"Running with the pack"...

On Thursday this week, I took Phoebe with me to visit Johanne. We had agreed to take out a small 6-dog team on a training run that evening. Zorro and Racer (from Hans-Christian) in the lead. Phoebe was attached to the sled with her elastic leash and left to run alongside (not pulling). It was obvious that she wanted to be in the team and she strained to go ahead - the elastic pulled her back and in a second we had run over her!!! She wasn't hit by the runners, just pushed down in the snow by the toboggan-plate. She emerged happily on the other side, no worse for wear!!! With a bit of rearranging, we kept going - she still ran happily along until her harness started to completely disintigrate! We left her to run loose and she could now approach all the dogs - frequently running in the middle of the team alongside the main towline.... A total of 15km run, fairly moderate pace run without any hickups - we stopped if we spotted anyone - I went forward to pull the dogs aside and hold them. Even at 20:30 - 22:00 in the dark evening we met 3 skiers! In January when we come back from our trip to Brasil, our "new" sled will be waiting for us!!!! I have bought a secondhand mid-distance alu-sled that weighs 14kg - with Phoebe and 3 borrowed dogs it will give us a chance to experience the pleasures of dogsledding :-) Can't wait!!

Work, rest and play....fight!?

In the week since we came back from the mountains, time has gone by so very, very fast! Come to think about it, time has gone by since Phoebe arrived in our home in July.... Here a picture of her when she was 2 months old.As you can see, we love her to bits! These last few weeks, she has been quite naughty, chewing on various items of the household - a basket full of pieces of soap; the zipper of Priscila's winter coat (ruining it!); a load of my socks; etc.... She now spends alot of time sniffing at the pee of other dogs and is very careful marking her own passage..... All her sisters in Sweden are reported to have their first period, so we are expecting it any day, now!

On the other hand, our little boy Nexus has started to "boss around" the house - the little boy is getting balls! He will be "neutered", but will be allowed to mature properly first.... Given his newfound "ballsiness", he has started to confront Phoebe! He walks straight up to her and gives her a punch on the nose!!!! Yesterday, he really bit into her and chased her around - this ended up with Phoebe trying to defend herself as best she could, giving off a panicky, wailing, "oooowww, ooowww"!!!! She was truly afraid! After I separated them, Nexus came back to confront her - Phoebe was so afraid that she turned her head away and snuck off into the corner!! POOR LITTLE GIRL!!! For those who know her, Phoebe is a happy, easy-going girl who shows little dominance. On the other hand, she likes to give a little verbal argument before giving in :-) HEHEHE - as I was writing this, there was a huuuge noisy racket going on - Nexus had been investigating a plastic bag.... Somehow the hole of the handle got trapped on him and he took off like a rocket trying to "escape it"!!! After running the length of the apartment it broke away - Nexus is now hiding under the bed...afraid that the plastic bag will try to attack him again!!! HEHEHEHE - here is a photo after the event.. Nexus wearing his "plastic bag skirt"...

Siberian Husky Club Autumn Meeting on Snow!

What a weekend! The Norwegian Siberian Husky Club had their Autumn meeting on snow last weekend.... Priscila, Phoebe and I drove up there on Friday and installed ourselves in the big cabin up on the mountain plateau (Syningen, between Gol and Hemsedal). Maybe 30 people and 200(?!) dogs were gathered to celebrate the return of winter!!! Phoebe had a new experience, sleeping on a straw bedding in her cage in the car..... During the daytime when not otherwise occupied, she was chained to the tow-hook of the car and just hanging around. In other words, she was adjusting to the typical life of the sled dog on tour! Saturday we borrowed Bardus from Johanne and teamed up the two - connected to me on X-country skis, towing Priscila behind me!! The GPS recorded a top-speed 24 km/hr - achieved running the first downhill from the cabin!!! When the two playful puppies were not otherwise occupied (read: playing in the snow like crazy), we averaged around 10-12 km/hr - NOT BAD FOR A 7 and 9 months' old Siberian dog team!
See a video of them both looking expectantly towards the "big boys" passing by in a sled-team!


Later that day, Phoebe was set in a 4-dog team pulling a wooden sled. In the beginning she didn't quite understand what was going on, but soon caught on a started seriously pulling! GOOOOOOD GIRL! The trip was far too short, but all in all we did 8.9km that day (skis+sled).
Sunday was absolutely stunning - blue skies, no wind, nice temperature (-8 deg C?). Because I had a bad back that day, we declined to borrow another dog and just went out with Phoebe... A very nice cross-country trip where we all got some more exercise - total length of 5km.
We all agreed that it had been a perfect weekend - good weather, wonderful dogs, nice people, food and wine... We have already booked space for the Winter Meeting in February :-)

The days go by....

Since last I wrote my blog, Priscila and I have spent 1 week in Paris and München - the kids were placed in a kennel and suffered not at all! Both were very glad to see us again, but I am sure they had a lot of attention - the girl at the desk said...."oh, they both have such great personalities....!" Phoebe and Nexus are going back there over the Christmas and New Year period when we go to Brasil to celebrate our (late) wedding party!

