SPRING?..

Well they say it is spring....but the girls and I aren't seeing it!!
We look outside and this is what we are seeing....
Luckily the girls love the snow...me not so much...I want some warmth, flowers and green grass !

Yes....that is it...the second picture!....oh that was Calgary a month ago....
Ok so we still have mountains of snow...we still enjoy our walks ....even if we have to park on the road and walk in as the road is blocked with snow drifts

The girls do have a lot of fun on their walks....running up and down the snow banks...
Next year I want snow shoes....

WINTER HAS GONE TO THE DOGS!!

Well most of us would love for the snow to be gone and spring to arrive...everyone except my dogs...they love the snow.

Picture perfect Halo

Halo is loving the snow and was very nice to stop, pose and smile for the camera....love these pics ...especially with the hoar frost...

Halo is 12 weeks old in these pics....growing up into a fine young lady 

Halo checking out the snow....

Quila and Halo....quila is usually running...she loves to run...or is she just trying to get away from the baby??

Halo...sticks her nose in the snow...eats it, rolls in it....she just loves it!!

All of Quila's pups are doing well...they are having play dates in Calgary ( that is where the other four are). They are all similar size , except maybe Hunter , the boy....he is a bit larger. Two of them get car sick but that seems to be settling down with at least one of them.  Halo will be in Calgary for a week in March and so hopefully she gets to play with her siblings.Quila may panic....thinking they are all coming back!

Each is very different, but yet all have some similarities....some are on the go , while others cuddle more....Halo is a go getter , but lately has started to cuddle more. Luckily they are all in great homes who love them totally !!

 Well Halo was tested for the possiblity of her training for search and rescue....and she has the go ahead....this is one of the members holding Halo the day of her test...she looks relaxed!! She loves all the attention!! This last weekend she started her first formal training...it is pretty basic right now and will give us an idea...in a few months if this is for her or not....she seems to enjoy it...

Mom and daughter looking great together

 Well Quila and Halo would like to thank you for following their blog and say," have a blast of a day".

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THE PUPS ARE GONE...THE JOURNEY

Well I have tried to post a few times during this busy time of puppies and christmas etc...didn't get here as often as I would have liked but now they are gone....so maybe I can get on here more often...
Well first lets talk about where the pups have been and  are now.....
At six and a half weeks  they left with Shannon...my friend and Quila's breeder...they stayed at her house until they are were ready to go to their forever homes. They had  their immunizations and temperment testing during this time. It will also gave them a chance to socialize with some new people, see their forever home people again, and also interact with some dogs and as well as  a cat. They had some small agility equipment to play on which  challenged them and gave them some new experiences.
We have really tried to give these pups every type of developmental advantage that we can...at each stage of their development they have been introduced to different toys, tunnels, textures of varing types, numerous people...including children etc. As they progressed they were given different experiences....the snow, leaves, different types of food, toys to stimulate different types of play etc....watching them develop has been an exciting process.
I look at them now and they are well developed , well socialized pups...I can't wait to see them as adult dogs....they are going to be wonderful!!

 Here they are all ready for the long journey to Shannon's house....they travelled really well....

 This is the agility equipment Shannon's husband , Dale, built for the pups....

 Even outside the pups are trying to have the odd snack....they are on food and mostly off of their mom....but a snack now and again is always nice!!

Now that they are at Shannon's they had a new area to play and explore in....all this activity has them exhausted!

Quila and Willow, Quila's grandmother, looking out watching over the pups at Shannon's house

This a picture of Willow (the great grandmother), Ousa ( the cousin),Hunter (blue boy), and Quila ( mother)
We also had Quila's sister there but she decided she didn't want to be in the family photo!!

Well as I am quite behind in my blogging....I will try and do more today...but right now I need to do some puppy training!!

LET IT SNOW....LET IT SNOW....LITTLE PAWS

As it was only -1C out today I decided to try the pups outside...so my girlfriend and I took them out to the top deck...so it was controlled and fattened down where Quila had been.

We only had them out for a short time but the cold did not seem to bother them at all...

         They were quite interested in the snow and enjoyed running around...tasting it.

                                 This is blue boy smelling and tasting the snow....

          Even outside the pups can take a minute from their fun to have a snack from mom!!

Purple girl was the most adventurous....really had to keep our eyes on her ...as she tried to get off the deck                                    to explore the world beyond!!

THE PUPS START EATING... GOATS MILK

This is the first time they have seen any food other than their mother...it is goats milk...they took to it like milk to a baby!!

They are four weeks old here...the time you start feeding the pups depends on how much milk their mother has and if she is starting to "kick " them off of her.

In my case Quila has tons of milk and has no problem caring for her young...so I started to feed them small amounts to get them started and to encouarge Quila to start weaning them.

 You can see they don't have any problems drinking the goats milk. As I feed raw and believe in the value of the raw diet ,they will start on goats milk and then I will add some raw patty to it and eventually it will just be the patty.

 They get their little face in the bowl and lap away....if faces and paws get dirty they clean each other or Quila takes over that job.

 Now here I have added the meat patty to the milk....they loved it!! It is gone very quickly!! I will monitor them to see how many feeds I do a day and how much I give them...of both the meat and goats milk...
So far Quila is still feeding them regularly and so I am only feeding once a day at this time....they are now five weeks old.

QUILA'S PUPS...HOW THEY HAVE GROWN !!

