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Swiss Silhouette Kennel's Litter "L" |
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Kelley's Classic Harmony 2 Good 2 B True, RN "Harmony" x CH Windraider Zuppke's Flea Flicker
CGC, RN "Zea" Whelped on 2/27/2011 Litter L Theme: Live, Love, Laugh Our names for this litter have to do with the celebration of life. When I truly evaluate why I do what I do, this is it. I love being around life. When I work my dogs, I feel connected in an intense living way. When I relax with my dogs, I am FULLY relaxed. When we all play together, it is with true enjoyment, and if I had a tail, I would be wagging mine too! When I bring new life into the world, it regenerates my love of life. And through all of these aspects of living, I know the dogs around our home benefit. They are always eager to do what ever the day has to hold. They give 100 % of themselves, and it is rewarding to give that back to them. My sister in law came up with an added idea for names of this litter. Latin! We all know that if there is a culture that expresses their love of life, it is the Latin culture. So, I have decided to use Latin phrases in the kennel names. Their call names all have a meaning as well that reflects the theme. As I was researching phrases that would be fitting, I came across one that said: "If you can read this, you have too much education!" When I read that, I knew that Latin would fall under the laughter category as well!
 3/6/11 Week 1: Update: Puppies are doing fantastic! As you can see from the photo where Harmony is on her back, she did have a c-section to get the last two puppies. Although she delivered easily, the progression was going slowly and we were worried we would lose them, so we made the decision to go get them. Anyhow, we caught this picture one night this week when she was just completely zonked. It was pretty cute watching these pups try to figure out how to get a meal when it was way up high. One did figure it out:).  Ray and Pat Burdett came by this morning. We owe so much to them for believing in us and trusting us with our very first Berner...Shyla. They have been fantastic mentors and friends. It is fun to share our puppies with them, and give back a little of what they gave to others for 20 + years; Smiles when holding a Berner puppy.  And more friends came this mornings...of course this is why pictures are being updated later in the day:). Because this is the web...I won't put up names of children, but the young girl used to be one of my day care kids. She is now old enough that she can come on over on her own and just play with puppies. Another one of those...great for all involved! I no longer do day care as I provide full time care for my mother in law, and am just a little busy with dogs, lol! I am so glad I will not be losing contact with all the kids who have blessed my life though!   A view from the top of our whelping runs: I think Harmony was glad to see some old friends:)  And now some shots that most of you are waiting for:     3/13/11 2 week update: Things are picking up around here. I know I have had this discussion with my dogs before...and even have it recorded in one of these web pages...DON'T DELIVER ON SUNDAYS! Sundays are my day to get lots done around here, and all of a sudden I realize it is 9:00 pm and my web page is not done. Sorry everybody! The pups are doing very well. They are all gaining evenly and just are as sweet as can be. We had some visitors today, but the adult dogs made it clear that they were equally (if not more) important as all those puppies.  Luckily our visitors enjoyed giving the adults lots of attention.  