"This bed ain't big enough for the both of us......!"
Lately we have found Phoebe more and more often on our bed and on top of the sofa - sometimes jumping up straight in front of us and 11 times in a row just the other day!
As a revenge, Priscila jumped into Phoebe's bed with her.....!
This morning, her leash slipped out of my hand and she took off into the small forest like a rocket! I spent 10 minutes following her, trying not to go to fast because that just makes her go into "YouCan'tCatchMe" playmode...ah well!

We might simply have a preview of her "teenage antics"....!? She is now 6 1/2 months old and she could have her first menstrual cycle anytime soon....!

On the training front, I try to get out a couple of times per week with the bike (yes....the snow is almost gone, just a thin sugarcoating to make us dream). We do up to 3-5 km with her pulling ahead - average speed maybe of 10km/hr! - that is including all the full stops to sniff....! We do about 15-20km/hr when she is in the mood :-) In a couple of weeks we are going to the Siberian Husky Club Autumn Meeting on Snow - should be a chance for Phoebe to try out gently in a sled-team. We also plan to borrow a second dog to go skikjøring.....

On the cat-front, Nexus is as cool as ever...... The single week at the kennel seemed to make him grow even more "round bellied"...! He is known affectionately as "Chubby Boy".. Take a look at Nexus lazily fighting the camera: http://andersf.multiply.com/video/item/66/Nexus_fighting_the_camera

Winter is back......!

Hi dear friends!

Since I last was able to post, I have spent a week on business in the USA. OF COURSE, during my absence,it SNOWED!!!! 20 cms of fluffy powder snow...... Phoebe went totally mad with joy, running around "snuffling" her nose down into the white stuff, jumping around...The picture above is taken when Priscila is talking to me on the other side of the Atlantic...


Priscila and Zo had a fun-filled day with her... There was still snow when I came back - even now, one week later it covers the big green lawn area nearby with a snowy/icy layer.Of course - daddy (me) decided to have some fun too, so yesterday I put her in the harness and went out with my cross country skis! She ran like a rocket, with me trying to steer right and left to avoid the worst bare patches.....hehehe. If ever I was worried that she would be spooked by the noise of skis (or sleds) sliding across the snow.....nah, no way! After Phoebe lost interest and stopped to sniff around the lamp posts, I put her on the collar and walked abit... We met several other dogs, including her namesake Phoebe! Yes - there is a girl with 2 Siberian huskies living close by - we met her for the first time yesterday. This weekened Priscila and I are going to Paris and München for one week holiday....which means that I will have to drive tomorrow evening to deliver the 2 kids at the cat and dog hotel......! They will be fine....(I keep telling myself) - MJAUVOFF :-)

Autumn sunshine...

Three out of four of the precious women in life - Mother-in-law Isolete, my sweet wife Priscila and Phoebe (my own mother Angela not present)

Phoebe enjoying a few UV-rays on a beautiful October day!

Phoebe showing off her "wild-type" wolf-like colours.

Yesterday we had a long walk in the Frognerpark enjoying the beautiful autumn sunshine...! Even if we associate polar dogs with snow and wind, there can be no question that they (like us!) enjoy the magic light that comes with changing seasons...the autmn crisp and clear, winter blue(s) and dark light, brilliant spring sunshine on snow and the endless summer days...

October is certainly one of my favourite months - when I go out on the grass in the morning with Phoebe we enjoy the first real frost on the grass and the nostril- and lung-clearing crispness to the air...aaaaaah!

Sex, Drugs and Rock&Roll....!?

Or rather - in the animal world; Water, Food and Sex (procreation)! Since Phoebe is still too young to start thinking about having puppies, and she gets enough water from us....that leaves FOOD! Our little girl is in danger of becoming picky about eating - ai ai. Once in a while she just seems too bored to finish her meal.....at least her own! We have now caught her many times "red-handed" (or is that pink/red-tounged?!) whilst she clears little Nexus food bowl! His food is sitting on a shelf and she is just able to reach it...! I believe she is hoarding the food - she certainly does not suffer any shortage in our household - but sometimes she simply decides to steal what she can and if Nexus even approaches her bowl she will chase him away and start eating... She could be trying to "dominate" Nexus...simply because she can! I have cut back on her rations slightly, and will leave her only 15 minutes or so to eat up before I remove the bowl. She is served sometimes before, sometimes after Nexus, and his food is moved to a "safe" location as soon as he stops eating! Phoebe is now finishing her food....even licking out her bowl - heh :-) She now weighs in at 14kg and has just passed 5 months of age...

Oh - the other day we decided to give Nexus a raw egg - we had seen a cat in Turkey in June trying to lick / eat the sticky eggwhite and we thought it was soooo funny! Nexus had his egg mixed and ate some....before Phoebe came to take possession....! See for yourselves: http://andersf.multiply.com/video/item/65/Phoebe_eating_raw_egg
Mjau - voff!

Phoebe pulling HARD :-)

Wooo voof!?
On the last Tuesday walk I talked to Line (a local Siberian Husky musher) about training a single dog like Phoebe into becoming a good sleddog... First off - sled dogs are "born to run", but NOT born to become GOOD sled dogs...
The "danger" of being a single dog in a household is that there are no real standards to compare oneself to. A typical mistake is to use a Nome-harness when going for a "sniffsniffpeeshitwalkingaround-walk" and think that he or she is getting some "pulling training". I firmly believe there should be a separation between working and resting/free time, and walking around in a "non-work" mode whilst wearing a harness and pulling just a little sends the wrong mixed signals. Similarly - when on a bicycle with your dog, it is all too easy to let it "just run along", even if it is with the harness, and the aim is to cover distance... DON'T pedal like crazy all the time - slow down, even put on the breaks and let the dog feel how it is to REALLY pull something...at any speed... This also becomes important in shaping and evaluating the "honesty" of the dog. The dog should work hard, even if she is tired and close to exhaustion! Siberian Huskys have a reputation for only giving 80%, saving the last reserve for survival situations - an excellent quality for a polar dog, but perhaps the reason why many (most) long-distance racers choose to run Alaska Husky dogs.

