Puppy Time!



Mariah is making herself right at home.

It's a good thing that pups are cute, so we are willing to put up with all the work!  Mariah and her brother Ike arrived safely yesterday morning.  She is staying here and Ike will be going to a new home on Wednesday.  Poor little Florida pups were not impressed with the snow and cold at first, but before long Mariah was resistant about coming in.  She loves digging in the snow for leaves!  33 degrees was one thing;  we'll see what she thinks of freezing rain, new snow and single digit temperatures!

It's actual a lot easier to housetrain most pups in the winter.  Harder on the owner, but once the pup figures out WHY it is being taken outside, and realizes that once he has done his business he can come back inside, things usually go very well.  Ike caught on immediately yesterday, and peed every time I took him out.  Mariah has much better control and can wait longer, reducing the chance of her actually needing to pee when taken out.  We missed her the first couple of times, but things are going much better  this morning and both pups now pee when taken outside.  We'll still have accidents of course, but once they understand the concept, things go pretty smoothly.  Dals are generally easy to house train as long as the owner is paying attention, watching the pup, and takes it outside often enough.  You can tell if a pup is looking for a place to go, BUT you have to be watching . . .   The pups will have some lapses today, as Ron is not always very good at paying attention to pups, but we'll get there. By the time Ike leaves on Wednesday, he will be well on his way to being house trained, but his new owner will have to watch him carefully.


Ike is not patched, just has some spots that
run together.  He has a tiny blue "flash" on
his left eye, which may or may not go away.

Mariah's brother Ike is a very handsome pup who I almost took as my stud fee puppy from Sugar's litter by Argus.  I love his vivid coloration and his super shiny coat.  He's really a nice little guy and will make a very handsome companion for Marcia and her family. He's going with the provision that we have the right to show him (at our expense) if we want.  We'll decide before he's a year old and if he's not going to be shown he can be neutered and enjoy his life as a pet rather than a part time showdog.

Mariah will stay, at least for awhile.  I've been waiting for just the right puppy girl to join my household.  That puppy has to be beautiful, but also has to have the right personality to fit in here.  There's only one open slot in my doggy household, and it will only be filled by just the right pup.  I have not kept a puppy for 5 years, not since Argus, because I have not found just the right one.  Mariah is auditioning now!  If I decide to sell her later, she'll go as a trained, well adjusted puppy who will be just right for someone else!