I hope this Blog proves to be both fun and educational for anyone interested in Showing and/or Breeding Dogs. Spend some time with us and you will really understand the time and effort and emotions that goes into this hobby. Join me here for the good times and bad times, the joys and sorrows, the wins and losses. Welcome to life at Vista Dei!

I have set up a jump and weaves for Darby and me to practice on in the yard in the mornings and after work.  I find that is really all I want to do any more, I have all these plans in my mind, things I want to practice and work on that I learned or saw someone do.  I see these little practice courses drawn up on www.cleanrun.com and I want to try them, but I don't have enough jump built right now.    I have to start doing some practice for Rally, the next 2 shows we enter will be Rally and not agility unfortunately.  I wanted to enter agility in Cleveland. but the premium list on the host club's site won't open, and they will not respond to emails or phone calls.  I am bummed, but I guess that means do Rally that weekend instead.  It will be closer, just outside of Butler, but we haven't trained in Rally for over a year now, so have to brush up those skills, and I hate to take away any training time from the fun agility stuff.  On the other hand, I think agility has strenghtened our working relationship, now that we are off leash all the time, I imagine on leash activities will be pretty easy to master.

Posted by: Vistadei at 15:31 | link | comments

Posted by: Vistadei at 18:13 | link | comments

On Saturday, at the WPKA trials in Pittsburgh, PA

My Darby got clean run, perfect score, 2nd leg Novice Agility, First place
ribbon
and.. Clean Run, Perfect score, 2nd leg Novice Jumpers with weaves, Third
place ribbon

Vista Dei Luvme Like a Rock CGC, TDI "Regis", who is Darby's SON had a clean run perfect score, 2nd leg Novice
Jumpers with weaves, First Place Ribbon
and 2nd leg Novice agility, qualifying score Second Place Ribbon

Vista Dei The Storm Chaser CGC,TDI "Drifter" - who is Darby's GRANDSON, had a qualifying score, 2nd leg Novice
Jumpers with weaves, First Place Ribbon

I thought it was pretty neat that 3 generations were running in the same
trial.. now if all three generation could finish their titles Sunday, it
might be something REALLY special, so keep good thoughts for all of us!!

Posted by: Vistadei at 07:07 | link | comments

Are you familiar with the series of commercials for Secret Ladies Deoderant?  Well I could do one of those.. cause my secret? I HATE TO TRAVEL TO NEW PLACES!  What does that have to do with dogs?  Oh, well prime example is this up coming weekend when I am scheduled to show Darby at the large Pittsburgh shows.  There has been a new convention center built, and I do not know exactly were I am going, I know there is no parking in the center, so that I will have to find a parking garage, I know that I will have to get Darby and his crate and my other stuff across many lanes of Pittsburgh traffic after I park the car.  They will not allow me to unload in the convention unloading center unless there is another adult behind the wheel of the car while I unload, and my schedule just isn't working out for going with any of my friends.  Also I volunteered to work at the trial, so that is another stress for both Darby and I, means we have to be up there at 6:30, that means leaving the house at 4:45, so good chance Darby won't poop at that time of morning, and once we get there, there is only areas INSIDE the building set up for bathrooms (wood chips in a big pen) and he will NOT go there.  Plus the day is terribly long, he will be spending about 12 hours in a crate, and he isn't going to like that one bit.  I have to get my kids to come and let the other dogs in and out, and that has to be done properly in shifts, as we have females in heat (usually I tell my kids to not ever let the dogs out if I have one in heat, so they don't screw up and let the wrong ones together) STRESS STRESS STRESS.. I do not even want to go..  having an anxiety attack ohhhhh I HATE this..

Posted by: Vistadei at 07:01 | link | comments (7)

Got some cute 1yr old pictures of Gabby today!

Posted by: Vistadei at 15:58 | link | comments (1)

I snapped a few pictures of Destiny this morning when she was playing in the yard.  Of course she doesn't have any show "poof" going on, and has already started her 1 year old shed, but she is still kinda cute..

Posted by: Vistadei at 07:44 | link | comments (1)

Went to the agility mock trial yesterday.  Our runs weren't that good, but again I learned alot.  I tried some of the hanlding skills I learned at the prior week's seminar, but of course we hadn't trained and practice on them, so they didn't work well, and ended up not working out, as I had to go do things other than the plan in my mind, so then I got kinda screwed up.  Also learned that if you have a hair-pin turn out of a tunnel right up onto the A frame or Dog walk, you are better taking the extra steps to widen the hairpin turn so that there is momentum in the climb.  Both times we were too tight and he barely made it up the A frame and start to falter on the walk.  One of the larger dogs fell off the walk with the same issue.  I also learned or started to learn how to time and scribe.  That is a hard job, as you must keep your eyes on the judge, he gives hand signals for falts (points off) and eliminations and you write that down and it is used to score the run.  Problem is when something bad is happening on the course, ie a dog falling or running off course or something, I tended to look at the dog, taking my focus off the judge and potentially missing the hand signals for the fault!  It was sooooo hard not to do that, to stay focused only on the judge.  I like learning the different jobs.

