Blog Archives
Tango
~The Ladies’ Man — Part Two
Tango’s “girlfriend” moved into the house across the street at the end of March. She’s three quarters Border Collie, one quarter Miniature Australian Shepherd. Her “dad” and I enjoy cracking a cold one in the field down the street, so if the weather is cool enough, one of us will text the other: “Field?”
Lily has a definite speed advantage on Tango, and a tight turning radius on her little legs. Because they met when Tango was around her size, he perceives her as equal in size, rather than less than half of his. She’s a sweetheart, but she’s good at keeping him in check when he gets a little too eager.
You realize Tango is very social this is his friend Abby–she’s half chocolate lab, half silver lab.
What a big adventure we embarked upon together just six short months ago, never expecting that fate would offer us so much more bonding time during these early months. He’s quite the little playboy. And not a day goes by without some stranger informing us how gorgeous he is.
Breeder Comment
Well first spoke to you six months ago and helped you plot a plan to raise the Weimaraner. You have excelled –for this, we are exceedingly happy. The Weimaraner is not the breed for everyone. As you well know, there are challenges. There are other breeds less challenging to get raised, but Tango is doing well. (Hurrah!) Of course, a Weimaraner is a puppy for three years. What can I say, and then they act puppy-like even longer. Some act puppyish for their entire life. They are full of life and energy, but this scenario helps to keep us young and active. Then there is that thing where they burrow deep into our heart and soul. What else can I say?
Training Update
Loki
~even though it looks like I’m just holding Loki, he is actually roped in!!!
Just wanted to give you a quick update on Loki’s eventful week! A week ago we got to rappel together for the first time– we train on ski patrol to evacuate the lift, should it ever be necessary, and we wanted to be sure that Loki could also be safely evacuated. For those who might be concerned, Loki and I were both wearing fully load-rated harnesses designed for such activities (that’s why his patrol uniform vest is load rated!). He did really well– he was a little reluctant to leave the security of the chair (a good thing, really), but as soon as I lifted him off, he relaxed, and we were lowered to the ground– no big deal! It’s fun to see training and socialization pay off.
Canine Good Citizen (CGC)
Speaking of such, Loki passed the CGC this weekend! His only difficulty was staying calm while being petted, but he made it and passed the rest of the test with flying colors. For others interested in taking the CGC, I’d highly recommend taking a class focused on the CGC. It really helped us fine-tune and figure out what we needed to work on.Best wishes, Erica
Breeder Comment
Raising
The Weimaraner
~ Few Insights
The young Weimaraner pup requires a lot of care and special handling. As you are aware, we employ various helpers. Often these are relatives or friends. We have been blessed to find people who wanted to work an odd couple of hours here and there. It is essential to the process. While it looks like a lot of fun, it is like any job. A lot of work. Not every aspect is pleasant. There is the cleanup for one–pooh and whatnot.
Our grandkids and the great-grandchildren love being involved. Evangeline fancies herself a young Vet. Who can guess what the future holds? To her and her sister, puppies are the norm. Puppies benefit from their interaction–kids are different than adults. The way they talk, the way they pet them, and their energy level. (Haha) I am sure River will be getting in on the action–she does get to the counter to help but has not yet asked for the stethoscope.
Personal interaction is invaluable. Nevertheless, engaging the world –the scents, the diversity, etc. is equally essential. As the pups develop, the world expands. We try to help them experience as much as is possible to prepare them for their new family.
We only set the stage. Once the pup arrives at your home, there is a lot of work. There are many transitional stages whereby you can get into trouble with this breed. Avoiding every pitfall is not always possible. Regardless, we sincerely hope the work we have done lays an excellent foundational start.
A bit delayed
Bayou
~ At the Office
I know it has been a long time but I’ve been meaning to email you for a while!Bayou is doing fantastically! I now work in an office at a design firm and she comes in with me all the time and absolutely loves it (and so does everyone else). She loves doing just about anything as long as she is around her people. When she has to be alone, spends her days napping and sunbathing.
She’s honestly the best and I can’t imagine my life without her. Thanks so much for making it possible to have this wonderful dog in my life.