In the endless debate of "Nature vs. Nurture (influence of genes vs. environment) - I am a firm believer of both - a sled dog is born AND trained - enjoy the Saturday afternoon video of Phoebe: http://andersf.multiply.com/video/item/64/Phoebe_pulling_hard

MJAU VOFF!

Phoebe's "twin" sister!

As Phoebe now grows more into her adult fur, her colouring becomes more distinct, showing a nice black tone above her white and brownish-red and white hairs... Back in Sweden her sisters are growing nicely - Elektra is a beautiful and happy bitch.....and she is Phoebe's "twin"!!!!

Photo by Sandra Olofsson

Sandra - I hope that Phoebe can meet her sister to see how they differ in personality! See more pictures of Elektra here: http://galleri.huskylyan.com/#17.0
If she is anywhere close to Phoebe (Amber) in personality I am SURE she will be a good sleddog when she grows up - Vooooo voooo voff! :-)

Siberian Husky Club Autumn Meeting

Voooooooo vooooo voff! Last weekend we went up to Skramstadseter in the mountains east of Lillehammer - we were attending our first Norwegian Siberian Husky Club meeting! There were lots and lots of dogs, maybe as many as 100!? Phoebe had a great time "mixing it up with the big boys"...... Of course she was very happy to meet her "boyfriend" Bardus - Johannes GIANT puppy ;-) On Saturday there was a sprint race - since Phoebe is still a bit too young, I borrowed a dog from the Huskyville kennel - Ingvild and Torbjørn were very kind to let me have Romulus. I tested him in front of the bike and he PULLED! We were lined up and off we went on the first stretch of the 2.2 km circuit.... Just as we came up to the first curve, Romulus sat to have a s**t....! When he was done, he wanted to run back to the start area where "daddy" was standing..... hehehe! With some help from Didrik we got going in the right direction at least.... A slow trot later we came to turn into the last homestretch..... Ingvild was standing there as a track guide and OF COURSE Romulus wanted to stop and hang around with "mummy"! After a bit of dragging from a helper as well as pulling from my side we sort of started going.... We got passed by 2 competitors on their bikes and THEN Romulus got the point and started running after them....like he was on fire! Ah well - poor boy - he has never run as single lead and never in front of a bike. This just goes to show that sleddog pulling is a matter of trust - man and dog - and that "practice makes perfect". Obviously some dogs are "born to pull", but this does not mean they will be able to do everything we ask of them....certainly if they have not had previous training!! Of course....next year I will put Phoebe in front of the bike....and improve on our LAST PLACE! Even some people running with a dog were faster than us....hehehe!

The weekend was the first taste of frost, ice and snow....that eventually turned into mud - OH GLORIOUS MUD! The good thing was that Phoebe had her first taste of the white stuff.....vooof voooooof!!! She was also an example for the other dogs - standing quietly on the cabin porch the whole day - wagging her tail at strangers - humans and 4-legged ones :-) See more pictures in Priscila's Multiply (she took most photos): http://prikoh.multiply.com/photos/album/90

Pulling again...

A picture of Priscila and Phoebe on the beach at Bogstad Lake last Sunday... Phoebe digging...for gold!?

After work today I went out with Phoebe to get rid of some of her energy that she normally accumulates during the day at home... I took out the bike and this time we didn't have Priscila as a "lead dog" to keep pace and avoid distractions...! It went, however, surprisingly well, and according to the GPS we had a top-speed of 21 km/hr :-) The run was quick and without any real workload for her, but great fun! See the video here: http://andersf.multiply.com/video/item/63/After_work_bike_run

Voff - mjau!?

First time PULLING

Hi again!

At last - another blog entry! The past few weeks have been hectic on the work-front.

I missed a chance to train Johanne's dogs together with her handler, Kjetil but I am sure there will be more chances! I had recently orderede a "contraption" to connect a dog to the bike...and today was the first time we tried it! Priscila and I went out on the local lawn (Merradalen) and cycled back and forth. I pedalled most of the time so that Phoebe did not take a large strain. Her muscles, bones, joint and sinews are not ready for it yet....even if her mind seems to be!

