Pups starting to go home

The babes are all leaving...and since many people are still asking about the pups..this handsome BC is available for adoption in NJ on Petfinder under NJ Puppy rescue or
Chris at rescue-me@earthlink.net

Brodie is neutered, up-to-date on shots & loves everyone!

He is a sun bleached red & white, very thin and recently rescued from a shelter. He has a great personality...so anyone who may be thinking of an adult please consider adopting him

So the pups are starting to go home and I have been so busy this week, have not been updating blog....

Cedar is in his new home with Rachel & family-went home on one of the most brutally hot days we have had this summer. Smart puppy, jumped into their pool, not once but several times!
Ash who is now FFlash in honor of his Mommas' Welsh name, went to his first trial this weekend and has already stayed in two hotels and logged 500+ miles on the road.

More updates to come...............

Learning Curve

First Real Training session last night, with each pup.
Since, the little monkies seem ready to learn new things...as evidenced by the escapees...spent time one-on-one "training". They got their first taste of string mozzarella cheese, which part of it is them learning how to take a treat...their depth perception is still limited.

So, each started the basics of a real recall, alerting to their name, Following and a little "circle" work at a trot, how to sit, and some agility basics-clicked for paws touching the down ramp of dogwalk and worked a very low jump bar on the ground or at 2" to see if they understood using their feet individually to step over and rocking back weight when a tiny bit higher. None knocked the bar, and all had very good style :-) On the plank, some even hopped on and waited for another click & treat....understanding duration this young??? Lily actually went into a perfect 2on2off on contact.....all was done in less than a few minutes- just a few reps of each, mixed with play. Some were able to focus longer, but I wanted to end while they were still interested. Played tug or chase me game after.

So, general observations about them..
Ash is very polite about taking food and gives killer eye contact already. He is also such a snuggler, that it is rewarding to him, to be petted...cheese is of course a big reward-but he closes his eyes and leans into you, just like Clayton....unless he was just tired. He is very smart, but not pushy, but does seem to rule the other boys a bit.....in a very quiet way. (Carole, don't have a heart attack....he will be fine with Mike, first to roll on his back with the big dogs....)
On the circle work, saw his little brain trying to understand not going into a full outrun circle in front of me. His momma has such a hard-wired balance point and wider working distance-he seems like at speed, he will have no problem with distance. Teaching him to be close with hand targetting, place of reinforcement rewards, tight turns over jumps as he gets older, will be important to teach him to be more flexible in his working space or he will be a huge jumper.
Aspen is the most independant about investigating new environments and may end up self-rewarding if given the chance by someone who doesn't understand BC's brains. So our session focused more on him seeing it was fun & rewarding to follow me and filter out distractions. He is such a happy-go-lucky pup, that once away from the litter, with a savvy person, he will do great. He is not a bossy pup, just has things to do and is pro-active about it. He is one of the first to throw himself into your lap, so the social aspect is there strongly.
Cedar was very interested in the whole session, but lower key about it like Ash, but goofier as is his style. He is such a dolphin, that working on a sit or at least not leaping into the air on his recall, was our main focus. I would actually teach him a default down for his recall-Aspen too.
He was very confident about the plank and has such nice rear angulation, jump bar exercise was a no-brainer. We used a piece of birch bark as tug toy afterward-so much easier to have pups that will value whatever you pick up!
Lily is smaller than her brutish brothers, so the plank exercise was very easy. She sometimes toes out slightly in the rear right now, but hard to tell if just developmental as then she will look very straight. She offered behavior very quickly and was one of the pups who waited on plank for release. She is such a cutey...and loves to play tug! She also gave great eye contact and seeks out your face, luckily sun was not out-her eyes are so blue, she needs shades.
Moss was VERY into training and complained bitterly while I worked with the other pups. He is very interactive and is a lot like his Daddy, although he has his Momma's eyes when training.

Wild puppies again sighted in the NH woods...

Aspen & Cedar take a field trip at the crack of dawn....

