Posts Tagged ‘Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden’
Just update.
9 January 2024 | 
Author After my last update in August, my laptop crashed and after missing it for weeks I got it back but it didn’t work then! It also turned out that there was almost nothing on the backup made!! All gone! Taken away again and after a month we were told that unfortunately it could no longer be repaired. All in all, it took several months before I got a new one and then it turned out that I couldn’t log in to my website anymore!!
This week I finally succeeded and now I could continue where I left off. Poop, poo!! But because of all the updates of my website, I have the biggest problems filling a page and it takes ages before it is to my liking. And it’s still not to my liking, but yes, I have to!
Let’s just start at the beginning of last year.
The first coursing of the year 2023 was on March 18 at the RONOstrand in Een. Since Cranston had been badly injured and Cytaugh was not in good shape at all, I only let Crumbaugh and Charlaigne run. Was actually so relaxed because you already have your hands full with this couple!
Charlaigne with her fast ears.
The following weekend, March 25th, we had our CC2000 coursing day. The weather forecast was fantastic but unfortunately they turned out not to be quite right on the day itself. The rain regularly poured down from the sky and in such quantities that everything became one big swamp. At the end of the day, when everything was cleaned up, the car, which was loaded with all coursing equipment, had to be pulled out of the mud by a tractor. He had sunk to his axles! But the people who had signed up were almost all present and had a nice day despite the weather. Hopefully they dare to come again next time!
On the 13th of April I left for Cumbernauld in Scotland to enjoy the Deerhound Breed Show. This is always a wonderful weekend with nice people and lots of Deerhounds, really enjoy!
Last year, in mid-October, Brandir started hydrotherapy. We drive weekly to Rucphen where Corinne Somers has her practice. Since there was a clear improvement in stability, and if we skipped a week a decline, we do this every week as much as possible. He now knows exactly what the order of treatments are; First massage and possibly some manipulation and then into the bath to then “swim” for 4 x 5 minutes. But… you can ask a lot of an old Deerhound as long as there is something in return, all this is not possible without pieces of cheese!
On the 10th of May we left for Sweden where I had to judge the thirteenth in Hässleholm. Then we went back to Denmark where on the 19th was the sighthound show in Vejen and on the 21st the Euro Dog Show in Herning. Charlaigne showed well, became 2nd and 3rd best bitch but didn’t get any further.
Meanwhile, Brandir celebrated his 11th birthday on May 17 at the Flyvesandet campsite in Denmark. We had hoped that we would be able to walk on the mudflats again, but because of the storm that raged exactly the days we were there, the water was too high. Very unfortunate.
I did take some pictures and a video of Brandir but unfortunately my phone was stolen in a fancy restaurant and I lost everything.
At the end of June it went back to Sweden, this time for the World Championship Coursing in Kristianstad. On Thursday, June 29, it was the turn of the CSS class, Kirjojax Harris, Cranston and Crumbaugh were entered for this. Crumbaugh emerged as the winner. He can now call himself CSS World Winner.
On Sunday, Charlaigne was allowed to run. She wasn’t in great shape after her heat and wasted too much energy beforehand so she made a mess of it and finished in 14th place out of 22.
From Kristianstad we left via Gothenburg by ferry to Frederikshaven in Denmark where we had to prepare a field for the International Coursing in Nørresundby the weekend after the World Cup. On Saturday, July 8, the sighthound show was held where Charlaigne became Danish Champion and later in the day BIS. Judge was Agneta Doverholt.
On Sunday the coursing for which only Cytaugh, Cranston, Crumbaugh and Charlaigne were registered. After the first round, Charlaigne was in first place but again she messed up the second round and ended up third! I had withdrawn Cytaugh after the first round because of the heat.
On the 18th of August we left for Arnhem where the Deerhound Clubmatch and the Sighthound Show would be held that weekend. On Saturday the clubshow with 23 Deerhounds present for judge Carina Ekwall from Sweden. Charlaigne became BOB again and also on Sunday with only 8 Deerhounds present she became BOB under judge Kay Sneath from Australia. Cytaugh became Best Working Dog both days and on Sunday she also got the Reserve CAC!
Charlaigne was both days BOB.
From Arnhem we went to Göhlsdorf, east Germany, where on Saturday a National Leistungcoursing was held (provided by CC2000) and on Sunday the Jahresausstellung of the Deerhounds.
There were 2 males and 12 females entered for coursing. For the second round there were 11 left and Charlaigne was tied for 2nd and Crumbaugh for 3rd place. But Crumbaugh made a mess of it and finished in 6th place and Charlaigne was 3rd.
For the Jahresaustellung 25 Deerhounds were entered. The judge was Pascal Thiery from France. Cytaugh got the reserve CAC from the Working Dog class and Charlaigne became BOB and later in the day BIS!
But just like her mother in 2018, she also won the ‘Quodlibet Drambui Trophy’ for the combination of beauty and performance!
At the beginning of last year, there was a call from an American writer for a photo of an old Deerhound. Well, I have plenty of those!! After editing a Christmas photo with a.o. Amy and sending it to the author, Sky Blaine, she was very enthusiastic.
At the beginning of September, Simon flew to America for work and came back with the three books! Amy’s old face is featured on the cover of the third and final book of the series.
It’s a fantastic story and you can’t stop reading, highly recommended!
At the end of September we left for Brittany where Henriëtte has a cozy, small gite. We were able to park the caravan right on the property with her and the hounds had plenty of space to run and play on the large field. It is a beautiful area and there are many nice places to walk and cozy villages to visit. Mont Saint Michel is also around the corner and is of course very nice to go to.
Just have a look at her website: www.lepetitcoincosy.com
After doing some chores at Henriëtte’s we left after a few days to Gesves in Belgium for the coursing where Simon had to judge and the hounds could course.
On the 14th of October the German Deerhound Club organized its Open Club Show in Wickrath. The judge was Natalie Heathcote and there were 38 !! Deerhounds signed up for her. Charlaigne became BOB again.
The following weekend we were back at RONOstrand. It was Cytaugh’s last official coursing. Since Cranston has not been feeling well for a long time and is therefore not allowed to do coursing, only Charlaigne, Cytaugh and Crumbaugh were entered. And what was to be expected, happened, Cytaugh had to ran alone in the second round, really didn’t like that so didn’t run. She ended her coursing career with a dismissed!!!
Charlaigne won and received the CACNL with which she is now Dutch Champion for Beauty and Performance. She is the third O’Cockaigne Deerhound (and they are the only three) to carry this beautiful title.
On Friday 24 and Sunday 26 November, the Fryslân Cup and the Winner took place in Leeuwarden. We had rented a house in Appelscha for a long weekend so that I wouldn’t have to drive up and down that long way twice. Friday we had Rob Douma as judge and he had 5 Deerhounds to judge. Charlaigne became BOB and was selected in the group but did not advance.
Sunday we had the judge Jose Miguel Doval Sanchez from Spain and he had 7 Deerhounds to judge. He also did the final judging. Charlaigne was BOB again and in the ring of honour she was finally placed 2nd!
And then the last event of the year; the Christmas show in Gorinchem. André van den Broek judged the 4 entered Deerhounds and made Charlaigne BOB and in the mainring he placed her second!!
I was so proud of my little girl! The hard work on her confidence in the show ring has paid off. She now likes to go to the show which makes it so much fun. For next year there are already a few exciting, big things on the program such as Crufts, the Breed Show in England and the World Championship Coursing in Poland and a lot of fun smaller events. We won’t get bored!
Posted in Abroad, Lure coursing, Show | 
Tags: Charlaigne O'Cockaigne, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Cranston Argyll O'Cockaigne, Crumbaugh O'Cockaigne, Nimloth Brandir | 
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RONOstrand and Ravels
Since we have been taking care of one of the fields for the Herfstcoursing on Ronostrand with our CC2000 team for a number of years, we left on Wednesday 19 October for Een, a very small village near Roden, just in Drenthe. It was lovely autumn weather and we decided on Thursday to take a good walk in an off-leash area nearby. A sprint was regularly pulled by the youngster’s and Cytaugh was also quite active. Until it went wrong. The youngster’s were playing at the end of a lane and Cytaugh ran from that group to us, turned around and ran back at full speed but couldn’t avoid Cranston and flipped into him head on. She literally slid together like a harmonica. We really thought she was going to drop dead, she pulled away completely crooked and spun around. Fortunately, we were close quickly and I was able to catch her. When she had calmed down a bit, she could not stand properly on her right front leg, but otherwise it turned out to be not too bad. After taking it easy for a while, she walked well again and acted as if nothing had happened.
Back at the caravan I immediately put her on the Traumeel and Novacam, but the next day it was clear that she had had a huge blow. She was stiff and, despite the Novacam, quite painful in her neck, shoulder, ribs and loins. Since she was entered for the coursing on Sunday, I withdraw her and asked if my other three could run together. Fortunately that was possible.
Sunday morning they ran in course 1. It was a very spectacular course because Cranston ran at full speed for half a lap between the ribbon barrier and the large play castle and just when we thought he was going to ran on and get out, he turned around and ran the same half circle back and then went after the hare again. We couldn’t stop laughing! How could he make it up!
In the afternoon they ran on the elongated narrow terrain where CC2000 was operating the lure. I had expected Cranston to make a huge cut here, not to run to the end of the field but to meet the hare halfway and then go straight to the finish. But once again he amazed us by tracking perfectly, even all the way to the back! He got the highest number of points of all three for this course which is really amazing for him. They had enjoyed the game again!
Fortunately, for Cytaugh I was able to make an appointment with the osteopath very quickly. Only then did it become clear what kind of blow she had made, almost her entire body was very painful, but in particular her neck, right shoulder, rib and loin section needed several treatments to recover.
Two weeks later, November 12, the coursing took place in Ravels, Belgium. Since the weather would be very nice, we decided, despite the fact that it is only 36 kilometers, to go with the caravan. So comfortable. For the hounds we had brought the stretchers so that they could lie in the sun and we sat in our T-shirt enjoying the exceptional temperature. But as soon as the sun disappeared behind the trees it got really cold and in the morning the grass was frozen.
On Ronostrand Crumbaugh had won convincingly with 12 points difference from Charlaigne, now it was Charlaigne who won with 12 points difference against Cranston because Crumbaugh really didn’t run well in the first round. Things went a lot better in the second round, but Crumbaugh couldn’t make up for it and he finished third.
This was the last coursing of the season. Crumbaugh and Charlaigne are real toppers and Cranston impresses with his enormous strength and stamina, a real pleasure to watch. Hopefully it stays that way for a while. With Cytaugh, we just have to wait and see how she goes into the upcoming season, for now we’ll just take it easy with her.
We wish everyone a very nice Christmas and a healthy and sporty 2023!
