Introduction to the crate ....

The BOYZ have a 300 sized* plastic crate (32") in their play area now -- I think they like it!  They use it for a playroom and eventually took a nap in there, all five of them!

*Note: this crate size is too small for an adult Vizsla, plan on at least 36"

Puppy Housetraining -- the biggest challenge, or is it?

Successful house-training is one of the first things parents of a new puppy need to accomplish, and even though the process can be time-consuming, it does not have to be daunting. With a combination of consistency, common sense, and positive reinforcement protocols, you can quickly train any puppy to toilet appropriately.

Crate Training

Crate training is the ONLY way of encouraging puppies to hold themselves for longer periods of time and keeps puppies safe when unsupervised. If you use the crate correctly, it will become a safe space for your puppy as well as a highly effective toilet training tool.  

Stay Alert!

Regardless of which method you use to housetrain your puppy, remain especially vigilant and prepared for a pup to eliminate at the following times:

•     Immediately after meals or water
•     After training sessions
•     Immediately after waking up
•     After vigorous play
•     When overly excited

You must have TWO EYES on the puppy AT ALL TIMES -- or they need to be in their crate. 

What Not to Do:

• Never scold a pup or adult dog for toileting inappropriately and never rub his nose in or near his mess. Dogs do NOT toilet inappropriately out of spite. You will only cause your dog to fear you and toilet in secret or when you are out of sight.
• Leaving poorly house-trained puppies or dogs in the home unsupervised sets them up to fail unless they are in a safe area.

Teach a "Go Potty" Command

• You should be taking your puppy outside to eliminate so that you can offer appropriate praise. Incorporate at "Go Potty" command so the puppy quickly learns to do their business.  I find this command invaluable for travel when a quick pit stop is needed.

Keeping it all in the family, meet the 1/2 brothers . . .

While bred sparingly, True Love Litter's daddy dog "Spenser" has already produced some very handsome and accomplished boys,  I thought it would be to share some of 1/2-brothers to our True Love Litter, introducing . . . 

"Havoc"
BISS GCH CH HRQ's Guess Who's in Trouble JH OA OAJ 

DOB:  February 26, 2009

Sire: "Spenser"

Dam: BISS GCH CH Tivoliz Now Pay Attention CD RN MH AX AXJ VC TDI ROM “Q”

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"Riot"

BISS GCH CH Zenith Red Diamond Beyond Chaos JH 

DOB: March 12, 2010

Sire: "Spenser"

Dam: BIS BISS GCH CH Tamaron's Red Diamond JH ROM "Briseis"

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Mr. Puppy - need name ;) - 4 months old here

DOB: waiting for info

Sire: "Spenser"

Dam: BISS GCH CH Pagliacci Kizmar Wicked Brew "Wick"

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If you'd like to know what the titles mean, refer to the AKC website: http://www.akc.org/events/titles.cfm

BIS = Best in Show
BISS = Best in Specialty Show
ROM = Vizsla Club of America Registry of Merit

Sometimes I wish she "did" exist . . .

Please be a responsible dog owner -- teach your dog manners AND always pick up after your dog!

Puppy Buyer Etiquette by Joanna Kimball

One of the favorite blogs among reputable breeders is Ruffly Speaking by Joanna Kimball, I have her "Puppy Buyer Etiquette" link on my website and use it in my initial correspondence to puppy inquiries.  Her explanation of why you do not choose your puppy is spot on.  

I often have the same question of potential puppy homes and I explain (and often re-explain) that you should *not* expect to pick out your puppy (or their sex); a good breeder will have spent 8 or more weeks with the puppies before placing them, and they alone are in the best position to assess which puppy will do best in which environment – and often there are 5-8 families to accommodate.  Doing what is best is the BREEDER's responsibility; similarly, you should want this kind of experience, expertise,  and mentorship from your breeder. 

Puppy Buyer Etiquette by Joanna Kimball  

"PLEASE DO NOT EXPECT TO CHOOSE YOUR PUPPY. This one drives puppy buyers CRAZY. I know this, trust me. I have a lot of sympathy because I’ve been there. But the fact is that when you come into my house and look at the eight-week-old puppies and one comes up and tugs on your pant leg and you look at me, enraptured, and say “THIS IS IT! He chose ME,” I’ve been looking at people coming into the house all week, and every single time this same puppy has come up and tugged at them and every single one of them have said to me “THIS IS IT!” 

