Living with Liska

Feeling especially springy!

2011-05-10T09:42:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long wait, this has been a crazy semester for the two students in the family!

Vojak, on the other hand, has had some relaxing months, but he’s done well helping the two-legged get a proper amount of physical activity and fresh air each day. It’s sorely needed when spending the rest of the day nose burried in books and study material.

For Christmas, Vojak godt his very own rucksack, and he bears it proudly for walks in the forest, although he doesn’t always remember it’s hanging there so he tends to get caught up a bit in bushes, fences and other obstacles along the way! We have not been intensifying the load very much in this time. We started just by adjusting the sac and letting Vojak get used to having this foreign element on his body, and with this we had no problem at all. As I already mentioned, he hardly even notices it’s there, so that’s a job done easy for us!

We’re currently up to about 1 kg total, a half kilo on each side, for what he can carry. Usually we have him carry water bottles – one for him and one for us, or some of his snacks. He does such a good job, and the goal is for him to be able to carry his own food for when we go for longer hikes.

It’s been great having Vojak turn the magical 1 year old, we’ve been enjoying being able to jog with him this winter and spring. We got a great jogger-belt and an elastic leash for Christmas too, and it’s amazing how much easier the hard uphill running gets when you have your own Vojak pulling in front!

We’ve also been teaching him tricks on our free time, and he’s a fast learner. His newest hits are the walking-tunnel, the sit-in-tunnel, and some new obedience tasks that we’ve been working on. Yesterday, he put the ball back into the toy-box after playing outside for the first time – we’ve been practicing that for a couple of days, and it just looks really cool!

The water has warmed up to a nice temperature now in the lake Bukovec, so we’ve been taking him there for swims to let him cool down on hot days, and to help making coat shedding a bit faster this spring. There’s a hope now that we won’t have to spend the whole summer picking Vojak-hairs out of our dinner. Now that’s what good times look like if you own a Tervueren!

And one more thing – ticks!! Why do they keep coming back every year? I wish they’d just stay somnolent and quiet like they so pleasantly do during winter time. Vojak’s now equipped with both a tick-collar and spot-on, but they keep turning up! I’m pretty sure they’re extra aggressive this year, seeing as we made do with just the collar last season without making any unpleasant encounters. When the season is over, we’ll do blood work and see if there’s anything to worry about. Until then it’s probably best not to be fanatic – both Babesiosis and Borreliosis are easily treatable if the blood work should turn out positive.

HD-A! It is official!

2010-12-16T04:53:00.000-08:00

Vojak is free of hip dysplasia. He got the diagnosis HD-A on both hips. Me and Halldor went to the clinic today, and we picked up the official papers from the professor.

We are really happy about the good news; this means we can do everything we've dreamed of doing with Vojak. There will be agility, trekking, jogging, frisbee-playing and possible breeding waiting for him in his years to come! If he only knew all the fun he's going to have!

Here's a picture of his hips. It's not easy to see anything now that it's not on a proper screen. But at least you'll know now you're looking at perfection!

A vetty Christmas month

2010-12-15T09:08:00.000-08:00

It's been a while. Again. But that only means there's more to tell.
We've had a busy autumn, with exams and tests piling up, but we've had time for some wonderful outdoor experiences too. The first snow has fallen, and it seems to be staying for a while. I've never seen a happier dog than Vojak on the first day after snowfall! It seems he has missed it, since his first puppy months in Kosice were all about playing around in the cold, white powder covering his world. He can just walk around in the snow, scoping it up with his mouth and enjoying for once to be able to eat his daily water intake instead of just drinking it like any regular dog. But snow makes our little boy happy, and that's what it's all about.

During this autumn, Vojak's had some intestinal troubles. He's been on different cures to deal with an intermittent diarrhea, but after being on expensive pharmacy feeds for a month, we have now put him on Royal Canine Maxi sensible, which seems to be working perfectly! No runny or pasteous feces what so ever. Hooray! The only drawback is that he should have been on the puppy feed for a couple of more months. But from what I've learned from my Nutrition and Dietetics teacher, I can't see what nutrients he'd be missing out on. And a diarrhea free dog on adult food is obviously a whole lot better than a dog with a semi-upset intestine on puppy food!

Apart from this feed-victory, we've recently gotten his hips X-rayed for hip dysplasia. We've only done it as a precaution, and for two main reasons; that we may want to breed on him when he gets old enough, and that we are planning to sign up to train agility after Christmas.
My radiology teacher let me assist in the X-ray procedure, but I still have to find him to know the results, because the proper HD diagnosis can only be made after several measurements and calculations based on the angle of the head of the femur toward the acetabulum (socket) of the hip joint. The radiologist will fill out the official papers for us, and then we'll know for sure the state of his hip joints. I got a sneak peak at the X-rays before they went into the file for the diagnostic procedure, and to my still untrained eye it looked quite good.

We will post the results when we receive them from the veterinary clinic.

