Do you ever feel as though you are spiraling out of control? Well that is me this morning. This week has been so chaotic at work that I have HAD to be in the office whether I wanted to or not. Trying to run the business and take care of getting things ready for this weekend and guess what I am NOT Super Woman. Something gave and unfortunately I feel as though I have let down my good friend Linda Dalton.
Our big dog show is this weekend and I also feel as though I have let our Kennel Club down by not being able to be there to assist with all the things I have done in the past. But my main priority is these puppies. They are 7 1/2 weeks old and at this point they are way too active to be left alone and I just won't take them down to the show site, it is way too dangerous for them. My dad is the announcer at the show so he cannot be here and they need him more than me, so I am taking some comfort in knowing that at least I have a representative there. The other thing is that I promised Linda she could use my RV and I would have it filled up with propane, gas and take it down for her to use. Last night she called to see why the generator wouldn't work. It was a major ordeal just getting it down to the site, as I needed someone to stay here with the puppies while I drove and for someone to bring me back home. I thought I was just doing good to get it down there, I didn't think to check the batteries on the darn thing. You guessed it, the house batteries are deader than a door nail and nothing works. Thankfully Mona and Mark and Anne and Dawn are next to her and she can use some of their power, but this morning I am trying to orchestrate getting someone down there to get those batteries working while at home watching puppies.
After the show, everyone is coming up here and we are going to do evaluations, play with puppies and have a BBQ. Here I feel I have let the people evaluating and my puppy owners down because I didn't realize that I couldn't download the forms online for a fee. NO...you have to purchase them and they mail them to you...crap! So we are going to use the Akita Club's Puppy evaluation form that is found online and make some adjustments to it....I am sorry, this has all been a huge learning experience and I am still learning that is for sure. I actually think the Akita form is better than the other forms I had planned on using and I am going to suggest to Anne that she take this to the BMDCA board and recommend they do something similar for our members that we can access online, they could even make it a money maker I am sure there are many breeders out there like me that would be willing to pay dearly for this form at the last minute:)
So folks, everyone is coming in this afternoon. The puppies are resting, I need to finish cleaning up the house and the deck area for everyone and I will post more later. I know I never did get the 7 week pictures up but it is kind of mute now, as we will be doing 7 1/2 week pictures today:)
Ladybug
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Thursday, July 26, 2012
7 Weeks and Counting
I just cannot wrap my head around the fact that these pups are already 7 weeks old and will be going home in a week. It has really hit home as people call or email me to let me know when they will be coming to pick up their pup. I still haven't got a clue as to which pup I plan on keeping and I know that makes it hard for everyone else for that I am sorry but just so many wonderful pups with great attitudes, I just never imagined it would be this hard to choose. Usually you have a choice of one or two pups that are stand out's not in this litter!
We did the temperment testing on Tuesday. My obedience instructor and good friend Shade did the testing in a friends training building. We tried to limit the pups to as little contact with where other dogs have been in the building as well as where they were pottied before going in for the test. Theoretically I was not supposed to be in the building to watch the test, but we set it up in such a way that I could watch without causing interference for the testing. Overall the puppies did outstanding, there were a couple of small surprises for me but all in all I could have pretty much told you how they would react and what would happen in each scenario for each puppy. Some came more readily to Shade than others and some flailed harder than others during the restraint test but all in all they came out with wonderful scores. They did get marked down more than they should have for biting at times and I later talked with Shade about the fact that I didn't think they were biting per say but more teething because that is what they are doing. She did agree with me that I was probably correct and she wishes that the testing didn't have so much grey area and that I should just use the information to confirm what I already knew in my heart. This has all been such a learning experience for me.
The puppies have also moved into the big yard outdoors and man do they love it! My dad has worked hard to fence of under the deck and make a step from the puppy area into the big yard and I so appreciate everything he has done. He has been an amazing help. He comes over every day so I can go to work and works on projects to make things better for the puppies. He absolutely adores them and I think he will also be sad when they go to their new homes. I also think that if his wife would let him, purple girl would be coming to live with them. She has a special place in his heart and he just loves her.
The next few days are going to be crazy, we are having our local dog show here in town and lots of my Berner friends are coming to show and will be coming up to visit the puppies. Anne will be coming up to evaluate the puppies as will Randy Johnson and I am really curious to see what they both have to say. I am also curious to see if they have the same results or if they will pick different puppies as to who is the best. If I was a betting person, I think they will pick different puppies...but we shall see.
My son did come over last night to take 7 week pictures, I haven't had a chance to look at them yet but will be doing so today and try to get them up for everyone.