I let the pups out into their "yard" this AM. They have been really good about running down the stairs and going right outside-hardly using papers at night...anyway a bit later, I was trying to check my email and the neighbors Shepherd & little dog are raising a ruckus on the top of my fence line. They tend to run free, and actually live across the street, but this went on for awhile and since it was so early, I went to investigate.
Cedar and Aspen had somehow managed to flip the rock off of the bottom of the fence in one irregular spot, probably to go say hi to the two dogs-they are usually the first to seek out the older dogs...anyway, thank god for the little dog-who looks like a Corgi/Basenji mix-she kept them from going too far, with her barking! Both were exhausted and the one pic of Aspen soon after, he looks SO innocent. He really is a the adventurer!!!!

Want to thank everybody who has come to visit and help socialize the wild pups! They start to go home next week....which means life gets a little less busy & chaotic, but I also already start to miss them. They have such distinctive personalities and it is always interesting to me, to see how differently they react to different people. They also are ready to be more on their own though, and develop more of who they are as individuals.

Way too hot!

It is really blazing hot today! NH is not supposed to be like this.....
Anyway, yesterday was a very long day-spent as much time as I could with the pups, but work & life stuff kept pulling me away. Early AM, I expanded their fenced area to go up the hill and into the trees a bit-so they have more room to run. ...without "Aspen the Explorer" leading them on an expedition.
They are all starting to get nicknames added to their puppy name. Lily has become "Silly Lily", because I can see her crack herself up. Moss is "Moss the Magnificent" because for being the smallest, he has the biggest 'Tude. Ash is is "Mr Sweetface" and Cedar is "Mr Goof". They are already learning new things and I see major cause and effect understanding...so hard to know if puppy testing is even worth it on Saturday..learning so fast, I see them remember very specific things already.
Speaking of which..
I got home from agility class last night, to find the pupsters all downstairs!!! Not even a puddle anywhere...looked like they'd all been napping under the woodstove, but they were very happy to go outside and have a good romp for over the next hour in the dark... So unless they had help..I assume they figured out a way to move gate on door to upstairs. Little furry Einsteins..

Stairs and Stuff

After I posted the last update, had to get ready to go into the office and so brought the pups inside from playing. Almost all of the pups followed me up the stairs on their own! Then a few minutes later, getting ready to jump in the shower... I heard Moss' little voice. He and Aspen had figured out how to move the gate at the doorway upstairs, and were running around downstairs again! Ash & Cedar were halfway down as I swooped up their two bad brothers and returned them to the upstairs...of course they complained that their brilliance was not met with freedom.. My first thought was-be VERY careful of what you teach a Border Collie puppy....because they will always take it to the next step...the little imps!

Last night the pups were trying to give me a heart attack. They were scattering in all directions and flying down the driveway. I really need to put up some more temp fencing....or just have two free at a time, seems easier to redirect them to stay in the back. Lily had the zoomies last night, she was very funny. She also seems to be entering a mushy stage-showing a lot of submissive body language, not as body confident climbing like the boys right now, etc She and Cedar love flying up the "hill" and toppling back down, like kids rolling.. but she is definitely a girl. Aspen takes great glee in chewing on my flowers...Ash is almost the perfect puppy and really doesn't draw a lot of attention to himself..and then there's Moss....he is a handful!

Moss and Aspen are still the boldest. Cedar and Ash more middle and Lily is probably the softest right now...a few days makes such a difference at this age. The transition of learning at the supposed seven week mark and then the "fear" period always starts so much earlier with the BC's and the Aussie pups. They are all showing learning latency-Ash & Cedar were both more careful about going downstairs this AM. The first time, I expect them to be a little less cautious and make sure I help them. Once they bump themselves, etc they remember now. A couple days ahead of the developmental curve...but no surprise. Moss on the otherhand climbed the teeter last night, before I could stop him and fell off halfway off. Bumped his head, looked a little stunned and then climbed back on-he may never have a fear period :-)

Brilliant pups!!