Posted by: Vistadei at 12:30 | link | comments

The pictures are online!

See more new pictures of Shelby by clicking here

Here are some new pictures of Drifter's first agility run! http://vistadeishelties.com/drifter.html

Posted by: Vistadei at 12:20 | link | comments

Today is a picture bonanza day!  I got pictures in the mail of the puppy Shelby from Linda and Kalyn, I didn't have time to get them all up for internet pictures, but just had to scan and post this one!! how sweet!!  I also have the pictures to get up of puppy Luke's first birthday, and some of puppy Drifter's first agility run.  I am not sure if I posted the pictures of Sampson and Aslan I got after Christmas or not, so I have some updating to do on the website tonight or tomarrow!

Posted by: Vistadei at 11:46 | link | comments (5)

Snow over MUD today, sigh.. what a mess.  I am soooo happy I got the new linoleum for the laundry and dog room, such a nice thing to not see the dirty footprints! Prior years when mud season started, I would be mopping the floor about 6 times a day with the white linoleum.  Now with this nice dark green, it is better at hiding the little foot-prints, so I just mop AM and PM.  I am trying to keep Daisy in coat so she can be shown at the nationals, so far so good (knock on wood and cover her ears!)  The entries have to be sent in soon.  She is pretty puffy, she never has a really long coat, but we do want it nice and thick and shiney and lush.  I line brush her every evening, it is looking nice.

Posted by: Vistadei at 08:12 | link | comments

Oh maybe we WILL have puppies!  I decided to do an Artificial Insemination last night since Diana was being such a beast about the whole breeding idea.  That went VERY well.. I have done them many times before and so far have never missed a breeding when I did the AI, and this one was particularly good one, the boy gave his donation generously and it was just lovely and highly motivated under the microscope.  Diana thought that whole proceedure was much more lady like and dignified (for her maybe, but not for ME!) and she was very co-operative.  So NOW we wait and see...

Posted by: Vistadei at 12:20 | link | comments (1)

On Saturday we went to a NINE HOUR agility seminar with Donna Rohaus!!  Wow.. it was all about motion, how to move myself and my dog in the most efficent way with no waisted motion.  I learned alot, but have to practice a ton, it will take months and months to get better.  It is soooo interesting, so much to learn, just scratching the surface.  This is so much more interesting than conformation showing.  Oh we learned to change the lead of how the dog lands, if they land with their right foot leading, how difficult it was then to turn them toward the left, resulting in the dog spinning and alot of wasted steps and time. We were learning to move ahead of the obsticles, to call them through a couple obsticles, send them on to another while we head toward the next, and how this can increase their speed to keep up with us moving ahead.  Trust and go I believe she called it.  She was also into yoga, teaching us how to control our body signals, stand straight shoulders back, breathing (oh it is so hard to remember to breath!) and the cues our posture and body language is sending the dogs.  I am fasinated... 

Posted by: Vistadei at 13:19 | link | comments

Ohhhh we did one breeding with Diana, to say she wasn't pleased with the whole affair would be an understantment indeed!  Oh my word, she had the biggest halloween face (glaring eyes and FANGS!)

Oh I do not know, perhaps she is trying to tell me to skip on by this breeding.  So if the one time took, we will have pups, but I do not intend to do the normal 3 breedings we usually do when trying for a litter of pups, maybe it is just time for me to take a break.

Posted by: Vistadei at 12:05 | link | comments

Ok, I have gotten my second wind here with the dog show stuff (thank you SF, you really encouraged me in your last email!)  I have decided we are going ahead with the breeding.  I am going to go ahead and enjoy the anticapation and the waiting, and I will go ahead and discuss the breeding and the progress we make.  If you keep up with my blog, you will remember that Diana had a false pregnancy last fall, and so while we are going to try again, I believe I will just take names of people interested instead of a real "waiting list" so that we don't have any disapointments.  So, as of tonight we will attempt the breeding and see if they like each other (giggle blush!) I think I might have found a suitable male for Daisy this fall, too.  I will reserve judgement until I see his offspring at the nationals.  Unfortunately, he is standing stud in another country and won't make the nationals as I understand, and that is kinda a bummer.. but I guess several of his kids will be there, so that should help me decide.