During the X-ray procedure, we discovered that Vojak does not respond to sedatives according to book standards. He got only half a dose of the sedative, and it didn't seem to work, so we just started the procedure with him half-awake. It worked out well enough, he was awake during the whole thing but didn't mind much. But a good 40 minutes after the shot, when the procedure was finished and we lifted him off the table, he sunk together like a pudding. And he stayed that way for most of the day. We were a bit worried, so we made sure to stay with him the whole time. He vomited a couple of times and looked quite shabby, but when we all woke the next morning he was his old self again - and really hungry after only being offered rice the night before!

Vojak learns to fly

2010-10-18T04:26:00.000-07:00

This video is from this weekend, when we for the first time got Vojak to jump up into our arms! The first time, I just tried to get my arms around him once he was jumping to reach the tennis ball we were playing with. But he learns really quickly - once we'd done it a few times with the ball as a treat, he now does it with just the command. And it looks amazingly cool! His tunnel move has also (not intentionally though) been captured in this film.

Summer highlights

2010-09-25T04:46:00.000-07:00

We spent two wonderful months of summer holidays in Norway, and just got back to Slovakia
and daily student (and dog) life.
Vojak got himself a herd of fans back in Norway, waiting to see him next summer, or even this Christmas if possible. My family's German shepherd bitch fell hard in love with him, and went looking for him around the house when he was gone.
Anyway, these are Vojak's and our summer highlights:

1. Flying from Budapest to Norway
- went very well! No barking, no whining, just happy to get out of the cage after the flight.

2. Elisabeth and Halldor got married

- not a particularly big day for Vojak, but such a big day for us that it has to be mentioned!

3. Learned to swim, or more correctly; learned to love it!

- Bringing back sticks from the water is the favorite past time of my parents dog, and Vojak could not see himself beaten by a girl, and therefore had to splash into the lake with her!

4. Went to Førde on holiday

- had a great weekend, where Vojak got to use his new swimming skills in the sea. He met a lot of live fish and encountered his first crabs. Scary, but hard to resist!

5. Excelled in his first dog show

- during our weekend in Førde, we spent one day in Karmøy where we'd signed the little one up for a puppy show. He was judged by danish judge Kitty Sjong, and won titles BOB (best of breed) puppy, and came in 2nd BIG (best in group). We got a little critique from the judge for not having the appropriate leash and stuff, but she was obviously charmed anyway. And we promised to get it for next time... We might have done a couple of wrongs, but Vojak was brilliant; we're very proud of him!

6. Spent time with friends and family

'

- met a lot of old favourites for the second time, and made many new friends during the course of the holidays.

7. Became familiar with sitting in the trunk of a car
- had some problems with this in the beginning, but after many repetitions he has now learned that driving equals adventure, and is happy to jump in whenever the trunk door's being opened! Which is good, because our little family just scraped together enough money to buy a car this autumn. A white Skoda Fabia combi, with lots of space in the back for Vojak.

8. Went back to Slovakia, only to get bitten by a wild boar on the first day back!
- Obviously, our usual walking terrain had not been used during the summer, because Vojak had the most crazy experience his first day back.
It could have gone really wrong when he suddenly got crazy about a new smell and ran into some bushes just beside the road. Two seconds later, there was the obvious stink of male pig, and Vojak whimpered.

Instincts took over fast, and me and Halldor ran toward the bushes, screaming our throats hoarse to scare the pig off. And we were lucky. Vojak was soon visible again; he'd gotten away with a few scratches and a bitten thigh. He limped markedly and we found some wounds that didn't look very nice. But the vet, who luckily lives next door to us, gave him strong antibiotics and anti-inflammatories, and a week later he was fine, the limping all gone and his curiosity back on track.
No need to say, we're keeping a close watch on him now, whenever an exciting smell gets him high. And for Gods sake, keep your dog out of the bushes!

I think that's all the notable stuff that happened this summer. Now were back in school, Vojak's met his dog friends again. Of course, his best friend Belle is sorely missed.. But we hope she's doing great things in Israel, keeping Lihi company in her new life as a vet!

Summer getting closer

2010-06-01T02:07:00.000-07:00

It's the exam period. That's my excuse both for not writing anything for a while, and for actually writing something now!
Vojak has grown a lot, and is currently discovering the wonderful world of puberty. Which means that if he's not either horny, overexcited or just stubborn - he's probably asleep! Actually, to be honest, he's not that bad. He just started to absolutely love the smell of female dogs in their heat, and he is trying to push the limits a bit to see what we'll allow him to do... Yesterday as I came home from uni, I found him chilling out on the sofa with a pack of dog snacks that he'd teared apart. That's what I call a teenager!

Kosice has been attacked by bad weather the last weeks. We've had beautiful summer mornings that have turned into an inferno of rain and thunder by mid day, and I've lost count on how many times we've been woken up during the night by thunder shrells.
Vojak loves being out in the rain, and we have the forest nearby, we've been up there a lot training him to search for and scare up pheasants. Of course, we don't hunt or anything, so it's just because we like to explore the wildlife, and pheasants are such grand birds!

I said before that I'd like to see him swim before summer, but the river is still so flooded and the current so strong that I'm glad he's not jumping in when we go to the park. We want his first real swim to be as pleasant as possible, so that he'll be encouraged to do it again and again...