Posted in 2022, Abroad, Lure coursing | Tags: Charlaigne O'Cockaigne, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Cranston Argyll O'Cockaigne, Crumbaugh O'Cockaigne | Comments Closed
Göhlsdorf, Heteren and Oude Pekela
August 24 the caravan was clean and tidy again and we left for Göhlsdorf, near Berlin. CC2000 was asked to run the coursing on Saturday and so almost the entire team was present. On Thursday and Friday we still walked around in the shining sun in a T-shirt, but very bad weather was predicted for Saturday and we had to remove the rain gear out of the mothballs. Fortunately it was not that bad in the morning and also in the afternoon when the Deerhounds ran for the second time, it was still dry. Only later in the day it erupted and everyone was soaked in no time. There were 8 Deerhounds entered including my 4. It was quite a challenge to get Cranston and Crumbaugh to the start because it was at least 100 meters from the entrance of the site, walking neatly is not in their genes! After the first round, Charlaigne was first and Cytaugh last. Crumbaugh in a tie for the fourth place and Cranston was sixth. In the afternoon Charlaigne ran with Islay’s Rhiann from Silke Eichhorn a
nd this was a very nice course, the ladies were well matched but Charlaigne had lost too much energy before starting and lost a few points. She finished second, Crumbaugh fourth, Cranston sixth and Cytaugh last.
Sunday was the CAC show for which I only entered Charlaigne. Only three Deerhounds were entered; 1 male in the youth class, 1 female in the youth class and Charlaigne in the intermediate class. She did a good job and showed herself well. She became BOB and at the end of the afternoon she was selected among the three best in the group, despite not really wanting to show herself! With these two results of the coursing and the show, she obtained the title Schönheit und Leistung! She’s doing well, my little girl.
The following weekend we were at a campsite near Arnhem because Saturday was Swift’s coursing and Sunday was the Young Dogs/Veterans Day of the Stichting Rasgroep Windhonden (the Dutch Sighthound Foundation) in Heteren. Swift’s coursing went like a train and Maarten had laid out a nice course on which the Deerhounds could also run well. My complete foursome appeared at the start again and this time Crumbaugh took the credit.
Charlaigne and Brandir were entered for Sunday. I just really enjoyed showing such an old, fit male one more time, but I had promised him that this would really be his last show. There were 5 Deerhounds entered for the brand new Borsoi-judge Sybiel Schroeder but unfortunately only 3 were present. The young male, John Falstaff from Jan Scheer and Joke Groeneveld, Charlaigne and Brandir. Charlaigne became Best Young Dog and Brandir was logically Best Veteran. At the beginning of the afternoon all judgements were ready and we had to show up for the group. To my surprise Sybiel chose Charlaigne as Best Young Dog of the Day and when Brandir had to compete for Best Veteran, he won too!! Leon Scholten judged this group and he thought Brandir was so good for his age. And he is! I was so proud of him!!!
And then …… on September 17 there was finally, after 26 years, a Dutch Championship Coursing for the Deerhounds!!!!!
On October 26, 1996, the first NKC in Een, also the first competition that the current WvCNL, was organized on RONOstrand. We had 6 Deerhounds together so that the title could be forgiven. At that time, it was still customary for the participants to make the dividing themselves so that you could see beautiful equivalent courses. We had expected that this would also be possible with the Dutch National Championships, but unfortunately the committee decided that they would make the dividing and we did not agree with this because the males of Dick and Wil Bults and Jacqueline de Kok showed such aggressive behavior at the finish, that the Hawkins family and we were forced to withdraw our hounds. We absolutely did not want our hounds to become the bobbin of a fight! So we withdrew our Deerhounds with the result that no title could be awarded. Well, then the dolls were dancing!!!!
Dick, Wil and Jacqueline thought differently about aggression at the finish, they thought that was normal, so the two aggressive dogs ran their rounds that day and they made sure that about eight men were ready to catch their dogs after the course. What a display, I would be ashamed of myself!!!
Anyway, luckily the regulations both National and International have finally changed for the better, so that such antisocial, unacceptable behavior results in a fat disqualification. We hardly see any aggressive behavior at the finish nowadays, with any breed. Happy!
This year, on September 17th, 61 sighthounds were entered and 8 judges had to show up for the Dutch Championship Coursing in Oude Pekela. Each hound is judged by 6 different judges and it is always a puzzle to have the right judges judged at the right time, as they often have dogs at the start themselves. A few years ago, the Dutch regulations regarding the numbers that must appear at the start for a Championship were adjusted. It was realized that there would never be a National Championship for a number of breeds in the old way. So instead of 6, only 4 have to appear at the start and that worked for the first time this year with the Deerhounds!!
They were all four my hounds but I can’t help that and the battle was no less. The three youngsters are all very fanatic, so that results in beautiful courses. The enormous power with which Cranston thunders across the field, the interplay of Crumbaugh and Charlaigne and the displayed intelligence of Cytaugh (she was completely back after her heat) make it a real party. In the first round Cytaugh ran with Crumbaugh, not such a good combination. Cytaugh cuts the corners and only thinks while Crumbaugh goes after the hare diligently. Cranston and Charlaigne is also not a good match because Cranston also cuts a lot but also shows enormous strength and agility. After the first round, Crumbaugh and Charlaigne both had 257 points, Cytaugh 252 and Cranston 248.
In the afternoon Cytaugh and Cranston first ran, a nice combination for the lure operator! The one cuts even more than the other and it is very difficult to stay ahead with the lure. Crumbaugh and Charlaigne, on the other hand, show the interplay, beautiful to see! But Charlaigne had to lose out to her brother, with two points less she came off the field. And with this, Crumbaugh became the first Dutch Deerhound with the title Dutch Coursing Champion!!
Posted in 2022, Abroad, Lure coursing, Show | Tags: Charlaigne O'Cockaigne, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Cranston Argyll O'Cockaigne, Crumbaugh O'Cockaigne, Nimloth Brandir | Comments Closed
Tour of Sweden and Denmark
On July 23 we left for the north again. The first night was at the campsite between Bremen and Hamburg, always nice to wake up with a herd of fallow deer in the front yard. From here we continued to a campsite in Sweden where we would stay for two nights. But on arrival we were amazed, it looked like a dump of old caravans with sagging and broken awnings. The people who walked around didn’t look much like campers either. At the beginning of the evening a number of cats appeared and boldly sat a short distance to watch the hounds and a couple of large hedgehogs waddled past on the other side of the path. This was of course very exciting for the hounds but very difficult for us and in the end we decided to go into the caravan together. Partly because of this we left the next day to the next campsite where we would be three days. This was a very spacious campsite with a beautiful large forest next to it where you could walk for hours but it was also infested with ticks. Despite the hounds being treated against it, I picked dozens of ticks off them every day! On the last evening we were treated to ‘golden trees’, a very spectacular spectacle.
On July 28 we left for Västerås where on Friday and Saturday the Skokloster Summer Show and on Sunday the Swedish Deerhound Club Show took place. The campground we ended up on was a 20 minute drive from the showground and had a decent outlet area. Unfortunately, quite a lot of hares ran around here, which again required the necessary attention! Before Friday I only entered Charlaigne in the Intermediate class for judge Vlastislav Vojtek from Slovenia, she was the only one in this class, got an excellent and had to come back for Best Bitch. To my great surprise she became second Best Bitch out of a total of 14 bitches! Best bitch was Galerita’s Fiona van Mikael Nordström (husband of the breeder Cecilia Nordström and showed by Ylva, their daughter). I have always admired the Galeritas and this bitch was also lovely! So sound and well-balanced, while maintaining a beautiful topline during a very nice movement. Best of Breed was Grayrory’s Irresistible from Maria & Åke Käck.
For Best Intermediate Charlaigne had to compete with Ray Lindholm’s Necesse’s Faust Fortunatus. A beautiful male but he still needs some time; is still a bit loose in its movement. Charlaigne also won this battle. I was so proud of her!! the more so because she behaved well and allowed herself to be touched.
Saturday we had a rest day and that was a good thing, it was very hot, especially on the showground and that would have been unbearable for old Brandir. We had to break everything up again at the end of the day because we had to check out early on Sunday morning. So as late as possible, when the sun had already set behind other caravans and the temperature had dropped, the tent and awning dismantled again, packed and everything prepared for departure.
Sunday the Club Show. I entered everything except Cranston. The judge was Barbara Heidenreich from Canada and I really enjoyed it to show my hounds to her. A total of 21 males and 26 females were entered, of which 19 males and 24 females were present.
My 122 month old Brandir was the first to go into the ring, he did well but clearly showed that showing is still not his thing!
Second, Crumbaugh entered the ring along with 7 other males between the ages of 15 and 24 months. Despite the fact that he has never been shown he showed himself quite well and ran nicely. He found everything very interesting and wanted to greet everyone who sat at the ring. Barbara had a hard time with this class but in the end she made my Crumbaugh best!
Number two was Necesse’s Faust Fortunatus by Ray Lindholm, the male from which Charlaigne had won on Friday!
After judging all the male classes, Crumbaugh and the old Brandir had to come back for Best Male. Brandir of course stood for bacon and beans in the ring and was clearly disappointed but Crumbaugh loved it and showed himself to FIRST PLACE!! Best Male, who would have expected that???!!! 
After this it was Charlaigne’s turn, she misbehaved again but still ended up in second place behind another beautiful Galerita.
Finally, Cytaugh was alone in the class of 7 to 9 year old bitches. Not that hard to get first.
Best bitch eventually became Lawton’s Eqvizzical Exuviance from Stefan Hagstedt.
Several males and females entered the ring for the battle for Best of Breed. I don’t understand the Swedish judging system and certainly a Club Show has its own rules, all very complicated. Anyway, after a lot of deliberation, Lawton’s Eqvizzical Exuviance took Best of Breed and Crumbaugh came in second. A very nice achievement for such a young male!
After this judgement, Crumbaugh still had to come back for Best Intermediate, which he lost against …. a beautiful Galerita bitch, Galerita’s Athelas, who had won from Charlaigne. Charlaigne had to go back for Best Head but she wouldn’t show her head, she was constantly looking the other way. Brandir was Best Veteran and Cytaugh Best Senior and Best Working Dog. The Paar class with Charlaigne and Crumbaugh was also for O’Cockaigne! Unfortunately they had canceled the battle for Best Movement due to lack of time, which is a shame because Crumbaugh won every time also because of his movement.
We went home with a mountain of rosettes and four well-filled Goody Bags with very original gifts, it’s great how they do that there! All in all it was a very successful Club Show and it was very nice to talk to Barbara again.
After the show we had to drive another 200 kilometers to the south, to Olerum (who hasn’t heard about it?) where the coursing, for which Simon was invited to judge, would take place. We arrived around eight and quickly rebuilt everything.
Since my hounds were not allowed to participate because Simon had to stand there for two whole days in the field, Crumbaugh, Charlaigne and Cranston would do a test run. Cytaugh would run as a companion dog with the three officially entered Deerhounds. Before we walked to the coursing field on Monday morning with the three youngsters, Simon prepared Cranston’s slipline and put it on him. Unfortunately not quite according to the rules with the result that when I started him he ran off with me after him – the line didn’t slip! I made a huge thud to the ground and was dragged along. From now on it is forbidden for Simon to ever prepare a slip line again!!
Anyway, the hounds were restarted and again showed a beautiful spectacle, nothing more beautiful than three Deerhounds in ‘full speed’ over the field.
Cytaugh ran with a bitch later that morning but after a few hundred yards she stepped on a pulley and was done with it right away. Well, she was two weeks after her heat so it was understandable.
The next day the three monkey-heads did a test run twice, they had made up for the lack of free movement!
