You're gonna eat what?!

Elli going nose-to-nose with my dinner

She didn't get any of the above crustacean (Mine!), but I did give her a steamed clam. She thought it was very weird, but eventually finished playing with it and ate it. Probably only because the cat wanted it.

Elli will be in her second-ever show next weekend at the Lewiston-Auburn KC shows. There's a 4-point major if the entry holds. I think she looks better than she did at 7 1/2 months, and she sure BEHAVES better than she did in June. Thank you, handling classes!! I'm looking forward to seeing how she does in the ring -- not so much how she places, but how she shows herself and how she looks all show-groomed, since those are the only things I hold any sway over. The rest is up to the judge! But if attitude counts for anything, boy does she have that in spades!!!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, time will tell if Ian's rear comes back together enough to show him for those last two points. He would probably be fine showing inside, although I'm not sure if he would recover his gait immediately if he left the mat and hit the slippery floor. We'll be working on it over the next couple of months, and if he's doing well I may enter him at the Springfield shows in November. I have absolutely no plans to breed him, but I'd hate to give up on finishing him when he's got his majors (plus a bonus major) and only needs a couple singles. It would feel very satisfying to be able to say I finished my first show dog, all owner-handled.

Ian will return to obedience class tonight, though I won't be jumping him for the next several weeks; we'll work instead on heeling, straight sits and finishes, retrieve on the flat, drop on recall, hand signals, get-backs, and get started on the gloves and go-outs. I did a quick front-and-finish with him this morning, and the boy practically turned himself inside-out with glee. You've gotta love a dog that wants to work that bad! Fingers crossed that there will indeed be a CDX in his future.