Yeah, paniculatas like PW typically do very well. It is a good choice so check: (a) that you are not feeding it too much fertilizer - a single application of a general purpose, slow release fertilizer in the Spring should do well for the whole year (assuming your soil has no mineral deficiencies); (b) paniculatas need more sun but do not go overboard with sun exposure or the leaves may complain; (c) watch out for deer/squirrels/etc, pests that like to eat the flower buds and which would prevent you from getting bloomage; (d) do not prune them once they leaf out (just in case you are pruning when the shrubs are developing the flower buds). They bloom quite early here too so it is best to not prune once they leaf out. Instead, prune when they have lost their foliage or better yet, do not prune at all. If planted where they can attain their estimated size at maturity, hydrangeas should need minimal pruning. Maybe only pruning of any stems that died out during winter. Some shrubs may need 2-3 years to develop a good root system so they shrubs may delay blooming *or may delay good blooming) until then. Also, maintain the soil as evenly moist as you can so the plant does not abort the flower buds during a dry spell in late Spring or Summer... 3-4" of mulch helps with watering issues... Water when soil feels dry to a depth of 4". A 1g to 2g watering is sufficient (depends on how to tall the plants are) per watering when the soil feels dry or almost dry.

Thanks everyone! I was so very proud of Jovi at the trial. It wasn't so much the placements, it was how well she was performing in an entirely new (to her) location. We ran 4 times and she got one 1st place and two 2nd places. That's really great for a baby dog! And, I'll put a link to the one jump she didn't Q (qualify) on. I love that run even though it wasn't one of the placement ones. It was the very last run and we were both getting more comfortable, working with more distance and moving faster. She dropped the bar at the last jump becasue, by the end of the day, the ground had dried out and the jump was in a sandpit...that shifted when she took off. Shoot, I almost lost my footing there too. Anyway, I love this run! Here is a link that might be useful: Not a placement run but, Jovi's best run of the trial!

Akayla is a Central Asian Shepherd, technically called a Central Asian Ovtcharka. Here's an excerpt from United Kennel Club's breed standard (the breed is not yet recognized by AKC): History For thousands of years, large, heavily-built dogs with cropped ears and tails have been used by the nomadic tribes of Central Asia to protect livestock from predators and other property from thieves. The breed developed as a result of rather harsh natural selection. The climate in the countries where the Central Asian Shepherd Dog developed ranges from hot and dry, to bitterly cold and windy. Only the hardiest of pups survived and only those with strong guarding instincts were allowed to stay with the flocks. Working Central Asian Shepherd Dogs are still found today in Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kirgyzstan, Tadjikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The breed is still very rare in the United States. General Appearance The Central Asian Shepherd Dog is a dog of great size with massive bone structure and powerful muscles. The body is slightly longer than tall. The head is massive. Ears are normally cropped close to the head but are naturally small, drop, and set low on the head. The tail is high set and thick at the base, and when undocked, hangs down to the hock with a sickle shape. Two coat lengths are accepted, but all are double-coated and thick. Gender differences are well expressed in this breed. Males are more massive and powerful; females are smaller and lighter in build. Dogs should be presented in hard, muscular condition. The Central Asian Shepherd Dog should be evaluated as a working livestock guardian dog, and exaggerations or faults should be penalized in proportion to how much they interfere with the dog's ability to work. Honorable scars resulting from field work are not to be penalized. And a little from another web site: Central Asian Shepherd dogs are said to be the oldest known group of dogs in existence today. Dating back over 5,000 years as per artifacts found in native lands. Unlike most breeds today, they are not man made or created by any specific reason or country. They were created by the climate and culture of a uncivilized time long forgot. You will find different breed types depending on the terrain from the mountains of Mongolia to the deserts of the Kara Kum. Their history is merged with the civilization of man and their timeline can be found by tracing the history of the ancient silk route. To understand their past history you must understand a time when surviving one day against extreme climates, predators now extinct and invading tribes was a goal not easily done. Today you will find Nomadic tribes using this pedigree groups of dogs to guard what they hold sacred: their family and their ancient form of transportation, be it camel or horses. Wrongly classified as traditional livestock guardians, they are territorial guardians bred to guard people and their possessions. They seek out human attention, thus bonding with their humans first and the flock second. They guard what ever is placed in their perceived territory. Superb pack oriented predator control dog; a cat in dog's clothing; X-large not giant but agile; problem solving, smart, attentive and affectionate; naturally protective of all they call their own. ----------------- Thanks for the additional encouragement! So far the process has been fun. I can see what you mean about the therapy going both ways. It's been interesting watching Akayla learn to respond to me instead of my husband. I think I'll take her to the park today and see if she'll take any treats from me. We need to practice "heeling."

That may be the difference, I have never had a purebred before adopting this supposedly 11 year old, Mini Dashchund! All have been mutts. The sensitive digestive system may come with the limited genetic diversity. I know that my genetic disorder has affected my GI system terribly and am very happy to say I have not passed it on by having children. In your breed, this may just be something you have to deal with. The Dalmatian AKC Club has FINALLY allowed the dogs bred by Dr. Robert Schaible to be included in breed registrations. In the 1970s he bred a single Pointer to a Dalmatian. He did that because all Dals carry a gene for urinary blockages that primarily affect the males. No Dalmatians anywhere were found that had the version of that gene that would produce low acidity in their urine, which would make them free of this disorder. If no Dal had the gene for low acidity, then all Dals would continue to suffer from this disorder. Dr. Schaible figured that if he could out-breed a Dal to a Pointer - a breed of dog that was used to build the Dalmatian breed originally - maybe he could re-introduce the good low-acidic gene back into the Dalmatian breed. He was successful. That one Pointer back in the 1970s passed a gene for low-acidic urine to his puppies. Those puppies have been bred only to pure Dalmatians. For ten generations, these dogs have been bred only to registered Dalmatians, and it took until 2011 for the AKC Dalmatian breed club to allow them to be registered as Dalmatians. These are the only Dals with the gene for low acidic urine and, therefore, do not get urinary blockages. Because the high acidic gene is recessive, some of the Dalmatians in this project DO have the "bad" gene, but NO Dals that were not born from that out-bred experiment have low acidic urine. Here is a nice discussion about how and when the breeds were formed and why out-crossing was a valid way of solving this problem in this breed. http://www.dalmatianheritage.com/about/nash_research.htm For some reason, the dog fancy world has narrowed their idea of what a breed is to exclude the possibility of bringing in beneficial genes by out-breeding to a closely-related breed of dog, or even to a breed that helped to establish that breed. Sometimes, for some breeds, getting that genetic diversity could really help. I have no idea, of course, if this has anything at all to do with your dog's need to stay with one food. Maybe I wish some ancestors of mine had not passed on my connective tissue disorder that makes MY digestive system so sensitive!