I also bought some new jingly items to add to their inside box. They need to start getting sound-desensitised! The only loud noise that they love is me tapping on their metal bowl at mealtimes!
To all the prospective puppy owners, I thought that you would like to see the photographs, videos, and updates of the Mackland puppies while they are still with me. These Border Collie & Shetland Sheepdog puppies are lovingly bred and raised in my home. This blog lets me show you step by step how your baby is raised. It highlights each step from mating to 8 weeks old. I hope that you all enjoy reading about them as much as I enjoy having them in my house!
Monday, May 9, 2016
Some activities
Today the pups have a nice day outside with some added distractions for them. They took to the hanging piece of tyre instantly! ..but not too keen on the tunnel at first. After a few minutes they couldn't help themselves and went across to see it.
The escape artist - referring to my earlier post
Some people had trouble viewing the videos I put up the other day on the post entitled:
"The escape artist...."
So I have reloaded them on there, plus added a few more from the same day.
"The escape artist...."
So I have reloaded them on there, plus added a few more from the same day.
Puppy joints
This is a re-post off another site
This is an X-ray of a 2 week old puppy.
Look at how far the bones have to grow before they become a proper bony joint! This is why you should never let puppies jump, walk up/down stairs, over exercise or over train. Doing to much impact activity at a young age will cause serious issues later in life, or even at a young age as hip dysplasia and other orthopaedic conditions are rising in puppies!
Remember the puppy rule for every month times activity by 5 minuets! For example an 8 week old puppy only needs 10 minutes physical activity a day - a 6 month old only needs 30 minutes a day of physical activity!!
*physical activity includes - going for a walk, training, playing fetch, running, playing with other dogs etc.
Enjoy your new puppy but remember you wouldn't make a 6 month old baby run a mile a day so don't make your puppy either!
Sunday, May 8, 2016
Personalities
OK so I have spent a few days assessing the 4-week personalities. It is early days, but always nice to document what the pups are up to. Also I had a little look at their builds.
Black
She is a little honey. Has the best shaped head out of all the bitches. She likes to be on her own quite a bit, but still interacts with everyone as well. She is quite playful - sees a leaf and picks it up to play with it, for example. She tugs on the bottom of my jeans. She loves human interaction.
Spider
A slightly bigger girlie, quite flashy. She is inquisitive and always rushes into see what's happening. Often in the centre of the pile of pups. She likes to wag her tail a lot and climbs the side of her pen to try and escape.
Jane
The smallest girl, quite sleek from head to tail. I have a feeling that she may be built a bit like Maverick. She likes to sit quietly, appears to be a thinker. But when I call them in the outside pen, she's the first to arrive at my feet. She likes to drag toys around.
Puzzle
The boldest girl, and very growly and pushy towards her littermates. She likes to pick on them a bit, but if I pick her up she melts. When I am sitting in the pen she's the one that climbs up my body and licks my face. She is medium in size, a little smaller than Spider.
Patch
By far my favourite puppy when it comes to spunk - Mister Social, Mister Personality... Mister Houdini! Can escape almost any pen. He loves interaction with my other dogs and seeks it constantly. He loves people and being cuddled too! Patch has the best head in the litter. His tail wags non stop as he gets up to mischief.
Bandit
The middle boy, I think he will be Mister Handsome. He is pretty bold. Bandit comes to me after all the other pups, but likes to stay and get scratched under his chin. He is probably the pick male when it comes to conformation (when colour is factored in)
Bonus
The smallest boy, and very similar to Jane. A little cutie that reminds me of Maverick. His favourite toy is a big soft ball that he likes to push around. He doesn't like loud noises at the moment.
Black
She is a little honey. Has the best shaped head out of all the bitches. She likes to be on her own quite a bit, but still interacts with everyone as well. She is quite playful - sees a leaf and picks it up to play with it, for example. She tugs on the bottom of my jeans. She loves human interaction.
