More Fun & Biography's

The horde is always working on & learning new things. One thing they are learning is patience. In this picture you see 8 of the horde sitting and waiting patently for me. It was too perfect! Sadly you can't see the other 2 horde members or their red headed step sister who are all sitting at my feet. :) Now on to the bio's!

This is Sweetie Pie. He is a medium to medium-high energy dog. Loves to play and adores cuddling! Like all dogs he will need daily walks & play sessions. I also recommend least one of the following; bikejoring, agility, biking, hiking, jogging or other similar activity.

This is Stoplight. She is a medium energy dog. She loves to play but it is not as intense as most of the horde. After a short play session she loves to cuddle with you or her siblings. (She is laying in the chair next to me as I type :) Don't let that make you think she doesn't need exercise. As a medium energy dog she will still need daily walk/play sessions and will have no trouble going hiking, jogging, or other similar activities.

This is Angel. He is one of the larger puppies. He adores playing and exploring and is normally one of the first ones to check new things out and one of the last to come in the house. He loves to get attention and when tired loves to cuddle. Will need an active home or family. Recommend at least one of the following; bikejoring, agility, biking, hiking, jogging or other similar activity as well as daily walks and play sessions.

This is Galaxy. She is a medium energy dog. She likes to play but it is not as intense as most of the horde but she loves to explore and much of the time she is one of the last back in the house. After a short play session she loves to cuddle with you or her siblings. (She is laying in the chair next to me as I type :) Don't let that make you think she doesn't need exercise. As a medium energy dog she will still need daily walk/play sessions and will have no trouble going hiking, jogging, or other similar activities.

Play days and the horde :)

Over the next few days we will posting updated pictures and bios of the individuals of the horde.

The first one is called Runner. She is one of the most active puppies in the litter. She loves to run and play hard! Definitely a high energy dog. But once she's tired she loves to cuddle. Only for a very active person or family. If an average sized family was interested and everyone joined in for jogs, biking, playing, etc along with her daily walks she would be fine. Recommend one or all of the following; bikejoring, agility, biking, hiking, or jogging as well as daily walks and play sessions.

This is Uno. She is the smallest puppy in the litter but feisty and big in heart. She can hold her own against even the biggest puppies in the litter even if they are 3 times her size. She is also one of the happiest in the litter always wagging her tail and loving attention. Though she may be addicted to licking...

This is spot, one of the larger males. He is one of the more gentle and quiet puppies in the litter. LOVES to cuddle! Relaxing with people is his thing. Don't let that make you think he doesn't need exercise though. He is a medium energy dog and will still need daily walk/play sessions and will have no trouble going hiking, jogging, or other similar activities.

This is traveler. He is a medium-high energy dog and loves to play! Once the play is done however he has no problem sleeping next to his people and/or siblings. He is the only puppy in the litter with only dalmatian characteristics in his coloring. Will need an active home or family though not as intensively as runner. Recommend at least one of the following; bikejoring, agility, biking, hiking, or jogging as well as daily walks and play sessions.

This is Ghost aka Screamer. His is an almost all white puppy with minimum spots. He will need a home comfortable and prepared for a special needs dog as we believe he is deaf. He does very well following his siblings, responding to vibrations, and responding to gestures. Anyone interested in him may want to consider a sibling as well. He will do great with someone who wants to put the time into a strong bond. He is medium high energy and will need an active home or family though not as intensively as runner. Recommend at least one of the following; bikejoring, agility, biking, hiking, or jogging as well as daily walks and play sessions.

What does not match in this picture? We have had a surprise in the last few days. As I mentioned the puppies and I have been traveling over Christmas and new years to visit family. Well to make a long story short a 5 week old singleton corgi/terrier cross female has joined the hoard. Angel took a strong liking to her right away and in no time so was excepted by everyone but the special friend of angel. Much of the time when I go looking for one the other is near. Especially at nap time!! Though why the large angel sleeps on top of the small female is a mystery to me :)

Christmas time fun

The puppies have been traveling for Christmas and are up to all sorts of games and experiences. The picture of buddha above is the first time they truly got to play in the snow. At first they were worried but in no time they were running, playing, & pouncing in the snow.

 

We have been playing with any obstacle presented to us. This trio of pictures is of the hoard learning to go up a ramp. Spotlight found the board to start with and after making it more sturdy everyone had fun with it. To start with it was checked out very carefully but after following a small trail of kibble they were fighting to play on it, finding it to be a wonderful high ground. Angel even thought is was a great place to rest.

We have starting playing short rounds of ball. They think it is great fun to chase and pounce the ball. It is a skirmish every time to see who brings it back my way.

