Everyone I've ever talked to that has bred dogs always says that Art!

Took Tye on a long walk thru the woods. I swear he was hunting. No pointing, but sure interested in everything. He seems very trainable. Hes a sucker for doggie treats. He retrieved a toy to hand last night three times.

I just got off the phone with Art and I'm planning on being down there between 5:30 and 6:00 so I'd imagine you could show up around the same time.

-Aaron

sounds like a plan, we'll be there.



willy

Dave,
If you need any training DVD's, let me know, I think I've got a couple in the collection...

Set upa small, narrow corridor, like a hallway, where you can toss a small toy, and have a short retrieve where he can't run off in the wrong direction or get past you. Slowly work the distance, and remove the side barriers... and you're good to go,

Moose was retrieving to hand at 8 weeks, and brought a dead bandtail pigeon to me at just over 9 weeks...


Oh, now is a good time to start them out on strange surfaces also, like grating, elevated heights, etc., and play with their paws a lot. Gets them used to checking their paws, and also used to walking on all surfaces.

Bear, about three minutes ago, retrieved to hand for the first time....

Thanks I preciate the offer. Tye has been retreiving a tennis ball quite a bit. He has done five retrieves this AM. But would love to see the DVDs.

This is a crappy video, but . . .

another beatin and abused dog with no joy in it's life.
Radar is asleep in Drakes bed rite now but when he wakes up we plan on being real mean to him. So glad none of the dogs from this litter are being spoiled.

kenna's slept in bed with us both nights so far, still working on the crate thing. she fetched up a little in the backyard, but i like twitch's idea in the hallway. we walked on a leash at 6:30 this morning (a little early for me ..yawn) but it went well. never spoil your bird dog.....




willy

Boris is doing awesome! He has been getting used to crate life but is doing well with it. The first night was about 20 minutes of crying before he fell asleep. He woke up about 3 times and cried a little each time but would then fall back asleep. Each of the 3 nights since then has gotten better, with just a few minutes of quite whining before falling asleep last night. I successfully trained my girlfriend NOT to respond to the crying and we've actually managed to stick to our guns. Despite the cuteness factor (which has pegged the charts!), I've managed to not let anyone put him up on a bed or the couch and he has already accepted the fact there is no reason to even try.

The bathroom breaks are becoming routine and he knows what to do, almost on command now. He mastered "sit" in about a day and shows pride everytime he "gets" to do it. Retrieving 4 or 5 times in a row before giving him a break has worked well and he is rapidly falling in love with the tennis ball. He seems perfectly happy riding in the car and going to sleep. As I type, he is actually curled up in the back of the SUV with Kaiser. Having another dog around definitely reduces Boris' stress although Kaiser is one grumpy ol' dude at this point and had to teach Boris a couple of severe lessons on not stealing food and not treating another dog's tail as a chew toy.

Compared to when Kaiser was a puppy, Boris is much more affectionate, confidant, and observant. I think most of those traits are strongly related to the wonderful environment Art provided during the first 2 months of life. I really can't thank you enough, Art.

I'll throw some pics up sometime soon.

kenna's doing great, too. she's adjusted to the crate well for all her naps, but has spent the night in bed with us. think that she'll be in the crate tonight. the potty thing is really going well, she'll get up and head to the back door if she needs to go. fetching is pretty good, had a couple come back to hand. she's a nippy thing, though! likes to nibble on the whole family.



i couldn't agree more. the exposure and attention art and the kids have given her has made kenna the pup she is. she's bold, confident and certainly responsive to our family.

thanks, art!




willy

Boris

Tye just spent the afternoon playing grab ass with a seven month old Wheaton terrier. Tye is considerably better behaved.

I THINK he is housebroken. No accidents in more than a day. He goes out to the yard to poop, but will pee in the house if not taken out enough times a day. I 'm guessing 100% reliable soon. He hated the crate at first but now loves it and whimpers less than a minute at most. He really didn’t like going in the car in the crate. The trip to the vet was an ear splitter. So I began driving him about 200 yards then fed him. Now he begs to get in the car. He eats like a piranha.

Yep, Art did a magnificent job, and good parents help too.

Tye will retrieve a tennis ball about four times before losing g interest, but I think that’s great for a pup of less than nine weeks.


Tye After a Hard Day of Playing Grab Ass

Yeah, it is shocking and amusing at the same time.

Crazy shot:

Beware of flees. Found 2 on Radar today. Stopped and picked up a puppy treatment and when I got home and read the box it said not before 12 weeks. Will have to find something else. Hope he didn't get them here but it wouldn't surprise me. He has gotten around over the weekend and has been scratching a bit so keep an eye out. Scratch around your pups belly about an inch into the hair line and watch to see if any run out onto his bear belly. With the mild winter it's sure to be bad this year...
Keep a close eye on it this summer...Art

Yep. Tye has them. Vet gave us some gel to put in betwwen his shoulder blades. Seems to have worked.

Also a bad year for ticks. Usualy not a problem for labs but I suppose puppies coats might not be too thick for them.

I picked two out of Sage a couple of weeks ago. First time ever I've seen them on the westside.

Again great looking pups. Can't wait to meet a few of them along a river bank soon!

Yeah, I've been battling the fleas on a very regular basis... not really a big deal. It just kind of comes with the territory. I bought some puppy flea shampoo and have used it twice. The first time, it didn't seem to make a dent. Last night, I filled up the tub to lower belly depth and did it again with more soap and a flea comb and got 4 off into the tub. In the 2 days before that, I think I've pulled off another 18 to 20 with the flea comb and/or by hand alone. I think I've got most of them off but definitely not all of them. It is a tough cycle to break without the serious chemicals (which I'm hoping to avoid at least for now). Wash bedding, vacuum the carpet daily, and stay vigilent with the flea comb. Unfortunately, the flea lifecycle isn't conducive to easy, quick fixes. Puppies are so squirmy that you usually have to try to get the fleas when the dog is sleeping or tired. I have learned that black dogs make it WAY more difficult to find and catch those buggers.

I saw I missed your call last night Art. I'll give you a call this afternoon.

I haven't noticed fleas on bear, but that's not to say they aren't present. I have him scheduled for the groomers today, and notified them that he might have a problem..

They said they would check, and if he does, then they are going to "treat" him.

make sure it is a puppy safe treatment