We did the temperment testing on Tuesday. My obedience instructor and good friend Shade did the testing in a friends training building. We tried to limit the pups to as little contact with where other dogs have been in the building as well as where they were pottied before going in for the test. Theoretically I was not supposed to be in the building to watch the test, but we set it up in such a way that I could watch without causing interference for the testing. Overall the puppies did outstanding, there were a couple of small surprises for me but all in all I could have pretty much told you how they would react and what would happen in each scenario for each puppy. Some came more readily to Shade than others and some flailed harder than others during the restraint test but all in all they came out with wonderful scores. They did get marked down more than they should have for biting at times and I later talked with Shade about the fact that I didn't think they were biting per say but more teething because that is what they are doing. She did agree with me that I was probably correct and she wishes that the testing didn't have so much grey area and that I should just use the information to confirm what I already knew in my heart. This has all been such a learning experience for me.
The puppies have also moved into the big yard outdoors and man do they love it! My dad has worked hard to fence of under the deck and make a step from the puppy area into the big yard and I so appreciate everything he has done. He has been an amazing help. He comes over every day so I can go to work and works on projects to make things better for the puppies. He absolutely adores them and I think he will also be sad when they go to their new homes. I also think that if his wife would let him, purple girl would be coming to live with them. She has a special place in his heart and he just loves her.
The next few days are going to be crazy, we are having our local dog show here in town and lots of my Berner friends are coming to show and will be coming up to visit the puppies. Anne will be coming up to evaluate the puppies as will Randy Johnson and I am really curious to see what they both have to say. I am also curious to see if they have the same results or if they will pick different puppies as to who is the best. If I was a betting person, I think they will pick different puppies...but we shall see.
My son did come over last night to take 7 week pictures, I haven't had a chance to look at them yet but will be doing so today and try to get them up for everyone.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Busy Week
This has been a very busy week, the Pups are now 6 weeks of age and growing like weeks, full of energy and to be honest it scares me to death to leave them alone, so I don't! Thank goodness for my father who comes over every afternoon and puppy sits and takes care of them so I can do some work at the office.
They are getting so big, they now weigh between 13 and almost 16 pounds, Red Boy is the biggest, he is just a hunk and Lime boy and White Boy are right behind him in size. Their legs are all huge, as are their feet and I am just amazed at what a consistent litter this is. Typically I think when you breed dogs you have one or two, possibly three dogs that might be show quality. At this point I think I probably have 4 or 5 boys and 3 girls that could make the grade, very exciting for me as a first time breeder to have such beautiful heads, type, bone and overall a great litter. I couldn't have gotten it without great parents in Ivie and Abbott! Ivie is the most amazing mom. She is extremely careful of her brood, watches where she places her feet and is constantly making sure that no one is getting into trouble or doing something they shouldn't be doing. She is still letting them nurse and I am not sure how she does that with their sharp little teeth but she does.
We have had LOTS of Visitors, which is awesome! Sometimes we get two or three a day and I am so happy for them to be getting the various attention and socialization from friends and family. If you want to come and play with puppies please let me know and I would love to have you. bring your Steel Toed shoes (just kidding) and don't wear flip flops or sandals and feet are their favorite chew toy. They play for about 30 to 40 minutes then crash and sleep for a couple of hours and do it all over again. We now have the big back yard enclosed off so they cannot get under the deck, it has been trimmed of all weeds and I take them back there daily. They love to run and play but when they are tired, they want to go back to their deck and comfort zone. Ivie had dug a big hole and that seemed to be worth hours of amusement this afternoon. A couple of the puppies thought they would try and make it deeper and at one point I thought I was going to loose Green Boy but he managed to re-appear after pulling out others that had managed to get on top of him.
Tuesday we are doing the temperament testing and it is so hard to believe that in two weeks they will almost all be in their new homes. I am sure my other dogs will be happy to have my attention again but I know I am going to miss them, they have brought so much joy and happiness to my day to day life this summer.
They are getting so big, they now weigh between 13 and almost 16 pounds, Red Boy is the biggest, he is just a hunk and Lime boy and White Boy are right behind him in size. Their legs are all huge, as are their feet and I am just amazed at what a consistent litter this is. Typically I think when you breed dogs you have one or two, possibly three dogs that might be show quality. At this point I think I probably have 4 or 5 boys and 3 girls that could make the grade, very exciting for me as a first time breeder to have such beautiful heads, type, bone and overall a great litter. I couldn't have gotten it without great parents in Ivie and Abbott! Ivie is the most amazing mom. She is extremely careful of her brood, watches where she places her feet and is constantly making sure that no one is getting into trouble or doing something they shouldn't be doing. She is still letting them nurse and I am not sure how she does that with their sharp little teeth but she does.
