Celebrating Poodles: A Conversation with Lea Mellerup-Lund from Denmark

Poodle People (00:01.295) So today my guest is Leah Mellerupdlund and I am delighted to be talking to her on Thanksgiving Day in America from Denmark. Welcome, Leah. Lea (00:14.626) Thank you and happy Thanksgiving! Poodle People (00:16.921) Thank you so much. What a nice thing to be doing right before a big dinner. So Leah, I fell in love with your Instagram account with your wonderful dog, Louie. And I'm really pleased that you have some time to talk to me and tell us about what you do. Would you mind introducing yourself and telling us a little bit about you and Louie? Lea (00:22.062) Definitely. Lea (00:46.902) Yes, of course. Well, of course, my name is Leah. I'm 27 years old and I'm from Denmark. I am currently working on figuring out life with a chronic painful disability. But other than that, I'm an educated teacher and I live together with my boyfriend and of course, our dog, well, my dog, Louis. he's six years old and I've had him since he was eight weeks. and we do confirmation showing. We have done a bit of rally obedience and then we have been focusing a lot on monodog sports and candy crust bike drawing and such this year. Poodle People (01:36.783) So I'm actually quite surprised to learn that he's six because he looks so youthful, which obviously is, you know, because he's such a strong athlete, he looks really great and in shape. So kudos to you. Could you tell us a little bit about this? Well, first, could you tell us a little bit about Denmark? Because I know everyone else is going to be as curious as I am. Lea (01:51.95) Thank you. Lea (02:03.918) Yes, of course. Well, we are the southern part of Scandinavia. So in the summers we will have nice warm weather. Well, for us, it's nice warm weather, about 25 degrees. We're just too hot for the dogs to do full trainings and everything. Then we have winters, which can be to minus. Well, I'm just I'm talking Celsius. I have no idea what it is in Fahrenheit. Poodle People (02:30.807) Of course. Yeah. Lea (02:33.132) just so everyone is making sense of it. And then in the winters we have down to about minus 10 degrees normally and lots of snow and pretty landscapes. We are a flat country. Like we have, I think our highest point above sea level is around 400 meters. So we are pretty flat country. We don't have mountains or anything. Then we go up north for that. We are generally a really happy country. have lot of social security. Schools and high school and university and other educations are generally free. So in general, everyone here will have some sort of education and some sort of security network. Poodle People (03:28.067) It is so interesting hearing about different countries and how they're set up. Can you tell us broadly a little bit about where you actually live? Are you in a city or is it a suburb? Is it a small town? Lea (03:43.566) Yes. So I think first of all, it's important to differentiate between the American cities and then the Danish cities, because we're quite a small country of like 6 million people. So our biggest cities are around 2 million people. And I live in a rather big city outside of Copenhagen, a bit north of Copenhagen. Poodle People (03:59.577) Okay, sure. Lea (04:11.534) And I live just in the outskirts of it. So I have 300 meters to the nearest forest and five kilometers to the biggest lake in the country. So we are placed in a nice, like close to the city, close to shopping possibilities, food and everything, but also really, really close to nature. Poodle People (04:37.379) That is a really nice combination. So when you go to Copenhagen, for example, would you take transport, mass transport, or would you drive? Lea (04:39.533) Yeah. Lea (04:49.166) I would do both considering what I'm doing. If I'm going to the city center of Copenhagen, I would always take mass transportation. We have a train going directly, so it takes 40 minutes. And then I'm in the city center of Copenhagen, so it's quite easy and convenient. But if I have to visit family living around Copenhagen, I would take my car because as soon as you are just a bit out of the city center or you have to be there for a large amount of hours, then you have to pay for parking and everything. yeah, so family, I would definitely take the car for shopping or exploring the city center. I would take mass transportation and I would just take Louis with me on the train or on the bus. Poodle People (05:31.855) I Poodle People (05:44.855) Okay. So is Denmark quite dog friendly? Lea (05:50.606) I would say no in general. If you compare us to our neighbors like Germany, they are way more dog friendly here. It's not usual that you can take your dog inside at a restaurant or cafe. Like it's become more and more, but it's still not every place that likes it. And sometimes there's even cases with medical service dogs that are being shown away from a restaurant because the owners of the restaurant does not want dogs inside and everything. So I think we're getting better, but in general we are not that of a dog friendly culture, unfortunately. So you always have to ask in advance, hey, is it okay if I bring my dog to a family function or to a restaurant or anything? Poodle People (06:49.621) to say that is very similar to the US. really, even though we have tons of dogs, they are not really accepted in that many places. It's changing somewhat and you certainly see people with toy dogs who will carry them in, you know, like a carrier and take them into stores, but in general they're not allowed in restaurants and only service dogs are allowed everywhere. So that sounds quite similar to what we have. Lea (07:20.76) Yeah. Lea (07:24.514) I think one of our biggest challenges is if you're renting, which especially the younger generations are renting instead of buying apartments or houses. A lot of places do not allow dogs. So if you have a dog and you don't own the house, like you can have quite a hard time to find a place to live. So I think that's probably the biggest issue with the not so dog friendly culture here. Poodle People (07:35.14) Mm-hmm. Poodle People (07:54.868) Here, I own my house, but I have a friend who's been looking and there definitely are houses where you can't take a dog or where you pay a surcharge and some breeds are not allowed in some places. So it does depend a little bit, but you can definitely find. houses that have them, you might just be paying a little bit higher. Lea (08:25.581) Yeah. Poodle People (08:27.179) so tell me a little bit about Louie and how you ended up with him and what your dog experience is. Lea (08:37.428) Yes. Well, if I start with my dog experience, I got a Bichon Frise when I was around 12 years old, I think, from my parents. And he was my best friend growing up. We never showed and we never competed in anything, but he was a circus dog. There was not the thing that he was not able to do. And he was just... Poodle People (08:49.636) Mm-hmm. Poodle People (08:53.295) Mm-hmm. Lea (09:07.02) like my best friend growing up. Then when I had to move from home at, I think I moved at 19, my parents told me that he had become so accustomed to living at home with them that it