A busy day between raindrops! (Maple litter Wk. 8)

The pups and I had a busy day today. Early this morning all of them were loaded into my wagon for their second trip to the vet since the day they were born. At 8 weeks, it is time for their first DHPP shot. This is for Distemper, Hepatitis, Para Influenza and Parvo Virus. I did not feed them before I left, so I did have a few grumpy pups complaining on the trip there. Nothing too bad though. I would rather listen to a bit of whining then the retching sounds of upset tummies. Once at the vets, they all 'blessed' his super clean floor (normal) and none of them complained about their shot or exam. The trip home was nice and quiet. :+)

Once home, I prepared a super large breakfast for them all and I still get amazed at how quickly they can consume all of it. A treat of organic blueberries was enjoyed by all.

After completing a couple of errands, I thought I would try to get their 8 week pics outdoors between raindrops and was thrilled to have succeeded!

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Black Boy followed me all over and it was difficult to get a good shot of him because he was always underfoot. Finally, a truck went by and he stopped to listen. Thanks whoever you are that was driving! 7.8 lbs.


Teal Girl raced like a Greyhound. She was happy as a clam in mud and it shows! 8.7 lbs.


Pink Girl felt this path was made for her. I do believe she might have wanted a red carpet but that was not happening. 7.7 lbs.


Stripe Boy, true to his nature, sat and gazed at the grass, the flowers, the birds.... 11 lbs.


Red Boy was like a tiger in the woods. There were places to go and things to smell and he was determined to experience them all. 7.7 lbs.



Blue Boy. This was the ONLY still shot. When his toes hit the ground he ran and leaped and rolled. He is most definitely an outdoors man! 10.5 lbs.


Green Boy should be called 'Dandy'. He is so prim and proper. 7.5 lbs.


Orange Girl was a dancing ballerina outdoors. She just had the best time as evidenced by this shot. 8.2 lbs.

HAPPY ONE YEAR OLD BIRTHDAY TO Olive x Chico's BABIES!

This was all of you at one day old! Can you believe it?

Brewster, Felix, Callie, Cody, Mac and Lily - have a wonderful birthday!

A late update on the first temperament test.

Hi all!

It is spring, and like most people, we are very much involved with spring projects. As already mentioned, we are putting in artificial turf in the puppy play-yard which required lots of digging, leveling and shoveling. It is roughly 15 by 100 feet, so A LOT of digging, etc. The pups were quite interested in watching us, offering a few barks of encouragement as we worked. Now that everything is prepared, we are hopeful for the delivery of our grass this coming week. I can't wait for this group to enjoy it. :+)

Along with that project, we have replaced our sloping grassy pathway to our front door with graduated steps. So, again piles of dirt removal and backbreaking work placing stones for embankment stability. We are still in that process as 'the rain has come'.

In between all of this, the pups continue to love the area they do have and are now not locked in the x-pens at night. In the morning, I find very little use of the litter box - most go outdoors in the early morning to potty outside. :+) I intend to fold up the x-pen and bring in more crates for them to sleep in with the doors open. We will see if they like this.

This past Wednesday, my trainer came for their first temperament test. There were some surprises and I expect in the next session, there will be more. At this time, I have four pups that she considers 'soft' - Black Boy, Green Boy, Stripe Boy and Orange Girl. This means AT THIS TIME they would be best suited for owners that will give them much more exposure than normal to help them develop into 'the best they can be'. This is not much different than a 'normal' pup but it is more important that you not take this commitment lightly. They would also do best in a 'less stressful' household which means not a lot of chaos - at least until the pup is properly acclimated. So by no means would you get this puppy home and immediately take it to a family party where lots of activity and noise would be happening. Give them a month or so of gentle exposure to life in your household. Eventually, all these pups will learn to trust you and feel safe which is all they want and need.

Will these pups grow and develop confidence before the next test? Yes, they certainly can. I will be working with each pup individually. I have ALWAYS found that pups with this type of temperament are the MOST loveable, cuddly, 'velcro' doodles. They simply want to please you and need very little correction. Positive re-enforcement and patience is a must. I get the best emails from my owners that have done this successfully.

Rumple tends to throw some soft puppies in all his litters. Every single one of them have turned into fabulous companions because each owner was given information regarding their personalities and they were handled accordingly. Each one worked with a trainer with experience with this type of personality and was able to bring out the best in each pup. I would expect the same results, with a good trainer, for the above pups.

