Stella (Miss Red) update

Miss Red (born May 31, 2011) who was given the call name, Stella (L. star) now lives in N. Vancouver, BC along with a black labrador named Riley and a couple of cats.  As of this week, she weighs 15.2 pounds, slightly more than 2 of her brothers!!

Excitement!

Well, my life is very dull right now because I happened to get very excited when 12-week-old Tunder (Mr Black) went to the patio slider in our family room and rattled the vertical blinds.  As soon as I heard the noise, I dashed to the family room to let him outside. Sure enough, he had to 'do his business".  To us doggy people, that's a BIG and IMPORTANT development.  AAAhhh, the one time I didn't have a treat in my pocket but he sure got lots of happy words and praise from me!

Far more exciting on this day was a 5.8 magnitude earthquake originating in W. Virginia.  While it was felt in the Greater Toronto Area and way up in Ottawa an other parts of Ontario, I didn't feel the tremors here.  Just as happy that I didn't but so glad Tunder is almost 100% house trained!

12 weeks old

Today our six Miska-Brick puppies turn 12 weeks old!  Three months have flown by already.  While they are clearly puppies, they all resemble miniature versions of mature, adult Vizslas.  Here's Mr. Black (currently Tunder) with his mom Miska, big sister Diva and Uncle Tyro.  Yesterday Tunder and Bodi (Mr Blue) were at the vet for their second set of vaccinations and they weighed 14.6 and 15.6 pounds respectively.

The Mottely Crew (L-R Miska, Tunder, Diva, Tyro) taken Aug. 23, 2011

Self-control

If you think you can't teach an 11 or 12-week old puppy impulse or self-control, think again.  YES you CAN.

Of course, how effective you are depends on how good a dog trainer you are.  Using Susan Garrett's "It's Yer Choice" game to teach this Vizsla puppy self-control, I have transferred the principle of self-control with a handful of treats to his food bowl.  As you can see in the video, he is NOT lunging at his food. 

Big aaahhh factor

There's nothing like sleepy/sleeping puppies and dogs to create the 'aaahhh' factor in humans.  I actually thought it was Tyro who was sleeping with all 4's in the air but it turned out it was Diva!!  AND, she was being touched by her younger half-brother, Tunder!

Tribute to Moms

Tribute to Moms

Miska with one of her puppies (2011)

Miska contemplating

Mom in this case is Miska.  She's been an awesome mother to 12 puppies, six in each of her two litters.  But even before she had her own babies, she demonstrated wonderful maternal instincts when her younger siblings (our Nova-Hudson litter) were born in 2006.  At that time, Miska was 3 years old and so badly wanted to join her mom, Nova, in the whelping box to help clean and nurse Nova's 8 puppies (even though Miska couldn't nurse at the time).  It's really no surprise that she's been a fantastic mother because her mom, Nova, was tremendous, Miska's paternal grand-mother, Nekah was also an extremely devoted mother and Miska's maternal grand-ma, Bree, is wonderful around other dogs.  As well, Miska's father, Sasha, was absolutely terrific with puppies and all dogs and Brick, the father of our 2011 litter also has a terrific personality.  Adding to the wonderful temperament/fantastic mom list is Miska's sister/littermate, Shandy (2 litters), half-sister Mila sired by our Sasha) and niece Gypsy (who is Mila's daughter/Sasha's grand-daughter).  All of these female Vizslas have been wonderful mothers to their puppies.  So here's to you terrific Vizsla Moms!

It's so important to breed dogs with good temperaments.  I know of a few Vizsla breeders that haven't always done this but they shall remain nameless.  If you don't have a good stable temperament in the parents, then you are being irresponsible by breeding them.

Here's a short video clip created by Corrine Sellars of Miska watching over and trying to discipline her two puppies - 11 week-old Bodi (Mr Blue) and Tunder (Mr Black) who were acting crazy in our family room.

Shop t'il you drop

Every dog's dream! To go 'shopping' in a pet store for all the stuff it loves. This video features a well-trained Vizsla but the German Shepherd kinda steals the show with more air time.

Life is tough

In my next life, I want to come back as one of my Vizslas and live with a human like myself. I'd love to get 7-8 hours sleep each night, then have my meals served to me, and then have a nap right after breakfast in a luxurious Bowser Bed or on a couch or just have a good stretch with a favourite toy.  Life is sure tough when you're a Vizsla!

Mr Black and his mom, Miska

Miska with a stuffed banana

Miska being goofy

Tyro - really chillin' out

Bodi plays an Ottosen dog puzzle

Corrine sent me this short video of Bodi (Mr Blue) from our May 31, 2011 litter using his brains and his nose (rather than his paws for the most part) to search for treats in this Nina Ottosen dog brick puzzle.

Mr Black is baaaacck!!!

