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Puppies At 6.5 Weeks

Posted By: Jim Garvie

Puppies At 6.5 Weeks - 07/07/08 03:04 AM

Well, the puppies have just turned 6.5 weeks old and are now weaned, pack-ordered and continue to be socialized. This weekend they went outside for the first time after having received their first round of vaccinations on Thursday. They loved it. "Oh, look daddy, lettuce!!!!" And so, they ate. And peed. And pooped. And played. And . . . well it just goes on and on.

We are really delighted, overall, with these puppies. They are very consistent and very pretty. They love new experiences and are using the tunnel and climbing toys we added to their play pens with gusto. They also seem to have lovely bodies as well as very pretty heads. At the moment, I can tell you which are the top picks but I couldn't tell you which are the bottom picks. They are just too much alike.

In birth order, here is Mr Red.



Followed by, Mr Teal:



And Professor Plum:



The delicate (no way) Ms Pink is next and she's probably the dominant in the litter.



Mr Green has really developed into a very nice puppy with a great body and very pretty headpiece.



And Ms Yellow is probably the pick of the 2 girls.





Mr Blue is, right now, pick of the boys but it's not by much.



And, Mr Lt Green is also quite nice overall.



This was a busy week for the puppies. A couple that is taking both a girl and a boy flew in from New Hampshire to visit them on Tuesday. They were visited by two buyers on Friday, two more on Saturday and two more today. The neighbors were having a party on Wednesday and 17 people came over to see the puppies and play with them. They loved it. So did the puppies .

So, it's been an exciting week and the pups are handling all this activity with confidence and a joie de vive that is quite nice to see. May it always be so.

Enjoy,

Jim
Posted By: ConnieM

Re: Puppies At 6.5 Weeks - 07/07/08 03:37 AM

I like them all....seems like a nice consistant litter. I really like Mr Blue....I love his head and looks like he has the show dog attitude. Is he going to a show home??
Connie
Posted By: Peggy Sue

Re: Puppies At 6.5 Weeks - 07/07/08 03:41 AM

Great story to go with the images. I love all the socialization you are doing with these pups. They are off to a terrific site. Great Job!
Posted By: Jim Garvie

Re: Puppies At 6.5 Weeks - 07/07/08 12:05 PM

Connie,
right now, I have some good show homes and some good homes that are willing to show. And, yes, those are two different things.

The ones with show experience will get the key picks. Those with enthusiasm and the ability to train will get the second tier with the expectation that I'm going to have to do a lot of the show training and find them a good handler.

Right now, our picks are Mr Blue and Ms Yellow. They are the male/female versions of each other -- chunky, pretty heads, decent toplines and excellent attitude. None of the puppies in this litter are shy or loners.

The next tier includes Prof Plum, Mr Green and Ms Pink. Green is more moderate but has a pretty headpiece and gorgeous body/topline. He may go to an experienced home that wants a dog that can do everything: Conformation, Obedience and Agility.

We have a great home that is taking a boy and a girl so Ms Yellow will probably go there along with Prof Plum since they appear to be a diad. Those people live half the year in New Hampshire and half in Vero Beach, FL.

Ms Pink will go to a home that will want to do Obedience and Agility and it is an experienced home which will be necessary because Ms Pink has ATTITUDE !!

The rest will go to homes depending on how they are rated. Evaluations will be next Saturday so I have to teach them to stack between now and then. I can't believe they'll be gone in 2 weeks. I'm definitely getting too old to do this breeding thing .

Jim
Posted By: Visceral Image

Re: Puppies At 6.5 Weeks - 07/07/08 03:49 PM

Jim; I have really enjoyed watching these pups grow up here on the forum; thanks for sharing all the news and photos.
Posted By: Lisa

Re: Puppies At 6.5 Weeks - 07/07/08 09:06 PM

Jim, Got to Love them all. But i think Mr Green is running First for me then Mr Blue.

Lisa
Posted By: Jim Garvie

Re: Puppies At 6.5 Weeks - 07/07/08 11:23 PM

Lisa,
well, you have everyone else at a disadvantage because you and Chris spent a few hours with them on Saturday!

We also love Mr Green. He is definitely an all-arounder. He just looks so athletic compared to the other puppies. However, I want to be sure you get the headpiece you want as well so we'll keep looking closely.

I'm delighted you joined this forum. Guys, this lady takes great candids of both dogs and horses -- she works on an Arabian breeding farm. I am so stoked about getting up there to take pictures of the foals!!!!

She is going to take one of the boys from this litter. Linda and I are really delighted. This lady will not only give the puppy a great life, she will give it every opportunity to thrive in Conformation, Obedience and Agility.

Stacked photos to come. You know, I should have asked you to take the photos while I stacked them. Hmmmmm. So, what are you doing next weekend?

Jim
Posted By: wallyspop

Re: Puppies At 6.5 Weeks - 07/08/08 08:40 PM

They look amazing Jim...... psssst, it sounds like Lisa has already formed an emotional bond with Mr Green, my opinion, let her take him home. The emotional bond is soooooo important!
Posted By: Jim Garvie

Re: Puppies At 6.5 Weeks - 07/08/08 08:50 PM

Bob,
Lisa will have her choice and Mr Green would be a good one. But we need to see how they stack out and move over the next few weeks. Lisa understands the show game and knows that she can bond with whatever pup she ends up with. The only time you ever compare them is when they're in the litter. After that, the one you have is the one you want.