It were very nice days and we sat together under the party tent until the late hours, luckily the Swedes speak good English because you don’t understand anything about that Swedish!
Wednesday morning we packed up again and drove to Gothenburg. We stayed here until Friday morning and then took the ferry to Frederikshaven to cross. From there a short drive to Nørresundby where Simon again judged the coursing for two days. Here the hounds were officially allowed to participate and I had entered all four of them. Let’s hope Cytaugh would do a good job too!
We stood with the caravan close to a wild area where a herd of cows, Scottish Highlanders, Lakenvelders and their crosses, were walking around. The crosses were very special and resembled wire-haired Lakenvelders. One of the yearlings was very interested in Crumbaugh and he in her. She was also very beautiful and they stood looking at each other for minutes, there was clearly a Scottish click!
The hounds ran on Sunday and Hanne from the Eikica Sighthounds would help to start. Cranston and Cytaugh were the first to run and…. Cytaugh did run! She anticipated a lot and should have had the highest number of points for intelligence, but unfortunately this part has been deleted. In the second Deerhound course Crumbaugh and Charlaigne started and that was a really fantastic course! They followed the hare with devotion and Crumbaugh ran just a little better than Charlaigne but she did not show herself off and took 4 points more than Crumbaugh and 
took first place with the Certificate! Cranston was third and Cytaugh fourth. They had had a great run again and had come off the field without injury. It was again a super well organized coursing that ran like a train.
Monday August 8 we went to Camping Ringkøbing. We had been to this campsite twice before and it was great. Partly because of the large forest right next to the campsite where the hounds can run free, it is an ideal place to stand for a few days. And … we were lucky with the temperatures, not above 30°C!
On Thursday we went to the ‘Sandskulpturfestival’ in Søndervig. The impressive sand wall of 200 meters long and 7 meters high was decorated with the theme of the Middle Ages. Real works of art made by different people from many countries. i.a. a few Dutch, English, a Russian, Ukrainian, Belgians and Swedes had a great time in this huge sandbox with a beautiful result!
And yes, the sky really was that blue!
After a wonderfully relaxed week we returned home on Saturday 13 August. But not for long because at the end of August we had to be back in Göhlsdorf where Simon had to take care of the coursing together with Maarten and Willem. To be continued.
Posted in 2022, Abroad, Lure coursing, Show | Tags: Charlaigne O'Cockaigne, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Cranston Argyll O'Cockaigne, Crumbaugh O'Cockaigne, Nimloth Brandir | Comments Closed
A little bit of everything and a trip to Finland.
At the beginning of this year I sent DNA from Vision and her sons and from Cytaugh and her puppies to America for research on Post Operative Bleeding Syndrome because I suspected that Vision died from this. After several weeks I got the results and it turned out that Vision did indeed have the genotype SERPF2-VAR, meaning she had the highest risk, as much as 500 times higher than hounds that have no risk or the SERPF2-WT genotype. Due to the bleeding after her operation, the supply of oxygen was not sufficient for the organs and the nervous system and kidneys can be damaged very easily by too little oxygen; the haemorrhages were thus the cause of the eventual renal failure.
Her sons, Cranston and Callaghan both have SERPF2-HET, meaning they are 25 times more likely to have bleeding after surgery or an accident. It is therefore important that the vet has the right medication on the shelf. Unfortunately, it turns out that you are not allowed to have that medication under your own management, so if you are on the road you have a problem.
Also two of Cytaugh’s puppies have the SERPF2-HET variant while Cytaugh himself has SERPF2-WT. The owners have of course been informed immediately so that they can inform their vets and I have also informed the owner of the father of the puppies.
I am very pleased that, in addition to Factor VII Deficiency, we now also have the opportunity to test the hounds for this bleeding disorder, Delayed Bleeding Sydrome (DBS – also called hyperfibrinolysis)). You can avoid a lot of trouble with it.
The commercial test is not yet on the market, but if necessary one can simply send a swap to America for research. Unfortunately, there are still breeders who do not even test for Factor VII, which is very irresponsible as it carries great risks. I therefore recommend that when you want to buy a puppy, you ask the breeder whether it has been tested for Factor VII and DBS. You can read more about this via the following link, https://www.o-cockaigne.eu/?page_id=20680.
We were finally able to remove the caravan from under the caravan port in mid-March and muck it out. In the course of the winter it always becomes a kind of storage place and before you have everything back in place and cleaned, you are a day further. But in the course of Thursday morning 17 March, we could then leave for Lelystad where the first CC2000 event would take place. More than 50 hounds were registered and it was a very pleasant day with perfect weather for the hounds. It was very nice to see Mackenzie (and of course Bert and Mariëtte who belong) again and also Simone and Marco with Finn and Kick.
Unfortunately Charlaigne was not allowed to walk, he was still in the rag basket but there were 6 Deerhounds walking that day! Mackenzie had to get used to it again but in the end ran very nicely. In the afternoon she walked with brother Crumbaugh and that went perfectly!! Also very nice courses from Cranston with the Afghan Kimi from John and Karin, and in the afternoon with the Barsoi from Anneke. Everyone enjoyed it immensely.
On April 11 I had Brandir’s heart tested again and it has improved again! By adding Carnitine, Taurine and Q10, his heart becomes more and more powerful and I no longer have to worry that the same thing will happen to him as Chidish. Cranston has also been tested for the first time and found to be fine. Nice to know before he starts his coursing career.
Cranston, Crumbaugh and Charlaigne have now obtained their coursing license and Cranston has already successfully completed a number of coursings.
The last major event was the World Coursing Championship on May 27, 28 and 29 in Kalajoki, Finland. We left on May 18 and had planned for a few weeks with a few days Flyvesandet in Denmark and a stop at Sonja on the way back. At Flyvesandet it was great fun again with the low water. Even Brandir, who in previous years was afraid of the tide, now walked freely and cheerfully. He even went crazy on a regular basis!
It is a lovely area and the hounds always enjoy it. It is also a great terrain for a good fitness training because walking through such a layer of muddy sand is quite hard!
On the way to Kalajoki we stayed at various campsites, including in Sweden, including a very nice nature campsite in a very beautiful environment.
On Wednesday 25 May we arrived in Kalajoki and were directed to our spot, a strip of asphalt in front of the caravan with a large sandbox next to it. We stood right on the beach, or rather on the beach, and looked out over the Gulf of Bothnia where the sea ice was still floating. A strange sensation as it was nice and warm those first days and everyone was walking around in T-shirts and shorts. The hounds loved the sandbox and we swept the sand outside every day.
The three coursing parcourses were also on the beach and all had a length of about 800 meters. This was long enough as it is of course very hard to run through the loose sand. On Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday Crumbaugh and Charlaigne were allowed to do a test run but on Thursday I saw afterwards that both had a total of 6 broken feet from the sand that had sanded away the skin at the bottom between the toes. A very painful condition that unfortunately was not cured quickly – so no more test run on Sunday.
Cranston was in CSS class on Friday with two Swedish females and one English male. I judged this male, Kirjojax Harris, at the Breed Show in England last year and it was very nice to see that he was suddenly a lot more mature and changed in a positive way. Beautiful male!
In the first round, Harris ran under red and Grayrory’s Kestrel under white. Harris started very well but halfway through Kestrel came by and after this Harris actually followed Kestrel and at one point he also touched her twice, in other words he disturbed her. He got a disqualification for this which is of course very sour when you come all the way from England.
In the second lap, Cranston ran under red with Gray Mountain Maggies Aileen. As a young girl, Aileen usually walked closely behind the hare, but also made an error of judgment every now and then. Cranston coursed more with his head he read the terrain and cut where necessary. Three times the turner went wrong, he misjudged Cranston’s speed and this caused Cranston to come into contact with the hare. Luckily he didn’t care about it. Unfortunately there was one judge who most likely swapped the points and placed Cranston in third place.
In the afternoon he had to walk alone and that was very disadvantageous for him. Such a large, heavy male cannot be compared with the course before it of two females. He eventually ended up in third place. It’s a shame it went like this but Cranston really ran very well and enjoyed it.
Saturday it was Cytaugh’s turn. There were 12 bitches (6 German bitches, 2 Czech, 2 Swedish, 1 Finnish and my Dutch Cytaugh) entered for the CACIL class and not a single male! Cytaugh started in the first course together with Islay’s Quickstep of Ira Johannsen (DE). Cytaugh got 243 points and Quickstep 230. Cytaugh was in a provisional fifth place!! In the second round, Islay’s Luck Penny from Ira ran with Crathlint Dwynwen Dee from Satu Hakanurmi, the only Finnish rider. Luck Penny got 228 points and ended up in provisional tenth place while Dwynwen Dee was disqualified. Fernhill’s Rose at Grayrory from Åke Kack (SE) ran a very nice course and earned 245 points and Islay’s Peekeboo from Ira got 232. In course four, Islay’s Oonagh from Ira and Cotherstone Angrboda from Ann-Marie Boyle (SE) and they got 247 and 229 points respectively. Course five was for Andrea Jahelková’s Ailis Under Sharp Hill and Islay’s Quinn by Silke Eichhorn, who tied for first place with 257 points. In the last course, Andrea’s Aisha Under Sharp Hill ran with Islay’s Luighseagh by Claudia Oeljeschläger (DE) with 237 and 179 points.
In the second round, Cytaugh had to compete against Aisha Under Sharp Hill in course 4. Aisha got 1 point more than Cytaugh but that wasn’t enough to beat her. Cytaugh eventually landed in fourth place.
I was quite proud of Cytaugh, with her over 7 years she has done well!
As said, on the way back we went to visit Sonja for a day. Very strange to find only two Galgas and Brandir and Cytaugh hadn’t expected this either. After a lovely lazy day, we drove home on Sunday to see our new cork floor. The floor is beautiful, but we also found leveling everywhere; on the terrace, against the walls, even the door handles were covered. So that became a return for the floor layers to clean things up. It just meant that we couldn’t immediately start clearing out our house because everything, really everything, was in the shed, on the porch and under the carport. Well, as long as we’re ready for Christmas.
Posted in 2022, Abroad, Deerhound in general, Lure coursing | Tags: Charlaigne O'Cockaigne, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Cranston Argyll O'Cockaigne, Crumbaugh O'Cockaigne, Nimloth Brandir | Comments Closed
Holiday in England
Given the Corona vicissitudes, it was a very exciting adventure, our trip to England. We postponed booking the tests, campsites and the crossing in advance as long as possible, as there was of course the chance that we would turn ‘red’ on the English ‘Government site’ and then we would not enter England. We had already pushed our departure date forward in the hopes that the site update wouldn’t come before Monday 20th September, but the British government held a press conference on Wednesday the 15th and the chance of an update became earlier. We had to do the corona test on Thursday the 16th, otherwise we didn’t fall within the deadlines. I also had the hounds dewormed on Thursday and made sure that their passports were filled in correctly. This on the way to Werkendam where the Dutch Coursing Championship was held. On Friday I would drive back and forth home to do a few things, including putting the garbage on the road. But when I arrived, the garbage had already been collected and I could go up and down on Saturday to take it to the recycling center! Well, there was still plenty to do at home and the hounds were not bothered by the coursing noises. After I was back in Werkendam on Friday afternoon, the hounds were able to have a nice run. In the evening we would eat in the restaurant of the riding school and while we were waiting for our ‘dinner’, an update came from England…….luckily the Netherlands remained orange!! This is of course a purely commercial affair because they already have enough problems in England so putting the Netherlands on red would be very stupid but still, we were very relieved! More on this later.
