A GOOD DAY

Yesterday was the eye clinic and I took two dogs to get their eyes certified. Both Bonnie and Sammy had clear eyes. The rest of the day was spent helping friends get their dogs in to the Doctor and back out. The Sheltie club had 107 dogs for eye checks. That is awesome!
Bonnie was so good on the leash and walked nicely and even went potty on command. I was so pleased with her, she is only nine months and it was a good socializing day for her. She remembered all the training she had as a young pup. They don't forget.I have decided that she needs a day visiting, the pet shop and then over to Lowe's. More new people to meet. If spring ever comes here we can walk the trails and meet many people and dogs. It has been snowing like crazy here since about 5:30 this morning. And yesterday was such a beautiful day for the clinic, a warm 60 degrees only an hour south of here.
I plan to bring the pups into the kitchen and let them explore, it will be good for them. Hopefully I can get some cute pictures of them playing. In two days they will be five weeks and it seems like yesterday that they were born, the time has flown. 
Sammy is a wonderful boy, very friendly and out going. I have been offered to be a co-owner with him and I have accepted that. He is of the line that I want to work with and I think I will have fun obedience training him. He came here more than a  month ago so that I could help his ears. I have been working with his ears and I am hopeful that they will come up where they belong. Sammy is four months younger than Walter and the two boys get along very well.
My snow had been melting pretty quickly, almost to the point where there was some ground where I could work with the dogs. I am so looking forward to training Sammy, he is a very biddable dog who just loves to please. 
I would like to write a little more but the inner clocks are starting to go off. Patience is wearing thin, it is breakfast time.

I AM SO FORTUNATE!!!

I had people come to visit the pups yesterday and as I think back to the visits I realize that I have some wonderful family's for my pups. Every one will be loved and cared for her entire life.
I put a lot into my pups and want them to have that perfect life. Sometimes it is hard to judge people and I don't want to make any mistakes with finding homes for my babies, it is very important.  I feel so comfortable that these pups will be getting everything that I want for them.
I try to choose homes where the pups will not be alone for many hours. It is important for 8 week old babies to have human contact during the day and for house training to start.
Today I am taking two of my Shelties to the eye clinic put on by our Sheltie club. This is part of the health testing that is necessary when breeding Shelties. Our club holds a clinic every year and it is open to all breeds. Shelties have the same Collie eye issue and with testing our breeding stock we rarely if ever see the disease again. Other testing we do with our breeding dogs, are thyroid, MDR1 which tests to see if certain drugs are safe to use with our Shelties. We also test for VWD which can be an inherited bleeding disease which we don't often see anymore. The reason we don't often see these diseases is that we do the testing and if a dog carries or has this disease we do not breed them and pass it on. Once the dogs reach the age of two we have hip x-rays done and get an OFA rating. This is the Orthopaedic Foundation of America. Aside from the health testing we look for temperament and soundness in our dogs. 
A lot more goes into raising pups than most people think. The socializing is very important but we have to start with healthy dogs, physically and mentally.
Guess I have digressed from my original thought. I am truly fortunate to have wonderful homes waiting for my pups. Most importantly they will be loved for life.
Will get some current photos soon.

                                                                    TOPAZ                 

TALKING TO THE PUPPIES

First thing in the morning once the adult dogs are out, I check on the pups and spend time talking to them. They get pretty excited and talk back with tails wagging furiously. The tail wagging has really come on this week. Personalities are beginning to really emerge. This is the fun stage of puppies but also the work stage. Mom is getting tired of cleaning up and now that work falls to me. They need to be changed several times a day and the puppy laundry mounts up. Soon we will progress to papers with blankets in the corner for sleeping. They basically try to be clean and not poop where they sleep. You probably wonder why I talk about this but the amount of work is so much more than you think. It is on going all day. Aside from the feeding and cleaning is the socializing, which is so important. There is so much for them to experience and their little minds take it all in. Each week there is so much progress and by the time they are 8 weeks old their little minds are like sponges and will absorb as much as you want to teach them. I usually start house training at 8 weeks and I also teach sit and a couple of basic commands. Within a couple of minutes they understand sit so well and get so excited, praise them profusely. They will never forget this time. 
Once pups get into their new homes 8 weeks to four months is a critical time.  They need the most socializing during this time, they need to do things that build their confidence.The pups have a basic foundation and now it is up to you to take over and help them become awesome pets and well adjusted. So much of their development now depends on you. Socializing should continue through their lives.
I am getting ahead of things here. Next week I will get the little cat tunnel out and let them play with running in and out. They love this and don't forget the tunnel as they grow. 
I hope to get more pictures when they turn five weeks. Their coats are coming in and they are looking more like Shelties. I love watching them develop and their instincts are amazing.
Mom still spends time with them as their interaction with her is very important. She teaches them so much, they need her to learn to be dogs. 
Raising Shelties is an on going learning experience, something new always comes up.
Seeing pups turn out as you hoped that they would when you planned the breeding is so rewarding.
                                                                      

BACK TO NORMAL, IF THERE IS A NORMAL!

