Tiara MiniMe, MXJ, AX (and the title to our hearts)
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MiniMe was born on April 28, 2004.
Her mother, UWP (United Weight Puller) UKC Ch. Tiara D'Aire is by a Miniature Poodle and out of a
Standard Poodle. Her father is the Standard Poodle Ch. Baroque Men in Black. See pedigree below.
MiniMe was a stand out in the puppy testing. All the puppies were terrific but she was a real pistol.
Her tail is undocked and her dew claws were NOT removed.
We adore her! We had great hopes for her but, unfortunately, she was diagnosed with two genetic
diseases, retinal dysplasia and Legg-Perthes and had to have her femoral head removed at a year of age.
Even without a hip joint in her right leg, she is a star in our hearts.
After a long rehab, she resumed what she loves more than anything in the world, agility!
Here are some videos.
Chapter 1 First time on leash 8 weeks old
Learning to walk on the leash for the first time. This was at an indoor trial in Elma Washington over the 4th
of July. She acted as though she was an old pro at going to trials. Nothing bothered her.
MiniMe at 8 weeks
Chapter 4 Learning Left and Right
8-13-04 MeMe is now 3 1/2 months old. Her focus, drive and work ethic is extraordinary! Here she is
learning left and right. She is catching on very quickly.
Chapter 7 MiniME Playing Smack Da Baby
MiniMe is an incredible tugger. She has amazing self control for such a young baby! She will tug her heart
out and release and sit until I say tug again. I love how she growls when she tugs, she really gets into it!
Chapter 8 Tunnels 8-16-04
MiniMe learned tunnel for the first time the night before this was taken. It took me less than 2 minutes to
get her going through the tunnel. It took me DAYS to get Isabella and Millie through a tunnel!This was
only her second time in a tunnel and she was already driving with some speed. That evening, we went out
and she did tunnels from a distance and drove like a seasoned dog!
*** Note that MiniMe still has all of her tail and how much she uses it as a rudder when she runs! Tails
DO count!
Chapter 9 THE BUJA BOARD!
5 months old.
This is only her 4th time on the Buja board! She took to it like a fish to water. I used the clicker to shape
her to get on and move around. Now she loves it! What a girl!!!!
She would rather jump through the rungs of the ladder because that is SO much more fun! She comes
around and does it correctly the second time but still manages a big JUMP at the end.
Chapter 10 MeMe And The 180.
5 months old.
So she is too young to sequence but I couldn't stand it. I just had to give it a try. This is the last time she
will sequence for a LONG time but isn't she just the cutest?
Chapter 15 Jump Chutes
These are very low jumps to teach striding. She really loves it but we are trying to teach her to take care of
herself and balance herself and jump more efficiently. She is 5 1/2 months old here.
Here she is in Slow motion. She over jumps so these jump chutes should help her correct that. We do all
sorts of jump chutes from these straight lines to curves.
Chapter 16 THE BEACH!
11-7-04. Here is a video of MiniMe's first time at the beach. She really had a great time. The first thing she
did was pick up a crab claw and carry it around very proudly.
We are working on our recalls and this is the first time we tested it in such a wide open space. I taught her
to come and give me a hand tap, then she gets a treat. She really loves this hand tap game and, as you can
see, she flies to me no matter how far away she is or what she is doing when I call her. A couple of times
she is intercepted by one of her sisters but she fights to get away to come for her hand tap and treat!
Everything we have taught MiniMe has been done without a leash or collar (except, of course, when she
was taught to wear a collar and walk on a leash at 8 weeks old). It was all done with a clicker, treats
and/or toys and loads of praise! We shaped all of it and I LOVE the results.
Chapter 17 RELEASE THE HOUNDS II!
11-16-04 Uncle Jef and Auntie Rossie stopped by our house on their way home from the USDAA
championships in Scottsdale. They were traveling with their own 4 dogs as well as two of Barb Davis'
dogs. We took them all to our back field and they had a great time! It was like having out very own dog
park with all nice doggies. Who says 9 agility dogs (most VERY VERY high drive!) can't get along and
play well together?
So you can identify the dogs they are:
All red Border Collie (Gael). Gael and Uncle Jef won the NADAC Championships this year. Just two
years ago she was a very frightened rescue. Gael is the boss of all things living.
