Sweet little puppies, I am hopelessly devoted to you!
DEEP EMOTION
At the risk of dating myself here I am thinking tonight of the name to a song which Olivia Newton-John sang back in the day called 'Hopelessly Devoted To You.' While the lyrics would not quite apply themselves to the full expression of devotion I feel towards Treasure and Bullet's pups, that title certainly sums it up. I found myself also considering lyrics to another popular song a little before that era called "Close To You"which was written and performed by The Carpenters. "On the day that you were born the angels got together, and decided to create a dream come true..." Well, here I sit tonight hopelessly devoted to a beautiful, healthy, thriving, intelligent, strong litter of 11 puppies as well as to their mother, whose name appropriately enough for this reflection contains the words 'dreams come true.'
NAMES
Speaking of which, John and I put a lot of thought into the names of our Brittanys. Coming up with names for the litter 'theme' and 'nicknames' for pups themselves is really something new for us as I've shared before but I'm talking about both the AKC registered name, and then the call name, or every day around the house name. When I was pregnant with our son (and that would be about the time we were listening to those songs mentioned above, give or take a year) I read an intriguing statement about naming a child. That you should speak that name being considered softly and gently into the empty hallways of your home, to see what it sounded out echoing throughout the house. I think the same can be said for naming a puppy. The AKC name might reflect the integrity of the dog itself. The call name could in some instances be a reflection of your own heart, or it could fit a description of the dog. Think about saying that name as you call your pup to you and what it sounds like in various tones of voice. With a puppy - you use LOTS of tones of voice. Think about being in the woods and calling your dog to you. And mostly think how will it sound with the prefix "Go-o-o-d" spoken with it.
TREASURE
Treasure - is because 1. She is a treasure. 2. The word means pride and joy, and her father is a Pride & Joy Brittany. 3. Last but not least the Bible verse "For where your heart is, there your treasure will be also." (Matthew 6:19-23 is J&A's Brittanys foundation verse.) Dreams Come True of Acton came about as a result of our hopes and dreams to accomplish and meet the goals we have set before us as gun dog breeders. Treasure was born here on June 16, 2006. (Bullet, the sire of these pups was also born here on September 17, 2008.) She was the firstborn of her litter and her mother Wish delivered Treasure right into my hands. Treasure was a breech birth and I will never forget seeing her extend her right arm out of the placenta as if to reach for me to give her a hand. As a puppy being born it looked like Treasure had a white sock on her otherwise liver colored leg. To this day she will paw at me in the same way she did moments before drawing her first breath of oxygen. That's just a sight that breeders never forget. (Like Treasure, her mother was always what is considered an easy whelper. God willing that they all might be easy whelpers but the fact of the matter is they are not.) We knew we wanted to keep a liver and white female which I could learn about showing with, a dog which we had bred. We also knew we wanted to keep what Wish 'has' going strong into the future. In fear of sounding redundant there is more information about Treasure on her own page over at the our J & A's Brittanys website. Suffice to say, Treasure has and continues to fully live up to her name.
EARLY PUPPY DEVELOPMENT
Once again this evening I have enjoyed spending the hours simply being in the moment with Treasure and her beautiful new Brittany pups. This is such a tranquil time for the most part. Once in awhile I will turn the TV on but mostly enjoy the quieter less stressful sounds of piano and acoustic instrumentals. This is the environment that the pups will audibly enter into when their ears first open. They will learn all about sounds and noises soon enough, just not during this very intimate time of development. When they are old enough, John and I will intentionally introduce them to a myriad of different sounds via an amazing CD of sound effects which we have used for years. We watch for their reaction the first few times. When a pup has a new experience they will react in one of several different ways. Some will run right to the sound, others will stand and look around trying to locate it, others will run away from it yet return and approach the sound, and still there are those who may run and hide. For those who run and hide the worst thing to do is to coax them back out. Instead, what we do is simply wait - not saying a thing or making any motions. In this way the puppy quickly learns there is nothing fearful associated with the sound that is unpleasant to them and most of the time they will work it all out in their own psyche and come out from where they went to hide. There should always be a positive association with everything that is new and that extends right through all of their training experiences. In regards to the sound effects CD after awhile they become so accustomed to all the different noises (over 120!) they totally ignore it. They will even wind down and take their naps.