When you see how brilliant little beings can be, that have only been on this earth for a few weeks... it is just amazing. I have been carrying the pups up and downstairs for last several weeks to hang out or go outside. When I am not home, they have the whole upstairs to romp in. So, yesterday, my back was a wee bit tired...and I decided to carry a couple down while encouraging the others to follow me. Moss was of course, the first to be up for the challenge and got a pretty good rhythm going. Cedar was next! Then this AM, they all did the stairs on their own.
Picture a full set of slippery, hardwood stairs-could be pretty daunting for some pups. Usually seems like going up is easier...but my back is thankful! Worked on their recalls and following me around last night-all are very curious exploring outside, but more responsive one-on-one. My neighbors scary Shepherd was patrolling the edge of my fence....if he tries to eat my pups...watch out for Mama Bear!

Pups & Visitors...

The litter's official photographer :-), Rachel, took some great shots of the pups yesterday...link to all below
http://www.flickr.com/photos/remcat/sets/72157600946371650/

Last couple of days have been too busy to write...pups have had many many visitors over the last week! Their personalities have really started to show and so now a bit easier to start figuring out who may be right for whom.
They are really exploring and climbing, and love the tree stumps in the woods. They also all have learned to lie down, head pointing downhill at the top of driveway embankment and make pebbles and rocks move...so they can chase them. Moss & Lily were first, but as of this AM, they all are doing it...observational learning?

So far, all seem to love everybody they have met, some are longer to hang around, but as I would expect they are all busy exploring the outdoors or checking out new stuff. I would rather have pups, that hit the ground running, than sit and wait to be shown. It may encourage more independence, but they all have the confidence to navigate new environments-which is more important right now. Not seeing much over-reaction to noises like the helicopters that go over us or the sound of motorcycles going up the hill. Cedar was a little more sound aware, earlier in the week, but seems to have worked it through. Nothing seems to bother Aspen-he is a such a happy little soul! Moss & Lily are too busy to notice and Ash is still somewhere in the middle.

Pups on the Loose!

A wild pack of puppies was reported loose in the NH woods last night.....


Moss & Lily a little soggy..

The Pups are having more experiences than their little brains can fathom, the last few days. After, being away for several hours for the agility trial over the weekend, I have been regularly torturing them with new things, the last few days. It's funny, I realize with the Aussie pups I spend so much time on the people socialization when they are babes-but with the BC's it is much more about desensitizing to environmental changes & additions.

Monday AM, they "helped" me clean the house...and the vacumm definitely scared some of them. My new thing is to carry whoever gets worried, while I vacuum and smush them with kisses-all seemed to recover so much faster than the "let them deal" mentality. I also tend to feed them when vacuuming, which helps, but actually seeing it move and make noise affects them more. Sweeping is another story-all have no problem chasing and grabbing. Moss doesn't let it go either-even when the broom is still and propped up against the wall...he is still talking to it. He even is practicing a mini outrun around it..
Monday PM they did a lot of running around on the driveway and exploring. Lily Rose is the first one to try the A-frame...Ash tried the teeter-Yikes! Pic is Ash in tunnel this AM.


Last night they all "helped" me to water the plants and even got watered themselves a few times-but seemed not worried about it. Lily was fascinated watching the water droplets on the edges of the plants. Cedar, Aspen and Ash just seemed to like the water.
Aspen got totally soaked. Moss was already looking up at the hose and trying to figure out how to get the water :-0 I was also trying to do some weeding-Cedar was very "helpful" retrieving the clumps as I chucked them-he and Aspen are the comedians.

They all tried the agility tunnel last night too-like little kids playing hide-n-seek. This AM is rainy, but they just came in from running around a little. My Maine CoonX, Karma-Zugi, was very interesting to Lily. They are very polite and friendly to the cats..haven't figured out they can make them move yet. We may have ducks coming this weekend...

So much to write...so little time...

Friday the 13th..
Pictures are of the pups from Friday night. They spent a lot time outdoors, when it cooled off, and "helped" me do some mulching. Cedar & Moss used the bags as a slide..and then of course discovered that ripping off the corners was fun too. They all like going out and exploring, but are sort of like a crashing wave, trying to keep track of them.