See the video here: http://andersf.multiply.com/video/item/61

We are all looking forward to winter! Woooooooo voff! :-)

Dinner at Johanne's place

Last Sunday, after the Hakadal Sled Racing Club's Seminar, I went to Johanne's place for dinner together with a bunch of dog mushers. Guest of honour was Czech Siberian Husky musher Jana. Last winter she participated in her first Finnmarksløpet race in Northern Norway thanks to organisational help she received from Johanne, Hans Christian (The King) and others. She is going back this winter... Johanne has also signed up for the race thanks to the prompting from her handler, Kjetil. Last winter she dropped out of the race close to the finish because of several coinciding factors including sick dogs! Lets hope this winters trip does not dig so hard into her wallet as the last, when her car had a total break-down on the way up...
Read about the race at their official website: http://www.finnmarkslopet.no/
After the dinner Johanne's 5-month old (young!) puppy Bardus came inside to run around with Phoebe. This is their second encounter and as before, it started with high-energy running around before they finally settled down... They LIKE each other! See a video of them here (a bit dark...) http://andersf.multiply.com/video/item/60/Phoebe_and_Bardus_playing
Voff, voff :-)

Animal friendship :-)

Did you see the "Playfight" video of Phoebe and Nexus going at it during their evening play session?! This weekend, Phoebe was so sleepy that in the end she didn't even have energy to participate in the "play bite and box the nose" games! As you can see from this video: http://andersf.multiply.com/video/item/59/Animal_love

Nexus was climbing on top of Phoebe, licking her and generally expressing his love for "big sister", Phoebe - MjauVoff! :-)

Nexus update :-)

Mjau?
Here is the promised update on Nexus and his experience with the shower...
Remember that Nexus needed a shower after overturning the bucket containing our Klippfisk?! Well.... We gave him his first shower ever, gently washing him with a special cat shampoo... He was TOTALLY CALM during the experience.... It even seemed like he enjoyed the feeling of the warm water :-) Needles to say, cats look hilarious when wet - next time we need to be ready with the camera to document it - instead I have inserted a cool photo of him that Priscila took - he is happily zzzzleeping on the keyboard of her computer, having the warm air of the CPU cooling fan tickle his belly with a soft, hot caress.... Miiiiiiiiijua :-)

Food, food - oh, glorious food!

Mjau Woooof!
Cats and dogs are....animals! Oh yeah!? Instincts rule - water, food, sex - in that order...
BUT - there is so much else! Playfulness - moodiness - boredom - joy - affection and tenderness.... All of these aspects come to light when you spend enough time with your furry friends - they are so GREAT to be with :-) They have their little moments - like today - Priscila and I are watering out a piece of "Klippfisk" (Bacalhau - salt-dried cod) to have for dinner.... Overnight it was sitting in a bucket inside our shower cabinet, away from the animals....
This morning, we changed the water and Priscila left it on the kitchen bench.....ai ai! A little later, whilst I was outside with Phoebe, Nexus had managed to overturn the bucket, getting a drenching of "fishy water".....!!! RIGHT! Thats IT :-) Into the shower with him....(more on that later)... Priscila and I sit down to watch a TV show on her computer when I suddenly say, "Mmmm, what is that noise?" "What noise?!" AI AI AI AI - Nexus has "fished out" the pieces of fish from the bucket (God knows how, they are almost as big as himself)... He is sitting happily on the kitchen bench, nibbling on one of the pieces of fish...!!!! I had seen Phoebe trotting along happily between the kitchen and veranda, and I therefore went after her to see what had happened to the other piece! We found her licking her lips and we thought that the game was up....or rather, the fish was lost...! I opened up the roof of her house to find the piece of fish hidden away for later....!!!??? I guess she was not hungry enough....heheheh...
Oh well......kids are kids.... They now seem to have formed a perfect team - Nexus climbing onto the "higher ground" and Phoebe picking up the "manna from heaven" :-) Priscila and I WILL have our bacalhau dinner tonight...... (rinsed in buckets of water and coocked in the oven should be safe....hihihi) - Later!

On tour with the Siberian Husky Club

Every Tuesday, the local Oslo area part of the Siberian Husky Club goes for a walk in the forest.
This was the first time since summer that Priscila and I went together for this walk. I borrowed a young dog from Ingvild Jørgensen (of Rodeløkka Kennel), Priscila "strapped" Phoebe to her through an old climbing harness....The walk in total was 7 km with a break at approximately half way. On the walk was also Line Løw (Kennel Huskyville) with 2 puppies - 11 weeks Dolly and 6 months Snøgg. At the break, Phoebe and Dolly played like crazy! Dolly seems very dominant and tried to "put Phoebe in her place", something she did manage quiet well! They are very closely matched in size despite the age difference (Phoebe 15 weeks). When Dolly became more tired, Phoebe gained the advantage slightly because of her longer back and ability to turn Dolly over....! See this video of them playing - http://andersf.multiply.com/video/item/58/Phoebe_and_Dolly
Because of the muddy weather, you can bet they got DIRTY!!! VOOOOF! :-)

Playfight!

Nexus and Phoebe are getting good at playfighting together! This picture is taken of them in the evening during their "evening playfight session" - you will notice in the video (http://andersf.multiply.com/video/item/57/Playfight) that they are quite slow and half-hearted about it.... It had already been a long day!! Miiiiiiiiijau, voooooof! :-)

A day in the forest...

Yesterday we went for a long walk in the forest - the sun was shining, blue skies and quiet hot!

We drove the car to Sørkedalen School where we planned to start our walk. As we pulled off the main road, we spotted my mum walking along in the same direction! It turns out she had planned to walk the same route as us, packing 4 kgs in her backpack and wearing mountain boots in preparation for her hiking trip at the end of this week...!