(Sötenos)At this point our puppies have met 23 different people. Our goal is that they meet 100 new people before they go home to be with their new families. Then you all have the job of helping them meet another hundred before they are 4 months old:). Guess what? I am going to attempt to sleep in the house tonight:)! Of course I will have the baby monitor turned on high, the garage door open to the house, and probably multiple trips during the night to check on them...but...I am going to transition to the house. These are some fantastic moms. If Harmony thinks there is a chance that she might lay on a puppy, then she simply won't lay down. She sits (much like her early labor pictures above) and they just climb in her lap to nurse. It is very sweet. |
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March 20, 2011 Week 3 update: Oh wow the changes:)! The pups have had to have their whelping box doors closed because they are great escape artists...already! The heat lamps have turned off as they now are seeking cool places verses warm places. They are eating with greater skill (although it still gets all over them), walk, bark, wag tails, growl, tussle, show mild interest in their toys, and are beginning to notice their environment. And like the others...they have developed their love of people and actually respond with eagerness to be loved.             3/27/11 4 week update: Oh the third child! What do I say that hasn't been said this week? One thing different for this week, is I did venture them outside for a short time. Our cold wind and rain has made for very short visits though. Bindi's litter actually liked it a little, Addie's gave it a valiant effort, and this group said " Wow! What happened to the heater!" They stayed pretty close to each other to keep warm, then mom came and cuddled them with a warm blanket and warm milk:) This is the last group to have their dividers removed so they can have the full run to play in. They are still getting lots of visitors, new stresses to challenge their bodies and minds, and their biggest activity is still eating, sleeping, growing! Enjoy this last weeks pictures:)          Vida & Patience  4/3/11 5 week update: We had a surprise yesterday. While out playing with the puppies in the sunshine, we discovered that Neno has a blue eye! All the pups have a dusky blue eye which is normal, but I am guessing that indoor lighting, and gray sky's have concealed the fact that we have a true blue in the midst. As I type this I look at the picture in the basket directly above and the puppy on the far right is Neno. I think I actually see the blue eye there. I have gone over all the other pups and don't see any others with blue eyes at this point, but we will see I guess! I believe we have hit 85 visitors as of today. We have had an amazing amount of company because my youngest daughter came home for the weekend...first time in 9 months as she was married last summer. This benefitted all the puppies as well:). We have also been blessed with some clear skies and warmer temps. All 3 litters are now able to play together out side and they love it. I have set up a puppy pen for them to play in for this weekend. Too many cars, people, etc. to worry about where they are hiding. Lots of pictures to enjoy;)!  
blanket is acting as a windbreaker   I see Marilla snuck into the L litter picture! This is them waiting to go outside:) They definitely know when it is time to go out now.   Neno and his blue eye. Not so noticeable on the left hand picture, but obvious when I bring him up close.  Above, the number of people that played with puppies last night, below, 24 puppies!    4/11/11 6 week update: Sorry about missing yesterday's pictures! I took a day off and enjoyed some friends, a dog class, and good food:)! When I got home, everyone knows you simply have to play catch up when you take time off so that put me too far behind to do the web site:(. But, as I said, all is well and the pups had a great day too. They did all get weighed on the day of their birthday so we still have an accurate account there, but pictures were taken this morning. After a sunny weekend, I am bummed to see the rain again, but I guess it is nice to see things greening up around here. The pups are old enough they don't really care if it is raining. They love the out doors, the space to play, and the intrigue of new things to discover. As I mentioned on the other page...we have now hit 100 + visitors. There is not one puppy from any of these litters that are stand offish. They love people. Some are slightly more out going than others, but even that seems to change daily. I had thought Burnita from Bindi's litter was more stand offish than the others, but for the last 4 days she has been at the front of the line greeting new people. Neno stands out as a little pistol, but sweet. He likes to play and LOVES to cuddle. Dewey and Snickers seem to always be in the middle of activity, Vida is usually found on a lap, or playing tug of war with another pup. Sötenos & Jed...the food bowl, lol! If not there, they have found the raw bones we have lying around. They are active too, but they like their food:). All 7 of these puppies are terribly sweet. I can't pick just one and say this is the sweetest, nor is there one that stands out as shy or withdrawn.   I am SURE that little holly bush will not be here in the next couple weeks:(. Oh well.     