They like going outdoorsthe big dogs are often whipping things up, which is good for getting them used to loud noisy trials in the future...they prefer to be loose and complain a bit at confinement in fenced area. As much as I love it here, I miss the set-up I had at my old house, that made it easier for them to go in and out more often. And, even though I hate the floors...they are easier with the pups.
So, as far as development-prey & chase instinct have definitely kicked in. Lily & Moss were the first to start seriously chasing the mop, toys, tugging and basically very aware of motion. Cedar is next as his instincts kicked in the last few days and last night Ash & Aspen were all chasing the toy and very into it. They are into the piranha stage too, their teeth are hurting-Fflur is trying to let them nurse as little as possible...don't blame her....
Aspen is the one who first figured out how to climb up my front steps. The granite ones seem easier for them then the wooden ones to the side door. He is the biggest pup of the litter, so interesting that he was first. He is also the biggest clown! Otherwise this is the week when I feel like you really start to see who they are.
Lily loves the bottle toys I make-kicks it around in a perfect circle :-0 She is more drivey, than I would have expected right now. She does settle & go to sleep, usually, before her bad brothers though.
Cedar is still the sweety, a bit softer than Ash although higher prey drive. Cedar throws himself into your lap and is very interactive. Cedar seems the most sound aware, with Lily right after him-recovery is very quick though. I have been dropping metal bowls, banging doors etc
Moss, Aspen & Ash are least affected by noise. Ash is non-reactive and not as pushy as the other boys in general-doesn't seem overly affected by much of anything. He does have his Daddy's yodel-like gargling with marbles in his throat, when he is trying to get your attention.

Link below...courtesy of Rachel....from Snooker run at the USDAA trial this weekend. Black tri Aussie belongs to Nolan-who had a smokin' run...ours was a bit less spectacular...but he looks pretty :-) Met lot's of great people this weekend, and Crash and Wicked & Clayton had fun too.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/remcat/sets/72157600825893667/

First Time Outdoors

The pups each had a "field trip" outdoors last night. I had to wait until the well being drilled, for new house next door stopped...and there were no thunderstorms, for once!

At this stage, when the pups are together, as part of the natural development of pack behavior, they are very much learning to take cues from eachother and the older dogs. So, to start to gauge who they are as individuals, and build their own personalities & coping skills-each one gets to have an experience on their own daily.
Aspen met the cats and was very appropriate in being friendly but not overly pushy-Mouche, my big Siamese mix has helped me socialize pups to cats for over a decade now. He loves puppies!
Ash, Moss & Cedar were more typical in their response to their first time outside. Noticed it was different, looked around, then checked out stuff. Moss was a little worried, did some stress whining and seemed like he was looking to be "saved". He did switch into play mode pretty quickly and chased a branch I dragged in front of him.
Cedar has the strongest denning/seek cover instinct, but also switched into social mode quickly and was very calm about the whole thing. Ash was very interested in checking stuff out, but had a harder time noticing me with so many distractions. They are both more go with the flow type pups.
Lily Rose was the most unfazed by it all-had no problem going outside, checking things out, started to play with the flowers as they moved in the wind, was very responsive to me socially, etc She was very relaxed the entire time-no stress whining, etc

Blog is not letting me title posts...must be a glitch..

Photo link below of Rachel's visit with her mom, last Sunday. Lot's of good pup shots
http://flickr.com/photos/remcat/sets/72157600729531899/

Pups are really growing and playing like little demons. Teeth are in, so the piranha stage has begun too. They are eating mushed/solid food and Fflur is starting to wean them. Wicked and Clayton are the official puppy socializers. Both lie down and let the pups crawl all over them or gently mouth wrestle. For Wicked to lie down...is a miracle, she is the busiest, social butterfly..ever. She is very motherly with them, though.
We have had thunder and lightning storms every afternoon for five days....so later this week, when things dry out a little, will start to get them outdoors. Safer keeping them in for now-too many creepy crawlies that can incubate with the heat and dampness.

