I braided a tug toy and brought it with me along with a huge bag of good stuff like last time. Last visit the puppies were too tired and only played with the toys a little bit. My homemade toy was a big hit! Several of the male puppies were grabbing and tugging with it (the girls are not allowed to tug since it could mess up their hunting work, but they were able to chew on it). And the adult dogs (mom and half sister, Christy) loved it as well. Madeline's boys played fetch with Christy over and over again. I warmed my heart and really made me look forward to a dog who just lives and breathes to retrieve.
Another big hit was the rabbit and suede tug toy that my client Marilyn gave to Indi. Her dog, Lulu, just wasn't interested in it. Mom, Hannah, was obsessed with it and if I didn't zip by bag of tricks well enough she fished it out :)
Candy also told me that instead of her picking out the puppy she is going to let us decide (and I am first in line!). Yikes! So much responsibility!! I have been really good not to form an opinion yet or get attached to any one puppy in case he wasn't the one chosen for my household. But now I really need to think about it and decide quickly. If I had to choose right now with no other input I'd bring home Mr. Yellow. He seems to have been the most adventurous and confident so far. The only down side is he's larger than the rest and Candy thinks it will be heavier boned. So for agility that is not ideal.
The great thing is that next week Teresa Rodney is going to evaluate the litter for agility potential. She had FCRs herself and competes nationally in agility with her dog Sprint. She also does field work as well. I'm looking forward to what she has to say and her opinion will weigh heavily on my decision.
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| Hannah is such a great mom |
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| Future Agility Stars! |
Since this litter was made to produce a great field dog, Candy has been introducing the pups to decoys, wings, and such.
5 comments:
Wow, how time flies - five weeks old already!
It sounds like you'll know pretty soon which pup you'll be getting, after they're inspected.
Actually I'm slightly behind on my posts so they are just over 6 weeks old now!!
"the girls are not allowed to tug since it could mess up their hunting work, but they were able to chew on it"
Huh??
Joanna,
The breeder doesn't allow her dogs to tug since (I think) she feels it could mess up their field work. I'm not sure exactly why...maybe it would cause them to have a hard mouth on the ducks or try and tug with them instead of gently handing them back?
She did mention another person who does agility and field work doesn't feel that way, but that is her (the breeder's) option and I'm not going to do something with one of her potential dogs that she doesn't agree with or condone. She hasn't picked her girl yet.
Well if you find out exactly what her reasoning is, I'm curious to know!
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