This week we're taking the antibody titer test to see if he's developed enough antibodies agains rabies virus to be able to come with me to Norway when I leave in a couple of weeks. Probably all will go well, but we had a problem with Liska who never developed any antibodies, and somewhere inside I'm scared it's going to repeat itself with Vojak. So everybody; fingers crossed tomorrow!!

BbZZzzzzzzz.....

2010-04-15T05:55:00.000-07:00

That sound is all it takes these days for Vojak to go completely berserk! He was bit by a bumblebee one of the first days of spring, and it must have made a serious impression on our baby boy, who before that had never even seen a fly before. If you want to disturb his concentration, the bumblebee sound is all it takes. That is what happens, I guess, if you're born and raised during winter season. The spring with all it's life can be pretty scary!

But not everything about the spring scares the little one. There have been such waterfall here lately, that the normally shallow river was flooding when we went to the park today. Vojak usually always jumps into the water to play and cool off after a walk, and so he splashed out in it today. Only he didn't take the high water into account, and he looked quite surprised when he had to swim a few strokes to get back on land! I would have thought that would keep him far away from the river for the rest of the walk, but no...he was very eager to get back in, and very curious as to what these currents in the water were. The currents were harsh today, so I didn't let him get in a second time, but I'm looking forward to going swimming with him when the water is calmer.

Me and Halldor have recently been trying to get Vojak to open doors in the flat. Currently it's not going that well, and seeing the flat the other day when we'd been gone a couple of hours I'm thinking that might be a good thing. Vojak has gotten so big that when he stands on his back legs he can reach a lot of forbidden things in the shelves of our living room. Napkins, blankets, wedding invites and books are no longer safe, and today while cleaning I made sure to put the most important things one shelf up to protect them from the little monster. We'll see how long it lasts...

Vojak tracking Kristin

2010-04-03T09:42:00.000-07:00

Here is a video of Vojak searching for Halldor's sister, Kristin, who hid in the bushes.
Kari and Kristin stayed here for four days, and there are some really cute pictures from their time here with us and Vojak in the "Pictures" site.

Puppies...they grow up so fast...

2010-03-15T06:38:00.000-07:00

Me and Vojak just came home from a couple of hours in the park and at school. Vojak got on the weight again down at the clinic, and this time it stopped at 14.4 kilos. He's becoming a big boy, and all too fast!
In the park he had his first close encounter with the river. I went in as far as my wellies allowed me, and after first looking at me for a while, his eyes clearly saying: "I knew it. Mum's finally gone crazy!", he came running after to see what was going on. He loved it, and went mad after - just ran around and jumped in the air!

A couple of weeks ago we had my mother and two sisters visiting. We had a wonderful time, and Vojak grew very fond of his grandma and his aunties Karen Kristine and Maria! He did not have one boring second while they were in the house, and since he's not really used to getting mine and Halldor's full attention at all times, he actually slept longer than we did in the mornings. How great is that!?
Unfortunately, they didn't stay more than a short week, and I think Vojak really felt that they left a hole when they went back to Norway.

Vojak has lost some teeth, and gained some new ones since I last wrote, and I find it really fascinating to try and get a hold of those he loses to investigate how they look. He hasn't lost his canines yet, and they are small, so he looks really cute with his new, big incisors!I collect the teeth I find or help out of his mouth in a small cup, and I think I collected 6 out of 12, which I think is fairly good work, seeing as I never found a single one of Liska's teeth when she was a baby...
He also got up one pair of molars in his upper jaw, and one in the lower. They are massive! He really looks like a carnivore with those, I'll tell you that.

It's easy to see him developing these days, it all goes so fast. What I like the most is the way he understands more every day. He's good at remembering names - his favourite ones except mine and Halldor's being Belle and Chucha, his best friends in the dog world. Whenever I say one of their names, he runs for the door totally alert and ready to go play!He's also interested in all else that moves around him, and he can sit on the balcony for as long as it takes me to hang out the laundry and just watch people in the street, or birds singing in the trees outside. Totally enchanted.
The biggest problem with training him right now is his eagerness to go play with every dog we meet. We've been experimenting with super-treats and fun toys for every time he chooses to stay with us instead of running out to play, and it seems to be working according to plan. He is almost as crazy about food as he is about playing, and you can see how hard it sometimes is for him to decide, although in the end he somehow jumps to the right conclusion...well, most of the time anyway!

Dogs hate to be given baths, don't they?

