Sally!

I just got this cute picture of Sally (Daffy) who lives in Bakersfield with Heather and her family. Heather says she is doing very well. Still some issues with the submissive peeing when she gets really excited, but hopefully she will outgrow that. It is a very common problem for girls (and some boys) and they usually outgrow it, but it is a pain until then. Ruby just started doing it occasionally. And Sally has also had a slight rash on her belly, the vet gave her some antibiotics that worked, but then when she was done with the pills, it came back. So Heather tried just putting some hydrocortisone on it and she said that seemed to work and clear it up. She also said she is using the "How to Raise The Perfect Dog" book by Ceasar Milan and it is really helping. Even Aly, who is only 5 years old, is able to walk Sally without her pulling on the leash. That is awesome. She also knows sit, stay, shake, comes when she is called and is learning to "leave it". Good job Rooke family! You are inspiring me to do some more work with Ruby! I haven't even started on shake yet! And just another note - if anybody has to travel and has a pup that gets car sick, dramamine works. Of course reduce the dosage accordingly, but it has certainly helped us. Thanks for the picture Heather!

Playdate with Sherman

Sherman came over to play with Sutter and Ruby today. Sutter LOVED seeing him, Ruby wasn't so sure about it. At first she was a little afraid of him. He came bounding in ready to play and she backed into a corner, with him coming right after her and she was scared! But I sent him outside to play with his mom and Ruby watched them for a while and then joined them. Nancy thought a playdate would be good for Sherman and maybe she would have one night of relief from his constant chewing on her if he was really tired! He also seemed to be getting a little full of himself and she thought a little lesson in manners from his mom might be a good idea. Sherman was here from about 1pm until about 6pm and Sutter spent the whole first hour teaching him who was boss (again). She was relentless and it got kind of loud at times, but I think it was really good for Sherman. By the end of the afternoon he was back to a sweet little boy instead of being so cocky and full of testasterone. And once Sutter was done teaching him who was in charge, Ruby took a crack at him. I was really surprised at her reaction, first she was unsure and a little fearful and then she got really jealous. After Sutter had spent some time with Sherman, I was outside giving him some attention and Ruby just wasn't okay with me loving another dog. She got mad and went after him. You would think a big tough guy like Sherman wouldn't take that from a little girl who was afraid of him just an hour before, but he backed off and acted like a submissive pup and rolled over on his back for her (I think the hour spent with Sutter taught him that was the correct move). So then Sutter and I spent time correcting Ruby when she went after Sherman until she grudgingly accepted his presence and let us both shower him with affection. So this socializing little playdate was wonderful for both of them. By the end of the afternoon, she seemed to get over her jealousy, she had to share her mom and me - what a tough lesson to learn - and they were playing nicely and having fun. I think a couple of more playdates is definitely in order for both of them. I hope all of you are able to find other dogs for your pups to play with. This is the best time for them to learn how to get along with other dogs and what is expected of them during playtime. AND it has the added bonus of wearing them out so you can cuddle and snuggle with them without getting chewed on!

This is Ruby mid-afternoon wondering when that fluffy boy was finally going to leave

Good times, nothing like a little tug of war with mom!

Ruby hiding under the kitchen table, she wanted no part of that. Especially after she got in trouble for being mean to that boy getting all of HER mom's attention.

I think this was the one time Sherman took a little break. He was tireless, like an energizer bunny. He might have taken a nap, but I think everytime he started to settle down, something distracted him (a kid, a toy, Sutter, anything) and he didn't want to waste time sleeping when there was something more exciting to do. Sleeping is for when he is home alone, not when there is somebody around to play with!

Here they are playing nicely....

Here he looks like the demon pup! It really wasn't that bad, it was actually pretty funny.

Once Sutter had him where he knew she was the one in charge, she let him climb all over her, chew on her, anything he wanted. He got a little carried away a couple of times and she had to remind him how to play nicely, but he did really well overall.

Look at the teeth from those crazy dogs!

Sherman certainly didn't hold a grudge against Ruby. He was trying to kiss up to her and begging her to play with him.

And she did. They had a great time (when he wasn't trying to mount her - male hormones!)

What a sweet boy. We were so happy to see him and can't wait to have him over again. Nancy is going on vacation in a few weeks and we are hoping to help out with puppy sitting. Sherman is supposed to be staying with his dad, Sam and Penny, but I hope they won't mind sharing him.

Second Set of Shots are due by Saturday 10/24!

