Shelby x Viking @ 4 weeks

So our little red fire crackers were 4 weeks old yesterday and the transformation from belly crawling to full out running has taken place!! Each of these little guys has changed so much in the past week! There are come great little personalities shining through, and I'm so very happy with these little guys! Shelby's babies started on mush in the middle of the week this week - each litt

er is a little different on the start date for this; these guys were wimpering everytime they watched Momma eat so we let the mushy games begin! All are very good eaters and seem to think that a good milk chaser is the best finale to a chunky meal... Shelby agrees half-heartedly as they all have very sharp little dagger teeth in already!



This little is very agile, and has already been upgraded to our larger whelping area, as they were playing Houdini and escaping too frequently from the smaller one for my taste. Viper especially seems the little acrobat! He is also the most forward of the crew and has a little voice he likes to share (he 'defends' the rest of the party with a great little bark when the bedding is changed). He's also very confident and will sleep at least 75% of the time sprawled out on his back - preferrably on someone's lap. Viper is higher energy and loves to play, but defers to his sister for for steering the games and (surprisingly) likes to play from his back! Viper is a little go getter and is much loved by my five year old son.



Mercedes (our keeper girl for the program will be going to live in a co-home here in Southern Ontario) is loving and cuddley and loves to be right in the middle of the fray telling everyone what to do, just like her Momma. She's laid back and rolls with it all, but always seems to be right in the middle of the play zone making sure all of her brothers play the game by her rules! She has a sweet confident disposition thusfar, and it one of those little girls that just steals your heart and wraps it around your finger. She and Cruiser are the most careful of the puppies (of course at this stage that's mostly with regard to chewing!) around the children, and Mercedes (aka Scarlett) has definitely quickly become my three year old daughter's favourite.



Cruiser is the sensitive sort. He's very much the lover of the crowd and will snuggle any chance he gets - even if it's by wrapping around my wrist to sleep while I am leaning to take pictures or clean up! He is very good to be in the middle of the play zone and sleep with (preferrably under) the whole litter, but I will see him being the smart guy on his own sleeping over the heating pad content in his 'me' time. Cruiser is usually the first to meet me when I first come up to their area - or will sit patiently watching the action nearby (their whelping area is connected to our Family room, so the puppies are a part of all the action). Never complaining, but always happy to be close; I have to say the combination of his looks (just like daddy but not dilute) and disposition has made him my running favourite (not that we do that as breeders, of course) ;)



And then we have Hemi. Hemi is the most laid back, rolly poley, lovely little man! He's very compact, so although he looks larger than the other pups, he's not really - he just has a very sturdy, stocky little structure to him. All of these pups will be stocky; Hemi will be Mojo in a bottle.! Hemi takes it allllll in stride. He loves everyone, everything, anytime - but not in the high energy take it on way of his brother, Viper. Not Hemi.... he's the surfer of the crew. He loves to come with you and be a lap dog, and rests very comfortably on my Husband's lap every evening and all football. He's definitely the 'man magnet of this litter - the one that every man adores as soon as he walks in the room. His colour is not as flashy as the rest - in fact Shelby's co-owner (and great friend of mine) visited last night and called him the blonde of the batch; not because of a lack of red - as far as fawns go he's what most refer to as red - but rather that he's the only one of the puppies that is not the fire engine red of his mother. His beautiful head and broad shoulders won her over right away, and so he's 'gramma's' favourite as well.



And so you can see that I'm head over heels in love with these pups - and as usual spending way more time enjoying them than doing housework! :)) Luckily for us all, though it also means I've been snapping photos like a mad-woman and have attached a few for everyone to pour over! Enjoy!



More soon.....

Buyer Beware - a repost worth reflection...