Joyce

Play, Play and Play some more. (7 weeks)

Oh thank goodness for some decent weather! They go in and out at will now and they just love it. The only times I shut them in their x-pen is when I feed them and for the night. Otherwise, it is open for them to go play or come in to lay down on the step or anywhere else in the puppy room. Believe it or not, I do sometimes find one or two on the big animal or in the crate. Many times, however, they love to lie under the ramp in the shade! They use the same spot to have a bark fest playing 'hide n seek'.

We have been working very hard on the play area, getting it prepared for the artificial turf. It is a tremendous amount of work and I thank God everyday, we have a tractor. Although somewhat handicapped, my husband Carl, is still adept at the tractor controls. Maybe, just maybe, we may have it done in another week. I so want this to be the first litter to enjoy it.

Please don't be alarmed if the pups have a dirty face, or something stuck on their fur - they are having a ball out there and 'puppies will be puppies'!

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Pink Girl had just finished scratching when I got this shot. Such a sweet face. (6 & 3/4 lbs.)














Black Boy, who is not usually staying still for very long practically posed. (7 lbs.)



Stripe Boy DID pose and waited till I got the shot! (9 & 1/4 lbs. - heaviest pup)





















Orange Girl was very busy chewing on this rope toy and had no intention of stopping for me to take her pic. Just love that 'Sport' Mode on my camera! (7 Lbs.)



Blue Boy was so enjoying playing with this ball and digging in the stones. (9 lbs.)



Red Boy gawked at me as if to say 'Will you stop already!' (6 & 3/4 lbs.)



Teal Girl was just about to move when I snapped. (7 & 1/2 lbs.)





















Green Boy is another one that loves to dig. Look at the dirt on his face! :+) (6 & 1/2 lbs. - smallest pup!)

Outdoors on grey, misty days!

Yes, it has been dreary, misty and rainy for a couple of days at least but the pups still go outside 'between the drops' if at all possible. Pups need to run and expend energy to be happy. :+) They certainly don't mind. (If you see red 'X', ignore - all the pics are shown)


Can you tell which 'end' is which? These coats are soooo pretty albeit dusty!


Here come two more to check out the clubhouse. (Blue and Stripe)


They love going in and out of the openings chasing and wrestling with each other.



There are 'time outs'. (Teal)


Green Boy is taking a 'chill time' too.


Frick and Frack - OOPS! Nope, it is Orange and Stripe. (ha, ha).


Red and Orange looking for 'greener pastures'.



Pink is in the back with Red and Green in front. The rest, I think you can figure.


What a good sit!


Hats off to Red Boy for using the potty box. :+)


Pink Girl strutting her stuff.

We are half way home to you. (6 weeks)

I bet all of you are counting the days till your pup is home with you. :+)

In the meantime, they continue to enjoy the outdoors, play with Chaplin every now and again with supervision and grow.

This week, they have conquered using the doggie door. They have also learned that they can jump out of their x-pen when I leave the door open for them to venture outside - the ramp no longer makes them nervous. Both the aisle and the first paver pen has become their expanded play area in the mornings when there is shade. Later in the day, they are moved to the stone pen so that they do not have too much sun on them. Being outside is their favorite thing right now. Plus, they have Chaplin to tease as he is on the 'outside looking in'.

For today's six week pics, I brought them to the gardens for the most part. We are working on redesigning our pathway to the front door, so some pics have a bit of that in the background.


Blue Boy - 7 & 1/4 lbs.



Green Boy - 5 & 1/4 lbs.



Stripe Boy - 7 & 1/2 lbs.



Black Boy - 6 lbs.



Red Boy - 5 & 1/2 lbs.



Orange Girl - 5 & 3/4 lbs.



Pink Girl - 5 & 1/4 lbs.



Teal Girl - 6 & 1/4 lbs.

We had a picnic today!

A brisk but sunny day had the pups outdoors for lots of shineshine and fresh air. They even had a 'picnic' lunch brought out to them. :+)

Starting with the black pup on the bottom right: Pink, Green, Red, Stripe, Black, Blue, Teal and Orange enjoyed their lunchtime meal. Now, they are playing for a bit. In about a half hour, I will bring them in for a nap. They will go out again later in the aisle instead of the stone pen. :+)