Camouflage – Prikka’s blog, part 2 (10 months)

Something to do in the garden, please!

SBCAK breed show, Foto from Tiina Karvonen gallery

Some chanterelles, blueberries and strawberries

Kiila and green camouflage

Jinga checking that everything is ok.

 green camouflage

The sweat  camouflage trio

In the blueberry forest

Blueberries and me eating them

It is hot in the forest!

Regards from this primitive country! During my tenth month I have learned to swim, to enjoy just being in the garden (not supervising everything), how to feed myself (and the family) and how to keep my figure in a good shape.

After my last posting there has been Midsummer (23.6 posting), I participated in the camp of our breed club (29.6). There was almost a heath wave, in the end of June for the first time this summer the temperature rose above 25 degrees. So hot that I felt like swimming with the big sisters, this far I have been only looking at them having fun in the lakes (4.7.). “Nosework” training in the garden (6.7). Jinga the very tiny but furry big sister turned five (9.7) and we both black and whites did some catwalk 12.7.

The camp was fun. For two and half days the owners could choose guiding either in agility, obedience, tracking, man searching or special trial. Since I am special we chose special! Special trial means that you do lots of different nosework disciplines. In the morning we started with object search from area that is 50 * 50 meters (in competitions). I was a bit shy but in the end I kind of was interested in the far away object. After a couple of trials in that we did the search of a dropped object. When walking the clumsy handler drops something, after 50 meters (in trials) he turns around and sends the dog to pick up the dropped thing. First I thought it was obedience thing and I did not have he faintest idea what was required. Even though I have been finding and bringing mam’s lost mittens since my arrival until a week before the camp. Then I understood the idea and I excelled. The third thing we did was finding a miniscule object like a coin from the area of 3 * 3 meters. I only learned how to show the found object, and I excelled again. Then it was lunchtime. In the afternoon we did tracking, I was good again! There were six to seven dogs taking turns in our group, so these exercises took the whole day. We stayed in the small huts, barely enough room for two people and a couple of dogs. The last morning I did my first ever man search. I heard I had natural talent for that, I was walking when I got the scent of a human (that was hiding) I was let out of lead and I followed my nose to the hiding. So many new things within two and half days, it was exhausting but fun! A nice group we had!

After the show we have been at the summerhouse and quite busy over here. Long walks in the forest picking up mushrooms and blueberries, they are yummy, both. I like to pick up and eat them, even though I am only supposed to find those little yellow chanterelles, but …  I think it might be dangerous in the wilderness, so to minimize the risks we girls, all of us, had some perfume against the beasts. Jinga and I covered the front and Kiila the back, I think we were clever.  Our camouflage looked and smelt so good – I wonder why were washed when returning home.

Our friend Jass is doing field tracking (not so common in Finland as forest tracking)

Jinga doing the adult stuff - one for trials

Me and my track and some of the sticks I found

Besides finding food for the family we happily had some time dedicated for us. One day we went to Hämeenlinna on dos premises to do some obedience, only Jinga took part in the foto shooting, besides obedience she also tried some obedience stuff (agility section) needed for working trials (I was too small for those!!! (Unfair, I am bigger than Jinga)). 

Another day we did nice tracking of 300 meters, my track was two hours old, Jinga’s a bit older. We were good and found 4 sticks out of five that were lying there on the track. 

Since this is a summer holiday, there is also lots of swimming included!

Yes, I am a big girl now, about 51 cm, I thing I do not need to eat as much as a growing puppy, so I have reduced my portion to eat. Now, I eat only half more than the other two, not twice as much as I used to. 

The swan family.

Should I or not?

Retrieving first time from the lake!

Summer is fun, with the camouflage and without!