WOW - AMAZING ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR COOPER!

I received news last night that Cooper, from my Pearl x Coriander litter (11/17/12) has achieved his 'Master Agility Champion Title'!  That is some achievement!

Actually given Pearl has an amazing ability to 'dance' upright on her hind feet and Coriander has steely-eyed determination for fetching balls, I should not be surprised, but I am proudly so.  :+)

Dale and Bob, you have both done an amazing job with darling Cooper.  Hugs to you both!

CONGRATULATIONS COOPER! WELL DONE!!!

We went home this weekend! (Pearl's litter)

This chocolate morsel is Tessa with her very happy family. 
Tessa is 7 lbs. and suits this family like a glove.

I simply adore this shot of Couper and Peter.  The biggest pup in the litter at 12 lbs.
Couper has another Annabelle Doodle to play with named Noodles.  My apologies
Jennifer for not including you and Noodles in this pic.  (see below).

Mr. Cooper is 8 1/4 lbs. of cuddle (and smiles!)  Cooper will be the
'Toast of his Town'!  I can't wait to hear.  :+)

Vivi!  She ruled supreme with lots of kisses, cuddles and spirit.  Best climber I have ever seen and wicked smart too.
  Her family wanted a pup with some gusto.  They got it in spades with lovely Vivi!  10 1/2 lbs.

I said goodbye to this small but lively litter this weekend but know they were all placed with great families that will enjoy all the antics and work a new puppy will bring.  :+)

It is on the quiet side here now.  I was able to expand the 'living quarters' of Camden's litter and they seem to be quite content with the bigger space to play in.  It will be easier to schedule visits and I have a bit more room to brush and clip my adults which is nice.

I hope all of you will hold true to your promise of updates on these cuties!  :+)

Not to disappoint, here is a pic of Jennifer, Peter, Couper and Noodles!  I believe both boys are going to have a wonderful time together.  The introduction went really well and I have already received pics of them playing and bonding.  Truly warms my heart when all goes well. 

The 'Infirmary and its occupants'. Pup surgeries. (Update)

The infirmary is read for the patients to arrive!

Here are the poor babies.  Couper needed a cone but the rest did not.  Hopefully, by tomorrow it will come off.

It has been quite a busy, busy day!  First thing this morning was getting the pups ready for their trip to the vet for their spays and neuters plus blood work, stool samples and health certificates.  They cannot eat in the morning, so dinner was served late last night at around 9:30 pm in hopes they would not be STARVING prior to surgery.  All the surgeries were fine - whew.

I picked them up roughly 5:30 pm and had a very quiet ride home as they were still a bit groggy.  I wanted to keep them somewhat separated so that they would remain quiet and calm for healing purposes.  This will continue for a couple of days prior to your pick ups this weekend.  You will be provided with a surgical sheet on what to watch for, etc.  They cannot have baths for 10 days after surgery, so all were bathed last night so they would be fresh and clean.

While they were at the vets, my husband and I went shopping.  To my great delight, I found the 'crates' you see above which are nice and tall with full walk through gates.  They will also configure  (as well as connect together) to many different shapes which is so necessary for my dog hobby business.   They were just what I needed to divide the pups for safety.  I spent the afternoon putting them together and getting each compartment set up for the pups.  Then it was back to pick up the pups, take more pics of Camden's litter, make every one's dinner and now I must bathe Piper.  I will sleep well tonight, unless my patients complain.

Update on January 24, 2012

This morning all the pups were full of energy and yelled loudly for breakfast which they ate with gusto!  Couper no longer has the cone on his head and they actually went outside to potty - it was a brief outdoor outing.  They were allowed to play inside the puppy room but had to take turns.  Vivi and Couper; then Cooper and Tessa; and finally, Camden's litter had a turn to play in the room.  Each had a 15 minute session.  Next,  I had to load up the four pups to go for their CERF eye exam in Portsmouth, NH with Dr. Cassotis.  Fortunately, none showed any eye disease - which is a very good thing!  I am also happy to report than none of them were car sick and the car ride to and from was as quiet as falling snow.  :+)

Although these pups are not being 'crated' in the general sense, the pens they are in now are very much 'crate-like'.  They are sleeping two together which is not the same as being in a crate alone but does give them some crate exposure.  PLEASE expect your puppy to cry for a few nights when in their crate.  This is NORMAL and if you must, sleep on the floor near them but do not take them out of the crate and into your bed - worse thing you can do.  Struggle through it - it only lasts for a few days.  :+)

I will continue to do timed play sessions and more 'crating' until they go home.

Cooper on the left and Tessa on the right.

Vivi in front and Couper in back.

We are almost ready to go home!

Couper is ready for his nap.  He weighs 11 lbs. this week and is the largest pup in the litter.

Tessa is the tiniest in the litter at 6 1/4 lbs. 

I can already see the color change in Cooper.  He will be a lavender like his mom. 
He weighs 7 1/4 lbs. this week.

Vivi hits the perfection marker on the weight scale - 9 lbs. at 9 weeks!

You cannot believe how quickly nine weeks has gone by!  This group of pups LOVES the outdoors and is happiest playing in the snow and chilly weather.  Of course, they have had Piper to entertain them but even without her, they dash out the dogie door to investigate and romp in the large play area by themselves.  Typically, Tessa is the first one in to get warmed up and little Cooper the last.  :+)

This litter is full of fun and spunk and I know all their owners will be laughing at all their silly antics.  They have lovely coats and beautiful eyes with lots of energy. 

