Five-Month-Update: Kadi!

Thank you to Eden who sends us this fun update about Kadi:

Kadi is weighing in at 52.6 lbs and 21”.  She has lost all of her puppy teeth except for one persistent puppy canine that is currently refusing to fall out.  I can see enough of the adult teeth to know that she will have full dentition and a scissors bite. Her only puppy hair left is on her ears. Her first adult coat is fairly thick and curly along the spine.

 I left for the WI draft test in September and I came back to a puppy no longer sleeping in the crate but on the bed. Husbands!  I cannot  complain too much as she is still small enough that she doesn’t take up much room and it seemed to stop the want to get out of the crate at 6 am sleep disturbance.  We are starting to go back to our retirement sleep patterns. She is reliably housetrained and is using the dog doors to go out to the back yard.  As she gets older she is spending more time outside and entertaining herself. She has discovered she can bring sticks from the yard and enjoy them in the comfort of the living room. It is not like she does not have enough “dog” things to chew on.

 We continue foundation training for the various sports we will be competing in the future.  Our Puppy Confidence class starts next week. We are scheduled for a Duck Herding Clinic later this month.  Kadi continues to amaze me how quickly she learns, eager to please, and likes to work.

It is so wonderful to have these Wildflowers in such fantastic homes — thank you, Eden and Chuck (and Aunt Jannu) for Kadi’s amazing life.

Lupine! Five-Month-Update

I love these updates and I hope you do as well. Alex sends us this report about the puppy formerly and currently known as Lupine:

“One of the biggest things we have noticed lately about Lupine is her athleticism. Compared to our shepherd, Lucca, our berners haven't been able to keep up, but I think Lupine will be an exception.

Her drive is also exceptional, and we have been channeling it into active obedience sessions, scentwork and hopefully agility in the near future (we just lack equipment). The way she is, with her athleticism and her drive, I can't help but think that something like agility would suit her perfectly.

Lately she has taken to carrying random objects on walks for the entire duration, she even had a pinecone she kept for multiple days until she lost it! I think she heard that Pozy was taken on as Sparkle's apprentice and wanted everyone to know that she could do it too.

If I remember correctly she weighed in at 45 pounds, but that was a little while ago. She is growing steadily and her physique is optimal according to my mom, who has become very good at judging that kind of thing over the years. What's interesting to me is her lack of juvenile awkwardness. She hasn't really gotten that lanky yet, she remains really well proportioned.

She has been a phenomenal fit in our family and everyday I'm reminded of how much I love her personality and presence.”

Thank you, Alex, for everything you are doing and being for Lupine. What a perfect match.

November!

I suspect one reason we all have sleep deprivation when the clocks fall back is because we wake up and start thinking, “is this the right time or the old time? What time is it really?” as we check devices that may or may not have adjusted automatically.

Who can sleep with all that mental drama going on?!

Once when Alison was visiting she observed that it would be easy to teach Zoey to hold her ball when she brought it back rather than simply spitting it at me to throw again.

Huh!

It was an excellent observation and has shaped how I now train the pick up games that are the foundation for formal obedience retrieves.

Sparkle will hold an item for as long as it takes for me to notice. Seriously.

The #pickups are actually a series of different behaviors. The dog has to be willing to pick something up, hold it until the release cue is given, and chase or find the item.

Sparkle is pleased to report that her apprentice has mastered the skills and now has her own franchise: #pozyspickups.

The next step is for Pozy to learn to wait when the item is thrown. That is an advanced skill that we are working on, as you can see in this video…

What if Pozy breaks and nabs the cookie before being released? She eats the cookie and I acknowledge I pushed too far, too fast and go back to staying close with a restraining hand on her chest to keep her in position, and lots of cookies for self-control.

When we train something well, there is no need to tell a dog she is wrong.

Family Photos!

Buttercup and Zeus from the Wildflowers…

I talked to Penny yesterday and it sounds like Zeus is settling into family life well. It is also clear how valuable it is for Zeus and his family to have Georgia, Patty, and Buttercup nearby for fun and to be resources — thank you to all of them for creating community around the puppies :)

I swiped this from Marija’s Facebook page as it is too cute not to share — this is Kjempe, a Wildflower but now also a skunk…

Thanks to Kathy for sending this photo of her daughter’s family, which includes Sparkler, Abbie…

November — may it bring hope and health to all.