We walked 5kms uphill stopping at the 3km mark at Finnerud where we drank water and had a quick snack - onwards up the paths to Kobberhaughytta (Copper Mound Cabin). Here we stopped for another snack and drink of water before we walked on the road downhill again to the car.... On the road back out of the Sørkedalen (Sørke Valley) we saw my dad on his bike! It turns out he had ALSO been in the same parts - in fact he had tried to call me whilst resting at the Sørkedalen Shop and Cafe... Priscila and Phoebe are getting indoctrinated with the Norwegian "Out on a trip, never a sour face" (ut på tur, aldri sur!) mentality...

When we came home, Phoebe had a nice dinner and promptly fell asleep like a sack of potatoes! 10kms is quite a trip for a little girl! Looking forward to many more nice trips with the family in the future! MjauVoff :-)

Priscila and mum posing for the camera - Phoebe hides in the bushes....!

Phoebe sniffing out the blueberry bushes

Phoebe and me outside Kobberhaughytta cabin (Copper Mound Cabin)

Sniffing around...

Phoebe looking for something to eat....!? (on top of her dog house)

Phoebe posing for anatomy study...

Hi again! After more than a week with a bad stomach, Phoebe is now "back in business"!
Yesterday was her first day at the Puppy Kindergarden - she was reeeeeeeally excited about learning "sit", following the nice tasty, smelly fishball and generally hanging out with the other "kids" !!! :-) She was the only example of a sled dog there, but there were several different "birdhunting dogs" (fuglehund), as well as a "elk hunting dog" - this reflects the Norwegian interest for hunting...! Since Phoebe will grow up to be a working sled dog anatomy is important - I took a photo of her on top of the doghouse for an anatomical study. I am pretty "green" in this area but perhaps Hans Christian (the King) would have a comment or two!?
We shall see - I guess she needs to grow a fair bit more before we can tell - MjauVoff! :-)

Sleepy head!?

Miiiiiiiiiijau....... Cats are known to sleep a great number of hours every day.... Priscila enjoys a good afternoon nap before we have dinner, and this time I caught Nexus and her napping together....! Wake up, wake up! Mjau Voff :-)

Nexus enjoying a good scratch :-)

Mjau? Nexus, like all cats, enjoy their morning "toalette" - after dipping his paw in the waterbowl he cleans his face - next on the list comes a nice scratch behind his ear....ahhhhh, what could be better!? Mjau mjau! :-)

Priscila and the kids :-)

Finally we managed to get the 2 kids together in one place for more than a second... So here is the first family portrait! MjauVoff! :-)

Nexus stretching out

Nexus is not only the King of Furniture (climbing onto the sofa, chairs, tables...), but has started to claim a large stake of the floor space! Here he is stretching out on the floor, staring into the camera lens....hehe :-) Miiiiijau!?

Not *quite* perfect harmony...

Phoebe and Nexus seem to be getting along quite well! Nexus drinks from her water bowl while she stands next to him eating.... They are now able to stay within close proximity without any fuss - that is until Nexus suddenly remembers to hiss and Phoebe barks to play!

Animal planet :-)

Phoebe on tour with the Siberian Husky Club

Yesterday I took Phoebe out for an extended walk with the Oslo-region group of the Norwegian Siberian Husky Club - she finally got to mix it up with the "big boys" (mostly female dogs actually!) She was soooooo excited to meet everyone, licking their faces, playfully interacting, submitting... On the walk from Sognsvann to Ullevålseter she kept pace with the adults and even tried to stay out in front.... A potential leader!!?? :-) I turned back slightly over halfway to Ullevålseter and walked back down to Sognsvann with Kathinka whom had with her Naledi and Emilie - two beautiful females. Also on the walk were Ingvild of Rodeløkka Kennel and Line of Huskyville Kennel - a very nice walk! Phoebe and I are looking forwards to the Tuesday walks that we will join :-)

Nexus warming up :-)

Our little boy Nexus is now happily walking around the house - "looking for trouble"! As I write this, he is playfully biting my trouser leg and approaching nose to nose with Phoebe... If only Phoebe would leave his toys alone! This video: http://andersf.multiply.com/video/item/55 was recorded of him playing with his toy before Phoebe got hold of it and dragged it into her bed to chew it to bits...heheh!
He is now eating well, using the catbox in the bathroom and generally walking around trying to establish the new world order in the house...i.e. HE is the KING...Phoebe a mere "peasent" to look down on from up high.....!

Nexus!

MIIIIIIIIJAU!

Today we picked up our little boy, Nexus! He is one day younger than Phoebe - a silver tabby British Shorthair cat! He is sooooooo friendly and loveable :-) When we came home, I went for an extended walk with Phoebe so that he could explore the house in peace and quiet. After one hour I came back and we had a "meet and greet" session between the "brother and sister"! Phoebe was desperate to play and displayed all the "proper" dog signals - friendly bark, lie down on front feet, jump back and forwards again... What could Nexus care about all that!? He just went "hhhhzzzzzzzzzzzz, miiiiiiiiiiijau!" and arched his back... He even made a noise like a spitting cobra to scare the strange creature off. During all this Priscila and I kept careful watch on the two in case something should happen - as it was, there was not any physical contact between them and Phoebe soon realised that Nexus didn't want to play.

Now Phoebe is sleeping on the floor next to me in the office and Nexus is in the living room charming my wife and her friend to bits - he is simply the most charming cat ever!