We have had LOTS of Visitors, which is awesome! Sometimes we get two or three a day and I am so happy for them to be getting the various attention and socialization from friends and family. If you want to come and play with puppies please let me know and I would love to have you. bring your Steel Toed shoes (just kidding) and don't wear flip flops or sandals and feet are their favorite chew toy. They play for about 30 to 40 minutes then crash and sleep for a couple of hours and do it all over again. We now have the big back yard enclosed off so they cannot get under the deck, it has been trimmed of all weeds and I take them back there daily. They love to run and play but when they are tired, they want to go back to their deck and comfort zone. Ivie had dug a big hole and that seemed to be worth hours of amusement this afternoon. A couple of the puppies thought they would try and make it deeper and at one point I thought I was going to loose Green Boy but he managed to re-appear after pulling out others that had managed to get on top of him.
Tuesday we are doing the temperament testing and it is so hard to believe that in two weeks they will almost all be in their new homes. I am sure my other dogs will be happy to have my attention again but I know I am going to miss them, they have brought so much joy and happiness to my day to day life this summer.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Good to be Home again
I will say this once again, I am NOT a morning person, but these last few weeks with the puppies have made me be one whether I like it or not. Being home again from my business trip and sleeping in my own bed once again is so nice, and I have to say that when Frodo woke me up this morning, I really wasn't that upset about it for a change.
It seems that the Thunder and Lightning Storm that plagued the area for what seemed like forever has gone away, and I am hoping for good. letting everyone slept well. The puppies were happy to do their business outdoors in the great and wild grass this morning and I am happy to not have to pick up puppy poop this morning...Yeah Auntie Linda and Auntie Anne....you guys are awesome!
In the midst of not posting you may have noticed the picture above of all the puppies eating. This is the new and improved eating system that I am LOVING!!! Anne told me about the Weanafeeda. I googled them and could not get one fast enough. Tina from Jadem Mastiffs sells them in the USA and had them in Stock and was very good about getting them sent out to me. They come in Large and Small Breed sizes and set ups for 6 and for 4 puppies. I had to buy two of them but they are awesome. In each little cubby is a stainless steel bowl that comes out and can be washed separately. The nice thing about this is the it is easy to manage with the little handle on top. I can carry them out all at once and put them down and all the puppies are getting a better chance of getting a full meal rather than running circles around each other, gobbling and gulping their food down as fast as possible. This is more like organized mayhem and I can tell who is not eating and who is cleaning up all the bowls after everyone has left the breakfast table....RED! That boy is a Chow Hound and loves his food. He has surpassed all the other puppies in the weight category and he is NEVER late to the Dinner or Lunch or Breakfast Bowl that is for sure.
It seems that the Thunder and Lightning Storm that plagued the area for what seemed like forever has gone away, and I am hoping for good. letting everyone slept well. The puppies were happy to do their business outdoors in the great and wild grass this morning and I am happy to not have to pick up puppy poop this morning...Yeah Auntie Linda and Auntie Anne....you guys are awesome!
In the midst of not posting you may have noticed the picture above of all the puppies eating. This is the new and improved eating system that I am LOVING!!! Anne told me about the Weanafeeda. I googled them and could not get one fast enough. Tina from Jadem Mastiffs sells them in the USA and had them in Stock and was very good about getting them sent out to me. They come in Large and Small Breed sizes and set ups for 6 and for 4 puppies. I had to buy two of them but they are awesome. In each little cubby is a stainless steel bowl that comes out and can be washed separately. The nice thing about this is the it is easy to manage with the little handle on top. I can carry them out all at once and put them down and all the puppies are getting a better chance of getting a full meal rather than running circles around each other, gobbling and gulping their food down as fast as possible. This is more like organized mayhem and I can tell who is not eating and who is cleaning up all the bowls after everyone has left the breakfast table....RED! That boy is a Chow Hound and loves his food. He has surpassed all the other puppies in the weight category and he is NEVER late to the Dinner or Lunch or Breakfast Bowl that is for sure.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Sorry I have not Posted
The last week and a half have been so crazy, so I am very sorry for not posting sooner. The puppies are all doing great. They are growing like weeds and are really now at the fun stage. They look like big teddy bears and their little personalities are really starting to show. They had their first worming on the 8th of July and will be wormed again on the 18th and 28th, so they should be all good and cleaned out before they go home anytime from the 3rd of August on. My vet will be coming to the house on the 1st of August and giving them their 8 week shots and I would like to have them for 24 hours after they get their shots to make sure there are not any issues before going to their new homes. By going home on a Friday it gives you and the puppies the weekend to get them used to their new environment before going off to work on Monday.