Mr Black at 11 weeks of age

11-week-old Mr Black (black collar) from our May 31, 2011 litter is back with me now.

For about two weeks, he had accompanied Mr Blue (now Bodi) to live in Toronto with Corrine Sellars.  After losing her precious Milo this spring and learning that this was going to be my last litter, Corrine badly wanted two dogs from me.  At first I thought she was just joking about wanting two puppies,  I warned her of the perils and pitfalls of getting two from the same litter and was very resistant to place 2 puppies with her - NOT because I didn't think she'd make a great owner.  Au contraire, Corrine is an awesome owner and a very good dog trainer and did wonderful things and had many incredible achievements with Milo.  She's a breeder's dream come true home for a puppy!  And she was very serious about wanting two.  After deciding Mr Black was not going to go to my co-breeder's home, I thought to myself - well, maybe it will work and if it does, both dogs will have absolutely fantastic homes and I will be the winner too, knowing someone is doing wonderful things with my puppies.

So initially we discussed a male/female combo which is always better but again, there are perils of having two intact dogs of opposite sex in the same house, and moreso if they are brother and sister.  No way did she or I want an "oops" litter of such closely related dogs.  So in the end, I suggested two males.  If two intact boys are raised together, they are highly likely to get along, especially if there are no bitches in heat to deal with.  So Black joined Blue (Bodi) and Corrine. During their time with Corrine, she did some awesome training with both.  But it was becoming increasingly obvious that they were getting very bonded with each other.  So much so that it was impossible for Corrine to have one out of the crate or outdoors while the other was inside the crate/house without the one that was left behind screaming his head off.  And scream and scream and scream.  One can only take so much of one puppy screaming, let alone two plus Corrine has close neighbours to contend with.  So I suggested we separate them and Black came back to me.  As soon as they were separated, they were entirely different - quiet and well behaved. It became very apparent that the "experiment' of two puppies living together wasn't going to work.  So now, Mr Black is back with me and I am looking for his forever home which I would prefer is physically close to where I live, if possible.





Mr Black is a potential show quality/show pick male with good hunting /pointing instincts and:

• is crate trained and loves his crate from Susan Garrett's Crate Games
• sits and waits in his crate before being released
• has been shaped for behaviour using positive methods
• is 99% house trained (the 1% is due to his breeder's failure to pay attention)
• is learning Susan Garrett's "It's Your Choice" game
• is learning to wait patiently while his food bowl is lowered to the floor being being released to eat his food
• is a good car traveler
• has been exposed to some agility equipment and frozen birds
• must be shown in conformation either by his breeder or by the new owner and remain intact
• will have had two sets of vaccinations.

Buh-bye Bentley

11 week old Bentley (Mr Green) out of our Miska-Brick puppies born May 31, 2011 departed yesterday on a jet plane along with his new family to live in Calgary Alberta. Bentley was a real sweetie, just a typical lover-boy Vizsla. The longer I had Bentley, the more I fell in love with him and it was mutual.  While it was sad to say farewell, I know he's going to a wonderful home with 3 children and another Vizsla named Jasper who is 10 years old and also related to Bentley. Jaspar is out of our Rex (owned by Sherryanne Farr and Wes Daniels of Alberta, Canada) who was whelped in 1997. As it turns out, two of Bentley's bigger, older brothers, Blaze and Gunner from Miska's first litter in 2008, also live in Calgary so he has canine family there. It's a small world in Vizslas.

These photos of Bentley were taken in the last few days he was with us.

Bentley, Bodi (Mr Blue), Tunder (Mr Black) with Tyro (foregrd), Miska and Diva (top)

Bentley with his muzzle in Tyro's mouth

Bentley absolutely loves being in a crate

Tyro and Bentley

Bentley (green), Bodi (orange collar) and Tunder (black)

3 brothers sharing a Bowser Bed

Bentley with his new mom, Leah Messenger

Big paws to fill

Four of our Miska-Brick puppies born May 31, 2011 have gone to homes where the owners previously had wonderful Vizslas. Tunder (Mr Black) and Bodi (Mr BLue) have gone to Toronto with Corrine Sellars who sadly lost Milo in March of this year (yes, 2 puppies to one home which I said I would never do!).  Will (Mr Turquoise) now lives in Oshawa with a family, Karen Johnston and Doug Wheeler. who had had 2 vizslas from me: Bob (1995-2009) and almost 15 yr-old Rita who passed away just 2 days before Will arrived at their home. Miss Yellow, now Elsie, went to live with Christopher and Christine Maloney of Buffalo NY who just lost their Vizsla named CSidney in May 2011 at the age of 13.  So our puppies have big paws to fill and I am know they will  never replace these dogs who were previously owned by these families and individuals but they will create their own unique places in their hearts.

