The New Planner

I can’t let this pass without sharing at least a photo. I will give more details in my personal blog, http://www.gracewithouttears.com.  I discovered a fun planner, I ordered one for the dogs, and I am going to begin using it for everything DOG!

If you want to see the planners, visit http://www.erincondren.com, and you can see what they look like inside. The part I’m also excited about is the custom cover that I designed.

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After several emails back and forth, and 3 proofs, they finally got all the details as I had requested, and I gave them the green light this evening to send it to the printers.

I’m hoping it will arrive on Friday as I upgraded to overnight shipping. The planner starts in July 2013, so I will be able to get started using it immediately.

This is going to be so helpful keeping track of expenses, daily routines, and all the details that go into raising each individual litter of puppies. The shot schedules, worming schedules, photos and video updates…the list just goes on and on!

I’m sure I’ll share some photos of the inside, once I get a few weeks/months under my belt.

For now, enjoy the final proof and send me photos of your cute babies. Next year, I will get the same cover, but I will want all new pictures of each color of Cavachons!!

Annie’s Litter 3 Weeks Old

These pups are just getting cuter every day! For now, they are available to those on the waiting list. Official puppy selection will begin at 5 weeks, though they may be selected earlier than that.

Enjoy!

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The Girls

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Blenheim Girl

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Golden Girl

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Solid Sable Girl

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Blenheim Girl

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The Boys

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Tri Boy

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Golden Boy

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Solid Sable Boy

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Solid Sable Boy

Maxwell is in the House

Maxwell, the last male pup from Sadie’s litter is a Phase 1 Accelerated puppy so I thought I’d show you the indoor set-up that we use.

I really like the taller Iris pen that comes with 8 panels. Cavachons are capable of escaping over a shorter pen, so we always recommend one that is closer to 3ft tall.

The Iris pen can be made long and skinny as is shown below, or it can be a nice 4ft x 4ft square.

When the pup first comes home and during the training process, it is important to organize his pen and set him up for success.

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Here, Maxwell has limited space, encouraging sleeping in the right spot, chewing his bully stick in the right spot, and most importantly, going potty in the right spot.  He naturally doesn’t want to soil his bed/hang out areas, so there is very little “other” space, making the litter box a natural choice.  We also take him out as frequently as we can, but if we are not home, he has everything he needs in this space.

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I recommend, when the puppy first comes home, to make his pen skinny like this.  As he is more dependable, you can opt for a more square and spacious area.  At night, you can also remove some panels, so there are only 6, eliminating almost all floor space and having only bed or potty for his choices.

Maxwell is pretty content in this puppy safe zone.  It is right in our kitchen, so he is in the middle of everything that is going on in the household!!

PS, his crate is backwards only because the door was swinging out the wrong way and I didn’t take time to change it.  I like to attach the door to the side of the Iris Pen, so that it stays open.

Puppy Selection Daisy’s Litter

It’s time for puppy selection with Daisy’s litter. Those on the waiting list, please contact me if you are interested in one of these pups, and also if you would like to pass.

They are going to be solid, as they were already 4 lbs at 4 weeks old. My best guess is that they will be from 17-23 lbs as adults.

They are gentle and calm puppies, very quiet so far, and laid back in personality.

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Male – Reserved for Sheri & family.

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Female – Reserved for Curt & Becky!!

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Male – Available for deposit.

I have a few more photos of each puppy. Please email me if you are interested in seeing more angles. I will respond once I hear from everyone on the waiting list.

Last Available Bichon

Reposting this as we still have this gorgeous and fun male puppy looking for his forever home!

We have just one Bichon Frise Male puppy still available. His brother went home this morning to be the 2nd pup to a family with a female Cavachon. He’s going to make a perfect little brother.

This pup could be a little brother too, or maybe just “the man of the house”! His personality is spunky and fun and he’s ready to go anytime!

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He is very attentive and ready to be in the middle of whatever is happening!

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He is also very sweet and affectionate! Who could resist this face?

Daily Stuff

I don’t have anything spectacular to say, really, but I wanted to just express how blessed I feel that there is a waiting list for our puppies.  I am really enjoying having less dogs over all, but it has posed a challenge in keeping enough puppies on the ground for the demand!  It’s a great problem to have.

We have 4 beautiful Bichon girls that were born last November, and we will be integrating them in with the male dogs this fall.  I’m excited for them to become mothers as they are all beautiful girls, and on the smaller side.  We have two 8 week old Bichon girls that we are also keeping so we can retire our 5-6 year old mothers on schedule.  Things are moving along quite nicely in this regard.

I have to say that I am so enjoying having running water in my nursery, which is right next to the area where the adult dogs are as well.  Being able to wash dog dishes, fill water dishes so conveniently is something I never want to live without again.  For 10 years, we didn’t have running water right in the same building as the dogs and had to utilize a huge water tank that had to be filled, or go out to the hose, which was not possible in the winter.  Now, with running water inside, everything is SO MUCH CLEANER, and I feel so much better about how things look.  I’m waiting for hubby to teach me how to use the spot hot water heater, and I will be able to give dog baths as well.

