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New Member Intro from SW OH

3K views 12 replies 6 participants last post by  pwdohio 
#1 ·
Hi to all. I don't recognize any names here, so it seems like a completely new community for me.

My name is Barb and I go by pwdohio as my beginning of the internet started with the Portuguese Water Dog community, and I have simply kept that moniker since it goes back to the '90s and so many know me by that.

I started with horses back when I was 12 yrs old and got my first dog, a GSD, when I was 21. I had GSD from the early '70s to the about 1995. I got my first PWD in 1985, lost my last one about 6 years ago when I decided to downsize since I have back and hand arthritis and groom my own dogs. I then went to the Miniature variety and have not been sorry. I have also had a few Labs in my life, as well as a Belgian Terv. Used to compete in obedience back in the '70s until a bad car accident. Now my dogs are just my loving companions.

Oh, and how could I forget! I also had a lovely SP, Jaimee, who was a companion to Sailor, my last PWD. I got Jaimee when Sailor was 4 years old and she was never away from him. She passed away at age 7 yrs from bladder cancer and I lost Sailor 6 weeks later to old-age related heart/kidney failure. It was fitting that they went so close together as they were never apart in life. It was a hard loss and that was when Kiva entered our lives. "Our" being my husband and I, we are empty nesters and our Poodles are our babies when our grandchilden are not around and...even when they are :act-up:

My husband will be retiring in January and we hope to hit the road in our camper with the dogs in the spring and head west to visit my sister and her PWD in Denver area and then maybe meet up with some Poodle friends.

I uploaded some photos in an album today and I have been browsing a few other albums. I really need to get on with my morning as I have some tomatoes ready and waiting to can and other tomatoes ready to prepare for dehydrating. Tis the season :ballchain:

Oh, also....I am a raw feeder. ;)

I am glad to meet you all.

Barb, Kiva and Boo
 
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#4 ·
Welcome! It's nice to see another Ohioan, especially on the same part of the state!
I grew up with a PWD, who would have thought Porties were a 'gateway dog' to Poodles..
 
#5 ·
Hi, pwdohio! I'm kind of new here, too, so welcome!

I had considered a PWD when we were looking for dogs. Can you owners (and former owners) tell me a little about them? When we found our Cookie (I wanted and got a shelter dog), I thought perhaps she had some SWD or PWD in her, but she turned out to be pure mpoo. But I'm still interested in hearing about the PWDs.
 
#6 ·
Welcome Barb! I'm Megan from Dayton. I'm excited to learn of other SW Ohio poodle people. I dream of traveling around in an RV with my dogs and family too. I traveled in an RV while in Alaska a few years back and read some Sue Henry novels that stuck with me. I also met a lady near Denali that traveled in an RV with her two dogs, one was a standard poodle. She sparked my interest in spoos. Love the quote! Looking forward to seeing Boo and Kiva featured on poodleforum. :wavey:
 
#10 ·
Megan, you are in my backyard. I live in a south suburb of Dayton.

Our camper is little, a 16' Casita - pretty tight living for long trips but easy to pull and has a bathroom and shower. After taking a long trip in it, we might not well want to do that again anytime soon. :act-up: But it is a good travel trailer getting good gas mileage as it is lightweight and easy to tow and doesn't sway as big rigs pass us on the highway.
 
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#7 ·
Thank you all for your warm welcome.

I am about an hour north of Cinci.

I have to confess that the PWD breed has my heart in the deepest part of me. I miss them terribly.

I have allergies and asthma and that was why I moved away from the GSD breed to the PWD. I wanted an SP but was afraid of bloat and torsion having come from horses and seen colic torsion in them. Hence, I chose the PWD over the SP.

The PWD compared to an SP is maybe a dog with more oomph....they, overall, have a mind of their own....asking the question "why do you want me to do that" and when they understand, if there is something in it for them, they will comply. Maybe I am being a bit harsh, because mine adored me (if I adored them...which I did) and in most cases were willing to do what I asked - which wasn't much as they were just well behaved companions.

They want to be with you, they want attention and to be doing things. Many need a job to do or they will get into trouble. They are not a breed for a first time dog owner, which an SP can be.

They need to be treated with a firm hand but with kid gloves. They need socialization as they are a natural guard dog, some lines more than others. I think the Portuguese lines more so than the American lines. Some lines tend towards shyness, just true as in other breeds.

If I had a good back, I would have another today in a heartbeat, but it would have to be a mellow couch potato type.

My last PWD, Sailor, was going down in the rear and I so worried that he would get down when Joe was not home and I woudn't be able to get him up. He weighed 65 lbs at his top and about 54 lbs in the end. He became very weak in the rear and I heard later that this could have been caused by his heart medicine.