This week is full of appointments, so I will be doing a lot of traveling with the group.  We also have their last temperament test.  Pick ups are all planned for the weekend.  Their life here ends and your home will take on a whole new 'furry' dimension. :+)

Pearl's litter playing in the snow! They had so much fun!

The 'dynamic duo' are planning an escape to the 'big yard'!

Couper found a leaf and is planning to hide it.

Good boy, Cooper!  Good potty outside!

FREEDOM!

Look at the ears on Couper (caramel)/Cooper (chocolate)!  Ha, ha!

Snowflakes stick on Tessa!! :+)

The clubhouse looks interesting....

'Funtown' USA!

Let's see what is over....there!

Great pose of Couper!

They have played like this most of the afternoon.

I think Vivi is ready to call it quits and find a soft bed to snuggle in.

As you probably noticed, Piper Moon was out there playing with them too!  She plays with this litter every day and they have a ball!

We are outdoors! Yea! (Pearl's litter)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you think they are having a great time?  I am so happy the weather has been quite mild for their first taste of the outdoors.  I was shocked to see that both Blue Boy and Fudge Girl had the moxie to venture outside first!  I fully expected Rainbow Girl to be the bravest of the group but I had to carry her outdoors.  Once her paws hit the ground, she was off and running!  I am always amazed at how some pups can fool you with how they will proceed in a new environment.  They are having a blast and I know will take a wonderful nap after playtime is over.  :+)

Pearl's litter is 8 weeks!

Rainbow Girl 7 1/2 lbs.

Blue Boy  9 lbs.

Green Boy 6 1/2 lbs.

Fudge Girl 5 1/4 lbs.

This has been an interesting week.  As you know, my trainer came here and we had our first assessment.  Karen (my trainer) loves this litter.  They are a group of spunky, funny, tail-waggin' balls of fluff!  They did very well on their trip to the vets but today they are having a bit of a digestive upset from the shots, I think.  They are playing normally but have diarrhea which is unfortunate.  This shall pass.... sooner rather than later, I hope!!

A little bit about each pup:

• Rainbow, lovingly called 'Houdini' because she is the only one that climbs out of the x-pen routinely and greets me at the door in the morning.  She is full of energy and LOVES water hence, the need for Lixit Bottles instead of a normal watering bowl.  She is very curious and lively but once in your arms, relaxes for cuddles and lots of kisses.
• Blue Boy nicknamed 'Monk'.  He quietly contemplates his next move.  Energetic at times, but also quite content to just 'laze about' in the potty box, stuffed frog or bed.  He doesn't generally initiate play but does not back off when invited either.  
• Green Boy, the 'Gentleman'.  He can and does, however, get 'down and dirty' too. Wrestles like crazy with Fudge Girl and gives the ol' rock um/sock um to his larger caramel siblings.  This pup does prefer to be with people and charms them shamelessly.
• Fudge Girl is mistakenly thought of as the 'runt'.  No, no, no!  Big personalities come in small packages and this pup is such a love!   Happy to play chase, cuddle in your arms or do water sports (she too, loves to dig in the water bowl!).  Her size belies her abilities!

As a breeder, I find DNA and genetics incredibly interesting - especially so with this litter.  When working with hybrids, you expect a wide assortment of DNA splitting.  It has never been so apparent as with this group.  As you know, Coriander is a first generation Cockapoo, who is on the larger side of his breed at almost 16 inches and 26 or so pounds.  Pearl is an excellent representation of a gracefully put together medium sized Australian Labradoodle at 18 inches and roughly 30 lbs.  In this litter, you can easily pick out how the DNA split - the caramels favor Coriander with Blue Boy favoring the Cocker influence the most in both looks and coat.  However his size comes from the larger dogs behind Pearl.  Rainbow Girl is more 'mixed up'.  The Cocker influence shows but not as potently as Blue Boy.  Perhaps because she is a female, her 'edges' are softer and more feminine.  Both the chocolate/cafes are their mom through and through.  Although they definitely have a curlier coat than their mom per the heavier Poodle influence, they do not have a Poodle nose nor are their heads narrow like the Poodle breed.   The Cockapoo influence shows much less in these two except in their eyes (which are round, not oval) and the nice breadth of their foreheads.    Oh yes, they both  favor their father's smaller size. So much fun to see how a litter evolves.  :+)

They also had a great time exploring the tunnel I put in their pen this week.  Enjoy the pics below.

Pearl's pups at 7 weeks old!

Goofy Blue Boy playing on the slide!  8  1/4 lbs.

Green Boy is an elegant gentleman.  5  1/2 lbs.

'Happy Go Lucky' Rainbow Girl is 7 lbs.

Fudge Girl simply melts in your arms.  4  3/4 lbs.

This week my trainer will come for their first temperament test.  It is always an interesting event.  Their second one will be in two more weeks.  Their first vaccines are also scheduled this week on Friday.

Although they continue to 'peek' out the dogie door, none have ventured all the way outdoors yet.  They are so VERY close to taking that huge step!

Here is a couple of pics of them playing with Piper, who entertains the group quite often!