16 week checkups

The M&M litter had their 16 week check ups this week and everyone reports that the little munchkins (who are growing like weeds and therefore will not be "little" for much longer) are thriving and doing well.

Art sends the following about Milo...

Milo had his 16 week checkup today.  He weighed in at 30 pounds.  We are off to the Eastern Shore this weekend who have a new German Sheppard puppy, who is Milo’s age.  Hopefully, we will have a happy, but tired puppy by the end of the weekend.  If the weather permits, Milo may get a chance to dip his paws in the ocean. Have a wonderful time Milo and we hope you come home with pictures from your adventure.

Ann checked it with Ella...

Ella has a busy weekend in progress visiting the Wine Country circuit shows while big brother Stanford competes n agility.   Here she is getting in some conformation practice with a new friend.

She had her 16 week check-up & weighed in @ a healthy 26.6 lbs.

She's having fun practicing crate games & 101 things to do with a box. We've also worked on restrained recalls & shaping exercises.

Ella learning to free stack

Our sister is looking pretty good from where I'm standing!  Keep up the good work Ella and have fun with Crate Games and the box game.

And speaking of sisters, here is a fabulous shot of Gracie Dot!

Gracie Dot is doing well -- still spunky and full of personality!  Attached are a couple of pictures of Gracie playing in the woods. Her 16-week checkup will actually be done at 17 weeks, but right now she's weighing in at 24 pounds. Gracie is attending obedience training and passed level 1 (after 5 classes), which involved walking on a leash, sit, down, come, sit front, stay down while we walk away, and she's learning the climb command (stays on a cot without getting off). We're still socializing Gracie quite often.  We'll be attending an outdoor art show over the weekend in a historical park in St. Louis, and Gracie will be walking around the show with her Portuguese Water Dog cousin. 

 

We enjoy hearing about the puppies and watching them grow. They are all so darling!  Take care.  We couldn't agree more Deb, thanks for filling us in on Gracie Dot's adventures!

Hank was the first one to have his check up this week and Howard said that he weighed in at 26.8 pounds and everything was perfect.  He also said...

Max and Beau are sleeping together now.  Other than Beau taking nips out of Max every once in a while, they are best friends.  Max even cleans Beau's ears!  Max is our 7 year old male.

Kasper, our 10 1/2 year old male, is tolerating Beau better.

And finally Swing paid a visit to our favorite vet and topped the scales at 32.2 pounds!  She has a tooth that is dying, the result of that face plant she took at the clubhouse 10 days ago.  It's a good thing it is a baby tooth!  And there is a lump on her jaw, kind of like a mini goose egg that hopefully will resolve itself in the next few weeks.  Otherwise she is healthy, growing and like her siblings, a wonderful puppy.

Handling class is going well for the dastardly duo, they graduated to puppy show leads (the Resco kind) this week.  We spent a good deal of the evening hand stacking, gaiting, free baiting and getting use to other people touching their heads and bodies.  Both pups are going through a major gangly stage and standing still in a stack position is very challenging as their rears are still developing.  But with patience and perseverance Howard and I are getting these two use to the touching and moving of limbs and by the time they are ready to hit the show ring they should both be old hands at this game.

Next week we'll probably put the puppies back on the tracking lines and play with the agility tunnel, the table and the puppy bumps.  Swing will be working on some of her obedience skills (puppy heeling, recalls) as well as some more trick training.  And of course she'll get the chance to tumble with her brother while the big dogs are training for the next agility trial.  And we are planning to take some portraits as soon as our friends return home from their National event so look for those soon.  Have a wonderful weekend M&M crew!

Dynamic Duo (or is it the dastardy duo?)

Swing and Hank (Beau) headed south to see the GraytSky crew but not before making a slight detour to hang out at a show n go while cousin Dodge got some ring time.  I knew the venue would be a nice place for the puppies to hang out, and Howard was kind enough to humor me by watching the munchkins while I put Dodge through an Open obedience run.  Suffice it to say, the puppies were a hit (please, are you at all surprised???) with almost all of the folks that were there.  They hung out and wrestled in the xpen, something a brother and sister just have to do, and took multiple trips outside to do their business and check out the surroundings.  While it was not that busy in the bldg. (we all figured there was an obedience trial somewhere that everyone was at), they still experienced the sights and sounds of show and part of the socialization process is to expose the puppies to environments that are both positive and safe, I think we succeeded in providing that to them.

