Puppy Play Dates

I am sure most of my puppy buyers have heard me lecture about the importance of socializing a puppy in order to end up with a friendly, well adjusted adult dog who is good with everyone, both human and canine. If you expect your new puppy to be friendly with other dogs, he or she needs to be socialized with a variety of dogs. If you expect your new puppy to be good with kids, he or she must be socialized with children from an early age.

Puppy play dates are an excellent way to socialize your puppy and also to provide the exercise and mental stimulation that your puppy needs. I recently received these photos from the owners of Bella and Maggie from the M Litter. These two girls had a play date together and obviously had a fabulous time. I am so happy their owners took the time to get them together!! Socializing and training puppies can be very time consuming, but the effort will be rewarded with a well behaved and social adult dog.

English Cockers - The worst thing about this breed!

Why did I have to fall in love with a breed that requires so much grooming???

Those of you who know me know that I am completely and totally in love with this breed. They are almost a perfect match for me. Energetic, smart, funny, athletic, friendly, cheerful, and biddable. They are a great breed for someone interested in performance events. They love to work and their love for cookies makes this a fabulous breed to train for someone (me) who prefers to have a lighter hand when training. In fact, heavy handed training methods do not usually work with this breed. There is no need for a battle of wills with my dogs... they work for food and a few extra snuggles.

I also love the size of this breed. A 200 vari-kennel is just about perfect for traveling with to shows, yet they are large enough and hardy enough to play at the dog park with goldens and labs. I cringe sometimes when I see smaller breeds of dogs at the dog park running with much larger breeds of dogs. No need to worry about my cockers. They run, jump and play with the big dogs and yet make nice playmates for smaller dogs as well.

I love the snuggling capabilities of this breed. They are never happier than when they are in your lap, shoving a toy in to the crook of your neck and then dropping it in favor of wet kisses all over your face. They are so charming and happy. All people are their friends, all dogs are their playmates. All tennis balls are for fetch and birds are for chasing.

Overall, this breed is a wonderful match for an active home that does not mind a dog who can't keep four on the floor (-:

However, this breed needs regular grooming!!! They need to be combed out every other day and need to be groomed about every 6 weeks. When an ECS is spayed or neutered, or clippered, they tend to grow even more coat and will need even more grooming. They need their nails trimmed, ears cleaned out, clippering, stripping, feet scissored, the list goes on. If you like grooming yourself, that is great, but if not, you should expect to have a *very* good relationship with your groomer. You should shop around for a groomer just as you would look for a veterinarian. Try to find someone that you like and trust as you will have an ongoing, long term relationship. It is in the best interest of your dog if you can find a groomer who will listen to you and who you can completely trust. All groomers are NOT created equal. Find one that you and your dog like and feel you can work with.

Get your English Cocker on scheduled grooming visits and stick with the schedule. Puppies should be taken to the groomer for face and feet trims and baths in order to get accustomed to the environment. It is not fair for you to expect your puppy to have a full haircut for the first time at 6 months of age. Your puppy need to be trained to accept and behave for grooming just as you will train a sit and a down. If you will use a professional groomer, your puppy needs to learn to be groomed and handled by strangers at a young age. I recommend the first grooming appointment be made for age 16 weeks, as soon as your puppy has had all of his or her puppy vaccinations.

Off Lead Play For Puppies

Risa, our liver puppy, formally known as Calypso's Barista, is now 12 weeks old. She is such a good puppy, but a bundle of energy and enthusiasm. Meg, from our M Litter, who is now 13 weeks old, came over today for a play date with Risa. They had a TON of fun playing together. They sounded quite wild and crazy as they raced around barking, growling, wrestling, and leaping at each other. Meg's mom works as a veterinary technician, so she had the patience to stay here for several hours and watch puppies play with me, knowing, as I know, that off lead play time with other dogs is an essential part of socializing a baby puppy. Dogs learn so much from each other. They learn appropriate play styles, greetings, when to be submissive, etc. They learn how to interact appropriately with dogs only by playing with other dogs. Puppies also learn proper bite inhibition by playing with other puppies their age.

Many pet owners neglect this part of socializing their new puppies. This can lead to an adult dog who is fearful of other dogs or who gives the wrong cues while playing with other dogs which can lead to inappropriate behavior, either from your own dog or from the other dogs interacting with your dog. Dogs are not miniature humans and one of the best ways to allow them to develop proper canine language is to allow puppies plenty of off lead play time with other dogs and puppies while they are growing up.