I am able to wash dogs beds daily in the washer and dryer, another addition this past spring, that I don’t want to live without ever again.  I would always cringe when I had to bring dirty dog beds, beds that had been birthed on, etc., into my personal washer and dryer.  It just seemed kinda icky, ya know?!  Now, everything can happen separately from the house, and I like it much better that way.

We had 3 pups go home this week.  Louis, whose travel story I will definitely have to tell, went to NYC last Thursday.  We miss him, and I cried as I walked out of the airport, but we did our job, and we did it well, and I’m very hopeful he will be everything the new family wanted.  Last night, the Bichon male started his journey home, and was introduced to his family early this morning.  They already love him, and I will be posting his update as soon as I get a photo of him and his new sister!  And finally, this afternoon, the other little sable/white female from Lilly’s litter went home.  She will have quite the story herself, as she is first going to Portland to stay for about 6 weeks while she gets all her proper shots, Rabies Vaccine, Micro chip, etc., as they prepare her to travel all the way to the country of Cypress, where she will find her forever home!  A brother, and mother are doing the legwork here in the US, and the sister will finally get her puppy in September!  This will be our 5th country ( including the USA) that we have puppies living in, and I hope that number continues to grow!

Still in the nursery, we have Sadie’s litter of black/white Cavachons that will all be going home next Sunday, the Tuesday after that, August 5th, and finally the last will be Phase 1 Accelerated and go home on September 1st.  They are a delightful litter, content to watch me work, and not make too much noise!  They all got their first shot today, and my handy new calendar in the nursery is definitely helping me keep track of everything!  I’ve had a calendar before, only it was on our personal calendar in the house, so if I went out and then forgot something, it wasn’t right there for me to look at.  Now, I have a calendar that has all the details, when shots are due, wormings, etc., and I’ve never been so organized!!

We also have Daisy’s litter of 3 sable/white Cavachon puppies.  One of the males is matched to his family, and the female is pending.  We are waiting to get a 4 week old weight so we can estimate the adult size.  If she’s going to be too big for the family deciding, she will become available to others on the wait list, and finally, to someone new that might come along:)  We also have the darker male that is still available, and these pups are just simply gorgeous, fat, and healthy!!  They are toddling off their bed now, and I hope they will find the litter box soon.  Their mother does a great job using the box, and that always helps the puppies learn what to do!

It has been hot this week, but we have a fan going, which keeps nice breeze in the dog area, so while the puppies don’t generally sleep in the normal heap, they are staying decently cool despite the weather.

The wait list is CURRENT on the website here, and we are expecting 3 new litters of Cavachons in the next 2 months.  Two of the mother/father pairs are listed in the Upcoming Litters section on the sidebar, but today I was checking bellies and noticed that Annie was looking pregnant, and she definitely is!  I’m not sure when she’s due, so I will be moving her to the nursery very soon, so puppies are born in the right area.  I will check her for milk tomorrow, and decide what to do based on what I find.

My youngest helped me deep clean the food and water dishes tonight, so I appreciate his help as the job can get tedious going back and forth and back and forth!  Tomorrow morning, I have to leave early for Big R, to buy more pine pellets.  We are completely OUT, which is unacceptable!!  I’d like to get them and get back before it’s time for the morning cleaning, but I also need dog food, and Costco doesn’t open till 10am, so I think I will have to use pine shavings for tomorrow’s  litter boxes, instead of pellets.  It’s a little messier because they kick them around easier because they are lighter, but it works, and I have plenty of them.  Tomorrow I also need to deep clean the main kennel, a big job that I will tackle in the morning before it gets hot!

I think that pretty much sums things up right now.

Daisy & Pujo’s Litter 2 Weeks Old

What a bundle of soft, warm, chunky cuteness! Lilly’s litter is just beautiful and I did snap some great photos of them on their 2 week birthday.

I’m posting this from my phone so I won’t be labeling the photos. See if you can tell them all apart. For me, they have very recognizable differences. I’ll give you this hint-there are 2 boys and 1 girl! So far, one pup for sure is selected from this litter, and possibly a second one pending the weight at 4 weeks old.

Enjoy the photos!!

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Daisy & Pujo’s Litter, 1 Week Old

What an incredibly gorgeous litter with lots of good coloring! Daisy’s litter is simply thriving and they are growing into fat and sturdy puppies.

Here is a quick look at them on their one week old birthday.

The female has more white on her body and her sable color is a bit lighter. The face shot is of her.

These puppies are robust and will be a healthy 16-22 lbs as adults.

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Nursing with mama!  The girl is on the right, and her brothers are on the left!

 

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This is what a “hot dog” looks like in the summer in the nursery!  This was one of those scorching days in July, and when I came into the nursery to check on the pups, this little guy was sprawled out on his back, trying to stay cool!

 

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The girlie!

 

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Nursing again.  They all have great color and they are growing to be nice and fat!!