Puppy agility class

This is my puppy agility class. I teach this motley crew on Saturday mornings at Sue's sand school. I cannot do many private lessons at home lately during the winter as we are limited by weather and mud; but the sand school at Sue's house is great because it doesn't get muddy!


I thought this photo was priceless. Patch being slightly naughty and the two border collies trying to pretend he isn't there.....

Fat Boy

Now you see why he is known as "Fat Boy"......'nuff said?

Pups last day at home

We have had a busy couple of days. I had hoped to post photos of the pups and their new owners but have not had a chance to edit the photos yet. A bout of food poisoning has kept me out of action for a few days. I am very grateful that I got sick AFTER the puppies went! And I am even MORE grateful for the NHS and our local doctors. We have doctors who can come to your home at night! 3 am in the morning and feeling like you are dying in bed from pain and those doctors and their drugs are like heaven! Bless the pharmaceutical companies!

I am just up and around today and thought I would post some photos of the pups last day together at my house. For the pup's last three days with us we finally got some good weather and the pups were able to be outside and playing. They each got some good running around the garden individually with Hob-b who is a great playmate. They played a little with Zen, but Zen is a bit rough with them. Mostly they played together in the puppy pen and on their little kids ramp.



The pups loved to play chase games and king of the mountain on this children's slide. It was the best boot sale find!










Hob-b was the best playmate for these puppies. She is so sweet and gentle, I had no fears she would hurt the pups at all.











Oz just looking adorable! During his last few days at home he was "Pickle" when he was naughty and "Oz" when he was good.

Big Day tomorrow!

Four of the five pups go to their new owners tomorrow. It will be sad to see them go. They have been a fairly easy litter but I think I say that with every litter! (all 8 of them) This is the first litter that I have not kept a puppy and that feels strange. I think by next week when the last puppy goes I will probably have empty nest syndrome. Fat Boy (Hob-b's boy) will help but he will not really be very active for another 2-3 weeks.

We are calling him "Fat Boy" because he eats and eats and eats. He has more than doubled his weight in his first week. On a positive note, Fat Boy is also a type of Harley Davidson Motorcyle so it is not really a bad puppy name!

The pups are getting used to some new things over the past 3 days. Firstly, they are spending the nights in crates. This is started to help them adjust to the first nights in their new homes and to help housebreaking. I usually start this earlier but this litter had a bout of diarrhea and that made crate training difficult. They are well now and can go the night without fouling the crate.
Also, during the day after eating and play, I put them in crates when they start tiring out. Two sets of two pups to one crate and one pup alone. I mix and match them so that each one gets time alone. The first morning I did this was a very noisy 1/2 hour! They are getting better but still can be noisy if they don't think it is nap time......


Secondly, the pups are getting used to their collars and leads. I haven't done alot with that but they will tolerate the collar. I got these fantastic tuggy leads from www.yipeeee.com.

I think they will be great for the pups in their agility training. I have seen tuggy leads before, but these were the first I have seen that are a smaller size for shelties. Of course they all have to have matching collars and leads! I like these leads so much I have to get one each for Zen and Hex.

The last thing I have been trying to do more of is grooming the pups. Nail cutting is quite the task with these five hooligans. After they tired out this morning I was able to trim all 90 puppy nails! Now I need a nap and it is only 6 am!

Grooming shelties is an art in itself. Luckily 4 out of the 5 new owners are previous sheltie owners so I do not have to help them too much. But all my puppy owners soon learn that they cannot see me without my pulling out the scissors and brushes to groom the pup. I like a well groomed sheltie and have an obsession about trimming and keeping them neat. We took some photos during the pups first bath when they all looked like drowned rats! It is great when they are this small and you can bathe them in the kitchen sink!

Merry Sheltie Christmas!

This is the first year we have had sheltie puppies during Christmas. So we had to try and get some Holiday photos. Here is the Fab 5 all with their new call names (subject to change, of course!) They have had their Christmas baths, blow dry and grooming and are looking and smelling delicious!

Meet OZ . Officially to be known as OBay Caught Red Handed.

Meet ZOE. Officially to be known as OBAY Catch A Rising Star.

Meet Wizz. Officially to be known as OBay Catch The Wind.

Meet ZEUS. Officially known as OBay Catch Up!

Meet KIZZY. Officially know as OBAY CAUGHT IN THE ACT

Zen puppy dog treats!

Can you believe there are dog treats called "ZENPUPPY"??!!

I got a great box of pressies this morning from my friend Eleanor. And in the box were these boxes of "ZEN puppy" dog treats. Well these Zen puppies decided they liked them and tried to open them. We couldn't resist these photos. Do you think the company that makes them would like to sponsor us?






Black leg tries her hardest to open the box...and she is not too thrilled with the lack of results!

Meanwhile Zeus (aka Tony) just poses for his adoring fans.

And Mr. Pickle really liked the box that the pressies came in!

Names

Well the puppies have all been assigned! Phew! And some have names already. Hopefully they will all be going to their new homes next week. It will be so exciting to watch them grow and develop. They have alot to live up to but I have no doubt they will all excel in whatever they do.