LITTER DYNAMICS
Another interesting observation tonight is how the pups will 'arrange' themselves. I know I've talked of this before but it is always so cute and really it's amazing when you think of it. After Treasure is finished nursing them she may stay with them for awhile or she may simply stand up and if one is still nursing - oh well! They look like little monkeys hanging on for dear life for the briefest of moments. When all 11 pups are crawling around the floor of their whelping box it seems like a signal is given, a telepathic message to line up in a row. Sometimes I think there is a secret code included which tells them in which order to line up and even what colors should go where. Seriously. I have seen this. Suddenly a couple of the pups will lay down, side by side. Soon they are joined by other pups, one by one who take their place in this line. Sometimes you see all the liver and whites grouped together, other times you will see one liver, one orange. Then there are times they are all headed in the same direction, other times in opposite ones. But always in a fairly straight line laying across the whelping box. Most of the pictures you see of our pups lined up like that are not posed. I take a picture of this formation whenever it presents itself.
SPEAKING OF OUR PHOTOS
Although I sometimes pose a Brittany for a picture most of the time the photos are spontaneous, candid shots. I enjoy capturing a Brittany who just happens to strike a pose in the most rawest expression of beauty. I prefer photos of a Brittany genuinely pointing a game bird while hunting or otherwise engaged in authentic pursuit of their 'prey.' Of course there are times that, like most of us do, that I stand waiting, camera in hand and with baited breath to 'catch' that same gun dog in an pose closely resembling the real deal - usually we don't have to wait very long. (I think of taking young children to the department store photographer who works their heart and soul out to capture just the perfect pose which brings out the maximum level of cuteness in their subject. Or like the professional show photos which we all pay big bucks for in hopes we'll get a decent picture to document that important win.) I love to see a picture of the bird in front of the dog AND the dog. Kind of like the Ross Young portrait that hangs over our couch called "Silent Bells." I do some photo editing, of course I crop, clean up and enhance pictures but not to the extent that the photo itself is being untrue. It's important to me that the photo actually says something important if possible. It could be that the dog is acting like a total bonehead as he or she rolls in something gross but their expression indicates they are reveling in the moment! Or it could be one of our stud muffins laying on the couch on their back so explicitly it makes me feel the photo should be censored as the J&A's Brittanys family jewels for all the see! The best photos of all, the ones that I love love love are the photos our extended ATB family send to us on a regular basis - they are so candid and real and reflect the pride and love the dog's owners feel for their Brittany.
ACTIVE HUNTING HOMES w/PRIOR BRITTANY EXPERIENCE
At this point in time we're just so happy to share that the majority of pups are going to active hunting homes and/or going to homes with prior Brittany experience - which is our priority because first and foremost we breed close working gun dogs. Even so, two of these families also have an interest in showing and they will have the very best show prospects from this litter while guaranteeing those pups most certainly will hunt. Most of the pups from Treasure and Bullet's litter are going to those who have learned of this breeding via word of mouth. For this we are ever grateful and appreciative - especially to those who have been waiting for a couple of years now. Finding just the right home takes time and we realize finding just the right breeder takes time too. It works both ways. We're truly blessed here at J&A's Brittanys with the reality of these pups who are going to be in very special and loving homes. We are still accepting inquiries but availability is extremely limited (thankfully!) at this point. I do know that some of this is personal business but I also like those of you who follow our blog that all is good, very very good in regards to homes for the babies.
ABOUT TRAINING BRITTANY GUN DOG PUPPIES
NOTE: OCTOBER 2, 2012 I am curious why this particular page is getting so many views this week. If you have questions with training your pup, please leave a comment. We enjoy helping out our ATB family and friends.