After I lost Jaimee (my SP) and I knew time was short with my PWD, I got on a Miniature Poodle list to learn about the variety. I had never owned small dogs before and wasn't sure I would like a small dog. Hah! Was I ever wrong! If I had realized how much fun these MPs are, I would have had one long ago with my big dogs!

For me, the PWD is a better choice for my asthma - they are single-coated and I notice that I do have some problems with my Poodles, especially my little Boo who has skin problems (I think likely SA).

PWDs have a huge sense of humor and you better not laugh at them because they will take advantage.

When I had my GSD, I had a great relationship with them but I was coming from working with horses and so I think I treated the dogs much the same, a much more serious relationship - one of obedience but done with joy, not harsh treatment. My GSDs were happy sappy girls but serious too and if you laughed at them, they would have pinned their ears back and slinked of.

When PWDs entered my life, oh what a change came about in me. It was me who became sappy and silly! You had to be, they made you stand up and take notice that life was all about fun....lighten up! :smile: Abby, my first PWD opened up to me a complete new way of living with a dog, a fun way and my training techniques changed drastically. I used to train Koehler method back in the 70s and I had dogs that worked happy and got compliments from judges back then on how happy they worked. Today, I use clicker and I don't use a chain "choke" collar anymore....that long went by the wayside.

Everything is different in my interactions with my dogs than what it was back in the '70s. Don't get me wrong, I loved my dogs back then and grieved hard for the loss of Libby, my first obedience dog who was born into my hands.

I am a better person because PWDs came into my life. I am more giving and forgiving. I see the joke/the fun side in a dog's action/reaction and have to hide my smile or chuckle so as not to create a monster.....okay, sometimes I have little monsters but they revert to good behavior when I wag my finger at them and reprimand them...which is rare.

I took an animal communication seminar down in Cinci a number of years ago when I had Sailor and it was a wonderful thing. I am a firm believer in it, have had a few to my home when I had Sailor and his sister Xena and it was pretty funny and so accurate.

What surprised me about the SP (and I have only had one female) is that she was soooooo much like my GSDs except with a sense of humor and she didn't shed!

My girl, Kiva, is oversized. She is 16-1/2 inches. She was out in the show ring as an adult and went oversized before she could finish her championship. She is a Kallista girl. She was bred twice and I heard about her after I lot my dogs and heard that Marlene Miller was somewhat interested in placing her with me if I was interested. I was looking for a raw fed, oversized Mini with minimal vaccines and who loved everyone. Kiva fit the bill and she flew here to live with us at age 3-1/2 yrs. She was spayed shortly after and today is 8 yrs young. This is another reason I went Mini....because they live longer as a rule and Mini health issues are not as life-threatening at the SPs.

Boo is a typical sized Mini at 14-1/2 inches and he is out of a kennel in Indiiana.

I find it rather ironic that I have yet another pair of black and a form of gray (Jaimee was blue, Kiva is silver). Boo was 4 mos when I got him and he did a few things that were very "Sailor" and it made me think that Sailor is still hanging around and "advising/training" him in the ways he should go.

Kiva loves everyone, we call her our Welcome Wagon, Boo is more reserved with strangers. They are different as night and day, but Kiva's breeder breeds for a Mini temperament more like an SP temperament. She also breeds for a bit more bone (not as refined) although does still try to keep her dogs conforming to show sizes, but some of her Minis do tend to go over.

Boo has a lot of health issues, came to me with luxating patellas and had both knees surgically repaired by age one. He has some sort of skin issue that is either hormone related or SA. He was an "oops" breeding between father/daughter and I should have walked away, I knew better. Oh well, he is ours and he is ours forever. Unfortunately, I did not buy insurance on him until "after the cow was out of the barn". I have him on herbs (Dogzymes Phytoflex) for his arthritic joints (he is 4-1/2 yrs old) and he gets cold laser therapy when he is really bad, along with crate rest - although he does seem to go to his bed when he is having a bad day. His skin issues are hair loss, dandruff, and pustules/pimples. I try to keep him very short so that I can rub coconut oil into his skin and try to manage the dandruff better. His dandruff probably does me no favors with my allergies and asthma. I love him dearly...he is my little sweet baboo....such a little lover...so much like my Sailor was. He also has had elevated TGAA and that is why it is not known if this is hormonal or SA that we are dealing with. I have decided not to do the testing for SA since they can be rather unreliable with false results and it won't change the treatment. His sire is dead and the breeder is aware of the issue. We test him yearly for thyroids and the TGAA went way down after starting him on kelp and then later the Phytoflex, but then one of the other values actually went up.

I believe that in most cases a dog is forever, they are like my children and they will have everything we can afford to give them in the way of health care. Having the Petplan insurance also gives me some peace of mind knowing that should an emergency come up that cost should not be an issue.

Oops, sorry, got a bit off track but gave you a bit more background on me and my dogs :act-up:
 
#8 ·
Thank you all for your warm welcome.

