Gladystar Poodles

Wow! All the puppies have moved into their new homes, now. The last couple of weeks have been a whirl-wind for Patty and I. Since the puppies’ seven week birthday and the Aptitude testing fiasco, we’ve been non-stop. All the puppies have continued with the socialization program by going for car rides, leash training, crate training and meeting new people. But, in addition, the puppies needed to get cleaned up and groomed nicely. Earlier groomings have been just for fun and never everything all at once.

Then the tedious task of getting all the paperwork gathered and organized has to be done. I tried to keep up with that as time permitted but pulling it together for the final time is a chore. The paperwork is an important part of getting the puppies off to a good start as detailed instructions are included along with the health records, micro-chip registration information and AKC papers.

When a puppy gets picked-up by their new owners, I try to slot at least a two hour appointment. It takes a bit of time for getting to know the puppy and learning about how to care for the new pup. Most people don’t remember what its like to have a puppy around the house again especially if they’re used to having a 10 or 12 year old dog.

Caring for 11 puppies the way I expect puppies should be raised is a very time consuming yet very satisfying job. Its especially rewarding to hear back from the new homes regarding the new “star” in their lives.

… to Grandma’s house we go.

The puppies were packed up and taken for a long car ride to my parent’s house Saturday. Its a 50 - 60 minute ride one way along mostly bumpy town and county roads with some freeway speeds towards the end. All the pups handled it quite well with just a little whining to start off which was pretty much ignored.

Once at my parents house, the puppies were let out onto the driveway for a potty break. After a couple of minutes, they followed me up the small steps and into the house as if I was the pied piper. The house is a bit on the small side which worked out well as only one door needed to be blocked to keep all the puppies confined to the kitchen. All eleven pups were exploring when my Dad came into the room pushing his walker which of course all the pups swarmed to check out immediately. We didn’t stay long as puppies and old people tend to tire out quickly - LOL. The ride home was very quiet all the way.

New youtube video featuring Agility training!

All the Poodle Puppies had their paw hair clipped today. That was the first time experiencing a clipper. It’s a lightweight battery powered Arco. Mostly did it just so they get started with the grooming routine and hear the noise and feel the vibration of a clipper. Plus the hair was getting in the way of clipping their nails. The puppies have been having their nails clipped every second or third day with a human finger nail clipper. Momma’s belly would be all scratched up otherwise.

The pups’ development is coming along right on schedule. Today is the first day I can say their hearing is well developed. When I clapped they all stopped dead in their tracks and looked in my direction. Previously, they would sort of respond to a noise but we weren’t sure. Eyesight continues to develop and within the next couple of days I bet they’ll be tracking a ball rolling past. They are getting much more interactive with each other, mostly mouthing but with some pawing. A couple of the pups are trying to climb up the whelping box wall to look outside.

I was so lucky to catch up with Andrea Nepras and her Poodle girl, Eve, at the big four day indoor AKC Agility Trial in Milwaukee, Wisconsin this past week. It was so nice to see her - Andrea and Eve, although Eve does get quite a more excited when I bend down to pet her. Eve is a “Klara - Mick” puppy which makes her Orchid’s full litter mate.

Eve and Orchid have opposite issues in Agility. Eve is racking up the Standard legs (qualifying scores) and Orchid is cruising along in the Jumpers ring. That’s a little surprising to me because Eve is a bit more driven and all-out personality-wise than Orchid so I would’ve predicted Eve liking a wide-open Jumpers course as opposed to a Standard course with contacts. That’s a tribute to Andrea’s training skills.

The nice photo of Eve was taken at the WAG Agility Trial by Scott Persky - “Photos by Toto”. Aside from taking great action pictures, Scott runs an awesome Cairn Terrier. They’re from McHenry, Illinois.