Saturday at the end of the afternoon back home quickly, well that ‘quickly’ did not go, the mover of the caravan did not work! Fortunately Maarten is handy enough and managed to remove the rollers from the tires so that we could at least go home. We hoped that the mover would work again at home otherwise we would have a real problem getting off the site on Sunday morning. In the evening I put another few things in the caravan, Simon filled in all the papers and printed them (which of course was terribly disappointing and took several hours), I filled the freezers with meat for the hounds (I got about 45 kilos in it !) and we went to bed early.
Up early on Sunday morning, the last things in the caravan fridge and off. Fortunately, the mover did and we were able to start the journey without any further problems. This went very well and earlier than hoped we were in Calais and through the “Pet Control”. After this it went a little less smoothly because of the strict control of the passports, but we were still able to get on a train earlier than we had booked. Mid afternoon we arrived at the first campground, Tanner Farm Park. A campsite where Sonja and I had already been twice before and where you stay wonderfully quiet with good walking opportunities. Only we didn’t bring oversized Cranston with 
us then! It was impossible to pass under the gate that was part of a fence that you can go over as a human and go under as a small to medium-sized dog. Brandir and the girls crawled under it neatly but Crumbaugh and Cranston refused it absolutely. So because of this the walking possibilities were limited. But there was ‘excitement’ enough because it was bursting with squirrels and they just walked right past our hideout. Once there was one just below the open window of the caravan and I could just grab Crumbaugh’s hind legs before he started to jump out of the window! Furthermore, the hounds fortunately stayed neatly behind the fence when the squirrels jumped around. So good!!
According to the rules, we should do a COVID test on Tuesday. We also had ordered and paid for it, but the test never arrived at the campsite. Even after several emails and phone calls, we didn’t get any response. Then not, we’ll see.
On Wednesday we went to Scotney Castle. A ruin on a small island and a newer castle set in beautiful gardens many acres of sheep pastures and woodlands. We first made a big walk, between the sheep and especially Crumbaugh and Charlaigne could not resist the sheep poo. Afterwards we went to the old castle ruins to shoot a few pictures, a really nice ruin.
One of the problems that England now faces is that there are too few truck drivers to transport fuel, among other things! We experienced this when we wanted to fill up and there was no diesel (nor petrol) available at various filling stations. Fortunately we found another gas station in a small village where we could fill the tank.
On Thursday we left for a campsite near Telford where the Breed Show would take place and I would judge the Deerhounds on Sunday. Friday afternoon we went to the hotel to say hello to everyone and to give Liza and Sarah the chance to see Uther’s puppies. Unfortunately I was not allowed to attend on Saturday so we decided to go to Ironbridge. We first walked a bit with the hounds, then had lunch at a pub and then walked back towards ‘The Iron Bridge’. Well, when you walk across the bridge there isn’t much to it, it’s just impressive from a distance, especially when you consider the history.
But what we actually went for was of course ‘The Deerhound Table’ which is in the Coalbrook Museum of Iron. I didn’t think it would be this big! The Deerhounds that carry the table on their necks were really life-size. Very nice to see it in real life.
Here too, around Telford, we saw long lines of cars at gas stations waiting to fill up, only to see the next day that everything was sold out and there was no car left. After some searching on the internet Simon found a gas station where you could still fill up, but for no more than 25 pounds. Well that doesn’t work with a 90 liter tank! So after first having refueled for 25 Pounds, he drove around and filled the tank at the truck pump. In a normal passenger car, the nozzle does not fit in the tank opening, but fortunately that is no problem with us! There was no one to say anything about it and no comment at the checkout either. At a next gas station it was also said that it was allowed to refuel at such a pump. Good to know! Hopefully we can still fill up on the way back, otherwise we won’t make it to Folkestone and we won’t come home!
We also heard in the evening during dinner in the hotel (which we were fortunate to be able to attend) that various products were no longer available in the shops because they simply could not be delivered. What such a stupid virus can cause!
Sunday morning, up early and heading to the hotel. Fortunately the weather was great all week and also on this day it was great weather for a show. In total there were 83 Deerhounds entered for the show with 90 entries on the Saturday of which 30 were absent and 53 entries for the Sunday with 16 absent. Not as many entries as usual but that was to be expected in the current situation. It is a miracle in itself that a Breed Show took place with the enormous numbers of corona infections that are reported daily in England.
Anyway, I was very satisfied with my numbers and loved to get so many Deerhounds in my hands again. The quality was very different but I had a couple of very nice hounds including a young male of 23 months who made it very difficult by either not wanting to trot or to go at a pace but…..when he trotted, he showed the best movement whatever you could imagine, dancing beautifully with a long, flowing stride, low to the ground and at a good pace. The best gait of the day. Furthermore, he was a male who was really ‘Fit for function’ and could really do his job. Also a male and female, brother and sister, 20 months young, stood out in type, movement, beautiful small ears and very dark eyes. Yes, and then those adorable hounds; who really want to cuddle with you intensely or that old bitch of 11.5 years who was still so fit and trotted active through the ring, they touch you in the depths of your soul and it always brings tears to my eyes.
On Monday morning we left for Dartmoor. We had booked a ‘dog friendly’ campsite but when we arrived and were directed to our spot, it turned out that it was not allowed to put up our fence, which would mean that the hounds only had to stay in the caravan and awning. No way! So we turned around and looked for another campsite – easier said than done as it turned out that many were not allowed more than 2 dogs or that the place was flooded due to the enormous amount of rain that had fallen last night. Via, via we ended up at a campsite along a moderately busy road but with direct access to the Moors and a very cozy pub! Tuesday it came pouring out of the sky again and at one point a soaked robin flew through the awning. Fortunately we had all the hounds in the caravan and I let the bird rest for a while before opening the tent door. It stayed on the ground for a while and after about ten minutes it flew away again….. or not? More on this later.
Parody of “Wishful Thinking”.
When it would remain ‘dry’ in the afternoon, we quickly set out with the hounds. Through the gigantic meadows, where the sheep and ponies graze, ‘Public Footpaths’ ran in all directions. So plenty of walking options, you had to close the gates behind you of course. When we walked a few hundred meters on one of those fields, suddenly about 10 ponies came running towards us from very far away. Simon said jokingly; “They’re going to surround us.” Well, they did and one of them didn’t look very friendly. This mare was clearly the leader and didn’t think it was good that we were walking here with five Deerhounds. She became more and more threatening and on a few occasions she turned to us and at one point she slammed backwards. Against Brandir! Fortunately, he is no longer very stable on his legs and he immediately fell over which probably saved his life. When he got up, he squeaked and stood on three legs for a while, but that soon got better. As I was struggling with Crumbaugh and Charlaigne to contain them (they wanted to chase those ponies away!), I couldn’t do anything, just try 
to keep things as calm as possible and try to get off the field as quickly as possible. For the first part we were still chased by the herd of ponies but the closer we got to the fence the more they kept their distance before finally turning around and galloping away. What a terribly bad experience this was and especially for poor Brandir, that he in his old age has to go through such a thing. Fortunately it turned out to be not too bad with him, I couldn’t discover anything about him and he just walked with us for the rest of the walk. In the meantime it had started to rain again so we didn’t have much fun and after the hounds had done everything we turned back towards the caravan to drown the fright. We preferred to have a very large pony steak on our plate in the evening in the pub!! But unfortunately they didn’t have it.
We were fed up with Dartmoor right away and on Wednesday we packed up all the wet stuff again and drove to The New Forest where we had booked a very quiet campsite, The Red Shoot, in the middle of the nature reserve. Fortunately, we were also able to arrive earlier than agreed. In The New Forest the ponies, cows, pigs, donkeys and deer just run loose throughout the area and a confrontation with them is not inconceivable but we were well warned by the bad incident in Dartmoor and left the cattle behind. The weather was beautiful here and in a radiant sun we set things up again and drank a beer in the sun.
Thursday – rain – we had decided to go to Stonehenge but when we got there we could either walk 2 kilometers or take a shuttle bus. Well with 5 Deerhounds in a shuttle bus we didn’t like it so we just walk. Of course, to get a little closer to the stones you had to buy a ticket – 21 Pounds per person!! Now we are real culture barbarians and are not willing to pay for a look at old stones up close, so taking some pictures from a slightly greater distance was okay. Simon also said; “They’re probably saving up for new bricks.” Well, with such amounts that is easily saved!
Fortunately, it was dry during the walk there, but there was a strong wind. At one point a hare crossed the road right in front of us. The only one who saw him was Crumbaugh and he is the worst thing to get back in line! Only when we were far past the ‘hare pass point’ on the way back, he was able to walk a bit normally again.
We drove to Burley on Friday. This should be a nice old village but it was not what I expected. The walk that was plotted in the area and we walked, was also a bit disappointing. Large stretches on tarmac roads. There weren’t many cars driving, but if possible Brandir runs loose so he can set his own pace. That didn’t work here and then it’s a lot more tiring for him. The surroundings were beautiful and the ponies would occasionally let us go round as they were in the middle of the road or grazing next to it. 
We now look out for them and don’t trust them at all! When we drove back to the campsite, we ended up in a ‘traffic jam’ because of a herd of donkeys walking across the road. Yes, and then you really have to be patient.
Saturday it rained all day, and not just a little! In the afternoon we agreed with Gill and Toby to show Brandir. As one of their bitches was in season we couldn’t take him inside so all five of them stayed neatly in the car. Well neat…. when we came back to get Brandir out, it turned out that the puppies had retouched the mattress cover. The whole car was covered with foam flakes!
Sunday was a rest day, just a nice walk in the area which was already strenuous enough by meeting a lame deer that did not disappear so quickly in the forest. At the end of the afternoon, when it had cooled down quite a bit, there was a heavy downpour of rain and we had closed the awning, suddenly a robin was flying around in the awning again! Accidentally rolled up in the awning? Those animals crawl through the smallest cracks and into the tent under the caravan. That is really guts!
On Monday we took another beautiful, strenuous walk in the northwest of the New Forest. At the start of the walk there were a few cows along the path but luckily they had little interest in us. Steep, slippery slopes, overgrown with ferns, up and down in the pouring rain. Luckily we didn’t encounter any ponies or cows there!
Tuesday morning we packed up again and drove to Tanner Farm Park where we would spend the night before traveling back home. We never did our second corona test and we had already prepared ourselves for a hefty fine for this, but when we arrived in Folkestone, nothing was said or asked and after all the checks regarding the hounds we could get on the train. Once on the train we were sure that no angry Englishman with a fine would come after us and we could breathe a sigh of relief.
Unfortunately, we also received bad news from Sonja that day. In the week before, she had already reported that Vision was not doing well after she was neutered, but there was no improvement at all, on the contrary, she had to decide to put Vision to sleep. In and in sad, still so young and completely fit again after her fake pregnancy, she couldn’t get up after the operation and eventually her kidneys gave out. An unbelievably hard blow for everyone involved. But especially for Sonja of course.
Pyefleet Vision, mother of Cranston Argyll and Gallaghan Argyll, was only allowed to live to be 5 years, 9 months and 5 days.
