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Franny

Franny

Apr 17

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Franny is living her best life.  With work I have gotten creative with my hours and enlisted the help of a few friends with dogs, so that she can keep meeting friends, even if the humans have to remain separate.  Starting Thursday, a couple hours after I leave for work, one of my friends will be picking her up from her kennel at my house and taking her to her hobby farm.  Completely fenced, she will get to run, play with the other dog and meet some farm animals.  She lives better than me!  

We walk every day and other than flopping down when she loves a special spot of grass, she is doing great.  

This dog could not be sweeter.  She is confident but not aggressive, she already know several commands, and I don’t know if it is the NuVet, the food choice or both, but her waste is still firm.  I have never had any dog with as consistent belly as hers.  She is a bit bitey – but I am pretty sure she is teething her big girl teeth, so we are finding every possible thing for her to chew on that isn’t my arm, leg or the sneak attach to my butt!  
I hope you and Cliff are well.  I love reading your daily updates and I this pooch like crazy.  

Breeder Comment

We could not be happier to hear the news that you are getting along so well. Most Weimaraners lead extraordinary lives–often better than their human counterparts. Puppy biting is the bane of getting them raised. Click here to read Anne Taguchi’s article on managing the biting Weimar puppy. Mouthing is also about ownership, and one way the Weimaraner controls their human–think on that a bit. It is charming, but you might want to rethink allowing that behavior if it becomes a thing as she grows out of the puppy biting–shark baby stage. 

The food and supplements we suggest have worked well across the board for so many Weimaraners. It is the truth that no one food is perfect for every dog, but our pups have loved the food, and they consider the supplement yummy. I love the powdered supplement–just my preference. Together, this mix seems to help the immune system and keep the stools better. Weims can have such a finicky tummy–so glad to hear Franny is doing excellent.

Posted in Atti X Stackhouse, Behavior & Training, Longhair, Longhair Weimaraner, Previous Pup Update

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Blue is Sharing

Blue is Sharing

Mar 26

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~Toys with Stone

Stone is continuing to grow – 12 pounds at his 9 week old shot and now, at almost 12 weeks, he is 16 pounds.

His older brother Blue is starting to learn how to share toys and play with puppy. I have to admit, I got rid of night time crating, Blue and Stone sleep together in a pile of cuddles on the bed. And Stone sleeps right through the night till about 5 am when I get up anyway.

AND the new vet is totally on your page about the Titer test! Thank goodness! He confirmed everything you said and I’m sending him the link to the test you ordered. So frustrating that every other vet (two of them) said it was woo woo and had no scientific basis but he said, yes, Weims have an autoimmune situation that the 16 week shot could impact. So, we are clear to get the Titer. I turned down the extra vaccinations today too. 
Stone is an amazing dog. He is wicked smart and so loving. He can sit, lie down, shake hands and do circles by hand command. You have given me such a special little guy. Everyone that meets him is blown away. Thank you, thank you, thank you! 

Not Long Ago

Breeder Comment

We are so delighted to hear about Stone’s quick adjustment. The news that your Vet agrees with the vaccine protocol is also excellent news. We spoke with a gentleman who added a second Weimaraner to his family this week–he said his resident rescue Weimaraner, has a vaccine reaction each time they give him a shot. Well–he is taking the information to his Vet to ask them to order this test. I sincerely hope they can work it out. Another woman approached her Vet but had to go to a second to work out a way to get this titer test done. The first wanted to do a $ 375 titer series, and even then they balked–wanting to give the vaccine. Typically a Titer to check for immunity to Parvo runs about $ 125–each antibody you check for is another $ 125. You can see the advantage of the less expensive option which tests for all three and costs less than $ 125. I cannot guess how much your Vet will charge. I believe it cost us around $ 60. We are encouraged that more people are finding a way to get the titer testing.

Stone is one smart cookie–and you are doing so well with him. Thank you, for that as well as this update.

Posted in Juniper X Boone, Previous Pup Update

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Labor Day 2018

Labor Day 2018

Sep 3

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Mousse

     ~ Nursing Her Babies

Some of you have been following the current litter. Updates have been posted every week. We thought an excellent way to celebrate Labor Day might be to honor Mousse’s effort at raising this litter. What can we say? It is no small thing.

They love being out in the puppy yard. Mousse doesn’t like being with them so much now–she wants to see them, and then the sharp teeth cause he to rethink that desire. Nonetheless, she does nurse. What a good Mama. They are eating kibble, drinking from the waterer, and growing every day.