Chris and Christine Maloney with Elsie (Miss Yellow)

Miska saying farewell to Black (Tunder) and Blue (Bodi)

Will (Turquoise) with his new humans and Miska (standing in for dearly and recently departed Rita)

Garden pot fun

"Small things amuse small minds."  Forget the expensive and overpriced dog toys, all it takes is something like a cheap garden pot to give puppies lots of fun. 

Bentley (Mr Green) with the pot

About to run into a shrub

Bodi (Mr Blue) and Tunder (Black) play tug with the pot

Tunder lays claim to the pot

Bon voyage Miss Red

"So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go

'Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane
I don't know when I'll be back again
Oh, babe, I hate to go"

John Denver, "Leaving On a Jet Plane"

Miss Red, now Stella (aka Feist) departed on a WestJet plane last Wednesday along with her new owner and mom, Teri Martin of West Vancouver, BC.  Teri had an opportunity to combine business in Toronto with meeting me and picking up her new puppy so everything worked out really well.  Teri brought with her a crate and blanket so Stella got used to them before she had to depart. Stella joins Riley, a black Labrador Retriever and a cat in her new household.  Teri, your life will never the same now that you own a Vizsla!

Perfect angel

Kisses for my new mom

Pictures of Stella on her last day with her breeder and dog family.

   

10 weeks old

Our Miska-Brick puppies are 10 weeks old today. There are two left, waiting to travel to their new homes out west (Alberta and British Columbia). Here are photos of Bentley (Green male) and Stella (Red female) taken in our garden this afternoon.  The one of Yellow girl, now Elsie) was taken yesterday before she left for Buffalo, NY.

Pretty Stella

Handsome Bentley

Elsie (Miss Yellow) at 9 weeks and 6 days

And for a photo of Will (Turquoise boy), go to his owner's blog at:
http://mosaicworksca.blogspot.com/2011/08/im-officially-obsessed.html

Down to 3

Three puppies have gone to their forever homes now and 3 are still with us but that will soon become two later today. Today was the last day Miss Red (now Stella), Miss Yellow (now Elsie) & Mr Green (Bentley) are together as a family unit as Yellow goes to her new home. I took everyone up the road to the neighbour's farm for a romp to tire them out.

Fun in the field

I call these Muffets because they look like the cereal

Stella watching the others

Bentley looking regal

Stella (Red) 'smokin' a stogie

Bentley likes sticks

Elsie (Yellow) looking pretty

Stella uses Tyro as a seat

Uncle Tyro is very accommodating with Stella

Not much difference in size between Stella & Bentley right now

Beautiful Blaze

Blaze (Varazs Kedves Quasar) is from my 2008 litter. His mother is Miska who just whelped her second (and last) litter in May 2011. I used a stud dog imported from Australia, CH Hubertus Quality Control FDJ, to produce Blaze. I happen to love Blaze and think he is a gorgeous Vizsla with lovely conformation: a lot of substance, good bone, good chest & forechest, a nice head and topline. Of course, maybe I have 'kennel blindness' and am biased since I am his breeder; however, I think I  have a good eye for a Vizsla and I can be, and have been, critical of my own dogs.  He is one that would definitely turn my head in a breed line-up.

Blaze being stacked by handler, Larry Clark; photo by B. Tanko

Blaze hasn't finished his Championship title yet but he is extremely deserving of this title. He is sitting on 6 points and needs 4 more in Canada. All of his littermates finished their championship titles very quickly. One reason why Blaze hasn't finished is that there are virtually no other Vizslas being shown in Calgary and to earn points, a dog has to beat members of its own breed or take a placement in the group (Sporting dog group in this case). From what I've been told, the show ring is very competitive in Calgary/Edmonton although the same can be said of cities in Ontario. However, we have a lot more dog shows and a lot more Vizslas being shown in Ontario which is why his 4 other littermates finished their titles (the fifth is in California) because I showed all of them in Ontario. Unfortunately, the dog show ring can be 'political' and sometimes it's the two-legged creature at the other end of the lead that gets noticed more by the judges than the 4-legged one.  Recently Blaze's owners hired a very expensive professional handler (wow, I couldn't believe how expensive this guy is!) and Blaze did 'make the cut' in the Sporting Group but didn't get a placement.  Anyway, I just wanted to brag about this dog because I think he is a terrific looking Vizsla and is deserving to be labeled a Champion and one day, I know he will finish that title.

Please visit this link to see other photos of Blaze as he has his own Blog.

Blaze the Vizsla: Few photos from the latest dogshow

Flower power

Our feisty, fun-loving Miss Red (now called Stella) took great exception to a coneflower and decided to attack it.  Later Mr Green (Bentley) thought he'd give it a try too, but he was far more restrained.  Anyway, Miss Red gave me a very humorous act which I caught on video.

I'm talking to you!!

If you won't listen, I'll eat you!