals until its too late. I would venture to say that most people who own these dogs probably feel that they have no warning, and that the "dog attacks out of nowhere."

 

True dog aggression will cause a dog to jump a fence, break its collar, pull its master over and refused to be restrained when encountering another dog. Often, they may exhibit signs similar to a dog wanting to play: wriggling, whining excitedly, straining to reach the other dog. That's not friendliness; its a eager desire to engage in combat and kill.

 

It has been thought that dogs are genetically wired to be aggressive, but are environmentally affected to be reactive. In other words, a dog is bred to be aggressive, but its experiences will make it reactive. Practically speaking, it doesn't really matter to the dog being mauled whether its attacker was created by genetics or environment. If a large enough dog is reactive and gets a hold of your dog, it may not matter whether that dog's intent is to kill, or not. The damage would be done.

 

Whether I agree or disagree with the above school of thought on reactive versus aggressive dogs, the point is that most people won't recognize either for what they truly are and will continue to take their poorly socialized dogs to dog parks and out on walks, making life annoying at best and hazardous at worst for the rest of us. Especially for those like me, who would rather see themselves get mauled then their precious pet.

 

In my opinion, however, it is unwise to believe that a rowdy dog is not aggressive, or that a silent dog is not dog aggressive. I'm sure that there are dogs who are truly aggressive who are vocal, and dogs that are reactive who are silent. The most important thing is to recognize both "sets" of behavior as a potential for disaster. The only way to combat dogs who exhibit such behaviors is to catch the dog before its behavior escalates into something very serious.

 

In conclusion, the only reason that knowing the difference between a reactive dog and an aggressive dog is important, is so that the average pet own can recognize it to prevent a fight. If you have a reactive or aggressive dog, its easier to mitigate the situation if you can recognize what your dog is saying. However, regardless of whether the dog is barking and snarling or stalking, you'll want to get your pet out of there as soon as possible. Some safety precautions include teaching your pet to jump in your arms calmly on command (if your dog is small enough) or carrying mace, or a taser, local law permitting.

 

That's it...no more public forums for dog lovers

I have been a member of several public forums for dog owners. Many of them I no longer frequent, mainly because I find that most people are woefully dog ignorant and seem being on staying that way regardless of what information is being presented them. I have a few "buttons," one of which is that many people seem to think that because corgis are "little" dogs, that they are easy to take care of and unable to do serious work. 

While on Dogster's forums, a discussion again occurred which corgis were called "delicate" and one poster went so far as to say that one would have to choose between agility and Cardigans. The person who said that has a Pembroke Corgi MIX, and in my opinion was completely unqualified to make the statement. 

While its true that Cardigans aren't built like other dogs, what also is true is that statistically there are more Border Collies injured due to agility then there are Cardigans. There are also more injured Pembroke Welsh Corgis then Cardigan Welsh Corgis. Cardigan Welsh Corgis are few and far between, where as Pembrokes are a dime a dozen. 

Pembroke Welsh Corgis have a very high instance (almost as high as in German Shepherds) of IVDD, and their breeding base is almost 50% affected with DM. Unfortunately, since Cardigans haven't had a health survey in well over ten years, so the information available is dated and probably inaccurate. However, it appears that Cardigans are only 10% at risk for DM. 

This is not to say that Cardigans don't have health problems; that would be misleading. My point is that other breeds who are seen as healthy also have significant health problems, and yet they are seen in a different light. Border Collie agility dogs have an extremely high instance of cruciate ligament tears, hip dysplasia, and arthritis...yet Corgis are unfit to be agility dogs? 

Cardigan Welsh Corgis are created differently then other dogs, as previously mentioned, and certainly different then Pembroke Welsh Corgis. Their upper arms wrap about their egg shaped body cavity. Their pasterns turn out. Their front assembly acts as a natural shock absorber, as the breed was originally bred to drive cattle over a rough terrain. Cardigans are built to turn on a dime, and are extremely athletic, hardy dogs when bred correctly by a person or people who know and understand correct Cardigan Structure. 

From my personal experience in agility, my bitch Harper had more drive then any other dog in our class. Due to our tight bond (which is common with Corgis to their owners) she had an extreme willingness to work as well as great speed. My bitch is well structured, except for being out at elbows and a bit high on leg, and I daresay my dog is just as well structured as any other dog competing in agility. 

It has also been noted that no breed of dog was created for agility, originally. Certain dogs are created for physically demanding functions and are built to be agile and strong. Physically speaking, the herding group and the sporting group are ideal for agility. Not only are they bred to work over difficult, strenuous terrain but they are also bred for biddability. How biddable a dog is involves how well the dog works with mankind; how well it accepts and follows directions. 

Thus, Cardigans are just as able as any other breed to compete in agility, and do so in the upper echelons. 

Breeding plans for for 2011

I've gone back and forth about breeding Harper, mostly because she has a few flaws which would make finishing her AKC championship difficult if not impossible. Her front assembly is sturdy, but its atypical for a Cardigan. She is a bit out at elbows, and is leggy for the breed. Her pasterns are a bit long (as are her toenails, sorry!!!)

                       This is what Cardigan fronts are supposed to look like ^^^^^^^^

                     
Whoa....Harper is getting some wrap and turn out....let's hear it for ambling towards maturity!


Harper does have some really nice pieces: her length of body, depth of body, top line, head piece, shoulder angle, croup, and side movement are all beautiful. What she could use are: a better shape of ribbing, better tail set and carriage, better bone, better front and rear movement, shorter legs, better rear angulation and better layback.

Nancy and I have been oscillating between several different stud dogs for her. We've thought about Kim Shira's Rocky, Holly's Luther, "Baby Bolt," belonging to Jill Ruah, Powell, and about a million others. Nancy is now thinking that Frodo, "Pecan Valley's Photo in Black," is the dog that would be best for Harper.

What seems to be happening is that Nancy is afraid that Addison's is very prevalent in our breed; much more so then anyone currently believes. Its sort of like DM, where before people tested for it actively, it was thought to be non-existent. Now that people test, its estimated that 10% of cardigans are affected. We'll see. At any rate, I do agree that auto immune issues are a problem, and I think that there are hot spots in the breed that should be avoided as much as possible. Harper's heat cycles are such that she'll probably end up having her third and final heat in October of 2011 along with what will be her first and only litter.

Below is Frodo, the dog that Nancy has chosen for Harper:

I hope that we get some pretty, beautiful, sound, puppies with excellent temperaments.