       Here is the story here: Our cat likes to check out the puppies. He jumped into this pot and would swat tails as they passed. The pups took awhile to catch onto what was hitting their tails..but then they figured it out and surrounded him..     |
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SWISS SILHOUETTE'S FACILE PRINCEPS
(Easily the First) Now living in Joseph, OR "Bella"     I think this litter was hungry when I was taking these pictures. The only thing they wanted was to suck!        Bella's new dad was unable to come, but we look forward to seeing pictures of the family together:)! Bella will be sharing her new home with Simon from litter "I" Hi Shelly, Sorry for not sending you a note sooner. I'm doing well but still taking everything very easy. We do have some photos but nothing that I would rate as worth sending, so we will try to get some good photos in the near future. Sunday, when Simon first saw Bella, he identified her as a strange dog in his territory and immediately acted to establish his dominance. As with everything he does, he was having fun with no intent to harm, but his display is very intimidating. This approach to other dogs comes partly from encounters on walks but, more importantly, from his obedience class, in which there were four dominant males, with Simon being one of them, continually looking to put other dogs in their places. The remainder of Sunday afternoon, Bella did a little exploring, but mostly Dolores held her, giving Simon a chance to smell her and to get used to her. The night was quiet, with only a single outing to the dog run. The next morning, at 9:00 a.m., Dolores took Bella to the vet for the new puppy check. Immediately when they left, Simon climbed onto our bed and lay there quietly whimpering to himself. I petted him, and Bella was back within the half hour, and all was OK again. The next two days -- Monday and Tuesday -- were amazing. Simon gradually came to understand Bella, what she could do, what she liked, and the initial overly aggressive play behaviors simply fell away and were replaced with appropriate gentle puppy play. I recall Bella standing in the middle of the lawn, with Simon trotting up to her, and her tail was wagging, and her front feet were doing a little dance of anticipation, and they greeted. She showed no hesitation about attacking him with growls, barks, and a snapping jaw, which he took in good spirits. They would lie together "fang-fencing" (thrusting and parrying with open mouths), having a great time. Sometimes they sleep together, other times separately. Once, Simon dragged a thick eight-foot rope out into the yard and stood there waiting for her to come and grab the other end, which she did, and then they had a little game of gentle tug-of-war. Simon isn't perfect, and maybe once a day he forgets himself and is over-exuberant, requiring a reprimand, but it isn't a problem. Bella stomps around the house like she owns it, and she doesn't hesitate to approach Simon, walk under him, bite at his fur, cozy up to him, etc. Simon is now a much calmer, happier dog. Life is good -- very, very good. My interaction with Simon and Bella is a bit limited. I really miss Simon, since we used to do so much together, but every-now-and-then I catch him sitting, and then I can pet him up. Bella knows that she can come up to me, and then I will bend down to pet and ruffle her on the head and neck. She is just unbearably cute. Soon, I'll be able to do more with them. Having both a near-adult and a puppy is really fun. I'm thinking of placing a standing order with you for one new puppy every year. If only our house were bigger. ;-) Best wishes ...    6/16/11 3rd month!   Fang Fencing     Best buddies   Hi Shelly, It has been a while since I last sent an email to you, and I don't have any new photos that I would call good, but I thought you might enjoy seeing what Bella looks like at 5+1/2 months, plus one of Simon at about 17 months. See below. Bella has been going to puppy classes and now is good on the basics: following on leash, sit, down, sit stay, down stay, shake. I only started doing "stand" with her a few days ago, and that is coming. She is a real gem -- easy to get along with, tail always wagging. Simon, as he nears full maturity, is one of the most handsome dogs I have ever known. He is extraordinarily good looking, and he carries himself well -- often prancing, like a proud stallion. He and Bella remain best buddies. I love to watch them run shoulder-to-shoulder, usually with Simon carrying a bone to entice Bella, but yesterday Bella grabbed a clump of grass and ran off, leading Simon on a lengthy chase. Fun!     Sneaking in a quick nap on Dad and Mom's bed! Their doing great! Breeder note: OCD is where the cartilage is damaged in a joint. This is painful, and usually requires surgery to remove the loose pieces that are irritating the joint. This is not uncommon in large breed dogs and it is unknown how much genetics play a role. We have seen this a couple of times and from our limited experience it has always followed excessive exercise or jumping during the growth period. We are always saddened to see one of our puppies have any issue at all, but as always...we are so grateful to the wonderful owners that care for the dogs responsibly. Bella is the second puppy out of our Spring 2011 litters to come down with this. Ella, from litter J, and Bella are completely unrelated. 