What you are seeing is not reality. You are seeing the most outgoing puppy, or you’ve fallen in love with the one that has the most white, or the one that has a different look from the rest of the litter (when I had one blue girl puppy in a litter of black boys, every human that came in the house wanted her; when I had one black girl puppy in a litter of blue boys everyone kept talking about how much they loved HER), or the one that’s been (accidentally) featured the most in the pictures I’ve posted. Or, sometimes, you have a very good instinctive eye and you’re picking the puppy that’s the best put together of the litter. And that puppy, of course, is mine, and you’re going to have to pry him out of my cold dead hands. 

My responsibility is not to make you happy. And that, dear friends, is why I am posting this now, and not when I have a bunch of actual puppy buyers around :D. But it’s the truth. My responsibility is to the BREED first. That’s why my first priority in placing puppies is the show owners, because they are the ones that will (if all goes well) use this dog to keep the breed going. It’s not that I like them better than I like you; it’s that I have to be extremely careful who I place with them so that they can make breeding decisions with the very best genetic material I can hand them. My second responsibility is to the PUPPY. I will place each puppy where I feel that it has the best chance of success and the optimal environment to thrive. 

So while I do care, and I will try to take your preferences into account, do not expect to walk into my living room and put your hand in the box and pick whatever puppy you want. And do not expect to be given priority pick because you contacted me first; conversely, do not expect that because you came along late you somehow won’t get a good puppy. Sometimes the person who calls me when the puppies are seven and a half weeks old ends up with what I’d consider the “pick” for various reasons (sometimes because somebody called me up and said they’d gotten a puppy from someone else; see rule 4 above). I am going to try to do my absolute best to match puppies to owners as objectively as I can, not according to who called first.

ONCE YOU GET YOUR PUPPY, THERE WILL ONLY BE THAT PUPPY IN THE WHOLE WORLD."

Read the entire blog post here: http://rufflyspeaking.net/puppy-buyer-ettiquette/ 

Super Saturday!

The Boyz had a visit from Barbara who is one of their future owners. She travelled all the way down from Carmel just to see them!  Naturally she was enamored . . . 

Kitchen Puppy Party -- and the Puppy Plaything!

"Zene" in the Puppy Plaything

What is the Puppy Plaything, you ask?  It's a PVC pipe contraption that stimulates puppies’ senses in a fun and safe way -- it has hanging toys, bottles, and ("safe") plastic/random objects. Adding the Puppy Plaything to their play area teaches them (at a time they have few fears) that stuff that moves and makes noise is interesting and fun!

Sometimes I'll toss treats inside the Plaything so the pups have to go through the dangling items to get to them. The pups are charging into, tugging on and playing with the Plaything. They enjoyed one of their first few meals in the center of the Plaything. This teaches them to tolerate things touching and bumping them while they eat. Good boys!

Some photos from our Kitchen Puppy Party . . . 

Tait checking things out.

Trey lost his collar (Red)

Taz using the pellet potty box

Hi from Tommy!

Successful playtime --- NAPPING BOYZ!

First Meal!

We are such good eaters, a little messy but that's ok!

10 Reasons Not to Use a Retractable Leash

10 Reasons Not to Use a Retractable Leash

1. The length of retractable leashes, some of which can extend up to 26 feet, allows dogs to get far enough away from their humans that a situation can quickly turn dangerous. A dog on a retractable leash is often able to run into the middle of the street, for example, or make uninvited contact with other dogs or people.
2. In the above scenario, or one in which your pet is being approached by an aggressive dog, it is nearly impossible to get control of the situation if the need arises. It's much easier to regain control of – or protect -- a dog at the end of a six-foot standard flat leash than it is if he's 20 or so feet away at the end of what amounts to a thin string.
3. The thin cord of a retractable leash can break – especially when a powerful dog is on the other end of it. If a strong, good-sized dog takes off at full speed, the cord can snap. Not only can that put the dog and whatever he may be chasing in danger, but also the cord can snap back and injure the human at the other end.
4. If a dog walker gets tangled up in the cord of a retractable leash, or grabs it in an attempt to reel in their dog, it can result in burns, cuts, and even amputation. In addition, many people have been pulled right off their feet by a dog that reaches the end of the leash and keeps going. This can result in bruises, "road rash," broken bones, and worse.
5. Dogs have also received terrible injuries as a result of the sudden jerk on their neck that occurs when they run out the leash, including neck wounds, lacerated tracheas, and injuries to the spine.
6. Retractable leashes allow dogs more freedom to pull at the end of them, which can look like aggression to another dog who may decide to "fight back."
7. The handles of retractable leashes are bulky and can be easily pulled out of human hands, resulting in a runaway dog.
8. Along those same lines, many dogs – especially fearful ones – are terrorized by the sound of a dropped retractable leash handle and may take off running, which is dangerous enough. To make matters worse, the object of the poor dog's fear is then "chasing" her, and if the leash is retracting as she runs, the handle is gaining ground on her – she can't escape it. Even if this scenario ultimately ends without physical harm to the dog (or anyone else), it can create lingering fear in the dog not only of leashes, but also of being walked.
9. Retractable leashes, like most retractable devices, have a tendency to malfunction over time, either refusing to extend, refusing to retract, or unspooling at will.
10. Retractable leashes are an especially bad idea for dogs that haven't been trained to walk politely on a regular leash. By their very nature, retractables train dogs to pull while on leash, because they learn that pulling extends the lead.