I am about an hour north of Cinci.

I have to confess that the PWD breed has my heart in the deepest part of me. I miss them terribly.

I have allergies and asthma and that was why I moved away from the GSD breed to the PWD. I wanted an SP but was afraid of bloat and torsion having come from horses and seen colic torsion in them. Hence, I chose the PWD over the SP.

The PWD compared to an SP is maybe a dog with more oomph....they, overall, have a mind of their own....asking the question "why do you want me to do that" and when they understand, if there is something in it for them, they will comply. Maybe I am being a bit harsh, because mine adored me (if I adored them...which I did) and in most cases were willing to do what I asked - which wasn't much as they were just well behaved companions.

They want to be with you, they want attention and to be doing things. Many need a job to do or they will get into trouble. They are not a breed for a first time dog owner, which an SP can be.

They need to be treated with a firm hand but with kid gloves. They need socialization as they are a natural guard dog, some lines more than others. I think the Portuguese lines more so than the American lines. Some lines tend towards shyness, just true as in other breeds.

If I had a good back, I would have another today in a heartbeat, but it would have to be a mellow couch potato type.

My last PWD, Sailor, was going down in the rear and I so worried that he would get down when Joe was not home and I woudn't be able to get him up. He weighed 65 lbs at his top and about 54 lbs in the end. He became very weak in the rear and I heard later that this could have been caused by his heart medicine.

After I lost Jaimee (my SP) and I knew time was short with my PWD, I got on a Miniature Poodle list to learn about the variety. I had never owned small dogs before and wasn't sure I would like a small dog. Hah! Was I ever wrong! If I had realized how much fun these MPs are, I would have had one long ago with my big dogs!

For me, the PWD is a better choice for my asthma - they are single-coated and I notice that I do have some problems with my Poodles, especially my little Boo who has skin problems (I think likely SA).

PWDs have a huge sense of humor and you better not laugh at them because they will take advantage.

When I had my GSD, I had a great relationship with them but I was coming from working with horses and so I think I treated the dogs much the same, a much more serious relationship - one of obedience but done with joy, not harsh treatment. My GSDs were happy sappy girls but serious too and if you laughed at them, they would have pinned their ears back and slinked of.

When PWDs entered my life, oh what a change came about in me. It was me who became sappy and silly! You had to be, they made you stand up and take notice that life was all about fun....lighten up! :smile: Abby, my first PWD opened up to me a complete new way of living with a dog, a fun way and my training techniques changed drastically. I used to train Koehler method back in the 70s and I had dogs that worked happy and got compliments from judges back then on how happy they worked. Today, I use clicker and I don't use a chain "choke" collar anymore....that long went by the wayside.

Everything is different in my interactions with my dogs than what it was back in the '70s. Don't get me wrong, I loved my dogs back then and grieved hard for the loss of Libby, my first obedience dog who was born into my hands.

I am a better person because PWDs came into my life. I am more giving and forgiving. I see the joke/the fun side in a dog's action/reaction and have to hide my smile or chuckle so as not to create a monster.....okay, sometimes I have little monsters but they revert to good behavior when I wag my finger at them and reprimand them...which is rare.

I took an animal communication seminar down in Cinci a number of years ago when I had Sailor and it was a wonderful thing. I am a firm believer in it, have had a few to my home when I had Sailor and his sister Xena and it was pretty funny and so accurate.

What surprised me about the SP (and I have only had one female) is that she was soooooo much like my GSDs except with a sense of humor and she didn't shed!

My girl, Kiva, is oversized. She is 16-1/2 inches. She was out in the show ring as an adult and went oversized before she could finish her championship. She is a Kallista girl. She was bred twice and I heard about her after I lot my dogs and heard that Marlene Miller was somewhat interested in placing her with me if I was interested. I was looking for a raw fed, oversized Mini with minimal vaccines and who loved everyone. Kiva fit the bill and she flew here to live with us at age 3-1/2 yrs. She was spayed shortly after and today is 8 yrs young. This is another reason I went Mini....because they live longer as a rule and Mini health issues are not as life-threatening at the SPs.

Boo is a typical sized Mini at 14-1/2 inches and he is out of a kennel in Indiiana.

I find it rather ironic that I have yet another pair of black and a form of gray (Jaimee was blue, Kiva is silver). Boo was 4 mos when I got him and he did a few things that were very "Sailor" and it made me think that Sailor is still hanging around and "advising/training" him in the ways he should go.

Kiva loves everyone, we call her our Welcome Wagon, Boo is more reserved with strangers. They are different as night and day, but Kiva's breeder breeds for a Mini temperament more like an SP temperament. She also breeds for a bit more bone (not as refined) although does still try to keep her dogs conforming to show sizes, but some of her Minis do tend to go over.