12/8/11 Hi Shelly, It has been four weeks since Bella's left shoulder surgery to correct OCD. Yesterday, I took her back to WSU in Pullman for a checkup. She is approved to resume normal activity, though -- being out-of-shape -- she needs to gradually get back into her usual play and exercise. She now walks without a limp. The vet that examined her was of the opinion that her right shoulder would not cause a problem in the future, but we will continue to be careful. Bella remains a puppy, very happy and too full of energy, and she loves to bait Simon. :-) The WSU vet hospital has a scale for rating the fitness of dogs: 1 is too skinny, 5 is too fat, the range 2.5 to 3 is perfect. You will be glad to know that Bella was evaluated to be 3. We like dogs that are not overweight. Similarly, Simon is long and lean, the same as Bella. Several times, the vets at WSU emphasized that keeping the weight down was the single most important action to hold off joint problems. Simon remains good. Sometimes he is as relaxed and quiet as it is possible to be and still be alive. Other times he displays the energy of a compact nuclear device. I suspect that will subside only when he is old and gray. :-) Having been through two sessions of basic obedience training has been good for him. Walking down Main Street in Joseph with other people around is still tough but no longer impossible. In most situations, he will honor sit-stay commands even though he doesn't want to (not getting out of the car when he knows his dinner is waiting for him, for example). We continue to work with him, and with Bella, also. Hope all is well with you. Best wishes for the Holiday! 2/29/12 Hi Shelly, Yesterday, in anticipation of Bella's first birthday, and Simon's impending second birthday, Dolores and I got the camera outdoors and took pictures. Bella is still good, several months past her shoulder surgery for OCD -- walking and playing are normal. She remains the most happy puppy I have ever known. Simon is still himself. Infinitely soft and affectionate but a force of nature when excited. Watching him run down a thrown ball is actually scary. You would like the physical condition of both. We don't have exact weights right now, but they are each a bit under 90 lbs and quite lean. And we are proud of how they both Sit!, Stay!, Load up! when getting into the car. To get Bella out of the car, we give her a Sit!, Stay!, Let's go! and catch her to let her down gently. They are great companions (to us, and to each other) and really warm up the house. Simon is scheduled to be x-rayed for OFA or equivalent evaluation on his birthday. That has to be an awful birthday present, but the x-ray will be early in the morning, and we will pamper him the rest of the day. A copy of the results will go to you as soon as we get them.   |
Snickers (laughter) Female Day 1: 1 lb. 5 oz Wk. 1: 2 lbs. 1 oz Wk. 2: 3 lbs Wk. 3: 4 lb. 8 oz Wk. 4: 6 lb. 6 oz Wk. 5: 8 lb 5 oz Wk. 6: 11 lbs April 19: 13 lb 5 oz |
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SWISS SILHOUETTE'S FESTINO LENTO
(Hurry Slowly) Now residing in Lake Oswego, OR keeping: "Dewey"    I am showing his half white collar. It isn't a full half actually. I know that white always lessons, but not sure what this will do. I am guessing that his collar will mostly    Very shortly, that mouth will be filled with needle sharp teeth. We are enjoying every minute of no teeth around here! And...I don't think you have heard a true giggle until you hear a young girl having her nose nursed!          Dewey did so well on the ride home.....and absolutely comfortable once we arrived home. You would think he's been here forever! He just goes with the flow.....Here are a couple of pictures.....It's hard to get (as you know) because he wants to be at my feet the whole time. The second picture if of him, and the blur in the corner is Stella (one of the chihuahuas)....she engages him to play tag.....fortunately, she is way faster....but I suspect that will change. Dewey has sent me a few videos, but I am not sure how to post them:)    5/26/11: Shelly, just wanted to drop you a note and let you know that Dewey is doing fantastic! We have started puppy kindergarten and he is just so smart....he knows how to sit, lay down, stand, come, watch, loose lead walk..he's learning 'leave it' and 'wait'...he is excelling in everything we try...the only funny thing is that when the puppies are allowed to "play with each other"....he walks up to the people instead and leans on them for attention....way more into people than other puppies.. except at home with his own pack......he is growing....those legs are lengthening....HEALTHY APPETITE.....just such a well-balanced, sweet boy.....noises, unexpected things don't do him in.....he may stop for a moment, but then keeps on going....loves the kids at my school (and anywhere else). Anyone who meets him is instantly in love.....Thank you Shelly! 9/12/11: Shelly, I would imagine you are enjoying your time without puppies....just your dogs......Dewey is just spectacular! He seems like all legs right now. I've attached pictures of him with my daughter at the river. He is such a goof ball! You can see from his smile that he is one happy camper. Right now we are working on being more courteous to the small dogs. He doesn't seem to realize that he is now WAY bigger than they are. He has his big guy teeth and losing the baby fur (I will miss that soft fuzz).... Thanks again Shelly! 
