The Buttercup Challenge & So On

Country Life does have certain puppy training opportunities lacking in big cities…

…but puppies need to meet humans and so yesterday Pozy Clarkia and I headed off to what passes as the Big City around here — Missoula.

We practiced being in a new place and walking on her harness/leash…

We also met up with a Berner friend and her kids who are vacationing in the west…

Pozy Clarkia was rock solid — I was super pleased — and it was great to visit with Paula and the kids.

Buttercup is setting a high bar for her siblings.

Not only did Buttercup earn her AKC Canine Good Citizen title but she also earned the Trick Dog Novice title! Apparently the answer to the question, “What’s Up, Buttercup?” is “A LOT!”

Pozy Clarkia says, “Game On, Buttercup!” and invites other Wildflowers to see if they can master ten of these tricks — we can have the puppies evaluated via video when they are ready.

Pozy Clarkia has not just been sitting on her fuzzy bum — she has been working on her agility skills.

Go Pozy Clarkia!

I hope you are staying safe and cool and enjoying your day!

Puppy Adventures

Bridget reports that Sage is adjusting well to his new life in Indiana — he even has his own shelf!

Lupine is doing wonderfully in Oregon. If you are on Instagram, you can follow Lupine and Alex @agraffunder

All is well on the Buttercup Front.

Mallow is now Zeus, and he is living close to Buttercup in Washington.

Meanwhile in Montana, Pozy Clarkia has to content herself with KaiBob as her playmate in the ball pool…

She reports that it is not the same as her siblings, as Bob tends to just lie around as sheep are prone to do.

We are off to have some socializing adventures today. I hope you have a terrific day and if socializing is involved, please stay safe!

Wildflower Updates & Sparkle Experiment Data Point

All Wildflowers are safely planted in their new homes. Sage is done with his cross country adventure and is in Indiana on an air conditioning vent…

This seems to be a theme — I have received similar photos of D’Argo (Paintbrush) and Kadi (Mariposa). Obviously the puppies are smart enough to find the prime seating.

Mallow is safely arrived in Washington where he will live happily with his family, including Ada…

Mr. Congeniality II (George P. Pipster will always be #1) is getting right to work, spreading love and joy and unconditional positive regard in the world.

Pozy Clarkia is adjusting well to an only puppy.

This might seem like a strange thing to say — and especially because I have such regard for our own veterinarian and those in our family — but high on my List of New Puppy Home Anxieties are veterinarians. You might be surprised to learn this is not an uncommon anxiety among breeders who care about the puppies they create.

Let me add my awareness that veterinarians have to deal with some crazy stuff from people who trust Google and their hairdresser’s cousin’s dog‘s bad experience with a medication or vaccine more than their veterinarian.

I get it!

It’s complicated.

But the puppies’ new veterinarians cause me to lose sleep until I am sure they are onboard, can be trusted as a team player, and/or I know owners will exercise their advocacy skills.

The latest data point in the Sparkle Study comes at an opportune time to support a point.

Baby Sparkle and her mom, Zoey

Sparkle is now seven. This is the result of her recent annual titer, showing strong protection against both parvo and distemper.

Sparkle was vaccinated for Parvo and Distemper ONCE.

Uno.

One Time.

When Sparkle was a puppy, we did weekly blood tests to assess when maternal antibodies were low enough for a vaccine to work against both parvo and distemper, and that was when she was vaccinated — she was eleven weeks old.

In other words: Sparkle was vaccinated against Distemper and Parvo ONCE in her entire lifetime and she remains fully protected at age seven.

If I had used the standard veterinary schedule, she would have received six additional vaccinations at this point in her life, none of which would have been necessary.

Sparkle’s results are not unusual. The professional veterinary literature reports similar findings in large studies, which is why/how I knew it could work — I read the research.

Titers are an inexpensive and easy alternative to routine additional vaccinations — we can even use numbing cream to reduce the burden of a blood draw. Titers can be used to assess when to vaccinate, ensure a vaccination worked, and determine when/if future vaccinations are needed.

I try hard to ensure my puppies wind up with people who understand all this but I cannot choose the veterinarians. Unfortunately, I know well the critical thinking error of Relying on the Opinion of an Expert is a hard one to resist — hence my lost sleep.

Veterinarians have their own pressures of time, non-compliant owners, Dr. Google, productivity standards, and so on. They are not bad or wrong for recommending a one-size-fits-all approach to puppy care because that is what most want. Likewise, we are not bad or wrong for offering evidence-based alternatives to the usual ways of doing things.

The trick is to find a veterinarian who welcomes a chance to do things a little differently, and appreciates the value of collaboration. They exist and they are worth their weight in gold. Seriously. Or maybe platinum — whichever is more.