2010-02-09T05:15:00.000-08:00

At least, that's what experience raising 3 dogs have taught me. But with Vojak that's all turned upside down! He loves to be bathed. He loves attacking and drinking the water sprinkle from the shower, and he loves the warm water on his feet. And more than anything he loves the squeeky shoe he's only allowed to play with in the bathtub. It's amazing to have a puppy where the trouble is not getting him into the tub, but rather to pick him up and get him out of there again! Just watch him playing with Halldor as he's getting his bath a couple of weeks ago. It's a good thing he doesn't have anything against the tub, because he has to be in there quite a lot these days. The snow is half a meter deep outside and Vojak gets his stomach and thighs full of snowballs every time we are out playing. These, of course, have to be removed with a good spash of warm water after every round of playing outside...
Vojak got his rabies vaccine last week, and he'll be ready for Norway in July, which we're very happy about! We also got a general check-up at the clinic, and Vojak is a bundle of health. He weighs 10 kilos as of yesterday, and is gaining weight by the week. No wonder really, we never saw a dog so happy to see the food be put on the ground. He eats it up so fast it's like it was never there - and then he looks at us with those eyes, like saying: "Wasn't there more!?"
For now, we're giving him Royal Canin Maxi Babydog food, and although we've heard some criticism about their products lately, I have to say Vojak's doing wonderful on it. I don't know what to believe when it comes to pet food quality, everyone seems to have an opinion and I reckon the best thing to do is just feed them what you already do if they seem happy and healthy on it. At least that's a whole lot better than changing fodder every time there's a new number one in some review!

We've had a couple of days in Martin, where we used to live, so that Vojak could meet some of Liska's old buddies. Unfortunately, we didn't get to spend a lot of time with everyone. Vojak got bitten by a Staffordshire puppy, a really cute girl with razor sharp teeth. It was unprovoced and quite scary, although he bled for just a moment and then ran on, happy as before. Mothers will be mothers, and I felt my heart in my throat as I registered what had happened. Luckily, Anniken was fast to take control of the situation, and it never got serious due to her reacting so quickly. We stayed with Anniken and Angel for two nights, and the two dogs got along really well. We're looking forward to play with them again next time, as well as we're looking forward to Vojak getting better aquainted with the rest of the Dog club dogs. I'm sure he'll be having a lot of fun with Pax, Kira and Ariel too in the future!

One month with Vojak

2010-01-28T23:38:00.000-08:00

Lively, unafraid, mischievous, hungry, friendly, beautiful, playful and with razor sharp teeth - we have a new carnivore in the house!
Vojak has done wonders for us after he moved into our flat. Days seem lighter, moods are better, but...well, nights seem shorter, for some reason!?
Vojak is just a big ball of energy. He's already faster than we are, and he takes every obstacle around the house as a challenge. He'll be opening doors as soon as he's tall enough, and I'm sure he'll be able to open the cupbord door to where his food is in not very long now..
He really loves to eat, and in the morning when we've been out for the first pee and poop and me and Halldor really would like to stay in bed just one hour more, Vojak has no mercy on us. It's food time, and he's ready!
We've been busy with socializing him this past month, and he really has gotten a lot of friends both on four legs and on two. The children in the building are all very fond of him, and they often come to the garden whenever we're out to play, just to have a cuddle! And guess who loves the attention!? We've also worked on getting him used to different environments; he's been to vet school and charmed all my teachers, he's also been with us to the city, to the clinic, in the park, the forest, the hills, the noisy guard-dog neighbourhoods...you name it! And he's dealing well with all of it.
In a couple of days we'll be going to the clinic again to get him his rabies vaccine, which he can only get after the age of 3 months. I'm hoping he'll be as easy going then as he was for his last vaccine. If all goes as planned, we can take him to Norway in July - fingers crossed!

Memories - thank you, Liska

2010-01-10T03:37:00.000-08:00

It's been a while, and that has it's reasons.
This autumn we learned that Liska had cancer, only 1 year and 8 months old! It was a great shock to us that such a healthy-looking and energetic dog could be that sick. It all started with some sneezing, which we consulted a veterinarian about. After a while, the sneezing was followed by swelling in the nasal region. We demanded that they took an x-ray, and it turned out she had something as odd as an ameloblastoma, a benign cancer in the oral cavity connected to the dental development.
Liska had surgery to remove the tumor, but only got worse. She died quietly the week after, and we asked for a pathology. It turned out the cancer in the mouth wasn't the only thing wrong in that small body of hers. She'd suffered from multiple tumors of multiple origins spread throughout most of her body. Her body was so totally worn out when she finally died, that it's almost unbelievable she could keep going as long as she did, looking so healthy and thriving to our eyes. She must have been fighting it so hard, for so long, while fooling us all with her joy for life and her unstoppable energy.

I think loosing Liska has been one of the most difficult times in my life, and it's still difficult to realize she's gone for good. Still, I'm glad the suffering she must have felt finally came to an end, and that she got to find peace while being held and cared for by the ones she loved, her "pack".

Dear Liska,
being my first dog, you've meant so much to me that it's impossible to really explain it. You've been the best friend in the world, and that's a bond nothing can break, not even something as consistent as death.
I like to picture you in dog heaven, looking down on us as you take a break from doing all those things you love - jumping high, running fast, chasing cats and catching balls!
Wherever you are, I'll never forget all those special moments and memories we had together the short time you got to spend down here. All the hours we spent together playing hide and seek in the fields, your crazy flights to get the frisbee before it touched ground, and exploring the world together every day.
You are the most special dog I've ever met - the most loyal and caring dog, and the most playful one too! Not one day went by that you didn't let me know how much I meant to you.
I remember picking you up in Zabovresky when you were only a baby - the wildest and most lovable baby puppy I'd ever seen. I remember how I was supposed to bring home one of your sisters, but instead ended up with you - because that was just how it was supposed to be. And not one moment have I regretted it. Even though our time together was much too short, there's no one else I'd rather spent it with!