 2/29/12: Shelly..... What a joy he is!!! I've attached some picture of Dewey the Goober! He's dirty in these pictures because we've had so much rain AND he has been going on outings with my son most evenings......they've been hiking through Tryon Park and Mary S Young......he is loving that! He comes home and crashes..... It was good to hear from you to remind myself that he will come around with training. He and I took private, 1:1 training lessons for 6 weeks. He knows what I want, he just simply wants to test those waters daily. Even the trainer said he was such a lovable Goober......and in being so cute & lovable he thinks we'll let him get away with almost anything. And of course, my husband does fall for his big eyes, lean on me, all I want is constant loving and I don't have to listen routine. He is so funny it's hard to hold the line. He's still a bit too rough when he's outside with the little dogs so I have to use leave it with him. But it's hilarious to watch him play with them in the house. He stuffs himself under the coffee table and then lets them pretty much attack him and he just opens his mouth.....they bite his lip, put their heads in his mouth....pull on his toes.....and when he and a 3 1/2 pound dog fight over a 6 inch toy....it's worth the price of admission. Anyway.....he is the house clown. We love him to pieces!    |
Dewey (beloved) Male Day 1: 1 lb. 4 oz Wk. 1: 1 lb. 14 oz. Wk. 2: 3 lbs. 1 oz Wk. 3: 4 lb 8 oz Wk. 4: 6 lb 8 oz Wk. 5: 8 lb 1 oz Wk. 6: 11 lb 9 oz April 19: 13 lb 6 oz |
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SWISS SILHOUETTE'S DILIGO EST PATIENS (Love is patient) Now residing in Azelea, Oregon "Heidi"      
We have started putting pine shaving in the boxes of the older pups now that they are eating. Harmony is not sick...she just has a pine shaving below her eye:). Now comes the fun part of having pine shaving tracked everywhere in my house for the next 6-7 weeks!      Dear Family, I wanted to let you know I am home at my big girl home. I have 4 new sisters and they really like me, there is one that is my size. We walked all over and checked on the horses and one of the barns has shavings like my old home, it was really fun, I didn’t want to leave the barn, but they said I had to go because it was our dinner time. My ride home was so long, I got bored and tired of riding in the car. I got to eat apples and grapes for snacks. I want to thank you for making my life so wonderful and giving me a loving and caring home. I will miss you, I promise to send pictures and keep you updated on my life. Licks and wags, Patients Heidi has melted everyone she has met, she is so cherished and loved. She has had her second DHPP and soon to have her 3rd. Her fecal test was negative. She has been nothing but one big love of a healthy puppy. She gets together with my friends BMD often, from the beginning they have seemed to be kindred spirits, they get along so well. She loves her feeding times, we got her a dish that is for dogs that eat too fast. All is well and we are extremely happy with her. I really need to spend some time with taking pictures. Heidi is growing so fast, when she arrived home she was the same size as our toy Aussie, now I look at her and her back is approaching the height of my chocolate lab. I would like to see a bit more chubbiness on her, it’s not that she isn’t getting fed enough, she is just growing too fast. She is a very smart little joy, very special. My blind dog has never let others take her toys, but she plays with Heidi and gives her the toys. She gets along with everyone, even the cats. When I take the horses out, I just tell her to “get”, she leaves the area, when she goes into the horses pasture I tell her to get out and she does. She loves to play in the sprinkling of the hose water, which reminds me of a former chocolate lab that would pick up the hose and squirt you with the nozzle as she learned to squeeze it. I took her to a garden nursery the other day, they had a fountain running and we couldn’t get her out of it. 
