'The true Soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because He loves what is behind him.' -G. K. Chesterton

16 April 2011

Puppy Update

It's official,. We're expecting.

I called Donna, from Highland Labs, today and she confirmed that Momma was bred successfully on March 21st. If our math is correct the new boy will be born around the third week of May. I'll go out to see the pups in June and will bring the new baby home somewhere around July 9th.

Now I get to arrange the house, buy some new toys, collars and leashes and brush up on my Richard Wolters.

I have a name picked out but won't reveal it until he comes home.

I am on Cloud Nine.

Six

3 comments:

Murphy's Law said...

Major congratulations!
And that's gonna be one lucky pup, too.

Ed Rasimus said...

None of my business. Absolutely none. No skin in the game. But...it sounds like you might be a bit too eager to bring puppy home. Labs are infinitely smarter than Huskies--that's freely acknowledged, but over a series of several Husky pups and three major breeders they all seemed to recommend a minimum of ten weeks and better to wait twelve before separating from siblings. Better socialization and behavior all around. (But, huskies aren't known for good behavior in the first place so I'm not sure of the relevance.)

Post lots of puppy pictures! Congrats--even though it's none of my business.

Six said...

Thanks ML.

I never discount good advice Ed and your concern is much appreciated.

Here's what goes into that time frame. I'm a follower of a Lab trainer named Richard Wolters. Wolters was actually pretty revolutionary and is largely responsible for amateur trainers to be able to compete in Field Trials with the professionals. His position was that it was best to take home the puppy at 49 days. He was actually very firm on that day. He believed that the bonding between dog and owner/trainer was best started before the pup became too bonded to his litter. It's substitution of human for canine companions. All I can say is that it worked with Trooper and Chrisi. Both Lu and I have never experienced such a close relationship with a dog until we tried his training and rearing methods.

It's very possible that the best date for puppies varies from breed to breed. Wolters concentrated on Labs so his methods tend to be Lab specific and even then, there are those who think that Wolters was full of hot air. It's probably incumbent on the owner to do all the things necessary to produce a well behaved and socially sound dog.

Anyone else out there have any input? I'd love to hear any other experiences or knowledge.