I got Rubicon's second set of shots yesterday. She weighed in at a whopping 17lbs! Anybody else out there get their pup's 10 week old weight checked yet?

Puppy Bjorn

We are supposed to expose them to new noises, people, places, and situations BUT we can't put them on the ground because their shots aren't complete. And they are getting a little to heavy and squirmy to hold! So I put her in a backpack and wore it in front when we were at the races last weekend and she loved it. She even fell asleep! I might need a bigger backpack soon.

Puppy Pictures!

Kona!
Sally!

Dana and Kylie!

Dana again! She still looks like a stuffed animal to me!

Rubicon at 9 weeks

Everything is going great with little Rubicon. She loves her bed and always takes her naps on it. It has been a lot easier than I expected having her join our family. I was worried Sutter would be jealous or feel neglected since she has had us all to herself for 3 years now. But Sutter loves her the most. Sutter actually stares at her and waits for her to wake up when she is napping so they can play. We have been very careful to do the things that have been suggested in books to make sure there aren't any dominance struggles, we always greet Sutter first, let her out the door first, feed her first, etc. Ruby doesn't seem to mind at all and Sutter doesn't feel threatened. Before, when we would sneak pups upstairs to our room to snuggle (before they went to their new homes) Sutter didn't really want them on our bed, or her dog bed. Those were "her" areas. Now when Ruby is on our bed, Sutter jumps up and joins her and they end up wrestling and playing and both getting kicked off. And Ruby is always welcome on Sutter's dog bed (of course that usually turns into a wrestling match as well, but allowed on the floor)

Here they are in action. Sutter acts like more of a puppy now than Ruby does. I think she has regressed to about 6 months old. She is hopping around and always smiling and just can't wait to play with her new best friend.

Playtime. Maybe that is why Rubicon is so easy, she is always tired from playing with mom!

I think she needs a trim, can't even see her eyes anymore!

I have a feeling I won't be trimming Ruby's hair nearly as much as I trim Sutters!

Hey, she actually looks at me now! And she has been sleeping in her crate, with the door closed in our room for the last couple of nights without waking up at all through the night. I think she will get moved into one of the boys rooms tonight. I can't believe I actually have a crate trained puppy! It is a miracle. Now if we could just get the potty training down.......

I think she is trying to tell me that it wasn't her who chewed up the edges of the deck, it was all those other pups that left already. Right!

She really is a sweet little girl. When people come over to visit, it is Sutter that I have to contain and is jumping around like an idiot greeting them. Rubicon quietly sits there, watching her mom act like a freak and waits for them to greet her. And I said I wasn't going to use treats for training....well that didn't last. I am using treats in a little plastic container with a lid. You get them used to the sound the cup makes when you shake it and they learn to respond to the command and the noise of the treats in the cup and it is working great. She is learning her name and to come when she is called. And we are teaching her the names of everybody in the family - Sutter is usually around and getting her nose in on the training times, so maybe the old dog will pick up some new tricks too and start acting like the 4 year old lady she should be! The only place we are not having a break through is on the leash training. She does not like being lead around by the leash. So we will keep working on it.

Dungey/Marlin

And yes, Dungey did find a new home. His new name is Marlin (you know, like in Nemo?). He went home with a wonderfully busy family with 2 boys and 1 little girl from Roseville. I think he will fit right in with them and always have somebody to play with. Just perfect for him, and those kids too!

Exciting times!

Almost everybody has gone to their new, wonderful homes. I am a little sad, but it really does help that I love every single family that these pups went to. I know they are all going to have wonderful lives and I am so grateful. So now it is your turn to start taking pictures and sending them to me. I will post them so everybody can see how their pup's littermates are doing, and growing and what they look like. I will post pictures and updates on Rubicon and Sutter too. Hopefully we will see Sherman at puppy classes in January, we are going to try to get them in the same class and I will let you know how that goes for us. Should be interesting. I am having my boys do the obedience training on Ruby, after all, she is THEIR dog. Or so they keep telling me. I wonder how long that will last?

Puppy pick-ups this week

I know many of you are coming this week to pick up your pups. I think they are fine to go home anytime this week, but most of you have planned to pick them up between Wednesday and Saturday. I am going to be busy most of the day on Tuesday (at a field trip with Josh's 3rd grade class) and then I have to do my "real" job and set up a wedding Saturday morning. I should be done around 11am, but call me and I will confirm the timing. The rest of the week I am pretty flexible and should be available whenever you are. But give me a heads up, especially those of you that have a long drive so I don't let your pup have a big meal before you put them in your car. It is really quite common for them to get car sick at this age and most of the time they outgrow it before they are a year old. But it helps to take them on an empty stomach as much as possible. And don't leave without getting your copy of the information from the vet, your CD of puppy pictures and the signed puppy contract. If I get distracted or emotional saying goodbye to these little guys, I might forget!