would be hard for him to move. And I think the issue was more that it would be really hard for my parents if he moved. So I moved without my dog, but of course we are quite a small country. So It's limited how far away you can get, like five hours is the maximum amount of time it takes to drive somewhere here. Yeah, it really is. So I moved like half an hour away. So it was not an issue and I could still come and visit him both on weekdays and in the weekends. And then after living... Poodle People (09:45.785) how nice. Poodle People (09:52.109) Right. Lea (10:02.848) away from my parents for a couple of years and figuring out that I wasn't a party girl. I would rather stay in on the weekends. And I really still liked to hike in the weekends and everything. I decided that I wanted a dog. And originally I was actually looking at a corgi pembroke. But the breeder that I was in contact with and we went through the entire process of questions and visits and everything decided last minute that I was too young at 21 to have a dog. So I put it on the back burner and was like, okay, well, I'm going to wait. And then my mother has always had this fascination of standout poodles and Poodle People (10:54.927) Mm-hmm. Lea (10:55.7) I've been to dog shows with her just looking at the dogs. So I randomly one day saw a photo on Facebook from a lady with a red standard poodle. And I was like, Hey, such a special color. haven't seen that before. Like, are you breeding or anything? And she was just, she texted me her phone number. I was like, well, call me and then I can answer all of your questions. then We ended up speaking for three hours. Yeah. So, and she invited me over to say hi to her grownup dogs and she had a litter, but I was quite set on not getting a puppy right there. So I went and on the way home, I called her and I told her that if I could get this specific, really choppy, light puppy from the litter. Poodle People (11:26.062) nice. Lea (11:52.684) then I would really like to buy him from her and come pick him up when he was eight weeks. Poodle People (12:00.089) So you fell in love with him. Lea (12:02.286) I fell in love with him instantly. Like his mother and his big sister was in the home and they were just so easy and elegant and nice dogs to be around. So was like, if I want a dog, this is what I want. Like I want a dog that can be active and can be interested when I have guests, but also a dog that is just Poodle People (12:08.559) Mm-hmm. Lea (12:29.814) laying under the table and ignoring anything when it's not about them. And Louis crawled into my lap and then he slept there for the duration that I was visiting. So yeah, it had to be him. Poodle People (12:48.448) I love his color. just think it's such a beautiful shade of Do you call it apricot or is he fall? Lea (12:56.59) Well, I think he is in the FCI, he is faun, but that has a really, really big diversity. It's from a little lighter than Louis color and then to the dark, dark reds. Like they're all called faun. So before that change, it was called apricot. So yeah, I think both things are correct. Poodle People (13:14.253) Poodle People (13:24.601) think we call it apricot here. don't think we technically have registered dogs. I'll have to check the standard, but I don't think fawn is a color we recognize. I think we call it fawn, mean apricot. So, you know, I'm drawing a blank. Is his tail natural or is it dark? Lea (13:27.148) Yeah. Lea (13:39.724) Yeah. Lea (13:47.534) It is natural in all of the EU it's illegal to duck tails. So all of the dogs from over here will have natural tails. Poodle People (13:57.241) So what is his, I should look more closely at his pictures, but I am so used to looking at docked tails. So how far over his back does his tail come? Like what does it look like? Maybe I should just look at your Instagram and answer that question myself because that's probably a tricky thing. Lea (14:15.918) Well, if I'm looking at him, he's actually carrying it at around like 12 o'clock when he's walking. So it's more just right up in the air. And if he's really excited, it will go over his back. But I think like if he's standing up straight and keeping his head up, his tail is just a smidge higher than Poodle People (14:26.126) Okay. Poodle People (14:29.679) Okay. Lea (14:44.854) the top of his head. Poodle People (14:46.583) OK. Do you remove due clause or do you leave those on too? Lea (14:52.942) That is the same, illegal in all of Europe, so they have them if they're born with them. Poodle People (14:56.385) Okay. Yeah. So we have this idea that if you don't take them off, they could get ripped off as an adults. But is that not really a valid fear? Lea (15:11.724) I think it depends. If you have a hunting dog and you're actually hunting with it, I think it could be a reasonable fear. But for Louis and other more inside home family dogs, I don't think it's that big of a fear. know one dog who lost a claw and that was one of the normal ones. So I don't think that it's Poodle People (15:31.491) that look. Lea (15:41.556) necessarily makes that big of a difference. Poodle People (15:44.077) Yeah, I have a feeling we made that up to make ourselves feel better about amputating the dewclaw. Lea (15:49.806) Yeah, think the big difference might be that a lot of people forget to cut the nail on it. Poodle People (15:58.005) yeah. Lea (15:59.072) And then they grew all the way around and back up in it. So I think like that issue you could avoid. And I only know that because my good friend is a veterinarian. So she has a lot of those and they have to like put the dogs under and remove them. But as long as you're like aware that it's there and you're taking care of it, I don't think it's an issue. And with running. Poodle People (16:19.209) Yeah. Lea (16:27.446) If I'm in a place where I'm afraid that it could get stuck somewhere, I will wrap it up to make sure that it's not becoming an issue. Poodle People (16:37.537) in vet rap or yeah okay so let's get to the sports you do these are not common in the US and maybe they are relatively new in Europe as well but they yeah I have found one canicross or mushing kind of group in Kentucky where I live but like Lea (16:39.266) Yes. Lea (16:47.116) Yes. Poodle People (17:07.373) don't know dog people who talk about this or who are doing this, so I'm dying to hear more about it. Lea (17:13.812) Yes, of course. Well, we started four and a half, five years ago. And back then it was really, really new in Denmark too. There was no like organized way of doing it. There was no organizations doing it and small trail races, like the people who arranged them were like... Well, if your dogs are nice, you can participate with them. So you would kind of just running with normal runners in the beginning, if you wanted to compete. Then slowly it has been building up and it's just, especially with the canine by Atlantz have become such a popular sport because families can compete and well, they don't have to compete. It can just be a fun thing to do together. and all types of dogs can do it. Like we have bulldogs, we have chihuahuas, we have great Danes. yeah. So I think that made the sport more like diverse and then it's just, as