Love Is…

 Rough collies by smooth seas…

While my daughter is traveling to the National, I took puppy Dean to the beach.  I decided to bring back our old “Love Is” series.  Dean was happy to help by posing for pictures.   

Why Attend a National?

With everyone planning, preparing and packing for their trips to Tulsa this week, I’ve been rereading old collie magazines.  Looking at the collies who won at past Nationals, I can’t help but feel excited while trying to guess who may win this year!  I’m unable to attend the Collie National this year, I’ll be watching the live stream from home, but my daughter will be there!  She will begin the long journey to Oklahoma this weekend.  She is bringing three of our collies, and we are hopeful that they will win one of the coveted National ribbons!

The Collie Club of America National Specialty is held each year at the end of Winter.  Collies, and their people, travel to whichever location is hosting the National.  Sometimes it’s held nearby, and sometimes it requires a day or two of driving.  The travel and show expenses can quickly add up, and for many this is their big vacation of the year.  So why do we do it?

There are many reasons to attend a National dog show for your specific dog breed.  Beyond the excitement of watching the competition, a National can provide invaluable information.  Here are some of the top reasons:

1) While attending a National, you can evaluate the top collie bloodlines in person.  This enables you to see how different collie lines compare in structure, coat, and expression.  You can observe the various traits that define strong lineage, such as head shape, movement, and temperament.  Seeing the collies in person, observing them as they run around the show ring, is a more accurate assessment than judging from photos or pedigrees alone.

2) You can talk directly with breeders about the lineage, history and goals for their collies. This helps you learn how successful kennels maintain consistency across generations.  By speaking with the breeders, you can develop a better understanding of how their past champions have influenced their current and future lines.

3) While watching the competition, you can begin to identify the proven show and performance lines by watching which lines consistently win in conformation, agility, obedience, or herding.  This can also help you to distinguish between show lines vs. working lines.

4) Attending a National can also help you build relationships with reputable collie breeders.  You can meet established breeders face-to-face, and ask about their upcoming litters or stud dogs.  This helps you build trust, which is essential if you're planning to buy, breed, or co-own one of their collies.

5) While attending the National, you can learn about breed-specific health concerns and genetics.  This affords you the opportunity to learn about common collie issues like Collie Eye Anomaly.  You can learn about which genetic testing, health clearances, and responsible breeding practices should be performed for the collie.

6) While observing the different collie breeders and handlers, you can get great insight into how collies are kept in top physical condition.  You can also learn about coat care techniques for rough vs. smooth varieties.

7) Attending the National also gives you the opportunity to evaluate collie temperament across different lines.  You can observe collie behavior under the pressure of crowds, noise, and competition.  This helps identify stable, confident temperaments, which are critical for a successful breeding program and for a companion dog.  You can see first hand how different lines handle stress and social interaction.

8) And finally, you can document and track different bloodlines.  You can take photos and notes on standout dogs and pedigrees.  You can track which sires/dams are producing winning offspring and build your own reference for future breeding decisions.

All of these are invaluable reasons to attend a National.  But another important reason should not be forgotten….Nationals are fun!  While attending the show you can attend educational seminars, shop for collie paraphernalia, visit with hundreds of other collie lovers, shop, attend dinners like the Collie Health Foundation dinner and auction, visit with countless beautiful collies, and did we mention the shopping? The Collie National is a unique, week long event, that everyone should get to experience at least once. Have you ever attended a National?

Happy St Patrick’s Day!

Across Irish hills a collie ran high and low,

Chasing a far distant rainbow. 

At its bright shining end

Was a treasure to spend—

But the dog kept the sheep, not the gold.