If you have a puppy growing up at home, schedule a play date with another puppy your puppy's age. If you do not know another puppy, consider taking a puppy class where off lead play time is part of the curriculum. Once your puppy has had all of his or her vaccinations, you can look for a doggy daycare that will allow your puppy to visit for a few hours or a dog park with a "small dog" section where your puppy can make friends with dogs his or her size.

Properly socializing your puppy will take work on your part!! Remember, though, that in order to end up with a well socialized, well behaved adult dog, you must first put the appropriate amount of effort in to raising your puppy correctly.

One added benefit to puppy play sessions... a very tired and happy puppy! Risa is currently quietly sleeping in her crate. Too tired to even chew on the bone I gave her!

Dunkin x Sophie Puppies Age 3 Weeks

Peter x Jasmine Puppies age 4 weeks

They are growing up too fast!! I think these pictures are self explanatory. Just a glimpse of the puppies in their little puppy world. They think life is way too much fun!

It's Where the Obama's Didn't Purchase Their Pup That Matters

Read Article Here

Jack x Sienna Puppies

These puppies are bred and owned by Deb St Myers, Agate English Cocker Spaniels. The sire of the litter is CH Calypso's Fortunate Series Of Events, Jack, and the dam is Quinlan's Burnt Sienna RN OA OAJ OF, Sienna. The black boy, Jasper, is available to a home that will show him in conformation. He is located in Northern California. You can visit the Puppies page on my website for more information.

Simon and Huey Treats - Now Paws Gourmet

Well, this might not seem blog worthy to some of you, but it sure is to my dogs!!!

Simon and Huey dog treats recently went out of business. This is certainly a cause for sadness, however, their treat recipes were purchased by Paws Gourmet, who is now manufacturing them. I was concerned that the treats would change for the worse, but I just visited the Paws Gourmet website at http://www.pawsgourmet.com and I was very impressed. In fact, now I want to try some of their other gourmet dogs treats. Maybe one of my dogs needs a special birthday treat from me, lol. I also purchased a 1 lb tub of the Paws Gourmet training treats at the Portland Dog show in January and thought they seemed exactly the same as the Simon and Huey treats that we have used for so long.

If you have not tried these treats, you should give them a try. They come in 6 ounce and 1 lb resealable tubs and each treat is about the size of a pea. They are excellent for training puppies, but I use them for training dogs of all ages.

Puppy Socialization / I Miss Baby Puppies

While browsing the Puppy Prodigies site, I found this great page about puppy socialization: http://www.puppyprodigies.org/Socialization.htm

I absolutely, wholeheartedly, agree with everything written on this page about socializing puppies. The point of socialization is for puppies to be introduced to new things in a POSITIVE way. It is not socialization if your puppy is not willingly participating. Use a lot of praise and treats while socializing your puppy.
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On another note... you may have noticed my recent preoccupation with puppies (or may have heard about it if you talked to me recently!!) I miss puppies!!! Deb, if you are reading this, I might have to drive all the way to CA for a dose of puppy breath once Sienna's puppies arrive (-:

I miss having tiny baby puppies in my house. I miss playing in the yard with little four week old puppies who are walking all over their ears and bunny hopping across the yard. I don't miss the puppy clean-up, LOL, but I really miss the puppy breath and all of the "puppy's first" experiences that are so fun with each litter.

Puppy Prodigies Video Clips

http://www.puppyprodigies.org/VideoClips.htm

Take a look at these video clips. I found them fascinating. I will have to see what types of tricks I can teach my next litter of puppies. Sit, down, and roll could be taught to an eight week old puppy pretty easily, but I am interested to try targeting, speak, give five, and turn/twist with a puppy that young.

Pet Puppy Grooming

Jennifer and I had two pet puppies visit us for grooming when we were at the Portland Kennel Club shows last weekend. Willa (No Collar girl, Clover, from the K Litter) came with her family, the Kerns, and Scout (Red Collar girl, Lucky, from the K Litter) came with her family, the Englerts. Thank you to both families for bringing them to the show for a visit. It was so lovely to see both girls. It is important to see what we are producing in our breeding program and it was a great weekend to visit as Jennifer was the co-breeder of the K Litter (she is Chloe's co-owner and primary caregiver lol) and it was nice for her to see the puppies at an older age.