If at the end of 8 weeks a couple of pups from this litter remain, John and I will simply continue to train them for home and field. Pups from this litter will be about 6 months old when Maine's 2012 bird hunting season begins. In the hands of a mature and seasoned upland game hunter with experience hunting over gun dogs, Treasure and Bullets pups can be taken to the field for a no pressure introduction to the reality of their future. Although not every one will agree, I'm of the opinion that you shouldn't do this with another dog or with a group of your hunting buddies with other dogs. Those days will come. Just not the first season. Pheasants can scare the crap out of a young pup and some just don't like the taste of woodcock. Line upon line. Precept upon precept. Nurture those hunting instincts, identify them as they surface. Don't be so interested in a super star bird dog that you rush through the process. Above all please know what you are doing, do not rush the process but absolutely DO get your pup on as many birds as early as possible. And remember we are always just a phone call away and will happily head down to the field for some one on one Brittany informal help. We do not ever train our Brittanys specifically for field trials and this is explained next. Often we are however training our own dogs for hunt tests. But ALWAYS, we are in training them for bird hunting at some level which is dependent upon the age and ability of the dog. We train or run our dogs as frequently and as often as time and weather permits. We want to see the dogs from our breeding program excel as a close working gun dog for the walking upland hunter who does not want to find their dog pointing that night's dinner over in the next county. Editorial Comment: Every outing should count. Yes, it should be fun. But you need to know what you're doing. When you don't know what you're doing, it's obvious to those who do. And it goes from being a win - win situation for your dog, to being a lose - lose situation. Trust me. I cringe when I hear about some of the ways pups are introduced to gunfire especially. Good grief.
ON FIELD TRIALS
One more time and simply said yet again and quite honestly, field trialing is just not our thing. I do applaud those who have the passion, the desire, the time and the money to enjoy to the fullest and I'm happy for them when their dogs do well. Of course we are always very pleased about the decent field trial placements from different dogs we've bred including winning amateur and/or open puppy and derby stakes where points have been awarded and we do have placements in gun dog stakes as well. But we're not chasing points, we are simply having fun and supporting our clubs. (Shogun, Vegas, Bailey, Bullet, Piper, True, Timber, Sassy, come to mind and there are probably more.) One of Jack's daughters did us proud by placing 4th in the American Brittany Club 2010 Gun Dog Futurity.
Even so, for anyone who has an interest in field trialing, the genetics of the 11 Brittany pups of this litter indicate the potential is there to excel if someone wanted to take that route. The pedigree behind Treasure and Bullet testifies to the validity of this statement and anyone wishing to undertake the endeavor of trialing has our support. Field trialing is a sport unto itself and there are very specific training needs and methods which are not necessarily needed for the close working gun dog. Simply said, we don't want big running Brittanys and most of our clients don't either but that's not a criticism for those who do. We're of the opinion that NOT all Brittany hunting dogs should or need to go through a formal 'breaking process' or that our Brittanys need to be "stone broke" dogs. Quite frankly I abhore the term "broke dog" because to me it indicates a breaking of their spirit. First and foremost, our Brittanys and those we breed are family hunting companions. We hunt with the same dogs we breed, show, live with, and love.
In regards to our philosphy regarding any formal gun dog training program, we believe the best way to train any particular Brittany pup or adult is by being out there in the field with them on a regular basis. Frequently get them on as many birds as you possibly can early on. Some are pigheaded and stubborn. All go through periods of defiance. Each one has good days, great days, as well as days you are certain they have forgotten everything they knew the day before.
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YOUR BIRD HUNTING STORIES WANTED
Speaking of bird hunting, I wonder if those of you reading this who do hunt with one, two, or more of our crew would write for me an account about an honest to goodness hunting season or two? For those of you who travel, I'd love to hear about how well your Brit did in other areas of the country as well as New England. Just send it to me via the link over at www.mainebrittanysitejas.com - thanks!
Glancing at the clock it is once again time to call it a day. Technically is a new day but when I began writing it was before midnight. Then of course I came back in the morning to revise what I had written. My hours are a little wacky these days but having pups also allows me to indulge in my night owl tendencies. As always, thank you for your interest in this litter. We are beginning to schedule our May visits for new owners to be to come visit. Our self imposed 4 week quarantine does not provide visits prior to that time - this for the well being of the pups and Treasure. Take care and God bless you always - John, Ann, and ATB
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