Down time

Well, all the puppies but one have gone to their forever homes. Black Checks Boy (now known as Henry) is with us until the 11th of July when his forever family gets back from vacation. It's been fun having him here with me, I get a chance to train and get to know a puppy from Rosie to see what the temperament is. He is highly trainable, I must say! I have been taking him out on a leash and I have a spot right by the door that I hang it on when I bring him back in. Today he went to the door and pawed at the leash to tell me he needed to go out. Good boy, Henry! He's 12 weeks old now and getting tall and lanky. I like to look back at the puppy pics when they were rolly-polly things.

**sigh**

So, as you remember Maggie had the one sweet boy, Mack, back in April. She nursed him for 3 weeks and then I moved him in with Rosie's litter and she picked up the mothering role. Maggie's milk was dried up by the time Mack was 4 weeks old and she was off the hook, mothering-wise. She enjoyed spending time with all the pups and would always go right to Mack and sniff him out, but she really allowed Rosie to feed and clean him for the last bit of nursing the pups do as they transition to solid food. Her coat is back to being shiny and healthy and she's put on a little weight in preparation for her next heat.

Since Maggie looks so good and she's only had 2 litters, 10 pups in all, we're going to go ahead and breed her this summer for her last litter of Labradoodles. She brings an energy and intelligence to her puppies and they are fun to raise. Her first litter with Bo produced amazing nonshedding puppies that were so smart and trainable. I'm going to try and find a different stud for her this time, just for variety's sake. :) I'd like to find a brown and white parti poodle stud for F1bs, or a brown and white parti F1b for F2s.

I'll keep this blog posted as any news comes. I'm expecting Maggie's heat in July or early August if her cycle stays as predictable as it's always been.

Darin and I are working on some fencing plans for the property, very exciting stuff. Right now my fence is my voice "Get back here...Hey, dogs, COME, ...Maggie, Rosie, Bo, Marlee...!!" Ugh. With busy highways and gopher fields surrounding us, it's going to be wonderful to get the puppy area fenced and the large dog yard completely fenced with all the gates for easy access.

Keep checking back here for updates on Maggie. I am accepting early applications and deposits for anyone that's interested. Email me for info!

:)