From there we headed down the road a few miles to the Anderson's for a scrumptious lunch and more socializing for both the puppies and their owners.  Swing had been down to see her relatives the week before so she just fit right in with the school of dogs (who BTW had all received baths before we arrived, too bad we didn't know that was going to happen since Dodge and Swing both could have used a bath).  It took Hank a few minutes to adjust to the craziness of 5 new dogs (one of them being crazy Rosey who is always glad to see us) running all over the place, but he was in the mix with everyone else in no time.  Once everyone was reaquainted we let the puppies play with everyone while lunch was cooking and then they both got a rest before putting them up on the grooming table for some stacking practice and pictures.  Here is what they look like at 16 weeks...

Beau

Swing

And for comparison purposes here is a shot of their daddy Maestro at 9 months (thanks to Chris Grisell for sharing the picture)...

After spending about 3 hours at Amy's we loaded up and headed north with two very tired  puppies.

Both puppies are enrolled in a Handling class and both are training in other disciplines (tracking, obedience and puppy agility) to make them as well rounded as possible.  I am sporadically bringing out a pheasant wing to encourage Swing to develop her hunting instinct but unfortunately it is low on the totem pole for us.  We hope that our other siblings are developing as nicely as these two and their owners are enjoying them as much as I am enjoying Swing.  Next weekend Swing will again be hanging with the GraytSky clan while I head to Dover with Michael for the NASCAR race.  Hopefully Amy won't spoil her too much while I'm away!  Thanks for the grayt visit Amy and Michael!

Updates from 4

Good grief, has it really been that many weeks since a post was done?  Well I can honestly say that the M&M kids  have been busy.  Milo checked in with this cute picture and a few words.

Milo was at a pool party this weekend.  In the last hour of the last day the neighborhood pool is open they allow dogs to come in and swim.  Milo was a little reluctant about going into the water, but I had him swimming in the baby pool and even got him into the big pool.  There were maybe 20 dogs and they all had great fun running around the grassy area just past the pool.


From the look on his face I would say that he had a great time.

Then Ann sent the following about Ella...

Ella continues to be a joy & a challenge. She is a fearless ball of curiosity & seems to come up with something new every day. A few nites ago I walked in to the bedroom to find her proudly telling me that she'd prefer sleeping on our bed than n her crate. 

 

Nice try Ella but it's gonna be a long time till you earn the privilege of sleeping free!

 

Thanks for sharing with us Art and Ann!

Swing and Hank started handling class last week and wouldn't you know, the first night was a tad chilly!  The first night we went over the types of show leads that are out there and we worked on head control.  All of the puppies met the each handler and we did some walking on lead to get everyone up and moving and for our instructor to see everyone move.  Our second class started with a lesson on how to hand stack and then everyone was put up on the grooming table and stacked.  From there we went on to stacking in a ring setting with all of the others dogs.  Finally we did some gaiting on a down and back and finally an around the ring.  Even our Bouvier classmate did a nice job!  We'll try to get some pictures of the pups to post in future updates.  Both of them are growing like weeds and developing quite nicely and this weekend they all turn 16 weeks old.

Tables, dumbbells & wobble boards

Swing's weekend was spent doing what she does best, jet-setting all over the central part of the state socializing with family and friends.  This gal loves to hop in the van and hit the road and lucky for her, I'm happy to oblige!  It all started with a visit to our friend Sallie to help her get her "dog van" all set up.  Swing had a blast jumping in and out of the vans while we pulled seats out, laid carpet, adjusted pads/carpet, set platforms, wiped down insides, etc.  Sallie's van was a "new" set up which means we had to see if the carpet would fit (which meant cutting it at various places so that it would lay correctly) and then place the platform at the correct place to accommodate the crates before putting the appropriate padding on the crate corners.  As you can see, the set up turned out quite nice and Gracie seems to approve.