Friday I had a very important Business meeting that I needed to attend in Portland and it was my first time being away from the puppies. Anne and Auntie Linda came and stayed at the house and took care of the puppies and big dogs. Little did I know that the Olympic Peninsula would have the Thunder and Lightning storm of the century on Friday and the majority of their time was spent keeping the big dogs calm from all the lightning strikes. I was told by a friend that the National Park counted 460 strikes in less than 24 hours. Thankfully it doesn't look like any forest fires were started in the process. The other thing that you will all be happy to know is that the puppies really could care less about it. They did awesome according to Anne.
Other than the storm, Anne & Linda loved playing with the puppies and both said very nice things about them. I swear that in 48 hours they grew tons and their legs are getting bigger and bigger. Starting to look like tiny tree trunks. They also managed to finish potty training them and in the last 24 hours none of the puppies have had an accident in the house or on the deck! Yeah! Way to go Anne & Linda.
Friday I had a very important Business meeting that I needed to attend in Portland and it was my first time being away from the puppies. Anne and Auntie Linda came and stayed at the house and took care of the puppies and big dogs. Little did I know that the Olympic Peninsula would have the Thunder and Lightning storm of the century on Friday and the majority of their time was spent keeping the big dogs calm from all the lightning strikes. I was told by a friend that the National Park counted 460 strikes in less than 24 hours. Thankfully it doesn't look like any forest fires were started in the process. The other thing that you will all be happy to know is that the puppies really could care less about it. They did awesome according to Anne.
Other than the storm, Anne & Linda loved playing with the puppies and both said very nice things about them. I swear that in 48 hours they grew tons and their legs are getting bigger and bigger. Starting to look like tiny tree trunks. They also managed to finish potty training them and in the last 24 hours none of the puppies have had an accident in the house or on the deck! Yeah! Way to go Anne & Linda.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Happy 4th Everyone!
4th of July and 4 Weeks old today - my I cannot believe how fast the time is flying by. I will probably post more today as we are having the family get together at my house since I have the best entertainment of anyone.....PUPPIES!!!! So I will have lots of hands to help with pictures today as well as doing toe nails, now if the Sun would just come out and cooperate it would be a perfect day.
I must tell you all how smart these puppies are. I put a litterbox in their room yesterday and almost all of the puppies are already wanting to go into it. Every once in a while, I catch someone doing their business in another part of the room and pick them up and put them in the box. You will start to see lots of shavings in pictures because it seems to stick to everything...but it sure is cleaner and easier to do than newspapers.
Wow, what a great day, the sun came out, it was nice for a change and guess who spent some time on the deck? The puppies did awesome outside today. Carol helped and we clipped everyone's toenails, they all had their pictures taken and of course I think each and every puppy climbed up in Chas' lap and fell asleep at one point or another. That is going to be one very sad boy when these puppies go to their new homes. He is so good with them and it is great to see them interact and play with him. At one point today they were on the deck with Chas and my closest neighbor decided that he needed to let off some fireworks. My dogs used to be great with fireworks, but not any more, thanks to my neighbors. But what was really great was when they went off the puppies all stopped and looked in the direction of the noise then resumed doing what they were doing and when the next few rounds went off they all just ignored the noise. This is great! I was so worried that the loud noise of Fireworks would upset them but it didn't. Unlike Gandalf and Brandy who both wanted to be in the house in mom's lap and please make those things go away.
My dad helped with 4 week old pictures today. He is getting better at taking the pictures with my camera and I told him we needed to get good head shots today. Unfortunately in the process he cut off some feet in the pictures. If possible, I will see if we can redo them tomorrow, but have posted the new ones on this site for you tonight....pretty, pretty heads that is for sure!
Wow, what a great day, the sun came out, it was nice for a change and guess who spent some time on the deck? The puppies did awesome outside today. Carol helped and we clipped everyone's toenails, they all had their pictures taken and of course I think each and every puppy climbed up in Chas' lap and fell asleep at one point or another. That is going to be one very sad boy when these puppies go to their new homes. He is so good with them and it is great to see them interact and play with him. At one point today they were on the deck with Chas and my closest neighbor decided that he needed to let off some fireworks. My dogs used to be great with fireworks, but not any more, thanks to my neighbors. But what was really great was when they went off the puppies all stopped and looked in the direction of the noise then resumed doing what they were doing and when the next few rounds went off they all just ignored the noise. This is great! I was so worried that the loud noise of Fireworks would upset them but it didn't. Unlike Gandalf and Brandy who both wanted to be in the house in mom's lap and please make those things go away.