Spider
A slightly bigger girlie, quite flashy. She is inquisitive and always rushes into see what's happening. Often in the centre of the pile of pups. She likes to wag her tail a lot and climbs the side of her pen to try and escape.
Jane
The smallest girl, quite sleek from head to tail. I have a feeling that she may be built a bit like Maverick. She likes to sit quietly, appears to be a thinker. But when I call them in the outside pen, she's the first to arrive at my feet. She likes to drag toys around.
Puzzle
The boldest girl, and very growly and pushy towards her littermates. She likes to pick on them a bit, but if I pick her up she melts. When I am sitting in the pen she's the one that climbs up my body and licks my face. She is medium in size, a little smaller than Spider.
Patch
By far my favourite puppy when it comes to spunk - Mister Social, Mister Personality... Mister Houdini! Can escape almost any pen. He loves interaction with my other dogs and seeks it constantly. He loves people and being cuddled too! Patch has the best head in the litter. His tail wags non stop as he gets up to mischief.
Bandit
The middle boy, I think he will be Mister Handsome. He is pretty bold. Bandit comes to me after all the other pups, but likes to stay and get scratched under his chin. He is probably the pick male when it comes to conformation (when colour is factored in)
Bonus
The smallest boy, and very similar to Jane. A little cutie that reminds me of Maverick. His favourite toy is a big soft ball that he likes to push around. He doesn't like loud noises at the moment.
A chilly day
The pups were so frustrated yesterday as they didn't get out in the bad weather, but instead were cooped inside all day. Today was chilly, but not raining, so I let them out early and they were thrilled!
Friday, May 6, 2016
Food...
People are asking me what slop the pups are getting.. hehe
It is Hills Healthy Development Puppy - they get 3 cups a day (breakfast lunch and supper - a cup each), softened in hot water and liquidised into a porridge. They have water and mom inbetween that. This will increase to 4 cups a day shortly. When they are finished a meal they are all like little pot bellied pigs!
Finn gets a cup of the same Hills Puppy food in the morning for breakfast, plus an egg. For lunch she gets another cup and half a tin of fish (either pilchards or sardines or a whole tin of tuna). At 5pm half a cup of Hills Puppy and later for supper another full cup....
They are eating me out of house and home!
It is Hills Healthy Development Puppy - they get 3 cups a day (breakfast lunch and supper - a cup each), softened in hot water and liquidised into a porridge. They have water and mom inbetween that. This will increase to 4 cups a day shortly. When they are finished a meal they are all like little pot bellied pigs!
Finn gets a cup of the same Hills Puppy food in the morning for breakfast, plus an egg. For lunch she gets another cup and half a tin of fish (either pilchards or sardines or a whole tin of tuna). At 5pm half a cup of Hills Puppy and later for supper another full cup....
They are eating me out of house and home!
Lunch today outside
I went outside to give the babies their lunch today... and they were all fast asleep... must have had a busy morning!
Then they twigged....
The escape artist....
Well now.............. we have a white Houdini! Little Mister escape artist is on a mission!
Last night while I was watching TV, I heard the dogs shuffling around and looked down... here is Mr Patch that had come to visit! He had climbed out of his box, crossed the spare room floor, squeezed through the baby gate into the passage and then into the lounge to find us! Then he proceeded to check out the shelties.....
Then at 01:30 this morning, I was woken up with, yes you guessed it, Mr Patch arriving in the bedroom squeaking for attention! He found mom and had a little midnight snack, and then he tootled around the bed looking for friends! I put him back in his box in the spare room and went back to bed.... only to be awoken at 6am when he was back and playing with the shelties! Here's a cute little video of him this morning - I love how he backs up and twirls under the sheltie legs! And then he tries to chew Journey's leg.... eish what a little character!
Thursday, May 5, 2016
Some observations
The pups are barking! EISH - I hope that they don't start sounding like Maverick.. or you will all be very sorry! Loud? Freaky? Insane? ...well put it this way... I had his vocal chords snipped! I say no more!
Another thing... the eyes......
