Julen närmar sig

Nu är det fem dagar kvar till julafton och här finns massor kvar att göra. Julklappar ska köpas in, städning och pyntning är bara påbörjat, inte en enda köttbulle har jag rullat och knappt bakat något heller. Men, det lär bli jul i alla fall! Julklapparna ska jag försöka fixa klart i morgon eller på måndag, jag tror att de är det allra viktigaste. Det är bara så svårt att hinna med allt annat som ska göras - jobb, hundar och så all basket. Två matcher idag, Stinas lag fick hyfsat med stryk av Antnäs medan Avan-herrarnas seniorlag, där Viktor fick spela lite, ligger 2:a i serien och slog 3:an Dundret med 31 poäng. En vansinnigt kul match att se! Tyvärr fick Vicke feber efteråt, så kanske har vi en ny förkylning som ska svepa över familjen. Bara att hoppas att det är något högst tillfälligt och mycket kortvarigt.

Visa är färdiglöpt och kan nu tänka sig att jaga om en pinne med Melvin igen. Hon har dock inte en chans när han lägger iväg med sina långa ben. Inte ids hon riktigt heller, utan övergår efter en stund att lukta likt Ferdinand istället. Men Melvin är lycklig i alla fall och skuttar runt. Han har sjukt mycket spring i benen den hunden, det bara sprutar energi ur öronen på honom!

Maya börjar vara så smått skendräktig nu efter sitt löp och vill helst bara ligga i knäet och bli kelad med. Stora bedjande ögon tittar på en så fort man sitter ner. Jag har lite svårt att motstå den där blicken, så det blir mycket hundmys.

Annars önskar jag mig mer snö som täcker över alla små pinnar, kottar och annat tuggbegärligt. Det känns som om framförallt Maya och Visa äter sig fram på våra promenader i skogen. Kan någon människa begripa hur grankottar kan vara så gott?

Bloggar igen!

Så testar jag att blogga igen, utan länk från min egen hemsida utan bara för "särskilt inbjudna"! Det var så många som hörde av sig och saknade bloggen, det värmde. Ska sanningen fram så saknar jag det lite, jag med...

Vad har då hänt sedan sist? Massor, men vi kan ta en liten snabb uppdatering på det viktigaste.

I Norge har NVCh Huset Elliots Vimsa blivit mamma till sju valpar, som blir fyra veckor på fredag. Någon valp finns fortfarande kvar att tinga till rätt köpare. Pappa är NUCh Cha's Didrik Champ, en svart hane med kända duallinjer bakåt. Mer info på Vimsans hemsida: www.vimsan.com

Här hemma har vi haft löptikar gånger två. Först löpte Maya och vred om huvudet på både Idefix och Melvin med sina förförelsekonster. Hon må vara söt, den lilla, men hon är ett lättfärdigt litet stycke! Lagom till hon var klar så satte Visa igång, lite före utsatt tid. Hon har nu varit i Finland och träffat duktiga Piki (FinJCh SJCh Jummijammin Frankenstein) och vi hoppas på valpar i början av februari. Intresset för dessa valpar är otroligt stort, glädjande nog. Vi behöver en hel bunt med valpar om alla ska få, så jag hoppas verkligen att det ska fastna. Det är roligt att så många fått upp ögonen för mina hundar, men också lite stressande eftersom jag gärna vill att det ska bli en valp till alla. Efter helgerna ska jag göra UL så får vi se hur det verkar. Håll tummarna!

Idefix har fått ett nytt hjärtintyg och är redo att ta emot intresserade damer. Han var lite till sig när Maya löpte, men Visas vällukt intresserar honom inte alls. Blandrasavel är han uppenbarligen för fin för att ägna sig åt... ;)

Annars har vi äntligen fått snö. Nu känns det lite roligare att försöka få fram julstämning inomhus! Jag har börjat så smått i köket, men än är mycket kvar. Ute på bron kom halmbocken fram idag. Den har redan hunnit sopas ner av glada labbesvansar vid två tillfällen, vi får väl se om den överlever julen.

Nu väntar Bridget Jones på mig på kanal 5! Trevlig kväll, du som läser detta!

Latest news!