Boo has a lot of health issues, came to me with luxating patellas and had both knees surgically repaired by age one. He has some sort of skin issue that is either hormone related or SA. He was an "oops" breeding between father/daughter and I should have walked away, I knew better. Oh well, he is ours and he is ours forever. Unfortunately, I did not buy insurance on him until "after the cow was out of the barn". I have him on herbs (Dogzymes Phytoflex) for his arthritic joints (he is 4-1/2 yrs old) and he gets cold laser therapy when he is really bad, along with crate rest - although he does seem to go to his bed when he is having a bad day. His skin issues are hair loss, dandruff, and pustules/pimples. I try to keep him very short so that I can rub coconut oil into his skin and try to manage the dandruff better. His dandruff probably does me no favors with my allergies and asthma. I love him dearly...he is my little sweet baboo....such a little lover...so much like my Sailor was. He also has had elevated TGAA and that is why it is not known if this is hormonal or SA that we are dealing with. I have decided not to do the testing for SA since they can be rather unreliable with false results and it won't change the treatment. His sire is dead and the breeder is aware of the issue. We test him yearly for thyroids and the TGAA went way down after starting him on kelp and then later the Phytoflex, but then one of the other values actually went up.

I believe that in most cases a dog is forever, they are like my children and they will have everything we can afford to give them in the way of health care. Having the Petplan insurance also gives me some peace of mind knowing that should an emergency come up that cost should not be an issue.

Oops, sorry, got a bit off track but gave you a bit more background on me and my dogs :act-up:
 
#9 ·
Thanks for the lovely background! I understand exactly what you're saying about going from horse to GSD to PWD to poodle. I haven't owned one, but I have known several GSDs quite well. I love them and I think they are wonderful and smart dogs, but yes, they were all quite serious and self-aware.

I grew up with a toy poodle, but I was a kid, so my mother really did all the caretaking and we daughters just played with her (complete with dressing her - Fifi, of course! - in doll clothes). Then, as an adult I had a Westie for over 15 years and absolutely adored everything about her. We just lost her about 4 years ago.

I have always like poodles and poodle personalities and think they are smart dogs and wonderful clowns and family dogs, with the huge bonus of not shedding.

I think my Cookie is probably a very poor example of the breed - her neck is thick, her hair is too curly (and I don't brush it, but it's short right now), her coat is mottled in color and very uneven, but we love her and she's the happiest girl on the planet!
 
#11 ·
Oh how I wish I had, had Kiva as I was growing up. She is the perfect dog/Poodle with the tolerance to be dressed up by children. She would be a great therapy dog.

I so wish I could talk our son into getting a cousin to Kiva who is "in-size" and being retired from breeding. He would be so perfect for my granddaughter, but I can't seem to talk him into a Poodle and the timing just might also not be right for them (single dad). My granddaughter is 7 yrs old and has had a brain tumor, surgically removed two years ago but with some remnant still on the optical nerve that they continue to watch. I truly would like to see her have a dog as I think the dog might be the first to notice any change in her condition should this happen. Little Boo was very attentive to her, sticking like glue to her on Easter Sunday the day before her tumor sent her to the ER with severe headaches. I think Boo has the potential to be a little hero dog. :nod:

I think if there is to be another dog after these two are gone that it might be an elderly rescue Poodle. I always wanted a good representative of the breed but my heart is torn for all these poor dogs that are mistreated and need homes. Time will tell.
 
#12 ·
pwd, my Cookie was a rescue and kind of spur-of-the-moment - although I had to later confess to my husband and son that I had been secretly looking at dog rescue sites on the internet! LOL They think she's about 2 years old, and I would have been happier with an older dog, but while active, Cookie is not what I'd call hyper.

We didn't even know that she was poodle when we found her (with Sav-a-Pet, on Saturday in front of PetSmart). Maybe you could find a non-poodly looking poodle for your son LOL I actually didn't care what breed or even if it was any breed at all; size was my main consideration. This mpoo is about the largest dog I'd want, since I like having a lap dog (well, a lap dog that's actually lap-dog sized; my grandmother had the sweetest doberman ever who thought she was a lap dog! LOL).
 
#13 ·
As much as I really like to choose a Poodle from a breeder again, I think about the older Poodles that have found themselves w/o a home due to no means of their own -- death, illness, moving. The older ones are less adoptable.

If I didn't have asthma, I would choose a mutt but most shed and I am allergic to them over a long period of time beimg around them.

I have been posting a lot of Poodle photos on my FB wall, showing them completely shaved down, jumping in the air, the water and retrieving - hoping to draw him into the fold. He does like my Kiva a lot, but I know he looks at her and sees a dog that requires grooming. His choice is a Whippet...sigh. Oh well, can't please everyone - that's why there are so many breeds. :act-up:
 
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