LUCKY SEVEN!!

A once in forever day...in honor of the global warming concerts going on around the world, we are blogging in shades of green :-)
Pups are 31 days old, today. They are on the move and really playing, trying to run and practicing growling & barking. They also have been playing with some of the older dogs. Wicked lies right down and gently mouthes and paws them. Getting pictures that are not totally blurry, is becoming a challenge-had to wait until they fell asleep after playing this AM, then woke them up for web update shots... I introduced little mini tippy board two days ago-it is very lightweight compared to the one I used to have. They are interested in making it move, but don't seem at all concerned, that it does.

I plan on starting to let them outdoors in the next few days, but we are going to have another heatwave, after several days of cool weather. We had a huge thunder & lightning storm that went on for over an hour, later in the afternoon yesterday. I startled, the pups startled, but after a few minutes Fflur nursed them and then the world was fine. They began to play, even with the world falling apart above their heads. I usually feed them when the vacuum is running for the same reason-change the association and change the response. I know my adult dogs know enough watching me, that when I am worried or stressed, if affects them. So with storms and like-stuff I always make it a party-we play ball, practice group fast downs for cookies, etc That way storms predict good stuff, and reduce the chance of an emotional response, to an environmental trigger that can not be controlled. We had fireworks later, and the whole crew slept right through it.


I have to make a bigger tippy board for outdoors. Have a little more fencing to put up (after moving it around three times) and pegs to keep the bottom down, in parts up on the little hill. Hopefully, Clayton doesn't show them his technique he learned from Prose-of nosing the bottom for a weak spot...and "joining" me unexpectedly in the front.

They are starting to get lot's of visitors and I notice that they are really responding socially. They are seeing that people are fun. All crawl right into your lap and reach up to kiss your face-even Moss :-0 So, I will try to update the blog as often as I can...but I am a crappy typist...so what takes some people a nanosecond..

Happy Fourth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY FOURTH! The pups are four weeks old today.
The pups are amazing me each day. The other night, after talking to my friend, Carole, I heard little toenails from the upstairs hallway. (The pups have been in the upstairs little bedroom, since they were born). Lo and behold little man Ash was out and walking around. Then in matter of seconds, I watched Lily Rose & Aspen hurl themselves over the side of their babypool. Talk about observational learning!!!
The whelping box I used to have, has sides that were 12" high-I think the baby pool is taller than that. So, I took out the pool and put up the x-pen with bedding on one side and papers on the other. They had all been walking to the other side of the pool to "go" when they woke up, anyway. There was no getting used to it fussing-they just went to sleep.

Then this AM, I wake up at 5:45 to hearing little toenails again overhead.....to find that Mr Moss is out and about. So, they will be moving to the bigger digs downstairs soon-just trying to figure out where to set up the x-pen. Fflur is not worried about having the other dogs around the pups-Clayton, Wicked & Reve have been spending lot's of times hanging out with them. But, I don't like to overwhelm the pups with too much, too soon-tends to have the opposite effect of hindering not helping their socialization.

Speaking of which-no sign of any overly sound sensitivity-but working on exposing them gradually anyway. I have to vacuum daily with this crew of hairy monsters and have been running the blender a lot. Rachel made a fantastic kid noise CD for me to play for the pups, which will be played very low and then volume increased over the next few weeks. Played Renee Fleming arias, Madame Butterfly, Bossa Nova from Astrid Gilberto/Tom Jobim, Enya and a little John Coltrane and Miles Davis to round out their muscial repetoire. Different tempos & base lines definitely affect dogs. At this point, having them further from loud noises, by being upstairs, helps them to assimilate better.

Cedar is the one who has most changed in the last couple of days. He loves the other dogs visiting, and although he is low-key compared to his brothers, he is the one showing some of the best understanding of the of the big dog's body language. Just shows that the less reactive/thinkers are not always worriers as some people might interpret-they are assessors, figuring life out at their own rate.
Ash & Aspen are very cuddly, like to have their backs rubbbed and will roll over. Moss has actually fallen asleep on my lap!! and kissed my chin when picked up. Lily is the comedienne. She is very funny and cracks herself up.