Carmella will now and forever be known as "Zoe" OBay Catch A Rising Star. She will be the second OBay Sheltie to be living with Peggy. Peggy also owns Timmy who is Zen's brother. So Timmy will have his little niece coming to live with him. I looked up the name Zoe on the internet and it means "life" in greek. What a special name.

Tony will soon be known as "Zeus" and will be headed to Denmark to live on the most gorgeous farm out in the country It was at this farm that his grandmother, True, did some chicken hunting and .....well let's say it wasn't pretty! He will be spoiled by Kirsten and Gert and will be joining three other shelties and one border collie. Kirsten is a fabulous trainer and Zeus will be trained in agility and obedience. He doesn't have a registered name yet.

More names to come soon!

Hob-b and her little boy continue to improve. Our little brown boy has gained another ounce and is 9 ounces! Woo-hoo! It is such a relief when they start gaining weight and thriving. We can start the neurological stimulation tomorrow. I now have to start pushing him around like his littermates would, making him work to hold onto the nipple. Otherwise he will get lazy about nursing and get very fat!

This week the puppies are doing more trips out and about. Today Tony and Pickle took a ride into Billingshurst with Lisa. She took each one out separately and walked them thru the parking area and up near the stores. They met new people and walked on a lead and collar for the first time. She said both did well and acted confident. Tomorrow Dennis and I will take the girls out one at a time into town and walk them around. It is time consuming, but worth it to take them out individually and see how they react.

Also this weekend the pups will be their first baths, blow dry and grooming. We are hoping to get some cute christmas photos with them. That should be interesting as the 5 hooligans don't understand "stay" yet!

Ouch!

Poor Hob-b! She is becoming a good mom now; cleaning and staying with the little pup. But it hurts to watch him nursing so close to the sutures!

What a face! Now this is the color I have been waiting for......too bad it's a boy! A lovely red sable colour and a face blaze..Aaaaah heaven!

Hob-b and her boy

Hob-b started showing some interest in her little boy last night. Almost clockwork 24 hours since she came out of surgery. The pup is strong and nursing on his own. And, thank God, he has gained one ounce since he was born. He is now 8 ounces. Both little Hob-b and the little pup look lost in the big whelping box!

Hob-b is still not herself and not that interested in eating. This is worrying and I am handfeeding her anything she will eat. Her temperature is normal. The vet said this is normal but I will be watching her closely and bring her in if she doesn't start eating better by tomorrow.

Another "One"

Yesterday around 6 am Hob-b's temperature dropped indicating pups due within 12-24 hours.

So I took Hob-b in for an x-ray to determine how many pups she had. I was concerned because she is such a little girl. Well, the bad news was that she only had ONE puppy. The vet and I talked about it and decided to do a c-section right then and there as the pup seemed large in relation to Hob-b's pelvic opening. The risk of waiting was that Hob-b would have gone into labor and if the pup got stuck in the canal we would have to do an emergency c-section. That is much riskier for the mom and pup and I did not want to risk losing either. When there is only one puppy, those puppies tend to be larger (lots of room to spread out in there!) so we went for the safer option.

I was sad for Hob-b as she had to go thru that surgery but she seems to have come thru fine. The good news is that she has one healthy sable BOY puppy. (my dogs seemed determined never to give me another sable bitch!) He weighs 7 ounces and seems strong. Hob-b is not very interested in him at this point but that is typical for a mom just out of a c-section. She should start showing interest later today. Hob-b is groggy and sore but she lets him nurse and cuddle with her; she just doesn't clean him or get concerned if he cries. Breeders who have experienced c-sections before say this is normal for the first day. In my notes from Jordan (who had a c-section due to two HUGE puppies) I wrote that she showed no interest in the pups for around 36 hours. It is understandable because the bitch never went into labor and never saw the puppy or cleaned the puppy after birth. All Hob-b knows is that she woke up sore and uncomfortable and there was this wriggly brown thing suckling on her!

So "Little Brown Boy" joins the singleton puppy brigade along with "One" who was True's singleton pup 3 years ago. And singleton friends: German Shorthair Pointer "Price" and border collie "Ticket". With some work and knowledge, a singleton puppy can grow up just as adjusted as a pup with littermates.

With all the stress of worrying about Hob-b and pup, I didn't get much sleep last night. I slept downstairs with Hob-b to make sure the pup nursed all night. In addition, because Hob-b is not cleaning him, I have to stimulate him with a damp cotton ball to help him pee and poo. The best moment of last night was when I showed the new puppy to Zen! Zen would gladly take over for Hob-b right now and immediately started licking the pup and whining. I find it so funny that Hob-b was playing and help socializing Zen's older puppies and Zen would like to take over for Hob-b's newborn pup! I guess they both have their preferences!

New Friends

The pups have met some new people and new dogs this weekend. At first they were a little concerned about Lex the Golden retriever's size but her gentleness put them at ease.