Finding a good breeder is a difficult and often daunting task,yes, but my motto is that you probably will not have to do it again for years - so stick to your guns and don't let up until you find a great one!
When looking for a breeder PLEASE ask around, call references, check with their vet to see what testing they do (cutting corners on testing and medical care is an obvious red flag!) Talk for 2 hours and see if they start to sigh on the phone because they are bored of questions. Ask about their dogs and if you can get them to stop gushing in 10 minutes or less hang up. Find out what they are breeding toward, and away from; no dog is perfect, can they tell you the faults in theirs? Great breeders are excessively picky, so they should find fault in the most perfect dog and tell you how they hope to improve them in the next generation.
Ask for several references and call them; all of them. Find out how old the pups are, what their challenges have been, and very importantly if they can still rely on their breeder for good advice quickly and reliably. If everyone you talk to raves about them it's a very good sign.

It's a very sad thing, but there are alot of bad apples in the barrel - you know it because you've heard some stories yourself, but it can be difficult to weed through the pile when someone is being cunning and nice to sell the next pup. Always remember that all (well, most ;) ) puppies are cute, but you want to love the one you pick for a long long time - so as always caveat emptor! Believe it or not breeders get bitten, too, in fact every great breeder I know can share at least one horror story - so don't feel you are showing weakness by being super cautious. My recommendation? Assume the worst and make them prove you otherwise - this is about adding to your family; you can play nice in the dog park.

A final note on the matter: If you have had a bad experience - shout it out!! Reputation goes miles, and a bunch of bad reviews of awful experiences speaks volumes! As a consumer in this crazy world you are a king (or a queen), and your opinion can make a massive difference. Breeders can be trapped by etiquette and slamming another breeder, frankly, does very little good; it makes us look petty, competative and carries little weight. But as the new family you have the true power. Rave about the breeders you love, and please, and broadcast the ones that gave you the willies, or worse, the short end of the stick!! And last but not least - ask who we as breeders have had good experiences with - we buy dogs too, probably more often than you do! I know I have a couple of people I've dealt with that I highly recommend! Ask who we love to work with; If my experience has been fantastic, yours probably will be, too!

Be opinionated and hard to win over, your family and it's new furry baby will thank you for it!!

Shelby x Viking @ 3 Weeks

How are these little guys 3 weeks already?! Shelby is still such a great Mom that I think I lose track! LOL!

So the little red babies are flourishing! Just in le last few days I went in to see what the comotion was, as the pups were noisy and that almost never happens. Well, doesn't it turn out that Shelby has gone back for seconds on her dinner just outside the whelping box and all four pups are seated up staring at

her crying for Mum. And me without my camera! - The evolution from crawling little hamsters to bouncing puppy has begun!!

All four pups are pretty laid back so far, though, despite being the most laid back of the crew (he let's me turn him all around and upside down - even when cutting toenails and holding him by the feet - without bothering about it, like, ever!) Viper will give me the petit growl and bark routine if I leave him on his own too long trying to get photos or such. He knows he wants his mom, and he's not afraid to tell me like a big boy does! Hemi, on the other hand scared himself yesterday by making the same noise and actually cried out in response to his own bark. LOL!! So funny to see them hear and see new things for the first time!

Mercedes is also a very chill little girl, and so far the quietest of the crew, though always in the middle of the fray. Cruiser is a big snuggler. He's content to roll belly up on a warm lap, but isn't quite so sure about holding still and taking the nail cutting like a stud..... well, let's face it, it is just like a stud - the most stoic one is usually a Dam, not a Stud. To this day the loudest yelp from a microchipping came from Viking - yep, the Big Stoic Putz; therefore I'm sticking to my original deduction that the mini-Viking look alikes are also usually just like Dad in personality as well. :)

I'm feeling the typical buds for teeth to start to come through in the next few days, so we'll see how stoic this Dam is! I'm forcasting mush by Friday. ;)

I've attached the newest of the pics (this morning) and was busy cursing (figuratively, don't worry) at my camera for it's inability to grasp and translate the beautiful red coatson these little guys.... oh, well - maybe one day I'll upgrade..... again. :(

To sum up in the words of a truly great man and close friend who is recovering from a tragic car accident this week (and so is constantly in my thoughts):
All the best anchovies and hot peppers!