The K Litter and J Litter turned six months old that weekend, so Happy Birthday to all of you.

Here are a few photos of me with Willa right after she was groomed.

Both Willa and Scout looked fabulous after they were groomed. They are obviously loved by their families and very well cared for.

I always do a free first groom on my puppies, both pet and show, so if you have a puppy from us or adopt one in the future and live close enough to visit or meet up at a show, be sure to contact me to plan a time to groom your puppy.

Sienna's Ultrasound Photo

I wanted to share this photo that Deb St Myers sent me of Sienna's ultrasound. Sienna is Quinlan's Burnt Sienna RN OA OAJ OF. She was bred to Jack, Ch Calypso's Fortunate Series Of Events.

Disappointed

Well, I am very sorry to say that Taffy is not pregnant. I have guessed that was the case for a while, but as today is Day 57 and there is no tummy growth, I am sure we are not expecting puppies. This is so sad as I was very much anticipating this litter. We did a surgical insemination with fresh chilled semen which was shipped here from Indianapolis. The prospective sire, BISS CH Jerabee Hoosier Sunset "Sunny", is an older dog who has made some lovely puppies in the past. I am sure the litter would have been lovely, healthy and sweet tempered. Anyway, breeding has it's ups and downs and this has certainly been a down.

If you have inquired about a puppy recently and did not receive a reply, I am sorry that I have not responded. I was not sure whether we were having puppies or not, so I have put off responding to inquiries until I could be sure one way or the other. You might try visiting www.englishcockerspanielbreeders.net to see if you can find a breeder near you who is expecting puppies. We will not have a litter arrive until perhaps late summer.

Hanging Out Under The Apple Tree

1st Time Outside

The puppies went outside for the first time on Saturday. They had sooo much fun. They are a very fearless group and showed no hesitation in the yard; running everywhere and checking everything out. Tails were wagging the entire time. Portia spent the afternoon in the yard with them, which she thought was great. She was working on teaching them to play wrestling games with her and also showed them how to run very fast. It was super cute.

They did, however, wear off their birthday bath playing in the dirt (-:

Puppy Bath Time

The puppies turned 6 weeks old on Thursday. They had a bath, which most of them really enjoyed. These puppies seem to like water quite a bit. They were washed in Bobbi Panter's Baby Bebe shampoo and smell like baby powder now. Great for snuggling (-:

Here are some photos of the squeaky clean pups taken just after their bath.

The Puppies are Growing Up!

I can't believe these puppies are already five and a half weeks old. This summer has really flown by for me. I am looking forward to the slower pace of fall and winter. I am enjoying this little group of puppies so much. They have done so well with the potty pen. They have excellent potty manners and are very clean little puppies. They do want to spend as much time as possible being held my me or by any other person they can get to pick them up (-: They love to wrestle, play with toys and, of course, eat (-:

Litter Box Training

I am attempting to litter box train my current puppies. I have tried this in the past and have never been successful as I panic when the puppies start eating the litter and go back to my old, less edible methods for puppy potty areas. I have been convinced to try again, this time introducing the litter before introducing food. So far, so good. The puppies are not using the litter, but they are not eating it either (-: I am hoping as they get older they will be more inclined to use the box and as they will be accustomed to the litter, they will hopefully not think it is food. If this works, I think it will make clean-up easier and allow me to give the puppies more space inside to play. It should also make the transition to housebreaking easier. Wish us luck!

Here is a photo of our current set-up. My plan is to replace the whelping box with the litter box when the puppies are more able to climb in and out. This is the way that other breeders I know have achieved this successfully.

Screening A Breeder - A guide for prospective puppy buyers.

We have puppies due here next week, so I once again have been screening potential homes and communicating with new prospective puppy parents. I find that many prospective puppy buyers do not understand the significance of the way that a puppy is raised. Knowing how much early socialization matters when considering the future temperament of the puppy, I personally find the lifestyle that a puppy is raised in extremely important.

To prospective puppy buyers!!!

Please realize that all breeders are not created equal. Some breeders care for each of their dogs as individuals, as pets, and others keep their adult dogs in kennel runs and do not bring them in to the house. Some breeders have a clean and sanitary living environment for their dogs and other do not. Some breeders have more dogs than they can care for properly. Puppies can also be raised in a wide variety of places; from a kennel in the back yard to a living room or bedroom in the house. Some breeders live in a reclusive manner and do not often take their puppies places or have visitors. Some breeders are part of the dog community and will have a lot of visitors and puppies will be handled regularly.