Well I have been both busy with the pups and also totally enchanted by them. They change everyday and are becoming such beautiful goldens...not that I expected anything less. I have to say, yet again, how exciting and rewarding this whole process has been. Breeding can be a very hard experience as many things can go wrong, but when they go right....oh it is just so good!! The other side of things is also finding those forever homes...now this sounds like a simple thing but to me and many others it is not. We want our pups to go into the best homes where they will be loved, trained etc. Screening people and sometime just finding people who are serious in spending the time, energy , money etc that it takes to properly train a dog...as well as the ongoing costs of owning a dog is not as easy as it sounds. It is important that a potential puppy owner know the needs of the puppy and later dog. I have to say my girlfriend, who is also Quila's breeder, did a fab job....I have kept the families uptodate on the pups through video cam, emails of pics and videos....three of the four families have been able to make the long trip to my home, at a very busy time of year, to come and visit the pups. I have been able to enjoy seeing them around the pups, interacting and playing with them.

Now to go back abit , as I haven't posted for awhile...the pups have been growing ...growing and growing...Quila's milk is really good. I did start them on goats milk yesterday , only because they now have teeth and are starting to bite her...she will start kicking them off soon.\
So their eyes open, ears opened and the walking and playing started....

 The eyes and ears are open...the world is a big place and the wobbly legs will only go so fast...
At first they didn't seem interested in toys...but soon that changed...

 First I added the soft stuffy....they love it....they sleep on it and also tug on it....
It is such a hit I got four more so that I can get the puppies smell on them and they can go home with each of them

 Next I added a tug rope and another tug toy that is soft....they like them all....when they are out with me I utilize other toys...to help in the shaping of their personalities....one that utilizes them thinking, their balance etc

Everyday their playing increases as does their walking...or should I say running now!!

They also spend alot of time playing with each other...this play is getting rougher....with some growling and the odd barking when one wants to play and the other one isn't playing back....



Socialization of the pups is very important....these pups have had alot of socialization already....but as they are four weeks old now I have started to increase the socialization ....it is not hard to find people who like to play with adorable pups...
I am careful of how Quila reactes around the people , especially children...she has been so good ...which is no surprise...

 Introducing another dog to the pups....first I don't want alot of dogs around them as they have not had their vaccinations yet...only what ever protection their mother has passed onto them...this was my daughter's dog and we did clean the feet etc before they were introduced...once again keeping in mind how Quila reactes...and once again she was a star ....she grew up with this Boston and so had no problem with her playing with her pups....in fact she went and had a much deserved nap!

 We have had the pups around a baby....both baby and puppies were happy to interact...

 We have many adults...both female and male playing with the pups everyday

Now we have also added children...the pups have been held, carried and petted....and love it all!!

As you can see I am working had to have well adjusted puppies , that enjoy all people and love to be handled....so far it is working....

Well I finally found a little time to do this blog...but now it is back to the pups....hopefully tomorrow I will post on the pups and their introduction to goats milk...stay tuned....

PUPPY CARE.....and Christmas

Well as you can see we are trying to get ready for christmas!

No this pup is not a present...which brings me to the subject of is getting a pup for Christmas a good idea. I don't think it is , for a number of reasons...the first being is the person receiving the pup really wanting and ready for that pup....is it even the breed they want...and is it the breed that is best for them and their lifestyle...even if they have said," oh I really like boxers"...does that mean they just like boxers or have they done research on them and really feel they would fit them and their lifestyle.

Christmas is also a time of celebration, noise and confusion....lots of people coming and going...unregular hours from normal etc....is this the best environment to bring in a puppy?

There are also alot of items around that aren't normally there and are unsafe for the pup...ordaments, the tree , toy parts etc.

It is much better to bring a new pup into a family when they can spend some time with the new members of their family and the environment can be prepared for the pup.

This will lead to better adjustment for the pup, less stress on the pup owner etc....

The pups are doing really well.They have been gaining weight everyday and are now just over three pounds. They feed well and Quila, their mom, is very good with them.

Pink girl was the first to open her eyes on Monday...purple girl and yellow girl followed suit yesterday...with blue boy and red girl waiting today...

Now you can start to see a little of their personalities...and now the trouble will start!

Pink Girl

Now that their eyes are open and they can hear , it is time to start stimulating them with sights and sounds.

As my house tends to be quite quiet I will have the TV on more, CD playing at times ...including one that has noises that help them to be well adjusted to lightening etc...will play it softly at first then increase the volume...I want well adjusted pups that are secure and not easily frightened.

Pups are alot of work....and I could do the minuim....see that they are clean and fed...and let the mom do the rest, but I want more for my pups....I want them to be smart, independant...while being a reliable, well behaved member of a family....whether just a pet or a working dog I want them to enjoy their lives to the fullest ....and to do that I need to put the work into them now. I need to get them thinking, let them experience things in a safe, controlled environment so that they develop a strong well being.

These pups are already demonstrating a calm personalty , with some independence ...now to work with that to assist them to be strong, intellegent, calm dogs.

One of the first experiences for the pups is their mother and how she treats them...this will be a lasting effect.
Quila is very gently, concerning and loving to her pups. As a new mom I was there helping her at the beginning...reassuring her and assisting the pups onto the teats as needed. Making sure she got her attention, adequate food , rest etc. She has always been a calm, gently girl and that is why I wanted to breed her...along with her being a great working dog for Search and Rescue...I am keeping a pup for that very reason...I know how good it is going to be.
When getting a dog of any age you need to know what you want to do with it and will it fit your lifestyle etc...all pups are cute...but they grow into dogs....will a large dog work for you , or a high energy one etc.
Then you need to look at the breeding if you are looking at a purebred...not all goldens are the same...they do have a general good disposition, but depending on their upbringing as to how they will be as adults.

My first golden was a lovely girl...when she was about 6 yrs...before that she was a handful...I was able to utilize that with working her in rally, agility, etc....another home would most likely have rehomed her.

When I got Quila I was much more careful...and I got the girl I have always wanted...now I want to share her with other , via her pups...they are going to be special...and luckily they are all going to special people .

You can already see how special they are......