Annie and Rowdy both arrived at our house by plane. Annie was pick of her litter and Rowdy was 4th pick male and probably the 7th pick overall in a really outstanding litter. Once we held them in our arms we couldn't imagine having any puppy but them. We still felt that way once we saw the other puppies in both litters at their first shows. Rowdy's sister Dyna (Ch Loral's Dynasty) is the winningest Rottweiler bitch of all time. And I love her. But I wouldn't trade Rowdy for Dyna.

Like I said, Lisa has been here before. She just recently lost her Rottie boy who was very, very nice. She finished him in Conformation, titled him in Obedience and Agility and showed him in just about every venue available. He loved it and she loved him. I know that she'll feel the same about the puppy she gets from us.

And it just might be Mr Green

BTW, here's one more pic of Mr Green. He was sitting in my lap a few minutes ago and he's really a doll.

Posted By: Jim Poor

Re: Puppies At 6.5 Weeks - 07/08/08 09:58 PM

Oh they're so cute! I'll probably never have another puppy again, but I'll miss the fuzziness and the puppy breath.
Posted By: wallyspop

Re: Puppies At 6.5 Weeks - 07/09/08 12:21 AM

You know somehow I knew you would take my comments in a light hearted fashion. Some people you have to worry how you word things as they might snap back when your intentions are pretty benign. There are a bunch of breeders out there, and folks that show their dogs, that view the dogs as objects. Clearly not the case here, and I knew that and I'm glad you recognized I was just ribbing you. You're a quality gent Mr Garvie.

Side note to Lisa. I'm very sorry about your loss. I know just how tough that is. I'm sure the new pup will bring many years of renewed companionship.

By the way, Mr Green obviously already knows how to use those eyes!
Posted By: Jim Garvie

Re: Puppies At 6.5 Weeks - 07/09/08 01:07 PM

Bob,
ironically, the emotional bond IS important which is why we try to help folks make the right pick. We live with these guys for 8 weeks of intensive growth and learning. Us about them; they about the world. Nobody knows them better than we do.

In the old days, buyers would be allowed to actually pick their puppies and often that would result in a mismatch between what the family could handle and what the puppy needed. That may work out with Golden Retrievers but it can have some really negative consequences with Rotties.

So, we get to know the people as well as possible and match up the pups with the right homes. Yes, we let the buyers meet the puppies as often as possible and get to know them but hopefully that means they'll love them all as much as we do. The puppies with the most attitude and energy will go to homes that know how to channel it. The less experienced homes will get the more laid-back puppies. In my experience, you can always build up drives but it's hard to hold them back. Annie was -- according to her co-owner -- too laid back as a puppy. So we built up her drives. We must have over-done it 'cuz she sure does have them now!!! .

The really nice thing about this litter is that there is not a lot of difference between the more dominant ones and the less dominant ones. They are far more alike than different. But we are seeing a couple that are moving up on the attitude scale -- i.e. Ms Pink and Mr Green. For Obedience and Agility competition, that's the kind of attitude you want.

Wish you lived closer so you could visit these guys.

Jim
Posted By: wallyspop

Re: Puppies At 6.5 Weeks - 07/10/08 12:09 AM

Jim, visiting the pups would be a terrible idea. I would want one, or more, my wife would threaten me with all sort of evil deeds if we didn't take at least one home. You would not let us have one because we know nothing about Rotties. Then my wife would be really angry because I didn't do the research to be prepared for the scrutiny we would undergo. Then with my wife on the verge of divorce I could no longer be your friend. Bad idea..... lol

Seriously, wish we did live closer. Plan another batch to be around in May of next year and we have a deal!
Posted By: Jim Garvie

Re: Puppies At 6.5 Weeks - 07/10/08 01:28 AM

Bob,
I didn't realize the implications of a visit and thank you for explaining it so eloquently .

Unfortunately, this is Cassidy's last litter and we don't have another breedable girl in our household so having a litter next May is not real likely. Well, we do co-own Sundance's sister, Juneau, who is in the process of finishing her Championship and all the kids get their OFA testing done in January so it is possible but highly unlikely.

Besides, I've decided to keep this entire litter because I can't stand letting them go. That will put us at 15 dogs in the house and that is clearly too many. By any measure!!!

Breeding is a tremendous amount of fun. It is rewarding beyond any description. It is also a tremendous amount of work both in terms of the puppies and in terms of finding the right homes for them. I don't begrudge the amount of work. I love these guys. But the culling of responsible homes is not always a pleasure.

I wish I were 20 years younger. It would be easier on my body and my mind. But when I go into the whelping box at 5:30 in the morning and all the puppies run to me to be held as I kneel there . . . it's unbelievable. That moment of pure love is just something most of us never feel or share. Linda and I are lucky. And stupid . We do it because we love the dogs. Plain and simple. Yes, we're crazy but I trust we're not bad people. We create wonderful puppies that turn into wonderful dogs. I only wish we had more time to do it.

Jim
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