 

Our van had a major cleaning and rearranging performed on it which was sorely needed!  Everything was pulled out, vacuumed, wiped down and then put back in to it.  I should have taken a shot of all of the junk that came out of it but alas, we were more interested in getting everything back in (I'll post a picture of the van all decked out for a show weekend, it's amazing the way some of us outfit our vehicles)!  Swing parked herself on the platform while the crate pads were being cleaned, a great place to observe the activities.  Of course she was not amused at how long it was taking to put the van in order!

We had every intention of doing some training that day but getting the vans decked out seemed to be a good reason to sacrifice training time.

Next on the agenda, a play date with brother Hank.  Howard picked up Swing while I had lunch with an old friend and did some shopping.  After a couple of hours of assisting in the wood shop, playing with Hank and then going for a neighborhood walk (these puppies make their rounds from what I'm told), we finally got some training time in on the new wobble boards that Howard built.

 Swing (red) and Hank (blue) trying to outdo each other

Swing waiting for her reward for standing on the wobble board

Howard realized that the boards are not "wobbly" enough for these two growing youngsters, so he will be replacing the "peg" that is under the board with something more substantial.  For those that are wondering what a wobble board is, it is a training tool that is used to get the dog use to having something move under their feet in preparation for the teeter obstacle in agility.  I believe it also teaches foot awareness and builds balance and confidence.  If your dog can handle something moving under them then they should take to the teeter very easily.

And since we know that Hank loves to carry things in his mouth, I pulled a dumbbell out of my training bag to see what he would do with it.  He grabbed it from me and took off like a bandit as seen in this shot -

And he really enjoyed playing keep away with his sister -

Look at that nice hold he's got on the dumbbell, good boy!

While I really didn't want him chewing on the dumbbell, this shot was just too cute to let go by.  I did take it from him before he got too crazy with the chewing.

The next step that I would take with him would be to put the dumbbell on a string and let him chase it and pick it up properly.  Having it on a string will let you control how far he can go with it, encourage him to hold it firmly as well as bring it to you (if he doesn't then you can just reel him in!).  Swing isn't as gung ho to grab items like this but that will change when I pull out the clicker (which I started this evening) and work on it that way.


Handling class begins on Thursday and we are looking forward to meeting some new dogs and begin learning how to free stack and show.  Not only does this girl have to have the brains and work ethic for the performance events, she's got to learn to turn on the flair and charm for the conformation ring.  If she takes to it as easily as the other things then I feel that the skies the limit for this gal.  We'll report on handling later this week.  Until then...

Ella's report

Ella has also been having a great time with big brother Stanford. They love to play together & we've been amazed to witness just how bold our little girl is. Stanford is very patient & tolerant of all of her & a wonderful playmate.

Labor Day weekend Ella started puppy class. The first session covered crate games (Ella is pictured here calmly waiting for some of her classmates 2 settle), attention games & recalls. She was the youngest in the class but she seemed to love all the activity & interaction.

Our sister Ella and Brother Milo check in

We received a note from sister Ella in NY, who has started her tracking training.  Ann sends the following information...

Hey There!
Ella just ran her very first track. Yay 4 finding hot dogs!  Her little nose was working so hard.  She didn't notice the rain @ all.

If she tracks anything like Swing and Hank have been doing, she'll have that TD before you know it.  I'm sure big brother Stanford has been cluing her in on how cool tracking is and what great things come to the dog that finds their glove!  Keep up the good work Ann, Mark and Ella, we look forward to hearing from you soon. 

Art, owner of brother Milo from MD, checked in with this note...

Milo is doing very well.  We started with a trip to Maine two days after we picked him up.  The week in Maine gave us time to bond and time to give Milo all the attention he needed.  There were lots of opportunities to explore and socialize along the way. 

We took Milo out to dinner on Tuesday and he did very well.  It took a while for him to settle, people were constantly coming by and asking if they could pet him.  As Lydia put it, “Oh Milo, you are quite the chick magnet.”   Once he got the hang of being out, but staying in one place, he was a great dining companion. 

He had his second shots today and weighted in at 20.1 pounds. 

I have been working with him every day and he is starting to show real improvement and great promise in obedience.  He starts puppy kindergarten next week.  I will take pictures this weekend and forward them to you.

Looking forward to receiving pictures from both Art and Ann in the very near future!

A little rain wasn't going to stop this cookout!

