DECISIONS, DECISIONS, DON'T KNOW WHICH PUP I WANT TO KEEP. I HAVE NEVER BEEN GOOD AT DECISIONS!!!

The first pup has been chosen by the little girl who so impressed me. She has been studying the Sheltie for some time and now is the time she actually gets a puppy. She picked the female, all the rest of the pups are boys. Which I had hoped for but I sure don't know which one I want to keep. Being Skyes pups and Gibbs pups it is a line that I would like to keep. Skye had her litter by c section and had to be spayed at the same time. She will not be a mother again. It is too bad as she was such a good mom and she still cares for her pups at five weeks.I hope to put time into training her and just enjoying her as she is a character. Her pups have great temperaments, they are tail waggers so far and like attention. And they are pretty, I am very pleased with the pups. So I have 2 sable males and 2 biblack males and I just can't decide which pup I want to keep. I do want a show prospect so I am looking at those attributes that make a nice show dog. A dog that could be competitive. I don't want to do a lot of showing, but even for a little you have to have a competitive dog and one who enjoys being out around people. A couple more weeks I can measure for height and that will help with my decision. Aside from a decision I will enjoy them while they are here. They grow up so fast.

I am going to take a long break before another littter. It will probably be in the fall or even later. Another decision. Once I am done with puppies I will enjoy a full nights sleep. I need to get caught up and when the pups go I will be able to do that. I have some wonderful homes for my pups and that makes me feel so good to know that they will be loved and well cared for.

I do need to get moving this morning. Lots of chores with the dogs, and pups to socialize.

I am so thinking spring and I am sure that you all are too. But unfortunately more snow coming next week.

 

 

DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START, WAY TOO BUSY

Well I don't even know where to start. After two litters of pups with first time moms, there was alot to keep an eye on. Getting up several times during the night to take moms out and check on the babies.Needless to say I got pretty tired. Interrupted sleep can wear you out pretty quickly. Also trying to answer all inquiries on time and letting people know that there were not enough pups for everyone. I may change my way of taking names and wait until it is closer to the time for pups to go. That way I will know what I have available and will not be getting everyone's hopes up for a puppy. So many people are looking for Sheltie pups and there are just not enough pups and breeders around. I think it will be a good idea to make up an application and many questions can be answered at the get go.

I don't know how much longer I will be breeding but I want to keep things fair for everyone and an application should help with that. I will keep a file with applications and will go through them and ask who is still interested at that time. I want to make it so that people are not waiting weeks to see what I have. I won't be taking a list. I will just chose the application that meets all the criteria for my pups to go to new homes. Will see how it goes. 

My next litter will be Quinn's litter and she is still not in heat so I don't know when she will have pups. I have a feeling it is going to be awhile before she has pups. This will most likely be her last litter.

This gives me time to spend time with my other dogs and start classes with some of the young ones.

I keep thinking that spring is here and now another storm on the horizon. I wish it would stop teasing us. I still have a good 8 or more inches on the ground from the last big storm, which I guess that everyone did not have. The dogs do love the fresh snow. Wish I had their enthusiasm for the snow that they have. 

Well I went to a Sheltie club meeting yesterday and did enjoy it other than the long drive. But it is good for me to keep up my driving skills since I don't often go far. It was good to see old friends!

Take care and be safe when this next storm hits. Maybe we will be lucky and it will miss us. 

Give your shelties a hug and treasure every minute with them. they have such short lives.💝💝💝

                                                      

 

A LONG LONG TIME BUT ALL IS WELL

 This is will be a short post. I am doing well just too busy. I have a litter of pups and in a couple of weeks they wil be ready to go. I have had a visiting girl for breeding and a visiting stud dog for this girl. So with two extra dogs in my pack and a litter of five pups there is so much to do. Plus my seven need attention and care. Then the holidays and Christmas weekend and New Years weekend with no power. Even with the generator there are many things that I can' run, but I can keep the heat lamp going for the pups. Pups need extra heat as they don't regulate their body temperature until they are about  2+ weeks. So heat lamps are very  necessary. Pups are now 6 weeks and ready to  go to the vet on the 23rd of January. They played in the kitchen yesterday and had a blast with being able to run full speed. It is so good for them. They have also learned to stand on the table and be brushed. Now at 6 weeks it is almost constant cleanup.