My sister returned to California yesterday. We had a wonderful two weeks, we felt like we were in a time warp as the time just flew by. It was so nice having someone in the house that could speak more than dog! Thankfully her flight was yesterday as it is snowing here this morning.
The dogs will get back into their normal routine, although they were not out of it by much.
We spent time with the pups and had so many laughs over their antics. They are getting more steady on their feet but more comical. They are beautiful pups and have such wonderful calm temperaments. They will be wonderful companions for their new families.
The pups are four weeks today so time to get busy socializing and getting them used to new things and experiences. I have my work cut out for me but I love it. I will be busy but it will be good for me, since spring does not want to stay, I need to be busy.
It has been a long winter for me but also for the dogs. I know they have cabin fever. I put a couple of bales of hay in the dog yard to cover the ice that is still there and that gave the dogs good footing so they could run some. My large area is still snowed in, it will be awhile before I can get them out to really run. It will be soon I hope. 
I did breed Rosie to a son of Ch Jesstar Raseri and I am hoping it worked, but Rosie is a little older and it may not happen. This is a line that I really want to bring into the line that I have.
I spend a lot of time researching pedigrees and trying to find pictures of the dogs in the background. It is very rewarding and gives me a direction to go in my breeding program. I try to breed closely to the standard to improve the breed but mostly I want to produce healthy and sound pups, mentally and physically. Most of my pups become family companions and the families deserve pups that will live out their lives, healthy and happy.
Health and temperament are priorities whether show potential pups or family pups.
It is amazing to watch instinct take over with the pups. They know mom is in the room before she even gets through the door. Pretty amazing.
The breakfast time clocks are starting to go off. They definitely have inner clocks and they are now ready for breakfast. They don't have much patience.
Hope to get some more current pictures soon. I should get going before the little yips turn into full blown barks. They have been so good while I was writing, so time to end.
 
                                                                 

                                                                        3 weeks

NEVER LAUGHED SO HARD

The pups are developing so fast and finding their feet and attempting to play. My sister and I sat and watched them and just laughed, they are so funny, trying to play, barking, growling at each other, trying to grab tails and howling. One little girl loves to howl and it is the funniest sound you ever heard. Nothing like puppies to boost your spirits.
They are doing pretty well with their puppy mush, mixed with goats milk, best thing to use for weaning pups. Mom has quite a job cleaning up after, as both front feet go into the food, then one will walk through it and quite a mess. Topaz loves the food so she cleans them up so you would never know they had made a mess. It is amazing how fast they do develop. They are responding to " puppy,puppy" , tails beginning to wag.
By next week the visiting girls will be going home, hopefully to have pups in the summer.
We will have peace here again, the boys will calm down and it will be one happy pack of Shelties again. 
Our snow is very slow to go so still can't get out to our large exercise area. I believe that the Shelties suffer from cabin fever just as I do. I have a smaller fenced area off the house and they do run and play some but really need the space to run flat out. 
My sister and I are heading to Illusion farm this morning for a short visit to see the lovely English Shire horses and Kathleen's stunning Shetland Sheepdogs. I purchased my foundation girls from Kathleen years ago and that was the start of my beautiful Shelties. 
Kathleen has been fighting cancer for two years and recently had scans and she is all clear, we are thrilled for her. 
The dogs are reminding me that it is breakfast time and their inner clocks are never wrong.
All for now. More photos soon.

GROWING SO FAST

The pups had their very first meal yesterday. Today they will have two meals and I will be using goats milk along with puppy mush food. This weekend they will get their first worming. They did quite well with lapping their food. So they are ready even though a little young, it is normal to start food between three and four weeks.
Their personalities are coming out, they try to play with each other and it is so funny, they are still a little wobbly and often just fall over. They are starting to climb on the rail of the puppy pen, they will soon be very agile. They bark, they growl and they howl which is the funniest thing you have ever heard.
It is so nice to have my sister from California visiting. It has been a year and a half with no one in the house but my shelties and that is ok but really nice to be able to carry on a conversation.
I do talk to the dogs all the time and sometimes I think they know what I am talking about. 
Another week and the pups can have visitors and that will be good for them to meet more people. My granddaughter will be here on Saturday and they will get all kinds of attention.
Two girls that I have here for breeding will be going home next week and we will have a peaceable kingdom again. My Shelties are very much routine oriented and when out of their normal schedule things get a little hectic around here. 
We are still buried in snow, it is melting slowly but still not enough to get out to the exercise area. Soon I hope.
We have bred Rosie but I am not sure this will work and I am not counting on her but if she should have pups one of those will stay here. She is the last of a very old line that I would like to keep.
Need to get started with morning chores and wishing a wonderful day for all.

                                                                

PUPS ARE GROWING FAST

Just a quick update on the pups. They are growing fast and eating so well. Mom is beginning to learn what it is to be a  mom. By her next litter she should be all set, hopefully!
I should have more pictures soon. They have their eyes open and their ears are open and now for socialization. They hear us come into the room now and get right up. They are walking but a little wobbly. Just way too cute!
I hope to have time to write a little more this afternoon.
It is very busy now, my sister is visiting and I have two girls visiting for breeding. 
Looking forward to the weather really warming up.
All for now and hope to be back soon.