Full Article: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2014/06/11/retractable-dog-leash.aspx?x_cid=20141014_ranart_petretracableleash_facebookdoc

Puppy Party Palace is OPEN!

Our mugshots at three weeks old . . .

Top left Tommy,  bottom left Tait, top right Trey, middle right Taz, bottom right Tanner 

I love their little "mugs"!

Puppy Development - Week 3 to 4

The True Love BOYZ are 3 Weeks Old!

At this stage "fear" has not yet developed and this is the age where the puppies need to be exposed to sudden noises like turning on the vacuum, radio, TV, hair dryer etc. The puppies are now listening to Sound Socialization CD's (you can see examples on the Clean Run website) which have gunshots, sirens, babies crying and the like.

The startle response needs to be experienced and the puppy allowed to return to normal quickly before the fear stage begins. This needs to happen so the puppy knows that when startled throughout the rest of his life, he can return to normal and everything will be ok. A puppy that has not had these experiences during this stage of development will more than likely be a "fearful" dog as a adult (just another reason you want to adopt from a reputable breeder who socializes their litters).

The puppies will begin a loose pecking order at this stage and start "play fighting" with each other. They will also begin to eat food, but still be nursing their mom as well. By Wednesday or so of this week they will be started on gruel which is ground up/wet kibble/deyhydrated raw food.  

As the week goes by Zene will begin to teach them to nurse more gently and when to quit as their teeth will start to appear by nearly 4 weeks. This is one of the first lessons in discipline.

Over the next few days the puppies will be moving out of the whelping box to the PUPPY PARTY PALACE and be exposed to the PUPPY PLAYTHING and teeter totters, boxes, toys and various objects . . . STAY TUNED! 

The BOYZ (three weeks old tomorrow)

 Tommy (Blue, missing collar) and Tanner (Orange) sharing secrets. . . 

Tanner (Orange)

Tait (Green)

The whole GANG

New Collars!

"Tait"

The BOYZ are 2 1/2 weeks old and all over 3 lbs. which means they've officially grown into their big-boyz collars (instead of the velcro wraps).  Nice going guys!

What Is A Title, Really?

Moonlight's Just Chillin' Out, CGC "Mister" owned by Bruce & Jessica, earned his Canine Good Citizen Title (CGC) at 8 months old.

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What Is A Title, Really? 

by Sandra Mowery

Not just a brag, not just a stepping stone to higher titles, a title is a tribute to the dog that bears it, a way of honoring the dog, an ultimate memory. It will remain in record and in memory for as long as anything in this world can remain. Few humans will do as well or better in that regard.

And though the dog itself doesn't know or care that its achievement have been noted, a title says many things in the world of humans, where such things count.

A title says your dog was intelligent and adaptable, and good-natured. It says that your dog LOVED YOU enough to do the things that pleased you, however crazy they may have sometimes seemed.

And a title says that you LOVED YOUR DOG, that you love to spend time with it because it was a good dog, that you believed in it enough to give it yet another chance when it failed, and that in the end, your faith was justified.

A title proves that your dog inspired you to that special relationship enjoyed by so few, that in a world of disposable creatures, this dog with this title was greatly love, and loved greatly in return.

And when that dear short life is over, the title remains as a memory of the finest kind, the best you can give to a deserving friend, volumes of praise in one small set of initials after a name.