I remember how you came to Slovak class with me in the beginning, because you were not happy being away from me too much.
And I remember how you later used to look for me and Halldor through the window of our flat, waiting for us to come back - or just checking if the coast was clear to do some mischief!?
When I think of you, I remember all those happy moments seeing you grow up to become that wonderful dog that everyone who got to know you, couldn't help falling in love with..
You didn't only mean the world to me, you also lightened up the days and lives of all your other friends who loved you, and who you loved back.

We just brought home a new, little baby. Vojak's from Zabovresky too, and I think you'd really like him. He's unlike you in so many ways, but on the inside he's the same material as you, and having him around keeps all those wonderful memories alive.

Thank you, Liska, for giving us all those wonderful moments and adventures to remember you by!

What happens in Roudnice...

2009-06-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

Of course, in the time of exams nothing feels better than updating ones blog!

Since the last update, our family of three went for our first real road trip.
The car was rented for the weekend, and as it had no air conditioning whatsoever, we were sweaty and happy to finally reach our destination after a day and a half of driving on country roads.
We put up our tent just by the track, at a sweet camping-place just by the river Labe, which runs through the beautiful old town of Roudnice - location of the Belgian Shepherd World Championship of 2009.

People came to Roudnice from all corners of the world. Cars from Netherlands, France, Germany and Sweden were parked outside the show grounds, where beautiful Belgians could be observed mastering sports like agility, mondioring and tracking, and where eager dog-lovers stood in line to pay up for their dog's chance to win 1st prize in exhibition!

As we stood there, ready to part from the 50 € it was going to cost us to walk our three exclusive rounds with the dog on a leash, we had no idea that the hard work we had done on brushing off all of Liska's winter fur the day before would actually harm her chances!
It wasn't until we came home again that we found out from the Norwegian Kennel Club's data that it could be not less than disqualifying for a Belgian to be put on show without underfur. News for us! Liska got away with a "Very good" diploma, also reminding us how little we indeed know about dog-shows, as it says conclusively; "Completely out of coat today!"

The judge was very fond of Líska though, and as we went to talk with her after the show, she had only good things to say. I would not be surprised if she'd let Líska get to the top if she had just not shed her fur yet! We had a lot of fun that weekend anyway. Halldor was completely fascinated by the activities on the mondioring track, and I hardly get tired of letting the agility dogs and their masters impress me!

And the town of Roudnice Nad Labem is a sight - a typical Czech small-town with a town center that lets you believe (for a short time only) that you're in a city of some size, with just farmlands upon farmlands stretching out around it!
We might just take a trip to visit it again.

I would love to write more, but Liska hurt her paw and I should go tend to it - and then maybe study a bit for my physiology exam before today is over and panic enters the building...

-F-R-I-S-B-E-E-

2009-03-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

Liska just loves anything that flies, runs or is thrown. After being obsessed with tennis balls for a long time now, we switched her over to frisbees a couple of weeks ago. She just loves it! Playing in the field the other day, we happened to stumble over her old frisbee; the one she had when she was a puppy. It seemed so big when I got it for her when she was a baby, but now it looks surprisingly small. I did not realize before how much she has grown since last summer! Wow! Have a look at her play, though. She's still undoubtedly just a playful little puppy girl!

A short update on all of us!

2009-02-19T11:15:00.001-08:00

It's not only Elisabeth living with Liska anymore. She found the love of her life, got engaged, and after Christmas Halldor moved in and "adopted" Liska.
The weather here has been great the last couple of weeks - we've been up to our knees in powder snow. Liska loves playing in the snow, with the snow and even under the snow. Her favorite winter game is when we hide the ball and she gets to search for it through the snow. When she finally get the scent and finds it she's the happiest girl in the world!

When it comes to diet, it's all working out as expected. She's gained the weight she needs, and her coat and build looks great! We're very satisfied with her, and with BARF - and she's more than satisfied with the food she gets these days. Chicken necks and wings proved to be delicacies - and veggies are not that bad either once you get a bit of offal blended in with them.

Some weeks ago, we thought we had a flea infestation at our feet. Nasty stuff... Both Liska and Dagmar scratched themselves like crazy, and soon the humans fell victim to the great Placebo effect and started scatching away as well...after a while all our self-provided red scratch marks made it look like there had actually been biting activity! (Now that's just sick...) After shampooing the dogs with an anti-parasite shampoo we got rid of the pest, if there ever was one. The humans were, no doubt, hardest to turn over. We still feel like scratching from time to time, just to make sure!