More Pictures!

They aren't liking the corral as much, they want to be free!!! All the time. The minute they see me, they beg to be let out. So I am spending a lot more time in the backyard with them. Good thing we have been having such nice weather.

Sutter is loving this part of motherhood. She is acting like a pup herself. She is constantly letting me know it is time for them to wake up and play (even if they are still asleep, SHE thinks it is time for them to wake up)

Dungey and mom.

Dungey taking a break.

Don't those two coats look alike? And who else is bold enough to go up and grab mom's tail? Only Irish.

Here is the little stuffed animal posing for pictures.

And here she is playing queen of the stump in the backyard.

Here is Kona, playing upon the retaining wall in the rocks. She wasn't brave enough to venture up there a couple of days ago, now......anything is possible!

I was trying to get a picture of the curls on her ears, can't really see them here, but I promise, they are cute!

Sherman and Kona, who would have thought a wood pile would entertain them for so long?

Here is CC and her little bottle brush whiskers.

Here is Chase playing with Garfield.

And here he is doing his staring thing. "If I just nicely stare at the door instead of jumping on it like everybody else, maybe it will open"

And check this out, this is Ruby and she looks like poor our old yellow lab, Shasta, back when she was in her prime and pointing out a pheasant in the field. See I told you I ended up with a lab, not a goldendoodle!

But she is little and lean and can curl up really small to sleep, just like Sutter. That will be good for traveling in the motorhome!
But she is cute, in her own way! Even is she if eating the bushes.

All about the Girls!