soon as it got organized, then it's just been growing since. Poodle People (18:17.519) That's fabulous. Poodle People (18:29.337) So what exactly is biathlon with a dog? Is that the one that's like when you go through obstacles? Lea (18:33.314) So. Lea (18:37.76) Exactly. So canine biathlon is essentially a obstacle course race with your dog. And both the dog and the human has to get through the obstacles. Otherwise there will be a time penalty. So that can be anything from jumps to creeks you have to get under or slides, water slides has become really popular. Poodle People (19:04.834) No. Lea (19:06.508) wheelbarrows you have to push your dog in and it's become easier for the big part of the population to understand this with being active with your dog in this kind of setting because you have so much socialization and you have so many things that you can train with your dog like teach it to jump, teach it to wait, teach it to be in a wheelbarrow. Poodle People (19:33.421) Yeah, I was just thinking my dogs would, I'm sure, jump right out of the wheelbarrow. They've never been in one. Lea (19:40.684) Yeah, Louis is a bit fun with that because if I'm training it at home he won't do it, but as soon as we're in a race setting he'll just jump up there and sit still until we're where we should be. Poodle People (19:50.991) So how long is the biathlon? Like, is it challenging to finish it? Like, is it miles or is it relatively short? Lea (20:00.984) So the distances, I'm going to use kilometers because that's what we use here, but I think a mile is like 1.6 kilometers, if I'm not mistaken. So there's three distances normally, which the short one would be two to three kilometers, so just under two miles. The medium one would be four to six, which is like just under four miles. And then the... Poodle People (20:10.137) Mm-hmm. Yeah. Lea (20:30.57) long distance would be up to 10 kilometers, which I think is about six, seven miles or something. I'm not sure. Poodle People (20:41.049) Sixth, if I'm remembering, because I've certainly run 10ks before. Lea (20:45.57) Yeah. So that's like the long distance version because we have to remember when we're running with dogs, they're not naturally made. Well, most of them, of course you have the sled dogs, but the rest of the dogs are not naturally made for running longer distances at the time. So five kilometers for a dog is long distance. And we have to like train and feed for that purpose. It's not a sprint. Poodle People (20:57.912) Mm-hmm. Lea (21:15.57) so I think it's like the distance you can take, whatever fits you. And then at the events, especially the canine biathlon events, they always make sure that there's a walking, crew and then a running crew. So if you're not fit for running or afraid that you cannot run the two, four, 10 kilometers, then you can just sign up for the walking part. and it's gonna be the exact same course, but there's not gonna be a time limit for you to reach. Poodle People (21:52.111) That's fantastic. And I'm probably at the fitness where I would take the walking, I'm afraid to admit. Lea (22:00.398) That is perfectly fine. My mother signed up this year for the first time ever and we did the same course. Louis and I was about 14 minutes through the course and my mother took just over an hour. So yeah, really big difference, but she's also not a sporty person and I've never seen her running for the bus or anything. So the fact that she was just... Poodle People (22:09.839) Mm-hmm. Poodle People (22:14.007) Okay, yeah, big difference. Poodle People (22:20.388) Right. Poodle People (22:25.784) Yeah. Lea (22:26.646) engaged in getting out there is like for me that's what this sport can do. It's engaging everyone and people who has never run in their life to go out and get active and train and connect with their dogs. Poodle People (22:41.167) So you also do bike-joring, so you run and you bike with your dog. So tell us a little bit about bike-joring and tell us which one you like better. And maybe which one Louis likes better. Lea (22:44.682) Yes. Yes. Lea (22:52.564) Yes. Well, bike drawing is like the concept is the same. I think we completely skipped the concept, but the idea is that the dog is wearing a pulling harness, like you would see a sled dog wear. And then he's either connected to me via a belt or to my bike with like an antenna to make sure that the leash is not going in the wheel. That is pretty important when you're biking. So with the bike drawing, it's essentially mountain bike being dragged by a dog. Poodle People (23:35.887) So is he really pulling pulling? Like he's exerting enough force that it pulls you along. Okay. Lea (23:43.906) Yes. And Louis is like at an international level, Louis is considered a rather small dog. And without that much power, like if you take the big dogs and the winning dogs, they would be Euro hounds, which is a hound mix. but they're like 40 kilos and they can just pull and their top speed and their average speed is amazing. where Louis is 20 kilos and he is doing his absolute best, but he's not able to compete with those dogs. So he is pulling his little heart out when we're competing. Poodle People (24:27.599) So when you first, so these are the things that run through my head, I would be so afraid that I would run my dog over or like catch up to them on the bike, but does that not happen when you first start out? Lea (24:40.686) I think when I first started out, I had quite the experience from the canicrest part, like the running part. So my commandos to Louis were like, they were worked in and he knew exactly what all of my signals meant. And we had a stable like routine. So he knew if I'm saying go, we have to go. Like there is no stopping and sniffing or anything. Like we just forward. And if I say stop, we stop. And I think especially the stop signal is important on the bike because it's just harder to stop than it is when you're running. But yeah, we have had like, you're always right behind your dog and the leash is only about two meters when it's stretched all the way out. So that means that from my front wheel to Louis' hind end, there's not that much room. Poodle People (25:39.055) Great. Lea (25:39.192) So I have to constantly be on top of exactly where is Louis. And sometimes you will see us if it's downhill or if it's a part where I'm not sure where he's gonna be. I'm gonna be like slightly to the side of him. that if he stops, I have time. So I'm not gonna hit him. Poodle People (25:59.043) Right. Okay. So what kind of distances do you do on the bike? Lea (26:08.386) So. Poodle People (26:08.569) or is that still limited by the dog? Lea (26:11.754) It's well in the bike drawing, it is still limited by the dog. Like competitions will normally be about four to seven kilometers. when I train with Louis, we do anything from two to 15 kilometers. depending if I want to train some intervals and my focus is hard pulling, then we'll just take a shorter trip and make it hard and fast. But if I want to build some stamina and the pace doesn't matter, then I'll go for a 10 or 15 kilometer ride with him. Poodle People (26:51.831) Okay, so that's a lot like, you know, race running or marathon training. That makes