Little miss Carnivore

2009-01-11T13:05:00.001-08:00

Happy new year!! This Christmas, Liska has been staying in Martin without her mother - at the sweetest kennel ever. She stayed there together with Dagmar, my friends 5 months old mixed-breed puppy, and apparently they both had a really good time there. The only downside to it was that Liska, once again, stopped eating her dog food. I've been trying a lot of different food brands lately - all of them are quite popular the first day or two, but then gradually go out of interest. I got her back skinny as ever a week ago, but luckily happy and healthy in every other way.
I have, for some time now, considered feeding her the B.A.R.F diet, based on raw meat, bones and vegetables. When I got her back from her kennel holidays, I decided to go for it - all the way. For one week now, all she has eaten is chicken necks and backs, vegetable purees and organ meat from different animals. I have been feeding her according to a nutrition plan that I got from an experienced B.A.R.F-er in Norway, and so far I'm very satisfied. She has put on quite some weight just during this week, and looks a lot more healthy - and this food does not seem to go out of interest either (knock on wood..!). Once she got the hang of chewing bones properly, she's been all over her food the moment I serve it to her. The most eager supporters of the B.A.R.F diet promise me a dog with a healthy weight, full and shiny fur and good appetite!
I am not yet experienced enough to recommend the diet to others, but I will keep you posted, and in the mean time I cross my fingers for success.

And, by the way, Liska rounded the magical 12 months yesterday, and is finally ready to start her agility training. We are looking forward to a spring time at the track!

She is also, right now, at her 2nd rutting season - meaning she's been acting the flirtatious bitch of the flock for a week or two. She got her season while at the kennel, meaning the girl watching her and Dagmar had to put her own male dog on a leash a lot of the time. I'm really satisfied, however, that Liska's still very obedient even though her hormones are running wild, making it possible for me to let her run the fields without her leash on - even with all the horny dogs of Martin just a stone throw away!

Liska the beauty queen

2008-11-05T08:46:00.000-08:00

Now we've done the show thing too. Actually, Liska did quite well and got a "Very promising" title from the judge, just with a message to me about training her better for the ring. I'm not sure how much time we're gonna use on that, but we have planned some training dates with Anniken and Angel. I really want to bring her to a show arranged by the Belgian Shepherd club in Slovakia, where we can meet more people who are crazy about this never-resting, beautiful breed! We had a great weekend in Nitra though. Me and Liska rented a car together with our good friends Anniken, Mark and Angel. The show went particularly well for Angel, who won a Best Of Breed (BOB) in the standard poodle class. Congratulations, Angel! It was well deserved both of dog and owner. For me, it was a real kick hearing all these wonderful things about Liska from people who really know their stuff. Lots of Belgian shepherd owners came up to us and complimented her exterior and behavior, and I was and still am very proud of my little girl!

Finally some good news!

2008-10-30T07:03:00.000-07:00

The vet took a new blood test to check for rabies antibodies in September, and today I got the results back and it's official - Liska has developed antibodies! Sure I can't take her home for Christmas anyway, but this means her body isn't resistant to the vaccination. She'll be able to travel with me to Norway in the summer!

Also, we are getting ready for Nitra this week-end, where Liska is going to sweep everyone off their feet in the dog show we're attending. So tonight, she is going to get the royal treatment. I'm gonna give her a nice bath with her new shampoo, clip her claws and brush her fur until it's as shiny as pure gold... Wish us luck, and cross all your limbs this Saturday!

Sick October nights

2008-10-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

Me and Liska have both been really sick tonight, and I'm pretty sure it has something to do with food we ate. But then, come to think of it, we hardly ever eat the same food. Liska isn't allowed to eat food from my table, and I very seldom get so hungry that I need to feast on her ProPlan pellets! Today has been such a weird day for both of us. No long walks, we've just been flat out on the bed both of us until now, when Liska finally got to get out of the house for a run with Halldor. I cross my paws for the success of it. And I'm sure it's going to be fine. Liska absolutely loves him to the point where I almost get jealous! And if she behaves, maybe he can be talked into doing it again..!

The last time I wrote a post here, I was going to tell you about our new puppy friend who moved in with us this autumn - Dagmar. She's a beautiful mixture of Cocker Spaniel and Spitz. A real heart-breaker! Liska is behaving like the ideal big sister towards her. Dagmar is Christina's new dog who's been living in our happy household now for two months. Check out the really sweet picture of her and Liska together from a trip we made a week ago!

Lovely, playful Liska

2008-09-16T14:03:00.000-07:00

Magnus shot this really fun video where Liska is trying to attack a toy. Isn't she adorable??

The vaccination nightmare

2008-09-15T06:51:00.000-07:00

More than four months ago, I took Liska to the vet to get her the rabies vaccination. Before this weekend I got notice from the lab that she hasn't developed antibodies against the disease, meaning I'm not going to be able to bring her to Norway for Christmas this year.
Luckily, I have to stay in Slovakia most of the time anyway - there's this huge exam in February that I have to study for. What I'm really worried about is the fact that Liska didn't just not have a high enough level of antibodies - she didn't have any at all! I've never heard of such a case before. I guess we'll just have to do the vaccination again (maybe two times now instead of one), and cross our fingers for next summer. I know that most vets in Norway recommend a double vaccination. There seems to be good reason for that.
I do have some good news too, though; I've signed Liska up for her first dog show. I'm not completely sure it's a good thing. The whole idea of putting your dog on show seems a little shallow and not very interesting, but I suppose it's nice to have a go at it, and that's why we're stuffing a car full of Hundeklubben members and taking a road trip to Nitra the first weekend in November. Liska's friend Angel has already won some titles, so she and her owner Anniken is going to teach us all the secrets of the trade! I'm looking forward to going to Nitra, but I must say my mind is more strongly focused on other goals for me and my dog companion - like the day we're gonna win our first agility competition. I can't wait to start training. She's one year old the 10th of January. Guess where we're celebrating it!?