I am in love with Kona today (it is a different dog everyday, maybe even every hour that is my new favorite). She is so funny. Her hair is growing, not as fluffy as Irish and Dungey, but fluffier than some. But she is getting little curls on the tops of her ears that look hilarious. She constantly looks like she has bed head. She used to be one of the quieter, shier little girls that kind of blended in, she didn't really jump out at you personality wise. Well she is starting to jump out! I think the best way to describe her personality is perky. So is so happy and hopping around, ready to play with anybody. And now she isn't such a follower, she heads out on her own looking for her own adventures, and usually finds something to entertain herself. A new stick, now toy, new area of the yard she hasn't explored yet. But she is also getting a lot bolder about approaching people. Half the time when I have a puppy attached to my leg these days, it is Kona! She loves to have a person to play with! And when she hears the screen door open, most of the pups head for the kitchen because they know it is feeding time. Kona detours into the family room looking for a person or toy to pounce on. Who needs to eat when you can play and jump on the couch and chew on real live fingers?
CC is the little speed demon. She is the smallest pup, but the fastest! And at this point I think she is the most physically coordinated too. But she is like a little cheetah, she burns that energy up quick and then turns into lazy lump. She is one of the pups that you can usually count on to sit in your arms calmly, no matter what her mood is or the time of day. Sometimes if the pups are busy playing, they don't want to sit still and snuggle, they are too busy. CC is rarely too busy for a snuggle and if she is tired, she just passes out in your lap. She is getting little whiskers too, I think the beginning of her doodle beard. One of the cutest little faces I have ever seen, especially with those little whispy whiskers. And as most of you know, I am a blonde dog lover. I almost always prefer the lighter dogs, but this little girl, the darkest in the litter, is definitely one of the prettiest. I think it is her personality that makes her extra cute - even to those that usually prefer blondes!
Irish looks like a stuffed animal. She is so fluffy and adorable looking, she almost doesn't look real. All those curls make her look big, but when you pick her up, you realize she is all hair and really isn't much bigger than CC. So she is a petite stuffed animal! Irish has always been my little pistol. But talk about a sweet little pistol, not a bully, not the alpha girl that I thought she would be, just bouncy and happy and up for anything. She will play with anybody or anything. She is one of the few pups that actually crawls all over Sutter begging her to play with them. Some of the pups are a little intimidated by Sutter when they play, they are still looking at her as either the milk truck or the disciplinarian. Not Irish. I think she would walk up to anybody or anything and ask them to play. And her eyes are so expressive that you know exactly what she is thinking. And she usually answers me with a little yip when I ask her a question, so I feel like we are having a conversation and completely understand one another. If Irish and Ruby weren't polar opposites in their physical appearance, and I could get a way with pulling a switcheroo on Donna (Irish's owner) I think I might be tempted!!! I am hoping that I am so drawn to Irish because she is so much like Sutter. And that once Irish leaves, I will realize that one Sutter is enough and I will start to bond more with Ruby.
And speaking of Ruby. I am not quite sure how I ended up keeping the doodle that looks like a yellow lab and nothing like a doodle at all??? And I am keeping the one pup that wants absolutely nothing to do with me. She rarely seeks me out, and when she does, I feel like it is a miracle and try not to go overboard on the affection so she won't feel smothered and might actually come back to me again! I know we chose her because she was sooo mellow in the beginning. But not so much anymore! She is full of energy and can get crazy, and she doesn't quite calm down as quickly as some. She is also a little shy, so I think that is why she isn't so affectionate or ready to approach people. At least that is what I am hoping. But it isn't all bad, don't feel too sorry for me......my son Josh absolutely loves her. Jake likes her too, but he would have been fine with keeping just about any of the pups. He is like me, he has a new favorite everyday. But it is becoming a family joke that Ruby isn't "our" dog, she is Josh's dog. And he is just fine with that. My husband is still wondering why he even agreed to keep a pup, he was adamant about never becoming more than a 1 dog family again. At one point we were a 3 dog family, never gonna happen again! But today we were going to visit some friends and he told me to grab our pup and bring her along. I really didn't want to because she had just eaten and I was worried about her getting car sick and asked him why we were bringing her, did one of our friends really ask to see her or something? He said no, but if she is going to fit in with this family, she better get used to hopping in the truck and going along with us. And of course we were going over to see a friend's new dirtbike, so she has to get used to hanging out in a garage, with dirtbikes starting up and kids riding bikes and scooters all around, controlled chaos - a typical Sunday for us. But there was a light at the end of this tunnel.......I finally feel like Ruby and I did some bonding. Yeah!!! She was walking around (of course I had to be really careful because she hasn't had all her shots) and the noise, kids, bikes, dirtbikes, weren't bothering her at all, but one of the kids pulled out a pogo stick. Well the noise from that scared her, and she looked around and actually came running to me for comfort!!! I think there is hope for us!
And Daffy/Sally......she went home to her new family on Friday. She was going all the way to Bakersfield and it was easier for her new family to make that long drive last Friday than to wait until next weekend. And Daffy is such a nice, easy girl with such a great temperment, I don't think the extra week of socialization was totally necessary for her. I drove part of the way to meet Heather with Daffy on my lap - and as a warning to all of you with long drives - she did get car sick. Her breakfast ended up all over my lap. So extra towels in your car for pick up! She also cried for most of the hour or so that I was driving with her, but I think that was just because she didn't feel good, she had the drooling going on and you could tell she didn't feel good. She was able to settle down after she finally threw up and Heather told me that she cried for about the first 30 minutes of their drive and then slept in her daughter's lap. Phew! I am sure she was exhausted by then. But she is settling in well. I heard she made it until 4 am on her first night in her new home in the crate, then got up to go potty and was up for a little while, then back to bed. Heather has sent me some really cute pictures of the pup and her new kids. I will try to get them posted. They really love her and are very happy with her. Yeah!!! I need to stop calling her Daffy because her new name is Sally. Their yorkshire terrier's name is Charlie after Charlie Brown, so of course they had to name her Sally (Brown), especially because she has yellow hair. I think she is going to fit right in with their family and hopefully all will be very happy.

OMG!

