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!

Not Again!!!

Poor little Dungey. My sweet little curly boy. First, my friend picked him out as a gift for her mother-in-law. So I kind of had him earmarked as "sold" for her. But then her mother-in-law decided she needed to wait until next summer for a new pup.

Then, Penny, the owner of the stud Sam, picked him out as her pick of the litter to take home and raise with his dad. So then he was set aside again as "sold" for Penny. But Penny decided her friend Nancy needed a pup more than she did, so she gave her pick of the litter to Nancy. And Nancy fell in love with Poto/Sherman. So Dungey was homeless again!!!!

Then Lori came over and decided she wanted him, that he would be the perfect companion for her in her retirement years and would help her get over her fear of big dogs. So one more time, this guy was "sold". But then today Lori tells me that her homeowners association only allows small dogs, not large ones. Well he isn't going to be small!!! So now the poor guy is back to being "available" and homeless.

Who wouldn't love that face. So now I need to find him a good home again. He has really changed in the last couple of weeks. He is getting BIG. Only Sherman is bigger than he is. And he is getting fluffy, he is definitely going to have that curly, hypo-allergenic, shed free coat. He has also gained his confidence and is always one of the first pups to look me in the eye and say hello when he sees me. I can also always count on him to come when I call (not all of the pups pay attention to me!). He is becoming my little buddy. He is learning to not jump up on me when he wants me to pick him up, he is sitting patiently and giving me a sad look with his big brown eyes, which always gets him picked up and then I am covered in kisses. He is going to make somebody an excellent best friend.

Pictures!

Irish, sleeping like an angel.

This is one of my favorite pictures and so typical of the reasonable Reed, now named Chase. I just know he is thinking "if I stare at those nipples long enough, maybe she will give me a little sip!"

Dungey and Chase, "It's not us boys chewing on the rug, it is only CC." Right, like I believe that!

And the big Sherman tank, thinking about taking a swim. Then again, maybe not.

Dungey and CC are getting to be adventurous, they have figured out how to make it up the hill to play along the fence and under the big redwood trees. That used to be Sutter's safe area, her way to get away from them, but still be able to keep an eye on them. I guess it isn't safe anymore!

Sweet little Mari, now named Kona, taking a nap inside and wondering why I am bugging her and trying to make her look at me for a picture.

Ruby and Daffy napping together.

Daffy doesn't mind sitting for a picture, she even cocked her head to the side to look extra cute!

It seems like just last week that they were falling off that step and landing on their faces in the dirt. Wait, it was just last week! Now Irish can take it in a leap.

CC says "What? I wasn't chewing on the chair"

"Okay, maybe I was, just a little bit!"

Sherman and Ruby playing tug of war with Garfield.

Sherman won!

Some of the girls, Irish, Daffy and Kona playing.

Dungey found a stick.

He is a cute boy (Sherman) even if he is a huge dork!

But then I felt something chewing on my heel and turned around.....maybe he isn't so cute and is just a little stinker!

Kona taking on Sherman. Even the little girls can take the big guy down.

Kona looks pretty proud of herself. Girls rule, boys drool!

Everybody has a home.

I am happy that everybody found a fabulous home. But I am also a little sad. Daffy is going home early. She leaves this weekend since she is traveling all the way to Bakersfield (the furthest of all the pups) and this weekend is easier for her new family to make the long trip. I am sure Heather and her family will take great care of her (3 little girls to spoil her) and she will be very happy. But I'm still a little sad........I'll just have to remember to treasure every minute of the next week and a half or so. October 8th is looming closer and closer.

Just 1 little girl left!