  6/11/11: Hi, Just sending some update pictures of sweet beautiful Heidi. What a joy she has been to have and love. She has so much personality, and makes us laugh constantly. Thanks!   
Sept. 12/11 update: Hello, These are some of her latest pictures at the swimming hole. She is wet more than dry, with this warm weather she just goes for a swim to cool down. It really surprises me that she is wet more often than my Lab. In one of the pictures she is looking behind her, I think her tail was chasing her. She has another funny trick when swimming, she will dog paddle with front legs and walk on the creek bottom. She has gotten to be a very strong swimmer. Heidi and the Lab play good together but with competitiveness, when she plays with my friends BMD both play with compassion for the other. If they have a toy they run together with it, if it is a chew, they each chew on an end. They are like kin and old souls together, and were from the first time they got together. Heidi is such a special girl. A month ago she was 58 pounds, she is getting her rabies shot next week, I am anxious to see what her weight has increased to. Hope all is well with you and your family.  
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Patience Female Day 1: 1 lb. 5 oz Wk. 1: 2 lbs. Wk.2: 3 lbs. 2 oz Wk 3: 4 lb 11 oz Wk. 4: 6 lb. 4 oz Wk. 5: 8 lbs Wk. 6: 10 lb 4 oz April 19: 12 lb 2 oz |
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SWISS SILHOUETTE'S VENI, VIDI, VICI (I came, I saw, I conquered) Now Residing in Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas Keeping: "Vida"                 5/8/11 Hi, Shelly: Sorry it took so long for me to get back to you; things have been…challenging around here. I keep looking at the updates on the other puppies and seeing that they’re sleeping six hours and playing with the other dogs and stuff, but Vida has been a whole other story. I guess the down side of being a lap dog is that you can’t stand not to be in a lap! I got NEARLY as far as your mailbox before she started freaking out! 4 ½ hours back to Portland, and she wouldn’t stop fussing unless she was in the front seat with her head resting on my leg. My concern for our safety battled my developing migraine, so it was musical chairs in that car. After a sleepless night and a rather messy accident in her crate right before leaving her with the airline, I finally got on the plane. While everyone was boarding, you could hear her fussing from cargo, poor thing. She calmed down once we were in the air, though. This seems to be the pattern because she does the same thing in the car; she hates the motion of acceleration, deceleration, and turning, but does fine on the highway (as long as she’s up front with me. We have a car harness now; she hates it, but I feel better about her being up there). Bexter spent a few days surrendering bones and giving in to her bullying before finally deciding that she wasn’t a mouse. It was really cool to see; he started herding her. He walked her around the living room, forcing her to move where he wanted her by just gently turning his body against hers in the direction he wanted her to go. If she tried to nip his face, he’d gently push her under him with one of his paws, and keep walking with her walking beneath him. Sure hope that’s normal German Shepard/dog behavior! It was so quiet, not a peep from him, and just the occasional excited yip from her. 5/14/11 We had our first puppy class today. It went well; I’d been doing things from Ian Dunbar’s book, so I think she’s on track/ slightly ahead. She is stubborn, though! Things she’ll do for me when it’s one-on-one, she won’t do if Bexter’s there. She won’t focus for long enough; just wants to get back to play-fighting. We are going to have to work on that. My sister is visiting, and since she just did all this puppy stuff with her dog, she’s been a great help and very encouraging. I’d been getting discouraged (apparently exhaustion will do that to you!) but she met Vida and was amazed at the progress we’d already made. She says that Vida looks up at me all the time to see what she should be doing. We’ve had a couple