You can tell from the title to this post that I haven’t had much to report. The puppies are doing great. This is when they are fun but also a lot of work. Now, at 6 weeks old, I take them out of the raised kennel 2 or 3 times a day. I put them in the grass and each day they get a little bolder.
A puppy learning about the big, big world.
More puppies.
It’s hard to see but one of the puppies is off the high part of the patio crying to get back on.
I did the Super Pup system with the puppies. The Super Pup thing is: Tickle between the toes with a Q-tip for 3 to 5 seconds; hold their head straight up for 3 to 5 seconds; hold their head straight down for 3 to 5 seconds; hold them on their back for 3 to 5 seconds and place them on a towel that has been in a freezer for 3 to 5 seconds. You do that from day 3 through day 16 each day. That’s just a snap shot of the procedure. If anyone is interested just Google “Super Pup”. There is a good video on how to do it.
Because of there possibly being two sires for this litter I sent the DNA kits off the same day I got them. They were furnished by UKC but the DNA test will be performed by one of the California colleges. It’s been more than a month and I haven’t heard from them.
On their 16th day as a graduation present, from the Super Pup program, I put collars on them. I’m not sure whether they think it was a present or more of a punishment. They stopped to scratch their collars every once in a while but after a couple of days they were used to them. Each collar is a different color so it makes identifying them from a distance easier. And most of them will wear a collar for the rest of their life. May as well get used to it.
Watching the puppies learn is a lot of fun. Their raised kennel sits on a concrete drive. There is a patch of grass between the concrete drive and the asphalt drive that wraps around. On the other side of the asphalt is more grass. The puppies were okay with the concrete drive but wouldn’t step on the asphalt for several days. After a few days I moved a chair across the asphalt and then called their mother, Abby, to me. If mom could do it so could they.
Then this morning, one of the pups was trying to get on the patio where most of the other pups were but she was at a spot where the patio was about 16 inches high. They just learned to get on the porch and that is only 6 or 7 inches high. It was crying until a couple of puppies went to check on her. She still couldn’t get up. Then another puppy came around through the yard to look at her. I could see her thinking. Hey, I can go that way. Puppies have to learn everything and that is one of the ways they do it. Watching each other.
Just puppies being puppies.
The puppies are 6 weeks old today and the guy with first pick will be by this afternoon to make his pick. Once he makes his pick I will know where most of them are going. A couple of people have made their selection if it isn’t picked by the guy with first pick. But they aren’t taking them today. I like for the puppies to stay until they are 8 weeks old, at least. But in my opinion, much longer and the pups either turn into bullies or wallflowers.
The guy that has my other two puppies, Annie and Stormy, was running them in a field trial in northern Oklahoma so I drove down to watch. Annie was in the second brace so I had to be there early. I fed Abby and the puppies so I could leave by 4:oo am. It was about 3 1/2 hours down there.
More puppies.
They were running in the open puppy class. The guy that is handling them had a side by side and I drove it hauling other spectators or handlers when their run was over. The first brace didn’t happen. Evidently someone didn’t show up and the puppy that was brought to the line kept going back to the chain gang that he had been chained to. So he was put back on the chain gang and Annie and her brace mate were ran.
Annie’s brace mate wanted to play to start with but she just went by him and went hunting. She was all business. About half way, up on a hill, she went on point. She was skylighted by standing on the hill and looked great. She was far enough in front of the handler that she stayed on point, for a minute or two, then flushed the bird. But it was a puppy class. That’s what puppies do.
Puppies.
Stormy ran later but she had a good race with no finds. But it is easy to tell that both of these pups have been worked a lot. Both of them are true puppies, with Stormy’s birthday the 25th of April, she will be 1 year old. Annie was a year old the 20th of February. They seem to get better each time I see them run.
Because of the puppies at home I drove home after the puppies ran. Another 3 1/2 hours. But I feed Abby and the puppies twice a day and I don’t like to ask anyone to do it for me.
Abby pointing a covey.
The puppies were running in the amateur the next day but it wouldn’t be until afternoon. I drove back but I didn’t leave until about 8:00 am. The handler (I’ve got to ask him if it’s okay to use his name in these posts) had a guy lined up to run the pups for him. The pro handler couldn’t run them in the amateur.
Just before I got there he called me. He and his young son put some ointment on a small cut on Annie’s foot. When they finished he told his son to put her up meaning in the truck. His son put her back in the kennel. Long story short, she was home. Too far from his kennel to go get her. It wasn’t that big of a deal.
He had Stormy with him. Then just before it was time to run her we noticed that we were braced against the guy that was supposed to run her. Originally he had asked me to run them but I felt at my age, 81 years old, I could walk 20 minutes for each heat but I knew I would be slower than the younger handlers. I didn’t want to hold someone up or be so far behind I didn’t know what was going on. But now I was it. They did offer a 4-wheeler but since there is only one dog to run I could tough it out for I brace. I had to borrow a blank pistol and GPS but I was ready.
Annie at Grove Springs break away.
I brought Stormy up on a Wonder lead and we turned them loose. She was running against a young pointer. A couple hundred yards into it both dogs went a long way to our right. We started calling and they weren’t gone long before they were both in front but covering a lot of ground. The temperature was 88 degrees with a strong south wind. Not the best of days for dog work.
Some of my dogs just get a drink out of any available water and go back to hunting. Not Stormy on this hot day. She jumped in to any available water. She was a muddy mess by the time we finished but it cooled her off. We ran in the last brace of amateur puppies.
They hadn’t given the placements on the amateur derby that was run just before the puppies. They gave those out then placed Stormy third in the puppies, the pointer we had run against was second and a German short hair was first. It was late afternoon so I jumped into the truck and went home. Another 3 1/2 hour drive.
Annie pointing an armadillo.
The next day I couldn’t believe how tired I was. My mind didn’t even work very well, if it ever does. I had driven 14 hours over Saturday and Sunday, and ran Stormy in 88 degree heat walking as fast as I could. But it was all worth it. I enjoyed both days with a bunch of people that like to do the same things I like.