As a prospective puppy buyer, please attempt to do these things:

1. Read the book, Before You Get Your Puppy by Ian Dunbar. Here is a link to a site where you can download it for FREE! http://www.jamesandkenneth.com/new_puppy.html

2. Don't be afraid to ask breeders questions!!

3. Ask where the puppies are raised, how many dogs the breeder has, etc. Expect the breeder to also have questions for you!!

4. Expect to be allowed to visit with the puppies once they are at an appropriate age, to see where the puppies are raised and to meet the breeder's other dogs before taking your new puppy home.

5. Take the purchase of your new puppy very seriously. This is a 12-17 year commitment with an English Cocker Spaniel. Do your homework and find a puppy you will be happy with. This is not the time to save money. I promise you, if you go with a "discount" breeder and save a bit of money on the purchase price, you will later pay that and more. Yes, you can get a puppy from a breeder that does not do health testing and have him/her be super healthy with a great temperament, but you are playing a game of "beat the odds" when you buy from a breeder that does not do health testing or properly socialize their puppies. Please do not gamble with a 12-17 year "contract."

6. Think about whether the breed you have chosen is honestly a perfect match for you. This is a big commitment. Most "good" breeders will be very honest with you if they do not feel you are a good match for the breed. I, myself, have told a few prospective puppy buyers to get a stuffed animal or a goldfish instead of a puppy (-:

7. Plan to spend the eight weeks after you get your puppy socializing, socializing and more socializing. I believe birth-16 weeks in a critical age for raising a puppy you want to live with. Do NOT take a puppy home before eight weeks of age, as the birth-eight weeks stage is best spent with litter mates and with mom. Also, puppies are so fragile at this age. I cannot tell you how many friends I know who have taken home a young 6 week old puppy (not from me!!!) and had him/her end up in the veterinary hospital for an illness within a few days. Most breeders, myself included, have a hard time parting with puppies at eight weeks. Trust me, that is very young and the youngest I would take a new baby home. I will personally keep puppies until nine or ten weeks if I do not feel they are emotionally or physically mature enough to leave at eight weeks. I have the best interests of the puppy and his/her prospective family in mind when I make that decision.

8. Trust your instincts. Buy a puppy from a breeder you honestly *like.* I personally consider all of my puppy owners part of what we call our "doggie family" and I think other good breeders feel the same way. I expect puppy owners to stay in contact at least yearly and to e-mail or call with questions and to share pictures (-: I send out a Newsletter twice a year with news about my dogs and what we have been up to and I, of course, keep my website up to date. On a day when I am feeling that this hobby may not be worth it (it is expensive and time consuming!!) I will get a cute photo through e-mail from one of my pet owners that will completely cheer me up. I love puppy owners who keep in touch and share those special and cute traits about their new puppy with me. I am also here to answer questions and help with any problems or concerns you run in to while raising and training your new puppy.

Choosing A Breed, Breeder and a Puppy

If you are looking for a puppy, whether for pet, show, or for performance, it can be a daunting process. There are so many things to think of. What breed should I choose? Which breeder? What color/sex? I find that many people look at one aspect of finding the right puppy, but do not consider everything they need to think about.

By far the most important step is choosing the right breed of dog for your lifestyle or family. English Cockers, and spaniels in general, are unique in their joy for life. They have certain things in common such as their need for grooming and their need to be with their owners as much of the time as possible. They are not a good choice for a family not willing to do some grooming. You can keep spaniel feathering quite short or keep it long, but either way will require regular grooming. English Cockers are not a good choice for a family looking for a low maintenance "backyard" dog that does not need a lot of attention. English Cockers love their families and want to be as close to you as possible, preferably in your lap! Most people look first for a breed that they find physically appealing, and that is a necessity as well, but after choosing some breeds you would consider, narrow your choices down by finding the breed or breeds that will be a good match in grooming requirements, personality, energy level, friendliness, etc. The dog that is a perfect match for you will not be the perfect match for everyone. English Cockers are the perfect match for Neil and I, but Neil's mom has Flat-Coated Retrievers, which we do not find especially appealing. Each person likes a different breed and that is okay!!