Finn has lovely dark brown eyes - really beautiful. Maverick has lighter eyes (less desirable, but not bad). The pups... I DON'T KNOW! Some appear to be blue to me! EISH (blue is not my favourite colour). Usually the pups' eyes open and they are a sort of a grey, they go navy and then turn brown. All was on track, but today, outside in the sunlight, half the litter looks blue... I am hoping that it's just the colour changing, reflecting off the blue sky............
For those that don't know, blue eyes are perfectly acceptable, if they are surrounded by colour (in this case, black). The only puppy that could be a fault is Patch IF he has a blue eye in the white fur. Time will tell, I guess....
But, I have asked a friend that breeds Australian Shepherds and she is of the opinion that they *could* be blue.........
I know that Finn's brother has produced a blue eye in 1 litter. Also Maverick's brother has a blue eye... so it IS on both sides... let's just hope that these are in the process of changing!
I am watching these pups carefully for working ability etc. This is what I have noticed so far:
Girls:
Puzzle seems very outgoing and forward, drags toys and shakes them
Black girl drags toys around and loses her balance when she barks
Spider bounces, spins and barks at the same time. She climbs...
Jane seems quite agile and quick - likes getting into small spaces
Boys:
Bonus is very friendly and loves attention, seems quite agile, hides under things
Patch is a big cry baby, sits and screams for attention, and then ploughs through everyone.
Bandit likes to explore, play growls a lot at the others, and at toys
"Breed"wize so far my pick girl is Black, and my pick boy is Bandit.
Another thing... the eyes......
Finn has lovely dark brown eyes - really beautiful. Maverick has lighter eyes (less desirable, but not bad). The pups... I DON'T KNOW! Some appear to be blue to me! EISH (blue is not my favourite colour). Usually the pups' eyes open and they are a sort of a grey, they go navy and then turn brown. All was on track, but today, outside in the sunlight, half the litter looks blue... I am hoping that it's just the colour changing, reflecting off the blue sky............
For those that don't know, blue eyes are perfectly acceptable, if they are surrounded by colour (in this case, black). The only puppy that could be a fault is Patch IF he has a blue eye in the white fur. Time will tell, I guess....
But, I have asked a friend that breeds Australian Shepherds and she is of the opinion that they *could* be blue.........
I know that Finn's brother has produced a blue eye in 1 litter. Also Maverick's brother has a blue eye... so it IS on both sides... let's just hope that these are in the process of changing!
I am watching these pups carefully for working ability etc. This is what I have noticed so far:
Girls:
Puzzle seems very outgoing and forward, drags toys and shakes them
Black girl drags toys around and loses her balance when she barks
Spider bounces, spins and barks at the same time. She climbs...
Jane seems quite agile and quick - likes getting into small spaces
Boys:
Bonus is very friendly and loves attention, seems quite agile, hides under things
Patch is a big cry baby, sits and screams for attention, and then ploughs through everyone.
Bandit likes to explore, play growls a lot at the others, and at toys
"Breed"wize so far my pick girl is Black, and my pick boy is Bandit.
Article on puppies
Sam found this article, and I thought it was great!
It was here:
https://denisefenzi.com/2011/11/25/talent-and-puppies/
In dogs, we increase the odds of having talents through selective breeding. If two dogs show talent for a given ability, then the odds increase that their offspring will also show that talent. No guarantees, but certainly better odds.
At what age will that talent emerge? How will environmental influences encourage or discourage that talent?
Many trainers expect puppies to express their talents from the day we take them home. If the trainer has had prior dogs that showed their talents early, then the expectations will be even higher.
In the sport of Schutzhund, we talk about “sleepy” puppies. That is how puppies are described that are slow to mature; slow to show any real interest in the work required in the sport. But sleepy puppies have a way of waking up if the genetics for work are there. These puppies are something of a gamble, and many in the dog sports want a sure thing. Let’s face it; it can be hard to put energy into a puppy that seems unable to do what others of the same age (or even littermates) can do.
