Chika Goes Home

June 9th was a busy day for us as a few short hours after Amiga left with her new family, Terry arrived to pick up Chika.

She also had her bath and fluff pictures taken and was already to go to her new home in Calgary.

"Gawd...do I really have to do this....?"

Fabulous head structure!!

Fluffed and ready :-)

Chika will have a new canine friend as well as Terry & Susan have a Labradoodle named 'Bogey".

We are also very excited as Terry plans on presenting Chika to the show ring in late 2011 where we expect her to do very well!!

Thank you Terry & Susan for giving this special girl such a wonderful home! Looking forward to seeing those winning pictures :-)

Seda's Island Earth Baby - 'Amiga'

June 9th was an important day for Amiga as her family was coming to pick her up. An exciting time!!

After a bath and her 'soaped' pictures, Amiga was ready for Lauretta, Brian and Ethan. Such a wonderful family and lovely little girl.  Her registered name is Seda's Island Earth Baby and reflects the litter theme and her temporary name.

We 'soap' all our puppies to show there is no CD in our lines

"Get me outta here!!!"

Fluffed and ready for her new home

Amiga's new home is in Saskatchewan where she'll not only bring years of happiness, joy and laughter to her family, but also to the patients and staff in Lauretta's practice as Amiga graces the office on work days.

Thank you Lauretta, Brian and Ethan

Gone Camping!

My apologies for all the people who have been following my blog and webcam as we have been gone for the last 5 days.

I loaded up all my adult Havanese and all the pups into the motorhome and we went to Edmonton, AB for the NACA dog show. We originally planned to attend so we could watch Arcus (2009 Storm Litter) and Kim complete in their very first Novice 'A' Rally-O competitions as well as get their CKC Good Neighbor certificate. I thought I may as well take Raine as she was only a few points away from finishing her CKC Conformation Championship title. It wasn't feasible to leave the pups at home since Daryl was so busy with work and moving our son, so.....the whole Havanese family came with us :-)

Kayleigh and new Havanese puppy, Lia (previously known as Winter from Pixc Havanese litter) came with us for the experience and opportunity to socialize Lia. Space was limited but it was amazing how wonderful the 11 dogs behaved during the entire weekend!

The rain on Friday and Saturday was challenging to say the least. However the sun shone both Sunday and Monday for us! The pups spent lots of time outside in the ex-pens with tunnels and other toys. They certainly drew lots of attention from visitors to the show.

We were blessed to have two of our families come and visit with their pups. Lauretta, Brian and Ethan came to visit Amiga Saturday and Sunday.  Lori, Noah and Nate along with Danielle came to visit and take Ahi to their home for a few hours on Sunday afternoon.

Lauretta, Brian and Ethan with Nalu and Amiga

It was so good for the pups to have this weekend and still be with their family as we know they have entered their 'fear stage'. The pups didn't like the generator running and would often bark at the strange dogs (which we were quick to correct).But the pups loved the attention from us and the visitors, the new toys and treats, and being spoiled by Kim and Kayleigh.

It was a very good weekend with the pups! We are very proud of Kim and Arcus who got their CKC Good Neighbor and Qualifying scores in both the Rally-O competitions!! They also received 3rd highest score on the Saturday! WOW!! Well done to both of them!!

We were also thrilled to have Raine show very well this weekend. She was awarded two 2-point majors and Raine got her Championship!! We are very proud of all our dogs - past, present and future!! Looking forward to presenting puppies to the show ring this fall!

Office Afternoon Delight With Ahi

Following the 'rotation' of giving each pup some individual time, it was time for Ahi to hang out with me for the afternoon. He's so funny because if he thinks that whining will get him special treatment, he'll try it :-)  Doesn't work with me so he decided that he may as well settle and enjoy the trip to town.

Once we got to the office it was time for an outside break before the afternoon siesta. One of our renters came by to drop off their cheque and instantly fell in love. The fact that Ahi snuggled in for a cuddle made it that much harder to hand him back.

A few candid photos of Ahi...

Likes coming to the office for a chew

Walkin' like a show dog!! Tail up and strutting my stuff....

I AM an island dog....I like bananas :-)

Giving my friend Rodger the snuggles....

Mmmm, nothing like a drink of water from home....

Sacked out!! Notice how I fill the crate..?

Nothing quite like a lazy dog day afternoon.......yawn...*

Amiga's Morning at the Office

 A few candid shots of Amiga hanging out at my office June 1st.

This was her 2nd time coming with me so traveling in the car was better and she certainly settled faster, but we had lots of company this morning.  It was time for a 'meet and greet' with everyone . Amiga was very timid with my male co-workers and visiting friends which means 'more socialization' !! 

Home away from home

"No coffee for me....just the cream please"

LOVE my chew...!

Break Time!!!   :-)

Chillin' after a short stroll

It's important to remember to stop and smell the flowers....

Just 8 more sleeps Ethan!!  (and Lauretta :-)

One-On-One

With the all puppies now having received their first vaccinations, it's time for some individual time.

This is a very important step in the puppies development as, up to now, they've always been with their siblings or other dogs. Taking them places by themselves is needed to develop confidence.

I encourage families to pick up their puppy and taking them for a few hours to their homes or other 'safe' locations with no other dogs or pets to ensure they don't pick up any diseases during this crucial period. Introducing them to LOTS of strangers will help bring out that darling personality the breed is so well known for.

I have a soft crate that I pack up puppies in and take them to work with me. Usually the first few times is a bit traumatic especially since puppy still remembers the last car ride was to the vets!! We need to offer positive experiences.

The Peters family came on Saturday and took Zeus for a few hours in the afternoon. He was glad to come back home but I know he loved the attention of being the only puppy. Sunday was Chika's turn as we went to an Auction where she settled after a bit under the lawn chair in the shade. She had lots of people lovin' her :-)  Monday morning Amiga came to work with me and stayed on my desk napping and chewing her twist. Zeus came in the afternoon.

Zeus sitting on top of my desk - pretty comfy

Each of them cry while in the vehicle and take a little bit to settle but usually within the half hour, I have each of the puppies settled chewing a twist or sleeping.  Learning to relax in the new location is so important.

Also during this time the puppies will get accustomed to their harnesses and leash training as I take them outside for potty breaks during my breaks. It also works towards their house training as they must 'tell' me they need out. At this point, they just whine and can't settle. That's when I know we both need a break!

I will spend the next several days alternating between the 3 pups that are going to their new homes late next week. The other two pups, Milo and Nalu will be given their individual training time after Amiga, Zeus and Chika are confident and ready to take on the world.

This is an exciting time for puppies as their world expands  :-)

Stair Masters

A few days ago we started introducing the puppies to the stairs. I'd start with taking one puppy and placing it on the top step and calling it to make the small climb. Milo, Amiga and Chika were all very competent at this simple task. Ahi wouldn't move as he was afraid :-)  Nalu was too small.

After we got all the pups to quickly jump the single step, we moved them down another full step and asked them to climb two. Then three and then five.

Today, you can now see the puppies are quite comfortable climbing up the stairs. What's especially funny about taking the puppies close to the bottom step, is all the adults came down to cheer on the babies, and demonstrating how to jump up the steps...just in case the little ones needed an example.

Also I wanted to let everyone know that I'm not sure if I'll get a chance to live stream through the webcam this weekend. Our Agility club is hosting their spring trial and I will be away from home to help the club both days. My evenings will be assisting our son as he moves from Red Deer to Drumheller with a few days temporarily moving in with us.

It's going to be a busy weekend....! I'll upload some videos to make up for the lack of webcam.  Hava great weekend!!!