Mona - thank you for giving us the privilege of knowing Nexus in our life :-)

Julussdalen - Johanne's cabin

Our friend Johanne kindly lent us her cabin in the *middle* of the forest for the weekend - thank you!! It is situated in the depths of the Fir pine forests of central south-east Norway.

The landscape is covered in soft moss on top of sandy earth - I have very fond memories of this type of forest from my childhood when we rented a small red loggers' cabin....

Phoebe enjoyed the soft feel of the moss - rolling around or just sitting blissfully enjoying the sensation.....ahhhh, what a dog's life!

She is also becoming much more energetic when pulling in the harness....! I was inspired by seeing the neighbour on a pushbike being pulled by one of his Alaskan Huskies - looked like great fun!! It is just a little bit too early yet...next summer should be OK.

We went home early so that we could pick up our little boy - Nexus! More on him later...

First time in harness....

It is about time Phoebe got a feeling for pulling in a harness.....

After all, she is already 3 months old! It is too early for actual pulling, but Johanne has kindly lent us a "puppy harness" so that she can get a good feeling for leaning into it to pull...

Today on our evening "walk" she actually got the hang of it, leaning into and pulling through the harness... That is, until her attention was caught by a jogger....a leaf....a......!?

Gooooood girl! :-)

Growing up!

We know how it is with kids....
The time they spend with us is all with a final goal of independence!

To encourage and teach Phoebe these things, her 2-legged mum and dad have provided her with a new house!! YES - she now has a house on our veranda...and boy, it is huuuuge!
Actually - it is so big that we are already dreading the day we have to move it...
I now alternate with giving her food there and in the kitchen - she has already settled down there to take a few naps...

Mjau - voff! :-)

Going to the vet....

Today we went to the veterinarian to get Phoebe's booster vaccine shot. She (the vet) was very nice - we chatted for a good bit about drug development (which I do) and her interests in behavioural science (which I also share from my PhD days as a neuropharmacologist)...
Whilst Phoebe was distracted by some goodies that was thrown on the floor the vaccine shot was given - she didn't even blink, just kept on happily eating!
The vet commented that Phoebe seemed to be in perfect health....gooooood girl :-)

I got to put her on the electronic scales - turns out my guesstimate was quite off!
She now weighs 6.7 kgs - up from 4.1kg when we picked her up in Sweden...!
It will be interesting to see at what weight she finally ends up - Siberian Husky bitches typically end up at 16-22kgs as adults. No matter what - her "power-to-weight" ratio will be excellent, I am sure!

Jeg fant, jeg fant...! (I found....I found...!)

This morning at approximatly 10:00 I struck gold!
Or rather...Phoebe managed to pass the gold ear ring out with her faeces without further incidence...phew! Transit time was 14 hours...
Cleaned up the ring but don't have any disinfectant in the house.... Wonder if the neighbour wants it back!? He said he would boil it....eeehh....whether or not he uses it ever again is a different matter.....!

Naughty girl....

Yesterday on the way out for our evening walk we stopped on the front lawn to chat to a neighbour. They have a 11 month (young!) dog, full of energy and "jump up and down" enthusiasm..... He stayed on the veranda whilst his "dad" talked to me and Phoebe...

He was crouching down and she was standing up to give him a small "love bite" on his ear...

WOOOPS! There she did it....SWALLOWED HIS SMALL EAR RING!

Oh boy..... How embarrasing.... He said, "no problem", I said, "I will look for it tomorrow as she goes....." Mmmm - I think it might be lost forever, and hopefully it will not cause her any digestive troubles! Ach - KIDS!!! :-)

Later today we are going to the Veterinarian for her routine 12-week boost vaccination.....

Have a dog-filled (=fun-filled) day!

Anders

"A Walk In the Park....!"

Hi friends.

My wife's friend from Brazil, Silvia, is here to visit us. Yesterday we went for a nice walk in Frognerparken / Vigelandsparken - Priscila, Silvia, Phoebe and me.

First we passed via the "dog play yard" - dog owners from all over Oslo gather there to let their dogs run around (or is it to run amok!?). It was a bit early for Phoebe to hang out with the leashless dogs, so we walked on into the actual Vigeland Sculpture Park. This was also very good training for her, as she met thousands of people. She now knows that we do not stop and sniff / greet / say hi to everyone on our way....! Even so, everyone who saw her and are remotely interested in dogs would comment on her good looks :-)

We certainly made the day for a young Norwegian girl whom had her picture taken with Phoebe, as well as a young Dutch girl whom had recently bought a Siberian Husky cuddly toy, and now got to meet one IN REAL LIFE!
Perhaps some future recruits to the SH community!?

At one end of the park we stopped for a few minutes whilst the (human) girls took some pictures - suddenly someone called me in English... Rememeber that I went to Edinburgh for a business trip recently!? Well - Warren one of my business associates did mention that he was going to Oslo to visit his brother.....and there they were!!! What a small world! Introductions were made amongst the 2-legged ones, and Phoebe was wagging her tail to meet the new people...!

All in all - a very good Sunday was had by all!

Anders

Playing around....!