Posted in 2021, Abroad | Tags: Charlaigne O'Cockaigne, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Cranston Argyll O'Cockaigne, Crumbaugh O'Cockaigne, Nimloth Brandir, Pyefleet Vision | Comments Closed
Finally …..
Finally I can manage to write something again. The lust and inspiration simply lacked after the death of Cearrean and because of the bustle of the puppies.
It was a busy couple but what fun they had together! They grew well, ate well and everything, were neatly on the leash, driving was no problem and they learned a lot from the older hounds. It all went very well.
But to be honest, I was also looking forward to see three out of six going to their new owners around February 9 (Holly would not leave for Germany until the beginning of March) but it was not to be. After the puppies had their last vaccination on February 9, they all got sick in the evening. At first I thought it was a reaction to the vaccination but because they all were not feeling well and later also vomited 
and got diarrhea, I soon came to the conclusion that it must be something more serious. I had brought Calum to Annelies in the afternoon and he also turned out to be unwell later on. This is of course the worst thing that can happen to you as a new owner and we had more than regular contact.
It turned out to be a gastrointestinal virus that was all around and because the puppies regularly went along for socialization, they had picked it up somewhere. After a week with ups and downs, high fever, not eating and drinking and therefore losing more than a kilo, after stool research showed that Giardia now also played a role! What a drama!!
It is of course very easy if you keep your dogs in kennels; a few times a day empty the high-pressure cleaner with disinfectant and you’re done, but that’s not how it works when you have them all in your house and they run over your entire 5000 square meter site. So the only thing that helped was cleaning & disinfecting and constant poopcleaning & disinfection every day. Liters of Dettol went through and the washing machine was running day and night. I can tell you that this was really not fun and it took away my fun. No more puppies at O’Cockaigne for the time being!
But in the meantime we are several weeks further and the puppies are doing well. The owners are all very happy with them and what I see in the photos and the videos and read in the emails, the puppies also with their servants. Crumbaugh and Charlaigne are very happy with each other and are shaking things up here, digging holes in which they can disappear and especially during the news in the evening on TV. they can argue wonderfully on the couch. They look good and have wonderful characters!
Posted in 2021, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Charlaigne O'Cockaigne, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Cranston Argyll O'Cockaigne, Crumbaugh O'Cockaigne, Nimloth Brandir | Comments Closed
They are a noisy bunch!
Christmas. How fun can it be! Standing out in the cold in your pajamas at night to ensure that the puppies do not do their business in the house but outside. Of course they don’t all go out at the same time and they don’t do everything at the same time. After this they have to eat and play extensively. All in all, it will take you almost 2 hours before you can go back to bed! But rarely do they put anything in the whelping box, so things are going in the right direction. Hopefully they will be completely housetrained in two to three weeks. But the door has to be left ajar so that they can go out, and we have made several adjustments to this. Fortunately, they understand the small crack through which to go outside, even at night, but they also feel how cold it is there and for 
some that is the signal to turn around and to relieve themselves on the corrugated cardboard inside. So there is no other option than to persist to go out in my pajamas in the middle of the night!
Then that litter of 2 puppies in May was a lot easier!
Just a few more days and then they are already 6 weeks. In the meantime, they make the whole house their playground and they know where to find Cytaugh when they feel like a sip of milk. They are doing well, the largest is still the largest and the smallest the smallest. There is more than a kilo difference between the two, but not in their brains! The two smallest females, Caira and Chasslynn, are the two smart ones and the most enterprising. Charlaigne and Caoimhe are a bit calmer and the males, Calum and Crumbaugh are real males; occasionally playing the boss but mostly lazy.
After the meals of steak tartare and puppy milk, they now mostly rely on meat and they like it the best. Very soon they will have their first day-old chicks, sprats and little chicken necks. Line training has started and the car is no longer strange to them. Next Monday they will be chipped and on Tuesday they will receive their first vaccination.
Cranston absolutely loves them and loves to be with them all the time. In his way he is very gentle with them but now and then a puppy flies through the air! Fortunately, they are still made of ‘rubber’ and can withstand a lot. Especially Caira is his favorite and she really lies down to be chapped! Brandir and Cearrean think they are still a bit too small, although Cearrean is very interested, but he thinks it is a bit much, 6 puppies.
Yes, Cearrean, a chapter on its own. After a period when things went reasonably well, things are going in the wrong direction again. You can clearly see that he has a lot of headaches and he takes it out on his housemates. Two and a half weeks ago I had an MRI scan of his head after Judith Adriaansens, the naturopath which is treating him, said there was ‘a’ process going on in his head. She was right! There appears to be a cyst between his large and small brains. This presses on the cerebellum and causes pain. It is also known that the cerebellum is not only responsible for motor skills but also for emotion, aggression, empathy and so on. So Cearrean’s behavior is very explainable, but also almost no longer tenable in recent weeks. He can very unexpectedly attack one of his housemates and especially Brandir does not accept this anymore. Cearrean’s behavior causes a lot of stress and tension and we had hoped that the medication he is now on would change this. Unfortunately this is very disappointing.
And when this was the only problem, but he also has problems with his right knee and his back very regularly. The pain relief that he receives is not sufficient for all these things and it especially occurs in the evening. Everything that comes within a radius of 4 meters is grunted. Really not fun. We still have to look at it, his behavior is very variable at the moment, but all in all I see it gloomy for him.
And Cranston, he is a very beautiful puppy but … his lower jaw remains too short. After having his lower puppycanines removed at a very young age in the hope that these would not hinder the growth of the lower jaw, I unfortunately had to decide to have the lower canines shortened. This happened 2 weeks ago.
All in all, not such a good time. Fortunately the puppies make us laugh regularly and we enjoy them a lot.
It is now Tuesday December 29th. The storm last weekend was not conducive to housetraining! How they hate that dirty weather! And annoying that they are! It was also a short night. After they went to sleep with a full belly at 11:30, I only at 12:30, the first one woke up again at 1:30! Then it took until after three o’clock before they decided to go back to sleep. But at 7 am the alarm went off again because my car had to go to the garage (Simon was allowed to do that). After the puppies had eaten and had a mini nap, it started again. They really went out of their way to drive me crazy and squeaked, screamed and screeched the loudest. Even after they ate a pound of meat and had dessert at Cytaugh! And while I was trying to sort things out, they immediately reorganized it into a mess! If someone had said that puppies are FUN at the time, I would have strangled that person!
Yesterday the chipper came and they all have their number and their DNA has been taken. This all went very well.
This afternoon they will receive their first vaccination and will therefore have to make a longer drive than they are used to so far. The times they were in the car it went well, but those were only a few laps around our roundabout.
And then they have to be pricked for the liver shunt test next week. I don’t expect there to be a liver shunt, but you never know!
Until now they are growing well. They prefer to eat pure meat without puppy milk and still like to drink at Cytaugh. Cytaugh is not so happy with it anymore because those teeth are quite sharp. So drinking with mom will soon be over!
Posted in 2020, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Cearrean Argyll O'Cockaigne, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Cranston Argyll O'Cockaigne, Nimloth Brandir | Comments Closed
It is a nice bunch of puppies
The puppies are now two weeks old. They grow well and look fantastic. Cytaugh keeps them clean and because of this they shine like a mirror. Caira was the first to open her eyes a bit and was immediately waving to the world! Chasslynn was the first to carefully take several steps and now runs like a spider through the whelpingbox. She is a real racing monster!
In the meantime, all have their eyes open and respond to sound. Now minimal, but in a few days you will no longer be able to open the slide of the whelping box without them hearing it.
They also display playing behavior. Now they usually bite in each other’s ears and legs lying down and floundering , but it will soon be during walking and falling over.
The differences in character are getting bigger, the males are real males; calmer and less impulsive. But Calum can demand a lot of attention. Chasslynn is a small busy thing, she beeps loud and clear and is usually the first with everything. Caira is clever, smart but not loud, Caoimhe is calm but can grow quite a throat if she wants something, Charlaigne is the quietest of all.
What they all love is a ‘group hug’, preferably all at the same time getting a hug. Even if one is screeching, he or she often becomes silent when you pick him or her up. They really enjoy being cuddled.
Well, we take the time for that!
Every day it gets a little better
Saterday, November 21
After I returned from the vet with Cytaugh and the deceased puppy around 6pm on Wednesday (Nov.18), I didn’t feel like burying it anymore. I did this on Thursday after I first weighed him; it weighed a whopping 618 grams, the heaviest of all. And what a beautiful puppy it was!
The first days after the caesarean section Cytaugh had a significant increase, even up to 39.9 Cº, fortunately it is now dropping but it is going slowly. She feels okay and eats and drinks well. She is a loving mother and keeps her offspring clean.
Fortunately, Cytaugh lies still in the whelpingbox and does not get up to turn around so I don’t have to worry (not yet) about that but she likes to stretch her legs regularly, every 2 to 3 hours, and to pee. Of course, this also continues at night! And of course she doesn’t pee right away, she prefers to walk halfway through the forest! You are immediately wide awake again. Of the first 5 days (180 hours) I slept for a total of 16 hours. The annoying thing is that when the puppies are in their little box because Cytaugh has to get out, they are sleeping well and you don’t hear them. But when they are in Cytaugh’s whelping box, you constantly hear one squeak, suck or moan, it is hardly silent for a moment. Cytaugh is also panting a lot, it is too hot for her, especially now that she is also raised.
Sunday afternoon I saw a wound besides Cytaugh’s tail. When I examined it more closely, a lot of thickened anal fluid came out! So it turned out to be a burst, inflamed anal gland. Very strange that it did not smell at all and that Cytaugh was not bothered by it.
Fortunately, Cytaugh’s temperature is going in the right direction, at the beginning of the evening it had finally dropped below 39. Let’s hope this trend continues.
Monday, November 23
It was a very restless night. Cytaugh wanted to get out at 3:00 am and before she finally had a pee I was half an hour further. Since it is quite dark in our forest, I bring a flashlight. We then act as quietly as possible otherwise a dog in the neighbourhood will bark. You really feel like a thief in the dark and wonder when someone calls the police. Fortunately that hasn’t happened yet! The puppies also kept busy and never slept for a moment, so neither did I.
I went to the vet with Cytaugh to have the anal gland treated with an antibiotic ointment. The vet also checked the stitches. At least that all looked good.
The puppies didn’t like the fact that mothers were not there. When she was not in the whelping box within half an hour, they jointly put up a huge throat. Simon was pretty sweet with it!
The only puppy that has doubled its birth weight after a week is the turquoise male. The red female, the smallest of the bunch, doubled her weight the next day and the rest the day after. They grow steadily, but they all sometimes have an outlier or have gained a lot less weight a day. But they shine towards you and are vibrant.
Thursday, November 26
In the meantime we have already trimmed the nails of the puppies with the nail grinder twice. They grow very fast and the brackets that arise are razor-sharp.
Cytaugh now and then jumps out of the box, but as soon as the puppies start to squeak too much, she also goes back. Now it is still feasible to keep the six aside for a while when she steps in, but when the puppies get faster, it becomes a lot of tricks again. Fortunately, she stays in the whelping box all night long.
