Thursday, April 19, 2012

Guest Puppies and Soon-to-Be Puppies!

Nike and the Guest Puppy
Spring has been moving right along into summer--we finally got rain yesterday, which should tamp down the clouds of dust that were starting to puff up when the dogs were running through the yard.


I got through the great March Hormone Hell only to have Oda and Nemi come into season. Nemi has been such a diva, it was almost a relief when I realized it was hormones. Somehow, I've raised a fierce taskmistress.



If I am petting her and stop to type--she woofs at me--she does this little snorting bark-cough. It's the smallest bark possible, "oof!" (I'm working on putting it on command!) If I keep ignoring her, she will escalate--first she'll give me a pretend nip--kind of touching my arm or leg with her front teeth, then she puts her paw on my leg. Then, she'll go into a full-on bark and hold if I am so rude as to continue ignoring her. 

I have had a Guest Puppy visiting--just here for socialization before she goes back to her breeder. She was very bold and bitey--excellent schutzhund prospect, and she'll be staying with her breeder to be titled and, perhaps, one day, have bitey puppies of her own.
 
So, housetraining and crate training and back to baby puppyhood again for a few weeks. I exchanged her for her solid black sister on Tuesday--she's  not as bitey, but back to the start with crate and house training!


Guest Puppy and Nemi had a great time together--after Nemi got over not being the smallest and the center of the universe, which took a few days.




I guess it's good to get back into puppy-raising practice, though... Ultrasound confirms that Jubilee is pregnant--due May 13(ish)--and so is Xita--due May 20(ish). So, it won't be long before there's baby puppies around here!


Nike was not amused by this new puppy, so much like the old....


Unfortunately, ultrasound seems to indicate that Hunter is not pregnant, although I'm not sure I believe it. I'll have to x-ray her before her due date just to make sure she's not hiding any pups in there....