sense to me. But where are you doing this? That's my other question. just, we, I don't think America has access to forests or trails the way you in Europe seem to do. So tell me, tell me about how you find places to practice. Lea (26:56.983) Yes. Lea (27:18.818) Yeah, well, of course we have the forests and in there, there's lots of trails, but otherwise I have been really happy with just closed off bike lanes. have the feeling that might not be a thing that you have that much in America too. yeah, just any gravel road actually would do perfectly fine for a beginner to just get the training in as long as it's not asphalt. Poodle People (27:32.697) No. Lea (27:48.61) too hard on the joints or the paws, I would say, or just a big field or anything that you have an agreement to use. So we primarily use the forest right behind us. Otherwise, I'll sometimes go to bigger places where there's more. If I need to train... uphill or downhill, there's only a few places where I can do that. And then I'll go to these specific places, but I'll always make sure that where I'm training is places where cars are not allowed. Like that is my big point that I do not want to do this in a place where I can meet a car because I trust Louis. But if there is like a deer or anything, he has a dog. And I don't want him to be run over or make a dangerous situation for anyone. So my, I think my point would be find somewhere if you're biking where cars are not allowed around. But if you're running, like I can do that. I've done it several times, like running from my apartment to we have a castle in the city center all the way through the city running there and then in the park there and then back home. So for running, I don't think it's an issue with cars around as long as you're on a pavement, but for biking, I would make sure it's a place without cars. Poodle People (29:22.072) Right. Poodle People (29:26.383) So which sport did you start with first, biathlon? Lea (29:32.142) I actually started with Can I Cross? which is biathlon without the obstacles and biathlon is Can I Cross? with the obstacles. So that was just the running. And originally it was my friend who were like, hey, this is quite new. We just saw this. My husband want to start. Do you want to join him? Like he would like someone to do this with so it's not just him running around alone like an idiot in the forest. And I was like, I hate running. I have never loved running. I have skipped school to avoid to run. So I was a bit like apprehensive, but she was like, no, it's going to be fine. And he is a bigger guy, so you'll be fine. Poodle People (30:03.279) I'm gonna put this the Lea (30:24.462) So we started and it took Louis a couple of meters and then he was just the happiest I've ever seen him. So I kind of knew already there that this is something that I have to get used to and I have to love because my dog loves it. And then the more I did it, now I really love going for a run or a hike or a bike ride or anything like active where I can get the pulse. Poodle People (30:31.683) Hmm. Poodle People (30:41.273) Yeah. Lea (30:53.602) high and everything but if you had asked me six years ago if I would be considering which is going to be my next race I would have laughed at you so hard. Poodle People (30:55.235) Thank you. Poodle People (31:06.831) So how do you train during the week? Do you need strength yourself or is the cardio enough? Do you any weightlifting or any extra activities to support this because it's quite athletic? Lea (31:26.722) Yeah, so in general, like the, I do a lot of intervals actually doing the week because for me it seems like either I do a long and slow run or I do intervals and that's where I see the development in myself as an athlete when I'm running. I also have an entire like home trainer set up with my bike so I can go for bike rides inside when it's snowing and raining outside. so I do, well, I aim to do a couple of hours of biking and running each week. and then I also do a bit of strength training, especially for the running, because when you have the belt, you have Poodle People (31:57.679) Yeah. Lea (32:16.14) your dog's entire weight pulling on you and pulling on your backside and your hips. So for me, it's been a lot of strengthening my hips and my core muscles. And if I forget it like for a longer period of time, I can feel it. Yeah. So, so it's a, it's a combination. I think especially as a runner and just a cardio athlete, it's important to remember that you're not getting stronger or better unless you're actually getting stronger and working on the strength. And it's also where we avoid injuries or get better after injuries. So. Poodle People (33:00.769) Right. Yeah. Poodle People (33:09.079) Right, yeah. So you mentioned the belt. What kind of equipment do you need for the sports that you do? Lea (33:20.052) Yes, so for the can I cross and for the canine biathlon I would need a running harness for myself which it looks kind of like a climbing harness if people have seen that and then I need a pulling harness for Louie and a bungee leash like you can get away with a non-restrictive harness for your dog and Poodle People (33:35.086) Mm-hmm. Lea (33:50.504) string around your waist if you just want to try it out, but you need a bunch of leash to take some of the pressure both from the dog and from yourself when you're running and trying to avoid like the big pulses when he's just running forward or he's just stopping. And I have used the same gear since I started. I have been working a bit with non-stop dog wear to make sure that Louis has the perfect gear where we have, yeah, as I said, for the running, that is like the standard, but I also have shoes for him for different pavement, like in the winter when it's snowy, I don't want snow clumps under his paws. So he has snow shoes and I have jackets and everything to make sure that Louis gear is just always on point. And it's the same gear I've been using for five years and it's looking brand new when I get shipped something else. So that is quite amazing. Poodle People (35:03.565) I have to say I have checked out non-stop dog wear quite a bit and their stuff is fantastic. And their website is very full of information. It's a really great company. Lea (35:15.062) Yeah. And they actually have like this couch to 5k program that you can sign up for completely free via email. it's, yeah, and it's perfect. And especially a lot of people contact me and it's like, Hey, I am a runner, but I would like to start running with my dog. How do I get started? And of course you need the gear, but you also need to remember if your dog hasn't been running before, then it's a beginner. Poodle People (35:25.113) Maybe I should do that. Poodle People (35:45.007) Mm-hmm. Lea (35:45.8) And you didn't just start doing five kilometers with a pace four, you started slow and you started with like maybe a one minute running, one minute walking and so on. So like these kinds of beginner programs is really, really helpful for anyone who want to get started, whether you're also a beginner or if it's only your dog to remember to take it at a pace where the body has time to develop and get used to the sport. Poodle People (36:19.321) So