Red and white BC (Voucher). Voucher is Uncle Jef's new BC. He is a handsome boy and just 9 months
old. MiniMe really loves him and chasing him is her favorite thing to do.
Milo the brown Lab is a great dog and as fast as any around.
Iris the black "Lab" (Rottie x Pit really but ILP as a Lab)is retired but when she competed in agility was
incredibly consistent and fast.
The tri BC is Barb Davis' Zesty. She was third in the 26" USDAA Steeplechase as well as the Grand Prix
this past weekend! She is very sweet and a great dog.
The Sheltie is Barb Davis' PJ. She has adopted Rossie and wouldn't leave her side.
Then of course there is Millie, Isabella and the star of the show...MINIME! Watch her use that long tail
when she runs.
Video 1
Video 2 (watch the very beginning. MiniMe bites Gael's tail and Gael lets her know by holding
her down that GAEL is the boss of the Universe)
Chapter 18 The Tire
11-22-04 We never use a collar or leash when we train. MiniMe LOVES to train and knows where we
are going when I say we are going to do jility. She usually runs as fast as she can to the field and waits for
me to catch up. Today we just tugged out way over there.
I taught her the tire by shaping it with my clicker, treats and a toy. I clicked when she looked at the tire and
treated, then when she moved towards it I did the same. When she finally went through I threw the toy.
The entire session took less than 5 minutes to teach her tire. After a few short sessions, she was reliably
finding the tire and not going between the tire and the sides so I moved away and began sending. Because
I shaped it, her understanding at this point is so much greater than the way we taught Millie and Isabella.
MiniMe is now learning the names of obstacles. We put a name to the tire last week so we are working on
sending from a distance. She is not driving as well as she will down the road but she is getting the idea. My
throwing really stinks so I need to work on it.
It makes me laugh when she jumps in the air on her way to the obstacle for the sheer joy of jility (even if it
isn't efficient)!
Chapter 19 Obstacle discrimination 101
11-22-04 Today was the first time I have tried any obstacle discrimination with MiniMe. The first time she
gets it wrong and goes into the tunnel. I do nothing but move closer to the tire to make her successful.
When she gets it right we celebrate (I throw the ball). Then I move back a bit and let her make a choice.
She chooses well. We go back and forth between tire and tunnel. You can see her slow down when she
doesn't understand what is asked of her. She thinks about stress sniffing but is learning that we can work
through anything so no need to stress.
Chapter 20 Retrieving For Fun
After we worked on discriminations, we played retrieving games to end on a really fun note with something
she understands. I have taught her to put the ball into my hand so I don't have to bend over (bad back you
know). Today, the little smarty pants tried to put the ball back in the Chuckit! This is a genius puppy who
really thinks!
Below: Left to right: Lovey (grandmother), DeeDee (mother), Megan (sister), Monty (brother) & MiniMe
Chapter 21 Learning the Bang Game on the Teeter
At first, MiniMe was afraid of the teeter sound. I stood with her and banged it down and clicked and
treated when it hit the ground. I did this from all sides and for two sessions. Then I shaped her with the
clicker and treats to put her front feet on the end when it was lowered to nearly the ground. After she was
comfortable banging it down from here, I raised it a bit and did the same thing. You can see now she is
very comfortable banging the teeter! She will not do the teeter until she understand the end behavior of
nose touching at the end in a 2o2o position.
Chapter 22 MiniMe Learns to Steer
MiniMe is learning to turn watching my body movements. We use 1 jump to teach this. We also use her
favorite tugger to promote her drive. Sometimes I throw the ball and sometimes I have her come back to
me to tug. She is happy to do either!
Chapter 23 The Tire.
She is now driving pretty well to the tire. I can send her from all angles and she always finds the center
because I shaped it with my clicker and toy or ball or treats as reward. I can stand directly beside the
teeter and she will find it from impossible angles.
Chapter 24 The stay and a Slight Pinwheel
Here MiniMe is learning to stay as well as drive over jumps at odd angles and into the tunnel. Because I
can't run, she must learn to work independenlty of me by sending, getting out and go on. She is briiliant at it
already! She is better at distance at 9 months old than many Excellent dogs I watch who have been
competing for years!