Fast maturing dogs who show their talents early are prized – they are trained with joy and energy because their responses to our efforts reinforce our training. Sleepy puppies are trained less well.
We have fewer opportunities to celebrate and more opportunities to express our frustration. The lack of positive feedback for our efforts, and the slow progress that might be made, lead to a vicious cyle. We train less, celebrate less, and give less. With my students, I’ve noticed that sleepy puppies do best with novice handlers. In most cases, they don’t even know they have a sleepy puppy. When the puppy starts to show it’s talent, the owners are delighted as opposed to relieved. The lack of pressure allows the puppy to flourish.
Slow maturing dogs with experienced handlers can be a trainer or breeder’s nightmare. Their owners are frustrated, disappointed, and pushy. They worry….the winner they were hoping for isn’t panning out. If that person spent a lot of time identifying a litter that showed great promise – great parents with a great pedigree, the problem will be even worse. They “did everything right” and the puppy turned out wrong.
As a breeder and trainer, I find myself hoping for early maturing puppies. Not because I believe it’s better, but because I’ve seen what happens to goal driven trainers who develop doubts. They ruin their working relationship with their dogs. There is no worse combination than an ambitious trainer with goals and a “sleepy” puppy with normal ups and downs.
If your puppy is temperamentally sound and you have a reasonable belief that the genetics for work are there, don’t give up on your puppy. Don’t pressure her to grow up faster. Don’t crate excessively to “build drive” – deprivation to force early interest is not appropriate. If you become manic in your efforts to get your puppy to play, you are adding unreasonable pressure that will make her shut down and avoid you. Do not train like a weekend warrior; allowing your puppy to develop her own interests all week (playing with other dogs and chasing squirrels in the yard) and then pull out all the stops when you get around to training.
If your puppy is not ready to work for you, try spending time together instead. Show her the world but interject yourself into the equation whenever possible. Focus on what is right with your puppy’s development. Hand feed but don’t starve. When possible, keep the puppy with you rather than crating. If your puppy likes toys but not tug, sit with your puppy while she chews. Talk to your puppy; tell her how special she is. Convince yourself that she is fabulous…but not ready to show the world just yet.
Remove excessive alternative interests. If your dog focuses on other dogs, remove the puppy from the other dogs, but do not isolate her. If your puppy loves to run up and down the fenceline, block the fenceline. Chasing squirels? Take puppy outside on leash. Intense environmental focus? Keep puppy on leash and prevent interaction with the environment – offer alternatives like sitting quietly with you, looking out and becoming comfortable with your presence and what you have to offer (food, toys and interaction -without strings attached). Keep in mind that the drives you use are the ones you build, so if she spends the week running the fence line and barking at squirrels, you’ll have your work cut out for you if you try to compete with that interest.
Give it time. Base temperament will not change – if your puppy is aggressive, fearful, or nervous, then you’ll need to deal with these issues. But if the base temerament is sound and the puppy is simply “sleepy”, then you’ll have to use other techniques for bonding with your puppy – not work.
I am bonding with Lyra through work – that is what I do and she is amenable to it. My husband is bonding with Lyra through time and play- he takes her places, holds her constantly, and spends lots of time admiring how cute she is. We will both end up with an excellent relationship – mine will take us into competition, and his will give him a devoted and loving pet.
I find that Lyra isn’t very interested in work at some times of the day. That’s fine; I scale back my expectations at those times and we do activities where she can succeed. I will shorten her lesson or switch to a different activity. Sometimes that activity is sitting together doing not much of anything and watching the world go by. That is training – we are building our friendship outside of work.
Lyra has shown me a few specific talents that will aid us in work. I’m delighted with their presence, and I use them as points of bonding – telling her (and the world!) how proud I am for these early emerging skills. She also has some areas that are relatively weak compared to my student’s dogs or other puppies I have owned. That’s fine too. I will work to develop these areas over time – not obsessively, but here and there as we grow together. I am aware of these potential areas for improvement, but I do not focus on them. When I see progress, I am ecstatic and I tell her!