let's switch a little bit and talk about how you actually fuel both yourself and Louie for this extra activity. What is his feeding regimen like? Lea (36:34.412) Well, he's, first of all, he always have kibble available, like 24 hours a day. There's kibble and there's water. then if we have high training periods, I will have some energy supplements, which for me currently is pimikane, which is like really high fat, high calorie supplement for dogs. Poodle People (37:02.809) Mm-hmm. Lea (37:03.231) and used for sled dogs in Norway and in Greenland. And then I do some raw feed where I also focus on getting these extra calories and getting this extra fat and extra protein. And then I have since he was a puppy, actually been giving him something for the joints. Like if you had a... Poodle People (37:29.465) Hmm. Lea (37:31.49) bernice mountain dog you would also give it kibble with special ingredients to support the joints and i've done that with louis from the beginning because i wanted him to be active his entire life and it doesn't hurt Poodle People (37:50.223) So when you are feeding him extra calories raw, what might a meal look like? Or a snack? Lea (37:57.422) Well, yeah, well currently at the world championship, Emil would look like a couple of like pre-made, ready-made mush, like a meat combination with all of the properties that the dog needs. And then on top of that, I would put in some horse fat, like just fat from a horse actually. And I would put in some. Poodle People (38:16.793) Mm-hmm. Lea (38:27.604) liver or some heart from any kind of animal that I can source to make sure that he gets some iron and he gets some protein and he gets some extra fat. Poodle People (38:41.945) Okay, so that sounds quite similar, although we probably don't feed horse here, or we don't recognize it as an ingredient when it is. Lea (38:52.878) You Lea (38:57.272) But like cow or pig or anything would be just as good. It's just horse is somehow what I find the easiest to source here. I'm not sure why, but it works. Poodle People (39:00.472) Ready. Poodle People (39:10.563) That's so interesting, yes. So I've seen pictures of him when he's been quite muddy. Would you tell us a little bit about how you deal with that and what it's like to get him clean? Lea (39:30.44) Yes. First of all, sometimes I give up and I just admit that I have a muddy dog and my couch is gonna be muddy. Like we're not a perfect household and some days I'm just done when we're done exercising and like that is a tomorrow problem. But normally if I want him clean, like the biggest thing I figured out is that it's easier to get a clean dog back. Poodle People (39:39.654) you you Poodle People (39:50.095) I'm Lea (39:59.234) to being clean. So if we have a race that I know is going to be muddy, I'll groom him the evening before. And for some people that seems like the complete opposite that I'm grooming my dog to get dirty. Like, why would I do that? Why would I spend the hours? But if I've done that, there will not be any matting and the mud and debris and everything will just wash right out of his coat. if it's clean when we start, if that makes sense. Poodle People (40:30.489) That totally makes sense to me. Lea (40:33.996) So if I have been neglecting the showers or the baths, then it's like I can wash him three or four times in shampoo and still have a dirty like water running. So I really, really try to like keep up with the bath. It might not always be that he's getting a full groom or that I get to shave him or anything, but like the baths are just... Poodle People (40:44.207) You Lea (40:59.682) The more clean he is when we start, the easier he is to get clean again afterwards. And that's, that's the way I get through it. Like I sacrificed the hours before because I know that it's going to be easier afterwards. Poodle People (41:14.223) Does he like being groomed? Lea (41:17.474) Depends on the day, would say. Like, Louis is a poodle with a big P. So he decides if he wants today or if he doesn't want. And if he wants, he's just happy to go with me to the bathroom and get washed off. And he'll just sit still through the entire process of blowing his coat out and everything. If he has a day where he doesn't want it, he'll still follow out because he knows that, well... Poodle People (41:19.513) Yeah. Lea (41:47.16) That's what we have to do. But he will sit and he will look like you're trying to murder him the entire time. So I would say it really, really depends. He likes being, well, having his hair cut and being brushed and everything. And it's not. Unnormal for him to fall asleep on the grooming table when we're doing that. But the bath are definite, definitely like. Poodle People (41:49.134) Right. Poodle People (41:53.231) I know that, Lea (42:17.45) if he wants or not, which is funny because if it's raining outside he's perfectly fine with that, like we can be outside for four hours in the rain, no issues. Take him to the shower on a day that he doesn't want to be bathed and he will look like you're trying to kill him. Poodle People (42:35.897) I have to say that's similar to mine. Mine don't really love the bath, but they will all hang out on the grooming table and some of them get up there voluntarily or I'll have one on there and someone else will jump up with them. But no one ever jumps in the bath. Lea (42:54.51) No, absolutely not. Poodle People (42:59.619) Did you learn to groom for Louie or do you get help? Did you get help when you were first starting? Lea (43:07.334) so I have learned everything I know about grooming with Louis. And I got a bit of help when I was starting in the beginning. I thought that I would have a, like a customer relationship with a groomer, but I quite quickly figured out that I wanted to show him. And there was one groomer in my entire area of Denmark that will touch a show dog. Poodle People (43:24.921) Mm-hmm. Lea (43:36.166) And the price were almost half of what I made in a month back when I got him. So it's like, well, I can figure this out on my own. Like there has to be some YouTube videos or pictures or something so I can teach myself how to do it. And then luckily I met a lot of really sweet people at the shows who were like, your dog is like a fur bomb. Poodle People (43:41.781) dear. Yep. Poodle People (43:50.199) Yeah. Lea (44:04.878) Can we please help you? So he doesn't look like that at my first show. And I was like, yes, please anything. Like teach me. And some of the people I've just kept up with and now we help each other out around shows. And I have more experience with the modified continental and some of them have more experience with the full continental or more of like every day. Poodle People (44:05.103) Yeah. Yeah. Lea (44:33.934) haircuts and stuff. I think as we have been growing in the poodle community, the access to information have been growing. Because that was what I found to be really difficult in the beginning was to find out where I'm going to get my information. Because in Denmark, the poodle community is a quite small community and it's always the same like 70 people showing their dogs at dog shows. So yeah, you got to find out who are your kind of people and then you also