They are getting so mischevious. They are into everything! This last week has been a great socialization week for everybody. Sutter has been taking turns working on the pups when they display some type of behavior that she thinks is inappropriate. Yesterday Sherman got growly with me when I picked him up - he was busy doing something and didn't want to be disturbed. Well of course I took the opportunity to correct him and held him close and tight and told him firmly "no". But Sutter happened to be standing right by me and she took the correction a little further and did a much better job than I ever could have of showing how not to react aggressively. I put him down and she immediately started playing with him and focused on him, constantly going after him, grabbing his legs, rolling him over on his back, giving him little love nibbles all over. She didn't let up on him, if he got up to run away she was all over him and relentless. Finally he got pushed to the point where he got mad (that was her goal) and he got snippy with her and she put her mouth over his neck/head and pinned him down until he calmed down. Then started the whole process all over again. It took about an hour till he was worn out. But you can bet he learned that no matter how mad he gets or who disturbs him, he doesn't get to growl or act aggressively. The poor guy just crashed on the lawn and didn't move for a couple of hours. He is still doing a little posturing with the other pups, walking up to them and putting his head and neck over their backs, which is a dominance thing. He wants them all to think he is "the man". And that is fine, he can posture all he wants, he can't help that testasterone. But you can bet Sutter won't let him even think about getting out of line anymore! There are a couple of the pups that Sutter hasn't had the opportunity to have this little "chat" with yet. They haven't pressed their luck and gotten to crazy so she hasn't has the chance to really correct them. I am going to keep an eye on everybody and make sure that they all go through this before they go home. Even if the pup doesn't have the slightest bit of aggression in them, they still need to learn their limits. Just like little kids. And if they are given this lesson from mom first, it makes anything we need to teach them later, easier for them to accept. Sutter has always spent extra time working on Chase. At first I was worried that there was something physically wrong with him and that was why she was paying so much attention to him - it certainly wasn't because he was being growly or aggressive. So I had the vet check him over extra carefully. But he got a clean bill of health. The vet said that moms sometimes have favorites and not to worry about it. I'm not sure that is what is happening here. I think Sutter is trying to push him to get him to react - and he just isn't! He takes it and takes it, not acting completely submissive, he rolls around and plays with her, but certainly not getting riled up or mad. This guy has some patience and is so calm and even tempered, nothing ruffles him. I think he is the perfect pick to help Matt in his wheelchair. Sorry Matt and Erica, hope I didn't push you to much to choose him over some of the other pups, but I really think he is the best pup for the job. He amazes me. Now little Dungey, he likes to play with mom. He stands in line to get one on one attention from her. I think he wonders why she is playing with Chase and not him!!!! Sutter did her work with Dungey early on. He needed a confidence boost, not work learning to control his testasterone like Sherman. She gave him time when he was about 4 weeks old, played with him, drew him out of his shell so he wasn't so shy and insecure. Now he is an adventurous, happy little guy. He still really likes people and wants to be picked up and give kisses. I can always count on him to find me and actually come to me when I am calling them. Even if he knows it is because I am putting them up in their corral for a nap, he still comes. I don't think Dungey has ever gotten growly with me, even if he is super busy playing and chewing up something, he is happy to be picked up. He doesn't think I am bothering him, he will drop a toy anyday in exchange for a person. I think that is why he has been chosen 3 times (even though he was eventually dumped) because he is so friendly, he likes to greet new people and spend time with them, and of course he has that cute curly face. He is going to be a lap dog and love everybody. Out of the whole litter, he is the guy I would send to a family that has other pets, cats, dogs, rabbits, etc. I think he would look at any other pet as a new buddy. Dungey has been the pup to get "stuck". I was calling the pups and to my amazement, Dungey didn't come. I had to look around for him and finally found him in the bush under the kitchen window. He was just sitting there, calmly looking at me. I got down on thr gorund and called him and he still just sat there. Well of course I knew something was up, he ALWAYS comes to me. When I got closer, I saw he had put his head through a loop in the vine and couldn't get out. But the strange thing is that he didn't cry or struggle or get upset or anything. Just sat there waiting for somebody to come help him. Then later that same day, he got his leg stuck in a hole in the deck. I was watching him play with the pups and he was stationary and all the pups were running around and he was still trying to play, grabbing and chewing at pups as they ran by, but not moving. But again, no crying, no freaking out, no indication that anything was wrong. Just looked at me with his big brown eyes and I came over and helped him out, he gave me a thank you kiss and he was off playing again. Hmmmm, pretty brave behavior for such a young guy. It has been really rewarding to watch these boys change over the weeks. I used to think Sherman wasn't the brightest bulb in the bunch, but he has come around. He has figured out how to get in and out of his corral when I leave the door open and he wants to go in for a drink, finally!!! Sherman is my most potty trained pup. And he did it all himself, I can't take credit for it. He will NOT poop in the corral in the kitchen. He woke me up last night about 12:30 with the most horrible cries. I thought somebody was hurt and go rushing downstairs to find nobody was hurt, Sherman just wanted to go outside to poop. Crazy dog. Chase is such an old soul, deep brown eyes that take everything in and so willing to please. I can't wait to hear stories from Matt and Erica about his training. And Dungey, the once shy boy that is now the most outgoing and friendly of the bunch. I will talk about the girls and their progress tomorrow!