What good would it be if Lyra were a finished product at a year of age, with no ups and downs? It’s hard to celebrate success if you didn’t contribute to it. That doesn’t mean I appreciate the challenges as I go through them, but I’m secure enough in my training to know that we will both improve over time. Maybe we won’t reach all of our goals, but we’ll do our best, based on who she is and what I know at this time.
She is the dog I have, and I love her. I take pride in her talents and I have a realistic assessment of her weaknesses. Indeed, I selected her knowing that my needs would create some training challenges (see: https://denisefenzi.com/2011/10/02/selecting-a-puppy/) On balance, she has a terrific package, and it’s my job to develop the whole thing. Focusing on what is positive about her, regardless of her working ability, allows me to do what pet people do so naturally – love their dogs unconditionally.
Pet people are on to something.
It was here:
https://denisefenzi.com/2011/11/25/talent-and-puppies/
TALENT AND PUPPIES
Talent is innate.In dogs, we increase the odds of having talents through selective breeding. If two dogs show talent for a given ability, then the odds increase that their offspring will also show that talent. No guarantees, but certainly better odds.
At what age will that talent emerge? How will environmental influences encourage or discourage that talent?
Many trainers expect puppies to express their talents from the day we take them home. If the trainer has had prior dogs that showed their talents early, then the expectations will be even higher.
In the sport of Schutzhund, we talk about “sleepy” puppies. That is how puppies are described that are slow to mature; slow to show any real interest in the work required in the sport. But sleepy puppies have a way of waking up if the genetics for work are there. These puppies are something of a gamble, and many in the dog sports want a sure thing. Let’s face it; it can be hard to put energy into a puppy that seems unable to do what others of the same age (or even littermates) can do.
Fast maturing dogs who show their talents early are prized – they are trained with joy and energy because their responses to our efforts reinforce our training. Sleepy puppies are trained less well.
We have fewer opportunities to celebrate and more opportunities to express our frustration. The lack of positive feedback for our efforts, and the slow progress that might be made, lead to a vicious cyle. We train less, celebrate less, and give less. With my students, I’ve noticed that sleepy puppies do best with novice handlers. In most cases, they don’t even know they have a sleepy puppy. When the puppy starts to show it’s talent, the owners are delighted as opposed to relieved. The lack of pressure allows the puppy to flourish.
Slow maturing dogs with experienced handlers can be a trainer or breeder’s nightmare. Their owners are frustrated, disappointed, and pushy. They worry….the winner they were hoping for isn’t panning out. If that person spent a lot of time identifying a litter that showed great promise – great parents with a great pedigree, the problem will be even worse. They “did everything right” and the puppy turned out wrong.
As a breeder and trainer, I find myself hoping for early maturing puppies. Not because I believe it’s better, but because I’ve seen what happens to goal driven trainers who develop doubts. They ruin their working relationship with their dogs. There is no worse combination than an ambitious trainer with goals and a “sleepy” puppy with normal ups and downs.
If your puppy is temperamentally sound and you have a reasonable belief that the genetics for work are there, don’t give up on your puppy. Don’t pressure her to grow up faster. Don’t crate excessively to “build drive” – deprivation to force early interest is not appropriate. If you become manic in your efforts to get your puppy to play, you are adding unreasonable pressure that will make her shut down and avoid you. Do not train like a weekend warrior; allowing your puppy to develop her own interests all week (playing with other dogs and chasing squirrels in the yard) and then pull out all the stops when you get around to training.
If your puppy is not ready to work for you, try spending time together instead. Show her the world but interject yourself into the equation whenever possible. Focus on what is right with your puppy’s development. Hand feed but don’t starve. When possible, keep the puppy with you rather than crating. If your puppy likes toys but not tug, sit with your puppy while she chews. Talk to your puppy; tell her how special she is. Convince yourself that she is fabulous…but not ready to show the world just yet.