Daffodil

Both Dungey and Reed have found their new forever homes and there is somebody thinking really hard about Daffy and promised to let me know her decision by tonight. So I might be all done with the "selling" part of the pups and answering email and phone call questions and have more time to get pictures of them posted for their new families as they grow these last 2 weeks! Reed who's new name is Chase is going home with Matt and Erica. Chase is going to be a companion/service dog for Matt and give him a pull in his wheelchair and maybe some help picking things up. And of course that means that he gets to go to work with Matt and anywhere else they want to take him. I am so happy for Chase. He is going to have a great life. Erica is an allergy sufferer, so she really needed to make sure she could handle being around these pups without her allergies kicking in. She did pretty well in my house, which of course has Sutter and 8 puppies and constant doggie visitors. I am sure with just one pup in her own house she will do great. I can't wait to see pictures of him growing up and hear about all the places they take him and how he does with his new "job". Dungey is going home with Lori. Lori has NEVER had a dog before and is actually terrified of big dogs. She is very recently retired and her son is gone off to college so she had a little bit of the empty next syndrome going on and when sombody suggested a dog, she did her research and decided on a goldendoodle. Of course, we all know they are the best dog in the whole world, but she also thought this would be a great opportunity to get over her fear of big dogs since being bitten by a German Shepard 25 years ago. She asked that when she came over to look at the puppies, that I keep Sutter locked up in a different room so she didn't have to see her or interact with her. Well.......I was on the fence about this. I simply can't sell a pup to somebody that I am not sure is going to be able to handle it well and raise it correctly, with rules and love. My fear was that this pup would get a couple of months old and get a little crazy, running, jumping, chewing, and she would be afraid of him. Then we have an unhappy Lori with a wild dog and an uphappy puppy with bad habits. But Lori insisted she could do this and was going to educate herself and be a great dog owner. What I didn't tell her was that if when she came to visit, she couldn't at least meet Sutter, and give her a little pat on the head, I wasn't going to be able to sell her a pup. I did plan on talking to her about it and telling her when I was letting Sutter out. But of course my husband was home and didn't know why Sutter was locked up in my bedroom and let her out. So Lori (and I) got a bit of a surprise when Sutter came bounding out of the house to see us in the backyard with the puppies. Well all of you have met Sutter, and when you ring the doorbell, she barks. A lot sometimes. Then she calms down and is fine. Sutter had to have sensed Lori's fears because she might have let out 2-3 small yips and then walked right on by Lori. She kept coming back to Lori and giving her a sniff or a tail wag occasionally, then went back to checking on her pups and patrolling her yard to make sure nothing had happend while she was locked up stairs to threaten her babies. Eventually on one of Sutter's cruises by her, Lori was brave enough to stick her hand out for Sutter to smell. Then after a lick or two from Sutter on her hand I talked Lori into just putting her hand on Sutter's head. And of course it was a done deal from there. They made friends and Lori loved how soft she was and was so proud of herself and couldn't believe she was standing there petting a big dog. Then Sutter rolled around on her back at Lori's feet and Lori even felt comfortable holding her pup while Sutter was right next to her. I think Lori was afraid Sutter would be upset at her for holding the pup. Of course that isn't a problem for Sutter and I have the pics to prove it. Congratulations Lori. I think you are going to be a great match for little Dungey and he is going to love having your undivided attention!!!!

Still 2 boys and a girl, but different boys!!!

Penny (the owner of the stud) had
picked out little Dungey as her pup but decided her good friend Nancy needed a pup more than she did. So Nancy came over to play with the pups and while she really liked Dungey, she fell in love with Poto. So now Poto has a new home picked out and Dungey is available. Nancy has decided that Poto is built like a big Sherman tank and now his name is going to be Sherman.

These are recent pics of Dungey. He is getting fluffy and curly and he is lightening up a little. So depending on the light, he looks more strawberry blonde. Still apricot around his face and ears, but the rest of his body is a pretty lighter blonde with hints of strawberry. He is also growing more confident. Sutter has been spending some one on one time with him and he has really come around, he definitely holds his own in the pack without any worries. He has gained confidence and is more sure of himself. He is undoubtably one of the more affectionate pups. Always the first one to give you a kiss! This little guy is without a doubt, one of those cases (as with most pups) where if you put in a little time and effort, it will be returned to you, tenfold!!!! And of course, his little face has always been the cutest of the litter!

This is Daffy. The one little girl still available. It is a little hard to see, but she is lightening up in color also. She even has a little white patch on her chest. If I am grabbing puppies, the minute I get my hands around Daffy, without even looking, I know who I have. Her tummy gives her away. She is such a chunker. She looks small, but there is some weight to her!!! And in a crowd of pups, she is usually the one with her tail up and wagging. And while she is happy to play with her littermates, once she spots a person (especially with shoelaces) she would rather follow and play with that person. A sweet, happy little girl.

This is Reed. My little gentleman. He is so sweet, with the softest brown eyes and curly ears. He also has a little white patch on his chest and while his coat looks straight, it has that fuzzy sheep type feeling to it. So I think it is a pretty safe bet that he will be a no-shedder. Sutter has also been spending some one on one time with him (so far I really notice her playing with the 3 boys the most) and he is getting more confident and sure of himself. Joining in and playing more and bouncing around the yard. While Dungey used to seem anxious to me, Reed used to seem shy. It is amazing what a couple of weeks and time with littermates and mom can do for these guys. Both of them are so well adjusted now. Not a bit of shyness or anxiousness left in either of them. I think they used to let Irish be the alpha female and they were intimidated by her - but that is no longer the case. Irish has calmed down and the boys are taking over!!!

I am also happy to let you know that they are practically potty training themselves. I let them out in the morning and they rush outside to do their business. There are still accidents at night, but nothing like they were even a week ago. And when they are napping inside in the morning or afternoon, they let me know when they want outside to play and they rush outside and they start squatting left and right. About half of them have even figured out that Sutter uses one spot in the yard as her bathroom (off to the side in the rocks) and they are starting to go there also. Much nicer for me than all over the lawn!!!! And I can't take credit for that, they figured that out all on their own. But now in the evenings, I usually pick out a pup or two that is awake and let them spend some time playing in the family room with us and Sutter and instead of just taking them out to go potty (anywhere but inside!) before playtime, I am taking them to the designated doggie bathroom in our yard and they are doing awesome!!!
I am amazed at how far this litter has come so quickly. They must be doggie geniuses!