I've been lazy lately, at least when it comes to my English blog. I had bad news some weeks ago when I got Melvin's X-ray results. He's got A hips but 0-2 on his elbows. That was rather shocking as he doesn't show one single sign of being in pain or anything (and thank heavens for that!). But, I've decided to treat him the same way as before - we take our long walks in the forest where he can run as he likes, we continue our field trial and obedience training and we have fun! He's a very active and happy dog and I love him for that. I'd rather let him have a shorter but happy life than a long and boring one.

His sister Vega's now X-rayed too. Her hips are B and her elbows 0, so Melvin's the only affected one so far. On emore to go now and then the whole litter's been X-rayed.

This weekend it's time for a field trial again. I'll start Visa tomorrow and Melvin on Sunday. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

More X-ray results

And now half of my latest litter has been X-rayed and it's looking good so far. All three have OK hips, two with A and one with B hips. And they all scored 0 on their elbows, which is wonderful. Now I'm just waiting for my own Melvin's results to come...

Puppies and X-ray results

So now Melvin is X-rayed. I think it looked good, from what I could see, but the Swedish Kennel Club haven't given their opnion yet. I guess I'll have the result by the end of next week. He had his eyes checked too and everything was just fine with them. I must say that I didn't expect anything else. :)

Even if I'm still waiting for Melvin's results, I've got the first result for the litter. It's his brother, Zipper (H. E Mizar) who was X-rayed one week earlier. He's got hips grade A and free elbows. A really good start, indeed! I just hope that the others will follow his example...

And so I've found the perfect match for Visa, or at least I think I have. She'll be having a date with FinFtCh SweFtCh Jummi-Jammin Frankenstein late December/early January. "Piki" is a very healthy black male - free hips and elbows, eyes Optigen normal/clear and also genotype N/N for EIC and CNM, which means that the puppies can never develop these diseases either. So, I hope I'll get another litter of healthy labs with lots of will to please, who'll be excellent companions for their new owners! :)

Looking for suitable male

I've started looking for a suitable male for Visa. It's not easy, I can tell you. Only the best is good enough for my princess! I'd like a labrador with classic looks, with qualifications from the field as well as from shows, with excellent hips and elbows, and tested Optigen normal/clear. I'd like him to be without any health related problems and of no risk for epilepsy or allergy. His litter mates shall of course have excellent hips and elbows as well. The only thing that doesn't matter is the colour. But I begin to wonder if such a dog exists... ;)

I've started to concentrate more on the field-trial training now. My plan is to start with Melvin and Visa on one or several tests this year. They're both doing good so far, but there are still improvements to be made.

By the end of August it's finally time for Melvin to be X-rayed and to have his eyes checked. I can't say that I look forward to it. He's such a sweet and adorable dog, I'd be heartbroken if anything's the matter with him. So, keep your fingers crossed for another good result from my breeding! :)

Visa is now SweTrCh!

On our way down south, we stopped in Sundsvall to do a tracking test. Visa lacked one first prize to become a SweTrCh and I wanted that title this year. So, Tuesday evening we met our good friend Katarina, who was our "supporter", and the judge. Visa did her best tracking job ever and ended up with a 1st prize with prize of honour. So now she can call herself (in Swedish) LPI SVCh Huset Elliots Visa! :)

Agility Winner!

This morning we went to Boden, as Stina was going to participate in agility competitions with both her dogs. Maya started in agility class 1 and was disqualified, just as last weekend. Today she found the judge very interesting and decided to get to know her a little bit better... But in the next class (jumping) she managed to get around and was placed 11 out of about 21 participating small dogs. That was a big step forward! But there was more to come!!! Idefix made a clear round, just as last weekend, but this time he was a bit faster and so he won the class. I can tell you that Stina's very happy tonight... We'll be back again tomorrow, hopefully with some more success :)

Here's a picture of the winning team:

Show result

So, dog show today for Maya and Stina. As always, Maya appeared to be rather small compared to the other bitches. And as always, she moved very well and behaved excellent in the ring, even though I believe she enjoys agility, tracking or obedience more. She got very nice remarks from the judge and got her first prize in Open class again (which means "Very good" in a more international perspective, I believe) but that was it. Stina also assisted another breeder by showing her champion male to 2nd best male and a R-CACIB so she was very pleased with her day.

The weather's very cold up here right now. Just as we got used to nearly +30 degrees C, the temperature's suddenly down to +10... :( Better for the dogs of course but still - it's July!!!

