APART from all the trialing, training and picking up we have been doing over the last few weeks there have been a few huge changes here at Chez Wylanbriar.
Firstly, its been a hard decision, but we decided to spay Shiney and not have a 4th litter from her. Shiney doesn’t DO litters by half, she throws two litters at a time, with 11, 11 and 10 puppies for her three litters. So we decided she had done her bit for society. Now Shiney enjoys her picking up, but what she loves more than ANYTHING is sofa laying! So in a joint, they begged us and we knew it was 100% the right decision, we decided that Shiney would go and join her Auntie Kerry to live out life on their sofa and with her daughter Evie and good mate Lyra! Kerry is kind enough to of had Shiney for her last two seasons, when she hasn’t had puppies, and for assorted breaks and holidays and so she is very familiar with her, and frankly, Shiney adores their life there! So she has gone to be matron! She was spayed today and is home safely (if sorely) from the vets to recoup and never have seasons again! Woo! Lucky girl….. So the win/win is that we will be seeing her ALL the time, and she can still come out picking up on our shoot in Kerrys hands along with Lyra! I’m not saying its an easy decision, but she will love being 1 of 3 housedogs, rather than 1 of 7/8 and a kennel dog here. She has settled like a pea in a pod. We will miss her very much, day to day, but look forward to regular cuddles!
NOW…. fate and good luck has brought us a new arrival here at Wylanbriar. Young Ruby. 14 months old and a showbred chocolate bred by Tracey Parker of Lightbringer kennels. Ruby has come basic training with me since a small puppy and i’ve always loved her drive and will to please. Tracey felt she was in need of more stimulation and a lot more opportunity to be gundog trained, and so after discussion, Ruby has come to live with the gang! Ruby is facinating. A wiggly, needy girl who desperately wants to be part of everything and is very sweet and kind. She has endless drive for working, and her training in the few short weeks we have had her has come on a bundle. She wants desperately to get it ‘right’, and that helps so enormously. You can see her brain fog over and her saying ‘I KNOW I’ve been taught something here…hang on, hang on…YES!’ and she does it…. She needs her confidence building, and her enthusiasm taming, but we are thrilled with her and she is what I call my Winter/Spring project! Alongside Otter she will hopefully run in Puppy tests next summer…. lets see how she goes. All good so far! Thank you Tracey, we are most honoured to be trusted with her and she will love life here!
SEASONAL CHANGES 😉
OK, so after tearing my hair out on firstly who would be Mia’s first husband, and secondly on ‘when the heck would she come into season?!’… I have finally settled on a good proven working chocolate dog owned by the Brocklebank Kennel (John and Nina Halsted) which is probably one of the most prestigious in the UK, AND Mia has finally started her second season which gives us a good idea of the timeline to her third! So she has gone 7 months, which means hopefully, if she keeps to this pattern roughly, she will be back in season middle of June, mated end of June, so potentially, puppies end of August, leaving end of October. Its not ideal for us, we like the shooting season clear of pups, but its important to us to not hang on and hang on for a bitches first litter, so thats the plan. Not possibly ideal, either, for some of the waiting list who were thinking ‘early summer’ but do contact me if you are interested OR if you are already on the list and thats too late. There is a chance she will come in earlier than this, her mother was a solid 6 months between seasons girls…. and now we have several unspayed bitches here she may cycle quicker, so we shall see! But thats the plan!! So black and chocolate puppies are planned for 2012!!
Little Ruby has also been pulled into her first season at 14 months by Mia being in season, so we have two girls and are heading currently down the ‘hormone highway’, and it will be all fun and games in a week or so’s time!! Mia is currently day 10, and Ruby day 2, so all we need is Otter to discover womanhood and we will have the ‘full set!!’ (and its looking likely!!). Hang on to your hats boys!!!!!!!!