Chapter 25 MiniMe Swims NEKKID! 3-29-05
Here is MeMe's second real time swimming. She swam once when she was 3 1/2 months old with Uncle
Jef but hasn't been swimming since. She is 11 months old here. Notice she can barely keep her poor little
head above water but she will not let go of the ball no matter what! We had a hard time getting her out of
the water. I thought I was going to have to jump in after her to get her out. Even though she is a terrible
swimmer (I am sure she will get better), she is as game as they come!
Our friend Stacy's Border Collies are in the pool too. She is trying to chase them, hold the ball and keep
from drowning. Also, you will notice she is now shaved like ISabella (who was hiding so nobody would put
her in the pool).
Chapter 26 MiniMe Swims Again! 3-31-05
So, MiniMe had a few days to think about her swimming. You can see that after just a couple of times in
the pool, she is game enough to jump in wth no help! The first time she is swimming better to get the ball
but is having trouble holding the ball and swimming.
The nexttime in (click here), she does much better. She is a fast study this one and as game as I have
ever seen!
Chapter 27 The Heartache Begins 4-3-05
CLICK HERE TO SEE DIAGNOSIS AND PATHOLOGY REPORT FOR MEME'S
LEGG-PERTHES
Our wonderful little Tiara MiniMe began to show signs of rear lameness on April 3, 2005. In retrospect, it
had been coming on for months but was so slight we hadn't noticed it.There were other signs, however,
that we had attributed to other things rather than pain. We rested her and she improved but as soon as she
ran she would go three legged.
MeMe's eyes had been tested a month or so before that and she was diagnosed with Retinal Dysplasia, an
hereditary disease of the eyes. It is often associated with dwarfism and it seems they are more prone to
cataracts (another great site with information on dwarfism and RD). There is dwarfism known to exist in
Miniature Poodles and MiniMe's mother was sired by a miniature Poodle. This could be coincidence but
the genetic link to dwarfism is strong.
Because of her RD, we had her spayed in mid April thinking this was a great time to rest her further. After
her two week recovery from the spay, she seemed fine. As soon as she got any kind of exercise at all, she
was lame again. So, on April 28th, her 1st birthday, we took her to Dr. Holsworth at VSMG in Ventura,
CA. She was x-rayed and the diagnosis was Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease or Avascular Necrosis of the
Femoral Head.
We then took MiniMe to Dr. Broome in Irvine, CA for a second opinion. There, MiniMe was given an
MRI AND a ct scan to determine conclusively that she did indeed have LPD. These were then sent to
WA State Vet School as well as to Davis for more opinions from some of the very best veterinarians in
the country. They all agreed that that is was LPD, a disease usually only seen in toy and miniature breeds.
MiniMe is a standard Poodle but mother is by a miniature Poodle.
So, on June 1st, our little Tiara MiniMe went into surgery to remove the head and neck of the femur on
her right hind leg. Her pain had increased and she would cry out if another dog brushed against her leg or
when she was picked up. It was obvious that the surgery needed to be done. Had we waited, it would
have been cruel to her. The surgeon said after the operation that the head of her femur had begun to
collapse and the fluid around it was really nasty looking from the disease.
We asked the surgeons as well as radiologists and geneticists if there had been ANYTHING at all we had
done to cause this. I even spoke at great length with Dr. Keller at OFA. ALL of them reassured me that
LPD is GENETIC and nothing we did caused it.
Interestingly enough, studies show that premature closing of the growth plates have a role in causing LPD.
Premature closure of growth plates is what causes the symptoms of dwarfism so there is a second link to
dwarfism for MiniMe.
It is all so sad. Hopefully, people will not breed close relatives of dogs affected with genetic diseases.
Genetic defects can happen to any breeder. It is what the breeder does with the information afterwards
that makes a good breeder or a bad breeder!
BREEDERS NEED TO DISCLOSE ALL HEALTH ISSUES!!!!!
Some disreputable breeders choose not to disclose health problems in their lines! By not disclosing or
discussing problems, unsuspecting owners and/or breeders run the risk of ending up with genetic defects
they hadn't known about.
Here are some videos of MiniMe's rehabilitation. There will be more updates as she progresses. Who
knows, perhaps even someday, she may be able to do low levels of what she loves more than
ANYTHING else in the world, JILITY!