I realize that I have quite some foreign visitors on my website. I just wish that more would leave us a message in the guestbook, as I'd love to know who you are. So please, say hi to me! ;)

New results

Marie and Huset Elliots Zäta has been on a dog show today. Unfortunately, the judge found that Zäta needed to develop more for this class, so they ended up with a blue ribbon, which means 2nd prize.

Stina has participated in agility with both the Cavaliers today. It was Mayas first official competition. She got disqualified in both races due to different reasons, but she was in good company. It was quite hard so most dogs were disqualified today.

Idefix managed to pass all obstacles without any problems but it took a bit too long (especially the slalom). Still, they ended up on place 6 out of 12 (5 were disqualified).

Tomorrow it's time for Maya and Stina to enter the ring in a show, probably their last for this year. Keep your fingers crossed for them!

Obedience results

Stina and Idefix participated in one obedience test last Friday evening and another one on Sunday. Unfortunately they managed to get 0 points for one action both days, so they got 2nd prize both days. Now they'll just have to practise more, they're getting closer and closer to that magic 1st prize.

Tutan isn't well. I've visited the vet with her again and they've taken blood samples and some other tests. I'm not too optimistic about it but naturally I hope for the best. I love that dog (as I love all the rest) but I want her to have a full life and not a life with lots and lots of medicins and restrictions. Keep your fingers crossed for her!

Visa is looking really good at the moment and I haven't registered her to one single dog show this summer... :( But I'll change that! I've decided that we'll go to Rovaniemi in August and hopefully the Finnish judge will find her good-looking too.

Tonight there'll be agility training for the small dogs and tomorrow I'll have an open tracking training for those who like to try this. You'll find more information about this on my Swedish website in case you're interested.

Multipurpose Cavaliers!

Our Cavaliers aren't just increadibly cute, they have brains too. Today Stina's been training agility with both of them. They're very different in temperament, Idefix is a bit scared of hights so he doesn't like some of the balance obstacles, while as Maya doesn't seem to think at all, she just runs as fast as she can! Stina has to be very fast and handle her carefully, otherwise she makes her own decisions. But I believe that she can be a real star with some more practise. Idefix, on the other hand, prefers obedience training and can perform very well. We hope for that this weekend, as they're going to compete both on Friday and on Sunday. Keep your fingers crossed for them!

Tonight I've been out tracking with Melvin and Visa. They both did really well. Melvin nearly made me fall, I had put some meatballs in his track to make him work more carefully. He got very excited when he found the first one and ran in two circles around me before he continued. As he was in a 10 m rope, this could have ended in a small catastrophe. But - I'm still alive! ;)

Sad news

I have sad news. Due to different reasons, Visa hasn't been mated and thus, there'll be no puppies from her this time. Naturally, I'm a bit disappointed. Even though this means that we can work and compete for another 6 months or so, I was looking forward to have puppies in the house again. And the kids are really disappointed, especially the two youngest ones. But I have some other puppy plans, I'll let you know as soon as I've figured it all out.

To stop thinking about puppies, we did some obedience training today and Visa just loved it. So I hope to be able to start in class 2 again within a couple of weeks. Melvin had some training too and found it great fun. Though we need a lot of practice before it's time for a competition. A lot!

Tutan isn't quite well and, as always, I'm a bit worried. But I hope she may be cured with just some antibiotics this time.

Changed plans!

I've spent the last two days looking for a new male for Visa. Due to health issues, there'll be no litter with the chocolate male as I've written on my puppy page. I'll give you more information about my plans later. Right now I'm just very tired...

Puppy plans

So, Visa has started bleeding and that means that I have to start making plans. I've now been in contact with Gunnar's owner to settle a date and I've found a place to sleep not far from where they live, thanks to Heidi. So, next Sunday Visa and I will be on our way! And hopefully we'll get labrador puppies in the house in the middle of August. :)

It's not always easy...

Today I've gained a new experience and I've done it the hard way. I've realized that Finland's one hour ahead of us. I've also learned how to drive to Pello in Finland, because that's the location of the dog show where we were going to show the Cavaliers today. But due to my bad driving, or at least my bad habit of not reading the traffic signs careful enough, we didn't get there in due time. We managed to show Maya in her class and she got a 1st prize (EH) and won her class (she was the only one). But the males were finished when we got there. I entered the ring with Idefix when the breed was finished and he too got a 1st prize (EH). He would have got excellent (ERI) had he been happier. But he doesn't like heights and has decided that it includes the table :( He also had to keep an eye on his beloved Stina all the time, so he probably looked a bit more frightened than he actually was, as he kept looking out of the ring.