In the meantime I also have to deal with the other hounds. Now and then they also need to be brushed and their nails trimmed. And especially Cearrean needs regular special attention in the form of search games. He likes this and uses his nose well. He spends a lot of time outside with Cranston and together they “clean up” the grounds.
Cranston continues to grow considerably, he is almost the same size as Brandir! It is a wonderful puppy who enjoys life to the full.
My Croton is also admired every day at the moment, it has such nice flowers!
Friday, November 27.
This afternoon we went to the vet for a check-up with Cytaugh. Everything was fine and I can let the wound close. One less worry. The nights also get a bit quieter. Usually I “sleep” until 5:00 or 6:00 and then wake up Simon, then I actually go to bed and sleep for a few hours, Simon then stays with the pups.
Most puppies are already over a kilo, only the red female is not quite yet but she is growing fastest in proportion! Who knows, she might catch up with her pink sister! The eyes start to open slowly, with several you can already see a small crack. I wonder how blue they become, light eyes are in the bloodline so it can just pop out, I hope not!
And there they are!
Monday, November 16. 03.00 am. After noticing that Cytaugh’s temperature was dropping around noon, I watched this closely. For a long time it stuck at 37.2 before dropping to 37.1 around 7 p.m. and by 9 p.m. it had already risen to 37.3. Since the delivery will not take long anymore, and there are always exceptions, I took it for granted and did not go to bed. 
Cytaugh did, she had almost all the beds in the house before she got up at half past three and was escorted by me to the whelping box. Here she lay down quietly and finally wanted to drink a few sips of milk. I saw the puppies moving in her belly. At 4 o’clock she started to pant a little but a little later she calmed down and drank a little again.
And so it went on until half past ten in the morning.
Tuesday, November 17, 3.25 am. Simon woke up at 7 and went for a walk with the other hounds. After everyone had breakfast and Cytaugh was sleeping peacefully in the whelping box, I could also go to sleep for a few hours. It only became two hours because at 10.30 am Simon called me that Cytaugh was contracting. It ended here. In the course of the afternoon she had a contraction now and then, but she didn’t really push through. It didn’t get a bit more serious until 3:30 am and after a few contractions a bladder appeared. But it did not continue and the bladder disappeared. I took Cytaugh on a leash and went out. There the bladder appeared again! Back home soon because Simon was out walking with the other hounds and I didn’t want to take in a puppy outside while Cytaugh was half panicked. Hop in the whelping box and then the bladder turned out to be an empty ball of about 7 centimeters in diameter, there was no puppy in it, only moisture!
After about fifteen minutes, Cytaugh went into labor again and started straining. Once again a bladder appeared and disappeared because Cytaugh was not pushing properly. So back on the leash and outside. After a good 50 meters, the bladder appeared and Cytaugh started to push. I collected the pup with afterbirth in a warm towel, quickly shed its membranes and ran home as quickly as possible. Cytaugh in the whelping box, rub the puppy dry, get it started and with mothers. This was a 520 gram male, was born at approximately 4.25 pm and got the turquoise band.
Fortunately, Cytaugh was already giving milk so that went well right away. She was so busy with her firstborn that I didn’t get the chance to take a proper picture of him and in the meantime the contractions started again and at 5.15 pm a second male of 572 grams was born with some difficulty. This one got the dark blue strap.
Three quarters of an hour later, at 6.00 pm, a female was born. I was already afraid that only males would come and that I would again have to disappoint the long-waiting. Fortunately, this lady weighed about 492 grams and got the orange band.
But I didn’t get time to weigh her and put on the band because 7 minutes later another bitch was born. She weighed 450 grams and got the pink ribbon.
Now we had some time to clean the whelping box and to put down a clean fat bed, fresh mats and towels, to give Cytaugh something to eat and to relax ourselves.
While I was busy in the kitchen Simon called me that another puppy was on the way. When I got to Cytaugh the two back legs and the tail were sticking out of her vulva. Fortunately, with the next contraction the whole puppy came out but completely out of the membranes and she had swollowed a lot of fluid. It took quite a bit of effort to get her empty and going but she made it! She weighed only 360 grams and got the red band.
Wednesday, November 18. It has now been 7 o’clock, the puppies 
are all doing well. Cytaugh shows herself as an exemplary mother, eats and drinks well and gives good milk. She is still quite restless and pants a lot.
10.47 am. It was some work again! A quiet breakfast was not an option. At 8 minutes before 8 another bitch was born! She weighed 494 grams and now wears the green strap. In the photo below she is on the left, without any color.
Noon, Cytaugh is panting again and she has the occasional contraction. So it looks like another puppy is on the way. Over time, the number of contractions diminish and walking outside does not bring anything either. I call the vet and say I’m coming with Cytaugh. After having made an ultrasound it appears that there is indeed a puppy in it and it is decided to first administer oxytocin and see if Cytaugh can manage to give birth to the puppy herself. But that does not work, the few contractions she still gets is not strong enough to expel the puppy. Then it is decided to have a Caesarean section. Unfortunately it turns out that the male has become completely full of moisture and whatever they do, he will not survive. In and in sad, it was such a lovely puppy.
When we got home, we spent hours reuniting Cytaugh with her children. After that affair with Cearrean two years ago, we were really afraid things were going to go wrong. At first Cytaugh really didn’t like her puppies, but after laying them with her one by one and then two at a time, things got better and better and last night they mostly lay with her. It was even the case that after walking for a while at 5.00 am she insisted on having her puppies with her.
It is going in the right direction, please let it continue like this, this was enough stress for the next 10 years!
Just one little week to go!
It’s getting exciting! The whelping box is ready and Cytaugh has approved it, but she does not stay in it for long. Her belly is growing well, she is getting bigger every day and you can feel the puppies move. She eats smaller portions more often and likes something different every time.
She doesn’t like to walk anymore and she just lugs behind you a bit. What she likes to do is dive into the garden in the evening and dig a hole somewhere under a bush or pine. We will not allow that!
In the meantime, Cranston continues to grow well. It is a very cheerful puppy with a wonderful character. He is already becoming quite a guy and things are also getting faster in the game with Cearrean. They are intensely close friends and can play and scratch around together for hours.
Fortunately, Cearrean is now doing a lot better. After a very bad period, in which he regularly acted ugly to his housemates, I sought help from a naturopath. She discovered several blockages in his spine and it turned out that he has enormous trauma from his birth and the first weeks after. Well, that may add up! After several acupuncture and osteopathy treatments, we have now ended up with a behavioral therapist who teaches us to use exercises to ensure that Cearrean relaxes a little more and calms his head. In the meantime, he is regularly examined by the naturopath so that we can make timely adjustments. All in all, we clearly see improvement and I am glad I took this step.
Posted in 2020, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Cearrean Argyll O'Cockaigne, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Cranston Argyll O'Cockaigne | Comments Closed
Puppies are on the way!
After having had the feeling that Cytaugh could be pregnant for more than a week; she doesn’t want to eat any more fish, is lazy as a pig and is occasionally nauseous, I had an ultrasound made of Cytaugh’s stomach yesterday, October 14.
And yes, there were several embryos on display! The doctor did not count extensively but looked like this already 4. Now we hope that enough females will be born so that I can make long-waiting happy.
We expect a lot from this combination. If the right genes are mixed properly, beautiful, strong puppies will be born. Uther largely represents the type of Deerhound that I prefer; strong and powerful with a super sweet character and a good hunting instinct.
A Deerhound capable for what it was once bred for!
Uther is the great-grandchild of Rosslyn Magi Among Shagied. In 2011 Sonja and I went to this male for a mating with Cheytah. Unfortunately no puppies were born then, it would be nice if his great-great-grandchildren look like him!
If all goes well, the puppies will be born around November 17.
Two pleasant weekends
After the holidays and the hustle and bustle around Cytaugh, we had the national coursing of WRV ‘t Haasje on September 19. On Friday afternoon, Cearrean was finally able to run the first course for his coursinglisence thanks to Henriëtte’s Saluki Geer. This went fine. On Saturday morning he ran the second course together with the Sloughi Gabr van Els and Frie and this also went well. So Cearrean can get to work. It was a very nice weekend, a little too hot at times and quite cold in the evenings but we survived and now know how to set up camp next time at this place in high temperatures and lots of sunshine.
After we packed our things again on Sunday, we first went to pick up 3 new chickens in Langerak. Now we have 7 chickens and 1 rooster again, they fit exactly on the perch in their ‘enclosure’. Let’s hope that some more eggs are produced.
Also when I got home I checked whether the bees were still hanging in the tree. Somewhere since April / May we have a ‘wild beehive’ hanging in the oak. Now we even saw honeycombs. I just hope the nest doesn’t come down because that could become a problem with curious Deerhounds!
The following weekend we had our CC2000 funcoursing in Coevorden. Just under 30 dogs wree entered and ran various parts of the 900 meter long parcours. Sonja had also come to give the girls a nice workout again. The organizing team, which now also includes Edith and Willem Jorritsma, thus stood with 4 units within one fence and this created a high “Nienoord” feeling. The “Nienoord” feeling was also reinforced by the presence of Nelli with her young Sloughi Tiffa and Alfred and Gineke with their Salukis and a Galgo. Within the fence, all hounds were mixed together nicely; 6 Deerhounds, 6 Whippets and 1 Galgo. Lovely !!! Especially for Cranston this was fantastic, he learned a lot but above all had a lot of fun. The weather was great and it was again a great weekend.
Hopefully we can experience a few more fun events before Cytaugh enters the whelping box. But I will only know in a week and a half whether that will actually happen. We keep our fingers crossed!
And many thanks to Sonja Koning for those beautifull pictures!!!
Posted in 2020, Lure coursing | Tags: Cearrean Argyll O'Cockaigne, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Cranston Argyll O'Cockaigne, Nimloth Brandir, Pyefleet Vision | Comments Closed
And that was our holiday.
While we were busy on Sunday August 25 to pack the caravan and the car for a 25-day trip, one of the young Faverolles chickens turned out to have major problems laying her first egg. This came out with cloaca and all. I removed the egg and tried to fix it but unfortunately to no avail so Simon could take her to the vet on Monday morning, before we left, to put her to sleep. Very sad, it was such a nice chicken. This was a bad start to the holiday and the weather forecast was also not so good for the first days.
In the meantime I had further packed up the caravan and filled the two freezers, which were at the back of the car, with about 40 kilos of meat for the hounds. Not enough for 25 days, but we would supplement it at Sonja if we would descend towards Tüttleben.
After Simon returned from the vet, we hung the caravan behind the car and we could leave. But when we get through the gate, we have to uncouple the caravan and take the next corner with the mover. Unfortunately the reels didn’t respond to the remote so we couldn’t turn the corner. First replace the batteries, this to no avail. Bought new batteries and tried, this did not help either. Then we asked the neighbour to help push and yes, with united forces the caravan got around the corner and we could finally continue our way towards camping “De Paardenbloem” in Deurningen.
We would stay here for two nights. We decided to only put the awning on but when Simon put some tension on it, an attachment eye broke off. We were convinced that there should be something like this in the caravan but unfortunately…. so Simon had to go because without this eye we could not set up the awning.
We were now close to Lemele where Callaghan lives, so that was a great opportunity to hand over the pedigree and let the two brothers play together again. Well they did!