Remove excessive alternative interests. If your dog focuses on other dogs, remove the puppy from the other dogs, but do not isolate her. If your puppy loves to run up and down the fenceline, block the fenceline. Chasing squirels? Take puppy outside on leash. Intense environmental focus? Keep puppy on leash and prevent interaction with the environment – offer alternatives like sitting quietly with you, looking out and becoming comfortable with your presence and what you have to offer (food, toys and interaction -without strings attached). Keep in mind that the drives you use are the ones you build, so if she spends the week running the fence line and barking at squirrels, you’ll have your work cut out for you if you try to compete with that interest.
Give it time. Base temperament will not change – if your puppy is aggressive, fearful, or nervous, then you’ll need to deal with these issues. But if the base temerament is sound and the puppy is simply “sleepy”, then you’ll have to use other techniques for bonding with your puppy – not work.
I am bonding with Lyra through work – that is what I do and she is amenable to it. My husband is bonding with Lyra through time and play- he takes her places, holds her constantly, and spends lots of time admiring how cute she is. We will both end up with an excellent relationship – mine will take us into competition, and his will give him a devoted and loving pet.
I find that Lyra isn’t very interested in work at some times of the day. That’s fine; I scale back my expectations at those times and we do activities where she can succeed. I will shorten her lesson or switch to a different activity. Sometimes that activity is sitting together doing not much of anything and watching the world go by. That is training – we are building our friendship outside of work.
Lyra has shown me a few specific talents that will aid us in work. I’m delighted with their presence, and I use them as points of bonding – telling her (and the world!) how proud I am for these early emerging skills. She also has some areas that are relatively weak compared to my student’s dogs or other puppies I have owned. That’s fine too. I will work to develop these areas over time – not obsessively, but here and there as we grow together. I am aware of these potential areas for improvement, but I do not focus on them. When I see progress, I am ecstatic and I tell her!
What good would it be if Lyra were a finished product at a year of age, with no ups and downs? It’s hard to celebrate success if you didn’t contribute to it. That doesn’t mean I appreciate the challenges as I go through them, but I’m secure enough in my training to know that we will both improve over time. Maybe we won’t reach all of our goals, but we’ll do our best, based on who she is and what I know at this time.
She is the dog I have, and I love her. I take pride in her talents and I have a realistic assessment of her weaknesses. Indeed, I selected her knowing that my needs would create some training challenges (see: https://denisefenzi.com/2011/10/02/selecting-a-puppy/) On balance, she has a terrific package, and it’s my job to develop the whole thing. Focusing on what is positive about her, regardless of her working ability, allows me to do what pet people do so naturally – love their dogs unconditionally.
Pet people are on to something.
Crates
A few people have asked me about crates. Usually I lend a crate out and the puppy owner sends it right back after they get their baby... but some are wanting to purchase crates, so I asked the supplier in PE for sizes and quotes on airline approved crates... here they are:
D21109
D21561
D21863
D21947
D21109
Vari small
53x40x38
R1000
D21561
Vari Ultra medium
71x52x54
R1500
D21863
Vari 24 small
61x42x37
R850
D21947
Vari 28 medium
71x63x55
R1450
Personally I think that the D21863 will do, but I will just check it against the one I usually use.
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
First time on grass!
The pups went outside today. I have a small run that I let them loose in - they LOVED it! There is a small shady area, a crate with bedding and a nice grassed area for them to explore. Mom also has a houndsleeper that she can relax on...
Breakfast piggies!
Excuse the mess... they were a rowdy bunch last night and I hurried to do their breakfast... As a result the pellets weren't 100% soft - but they managed!!! They drank the slop then guzzled the chunky bits!
I only changed their newspaper AFTER breakfast because they walk through the food....
I only changed their newspaper AFTER breakfast because they walk through the food....
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Toys!
The rest of the pups were already asleep when I tossed the toys in. I thought they would wake up later and see them... but a couple of them saw me and decided to start now!
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