Pretty Spots - Just The Beginning

My daughter Jess came over to admire the babies yesterday and they did their best to be cute, staying awake for about 10 minutes each time we went down to visit them.  They've started swaggering around the box and are doing some slow motion wrestling, so are already very entertaining.  From now on it will be hard to get anything else done as visits with the babies will be longer and longer.  I'll stop in to check on them and end up staying for a couple of hours. They are even cute when they're sleeping!

Jess agreed that the faces and markings are particularly nice on these babies, one of the "prettiest" litters we've had here.  So we're past the first hurdles - everyone hears, the trim will be good on all, and everyone has a pleasing spotting pattern.  Now we will cross fingers for dark eyes, good structural conformation, correct bites, proper tail carriage, good legs and feet, and most particularly good dispositions.  They'll be BAER tested to confirm hearing and identify any that might have unilateral hearing, get thorough health checkups at about 6 weeks, be intensely socialized with people of all ages, and I'll spend many many hours just watching them stand, interact and move around.  And we'll have LOTS of puppy visitors.

As a responsible hobby breeder who breeds for the show ring, I hope that some of the pups will be show potential.  That's why I am putting all this time, money, and work into a litter of pups.   If I'm fortunate and this breeding turns out as well as I thought it might, some of the pups will look like potential show prospects, while others will be pet quality for minor reasons that do not detract from their good looks or personalities. All puppies will receive the maximum amount of attention, whether they go to show or companion homes, will be carefully evaluated, and appropriately placed.   Fingers crossed . . .