More of a bitch every day!

2008-08-11T13:33:00.000-07:00

So it's official - Liska is having her first rutting season as I write. Well, actually she's not quite there yet, as for now she's only leaving a red trace throughout the apartment.
I'm so proud of her though - already such a big girl!
Unfortunately is she not only bleeding, but also showing all the other signs of a bitch having her period. She is constantly stopping to smell every scent we pass, and she's a nightmare to handle compared to her well behaved normal self. Luckily, me and my little brother are taking her away for some days of mountain hiking at the time when she's most fertile. It's going to be a bit difficult to handle here in Martin, seeing as her best dog friend is all-time-horny little Party-Pax.
I've been reading everything I can find online about a dog's reproductive cycle, and have found out some interesting facts:

- Some bitches come into season as often as 4 times a year, while most common is about every 7 months.

- Bitches actually have a clitoris too - so much for mating instincts...

- Although I knew this from personal experience with my family's last dog; it's actually not very uncommon that a bitch who runs free and has the chance, ends up giving birth to puppies of several fathers in the same litter!

The reproductive cycle of a dog is divided into proestrus, estrus, diestrus and anestrus. Proestrus is the time when the ova matures in the ovaries, and estrogen levels rise. Estrus is the period when the estrogen levels are at the peak, and the mature ova are released from the ovaries. This is the period in which the bitch has the desire to mate, and the chance of getting pregnant. Diestrus is either a period of pregnancy, or just a period between estrus and anestrus for the non-pregnant bitch. Either way, progesteron levels will rise, and some non-pregnant individuals may experience pseudo-pregnancy. The pseudo-pregnant bitch may produce milk, make nests, be super-cuddly and gain quite a lot of weight. The last period, the anestrus, is the reproductive resting period.
It's going to be quite interesting to see the different phases in Liska. It's really such a miracle, how the body works these things out!

Back on track

2008-07-30T10:24:00.000-07:00

So we're back in Martin. Liska has grown a lot, and suddenly looks more like a dog than the little puppy she was when I left for Norway a month ago. It's just like everything is falling into place when we're together again. Martin and the apartment is just how we left it, except there are few Norwegians left in the city, and we've been having a new roomie for this last week - Maria from Madrid, also a member of the famous dog club, just without her own dog for the time being. But overall, we're already getting into our normal everyday routines.

I don't think I lie if I say Liska's been having a great summer. She's spent her holidays in Zabovresky with her mother, her sister and the rest of the Nobby Rock kennel. But although we've both had our share of fun this summer while being away from one another, nothing beats seeing each other again! And she's still just the same little girl I left a month ago, only a size bigger. And a bit more brutal when playing with her doggie friends. And a bit more confident.

Today we've spent most of the day in Skanzen, barbequeing with the coolest dogs and people in Martin. Liska is still not very fond of swimming or taking baths in the river, unless we're at just the right place. I really want her to be a water-loving dog, so I hope that in time she'll be right there with me...and I'll keep you all posted on how it goes!

Liska the flying hero

2008-07-26T06:59:00.000-07:00

Settling down

2008-05-20T15:45:00.000-07:00

We've been living with Christina and Zalomon for some weeks now. Liska had a bit of trouble settling down at first - her potty training was suddenly not what it had been and we've had to clean up a couple of puddles here and there. Now it seems as though she finally feels fully at home here, and she's back to her old rythms.
Maybe a bit too much of that home-feeling though. She's gotten quite fond of chewing stuff to pieces. The other day, she got hold of a box full of tissues that she ripped apart and decorated the entire living room with. Quite a sight, according to Christina...luckily I wasn't there.
She also likes to carry our shoes around the house. I've found mine in her crate, under the living room table and below the sink in the bathroom to mention some.

My mother and my youngest sister, Maria, have been visiting. We had a great time, and Liska and Maria are now the best of friends. My mother, apparently, is not that trustworthy...it took Liska days to let her handle her.

Oh. I wish I knew a vet who spoke english. I have been finding bumps under Liska's skin on several places, especially along the neckline. Does anyone know what it might be? My local vet in Martin tells me Liska has got acne, but I'm not sure I believe her. She did nothing more than feel them and tried to stick a needle in one of them (unsuccessfully, because Liska wouldn't stay still).

Moving out, doggy style!

2008-04-28T07:44:00.000-07:00

Yeah...me and Liska are on the move again.
The luckiest thing (for us, that is...) happened the other day, when our good friends Christina and Zalomon suddenly had a room for rent and invited us to come and live with them in their big, lovely flat.
We've been hanging out there quite a lot lately, and we are looking so much forward to settling down there - dogs and people.
Liska and Zalomon are really good together, and so far I can easily say the same about me and Christina, although we have not known each other long.

