Lupine! Five-Month-Update

I love these updates and I hope you do as well. Alex sends us this report about the puppy formerly and currently known as Lupine:

“One of the biggest things we have noticed lately about Lupine is her athleticism. Compared to our shepherd, Lucca, our berners haven't been able to keep up, but I think Lupine will be an exception.

Her drive is also exceptional, and we have been channeling it into active obedience sessions, scentwork and hopefully agility in the near future (we just lack equipment). The way she is, with her athleticism and her drive, I can't help but think that something like agility would suit her perfectly.

Lately she has taken to carrying random objects on walks for the entire duration, she even had a pinecone she kept for multiple days until she lost it! I think she heard that Pozy was taken on as Sparkle's apprentice and wanted everyone to know that she could do it too.

If I remember correctly she weighed in at 45 pounds, but that was a little while ago. She is growing steadily and her physique is optimal according to my mom, who has become very good at judging that kind of thing over the years. What's interesting to me is her lack of juvenile awkwardness. She hasn't really gotten that lanky yet, she remains really well proportioned.

She has been a phenomenal fit in our family and everyday I'm reminded of how much I love her personality and presence.”

Thank you, Alex, for everything you are doing and being for Lupine. What a perfect match.

Election Day

This is a scary day. To give you a reason to smile, please enjoy this quick video…

Congratulations are in order to Chase of Wildflower fame!

Major, the father of both the Wildflowers and the Sparklers, also had a great weekend…

Congratulations to Lawrence and his Dynamic Duo :)

Out east in Ohio, Eden was judging a draft test at which Tristan (iPup) earned both his ABNDD and his BDD by teaming up with Phil Atkinson and Kelyn…

The boys had a great weekend, going 4/4. Congratulations to the members of that — literally — team effort.

While Tristan was off on his adventure, Kiri (Sparkler) got mail!

How cool is that?! Congratulations to Team Kiri.

We continue to be wildly and ridiculously entertained by Rosebud, who has made her tiny self right at home…

We have a new dishwasher! So far, no leaks…

You just never know what Rosebud will do — or be — next…

She keeps Pozy on her toes…

Hoping for a wonderful day — for all of us.

November!

I suspect one reason we all have sleep deprivation when the clocks fall back is because we wake up and start thinking, “is this the right time or the old time? What time is it really?” as we check devices that may or may not have adjusted automatically.

Who can sleep with all that mental drama going on?!

Once when Alison was visiting she observed that it would be easy to teach Zoey to hold her ball when she brought it back rather than simply spitting it at me to throw again.

Huh!

It was an excellent observation and has shaped how I now train the pick up games that are the foundation for formal obedience retrieves.

Sparkle will hold an item for as long as it takes for me to notice. Seriously.

The #pickups are actually a series of different behaviors. The dog has to be willing to pick something up, hold it until the release cue is given, and chase or find the item.

Sparkle is pleased to report that her apprentice has mastered the skills and now has her own franchise: #pozyspickups.

The next step is for Pozy to learn to wait when the item is thrown. That is an advanced skill that we are working on, as you can see in this video…

What if Pozy breaks and nabs the cookie before being released? She eats the cookie and I acknowledge I pushed too far, too fast and go back to staying close with a restraining hand on her chest to keep her in position, and lots of cookies for self-control.

When we train something well, there is no need to tell a dog she is wrong.

Family Photos!

Buttercup and Zeus from the Wildflowers…

I talked to Penny yesterday and it sounds like Zeus is settling into family life well. It is also clear how valuable it is for Zeus and his family to have Georgia, Patty, and Buttercup nearby for fun and to be resources — thank you to all of them for creating community around the puppies :)

I swiped this from Marija’s Facebook page as it is too cute not to share — this is Kjempe, a Wildflower but now also a skunk…

Thanks to Kathy for sending this photo of her daughter’s family, which includes Sparkler, Abbie…

November — may it bring hope and health to all.