NASCAR CENTRAL!!!!!!!

It is NASCAR weekend here in Loudon! Sounds like a swarm of humming bees over the ridge, when they are racing, but otherwise can barely hear it. Weather is absolutely beautiful this weekend! Fflur helped me plant more perennials yesterday and all the dogs got to hike back into our woods. Still trying to figure out where to set up fencing, so pups will be able to safely go out front. Fflur and Reve almost got squashed by falling 6' fence panels in the wind yesterday...luckily that quick startle response in the herding dogs, saved them.

The pups are just a joy. Such personalities and really showing a lot of social responses, for so young. Aspen is still looking at his front feet as he is walking, like he is amazed they are part of his body-but he is one of the first to come over and greet/wag his tail. Lily & Moss played tug with me last night. Moss is already carrying toys around. They all love the IQ cube square stuffed with little toys-Aspen and Ash spent along time last night trying to figure out how to pull the toys out. Cedar likes the wiggly giggly ball, but is more interested in playing with his littermates, than toys right now. Already varying toys I give them-can see that they Know when it is new!

Starting to work on their recall-they are more attracted to my tapping my nails on the floor, than clapping or making clucking noise...hmm. Have also been letting them into bigger bedroom to play, from their smaller bedroom. Crossing doorways, different feel to space around them, etc are all part of them learning. The BCs are always more aware of the difference in pressure of environment. Usually takes a few days to get used to new environments-by the third or fourth time yesterday, they were romping!

They are growing!

Pups are becoming little dogs!!!

Discovering the world, playing, started eating goat's milk pudding, etc Personalities are really starting to show too. Startle response strong, but very quick recovery in all.
Aspen was a day or so behind the others, and now seems to be ahead-he is Very sweet and reminds me of his big brother, Skid-not just in looks, but also personality. He also has a very solid front, built like a little linebacker. Not very reactive, he seems pretty unfazed by life so far.

Ash is one of the most investigative still and has very good body awareness and balance already. I put puppy plank down and they were off and running. He is also very handsome and would be one of my picks right now for performance potential. He seems to be very aware, but also have a resilient temperament, at least right now.

Cedar is a sweety, more middle of the road puppy-doesn't have anything to prove, plays but is more of a watcher than doer right now. He is definitely a thinker and problem solver, but right now his brothers are much bolder than he is. Pictured here, he is falling alseep after this AM of much activity!

Lily Rose is similar in personality to Cedar, but a little bit bolder. They are both the first to fall asleep. Lily likes to crawl into your lap and snooze. She was one of the first to figure out making the wiggly giggly ball move.She is holding her own with four brothers!

And then there's Moss......when I was little I read a book called "Bertram The Bad" (still have a copy). That is Moss as pictured above admiring himself in the mirror. He is bold, busy, very aware of movement and attracted to it, a bit of a troublemaker, first to do everything and on a mission! He is more independant than the other pups, and very confident he is the top dog in the litter :-) So, that's the pup-date......

P-UPDATE!

It's official, ears opened on all pups as of Friday afternoon at 16 days. Funny, because on a few, their eyes are still not totally open. Of course we had a huge thunder & lightning storm to herald the event. Luckily, Fflur cares less about storms, so no worried vibes and they are too young to know, anyway. Played loud country music to counter tempo the rumbles. They don't seem to have very strong startle responses yet-a good thing...
Have been letting some of the crew visit for a few minutes each. Crash who normally thinks puppies are aliens, seems interested in his turn and asked to see them in the AM. Wicked gives them her usual bumble-bee tail greeting and then gets to work flipping and cleaning them. Reve thinks they are her pups and Declan loves all pups! He helped socialize the first litter. Clayton is very careful with them, as he stepped on one and he got worried because it squeaked.
The coolest part of it, is to see the pups already know that the "visitors" are not the Momma and wag their tails when they touch noses. Will update pictures today..

SUMMER SOLSTICE!