There is a crew of us that gets together just about every Tuesday to do agility training and this week we decided to have a cookout on Monday instead.  Part of the festivities, besides pigging out on ribs, burgers, taco salad, deviled eggs, potato salad and some brownies (of course there was more but after all of that we were stuffed and ready to get out to work dogs), was getting the puppies in to the swimming pool before it closes for the season.  Swing and Hank were introduced to water at 6 weeks so this wasn't their first dip in the pool, but it was their first in a BIG pool.  And as you can see, they both faired well...

Beau/Hank showing how it is done at 13 weeks old

 Swing, 13 weeks

Not only were the people excited about how well the puppies did, but they were both so proud of each other as seen in the videos.

After we played in the pool we put the dogs away so that the humans could enjoy some food before we headed out in to the weather (yes, by the time we were done stuffing our faces it had rained steadily and was just starting to let up a bit) to look at the course before breaking it down and running it with the big dogs.  It was a very nice course that our training buddies Bill and Bart (doberman) Q'd on at a trial this past week.  Donned in rain-gear, 6 handlers and their dogs did a good job of negotiating the course.  The pups spent quality time playing with each other and getting their toenails done (manicure Monday).  And our buddy Annie, a corgi, did a great job with all the obstacles considering that she is 5 weeks pregnant!  We can hardly wait until the beginning of October when she is due to whelp.

The weather may have been grey (hey, what other color is there???), wet and gloomy, but you never would have guessed it by the cheers, smiles and laughter as we all trained our best friends.  And as Bill said, you never know when you will have to actually trial in the rain, so it was a good training opportunity for all.

I'm getting news on other M&M siblings, stay tuned for posts about how they are doing.

Master of the stairs

Yesterday Swing hit another milestone, she concurred the stairs!  She was able to go up the steps within a day of arriving but I've been carrying her down the steps since they are long and kind of steep.  But she's grown a lot in the last week so yesterday morning I decided not to block the stairs (many reasons none the which involved the old dog, who insisted on staying downstairs to chew on his rawhide instead of joining us upstairs like he normally does).  I can see the steps from the bathroom and after Dodge ran up and down them a few times (he was checking on Dirk, or rather checking to see if he could steal Dirk's rawhide) I knew the Swingster wouldn't be able to resist the temptation, she's becoming more and more interested in exploring EVERY corner of the house and there are a lot of places she has yet to visit.

Here is how it played out... she steps down one step and all I see is her butt (and a cute one it is BTW).  Within a second she is back at the landing.  Next attempt has her disappearing only to reappear in about 5 seconds.  I think she took one step and realized that she wasn't a brave as she thought she was (it's about 17 steps to the bottom and it's an enclosed staircase with nothing but those plastic guards on the step).  Back up on the landing to contemplate the feat.  Then she disappeared and through the sound of the shower I swore I heard her making her way down the steps.  All of the sudden there was the distinctive "thunk" that the boys make when they hit the landing... Houston we have touchdown!!!!  I finished rinsing the soap out of my hair and just as I pulled back the shower curtain this little head appeared at the top of the steps, way to go little girl!

I couldn't help it, I lavished her with praise, told her how brilliant she was and we played tug with the towel and wrestled on the bed for a minute.  Of course I had to let her go down them by herself when I headed downstairs to get the coffee ready for my trip in to work.  She is very methodical in her form and doesn't rush down the steps like Dodge does (sometimes he runs down them without putting his back feet down, pretty amazing to watch), I'm sure that will change with maturity and growth.

The next big task will be being able to jump up on the bed by herself.  She's trying but she needs another inch on those legs.  At the rate she is going I think she'll be leaping on to it in the next week or two.  Ah the puppy phase, love the training opportunities it presents, loath the house training which is coming along very well.  I hope all of her siblings are doing well and the owners are thrilled with this group.  I think they are special and once again thank Amy, Laura and Mary Ann for the wonderful opportunity you've given me to own a dog like this amazing little girl.  Many of you know that I love my boys, she's been a dream and I'm enjoying having a little girl.

Yes, she has started a hole.  Time to cover it with a paver!

She's a mover and a shaker and on this particular day she was having a blast running around in the back yard.  Who can blame her, the weather was perfect!

Until next time...