A mother’s labor of love is something to be celebrated, too! Happy Labor Day!

Posted in Holidays Travel & Vacations, Mousse X Boone, OwyheeStar, Raising Versatile Hunting Weims

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Puppies

Puppies

Aug 16

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Handling

~Helpers

Helpers-Mousse X Boone 2018 Wk2-3.jpg

Our helpers (Granddaughter, Ashley, and her two girls–Evangeline Grace and River Rose) have been giving us a helping hand. Of course, this is not every step in the handling process–more of an add-on thing. I think you can agree it is precious, but also that we are blessed to have these young puppy handlers to assist.

Young hands mean a different way of touching the pups. Well, there is the gentle touch and then the less than tenderness from children this age. All of it is essential in the early stage of development. Even the various human scent–it matters that both women and a man handle the pups. Cliff is involved in the process as well. On the weekends, it is the Cliff and Shela Show. (Haha)

Helpers-Mousse X Boone 2018 Wk2-5

These girls take their work very seriously–examining and commenting on the least of concerns. We have two stools so both can assist at once. Now, imagine this–they believe this the norm. On occasion (when they come here), we don’t have puppies. Then they are not too thrilled with us. Since spring, we have had pups born–the girls have been here a lot because of the garden.

It was not too upsetting, because between litters we have a couple of females we kept for the future as well as acquiring Manfred (the new Longhair Stud Dog). Now, it is excellent to have the babies because the keepers are a bit rough on these girls–SnowAngel jumps up and easily overpowers River. (Haha) She will learn as time passes, but for now—the three youngsters (Manfred, Gladys, and SnowAngerl) are a bit much.

Posted in Mousse X Boone, OwyheeStar News, OwyheeStar Weim, Owyheestar Weimaraner, OwyheeStar Weimaraner Puppy, Previous Pup Update

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Milly

Milly

Jul 30

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At Sixteen Weeks

     ~We can Report

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I wanted to give you a quick Milly update.  She is 16 weeks old today and weighing in at 28lbs.  I’m so curious as to how big she will be, how large was her mom?  She is such a sweet girl with the perfect amount of spunk!  image4
She is patient (mostly 😉) with the kiddos and is such a quick learner!  The piranha syndrome is slowing down a bit too which is great.  She has taken to her crate like a champ and enjoys most everyone we meet, person or dog.
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We have been working with her on pheasant scent and a wing and she has a beautiful point! I have included a picture of her pointing below.  We plan to expose her to some live birds soon.
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She had her titer test today in lieu of the 16-week vaccine and her vet says he predicts she will have good numbers!  Thank you for such a wonderful pup!  All your hard work is evident!  We had such an amazing experience with our last Weim, I was worried I would never have such a wonderful experience again.  Milly is proving that she is up to the challenge of taking over where her predecessor left off!

Breeder Comment

~and your answer

How large is Bernie? Bernie is smaller than a lot of Weimaraners–she has the more compact body style. I cannot be sure, but a good guess is she weighs around 55 lbs
I must say—I find this the most obnoxious thing about the Weimaraner puppy—the mouthing and biting. Even though it is shark-like (despite what some folks think), it is not aggression. They are a very mouthing-type of a puppy—possibly the worst of all.

How delightful it is to have an engaging and friendly Weimaraner. Not every Weim welcomes those outside their inner circle.

You folks are doing fabulous with her.  Thank you, for doing the titer test instead of automatically doing a 16-week puppy shot. And for staying on top of other things as well. Once they arrive, the work begins afresh. Thank you, for all you are doing and have done with her. I am excited to hear more in the future.

Posted in Behavior & Training, Bernie X Boone, Bringing home the Weimaraner, Companion Weimaraner, Getting an OwyheeStar Puppy, Hunt Info, Owyheestar Weimaraner, OwyheeStar Weimaraner Puppy, OwyheeStar’s Succeeding with the Weimaraner, Previous Pup Update, Raising Versatile Hunting Weims, Training

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Loki

Loki

Feb 9

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More about our Adventure

     ~ Part ThreeSAR pupUps and Downs

We had some trouble early on with puppy biting. When I tried to correct Loki he would get angry, which worried me. I’ve since used your advice, Shela—a good screech stops him in his tracks! Since then, I’ve screeched and redirected him to something he’s allowed to chew on, and I haven’t had many issues this past week. I’m keeping Cliff’s trick in reserve in case we have more serious difficulties in the future, but for now, we’re on a good, positive track. Though Loki did well with the crate the first couple of weeks, he’s become more vocal this past week and I’ve temporarily revoked his office privileges (his crate is now in an area where his complaints won’t bother anyone). I imagine his increasing energy levels have something to do with it, so I’m making sure he gets more exercise, and he still gets some nice breaks from his crate throughout the day. I’m hoping this is just a phase, and that he learns that fussing won’t get him out of his crate (I’m also doing work to make sure that his crate is a positive place for him—he just objects to not being the center of attention, I think!).