Walking:
We started by walking MiniMe 10 minutes twice a day a week after surgery. We are now up to about 30
minutes as well as some free time. She will use her leg when she is going slowly but prefers to carry it up
when running faster. She is using it more and more every week.
Swimming:
We are taking MiniMe to a pet spa to swim her to strengthen her leg. The owner, Beth Meyer, got into
the pool with her to teach her how to swim correctly. You can see she is swimming much better than in her
earlier videos. She taught her to keep her feet down by putting SLIGHT pressure on the leash in a
downward and outward direction. She also puts her arm over her legs about at the wrist to prevent her
from flailing them above water. It worked as you can see!
Notice that Minime uses her tail as a rudder. She also uses it as a rudder on land when turning. I think it is
great her breeder didn't dock her tail or remove her dew claws. I wish ALL breeders would stop doing
that! The dogs use both dew claws AND their tails while working.
Chapter 28 More Walking, Buja Board Revisited & RETRIEVEING!
Walking at 5 and nearly 6 weeks after FHO surgery
MiniMe wasn't progressing as fast as the vets thought she should. We decided to be more aggressive with
her rehab. Today, we put her on the Buja Board to make her use her leg. You can see she is using it to
balance.
Buja Board
After, I threw the ball for her to make her drive with her rear.
Then I let her run through some tunnels. She loved that and was SO happy to work AGAIN!
Retrieving again! FINALLY!!!
Tonight she was using her leg much more comfortably than this morning.
9-14-05 SWIMMING!
If you compare how MiniMe swims now and before her swimming lessons, the difference is dramatic! She
is really a great swimmer now. I am going to take Isabella to the same person who taught MiniMe. If she
can teach Isabella to swim, she can teach ANY DOG to swim!
Notice how well she uses her undocked tailas a rudder. I think it is a crying shame breeders cuit off their
poodles' tails!
You can also see how well she is using her bad leg when she gets out of the pool. She still can't extend it
well and gets very tired if she uses it a lot but she is slowly getting better. The swimming really helps..
10-13-05 MeMe Walking & Trotting
She is doing very well! it has been 4 months surgery and now she barely hops at all.
10-13-05 MeMe & The Jump Chute
The surgeon released MiniMe to do whatever agility she wants to do! That made her very very happy
indeed :)
We are working on jump chutes to get her to use that leg so it gets stronger. The stronger it gets, the more
comfortable she will be. She still bunny hops the 20" jump but is really starting to use that leg!
10-13-05 2x2 Weaves and MeMe Begins the Table
We are teaching MiniMe to weave using the 2x2 method. We are teaching Charisse to weave using
channels. I think I like channels better. The 2x2 teaches a better understanding at first but the channels
teach SPEED from the start! I am hoping MeMe will get faster with more understanding. Only time will tell.
We have just begun teaching her the table. She is still a bit slow to lie down but getting there.
10-13-05 Running in Slo Motion
Here is a slo motion video of MiniMe running, You can see her cross cantering but she is starting to use her
leg much more now.
10-26-05 6 Channel Weaves, Jump Chute & Shadow Handling.
We went to 6 channel weaves from the 2x2s and opened them up to make it easier for MiniMe to get
speed and entries. She is doing pretty well for a dog with only 3 3/4 legs!
I shortened the jump chute distances to cause her to rock back on her haunches rather than to stretch.
According to the surgeon who removed her femoral head, we want her to use her hind leg as much as
possible. The more she uses it, the better she will be for life. I stop training before she shows signs of tiring.
Finally, I did a little shadow handling. We do rear crosses and a front cross. You can teach them everything
about turning and crosses on the flat and make it easier for them. Once they get it on the flat I add a jump.
10-26-05 Table & End Behavior On The Contacts
Her table isn't as fast as I want yet but we haven't been training that long either. She insists on hanging her
legs over the edge and that slows her down time considerabley at the moment. It probably helps to take the
pressure off her missing hip.
We have gone from the stairs to the end of the DW. I faded the target on the stairs but put it back in for a
few sessions when we switched to the DW. It helped her to generalize the behavior. When she saw the
target, she then transfered the behavior more reliably. I will now fade the target from the end of the
equipment.
Because of my limited mobility, I can't see her nose tap well so I am not clicking at the correct time very
often. I am getting her before or after. Also, I should be feeding lower to the side over her shoulder or from
between her front legs but I am not that mobile.