Today, I've been training with Liska. She is really good at walking side now, and I'm eager to learn her all sorts of things. Easier now too, when summer has come and we stay outside for many, many hours every day.

The weird ways of puppies...

2008-04-20T12:19:00.000-07:00

This weekend, me and Liska went to Ola in Zilina for Liska's first sleep-over away from home. Of course, it was not all that scary seeing as I was there all the time. She got a fair bit of travelling practise, which she really needs, and she went crazy in Ola's collection of old plastic bottles while me and Ola played GameCube. Fun for the whole family..!
For some strange reason though, she really didn't like the stairway up to the flat Ola lives in on the 4th floor. She was even shaking, and this fear that I couldn't work out, even drove her to pee inside a couple of times. She's been housebroken for weeks, and I was afraid she'd see the convenience and start peeing on my carpet once we got home again. Luckily, she hasn't even thought of anything like it since we got here this morning.

Being in Zilina with her, made me realize how wise it was to not get a dog to live with us there. Martin may be a city too (well, more of a town really..), but Zilina has almost no green lungs. It's either shopping districts or traffic wherever you turn your head.

I bet Liska's glad to be home again, running the fields and all. It's easy to see she's able to tire out a lot better here. While being inside, she mostly just lies flat out on the floor. No bottle-chasing here...

Home alone

2008-04-17T06:48:00.000-07:00

I just want to brag about how good my puppy is..
Today she was home all by herself for 2 hours while I went to school!
And nothing was torn apart when I got home either!
I was so worried she'd cry and bark. (She's not really much of a barker, but we have 2 havaneses living upstairs from us who answer back to her when she cries, and then we've got it going!)

I mean - I've been away before just for practise.

I've gone to the Chinese restaurant to get take-away, been to the shop...things like that - things that usually take up to half an hour. At first, she'd start crying the moment I went out the door and then just go on and on until I came back. Now there's just a little cry, then I hear her walking around a little, then silent. But she has never managed as long as this without sounds of protest before.

I was so proud of her that I went to the carpet-shop and bought her a really good, soft and solid carpet for her crate. Now she's been playing in there for half an hour, rearranging it in her own way.

My playful girl

2008-04-16T03:34:00.000-07:00

Liska just loves to play - especially when I take her to the forest and let her run wild!
Lately, I've started to take her for walks together with some friends and their dogs. Zalomon is a handsome and really well-mannered collie, and Angel is the most beautiful poodle ever to be seen!

I think it's really good for Liska to hang out with other big dogs. That is, after all, what she'll be too in a few months!
She's grown so brave over the last weeks, and she tries to tease these two older dogs as much as they tolerate. They seem to know she's just a baby, and treat her really well. The first couple of times we met Salomon, Liska would draw back and not even go over to smell him. Now she's really comfy around both him and Angel! I think that's just great:)

Liska likes to play rough - but mostly with dogs her own size or less. And even better - the old and grumpy dogs we meet out on the street. Teasing them seems to be a favourite! Maybe it's the snarling she finds tempting..?

Not only does she like to play around with other dogs - she can have a lot of fun just on her own. Just watch this:

Karen Kristine was here

2008-04-15T14:46:00.000-07:00

The most amazing two weeks of Liska's life so far, I daresay!
Karen Kristine is my little sister, and she is fantastic with dogs...and kids...well, she's generally just fantastic!

Those two weeks, we were the three top girls of Slovakia. No one had as much fun and play as we did.
Liska cried when Keigy had to leave for Norway again. Let's just hope she doesn't wait too long before she comes to visit our happy little household again:)

I put out some pictures from when sis was here.

As amazing as Liska may be, she is not a great fan of shopping...maybe due to the fact that she's not one of those handbag "dogs" you often see people carry around the mall. Me and Karen Kristine on the other hand, felt the urge to spend some money (why have them if you're not going to use them, right!?), and Liska was tearing Ola's place apart for some hours while we shopped till we literally dropped:D

Ola actually put a video on YouTube on her crazy behaviour..you should watch it. She's so darn cute!

My choice

2008-04-15T14:28:00.000-07:00

Getting a dog is really hard; with all those lovely breeds to choose from it's not easy to pick out the one that would be just right for me!

I burned a lot of lazy hours in front of the computer and with my nose buried in dog books before deciding to take a Tervueren into my household - but I have yet to regret it for even a second!
Liska is everything I was looking for; a lovely, soft and hairy exterior, a quick and eager learner and an amazingly playful best friend! And when she grows just a little older, we'll spend our weekends at this great agility-track I just stumbeled over the other day.

I want a dog that is able to go for long walks, or run beside my bike on the way to new adventures.
I want a dog that can easily spend a week mountain hiking without getting exhausted.
An intelligent dog that can be trained to do almost anything.
A dog that is more about playing, working and running than cuddling and grooming.

There's no doubt I found the love of my life in Liska :)
Thank you, Nobby Rock!