The Vet

We had a nice visit with the vet for Loki’s 9-week shot. She was impressed with the detailed portfolio you sent and is supportive of the vaccine protocol. She is also happy that I’m feeding the Diamond Naturals Large Breed Puppy Chow with the NuVet supplement. Good news—one of Loki’s testes has descended, and the other was in a good position, so I think we’re going to be just fine on that account. She is also an advocate of neutering closer to the 6-month mark rather than to wait longer.

tasty thumbIn Summary

those eyesLoki and I are getting along quite nicely. He’s already my little adventure buddy, and he’s always up for snuggle time at the end of the day. I love this little guy—he is so intelligent and energetic. Though I wrote a fair amount about training, to Loki it’s all fun and games, and I intend to keep it that way. Thank you for all your help in selecting Loki. We’ll be sure to keep you updated!

Click Here for Part One

Click Here for Part Two

Breeder Comment

Thanks, Erica, for providing so much information about your process and Loki. The photos were outstanding, too! We look forward to hearing from you in the future. Keep up the great work.

 

Posted in AKC, Behavior & Training, Bringing home the Weimaraner, Companion Weimaraner, Dixie X Boone, General Health, Getting an OwyheeStar Puppy, Health and Wellness, Previous Pup Update, Training

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This Week’s OwyheeStar News

Jun 29

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Hello from far Eastern Oregon.

FB_Sweet Kiss for the baby

Nick gives puppy a sweet kiss. Is it precious or what?

Is it Saturday again? I am hoping this blog will publish after I cleared out a lot of files to make more room. You might have noticed that yesterday’s blog mysteriously disappeared after it was published. Don’t worry, I am working on a plan. The next week is going to be focused on the blog, and making a few changes.

Puppies First!

Regardless of what is happening, it is a puppy first policy. Email, the blog, and the website all play second-fiddle to whatever puppies need. That is our primary focus when we have them coming, on the ground (so to speak), and exiting. This can mean months of attention, rather than the weeks you figure. Once a female is pregnant, or suspected to be pregnant, she gets extra everything. So should she too! Then as the pups grow inside her, and her time appears to be coming to whelp, there is more attention to extra nutrition and care. From the time a mating takes place, it takes about four months (if we get a litter), until the pups are old enough to leave for their forever homes.

FB_Puppy in grassOnce they are born,the-around-the-clock work begins. There are many steps required to help a puppy grow and mature. These can vary due to the maturity of the litter, the weather, and the ultimate litter goals. Some steps are always the same regardless, but for pups destined to join a serious hunter, it is important to expose the pup to birds, scent, and more stimuli. Ultimately, the most important component is the socialization that takes place. Breeders who let a puppy leave early, and doing the pup no big favor. Puppy development happens through successive order of events. Each breeder has their own way of doing things, but the end result should help the pup develop potential to be trained.

OwyheeStar has many success stories. We cannot thank our loyal clients enough. Each week we try to post news, information, and articles that educate on the Weimaraner.

Here are the links for this week’s posts….

We are perplexed

Who can say why the article we wrote for Friday’s blog disappeared? It is not showing as a published blog, nor is it to be found in the draft’s folder. This coming week we will focus on the blog, It might take two weeks. You can expect some changes. We are not sure where this journey will take us, but we will try to keep you apprised as it happens.

Change brings the unknown

We sincerely hope there is no interruption in the cycle of publishing the blogs. We cannot guarantee that everything will be perfect during this transition. We thank you for your patience, and bearing with us. Change is a part of life.

Thank you again for liking OwyheeStar, and for keeping us updated. We have a couple of exciting updates to share for the coming week.

Many blessings and warm wishes from Shela and Cliff–

(and the OwyheeStar Weimaraners too!)

~Thank you for being a part of our lives!

Posted in News, OwyheeStar

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