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!