I do plan to fade the nose tap anyway. I think it is just too difficult to expect multiple nose taps in
competition. I know I am incable of maintaining criteria that strict.
11-18-05 The Running A-frame!
Mel decided to do a running A-frame with MeMe. I wouldn't because I need the time to stop to catch up.
He wants to shave as much time as possible off her performance because she won't be as fast as she could
be with her lack of a hip joint. This was her second time training the A-frame. We are going to place the
stride regulators in a different place now that she has the idea but she is going pretty well I think for only her
second time!
11-25-05 The Running DW
Here is a video of MeMe running the dog walk for the second time. We need to play around with the
placement of the hoop. I am afraid she is going to miss it when the hoop is removed. Only time will tell.
12-14-05 More of the Running Contacts
A-frame is 1.28
Dog Walk is 1.8
These are true running contacts (not the fake trotting kind or the quick release kind :)! MiniMe is full out as
she flies over them. She is now doing the full height DW with ease and confidence.
She is getting bolder with her running contacts. We have also started the teeeter training. We have faded
the nose touch as training in the sand makes it punitive because every time she nose taps, she inhales a
gallon of sand. It is time to start training her for what comes up after the contacts. She runs them so fast,
Mel is really going to have his work cut out for him!
Her little weaves are getting better but she still has a hard time pushing off that leg and is two footing
sometimes. The vets say to continue training as it will make her leg stronger. You can see her stutter step in
the weaves trying to catch that bad leg up
SLO MOTION versions of the above running contacts.
It is clear from these slo mo videos we need to play around with her stride regulators and lower the hoop
on the DW. As she gets bolder, her stride lengthens so we will have to make adjustments constantly.
Not bad though for a three and three quarter legged little dog!
2-21-06 The Teeter
It has been difficult for MeMe to be fast on the teeter because of her leg missing a hip joint. We have let
her find her own way and balance and don't ask for great speed. She may never have great speed on
anything but she sure has fun training and really loves jility!
We will raise the teeter up slowly as she builds confidence. We started by having her run to the end of a full
height teeter while Mel held it up. Then he would lower it faster and faster as she became more confident.
She was never comfortable dropping on her own from the top so we lowered the teeter to the ground and
have been working it back up. She is getting there.
2-22-06 MeMe's Weaves
Weaving has been very difficult and slow going for MeMe because of her hind leg. The more she weaves,
the stronger her leg gets. The vet says it is great exercise to strengthen her joint (or missing joint as it is).
She is a two foot weaver naturally. We tried changing her to a single foot but she is too small and the two
foot seems easier for her so that is what we let her do. It is all about her being happy and having fun. I think
her weaves will get faster as she gets stronger but, even if they don't, these weaves are fine with us :)
4-16-06 MeMe's Big Debut!!!!
MeMe finally got to do what she loves most of all, BIG JILITY (that is what we call a competition). She
has watched the other dogs and gone crazy for her entire life and now she finally got to do BIG JILITY
herself!
This run was a Q and good enough for second place. If she hadn't run around the one jump, she would
have won! Not bad for a litttle dog with no hip joint in her right leg!!!
Notice how she gives Mel HELL when he makes her miss the jump!
4-23-06 USDAA Second Jumper Q!
MeMe knew more what to expect this time. She and Charisse aren't used to not being rewarded after an
obstacle or two. We never have done a full course until competition with either of them! She was such a
good girl!
She was 5.5 yps!
4-29-06 AKC Novice P JWW Q first Place!
This was MiniMe's first AKC run. She had the fastest time of any height or any novice class! She was
nearly 20 seconds UNDER sct and ran OVER 5 yps! You can hear her fan club in the background. She
even had her very own commentator (even though I had asked for total silence from the peanut gallery :).
Everyone LOVES MeMe and cheers for her!
4-30-06 AKC Novice P JWW Q & First Place!
What a great job she does! She was nearly 20 seconds under course time again!
Mel & I are very proud of our little boneless dog.
6-11-06 USDAA P1 Jumper Title
MeMe was really booking on this one! it is hard to believe she has no hip joint in her right leg!
7-23-06 AKC JWW Excellent Title!
This was MeMe's AXJ title! She ran an amazing 5.87 yps! Pretty incredible for a little dog with no femoral
head in her right leg!
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