My dad helped with 4 week old pictures today. He is getting better at taking the pictures with my camera and I told him we needed to get good head shots today. Unfortunately in the process he cut off some feet in the pictures. If possible, I will see if we can redo them tomorrow, but have posted the new ones on this site for you tonight....pretty, pretty heads that is for sure!
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Bath Day
Today I could no longer stand how gunky and gooey the puppies were and rather than go to work, I gave them all baths. They all did very well with it. My dad came over to help and between the two of us they were clean and dried in no time. They all did very well, it was decided that Blue Boy was the yuckiest and Pink girl was the wiggliest, I think she would have been happy to not have her bath this morning.
It was nice to see them all clean, cute and fluffy again. I also worked hard all day to try and keep them clean for their 4 week pictures tomorrow. Yes they turn four weeks tomorrow, hard to believe. What also amazes me about this group of puppies is how alert and mature they are. They are interacting and playing with people and they are extremely alert and so sweet and loving it just makes me so happy every time I go in and play with them.
Today I also went out and bought a litter box and some shavings for them and have started to work on potty training them. If I can get them to potty in the pan, it will make my life a lot easier and they are so smart I really don't think it will take them long to figure this out.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Fourth of July and I really am hoping that my neighborhood can not go overboard with fireworks this year.
It was nice to see them all clean, cute and fluffy again. I also worked hard all day to try and keep them clean for their 4 week pictures tomorrow. Yes they turn four weeks tomorrow, hard to believe. What also amazes me about this group of puppies is how alert and mature they are. They are interacting and playing with people and they are extremely alert and so sweet and loving it just makes me so happy every time I go in and play with them.
Today I also went out and bought a litter box and some shavings for them and have started to work on potty training them. If I can get them to potty in the pan, it will make my life a lot easier and they are so smart I really don't think it will take them long to figure this out.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Fourth of July and I really am hoping that my neighborhood can not go overboard with fireworks this year.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Where is Summer?
Oh Boy what a busy weekend we had. Saturday we finished off the outdoor deck area for the puppies, although the weather is so crummy and cold I cannot take them out there yet, we tried but they just sat there and shivered so back inside everyone went. I also decided that there was just not enough room for Ivie and the puppies and the whelping box, so out it went. The puppies have a room to themselves and Ivie is much happier, she is not worried about stepping on them and she and I have an understanding of when she wants in and out of the room.
The puppies are growing and getting bigger and bigger by the day. I have changed up their gruel so that it is a bit thicker and they are messier and messier every day. Sunday I could not stand it any longer and I actually had to give them a bit of a bath, not really a bath but they got washed down to get the sticky gruel off of their face and legs and ears. They handled it very well. They are also much more aware of me and my voice, they come running when they hear me and my dad as well.
They are also very much wanting to be petted and held and have attention, such a sweet loving group of puppies. When friends and family call and ask if they can come and see the puppies I am very happy to have them come over, just know that you want to wear thick socks or shoes that I can spray with bleach because they have sharp little teeth and they hurt. It is really fun to see them interact with other people. I have given up trying to accomplish anything, as I just want to spend time with them, loving on them.
However, I am really looking forward to some nice weather and supposedly that will happen later this week. It will be nice to take them back outside again so I can get a good handle on getting their room good and clean once again.
The puppies are growing and getting bigger and bigger by the day. I have changed up their gruel so that it is a bit thicker and they are messier and messier every day. Sunday I could not stand it any longer and I actually had to give them a bit of a bath, not really a bath but they got washed down to get the sticky gruel off of their face and legs and ears. They handled it very well. They are also much more aware of me and my voice, they come running when they hear me and my dad as well.
They are also very much wanting to be petted and held and have attention, such a sweet loving group of puppies. When friends and family call and ask if they can come and see the puppies I am very happy to have them come over, just know that you want to wear thick socks or shoes that I can spray with bleach because they have sharp little teeth and they hurt. It is really fun to see them interact with other people. I have given up trying to accomplish anything, as I just want to spend time with them, loving on them.
However, I am really looking forward to some nice weather and supposedly that will happen later this week. It will be nice to take them back outside again so I can get a good handle on getting their room good and clean once again.
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