accidents; she’s a little camel and seems to have a reserve bladder just for having accidents when I think it’s safe! We’ve been using Dunbar’s method of crate/chew toy/house training, so that’s worked pretty well. She just thinks that her bed is grass after she’s been horsing around with Bexter. I might have to just put it away for now. The other problem she has is that she hates the heat (big surprise!) and so we had a couple times toward the beginning (I hope!) where she’d get as far as the garage and decide that that was hot enough and go on the concrete…Oy… 5/25/11 Hi, Shelly: Well, Vida’s doing fine. We had our second puppy class, and one of the things we covered was meeting strangers. They want her to sit for strangers, which is a little difficult because she wants to play with them. The actual meeting them part is a cinch, though. She hardly needs them to show any interest before she’s trying to crawl all over their legs! Everyone keeps asking to meet her, so her continued socializing is going well. She greets other dogs well, and immediately wants to play. She’s getting huge! The space between her back and Bexter’s stomach is shrinking rapidly. He’s going to have to come up with other ways to keep her in line and teach her manners… When I pick her up, I feel like I’m lifting a small child. I don’t think I’ll be able to do that for much longer, so I’m doing it a lot now, trying to get her used to different ways of being held and handled. She hates it, but my sister assures me that her dog used to, too, and that now she loves it even though she’s a year old! My nephew keeps asking if he can have Vida, or “Stella” as he calls her, grrr… He insists that he can’t remember Vida, but I think he does it to annoy me. J One of my sisters also asked if she could have her…and my friends…and the groomer…and, come to think of it, just about everyone! I’m doing a lot better, now. That first week I thought I’d made a huge mistake. I was running on about 2-4 hours of sleep per night! She was soooo needy. Now, she’s settled in more, I’ve slept more, and I remember why I liked her that first day! She really is sweet… We have a lot of work to do, especially not nipping at faces. She’s getting “sit” and “off” pretty well. She’s a pro at “crate” (she loves her stuffed Kongs) and not bad at “leave it” (unless it’s Bexter’s bone). We just started “down.” I am eager to teach her “quiet” (she can be quite shrill!). She and Bexter play a lot more roughly than they did in the beginning, so I started tonight with trying to teach her that she doesn’t have to attack him every time they’re in the same room. I sat on the floor with her on my lap and pet her while petting Bexter as he lay beside me… It’s going to take a lot more practice and a few extra arms… Anyway, things have finally quieted down for the night. Guess I’d better take the opportunity to sleep! Hope all is well for you! 7/1/11 Well, everyone keeps telling me that she's grown. I guess she must've with an overall 22 pound gain. She weighed in Wednesday at 38.9! Still small according to the trainer, but she's smaller boned, too... She has giardia again/still so we are treating that, much to her chagrin. The vet says she is at the perfect weight, though, so that's good. Tomorrow is our last day of puppy class if she passes (still having trouble with leave it and come if the objects are particularly interesting). The trainer remarked that she seems more interested in learning now, and that the ADD moments seem shorter, haha! She's sooo friendly with everyone. Still a maniac with me ;-) but everywhere we go, people want to meet her and she's amazing. I've noticed that she jumps on the women (we are working on that!), but just leans calmly on the legs of men...curious... Recently, as we were leaving puppy class (she was so tired I had to coax her to even stand) these two children wanted to pet her. I was super nervous because the girl was very small for her age (about the size of a 2 year-old) and Vida's mouth looked HUGE compared to the girl's hands, but she was wonderful! She calmly laid down (exhaustion surely played its part) and let the kids love on her.  bummer for the watering can!    Not so little any more...! She is looking great, thanks for the pictures! |