An obedience title (or any working title) is nothing, less love and respect given and received and permanently recorded.

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Sandy Mowry who is a frequent contributor to Front & Finish® wrote this article. While her intent was to focus on obedience titles we all could easily insert Hunt Test title, Agility title, Rally title, Conformation (Show), Tracking title and so on into the text of the article and it would be every bit as relevant. 

Front & Finish® is an organization devoted to the sport of obedience dog training and associated performance events. In addition to their monthly magazine which contains a wealth of information on Obedience, Agility, Field, Flyball, Freestyle, Herding, Rally, Tracking, and much more; Front & Finish® sponsors educational seminars, provides support to all performance events, encourages tournaments, and assists training organizations. They also acknowledge the accomplishments of exhibitors though several recognitions, awards, and rating systems.

Horay! "Trey" has eyeballs!

Camera Offline - Wednesday 10/15

Pups are taking a filming break.

Camera Offline - Wednesday 10/15.

Check out the photo album for your puppy fix.

Why are modern dogs increasingly likely to have aggression/socialization issues with other dogs?

Great article by Victoria Stillwell (positively.com) discussing the topic of dog socialization and why modern domesticated dogs are showing more signs of dog-dog aggression than ever before.

"Are Domestic Dogs Losing the Ability to Get Along with Each Other?"

With all the advantages money can buy, why are our pet dogs becoming more and more aggressive with each other?

The answers:

1. Isolation
2. Confinement
3. Lack of regular, frequent interaction with a variety of stable dogs of varying ages
4. Ignorance of dog culture and social communication skills
5. Expectations that all dogs must get along with each other

What Needs To Change to Keep Our Dogs Productively Social?

• Operation Socialization: Follow the common sense rules set out by Operation Socialization, an online resource for creating an emotionally and behaviorally healthy puppy
• Never force: Take it slow with your dog or puppy. Don’t force him to face something he finds scary or unpleasant. Instead, gradually create a positive association with the scary situation until your puppy confidently and willingly meets the challenge.
• Help Them Create Appropriate Distance: Because our dogs need to walk safely on a leash, create distance for them by moving away from other dogs and then evaluating that dog’s behavior. Read Calming Signals by Turid Rugaas to learn how to “arc” around other dogs to simulate natural calming behavior.
• Educate Yourself: Take classes where the dogs are treated with respect. Use positive methods that will instill trust in the dog and create safe and favorable associations with other dogs (and other people). Get help from a professional.
• Safe Socialization Scenarios: In addition to puppy socialization, consider Day care for adolescent dogs. Many dog day care facilities offer play groups that respect each dog’s play style so that rambunctious players don’t mix with shy or quiet dogs. Your dog should be evaluated by a knowledgable staff member for play “fitness”. Or find a neighbor who’s dog has appropriate play skills that match that of your own dog and get these dogs together for play regularly.
• Dogs need fences: Based on laws governing property rights and for the safety of our canine family members, we do need fences. If your dog can see other dogs through windows or fences and their response is to bark, fence fight or become overly aroused, create a visual obstruction so the dog can’t rehearse this frustrated or territorial aggression. Many owners want their dogs to “see” the world go by because it’s the dog’s only boredom busting activity. Give your dog safe chew toys or problem solving “puzzle” activities.Take them for long runs in the park to work off excess energy. Interrupt fence running or window barking and take away the dog’s access to this scenario.
• Dog Park?  If your dog has a history of aggression or fear, do not take them to dog parks. Dog Parks are for the safe play of socially healthy dogs who have the right to play without being set up as “bait” for other aggressive dogs. If your dog is fearful, it is a short ride to aggression if even other friendly players approach them. Contact a behavior specialist or trainer who will help you to find appropriate activities for your dog and who will teach you how to safely and compassionately improve your dog’s responses to other dogs.
• Dogs discriminate. It is to their advantage to be able to decide who is safe to have contact with and who isn’t. Nobody’s dog needs to be friends with every dog they meet and if your dog “corrects” another dog for inappropriately dangerous social behavior, don’t punish the corrector. A dog who growls or snaps at an unruly adolescent is well within their rights to teach the other dog what they are doing wrong. The unruly dog actually needs this kind of response to learn the rules of social interaction. Move the dogs away from each other. Don’t let the “correction” escalate to self-defense.
• Sharing is not a survival strategy. Don’t expect your dog to share valuable food or chew items. If your dog covers his filled Kong with his head, freezes and lifts his lip at an approaching dog, understand that this is normal dog behavior and a productive communication to the other dog.The higher the value of the resource, especially food resources, the more likely a dog will actively guard them. If necessary, separate dogs when offering high value chew items.
• Be your dog’s advocate. Respect who they are and keep them safe.

