The Misty x Laddie pups turned 6 weeks old Wednesday Mar 18, 2020. Their individual pupalities are starting to really show up now, but we still have a few more days to go before we can do testing.
Pups did some more marker training with me this week. We're working on sit, turn, spin, up, off, stand, settle, and down. Unfortunately, I've been under the weather for several days, so haven't had the energy to do the training videos yet. Hopefully soon.
We added a new hanging water bowl this week. The pups caught onto its use immediately.
*With all videos, click the link, then click the video to open it fully.*
I went one step further with the vacuum cleaner exposure this week - taking it right into the pen with the puppies and moving it very slowly around and amongst them. They reacted well. Some ended up snoozing beside the nozzle, lol.
My blog is *still* having issues. Please bear with me while I attempt to sort them out.
The pups are pretty consistent now about using the wood pellet potty areas for doing their business :)
Pups have outgrown the one crate in the puppy room, so I was lazy - instead of digging another crate out of the snow & sanitizing it, I used the natural nook created by the pen support to clean without tripping over pups.
The puppies have moved from thin goat milk / kibble gruel to thick mash to part mash / part kibble this week. Within the next couple of days, they should be fully onto dry kibble...
On another note, we swabbed Misty & Laddie and mailed off their DNA Health Test kits on Monday. :)
Puppy weights: Big changes this week! HUGE gains by some of the pups... they're oinkers! Gold is the heavyweight champ at 10 lbs 4 oz. Runner up is Blue at 10 lbs even. Purple remains the chunkiest female at 9 lbs 11 oz, while both Pink & Spot have surpassed Red for the smallest pup, who still put on almost 3 lbs, coming in at 8 lbs 1 oz.
A video of the puppy group at 5.5 weeks. In the puppy swirl, I said, 'Good sit, Silver' but it was actually Purple sitting at that point. However, those two are almost clones in looks...so that's my story... lol Another video of the group at 6 wks, 1 day. And, the coyote roller is still working!! :)
The weather warmed up for the past couple of days and yesterday I finally felt up to taking the pups outside for their VERY FIRST excursion, albeit fairly short. I loaded them in a crate in the calf sled, then pulled them down to a fenced area we have beside one of our goat pens (half the distance than to our regular pastures). Pups were faced with all kinds of new scents, smells, textures, temperatures, noises... all at once. I was beyond impressed with how well they took it all. Clip 1, brief stop to let pups collect their bearings after a short first ride. Clip 2, pups just coming out of crate for the first time. It was Silver, not Spot, who came out when mentioned.
Clip 3, pups nursing, then starting to observe their surroundings Clip 4, random puppy behaviour. Blue is at 0:15-0:20 and upper Left corner from 1:13-1:17, and I was saying "What d'ya think" to Spot (it sounds like I'm saying Pink... although I then mentioned Pink when she arrived). And Spot was the one who followed mom at the end.
Clip 5, puppies exploring.
Some of the above clips (plus a few different ones) are placed in the individual puppy section which showed a particular trait or interesting tidbit about that particular pup. Unfortunately, I did not catch it on camera, but I was pleased with Misty's reaction to the cat around her pups. She didn't chase Shadow away, but watched him carefully. When he finally got too close and exhibited less than friendly body language, she inserted herself calmly between him & the pups and just slowly hazed him away. No noise, no drama, just calmly walking... but, he left. 🥰
*Please Note - all videos are little snippets in time which give glimpses of each pup's personality, but not the full picture.
Individual puppy pics (Day 45) All pups that are not obviously sable appear to be some version of b/w or seal (more info here & here). *Pups are still developing their various temperament traits, so please understand the descriptions are some of what I currently notice, and are fluid.
Blue (m) B/w. This boy trains willingly, but is somewhat more cautious than some particularly when in a new situation. I also find him a bit more independent in nature and a little slower to forgive perceived affronts. That being said, he is gentle taking food from my hand, he offers a natural sit at times, he does forgive, he does warm up, and he isn't as soft overall as Red. Blue "video" picture clips This boy was standing so nicely during the photo shoot that I decided to make a short video compilation of his pictures since I didn't get much direct video of him on the outdoor excursion.