Vida (pronounced Vee-duh Meaning: Life) Female Day 1: 1 lb. 1 oz. Wk. 1: 1 lb. 8 oz Wk. 2: 2 lbs. 8 oz Wk. 3: 3 lb 10 oz Wk. 4: 5 lb. 2 oz Wk. 5: 6 lb 12 oz Wk. 6: 10 lbs April 19: 10 lb 10 oz |
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SWISS SILHOUETTE'S QUAM BENEVIVAS REFERRE (It is how well you live that matters) Now "Khyber" Of La Grande, OR    Allot of people associate how well we live with the food we consume...I am guessing this guy takes this seriously!            I thought I would send you some pictures from this last week. He is doing so well he is making raising a puppy almost unnervingly easy. I keep thinking surly this can't be right he is SOOOOOooo Mellow! He has decided that out of all the new toys we got just for him that Cruiser (our Boston Terrier) is his favorite. House training is going really well he now goes potty on command (well pee anyways) and that is awesome to me! We started leash training this week too and he is doing well there. We also began teaching some verbal commands like sit and stand. :) I cannot wait to take him on walks, but for now we go to D&B, the bank and all of my grooming clients are required to say hello to him, so far this has not been a huge imposition on any of them ;) He met Ariel yesterday since she is staying with us this weekend, he has met several other new dogs as well and has been a perfect gentleman each time!!!   date on camera is not accurate:)...These were taken May, 2011     Fantastic photography..fantastic subject:)! 6/15/11: Our computer is down, so no pics for now! Khyber went in for his vet apt. yesterday for his last shots and weighs in at 32.7 lbs. The Dr. said he looks excellent. We also went to our puppy class last night and he had a blast! More pictures soon:) 8/1/11 A visit with mom and dad at the local fair grounds! Myself, Dad, Mom, and Aunt Addie all got to go to the fair and help our local 4-H club!! What a blast:)!    Awh Mom...she won't play with me! 2/27/12  He is very unsure of the show world, but otherwise a happy, healthy puppy! At one year of age, he is 97 lbs, and BIG. When he fills up that frame, he is going to be very impressive. |
Sötenos (sweet nose) Male Day 1: 1 lb. 3 oz. Wk. 1: 2 lbs. 1 oz Wk. 2: 3 lbs. 5 oz Wk. 3: 5 lb 1 oz Wk. 4: 7 lb. 3 oz Wk. 5: 9 lb 4 oz Wk.6: 12 lb 7 oz April 19: 14 lb 8 oz April 29: 9wks: 20 lb |
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SWISS SILHOUETTE'S SEMPER FIDELIS (Always Faithful) Now Residing in Fairbanks, Alaska Keeping: "Jedidiah"         Sorry...not interested in sitting:) !   Sorry, Jed's other pictures turned out really blurry:(   Jed is now living with his new family and his "brother" Gideon from litter "G" 2/12: We have been talking with Jed's mom on the phone as they have moved even more remotely into Alaska and do not have internet access. Jed is a very large boy already hitting 120 lbs +. He has shoulder and elbow issues. This may be due to his very large size, his level of activity, diet, or genetics...no way to know at this time. Jed was being fed a diet that we have now related to OCD. We most definitely do not blame the owners for anything that has occurred, as this has only recently come to our attention. We do understand that he has a lovely temperament and is VERY active, lol! As we spoke, it was -40 degrees outside and he was as happy as could be...yikes...! We hope to get some pictures soon:)! |
Jedidiah/Jed (beloved) Male Day 1: 1 lb. 5 oz Wk. 1: 2 lbs. 1 oz. Wk. 2: 3 lbs. 3 oz Wk. 3: 4 lb 12 oz Wk. 4: 6 lb. 9 oz Wk. 5: 9 lb 10 oz Wk.6: 11lb 12 oz April 19: 13 lb 10 oz |
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SWISS SILHOUETTE'S RIDE SAEPE MAGNUM SOMNIUM ( Laugh often, dream big) Now Residing in Tacoma, Washington And his new name is Oberland "Obie"               |
Neno (darling/dear) Male Day 1: 1 lb. 2 oz. Wk. 1: 1 lb. 9 oz. Wk. 2: 2 lbs. 10 oz Wk. 3: 3 lb 12 oz Wk. 4: 5 lb.12 oz Wk. 5: 7 lb 9 oz Wk. 6: 10 lbs April 19: 11 lb 7 oz |
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