have to be able to take in what you need and then just leave the rest of it out there and be like, really, thank you for your help. But I have another way to do that and that works for us. Poodle People (45:30.199) I totally understand how it takes a while to learn the skills. I still only have some of the skills. you know, I can do my maintenance and I can braid, but I do not do my pattern before a show. go to someone and I'm lucky that I have a really talented groomer. who actually worked for Allison Alexander, Jodie Paquette, who will put my dog in a trim before a show. But I will give Allison and Leading Edge Dog Show a plug because it's 50 % off today and it is never 50 % off. It's just two days a year. So if you want to subscribe or if anyone else listens, Thanksgiving is the day that she always offers 50 % off and you can buy the whole poodle program and learn all kinds of things about poodle grooming. It's definitely where I have learned so much about grooming and other dog things. Just really nice, especially when you're, you know, there are a lot of poodles and a lot of poodle groomers and handlers in the US, but we are spread out, of course, you know. So. Lea (46:59.758) Yeah, that sounds really nice. Like I've been looking at her courses and her webinars a couple of times, but I've always been like, is it going to be something for me? But I think it's definitely something to look into if there's 50 % off. Poodle People (47:00.097) Thank Poodle People (47:18.287) So I heard about it before she was doing a monthly program and it was smaller when I first heard about it. I think it was 2018 or 2019. And I didn't think, like the first time I heard about it I was like, yeah, I don't really think that videos will help me groom. But I absolutely love it. I love that I feel like I'm part of a dog community of people who are interested. in confirmation and dog standards and learning about dogs. So it's been really, really valuable to me. So I always talk about it and recommend it to people. And her grooming is just, you know, obviously among the best in the world. so, you know, everyone learns in different ways, but I have found it to be very valuable. Lea (48:15.502) Definitely. And I also think that it has a value, especially for me to meet people outside of the circle where I'm normally meeting poodle people because now we've been there for six years. Like I know I can still learn from these people, but I also know what I can learn from these people. And sometimes you need new techniques or you have different questions or anything. And I think it's so valuable that the poodle Poodle community is like a thing worldwide. I have really, I've loved that and I've gotten so much help from people in the United States or in Germany to critique pictures of where do I set my pattern on Louis and anything. So I can really recommend people to look around and outside of their own. Poodle People (48:48.675) Yeah. Yeah. Lea (49:13.922) like small little punt. Poodle People (49:15.853) Right, that's great advice. So how expensive are all of the sports that you do? I I obviously show my dogs and do a little bit of, I've done coursing and some other sports like that. And it does add up. So can you give us an idea of what the cost is for some of the sports that you do? Lea (49:46.818) Definitely. And I'll try to convert it to dollars in my head because we use different kinds of currency in Denmark. So a lot depends on transportation. I feel like I use a lot of money on transportation and on stays if I have to stay over in a place. That's what's making a trip really, really expensive. Poodle People (50:15.503) That's very similar. Yeah. Lea (50:17.282) Yeah, in general, a single talk show, like the entry alone in Denmark would be around $80, I think. And normally you will have either three doing a weekend or you'll have, we have one this Saturday and then we have, well, not Saturday, Sunday, and then we have two shows in one day. So already there. We have $116. Then we have transportation, which is well, again, in Denmark, we don't have that far to go if we want to go to the other end of the country. Like the most expensive would be around a thousand kroner, which adds up to about... Lea (51:10.734) $150 if I want to go from one end of the country to the other. So that's limited, but then one night stay will also be $150 somewhere. So I think the national competitions in general is pretty okay. If we have canicross competitions, the signup fee is normally Poodle People (51:14.403) Okay. Lea (51:40.182) a little lower than for confirmation competitions. yeah, so that's a bit easier to sign up for. And sometimes they are also closer to home because they just need a forest. Like we don't need a place where people will allow us to be for eight to 10 hours at a dog show. just literally need this forest for one and a half hour and then we'll be gone. Poodle People (52:01.047) Right. Right. Poodle People (52:07.791) Thank Lea (52:10.488) But internationally, like we just went to the world championships and that was a crazy expensive trip. think it cost me about $1,500 in total, which is quite a lot for me. And I actually, did the math. Poodle People (52:32.355) Mm-hmm. Lea (52:35.98) When Louis was two years, I think I put everything into a spreadsheet to figure out how much money my dog has been costing me. And I concluded that I'm never going to do that again, because that was just depressing. And I will not recommend doing that, but it is expensive. I will say the races in general, a bit cheaper than the confirmation shows if it's just running or just biking, but the canine biathlon competitions about the same price as a confirmation show, but it's also a lot bigger setup. And it takes a lot more for the people who arrange the races. Poodle People (53:19.695) So interestingly, the prices sound quite similar. Our entries for classes are a little bit cheaper. I would probably say they're about $50. But a hotel and all of that, very similar. But the bigger shows are more expensive here as well. Last year I sent my young puppy to Poodle Club of America and I had her with a fabulous handler and it was expensive. You know, these are not, it's not like I could afford to do these kinds of events all the time or with all of my dogs I have to kind of pick and choose. So I understand about going to the, event that was quite expensive for you. Lea (54:22.316) I think that's like the big difference in confirmation showing from especially Denmark, but also most of Europe to the United States that professional handlers is a thing, but it's a lot smaller. Like we don't have classes for professionals and owner handlers. Everyone is competing at the same classes. In Denmark in general, like most people handle their own dogs or you are good friends with someone who might be better in the ring than you are and then they handle your dog. But like at the national Poodle Club shows, I have never seen a professional handler like someone who, as in the States, prepare the dogs and have dogs at home before the shows and everything. I've never experienced that at a national show in Denmark. I saw a couple at the European dog show we had two years ago, if I remember