KPirro

~~~~~~

Wherever you go and whatever you do, may the luck of the Irish be there with you.

11 Weeks old, and so beautiful and sassy!

Bryce and Danika, our little rough girls, have left for their new homes.  It was hard to say goodbye, but their new families seem to be perfect for them.  Sam, Dean and Shannon are still with us, for now, as we had a difficult time choosing between them.  

They are all beautiful, and have very different personalities.  Shannon is outgoing, with definite opinions! (About everything!) She is so playful and fun, and loves my grandchildren.  

Sam is quiet and thoughtful, he tends to sit back and observe, before he joins in.  He’s very handsome and strongly reminds us of his brother, Nolan.

And then there is the big guy, Dean.  He is larger than the other puppies, and loves to snuggle.  When I pick him up, he pushes his head against my cheek and just snuggles up.  He’s going to be a big, handsome boy, like his Dad, Noah.  He also reminds me of my Ryder, who I lost in September, which is making it harder to let him go.

They are each special, and we are feeling grateful to have been blessed with such a nice litter!  ZuZu and Noah did a great job with these puppies!  We entered them in a puppy match next month, to help us get some additional opinions on our trio.

Cuteness Overload!

We are still in the grip of Winter, with yet another Winter Storm looming on the horizon.  With all the snow, which has been melting and freezing, the puppies haven’t been able to enjoy the outside world.  But they are growing and thriving, and somehow, they are now 8 weeks old!  We did our usual photoshoot, to get some great pictures of them, and I’m so happy with how they came out!  Let’s start with the boys…

 

Sam (smooth) on the left and Dean (rough)
on the right

Sam the smooth boy

Dean the rough boy

I love the picture of the brothers, with Sam snuggling up against Dean.  The girls were next, and posed so beautifully for us!  You would think they were professional puppy models! 

Left to right, Danika (rough) Shannon (smooth) and Bryce (rough)

Danika

Shannon

Bryce

All the puppies are beautiful, and we had the hardest time choosing our keeper.  In the end we decided to keep Shannon. It’s very difficult to let any of them go, and my heart will break when they leave, but we found great homes for Danika and Bryce.  For now, both Sam and Dean are staying.  We didn’t plan on this, but they both have some beautiful virtues, so we are keeping them for a few more weeks, to see how they look at 10 weeks old.

As we already have their handsome half brother, Nolan, we weren’t planning on keeping a smooth boy.  Since Nolan and Sam are both smooth tri colors, and closely related, we might let Sam go, if the right show home comes along.  There’s just something about Sam that catches your eye.  And we’ve never had a rough tri color, so when our co-breeder asked us to keep Dean, it didn’t take much to convince us. 

They all had good eye checks, and they all went to the vet 2 days ago for their 1st vaccines and health checks, and they all did great.   That’s all for now, I’ll post updates soon, promise! 

We’re getting ready!

 What a busy week we’ve had!  Our co-breeder came to see the puppies, and while nothing is definite, we have begun the incredibly difficult task of choosing who is staying.  At this point, it looks like two puppies might be staying, as they are turning into beautiful collies.  And we might be looking for a show home for a 3rd puppy, as she is turning out to be just as beautiful, but we absolutely cannot keep 3 puppies.  But they are still very young, and are changing constantly, so we will know more after their eye checks on February 4th.

Pretty Morgan has been spending time with me, and I’m so in love with this puppy!  Now that she is 6 months old we entered her in some upcoming shows.  She still looks like a puppy, as she’s still in her puppy coat, but it’s growing fast with all the cold weather here in New England.  We hope to enter her at the Collie National, so she can use the practice at these shows.  (And hopefully she’ll pick up a few points at the shows.)

Tonight and tomorrow are going to be busy, as we are getting ready for a huge snowstorm.  They are predicting at least 12 inches, but possibly up to 18 inches of snow coming on Sunday - Monday.  Looks like I’ll have Monday off from work, if the meteorologists are correct.  I’m going to squeeze in a visit with the puppies tomorrow, as it looks like I won’t be driving once the snow starts.  To everyone in the path of this storm, stay safe and warm!

Just a puppy update!

 

Sleepy Sam and his pink puppy beans!

Not much news to share….so sharing the littlest collies!

Puppies in the Transitional Stage of development

3 sisters - Danika (purple collar) Bryce (pink collar) and Shannon (blue merle)

I thought it might be fun to discuss puppy development, as our puppies have transitioned from one stage to the next.  They were in the “neonatal stage,” but are now in the “transitional stage.”

0-2 Weeks: Neonatal Stage (Dependence)

• Completely reliant on mother for warmth, cleaning, and food (colostrum is vital). 
• Senses of touch and taste are present; sight and hearing are undeveloped. 

2-4 Weeks: Transitional Stage (senses awaken)

• Sensory Growth: Eyes open (around 2 weeks) for blurry vision, ears start working, and smell becomes more refined.
• Physical Milestones: They gain leg strength, begin to stand, and by week 4, can usually walk, run, and play.
• Socialization: They start interacting with siblings, learning bite inhibition from play, and get used to being handled gently.
• Teeth: Baby teeth (deciduous teeth) begin to emerge.
• Early Weaning: Around 3 weeks, start introducing a gruel of milk replacer mixed with softened puppy food. 

They can see and hear now, and they have started to communicate with us and each other.  I love this stage, as their personalities really start to develop and they begin exploring and learning.  They’ve begun climbing, barking and even play growling.  

Their development in this stage is so rapid, they change from day to day.  Yesterday this little blue girl and both boys, kept climbing in my lap.  So they are already seeking out comfort and attention!

 

This was the green collar smooth boy, now called Sam

This was the red collar rough boy, now called Dean

Sweet Danika, she was the first puppy born, the rough who with the purple collar

This transitional period is crucial for building foundational social skills and sensory processing, setting the stage for future learning and confidence. 

Pretty Bryce, the rough girl with the pink collar

As we always try to follow helpful guidelines created by Puppy Culture, these are their recommendations for 2 - 4 week old puppies:

Puppy Culture for 2-4 week old puppies focuses on stimulating their developing senses (touch, smell, sound) and introducing novel experiences like different textures, sounds (classical music, mild noises), and early handling (Early Neurological Stimulation - ENS/ESI) to build stress tolerance, alongside littermate socialization, litter training, and beginning "manding" (sitting for rewards) as they start to walk and eat gruel/soft food, preparing them for the world and building confidence. 

Key Activities (Weeks 2-4):

• Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) & Scent (ESI): Gentle exercises like holding puppies in different orientations (head up, head down, supine) and introducing scents (orange, rosemary, banana) helps wire stronger nervous systems.
• Sensory Exposure: Introducing new objects, sounds (classical music, thunder/fireworks recordings), and different surfaces (mats, toys) to build "bomb-proofing" and curiosity, not fear.
• Physical Development: Pups start walking, pawing, and mock-fighting; they begin to move away from the mother for short periods.
• Early Weaning: Introducing softened gruel or meat, often served on different textured surfaces (dishes, frisbees) to get them used to varied feeding environments.
• Manding: Teaching them to sit politely to ask for something, starting with taking treats from hands, building self-control.
• Litter Training: Introducing a litter box within the whelping area.
• Handler Interactions: Daily individual cuddles and positive touch, introducing new people. 

Goals for this Stage:

• Build a stronger, more resilient nervous system (via ENS/ESI).
• Develop problem-solving skills by encountering new things.
• Condition them to novel sights, sounds, and textures.
• Foster independence from the mother and littermates.
• Teach basic manners (manding). 

This period is crucial for neurological development, teaching puppies to explore and process the world in a controlled, positive way.   

We are so thankful our puppies are all doing well, and can’t wait to share more of their growth and development with you in the upcoming weeks!