On Wednesday we left for Camping-Paradies “Grüner Jäger” in Everinghausen, just past Bremen. The name of the campsite suggests something and indeed there was a large meadow with a fair number of fallow deer. In the meantime it was pouring out of the air and I tried to let the hounds out in between the showers, but Cranston and Cearrean could not be
lieve their eyes and were no longer able to do another step. Too interesting all those deer!
The next day the journey went by ferry from Puttgarden to Rødby to Maribo in Denmark. This was a beautiful spacious campsite where you could walk extremely well with the hounds and where we could finally enjoy the sun.
But not for long, because after we had done some shopping in Maribo on Friday morning, we continued towards Vordingborg, where Simon would give a seminar on “building a good coursing parcourse”. This would take up all of Saturday and Sunday. It was organized by Frank Plith in collaboration with the Danish running and coursing committee and it took place with Bille and Freddy who provided a nice large field of several hectares.
Fortunately we were able to build up our things in a nice sheltered spot because it was very windy. In the night from Friday to Saturday it started to rain and thunder terribly at one point, really huge showers passed over us and I did not sleep a wink because I know that Brandir is / was terribly afraid of thunderstorms. He has been on Chinese herbs (Geria) for a few months because he started to show symptoms of dementia, and I had already noticed that he was much better. Only now it turned out how good! He just slept through !! No anxiety or panic, he just stayed calm on his bed. Unbelievable!
The seminar was a great success. About 15 people participated and were very enthusiastic, they later said that they had learned a lot and now understand why a good parcourse is so important. Several parcourses were also explained and laid out, then commented on and discussed why it didn’t work. All in all very educational and it should happen in all countries because what you usually see in courses… ..!
Monday morning we broke up our things again and left for Flyvesandet. A campsite in the north of the island of Fun, where we have been regularly since 2001. Just before we got to the campsite, a herd of fallow deer crossed the road. Cearrean just hung his head out of the window and would have popped out if he had been a little smaller. That was promising because once Cearrean knows that there is game running, he can no longer run free. 
After arrival we first walked around the campsite to find a nice place where we could drop off a large part so that Cearrean and Cranston had enough space to play. Halfway through the “quest” a large hare jumped up. Well that could get exciting! Fortunately, he didn’t show himself that often anymore for the rest of the week and he also stayed a bit away from our camp, so sensible!
If the moon phase is good, and therefore not a full moon like this week, you can walk for miles here. There is then about 5 centimetres of water on a mirror-smooth seabed. Ideal to let the hounds race. But unfortunately the water did not drop more than about a foot now and that is a bit too high for Cranston. The first time Simon walked into the 
water and the hounds followed him, Cranston followed, but soon almost went under. After this he preferred to stay on the shore, wet feet could then just but he did not go further into the sea. But he still had a lot of fun and enjoyed it to the fullest.
For Cearrean we brought the throwing stick and a tennis ball, he was completely fed up and couldn’t get enough! In any case, he is not afraid of water!
But unfortunately …. Cytaugh had decided to come into season on the Monday we arrived in Flyvesandet and since she was supposed to be mated, the plans had to be overhauled. This meant; not going to Sonja the following week to then go to Tüttleben where Simon would provide a coursing training, but leave for home on Saturday.
In the meantime we had already heard that Tüttleben would probably not continue due to too few registrations. Should it still go ahead, Simon could always go there with his tent and take care of the training.
With an overnight stay in Everinghausen, we came home on Sunday afternoon. Fortunately, the heart examination that was planned for Wednesday, September 16, could be brought forward for a week so that it was still done in time. To make ‘sure’ that Cytaugh would be on about the same schedule as two years ago, I made an appointment on Tuesday, the ninth day of her season, to have a progesterone test. Fortunately, this was still very low, as hoped, and the heart examination the day after, also had a very positive result.
I also consulted with two cardiologists regarding breeding with Cytaugh because Chidish, her brother, passed away last year after a coursing. He had mild DCM. But both believe that if the heart is so good at the age of 5.5 that you should not pass up the opportunity. It is very difficult to find lines without a hereditary condition and if there is a problem on one side and this problem has not yet manifested itself in the other line, you could risk it. Hopefully it will work out well too!
The chosen male is Beardswood Uther. A still young male with a nice spring of rib, strong bone and a fantastic character. The I.C. is 1.85 over 7 and 5.74 over 10 generations. If you look at the pedigree, there are many beautiful hounds behind the lines of which I have known several. Also quite a lot made it into double digits or near to it. We expect a lot from this combination!
The bad thing is that I couldn’t go to England for a natural mating and that is why fresh, chilled semen came to the Netherlands. We hope it all goes as expected and that we can welcome a few beautiful, healthy puppies in mid-November.
Posted in 2020, Abroad, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Callaghan Argyll O'Cockaigne, Cearrean Argyll O'Cockaigne, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Cranston Argyll O'Cockaigne, Nimloth Brandir | Comments Closed
Despite everything, enjoy a little
The last days it was very nice to enjoy the sun again. After all that rain and cold wind, the hounds loved to lie on their stretchers in the sun. Cearrean preferred to keep scratching around, you sleep at night, not during the day!
Just like everyone, for us there is nothing to do. Everything has been canceled, the crowded agenda is suddenly completely empty. Now we hope that Vision is pregnant, then I have at least enough to do. We’ll know more in 15 days!
Posted in 2020, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Nimloth Brandir, Pyefleet Vision | Comments Closed
A new year, new opportunities.
It was already clear last year that this would be a busy and fully planned year. Also, the plans that we had with Vision, many planned events in which I would participate, could fall into the water. And so it will most likely happen.
The first event, the DWZRV-Sieger coursing in Tüttleben in the weekend of 29-2 / 1-3 was taken care of by Simon and Maarten and so we left on February 26, packed with lurecoursingmachines and an aggregate towards Warstein where we would spend the night. When we arrived at the campsite we ended up in the wet snow and mud, a cold and dirty start. But the next days the weather was not too bad and we could even occasionally enjoy the sun. Cytaugh was also allowed to participate and did so successfully! She became second of the 10 entered hounds while she is still in her afterseason. The men had laid out a nice parcours of over 900 meters and it was clear that many hounds were not yet in top condition, many slowed down after 500/600 meters. But the hounds enjoyed it and that’s why we are doing it. It was a nice weekend, a bit chilly and an occasional shower but all in all good to do.
Unfortunately Sonja could not be present with Vision as Vision was in season. And since it was intended that Vision would be covered, Sonja was very busy driving back and forth to Hannover to have the progesterone determined. Of course Vision took it easy and only after four punctures Sonja did get the green light on Wednesday 4 March to drive her to Frankfurt for the mating with Fortheringhay’s Faerwald Fable. This mating took place on Friday, March 6. Then on Saturday, March 7, Vision was inseminated with the remaining frozen semen of 29 years old from my first Deerhound male Argyll Bryan from the Market Garden.
So now we have to wait and see if Vision is pregnant, we will know at the beginning of April. So it will be an exciting time again and hopefully a few fat puppies will crawl into the whelping box in two months.
Posted in 2020, Lure coursing, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Pyefleet Vision | Comments Closed
Cearrean Argyll, one year young
Today, Cearrean became 1 year old. Last year, right after his birth, when you picked him up, he crawled into your sleeve now he has to lash my trousers every evening. He no longer fits in a sleeve with his 46 kilos, but his nose still fits in a trouser leg! He has become a bit firmer and I have to say that he is gradually starting to look better. His knee is still a problem, he is still thickened and painful after playing and running. But yes, keeping him calm is really not an option, I have never had such an energy bomb!
He plays a lot with his mother, the harder the better. Grandpa Brandir is still in control of him, but Brandir is increasingly struggling to ‘lay him down’, Cytaugh still succeeds. After all, Cearrean needs to know who’s in charge!
Furthermore, Cearrean is very strong minded. If he doesn’t want something, it doesn’t happen. The only way to bribe him is with cookies, but if he knows what you’re up to, and he doesn’t like it, you can forget that too. He is extremely smart, learns quickly, sees everything and is very good at manipulating. He prefers to spend the whole day outdoors, scrape around, dig a little bit, gnaw twigs and especially watch. Watching birds flying over, the squirrels in the trees, the workmen at the neighbours or the chickens (also nice to scare). He is never bored!
Cearrean is one who needs a lot of time, certainly another year or 4, for the time being he is still ‘puppy’!
Posted in O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Cearrean Argyll O'Cockaigne, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Nimloth Brandir | Comments Closed
A weekend at RONO-strand
Last week I had the caravan in front of the door and lugged full of what one needs. Cearrean bravely helped and he jumped in and out of the caravan as if he were used to it. Thursday 21 March, late in the morning, we left for Een where the Spring-Coursing would take place at RONOstrand. The trip went well and Cearrean behaved exemplary. In that regard, he is very easy, he thinks everything is fine as long as he can be there.
Cearrean was very amazed with all the dogs and of course had to greet everyone and everything. He does this with quite a bit of noise which I find very annoying but it is difficult to tell him off because he must like the other dogs.
Friday at the start of the afternoon we went to the ‘Nienoord Estate’ in Leek. Nostalgia! The hounds that we have now never run on Leek, but Cearrean’s father, Argyll Bryan from the Market Garden, ran his first coursing here in 1989. He was already 5 years old then! In the years before, he had already done several demonstrations and funcoursings, there were hardly any competitions then.
Nienoord has changed over the years; a lot of trees and shrubs have been felled, it looks bare, especially now that everything is still without leaves. The ice club has placed poles in the middle of the terrain and in the summer sheep are walking around. So if WvCNL wants to hold a competition there, they first have to remove the posts and fill in the gaps. Nor does the terrain seem to have improved in terms of holes and potholes. It is a shame but we have many wonderful memories of Nienoord. It was a great time!
Back on RONOstrand, Cearrean was the first to have a piece of “coursing”. Of course I had a real fur for him, that makes it extra exciting! And although he goes super fanatically behind his mouse, he still had to get used to the fur that just “ran away” over the sand. The first time it went a bit uncertain but the second time he went after his hare confidently.
He certainly enjoys the game and hopefully it will stay that way. 
It was Cytaugh’s turn on Saturday. She was the only Deerhound entered because Chidish had an operation on his foot a week earlier, so she ran alone. I didn’t mind that because it was for the first time after her broken thumb and after the birth of Cearrean. It was clearly visible that her condition wasn’t the best, the first part of the course she ran beautifully but halfway you saw that the loose sand was troubling. But she had enjoyed it and her toe had remained whole again, that was the most important thing!
When, after a long pause, I wanted to prepare her for the second round, we were told that there was no more coursing. After the first round it turned out that a Whippet (from a very important person) most likely had broken his toe and it was thought that the cause was a stone because they found quite some stones in the sand. (But of course it could also have been a pulley.) This is of course ridiculous because those stones are always there and the soft sand with the stones never caused problems. It is also true that if you walk across any random coursing field, you will find stones, crown caps, plastic spoons, glass fragments and so on everywhere. This is unavoidable and never actually causes a problem. What was much worse was the coursing field of the NKC last year. Almost 3 of the 5 dogs rolled over there, I don’t know how many dogs got injured, Cytaugh broke her thumb there but do you think they would stop the competition? No of course not!!! And what about the grounds of the EKC; in Pouch (Germany) the entire area was full of broken glass, in Hungary the coursing area was more hole than field (by the ground squirrels) and in Italy the fields were littered with boulders of all sizes! (An Italian Greyhound has been killed as a result of crashing into a block.) No, canceling a game because of a few stones in soft sand I think is really going too far, I don’t have a good word for it, next time we will run on a billiard cloth! How do we ruin the coursing ?!
