From Russia With Love: June 2011

June 30 Day 50

A Little Video Clip ...just for your entertainment

(do yourself a favor and turn the volume down before you play this...)

and later that day...

Can you believe that this is the first day I don't have pictures? Day 49 is a hallmark date for puppies. This is the day that their personalities start to solidify and their place in the pack starts to become clear.... at least in their minds :0D

Nickel continues to wean them and they are eating 3-4 very hardy solid meals a day. Between all 9 puppies they are going through over 3 pounds of raw meat a day. IOW they're eating me out of house and home... ha ha ha.

The reason there aren't any pictures was because I was back to work yesterday... I ended up having a case (that should have been 4 hours) last 9 hours. By the time I got home and took care of puppy business I wasn't really in the mood to take pictures. Actually I was in the mood to take them I just didn't have the energy to go in the house for the camera ;^)
The really amazing thing is this! The puppies figured out how to push open the cat door (that goes out to the deck and fenced yard). Apparently they let themselves out to poop! The pee pads were soaked but there wasn't one poopy in the room. I was quite amazed. They have been 90% consistent in going to the door and peeing on the pads and have very very rarely pooped inside. Good Puppies! :)
Now aren't you glad there are no pictures for the day?

June28 Day 48

Walkieeees

Taking the pupsters out for walks by themselves now. They are all a little hesitant to leave the driveway but quickly lift their tails and trot along with me. There's still construction going on next door so it's no wonder that they hold back a little.. at first.

I've had people ask me how I can walk all 5 of my girls off leash. I've had people ask how I can keep them from going into the street. I've had people ask how I can keep them from chasing squirrels or cats during our walks. I think I know now. Every time these puppies walk with me without a leash they are practicing 'You Choose.' It's interesting that there's a new training technique given this title. The whole premise of the technique is that you let the dog choose its behavior and reward it for the one "you" want it to reinforce. Now I can see that by letting young puppies walk with me (leash free and command free) I am letting it decide that walking next to me is the 'BEST' choice it can make. It soon becomes a natural pattern and a natural behavior. At this early age it's not Magic or especially brilliant training... it's simply allowing the puppy to do what comes naturally.

June 27 Day 47

The Day of Travel... and Adventure

TODAY was the first day the puppies not only traveled in the car, but visited a whole new place. they did fabulously in the car. One puppy had a bit of an upset tummy on the way home but otherwise it was flawless.... They were calm and comfortable in the crates and didn't do much whining. LOL... compared to last year it was a piece of cake! The puppies last year made such a clamor that I could have used ear plugs! Here's a pic of the pups in their crates on the way to Mercer Island's "All The Best," pet food store. This store has been incredibly tolerant and enthusiastic about puppies running rampant throughout the facility. We started the tradition last year with the Alchmy's Royale litter and continue with the Alchmy's Absolut gang. It's the perfect place to socialize the puppies as it's a very busy store and .... of course!... everyone who enters is a dog enthusiast.

ouch that looks like hard time in San Quentin!... surprisingly they didn't suffer too badly ;)

Here is the Mascot and two of the employees of All The Best (with the puppies of course). I took them in 4 and 5 at a time. They were a little timid at first. A couple hid under the cart at first. True to the temperament of their Daddy, it didn't take them long to figure it out and bounce into complete comfort and confidence. I called Stoli, their daddy, the 'bounce back boy,' because he would hesitate at new experiences only to bounce instantly into full assertiveness. Once learned... there was never another issue.

yum ymmmm a bone! will you share?

Puppy heaven

Out of the crate and ... OH! WHo's that?!!!!

Didn't take long to make buddies

All The Best is ... well... The BEST!

Homeward bound....

Puppies got newly bought treats for the trip home: dried beef tendons and freeze dried lamb patties. How luckily can they be? Now wonder they didn't complain on the way home... or maybe it was just that they were exhausted..? hee hee either way It made my job easier ;)

Given that this was their first trip to a new place I was very pleased with their reaction and adaptation. They traveled without any of the 'big girls' which is always a little more challenging for the puppies.

A Full Full Life...

and that's just the beginning....

I haven't had a day without a smile since May 11, 2011.

OH... By The Way... This is TinTin :) the Silver blur at the end is Nickel.....

June 26 Day 46

rain Rain and More RAIN
It's certainly been a month (or more) of crazy weather. One day hot and sunny ... the next rain. I gave up trying to predict what the weather was going to be (for visitors) and decided to leave the 10-man-tent positioned on the deck. At first I was breaking it down when the sun came out. Duh! Only to erect it later the same day. Now it's a permanent structure. My friends are calling it my "tent city," but they aren't complaining when they're sitting dry and snug inside while hearing the pellet of rain on the roof ;^D
Here are some pictures from inside.. and you can get a sense of how cozy and comfortable.

MaMa Nickel..

puppies take charge!

Mama Nickel and Grandma TinTin

Grand MaMa TinTin...

and Puppy takes over!...

Puppies... and....... puppies....

rule! :)

June 24 Day 44

Lynne Visited from California this weekend. She had time to get to know all the puppies despite the fact that most had lost their collars by now. I'm not sure she believed me that I could tell all the puppies apart. She'd hold up a puppy and say, which one? and I'd tell her (after a quick study). I'm pretty sure she thought I was making it all up ;) Sometimes it would take me a few tries before I got it right....

She and I took the pupsters for their first walk around the block. We took two-three at a time.

For the most part the pups were a little hesitant leaving the driveway. They were all quick to adjust and come trotting along with tails up. Blaze took a little more convincing than the rest. He got down to the first corner and high tailed it back to the house.. ha ha ha. We gathered him up and convinced him that it wasn't such a bad thing. He came along with enthusiasm after that.

June 22 Day 42 Six Weeks

PUPPIES TURN 6 WEEKS OLD TODAY!

They are certainly starting to show distinct personalities and acting like little dogs. Their play behavior has changed from mostly posturing, mounting and challenging to playing with objects. They're really starting to rough house like any respectable poodle would. For some reason one particular flower pot has become an especially popular vantage point for watching. Even Corsa has been caught perched there.