Link to entire article: https://positively.com/contributors/are-domestic-dogs-losing-the-ability-to-get-along-with-each-other/

The BOYZ -- more photos on the Photo Album link

 Tommy

 Tait

Trey

Taz

Tait and Tommy

Tanner

The Fam!

Puppy Development - Week 2 to 3

Transitional Period (Week 2 through Week 3)

The BOYZ turned two weeks old today!

They are starting to get peepers!  In addition to opening their eyes -- during this week the puppies begin to develop their motor skills. Their eyes and ears are open and they begin to be able to go potty on their own (starting on pee pads). They start to walk instead of crawl. They begin to get teeth around 20 days and show signs of wanting to play with their littermates. During this period all focus is on puppies. Dam's welcome our "babysitting" time and start to take short breaks away from the puppies. 

A lot happens during this week and we make sure that human contact is a natural part of their development as they begin to get their motor skills. This is a very important early socialization week. The amount of time spent with the puppies this week of development will result in their human bond for the rest of their lives.

A new friend . . .

The Boyz checking out Mr. Menagerie.

They don't seem that impressed.... ;)

Mr. Menagerie

Meet Mr. Menagerie -- the Boyz' new plaything.  He has squeakers, crinkles, grunters and crunches galore and is great socialization for the puppies.  They are too young to play with toys but exposing them to new textures, and objects to climb over/around can never start too early.  

One Week Old!

The BOYZ are One Week Old today!  

Left top "Trey" (Red), bottom left "Tanner" (Orange), right top "Tait" (Green), right middle "Tommy" (Blue), bottom right "Taz" (Silver/Gray).

Did someone say DINNER?

"Did someone say DINNER?"

Mommy "Zene" to the True Love Litter is doing a fabulous job caring for the BOYZ and they have put on 2-3 oz. every day. In addition to kibble* her meals are supplemented with cooked chicken, cottage cheese, plain yogurt, scrambled eggs, canned grain free dog food, tuna and she gets coconut oil daily (about 1-2 tsp).

* Holistic Select Grain Free Adult and Puppy Health Salmon/Anchovy/Sardine

Remember, it isn't a race . . .

Socializing Our Puppies is not about Quantity, but Quality

It isn't a race to see how many people they can meet, and how many dogs they can interact with. It is about how many quality interactions you can have with your puppy, while the world goes past him.

Don't aim for overwhelming crowds, or impossible situations. You need your puppy to see the world that we live in, and learns how you want him to behave as you coach him through the situations.

They need to see everything that they might ever see in their world, by thirteen weeks old. This includes wheelchairs, elevators, different floor surfaces, different types of transportation (get them on as many as you can), different types of people and animals, a different home, and people of different cultures and ethnicities. Come up with things that are relevant in your world, and would be relevant if your world changed.

And in the meantime, remember you want quality interactions and meetings, not quantity. And your job is to coach your dog how to behave in his new world.

Monique Anstee
Victoria, BC
www.naughtydogge.com

Our first Mani/Pedi

Vizslas are a relatively easy (wash and wear) breed, and the only regular grooming needed is nails and teeth.  NAILS SHOULD BE DONE WEEKLY.

Toenails are first trimmed at 2 days old (with child's nail clippers), and every 3 days thereafter. You would not believe how long the nails get and if left untrimmed they can scratch one another in the eye or tear up mom's nipples and teats.

At two weeks old the puppies are started on the dremel (on low speed). It is so much faster and easier than clipping! I use a cordless version for pups and adults, $40 on amazon.com, link to buy: 

Dremel 7700-1/15 MultiPro 7.2-Volt Cordless Rotary Tool Kit.  

Pups will be acclimated to the dremel by the time they go home and the owner is required on puppy "Go Home Day" to demonstrate their ability to trim the nails (and bring their dremel!).  This is a weekly requirement for each Moonlight Vizsla Puppy owner. 

If you can hear your dog's nails on the floor, they are already too long!

Photo from one of my puppy owners when the pup was about 6 months old.

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Helpful diagram showing nail care in the young/adult dog.