Posted in 2019, Lure coursing | Tags: Cearrean Argyll O'Cockaigne, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden | Comments Closed
3 months young
Cearrean received his Rabies vaccination today. Now he is completely done with vet visits. Not that he found it annoying, quite the contrary! It made him very happy every time he saw the vet coming. Also on the scales and on the table is really cool because what a delicious cookie they have there! Tomorrow he will be 13 weeks young and now weighs 19 kilos, he is very sturdy, is still growing evenly in height and is nice and straight on his feet. In terms of character, he is already softer, barks less and he knows in the meantime that he is not allowed to bite my hands, which hardly ever happens.
Cytaugh and Brandir can have fun playing with him. Brandir is 
usually the first to play outside with Cearrean after the morning meal and roams around a bit. Then he wants to go back in and Cytaugh goes out to play with Cearrean. This is going very well, she is doing very carefully and challenges him to follow her when she gets a racing convulsion. Of course he cannot keep up with this and then shorten the route. Fortunately, Cytaugh looks carefully where she is walking and when they meet, she jumps over him. It is beautiful to see but I still hold my heart every time. But yes, Cearrean has to learn it all, also to avoid mother Cytaugh.
Chidish also starts to play a little more with Cearrean, but he has to determine the rules; if Cearrean is too cheeky, he will be strictly corrected!
In the evening he wants to be cozy on the boss’s lap. There must be played with a toy because he no longer hugs.
Cearrean now eats everything; of course the normal jerk of ground meat with vegetables and supplements and also whole sprats, pieces of chicken carcass, chicken necks, whole day-old chicks and everything that the pot scrapes. He is definitely not a difficult eater!
Posted in 2019, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Cearrean Argyll O'Cockaigne, Cockaigne Chidish van de Meirse Weiden, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Nimloth Brandir | Comments Closed
Cearrean has a new girlfriend!
In the meantime, Cearrean has had coursing training. The cat toy, a mouse on a rod, is ideal for this. Cearrean finds it a fantastic game and shows itself to be a fanatic. Let’s hope he continues to like it.
Last week Sonja was here with Bernice, Vision and Lita. Lita is an old Galgo lady who has been living with Sonja since the end of July. She is from Spain where she lived as a breeding bitch and the last weeks of her life there were not exactly fun. It is unbelievable how such an animal adapts to everything in a short time, it is as if she is not used to it otherwise.
Cearrean had only seen a Golden Retriever the week before and he found it a very weird animal, even now he had to get used to this appearance, but it went well very quickly.
Since Lita had so many puppies, Cearrean soon knew that he could do more with her than with the others. Lita’s long tail was THE play object of course, but she also clearly indicated if it hurt her or if she didn’t want to play him. When Sonja left for the camper with the three of them in the evening, Cearrean was squeaking at the door, but when Lita came back in the morning, the first thing Cearrean did was; hang on Lita’s tail. At the end of the week, Cearrean managed to lie comfortably with her in her bed in front of the wood stove, a friend for life.
Bernice and Vision weren’t very happy with that little thing and Bernice even sought the support of her brother!
On Thursday we tried to take some good photos of Cearrean. Well, forget it! He didn’t want to stand still for a second and would have jumped off the table if I wasn’t quick enough to grab him. What a wild thing! Even the bucket of tasty things could not tempt him. But Sonja succeeded in taking one reasonable picture.
It’s unbelievable as soon as all the time goes! Tomorrow Cearrean is 8 weeks old and he weighs almost 10 kilos. He develops very well, grows nicely evenly, is tidy, listens well to his name, walks nicely on lead, finds driving in the car no problem, is practically not afraid of anything and if you correct him you get a big mouth back! Driving him around in the Doggy Ride is not a success, he screams all together, that is something for small dogs, not for Deerhounds. He also absolutely does not accept being locked up anymore. So the whelping box with the fence around it is already gone. A real Deerhound with a head on it! We will have some problems with that.
Meanwhile, Chidish has also started to like him and occasionally plays with him. But I have to keep a close eye on that because it is going too hard and certainly when Cytaugh is also going to participate. Brandir turns out to be a babysitter, he regularly tours the grounds with his grandson. Also during the walks Cearrean usually walks with Brandir although it is also very nice to hang on the lines of Cytaugh and Chidish so that we no longer get ahead.
Posted in 2019, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Cearrean Argyll O'Cockaigne, Cockaigne Chidish van de Meirse Weiden, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Nimloth Brandir | Comments Closed
Cearrean, a real smart ass!
Today, Cearrean is five weeks young and has been eating from a little bowl for a few days. First milk with ground meat but in the meantime usually only different types of ground meat and pieces of fish and occasionally a little yogurt.
He has also been ‘toilet-trained’ for a few days. As soon as he wakes up or when he has been playing for a while, he walks to the door and does his needs nicely outside. At night he usually only wakes up once, he squeaks a few times and as soon as I let him out of the whelping box he runs to the door to quickly pee outside. In the meantime he knows exactly how to find the doors and he is so clever that when he has gone out one door he comes in through another, he just walks around the house! He also slowly pushes his limits, he walks further and further away. We have already done a round of terrain a few times with all of them and he thinks that is wonderful, he then walks without hesitation beside his mother, Chidish or Brandir.
Cytaugh and Brandir play a little with him now and then, they find it difficult and I have to keep an eye on it because it is going too hard. But Cearrean can take a beating, he is strong enough! He also tries to climb on everything to the displeasure of Chidish and Brandir. But if they growl, Cearrean is gone right away. In the meantime, he knows that he should approach those men calmly.
Cearrean still regularly falls out of bed. Whether it is the whelping box or the basket next to the stove, he rolls out his bed asleep at least once every two days.
He is quite independent and does not shy away from anything. When the ground was frozen, he thought it was strange for a while, but after a few seconds he just walked over it, just as with the snow. He soon went through with his nose, but he did not last very long, it was very cold anyway!
Brandir, Chidish and Cytaugh naturally loved it and enjoyed the snow.
Posted in 2019, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Cearrean Argyll O'Cockaigne, Cockaigne Chidish van de Meirse Weiden, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Nimloth Brandir | Comments Closed
Four weeks young
On Sunday evening I noticed a hard milk gland at Cytaugh. It was not painful or very red but Cearrean refused to drink from that nipple. So on Monday to the vet and putted Cytaugh on pup friendly antibiotics. Now, Thursday the inflammation is gone, everything feels soft again and Cearrean also drinks from this nipple again.
In the meantime, Brandir and Cearrean become increasingly bigger friends and it is wonderful to see how gently Brandir plays with that little one. Cytaugh has now also begun to rear, she regularly corrects him when he bites too hard in her tail or ears. We also have to take action because the teeth are razor sharp. Fortunately Cearrean responds well to the corrections, he is really not stupid.
We have been able to borrow a ‘Doggy Ride’ from a friend because staying alone at home will be a problem in the short term. The day before yesterday we arranged it with blankets and a Vetbed and tried it out. Cearrean thought it was fine, he was going to play with the duck and redesign the lot. Brandir and Cytaugh found it very exciting and kept a close eye on it. Very convenient that you can go from two sides!
Cearrean has also been outside for the first time. When he came with his feet in the grass he did a pee! At least he had no problems with it and Cytaugh also liked it and even started to challenge him, but Cearrean did not notice that, grass and all those leaves were quite exciting. It is a pity that there is such a cold wind or he could be more outside.
Yesterday Cearrean was 4 weeks young and weighed 4460 grams. In the meantime he is whelpingbox-trained, which means that he also wakes me up at night with a lot of squeaking because he has to pee. This he does nicely on a towel and then he runs through the house and I behind him with a piece of kitchen roll, and he seeks a place to defecate. He does this very regularly and unfortunately several times a day. I found it quite easy once in two days! But of course this is better and healthier. He prefers to eat with his mother, but we limit that a little bit, there are quite a lot of things that he can not digest yet. The steak tartar he find the least tasty, ground tripe and muscle meat is much better!
Meanwhile, he also occasionally wears a collar because he also has to get used to this.
How adorable he looks, he can be rowdy. His toys regularly have to pay for it, he shakes them all to death. This goes with such a strength that Cearrean rolls over so that he gets more angry on the toy and he shakes it even harder.
Cearrean is not bored at all, toys enough! And he knows how to find this basket flawlessly and then to drag a toy to the whelping box. And after a game of romp it is good to rest on a warm spot with mom Cytaugh.
Posted in 2019, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Cearrean Argyll O'Cockaigne, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Nimloth Brandir | Comments Closed
Cearrean Argyll already 3 kilos heavy!
He is doing well, the day before yesterday he weighed 3 kilos! Cearrean is already bigger than Sleepsheep but is always looking for it again, they are the best friends! He also plays with Sleepsheep, especially the tail, and the ears regularly have to pay for it. I wonder how often I can sew it again.
Yesterday he ate his first ball of steak tartare. The first bite he found strange but it still tasted to more and finally went smoothly inside. But we take it easy because Cytaugh has enough milk and she is now almost day and night with him in the whelping box. She is very caring and does not allow Brandir to come too close. Brandir thinks Cearrean is great and Chidish also sniffs him more often when Cytaugh is not around. Chidish thinks Cearrean is still a bit too small, he does not know what to do with it yet but I’m sure they will be the biggest buddies.
Cytaugh and Cearrean are also somewhere else; in the kitchen on the big bed or on a rug in the living room. Cozy with us together and get used to all sounds. Walking on the floor is improving and we have to be very careful because he is very enterprising!
He also shows his own will, if something does not please him, he shows it loud and clear but he also loves to hug and likes to lie on our lap.
Posted in 2019, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Cearrean Argyll O'Cockaigne, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden | Comments Closed
And it grows and grows ……
This week I woke up at night and saw this cute scene. Fortunately the camera is always within reach and I did not have to leave my bed for it. Because I’m lying stiffly against the whelping box so that I can keep an eye on everything, even in my sleep. One little sound or leg that ticks something and I am awake. That was the first weeks really needed with a Cytaugh who did not like it all that much but in the meantime both are sleeping together, without any problem.
Cearrean is now two weeks and three days young and nearly three kilo. With the previous puppies the heaviest was three kilos with three weeks. He may slow down a bit, I think.
Yesterday we put him on a Vetbed in the room, mother there and keep him busy. Because a little more exercise does him good. That turned out to be the case, because after a while he paid around for a big puddle and a little later he started pooping himself! Wow, how happy we were with this !!! For the first time that he did it himself! Hopefully it will continue like this, that saves a lot of annoying stuff for him.
Brandir and Chidish thought it was strange that he just running around. But Cearrean did not care about that!
Cearrean also starts to play a bit. The movements are not yet 100% coordinated, but he knows where to bite; in nose and ears!
Posted in 2019, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Cearrean Argyll O'Cockaigne, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden | Comments Closed