Wildflower Update!

A Wildflower Update! Can you believe they are five-months-old?!

Bridget sends us this report on the puppy formerly known as Sage:

“Kitsap continues to be a light in our lives. He’s got a great set of lungs and can be rather insistent when he wants our attention, a meal, or to go out, and he doesn’t think addressing the situation quickly enough to suit him. Yet, when we are out for a walk a dog living along our route can bark at him and rather than bark back he sits down to observe. He is definitely one to sit down and survey the scene, once he decides to engage, then he is all in.

He plays every Saturday with his buddy Hasley, the English Springer Spaniel, tug with a rope toy is part of the routine after much running and romping. Now that he’s a little bigger we have added another playmate Freye, an Australian Labradoodle. Freye lives in our neighborhood so we can’t walk by without sitting and waiting to see if Freye will come out to play.

Speaking of walks, after checking the weather (see photo) Kitsap has gotten over his hesitation to leave the yard and we enjoy at least one walk in the neighborhood each day. I do still need to bring my patient self along because it takes a bit to move beyond sniffing our yard and the neighboring yards and checking out every bush, stick and tree. We have also been to the DePauw Nature Park to explore.

The other day the neighbors raked a long leaf pile the length of their property to the curb for the weekly leaf vacuum to collect. Kitsap went straight to the pile and bounded down through the length of it with with joyful abandon before burying himself in it. The leaf vacuum came by before he could do it again while I had my phone to capture the moment.

He still has wisps of his grey baby fur on his ears and his hind hocks, right now it adds great character to his look. The white on his tail is down to just a hair or two as his tail has grown and gained strength. When he wags it with reckless abandon and it thwacks against a hollow door or drywall you hear it throughout the house. His Swiss cross on his chest is still really distinct.

Kitsap is solid on sit, touch, circle, spin, come front. Come is quite joyful, but we have work to do to be sure we come each and every time no matter the distraction. We’ve got a short stay and are working to increase our time. Stand and down are both good as long as we lure. He continues to be good at come front ending with a sit, as well as walking with me with great attention as long as there are treats in my hand. We continue to practice the figure eight around the flag poles. While we continue to develop skills, we haven’t approached NTD with any focus yet. He is good about going into his crate, if someone gets out cheese he will go in without being asked to see if he can mooch for extra treats. He is always hungry and remains lean and lanky as he grows.

He still has all four puppy canines but he’s lost all the puppy teeth between the canines and has beautiful adult teeth coming in top and bottom. I haven’t managed to find a tooth yet hoping to get a chance to save a least one along the way.

Reading a recent Buttercup update on the blog, I see so many parallels, a puppy who loves to chase crickets or other bugs, a puppy who must be kept busy or he will find a task and I probably will prefer the task I direct over the one he chooses, he’s growing like a weed.

Hoping everyone in our extended Wildflower family is managing to stay safe and healthy in these difficult times.”

Thank you so much, Bridget! I know how crazy our lives are these days and so appreciate people taking the time to update all of us. Kitsap looks great and is clearly having a wonderful and interesting life :)

I hope all of you have a wonderful and interesting day!

What's Up, Buttercup?

Buttercup is exactly where she should be — that is so evident in this post from Georgia:

“We lost a member of our pack this week: VLX American Beauty Ain't She Sweet Topaz NW1 NW2 CGC RN TKN TKI TKA THDN THDA THDX ATT SCN SIN SEN SBN SHDN SWN SINE SENE SCA SIA SEA SBA SWA SCE SIE SEE SBE SWE.  She died probably of Hemangiosarcoma (it affects a lot of Berners, as well).  She was almost nine. She was the consummate puppy-lover, swimmer, guardian, 'Read to Rover' therapy dog and scent worker.   She will be missed by both the two-leggeds and the four-leggeds.

Topaz

A couple of weeks ago we went to Kingston, WA to take some pictures in "the big adirondack chairs".  We garnered a lot of amusement and appreciation (along with a smattering of applause) from the people watching us when we got the dogs to pose in the chairs in what is now the last group picture with Topaz.

Buttercup is growing like a weed.  People who haven't seen her for a couple of weeks (or days :-) are amazed by the change.  She weighs in at 43.8 pounds. Her coat is almost all the adult fur and she has a perfect 'Fleur de Lis' on her butt as you can see in the side-by-side comparison.

I'm amazed at how good Buttercup is in the car.  She loves going for rides and even stays in the back of the van when I run into places where she can't come in.  Her favorite though is riding in the sports car with the top down. It's a scent-o-rama!

We've been working on our Intermediate Tricks title and are almost ready for the AKC Evaluator. Here are her Intermediate tricks so far: Buttercup can fetch (amazing for a Berner!), manipulate an interactive canine toy, Hand Signals (sit, down, come, stand), push a button on a sound toy, sit with a head tilt (the cue is asking her a question, ha!), speak, and shut the drawer.  Only three more to go.  Here's a video of Anja and Buttercup playing with the bell after we taught them the trick.  We got the bells on Amazon...it was $8.99 for a two pack.  It was nine bucks worth of fun just watching them play with it! 

Buttercup has a lot of drive (or what I call 'work ethic').  Most dog owners don't like drivey dogs, but they're a dog trainer's dream!!  They require more attention, more challenges in their training (they get bored with repetition) and more supervision.  I'm always needing to give her a job.  If I don't give her a job, she'll find her own job. And I guarantee that I won't like the job that Buttercup finds for herself as much as the job that I give her!  (e.g. Buttercup likes to stalk and eat bugs and even getting stung in the mouth by a hornet hasn't put her off the hunt.)  She's always up for training! (notice the double snaggletooth and drool coming out at the corners of her mouth).

It wasn't a stellar week for me but just when things were darkest, I found a baby tooth from Buttercup.  I think it's an upper P4 (premolar).  My collection of a baby tooth from every dog stands complete!”

This wonderful update is a snapshot of life — sorrows and joys and lots of adventuring. Condolences to Buttercup’s entire family on the loss of Topaz — there is never enough time — and gratitude for taking the time to update us all on The Life and Times of Buttercup.

Georgia makes this important point in her post: An experienced breeder is the one who should make puppy matches. Georgia and Patty have Buttercup instead of other wonderful families who were options for her precisely because of that drive and work ethic.

Families deserve to be well-fitted with the right puppy but even more — a puppy deserves to be well-fitted to a family. Buttercup needed the life she has, which is enriched and interesting and with a smart and positive trainer who appreciates Buttercup’s drive and intelligence. #winwin

Please have yourself a winning day.

Echo

I love having related dogs. The ones who are here now bring with them the ones who are gone.

Like an echo.

Cooper is from our G Litter. He lived a well-loved life with the Graffunders. This was one of his signature moves…

Lupine from the Wildflowers now lives with the Graffunders. She is Cooper’s great-great-niece.

Well played, Team Echo.