Breeder Comment
At The Vet
Life With Mr. Tilman
~ He is a delight
I just wanted to give you an update as we had our vet appointment last night and Mr. Tilman weighed in at 25 lbs! He sure is growing like a weed!
He is the sweetest, most happy boy and we are so loving him! He has recently discovered birds and squirrels and anything that moves is VERY intriguing. We just started puppy obedience and of course, he is showing off that he already knows sit, down, shake and come. What an absolute joy he is!Take care, Emily
Breeder Comment
Mr. Tilman, you are lovely. I am totally biased–openly admit it. We are hoping you continue to do well. You have a big job. Your Mama has big plans for you. (Haha)
I love that you have such a fabulous life–keep up the excellent obedience. Your job is to make others smile if nothing else.
Pushkin
Roadtrip
~Coping with Excess Energy
Pushkin and I are preparing for a long road trip to Arizona to move my mother into an assisted living facility. Once that has been taken care of we are going on to the Chaco Canyons of New Mexico. It is the oldest Anasazi site in the U.S. In preparation for the trip to Arizona, we took a trip from Salem to Kennewick to see my grandchildren.
What I learned on the drive was that we had to stop quite often, not because Push had to “potty” but because he needed exercise. Once he was out of the car and we walked for a bit he settled right down when we started up again. At every rest stop, someone would comment on what a beautiful dog he is. I have attached some pictures for you. The man is my son, the children are obviously my grandchildren. I am not sure who that white-haired old woman is, could it be me?😏
What a great dog he is!Marie
Breeder Comment
Look Into My Eyes
What Do You See?
We all like to believe we can put our eye on a pup and know more than others imagine. Maybe it is true. Maybe it is a bit of a delusion. One thing for sure, there is more going on between the ears here than what meets our eye. If only we could read the brain waves.
Fifteen plus years ago we stopped doing litter picks. Some people still get miffed, but more often than not our Weimaraner folks like the idea of the Discovery and Placement Process. So, it is a long six-weeks to wait to find out which pup is yours. Despite the waiting, things typically end up as they were meant to be–or so it seems.
There are so many steps between this–
And this!
Young Addy
Hello Owyheestar!
Just wanted to check in and say that our lil Addy (13wks) is doing wonderfully!
She keeps us on our toes (this morning got a hold of my daughter’s placemat, mid-bite of her French toast….. and took the entire breakfast to the floor…. ha!) and is doing very good work with our trainer (she loves her fruits and veggies) :)! We are adding more and more distractions to her training, to test her but it isn’t taking long, she’s a smarty-pants. At least until she decides to stop cooperating, ha!She has just fit right into our family and is quite a social butterfly already. I think we have the 100 touches down because the school was nice enough to let me bring her in when I pick up the kids 🙂
Thank you again, we couldn’t have gotten a better fit! We adore her!!(And don’t worry, the about the garden photo…. she loves to run through my garden but isn’t eating anything toxic 😉 except bark…. but that is getting much better!
~ Addy’s Family (Oct. 16, 2017)
Breeder Comment
We are thrilled to know that Addy is doing well and is much-loved. Thank you, for taking the time to update us. The photos are great too!
Not so long ago
River Joined Our Family
~ So Tiny that there was room for two!
She Loves the Drive Thru
~ She has Grown but not outgrown Dutch Bros.
On the close up we were in the drive through for Dutch Bros, we’ve been taking her to the same location since we got her as part of her socialization and now she gets all excited and happy whenever she sees that we are pulling up into their drive through. She is one of the most popular pups there and everyone is always so glad to see her, it probably helps that she gets a nice dog treat from them every time.
Willow
In The News Again
~ Jan Willow Set the Standard at Perfect!
UKC Best-In-Show and High-In-Trial Champion Sunstar Willow of OwyheeStar, AKC Canine Good Citizen, AKC Novice Trick Dog, UKC Rally Obedience I, UKC Agility I, Therapy Dog International certified!
Breeder Comment
What can we say? Congratulations hardly seem to be enough. For all the natural ability as well as Willow’s excellent temperament none of this would have been possible without Jan. It takes dedication and a lot of hard work to garner a prize, ribbon, or title. When the list of titles continues to grow, it is beyond impressive–the stellar performance makes us so proud too!
Owyheestar Weimaraner's News 