Thank you to those of you who wondered how I am doing. I had to go to Arundel Maine to pick up the stud dog and after 20 days I had to rreturn him. His owner Lynn Baker was very generous in letting me use her dog. Eventually Flash will be my stud but he is only 7 months so has a ways to go.

All is well here, just very busy with keeping everything going and the occasional snow to shovel. My New Years Resolution is to keep the blog up. Hopefully I can do that. 

Hope you all have a blessed and happy New Year.

BABIES PRETTY SOON, WE ARE GETTING CLOSE!

 Maggie is here and all settled in. Now that we are ready for the pups time seems to drag. Her first due date is the 23rd and her temperature is started down which is one of the first signs.  I am really hoping for the pups to arrive on Thanksgiving day, as I will have help here, which is always nice. At this point mother nature is in charge. So we wait and watch. The other dogs don't show any interest but when the pups start to come they will be curious and will have to stay out of the whelping room. I do hope that this wind dies down soon, the dogs really don't like the noise that it makes. They don't mind the cold, just the noise. They will be having their supper soon and will go back out for a few minutes. Other than the noise from the wind it has been a nice quiet Sunday afternoon. No doubt that winter is here. I was  hoping that it would wait until after Thanksgiving.

My whelping room is very warm, and a heating pad and a heat lamp keep the pups nice and toasty. New babies need to be kept at about 85 degrees as they don't regulate their  body temperature for about two weeks or a little more.

The enlargement of my dog yard is finished and it is wonderful for the dogs. The first snow last week they ran and ran and chased and jumped over each other. They were having a blast. 

It was so much fun to watch them having fun. They keep the joy in your life. 

 Hope that you all have a Happy Thanksgiving, with good food, family and friends.

 HAPPY THANKSGIVING 

WHERE DOES THE TIME GO

I tell everyone not to grow out two young pups together. Too much work and time. But here I am doing it again. No wonder I have not been able to touch the blog. The pups are 5 and 7 months now and doing pretty well in the potty area. Zoey who is 7 months has been attending puppy class for the past couple of months. She is doing well and it is so good for her. Flash has a very outgoing temperament but I am still hoping to get him into a levl1 puppy class before the weather turns on us. I know some of you have been waiting on puppies and it looks like Maggie is expecting and she is due late November. So now I have that to look forward to. We have not had pups here in over a year and I am really ready to experience it again. 

I started Bonnie in a beginner agility class, she really needed something to keep her brain busy and with some of the new commands you can see her thinking. I think it will be so good for her and for me too. Good for my thinking and my coordination too. It is only for 4 weeks so we should be finished before weather sets in.  If she really seems to enjoy the beginner work we will continue on in the spring.

Lots to look forward to.I lost my Rosie in March due to bad seizures, I was not prepared for that but I have adjusted. I still miss her terribly. Sometimes I feel her presence. On another note I adopted a new kitten to be company for my 14 year old cat.They are doing so well. Panda takes care of the kitty,(Annie) washes her and is teaching her to hunt. Hopefully not so many mice this year as almost all the holes are plugged. This house is so old there are probably more holes than we found. Hopefully the cats will help. I have not had a kitten before, always senior cats. Annie makes me laugh so much. She is such a joy to have. She is being very cautious with the dogs. Eventually she will be like Panda and wander through the dogs. He is very much in charge. 

In the next week I need to get the puppy pen set up and all the things out to help Maggie whelp her litter. The miracle of life is so awesome.

I have not been good with the blog lately but with new babies coming there will be much to talk  about.

Give your pups a hug!!Let them know that you love them.

All for now. 

                                                        

HOUSETRAINING TWO PUPPIES AGAIN, I WILL NEVER LEARN!!