Many lessons learned today. We also learned that Stina will show Idefix nest time, because then he won't have to look for her all the time. I'll go back to being a labrador handler :)

New pics of Idefix in my website. I'll add one here in case you've missed them.

Show result

Yesterday I was on a dog show with our little Cavalier lady - Maya. Her usual handler, Stina, was at the same time participating in an agility course with Idefix. In some weak moment, I promised to show Maya. I can say that I regretted that yesterday, when all my nerves seemed to be outside my body! Suddenly I remembered last time Maya participated in a dog show in the very same place. That was last year and she did nothing but ran around in little circles, the short time she was in the ring. She had to leave pretty soon, as the judge didnät appreciate her "performance"...

I wasn't in a better mood when I first followed Stina to the agility training and Maya started screaming and shivering as soon as she saw the obstacles. How would this day end?

But of course, I didn't have to worry. Maya is a princess and she acted like one yesterday. She showed herself perfectly well, dispite my bad nerve condition, and let the judge look at her from every angle possible while standing on the table. She got a first prize in Open class but nothing more. There were over 20 bitches in the class so we're satisfied, especially as the judge's opinion of Maya was really nice to read. :)

I end by giving you a photo of the little princess at a very young age, when she wasn't quite that ladylike... ;)

Obedience Diploma!

Today it was time for an obedience Trail again for Visa and me. She was happy as always and this time I managed to control myself better. She was a little bit too happy sometimes, the tail was wagging a lot and she forgot to sit down. But we scored 183 points out of 200 and were placed as number 4 out of 19. So I can't complain! This also meant another first prize and, as she now has three 1st prizes, she got her obedience diploma in class I. That means that from now on she's got her title - LPI Huset Elliots Visa. Good girl! :)

Our little princess

I should have written here long ago, but I tend to forget that I have an English blog as well. Sorry.

Melvin recovered quickly after his little "adventure" at the vet. He just had to spend the night there and get some treatment. Obviously he had eaten something unhealthy, but fortunately nothing that harmed him physically, except then for some sickness and diarrhoea :(

We took some pictures of Maya last week. Unfortunately, only one was good (I'm not a very good photographer...). But isn't she pretty, our little princess?

Happy Easter, or...?

Easter time. The weather has been rather boring, but I've taken long walks with the dogs and hoped for the sun to come. On Friday, Melvin ate something under a tree, I don't know what it was and I don't think that I want to know it either. But obviously it wasn't too healthy. :( Yesterday he felt a bit sick in the morning so the breakfast came up. He was not affected in any other way, so I didn't bother much, but decided not to give hom any more food. Then in the evening he got worse and late yesterday evening he couldn't even keep small amounts of water. So we took him to the vet and he's spent the night there. I hope he'll recover soon and that he won't need an operation; I want him back home!

So, I guess the words "Happy Easter" isn't exactly what comes into my mind right now. But I can always hope for the rest of you that you have a really Happy Easter!

Obedience Trial

So, last Sunday it was time for me and Visa to participate in an obedience trial, our first this year. My original aim was to participate in class 3 with my other labrador, Tutan, but as I didn't find her prepared enough for that class, I chose to start in class 1 with Visa instead. And Visa wasn't too unhappy about my decision, rather the contrary. She loves obedience trials, sometimes she gets even a little bit too happy...

The circumstances weren't optional, the ground was very wet and muddy and lots of dogs didn't want to lie down while their owner was walking. Visa too had problems with that, but I must say that I am to blaim for our low points here. I got a complete blackout, used the wrong intonation and the wrong tune so she got very confused and I had to use two commands. I realized it as soon as the word came out of my mouth, but then it was too late. So very unnecessary!

Anyway, thanks to my wonderful 4-legged companion, we got a score of 169.5 (of maximum 200), which means a 1st prize and we were also placed 7 out of 25 competitors. So overall I'm very pleased. She scored a maximum 10 in lying still, teeth checking, recall, fetching and jumping.