After a hard session of play we all come back into their room. They currently have the laundry room all to themselves. It is perfect due not only to the fact it has space and not a lot needing puppy proofing. It also have an exterior door making it easy to let them outside regularly, thous making the housebreaking process much more efficient. While we do still have their boxes they are doing very well and much of the time prefer to do their business outside. They are let out regularly (about every 2hrs or after a good play session) with food and water offered on a schedule. In this picture they are sitting and asking to be pet and cuddled.

Of course they still have toys and chews inside to keep them entertained. Here we see teamwork as Buddha is grabbing them off the top of their "den" while others wait patently so they can play.

sit and follow

The puppies are working on sit

They are working on sit in a group

 They are growing REALLY fast right now.  The largest puppy now outweighs the chihuahua, though she is still taller than him with her big ears.

 Now off for lunch!

Angel

Angel is the second biggest male.  

He has big black splotches that match from side to side, just like wings!  He is a very bold and dominant puppy.  That means he will do better with a person that knows how to set and enforce boundaries.  

He is always interested in what people are doing.  During leash training this week he would follow along while other puppies were on the leash as if asking to do it again. Angel will be happiest if he has the chance to develop a close bond with his family. Seeing new things is especially important to him as well.  He wants a home where he gets to go places with his own special person every day. 

Runner

Meet Runner!  

She is one of our four females.  We called her runner because her legs looked long and she is living up to the name!  Runner will want an active household for certain.  

She is very inquisitive and always looking for new things.  She has great coloring, with evenly placed eye patches and lots of dalmatian spots

We are looking for a home for her with people that want a hiking or workout partner.  She will get you out and moving on days when you feel lazy! 

Six weeks old- Leash training!

At six weeks the puppies are doing quite well with their toilet training.  They have not pooped in their crate for several days.  We make sure that they have a chance to go outside right after they eat because we know puppies poop after eating.  They get plenty of play time outside

exploring the big semi truck

climbing over tools we left out,

and playing chase.

Now we are on to the next challenge:  walking on a leash

Since they are very young and very small it is important to be very gentle with the leash.  Our goal is to introduce it in a way that shows them a leash means fun.

We spent several days encouraging them to follow us as we walk around the yard.  Every time they go outside or come back in we point them in the right direction, but we never pick them up.  They have to make it up the steps on their own.   

From this they learn to follow direction and to work towards goals, two things we will be asking them to do on a leash.

The first day we slipped a leash around their neck we only asked for a few steps.  

This is the most frightening time for the puppy, so we have to be extremely gentle.  We put just one finger worth of pressure on the leash and we wait. 

We never drag them forward, this makes them feel helpless.  We wait for the puppy to choose to move forward.  This is a puzzle for them.  They try lots of different solutions to the puzzle: pulling away from the pressure, yelping, grabbing the leash with their mouth, even rolling over.  As soon as they try moving toward us we praise them happily.  They figured out the puzzle!

The second and third sessions we ask a little more, showing them the true purpose of a leash is to walk together.  

In these sessions the some of the puppies would only walk a dozen feet and some went all around our puppy yard.  It is up to each puppy how much we do.  We make sure that each session shows less fight and more walking.  By the fourth day all of them are walking happily around the yard with only short bouts of pulling. 

Angel even came up to Judith and asked for another walk when everyone was done, so he got to go all the way to the arena and back!

play teaches

The puppies are now in the stage where they are playing any time they are awake.  They play with each other.

They play with the big dogs

They play with people

They play with toys

They play with the cat

Play is how they learn to use their bodies well.  It is also how they learn that how to treat different categories of animal.  From other dogs to cats to different sizes and shapes of people puppies should meet lots of new friends.  Then they will grow up to be a well socialized dog who is not scared of new and different people or animals.  They develop new pathways in their brain that direct movements they will use their entire lives!

Play is also how they learn bite inhibition- one of the most important skills a pet dog can have.  The puppies teach each other how to bite gently by crying out suddenly and stopping their play any time one of them gets too rough.  They learn that if you bite hard you don't get to play! 

If an adult dog learns is gentle when he bites he is said to have good bite inhibition.  This means that if he ever has a disagreement with another dog that turns into a fight it is less likely to turn into a visit to the vet.  It also means that if the dog gets so scared he bites a person he will probably not break the skin.  It is very important for puppies to do lots of play biting when they are young so they can learn how to do it right!

outdoors

The puppies ventured outside for the first time this morning.

Judith coaxed them off the porch and out into the sun.

They played with the cat and the other dogs

It was a good day!