Gold (m) Shaded sable. He's a medium pup with fairly gentle demeanor. That being said, still waters run deep & he is capable of throwing a puppy temper tantrum, but does correct. He trains well, albeit with a bit of distractibility in new situations. He likes the benefits of pleasing, so offers behaviors he knows will be liked, and gives a short wag when praised. On their very first outside excursion, he & Green were the first pups to exit the crate - on the double - to find mom. (There's a reason he's the chunkiest pup! lol ) He was also one of the first 2 pups back into the calf sled (with Green) once he got tired of cold footing.
Green (m)
Black & white boy.
Green is eager to train, friendly and very waggy. He's quite agile on his feet and was able to make the turns with more dexterity earlier than some. On our first outside excursion, Green and Gold were the first 2 pups out of the crate - like a flash - to find mom. Green did find having a goat in his face a bit daunting (I mistook him for Blue at first), and growled and woofed a bit. In the video, I mentioned that Silver's collar was coming undone, but it was actually Gold - IF I'd looked at the face rather than the silver inner lining of the collar, I'd have realized this, lol :p )
Purple (f)
Sable with Black mask. This little lady is an interesting mixture. In familiar territory Purple is confident and has a bit of a 'tude. In new surroundings, she displays some cautiousness, but quickly overcomes her misgivings and responds to the majority of training with tail up. At 4.5 weeks of age she hopped up into the potty area & did her business, then emphatically marked her territory by scuffing the pellets with her hind legs, looked up at me and barked, "Rrruff". Soooo very proud of herself! Lol 😂 I have never seen a puppy this young give those type of territorial signals. If she keeps up like this, she will need a dog savvy owner who will not let her rule the roost. Purple is a vivacious & very photogenic puppy. Her attitude has softened a bit this week - the respect training (only rewarding behaviors I want) appears to be helping to mellow her slightly. This does not mean that she is less bossy, just that she's learning to modify it somewhat, but she still has an opinion and occasionally gives me a bit of a bark to express it. She will still walk all over anyone who does not show her consistent, fair leadership. She was the fifth pup to exit the calf sled on their first outdoor excursion. She was neither overly rambunctious nor overly cautious with all the new experiences. Same video as Clip 4 above, but placing here too, because it shows Purple.
Red (m)
Red may be a seal. His fur is also coming in a bit fluffier than some of the others. He is a soft, gentle pup. He is a contemplative eater (like Pink) when alone; sampling, looking up to survey the terrain, then slowly eating some more in a cyclical fashion. In the pack, however, he chows down. He likes to please & was one of the first pups to offer a sit before the other pups did (they've caught up to him now). It takes him a little while to warm up to new surroundings. Interestingly, after taking a little while to adapt, he became one of the more exploratory pups on our first outdoor excursion, even going so far as to meet a goat on his own. During training, he takes the food from my fingers very gently.
Silver (m)
Sable with black mask. I call this boy my friendly 'Gator'. He snaps the food off my hand eagerly with a wide open mouth, yet doesn't bite. His dad does the same thing. He trains fairly eagerly, albeit with a few distractable moments. A friendly, waggy, and contemplative guy who likes to sit back and intently observe things, he likes to make eye contact. Silver was the 4th pup out of the calf sled on our first outdoor excursion, but found the goat nickering at him a bit disturbing.
Pink (f)
This girl may be a seal. Her hair is becoming fluffier, too. Pink has really come into her own this week. She is still a friendly, gentle pup, but has become far more confident. She is sweet. I consider her to be a contemplative eater (like Red). When alone, she samples, looks up to survey her terrain, then daintily eats some more in a cyclical fashion. In the pack, however, she eats voraciously. She trains well, warms up to new surroundings quickly, and becomes waggy. She was the 3rd pup out of the calf sled on our first outdoor excursion. She pounced around, met a goat, was the only one to get really close to the cat (this is the same video as I posted for Red) then had the wisdom to take heed of the warning in his voice, and move to safer ground, lol.
Spot (m)
This boy is highly likely to be a silver seal; he has quite a greyish hue to his coat. Spot has a blue eye as well (One of Laddie's litter brothers had blue eyes). Spot trains eagerly. He's a friendly, social butterfly who is quick, cheerful, playful and waggy. He likes to make eye contact. However, he has become a bit more cautious when faced with new situations this week - he was the last pup out of the crate on the first outdoor excursion. We'll see how that plays out as he continues to develop.
Several puppy spots are reserved, but there are still some openings available. If you're interested in this litter (or want to be on a wait list for a future litter), please fill out our Application Form.