One more first prize to go in class 1 and then we have the title LP1. I think we'll go for that, but I also hope that we can compete in class 2 before it's time for her to go on maternity leave. :)

Planned litter

Now we're planning a labrador litter this year! My bitch, Huset Elliots Visa, will be mated to FinUCh Upwards Goodwill Gunnar , a brown male with hips, elbows and eyes OK and Optigen normal/clear. As Visa also is Optigen normal/clear, the puppies will be so as well.



Gunnar is a healthy, good-looking and gentle male with a great deal of will-to-please. He has got qualifications from field trial and obedience, as well as good show results (as is shown by his title). My aim is another litter healthy and sound labradors, with lots of will-to-please and classic labrador looks. If you're interested to know some more, please don't hesitate to contact me.

A picture of Gunnar is shown above.

Back from Crufts

And so we're back from Crufts. Actually, we've been back for five days now but I haven't had time to write. Until now.

So, what can I say about Crufts? That it was - marvellous! It was a much bigger and better experience than I had ever dreamt of. I'm normally no big fan of dog shows but this was so much more - shows, shopping (lots of shopping!), entertainment, dogs... It was impressing and we'll definately be back; soon, I hope. :)

What struck me most was that everything was so well-organized. Lots and lots of dogs and still very clean. And no queueing! Not for food, not to the toilets, not to get in... Amazing!

Being in England again was wonderful too. I love that country! I love the language, the friendly people, the climate, everything. Well, not the food perhaps. But if I should ever move somewhere, I think I'd move to England. Though Stina won't come with me, as she didn't like the idea of wearing a school uniform... ;)

Now that we're back home again, life's back to normal. Stina caught a cold so she's been home for a couple of days. I've been working, how unusual... But I'm glad that the jobs keep dropping in to my mailbox.

I've also spent some more time looking for a male for Visa. And I think I may have found mr Right. So keep an eye on my puppy side, I'll put the information there as soon as it's official.

I'll end here by showing you another picture of Idefix' puppies, of course. The two tricolours are still available...

Have a nice weekend!

Crufts next!

Our trip to Birmingham and Crufts is getting closer. Only three more days now, on Wednesday morning we'll leave Luleå. It's hard to believe that we're nearly there, we've been waiting for this for so long. Lot's of packing to do before that though... I can't quite figure out what to wear, I guess there won't be lots of snow and minus 16 degrees in Birmingham! :)

My dear friend Vigdis from Norway reported that here trip to Sweden is going well. Her labrador bitch Vimsa is now successfully mated to SwFtCH Sneezing Duck's The Night's On Fire and hopefully there'll be black labrador puppies in the beginning of May.

I'll end this by giving you another picture of the Cavalier puppies at kennel Laipo's, sired by our male Idefix. Aren't they cute?

Puppy visit

Now we've been to see Idefix' first litter at kennel Laipo's. Such adorable little things! The two tricolours had lovely heads, though a little dark on their backs. But the little blenheim bitch had all tha spots and dots in the right places and was just like a little caramel.

Naturally, we took lots of photos. I haven't had time to check mine yet, but Stina has so I'll put some of hers in the blog to show you. Aren't they lovely?

The puppies are here!

I am proud to announce that our male Cavalier, Idefix, now is the proud father of three puppies (two tricolors and one blenheim), born at kennel Laipo's. Both parents are healthy and sound with an excellent heart background. For more information, please visit my puppy page or kennel Laipo's website.

My new blog!

It's time for a new challenge in life - a blog in English! It'll probably be interesting for... absolutely no one, but it'll give me an opportunity to practise my English and to believe that I communicate to the world about my life, my family and my dogs. It'll probably mostly contain information about my dogs.

If you visit my homepage, you'll see that I breed labradors and have done so since 1996. My aim is to breed so called dual purpose labs, with qualifications from both shows and field trials. Since I enjoy training and just being with the dogs, I also practise some obedience and blood tracking.

At the moment I have three labs in the house - Tutan, who's 7, Visa, who's 4 and then young Melvin, who's just 9 months old.

My daughter Stina also loves dogs and have two sweet Cavalier king Charles spaniels, a blenheim male called Idefix who's now 4, and a tricolor bitch named Maya, who'll soon have her second birthday.

You're all very welcome to read more about us on my homepage: www.huset-elliot.com And I hope to be back here soon!

Best regards,
Marie