Posted by: Vistadei at 11:32 | link | comments (1)

Would you like to see a new web site I have constructed for the Steel Valley Cluster Dog shows that are held in Canfield OH?  It is not 100% done, but I have been working long and hard on it. Let me know what you think!

http://www.steelvalleycluster.org

Posted by: Vistadei at 15:03 | link | comments

HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY DARBY!!!

Posted by: Vistadei at 07:20 | link | comments (3)

As "SF" says in the comment to the post below, having a litter of puppies is such a commitment.  Not only to the mother of the litter, we have had the health test done on the prospective parents, as I had posted below both Diana and Ricki came back with "OFA good" hips this past month ($187 for each test), and are VWD Clear ($149 each test), eyes check ($48 each test), vet checked etc, There is alot of care during pregnancy, and once the pups are born, I devote nearly 24 hours a day to them for the next 8 weeks.  Generally in the first week or so, while I am at work, I have my daughter or aunt come in and stay, especially with a new mother, as you can not hope the pups are the right temp, eating well, and not getting stepped on if a new mother is left alone for 8 hours.  Then when the pups start to get around on their own, it is poop cleaning!!  We have 3 different pens set up for them, when I get home from work, they have pooped and played in it, so have to be taken out of pen #1, and cleaned up one at a time, put in pen #2 while I clean pen #1.  The minute their feet hit the clean pen #2, they start to poop some more.  In an effort to keep them from playing in it again, they are whisked off to pen #3 and I finish cleaning pens #1 and #2.  Of course the minute I am done I love to play and play with them, but have to also take time to play with the adult dogs too, who are a little put out that all the fuzzy newcomers are getting attention!  If the pups are taken out to the yard for play I have to stay right with them even in an xpen, as we have Hawks with nests nearby, and the Hawks hear the puppy barks and come flocking.  At times within 15 mins of putting puppies out to play in the grass I will have 15 or more Hawks circling, so I must stay with the pups every minute when they are outdoors.  I have little agility equipment for the pups to play on, and they must be supervised at that too.  I have them with me while I watch TV, and I sleep in the bedroom with them at night.  I fix food 3 times a day, but that involves soaking and chopping and mashing and warming, not just popping down a bowl of food.  I try to expose the pups to whatever they will be living with in their new homes, if we know there is someone with canes or a walker, I clomp around the house using canes and a walker so they get used to it. If they will be traveling far in a car to their new homes, I take them with me for car rides so they get over being car sick and scared hearing the engines.  If they will be living on a farm, I take them to my friends farms and play in the barns, play in the hay, let them get used to all those smells.  About the only thing I WON'T do is buy a cat for them to get used to.. hahahha THAT they have to learn on their own in their new homes!

 I have people who are interested in puppies, but I have not started the screening process on them yet, that is very time consuming and sometimes stressfull.  I like to meet people when considering them for a pup, and while most who come by are lovely, wonderful people, unfortunately,  there are also the nightmare cases.  I remember the family that came by with their 6 year old child, and didn't make any effort to control, contain or correct him after he terrorized the dogs, he ran in and out of my bedroom getting into my underware drawers, jumping with two feet on the couch, and finally dumping the dog toys into the toilet.  They seemed confused and upset when I told them their family wasn't ready for a young puppy.. huh.. go figure. But that was an entire Sun afternoon spent, then there was the family who came and argued the whole time because dad didn't want a dog, didn't like dogs, didn't want a dog.. but mom was mad at ME when I said, no puppy.  Of course there are the people who come over in silk black  shirt and pants, roll around all over my floor playing with the dogs and then act suprised when they find dog hair clinging to their outfits.. huh.. "I didn't know shelties shed" huh... And another one of my favorites (NOT) are the people who pull up in a Lexus and start attempting to negotiate the price of the puppy.. grrrr.. my opinion is if you can't afford to pay what I ask for the puppy, you can't afford the vet bills you will have in the first year, because the series of shots and they spay/neuter and the dog license comes to about the same price as the pup.  Can't afford to pay the price for the puppy, I am afraid they will not have the vetting taken care of, as they will try to cut corners there too.  I do know that there are people on fixed incomes that want a dog, but the better choice for them might be from a shelter where the dog is already vetted and spay/neutered all in the cost of the adoption.  There is a right home out there for every dog, but it is up to the breeder to do the best and find the best home for every pup the breeder chooses to bring in the world, that is our obligation.

Sooooo I have only a few more days to decide if I am up for it again this spring!  mmmm but the thoughts of puppy breath is very tempting!

Posted by: Vistadei at 08:12 | link | comments (5)

I got some wonderful pictures of the puppy Luke in the mail yesterday, it was from his first birthday party.  It is hard to believe our last litter of puppies are over a year old now.  Diana is in heat right now, I have to decide if I will breed her in just the next few days, I do not know what I will do.  My heart is just not in it...

Posted by: Vistadei at 14:47 | link | comments (1)