correctly. But it's still like really, really limited compared to what I have the feeling that is happening in the United States. Poodle People (55:20.079) Yeah. Poodle People (55:43.169) In the US, it's really tough. Poodles are already hard because the hair is so specific and hard to achieve. It's not like you have a hound and you just bathe them and they look glossy and they're fine, right? Lea (56:00.364) I have dreams about that sometimes. Poodle People (56:04.079) My dog is having a dream right now. So if you hear her in the background, sorry. It's challenging because you are always up against professionals who do it every day with all kinds of dogs. They just have so many more tricks than you do. And you know, Lea (56:08.302) you Lea (56:12.078) too. Poodle People (56:32.087) In one sense, you have an advantage because you are only looking after your own dog. But because you don't do it every day, you don't have those challenges, you're not unflappable. You get nervous, you make mistakes, and the professionals do tend to dominate. It's really hard. I think I... am lucky sometimes because I will show in bred by and I will occasionally, you know, sometimes I'll win that class and then I can move on to the next class. Whereas if we were not divided up into those groups, so it's amateur owner handler, there's an open class, there's an American class and I... have never understood what the American class is actually for because any dog can go in the American class. So it doesn't really make sense. And then there's amateur owner handler. I think I got all of them. So if you are in the open class, you're up against professionals. And you know, it can just be very challenging to be at that level. So I think that you are lucky and I think the breeds in the US that are not dominated by professionals are also very lucky. So. Lea (58:20.428) Yeah, I definitely understand that. Like our classes are only divided in like the dog's age or achievements. So it has nothing to do with the handler. Which I think is both really, really nice because you're up against similar dogs, so to say. But also, yeah, it doesn't really matter who you are showing. Of course, like there'll always be judges who judges. Poodle People (58:31.406) Right. Lea (58:50.412) the handler more than the dogs. But I think that it's more obvious here sometimes because we're directly against each other. And I definitely also see judges being like, well, this is the better dog. Like you might be a judge too, but this dog is just objectively a better dog. Poodle People (59:16.259) When you're doing sports, are people surprised to see a poodle excelling? Lea (59:22.38) Yes, they are. And even just if I go for a walk in the dog park, I sometimes have people ask me if he's allowed to get dirty. And I think that's just one of the funniest questions. Like he's a dog. Of course he's allowed to get dirty. I can wash him. Like he's fine. He's not going to evaporate if I get mud on him. Poodle People (59:32.75) Yeah Poodle People (59:36.463) You Poodle People (59:42.914) you Lea (59:47.218) And I even had a lady once get mad at me because I wouldn't leave the dog park when it was raining because my dog were not able to handle rain in her opinion. And I was like, you're standing with a miniature poodle. Like you should know that they're perfectly fine in any weather, as long as you of course take good care of them and make sure that they dry up when you get home. And for competitions in Canicross. Poodle People (59:57.967) You Lea (01:00:17.022) I oftentimes have people like, wow, I've never seen a dog like that or dog in a haircut like that compete. And it's so refreshing. And at the world championship, had the chairman for the Italian Federation for the KennyCrest come over and up to me and say, hey, it's so amazing to see that you showed up here knowing that you're not going to win anything. just look at the dogs, there is no doubt that we're not going to win anything. But he was just so happy that we showed up and we showed what the sport is about, that anyone, like anyone can be here and anyone can participate. And we were there on the exact same merits as anyone else. But on an international level, we're not like. Poodle People (01:00:57.368) Right. Lea (01:01:14.35) We're not going to win anything. And I'm okay with that because we were doing it for the experience and to show that poodles can be fluffy and pretty and have pom poms and everything, but they're still strong and amazing dogs with a great, great work ethic. Poodle People (01:01:32.757) They really, it's wonderful to see them. know, anyone who's around poodles know that they are smart, they are athletic, all of those things. And I think people somehow just can't see past the hair and forget that they are incredible athletes and, you know, generally considered the second smartest breed. Lea (01:01:33.208) So. Poodle People (01:01:59.735) So when you have a smart breed that's athletic, they want to work. Lea (01:02:06.206) Exactly. And they're just so happy when they're working and there are much easier dogs at home when they're working. when we are running, we live in an apartment, a big apartment, but still an apartment. We don't have a yard or anything that I can just let Louis out in. So we have to go out every time we want to do something. And the Poodle People (01:02:13.773) Yep. Yep. Poodle People (01:02:31.748) Mm-hmm. Lea (01:02:34.616) bored and the activeness does that. If I have a bad day or I'm sick for a week, I don't have a dog that is climbing the roof trying to exalt itself. I have a dog that is perfectly content laying by my side for five days, just sleeping in and then going all out when we're back outside again. And I think it's... So it has so much value to have this connection with the dog because when you're running and especially in the obstacle courses, you have to have a connection with your dog. If you're not on the same page of what you're doing, like you're not getting through this. You're not getting over and under and through everything that you have to go through. And especially not fast. If you have to stop at every obstacle and I try and figure out how we're going to go through this where I know in me that anytime Louis sees something, if I say up, under or through, he's just going to do it. Like it doesn't matter how it looks or how tall it is or anything. He's just going to try and he's going to do his absolute best. And then most times it's going to end up with Louis over the obstacle and me like trying to keep up with him. Poodle People (01:03:59.849) So I'd love to end with you telling us a little bit about your trip to Italy, which I think was probably your biggest achievement as an athletic team. Lea (01:04:15.788) Yeah, I think so too. Well, it was amazing. First of all, it was the longest drive I've ever done. It took 20 hours by car to get to Northern Italy from here. And I was alone for the entire drive. So it was just me and Louis driving. And I was a bit nervous. How is he going to take it? Is he going to relax on this drive? Because sometimes he can be bit too excited when he knows that we have to do something nice when we arrive. And especially if I have his harness in the