Tonight Priscila, Phoebe and I went out for our evening walk - on the way Phoebe met a Jack Russel terrier that she has seen before... This time they played very well together :-) A little further on we met a MINI dog - a Danish-Swedish Farmhound (Dansk-Svensk Gårdshund). See the race club website: http://www.rdsg.no/

Milla (as she is called) is soooo cute - she and Phoebe spent 30 minutes RUNNING around whilst playing.... I am very glad for her since she now needs more dog-oriented socialisation. We will attend the "puppy kindergarden" at the Oslo Dog School beginning on 18th August and we will be regular attendees at the Siberian Husky Club Tuesday walks so she should get plenty of socialising!

Tomorrow we are picking up my wife's friend Silvia at the airport - it will be Phoebe's second trip to Oslo Airport Gardermoen arrivals hall :-)

Mind games....

Have you ever tried to play the "Chinese Box" games (or similar things)? Mind games, or puzzles are a great way to keep the brain in shape....and they have them for dogs too!!!
Phoebe was introduced to her mind game toy yesterday....Oh boy was she excited to sniff out the hidden goodies! She is still on the "beginner level", but that is fine for now :-)
See the cute video of her solving the puzzle here: http://prikoh.multiply.com/video/item/14/Brinquedo_da_Phoebe?replies_read=2

For examples of other dog puzzles, check out the selection on YouTube - Nina Ottoson is the designer of the game we have;
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Nina+Ottosson&search_type=&aq=f

They say that 30 minutes of "mind games" makes the dogs tired just like they would have run around for 1 hour...! And it is a good tiredness - varied stimuli - physical and mental is a key to good doggy development :-)

Enjoy!

Challenging the house rules...

Here again!

House rules.... NO jumping on the sofa...NO jumping on the bed....do NOT bite people....NO stealing of shoes, socks, NO chewing of furniture etc etc... Come on - are we asking too much!? :-)

It makes me laugh out loud every day now that I catch Phoebe happily yapping, hanging out in the sofa or on the bed chewing one of my socks :-) It is the exact behaviour that one should expect of a puppy her age - challenging the rules! A stern NO, a pointed finger, and if needed, pushing her off the sofa is what is needed now. Do NOT let her get away with it or she will sense the "weak soul" and think that if it was OK once, then perhaps, maybe it IS allowed!?

We just LOVE her to death - being stern does not mean she does not get a lot of cuddles and praise when she behaves.... She can now even perform "sit", "lay down" and "stay" quite well!

Oh - and between all of the above....food and sleep are still high on the list!

Later!

Growing...

Tried to weigh Phoebe this morning - I cradled her in my arms and checked the combined reading, then let her go and did my own... We only have an analouge set of scales, so it is rather inaccurate. My guesstimate of her weight is a little over 5kg - when we picked her up she was 4.1kg, so she is putting on weight nicely! She has recently been dewormed, and in a little more than 1 week, she will receive her booster vaccine injections - this should cover her until next summer.

First "wilderness" experience!

Hi dear friends!

We just got back home after our overnight camping trip in the forest. Drove the car to "Østmarksetra" and walked 5 km to Hauktjern lake. On the way there we had to stop and cool down in a lake....! Even at 17:00 in the early evening it was 30+ deg C! Phoebe jumped in the water without hesitation, so I guess her experience jumping out of the canoe has not upset her too much! After a sweaty walk we arrived at our chosen campsite.

Hauktjern is a popular rock climbing area in the forests east of Oslo where I have camped many times before. It was not surprising that we had a group of people with 3 other tents for company. A quiet evening was enjoyed by all, including sharing a couple of bottles of wine between us. Phoebe got a lot of attention and fell asleep content by the small fire...

Eating and drinking certainly was not a problem for her on the trip - she got to use her new collapsible canvas food and water bag that I had bought for her in Edinburgh.

It does seem like her legs are getting longer every day now - she certainly set a good pace on our walk...that is, when she wasn't distracted by a jogger...butterfly...leaf....!


Walking home today was hot, even in the morning, so we had several more "pit stops" to drink and wade in the water along the way.

A thoroughly enjoyable camping trip was had by all - a shame though that Priscila could not join us, but I am sure she was enjoying her trip to Frankfurt to meet her friend Silvia :-)
Until next time - enjoy the summer!

Home and away...

Hi again!

This week I had to go to Edinburgh from Tuesday until Thursday on a business trip. My dad looked after our little Phoebe during the daytime, and Priscila had her all to herself in the evenings....! It went very well according to them both - even so, it was hard to be away from her.... Yesterday, Priscila went straight from work the airport to fly to Frankfurt to visit a friend, and my dad went off to collect his visa at the Indian Embassy..
You can imagine that both Phoebe and I "wagged our tails" when I opened the door yesterday evening and we saw each other again!

On our evening walks we met 2 dogs - the neighbour whom used to have Huksies was out with her son's dog that she was looking after. Phoebe actually wanted to play, but the other bitch was "in heat" and acting a little grumpy...! Later we met the Am Staff (Pitbull) dog again. This time there was a lot of wagging of tails and sniffing, and the owner gave Phoebe some dog snacks that she LOVED!

Tonight we are taking the backpack, tent and fishing rod to spend the night in the forest - there is always a first time for everything annd Phoebe needs to get used to sleeping outdoors as well as in her comfy cot....

Have an excellent weekend!

Another day at the office...