Once you have chosen the right breed of dog for your family, you will want to look for a breeder that is a good match for your family. You should, obviously, first look for a responsible breeder who is involved in the dog community. A responsible breeder will do health testing on their dogs, have a good understanding of the pedigrees of his/her dogs and will be involved in some type of dog activity. Breeders learn from each other, so if a breeder is not actively involved in the dog community, that breeder is not actively learning. Responsible breeders are working to preserve and improve their breed of dog, so they are always trying to learn more. Dog shows and dog activities are not only a place to exhibit your dogs, but they are also a place to meet with breeders, socialize, talk about pedigrees, see other dogs, and learn from each other!

Once you have found a few breeders within your breed that you feel are responsible, look for a particular breeder that is a good match for you and whose dogs are a good match for you. Some breeders will produce more laid back dogs, other more active dogs, some more intelligent, some easier to train, etc. Some breeders will worry more about how often you are in contact with them and others will not. I, personally, do not have the most laid back dogs within this breed as I want a sporty little spaniel that wants to do sporting dog things such as play fetch, swim, etc. I have the occasional couch potato, but most of my dogs are quite active while young. I also expect owners to stay in contact with me on at least a yearly basis. Obedience training is also important to me, as my cockers are quite intelligent and love to use their little brains. I love to see my pet owners teach their dogs tricks and take them to classes as it is a bonding experience between owner and dog. If you are a person looking for an intelligent puppy that you are willing to spend a lot of individual time with, then one of my puppies may be a good match for you. If not, you might be better off looking for a breeder who likes homes where their puppy gets to be a couch potato.

Once you have chosen a breeder, you are usually going to have a preference for a certain color or sex within your chosen breed. In English Cockers, there is an extremely wide variety of colors, so there are a lot of choices. Unfortunately, not every litter contains every color and the puppies available for pets may or may not be of the color or sex you would like. Even more than that, the puppy that is the color or sex you prefer, may not be a good match for what you would like in a puppy! In most litters, there are puppies that are more outgoing and less outgoing, more intelligent and less intelligent, more playful and less playful, higher and lower energy levels, etc. It is very important to realize that finding the right breeder and finding the right puppy for you should be more important than sex and color, unless you are willing to wait until the puppy with the right sex/color/personality becomes available. If you are very particular about finding a certain color/sex, it may take you longer to find a puppy that is a good match for your family. There is nothing wrong with being set on a particular sex/color if you are willing to take the time to find that puppy without settling for a less than responsible breeder.

If the breeder you are looking for a puppy from does not discuss your puppy as an individual with you before you take him/her home, I would be surprised. In my own puppies, I start to see distinct personality at around 6 weeks of age. I spend between the ages of 7-8 weeks choosing which puppies are show prospects and which puppies will go to pet homes. I also spend that week matching personality and activity levels of pet puppies with the right pet homes for them. Most responsible breeders do not tell a family which particular puppy they are getting from a litter until close to eight weeks of age, as most breeders are still not sure exactly which puppy they are keeping for themselves until then. If there are several blue roan boys or several red girls, etc, they may be able to tell you the color and sex, but not which exact puppy. If a breeder is letting you pick out a puppy from a photo at a few days of age, double check to make sure this breeder is a responsible breeder!!

When thinking about sex, make sure to consider personality of the particular puppy first. In English Cockers, males are generally sweeter and more loving than females, but I do think girls are smarter and easier to train in general. However, this DOES NOT hold true all the time. I have had some super smart male puppies that were extremely easy to train and I could see this at 8 weeks of age. I have also had some very sweet and loving girls that I felt were a perfect match for a family that I would previously have chosen to send a male puppy. I find that most families have a specific sex of puppy that they are looking for, but I personally would look for personality first and sex second.

Once you have chosen a breeder, be sure to take the time to visit the breeder and meet his/her dogs. Most breeders have a "family" of dogs and will have not only the dam, but some of her relatives so that you can get an idea of what the personalities of the puppies will be like. You should also see where the puppies will be raised and discuss how they will be socialized. Puppies should be raised in the hub of activity, not in a separate building. They need to be around household noises and be handled from an early age. I believe Birth-Sixteen weeks is a critical age for puppy development. The breeder will have your puppy for at least 8 of those weeks. If the breeder is willing to place a puppy with you at an age younger than eight weeks, be very careful as most responsible breeders do not send puppies home at younger than eight weeks of age.

I hope this helps you on your search for a canine member for your family! This is all just my opinion, of course, but that is what a blog is for!

Warmly,

Kelly