car, like he's not going to settle in the car until we're done with what we had to do. But he was just such a good boy and he slept most of the way. And it was amazing to drive through Germany and Switzerland and France and then end up in Italy. I had. one overnight on the way down there because like I can't stay awake for 20 hours driving. That would not be safe for me or for anyone else on the road. So I had, I had a stop. and then we arrived in Italy and we are just so lucky that the spirit around the Danish team were amazing. Like we had the best team leader who did her absolute finest to make sure that we knew anything that she knew and anything that was important. We even actually had a woman who moved from Denmark when she was 18 and found a French boyfriend, now husband and kids and everything. So she is living in France, but she could not compete for the French national team. So she was kind of borrowed to us. And she was just amazing in the master classes and she had another version of the sport and another way into it than the rest of us had. And it was just like the team spirit were high and the setup was so professional. Like it's my first really, really big sport event. And it was amazing to experience this completely professional setup and to Poodle People (01:06:35.639) Mm-hmm. Lea (01:06:42.286) bring Louis to the opening ceremony, were room at restaurants for dogs and it was not an issue getting a hotel room where I could bring him. And then the competition is two days where in Denmark most Känigfors races will be single day races. So that was a bit challenging for us, especially because I hadn't had the best training and Louis hadn't either because he had a small injury right up until we had to leave. So our training was hope, like completely hopeless, but we made it through and he was just such a star and the feeling of going the course was first like... one and a half kilometers uphill with an average like incline at over 10%. Like it was crazy steep and it was muddy and it was slippery and it was awful. But Louis was just doing his absolute best while I was running next to the bike because it couldn't get any traction. And people were just so sweet and they were all cheering on Louis. And I have no idea how because He was signed up in his passport name, which is Billy Idol. But everyone on the course were cheering Louie, Louie anytime we came by them. And it was just such an amazing experience to see that, well, I came here with a dog that doesn't really fit in, but everyone was just so optimistic and happy to see us. Like that was the feeling that I got that we were. We were allowed to be there and our presence were, what do you call it? Appreciated. And then on day two, I was expecting Louis to be tired. And I was definitely knowing that I was tired, but we were faster through the course up until I crashed on the last descent to a... Poodle People (01:08:38.701) Yeah, I love that. Poodle People (01:08:55.885) Lea (01:08:57.056) Yeah, but luckily it could have been so bad. There was an ambulance going down the mountain that morning when we arrived and I was like, no, it's going to be so bad today. But luckily I crashed in a big puddle of mud and I got my feet off the bike in time to land on my behind instead of landing on my collarbone or anything else that have a tendency to break. Poodle People (01:09:24.207) right. Lea (01:09:25.07) I got away with muddy pants and a really, really big bruise. Poodle People (01:09:30.831) That's not bad. mean. Lea (01:09:32.322) That is not bad at all. And I was just like, it's fine. I'm completely, it's okay. We got through it, but we lost all of the time that we won on the rest of the course. So our official time is not faster, but I can look at my data and see an up until that point, we were definitely faster than the day before, which was amazing. Yeah. And then we just, we had to go home and on the way back. Poodle People (01:09:37.411) Yep. Lea (01:10:01.804) Like the way down, had a hotel room for the night I slept. And then on the way back, I just decided to stay over in the car somewhere in Germany because I spent the entire night down being afraid if someone was going to steal my bike or Louis gear out of the car and, breaking a window and the car. And I had borrowed that car from my father. And he was not going to be happy if I had to call him from Germany and say, hey, that someone broke into your car. And by the way, your windows are smashed. So I decided it was just easier for everyone if I just slipped in the car and that was perfectly fine. And then we drove the rest of the way to the ferry and then we were home safe and slept for a week when we got back, both of us. Poodle People (01:10:27.798) No. Poodle People (01:10:51.779) That sounds like such an adventure. Lea (01:10:54.933) It really was. Poodle People (01:10:56.825) have to give you little shout out because I thought your video documenting it was really fantastic. Lea (01:11:05.024) I'm so happy that you think that. Like I really enjoy making content for Instagram, especially showing that you can be fluffy and pretty and still hardcore and sporty and have a nice life. Poodle People (01:11:18.873) I'm actually not surprised that people were cheering him on because I think that through the Instagram account you really give life to him and I totally can see people wanting to cheer him on. Lea (01:11:32.92) Thank you so much. Poodle People (01:11:35.469) So it has just been absolutely lovely to talk to you and get to know you. I'm so glad that we met on Instagram. I get to talk to such interesting, amazing people. And I really appreciate you sharing a little bit about your life and your wonderful dog, Louis. Lea (01:11:58.882) You're welcome. It was so amazing that you reached out and such a special like experience. Poodle People (01:12:05.133) You know, I am so passionate about poodles and I love meeting more people who are doing really cool things. And I think you just have to open your eyes to the magic of poodles. And we see all around the world how many great people own really great poodles. Lea (01:12:26.914) Definitely and there's like lots and lots of great poodles out there and especially on social media like if you want to find something that you're able to engage in like there's anything like sports and agility and obedience and whatever you would want to because the poodle is just so diverse and I really love that about my dog that I can do anything I kind of want to. Poodle People (01:12:34.402) Yeah Poodle People (01:12:54.733) Yeah, I think that your story and your Instagram account is so inspiring. Lea (01:13:01.88) Thank you so much. Poodle People (01:13:03.309) I'm so glad that you had time to meet with me and I wish that I could meet Louie in person because he is just beautiful. Lea (01:13:14.03) Thank you. I will definitely text you if we are ever in the States. Poodle People (01:13:19.351) Wonderful. Well, thank you so much and we will stay in touch and I know that the audience is going to love listening to this. Lea (01:13:28.418) Thank you so much, it was so nice to meet you. Poodle People (01:13:31.319) Nice to meet you too as well. Thank you. Lea (01:13:35.576) Thank you.