After lunch we went to visit Priscila and her boss, Karin at the National Hospital. Karin used to own a Siberian Husky and was sooooooooo curious to meet Phoebe! We have a fellow, dog-loving ally there - she said that on occasion Phoebe may sit in her office, but I would rather not impose - after all, they are in the forensic medicine institute and work under "clean conditions" when they are in the labs. Anyway - it is nice to know that Phoebe has friends!

After visiting Priscila's colleagues, it was time for Phoebe's first trip with me to my office in the Science Park here in Oslo. We only spent a couple of hours there, but she had the chance to say "woof" to a couple of colleagues and a small, fluffy, white haired "exotic dog" (can't remember the name of the race..). She settled down really well in the cage that was placed underneath my office desk, and promptly fell asleep :-)

At home, Priscila had a nice pre-dinner play session with her - see the video here:

http://andersf.multiply.com/video/item/54/Priscila_and_Phoebe_playing_the_living_room

Enjoy!

Grrrrrowling at dogs and outdoor pursuits...

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr - voff!

Believe it or not...Phoebe is a brave little girl....at least when she has my legs to hide between....! On our walk yesterday evening she met a large, muscular, male Am Staff (American Staffordshire) - also known as "Pitbull"....! He was gentle enough, peeing and scratching his feet in the grass to show that he was "the MAN"... Phoebe just stared at him and started going, "grrrrrrrrrrrr, voff, boff!!" She is simply saying - "I don't want to play - do not annoy me....." Cool girl :-) When Priscila tried to put her toy "Porquhino" dog in front of her, she started growling at it! That is until she realised she was not alive.... hehehehe

Today Priscila, Phoebe and our friend Rodrigo went to Sørkedalselven to try to assemble our Ally canoe properply for the first time.... It went surprisingly well compared to our last aborted attempt.... Phoebe was running around in the grass, and she even came with us in the canoe for a short paddle.... She was very curious to look at the water passing by until she decided to jump out...! We rescued her out of the water again..she shook herself off, but soon shivered with the chill... All wet and miserable we paddled back and after drying her with my t-shirt I put her in the cage in the back of the car where she could relax abit... A very eventful day for all!

Thanks to our friend Rodrigo for the help in assembling the canoe! Thanks amigo!!

See a couple of videos here:

http://andersf.multiply.com/video/item/52

http://andersf.multiply.com/video/item/53

L8R!

Eating well, running around, visiting...

Me again :-)

After a few days of reluctant eating, we bought Vom and Hundemat (type 25) wet dog feed (contains chicken, beef intestines/internal organs, salmon and added vitamins). You bet her appetite kicked in with a taste of real meat added to her dry food pellets! Yum, yum!
Her activity level seems to have improved (maybe my imagination), and she has been busy exploring the neighbourhood. Yesterday she went for a run around on the lawn with her mum, Priscila - it is all Priscila can do to outrun her... Phoebe will certainly be a fast dog :-)
See the video of them here: http://andersf.multiply.com/video/item/50

Today we all went to visit the kennel of Johanne Sundby, one of the more experienced Siberian Husky racers in Norway. She has given us a lot of good advice and support along the way to aquiring our dog - many thanks to her! She has been lucky to receive a puppy from Hans-Christian Ørjestad (aka "The King"). With parents in the elite of Siberian racing, "little" Bardus is bound to have a good future as a sleddog. I was very happy to see that they got along very well together, despite the fact that 3-month old Bardus is much bigger than 9-week old Phoebe.... Did I mention MUCH bigger!? Phoebe is a careful "foxy" little lady in comparison - doesn't mean she can't try to steal his food! See a video of them here: http://andersf.multiply.com/video/item/51

See you soon!

Forging ahead into a new world...

Voff!?

Its me- Phoebe again...
Did someone ever tell you that Siberian (and Alaskans for that matter) Huskies are extremely adaptable!? After only the 2nd day here at her new home with us, she has slept quietly all thorough the night (except for a pee-break at 05:00 in the morning...)

Yesterday she went for a long walk and said hello to 6 older children, 5 adults (including 2 of them in electric wheelchairs) and the caretaker out with his petrol-powered lawnmower! If a little sceptical and frightened a first, some encouragement can turn her from shaking with fear into a little girl wagging her tail and licking the hand of the person greeting her - thats our little good girl! We also went through an automatic door and took the lift 2 floors to get into my mothers apartment... Once there she drank some water and promply fell asleep on our feet whilst we sat at the computer where I helped out with some computer "expert advice".

Voff, voff - I am going to run fast and pull a sled when I grow up! Aren't I?!
See you soon :-)

Phoebe enjoying the grass...

Here again!
Just wanted to show you all a picture of our beloved Phoebe enjoying the grass outside where we live here at Hovseter... Everyone who meets her praise her good looks.... What do you think!? Fishing for complements on her behalf!? Me!?
MjauVoff!

Animal Planet.....READY, STEADY, GO!

Hi dear friends!

Time for a quick entry in my new BLOG..... From the title of the blog, you may guess that the subject is related to....Mjau, Voff - animals! My wife and I have started adding members to our family...

First off is Phoebe - our Siberian Husky bitch.... She is such a sweet girl, and if all goes well, a potential sled dog leader - at least both her parents run as lead, and given good nurturing, there is a possibilty! We shall see what the future brings :-)

At the moment, sleeping, eating, peeing, s******* and exploring the world by smell, touch and sound is what interests her.... More later - time to take her for a quick walk outside.