The pups also got to meet little Hannah. Hannah is actually afraid of dogs, but everytime we have a litter she comes and visits. She starts out not wanting to go near them and eventually will hold them but she worries about their sharp teeth! When the visit is over Hannah becomes brave and actually gave one pup a kiss on the head. Bless!

Hannah gets a good hold on Dot!

Carmella doing what she does best..chewing on socks!

Pups are growing up

I haven't had a chance to post much on the blog lately. The pups are really keeping us busy now. We actually ran out of paper towels today! Gosh these pups are super dooper poo-ing machines.

The pups had a lovely visit this week from Adele and Han from Holland. They are long-time sheltie people and it was great to talk shelties all day. I hope that their first OBay sheltie gives them many years of happiness. They have tentatively picked their puppy, but I am keeping that a secret for now!

The pups have had quite a few new experiences this week. I took them for a car ride to the train station to pick up and drop off Adele and Han. I am not sure they heard much as they were sleeping! But I parked the car as close to the train station as possible and opened up the back so they could hear and see the train. I think I will do this again, possibly taking one or two pups out of the car and holding them while the trains go by.

They also had a nice trip out to Sue's house. After I taught the puppy class in the morning, all my students took a puppy and carried them out to the sand school. We put the puppies down and they immediately started to explore and play. It was a great experience for them and I was very happy with the way they handled the new environment. I worry alot about their socialization and their temperments. I only want the pups with good temperments to go to working homes. I know that I can only do so much, the rest is up to the new owners. But I try and do as much as possible in those first 8 weeks. And then I nag the new owners for the next 10 months to try and get them to keep up the socialization aspect!

Today the pups went for a ride with Dennis to his Clay pigeon shooting. (note these are CLAY pigeons, not real ones!) He will park far enough away that the shooting does not hurt their ears, but that they can still hear it. They will have their lunch in the car while Dennis shoots. I am waiting for them to return and to hear all about the adventure.

Here are the first official photos of Ho-b's puppies! They are due at the end of this week and I am hoping she doesn't go early.





Zen will now stay with the puppies if she has on her little shirt and pants. They prevent the pups from nursing. Still she is wondering "When are they going?".

Cuteness!

Black leg! She loves to play bow.

Pickle! One day he will grow into his ears.....

Tony! Still looking like a stuffed toy...with mud

Tony as usual likes to stay on top of things...

Nordic Champions!

Congratulations to Susanne with Unique (OBay Truly Unique) and Marianne with Monty (Toven The Full Monty) for winning the small team event at the Nordic Championships! The Nordic Agility Championship consists of teams from Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland.

Monty is Unique (and Zen's) sire. Monty is owned by Johanna and myself but he prefers to run for Marianne and she has been doing a fantastic job with him this year. Congratulations!!

Where do the days go?

The puppies are getting more active and the days are just flying by. Zen has had enough of the puppies but lets them nurse occasionally. I am suprised that she doesn't want to play much with them. She would rather play with me, so I cannot have her in the room when I work with the pups. So instead I let Hob-b and Jordan in with the pups when they are loose.

Both Hob-b and Jordan are gentle so I can trust them with the pups. In this photo patient Hob-b puts up with the pup using her tail as a tuggie!

A more appropriate tuggie! I continue to work on tugging with the pups. I try and use different tugs each time, so that they don't get used to just one type. But they really like this one!

We had a lovely dinner for a friend's birthday and at the same time had some puppy socialization. Black Leg joined us and you can see her size in relation to a beer can.

Carmella catching a little cuddle with Dennis. I don't know who is more tired. Night night....

Two busy days for the pups

We try to give the pups new experiences everyday. Yesterday the pups had their first car ride and their first visit to Spellman. Going to the office is great socialization for puppies. Not only do they get to see new things, but they meet lots of people. This is just what they need and hopefully the people at the factory enjoy it too!



Dennis took them out of the car and put them into this basket which just invited a Christmas tree photo.

Carmella almost gotten taken away in a handbag! She heard that Paris Hilton may be looking for a new handbag pet and wants to offer her services.

Black Leg got a chance to do some ordering around in the sales office. Her computer skills will come in handy.

Today the pups took a car ride to the Butchers and to Sainsburys. Dennis opened up the boot so that they could watch the world go by. They got alot of attention and are very comfortable in the car.

When they returned home there was a big shock.....the sun was out! So Dennis took advantage of the warmer weather and fed them in the back garden. This was only their second time walking on grass and gravel but it did not seem to bother them. They had their lunch "al Fresco" and the fresh air made them very hungry.

Dot and Black Leg are wondering if they could have some more please......

Computer Games

Black leg and Pickle are reading the Agility Forum. But Black Legs says it is too controversial and too much talk about border collies.....So she puts down her tri paw and clicks back to the Agility Net to read the nice front page articles.

Puppy Play

Not the greatest photos, but puppies are hard to photograph while they are playing. Although this photo is dark (my camera flash was acting up) I thought it was so cute. Tony likes to climb up on things and he decided the washing up bowl was fun!

Carmella tries out the mini tunnel and does a baby retrieve.