 Well I am doing it again. House training two pups. But fortunately Zoe is almost completely trained so I take Flash out with her and Walter. Walter always goes out with the pups for safety. Nothing would try to get at the pups with Walter there. He is an excellent baby sitter. Zoe has grown large enough that a bird of prey could not pick her up but Flash is still a little small. I keep a good eye on him but I have not seen anything even get close to the pen on the side of my house. Walter is definitely earning his keep. He is so good, he lies on the top step and just watches. 

Dogs are blowing coat like crazy. Keeping up with it sure is a chore. But I am close, just Bling is left but the others although brushed out are still shedding.  Zoe had to miss her first puppy class due to a parasite infection but she is now clear after days of medication and testing. Tuesday she can go back to class. Even though she is clear she will not be able to socialize with the other pups just to be sure they stay safe. I am looking forward to getting back to class.

My granddaughter and I went to the humane society yesterday. We were looking for a friend for Panda, he is my cat that I adopted in February. The dogs respect him and he does well with them. The puppies do still try to irritate him. But they are learning. There is a cat there who is the same coloring as Panda and he has been around dogs so that may be a good thing. Plus he has been at the shelter for a year and would love a home. I am basically getting a cat for a friend for Panda. 

It is not so bad with two puppies that are a few months apart and they do enjoy each other.I am still planning on breeding Quinn in the fall. Should have pups in February. I am still on the fence about breeding Skye, I have done all the genetic testing with her and her eyes were checked by a vet ophthalmologist. They are clear of anything. Her blood work showed a possible kidney issue but will retest when she first comes into heat. Hopefully it will be better and I can breed her but I won't compromise her heath for puppies. So we just wait it out. I am putting her on a lower protein food and that may help. In 6 months time there could be many changes for the positive. Always something to wait on. Wait for them to grow, wait for them to slow down in growth, wait on ears to tip, really is a big waiting game. Patience is something you learn when breeding shelties. We want to be sure we are breeding to improve the breed so need to do the best we can. We have the standard to guide us and we really want to keep the breed pure. It is not an easy job as dogs are not perfect and it is almost impossible to breed perfection, but we try. 

I love researching pedigrees and decided new blood would help. Zoe is totally Apple Acres and they are a very nice line. Flash is a combination of a few lines with no close breeding so he will fit in perfectly. Almost like starting over but not completely, just something a little different to mix in with my current lines.

Hug your dogs and have a great day!

This is my Maggie and she will have pups sometime next year! She will give us some

very pretty babies.

SO MUCH TO DO, FALL IS HERE!!!

 Finally things are getting cooler and it is easier to get chores done Time to think about what needs to be done before winter hits. I need to fill the oil tanks which I dread. Not sure where the cost of oil will be. I need to fill the gas tanks for the generator. Three 5 gallon cans usually get me through the winter. I hope to have two litters of pups in February so I need to have the generator ready for the winter. Especially if we lose power for any length of time. I have heating pads and heat lamps to keep pups warm but they are electric so I definitely need the generator to run. Storm windows to put down. Now I have to find a mason for chimney repairs so the liner can be put in . The chimney is not real secure.  But it is leaky and I do need the liner in it. A mason is not that easy to find. So that is a priority. All needs to be finished before winter as new pups cannot get cold. I am breeding Quinn to Charlie and I am not sure how I am breeding Skye. Probably to a sable but not sure which one yet. So many of my puppy buyers prefer the sable. Charlie and Quinn could possibly have a bi black, just black and white and no tan. They can be really pretty. I am looking forward to being busy with puppies. It has been more than a year, It has been 16 months since my last litter. It is a good way to be busy in the winter. Plus they bring so much Joy! 

Well I have puppy class today so need to get busy, feed dogs and get ready to go to class. It is such good socialization for Zoe. 

Thankfully we are getting the rain that we need. Everyone take care and be sure to give your dogs a hug. Or do something with them that they really enjoy.

Take care and have a happy Sheltied day!

                                                 

                                                      ZOE GROWING UP