6/21 AM: PUPS just woke up & motoring...Lily Rose in foreground, Cedar back left, Ash middle, Moss right and Aspen on far right, closer to Lily

It's a beautiful, crisp morning in NH. The sun is out..yeah!!! birds are singing and life is good! Pups are doing great. Moss' eyes are the most open, but they are all mouthing at eachother and aware of when things are different-even if shadowy. Moss also already able to see toys and grabbing at ones if you move them in front of him-showing good mouth/eye coordination :-)
They have been out on slippery surfaces, they still are finding their feet, but doing pretty well at the weeble walking now. Ash is the most investigative right now...or maybe just has his Daddy's rocket boosters... Lily Rose is a moosh, not in a rush to do anything, bigger than a couple of her brothers...will be interesting to see how they change over the next week.

The wee ones....

The wee babies are starting to become little dogs. They are all up and about, so eyes opening soon and ears a few days after. Bought them their own radio, to get used to the vibration before they can actually hear. Left my environmental sound machine with cool cricket noises, thunder, etc, when I moved ..oh well.

Because they are Border Collies which means they are born overachievers... I swear they are already showing social responses, like wagging their tails or stretching and pushing into your hand (not rooting/nursing behavior) when touched. I think the puppy development gurus, Scott & Fuller determined closer to four weeks as when social gestures are readily displayed. I'm sure Skinner would have something to say about it being an already conditioned response to stimuli...anyway, way too analytical..

They are just very cute, whether they are brilliant or not. Fflur is an incredibly good mom. She allowed Reve and "Grandma" Halo, my Aussies to visit today. Halo loves babies and spent ten minutes cleaning them all. Fflur then of course had to re-clean them....overachiever......

PUP UPDATE!!!

The pups are growing and fatter by the day....sorry it has been a busy week and trying to get pictures & update the site, etc takes awhile... they still are in the "spuds with fur" stage anyway. Personalities are starting to come out a little-see them interacting and aware of eachother more.

Ash is the most mobile and body aware/coordinated-already up on his wobbly feet and navigates any new area. Took ten day old pictures this AM-eyes should be fully open in the next few days. Aspen & Lily Rose are the snugglers-settle right into your hands. Moss also, although he seems to already be trying to "see" what is going on around him. Cedar is halfway between the others-investigates, then settles. None seem overly stressed with the sensory handling and environmental changes. A few stress yawns here and there, but no flailing or worried vocalizing. They are so cute, can't stand it!

Is it Spring? Weather is so rainy....

Pups are all doing well, just uploaded two day old pictures to the web site-easier than trying to add here...link is below
http://talismanaussies.com/newpups.htm

For you that are visiting or other new bloggers, feel free to post!!!! I am kind of liking this, I see why people are so into it. I think to see your words blasted across the universe, instead of just writing in a journal, must create some sense of instant gratification? I know that in the grand scheme of things writing about dogs & pups...does not rate with Darfur, world peace or a solution to global warming...but for other dog nuts out there...I know you know....
I am still writing my daily notes on the pups development, reactions, etc but this is kind of like creating an online collage without the permanency of a web page... I need spell check though.

PUPS BORN!

Pups were born early on the 7th. Five total-four boys (two red merles, two dark red) & one girl(red merle). Fflur went out to play frisbee a few hours later...so needless to say, she is doing very well. They are very solid pups, and Fflur is a great mom. The pups are already pushing up onto their front legs and lifting their heads to orient/air scent...pretty cool for just 24 hours old.

Puppies are on the way.....

6/07/07: Fflur is in labor!!! We took a drive last night, I read it helps to stimulate contractions and an hour after getting home, it did! Picture below with Iris that just bloomed, taken right before.

New Blog

Okay...so I never thought I would end up a blogger..but I really need to practice typing and with Fflur (Border Collie of impending motherhood fame) the beauty about to deliver, figured it was good way to keep people up on the pups. I also love run-on sentences, so stream of conscious writing appeals to me! No pups yet, but will be posting new pictures, etc when they get arrive...
D