J-C pups day 25 - Puppy Training

The Holiday litter continues to thrive.  They all weigh around 5 lbs which is amazingly consistent, a rare thing to have them all the same size. The pup love to play and as seen above, already have terrific focus and held their positions while I took photos.  We've started litter box training by adding wood pellets (safe, non treated) to the whelping box to encourage them to do their business on the wood pellets instead of the fleece pad.  Starting in the whelping box will make their transition to the litter box in the puppy pen easier.  They will move to their new digs in a few days and have luxury accommodations right in our living room.

The pups have spent almost a month in our family room where they have been exposed to all kinds of sounds, a number of different surfaces and toys.  We completed the BioSensor Early Neurological Stimulation exercises last week which we did along with Early Scent Introduction.

Once the pups turn 4 weeks and make their move to the new pen, we will continue to introduce all kinds of new things and many visitors to help create sound, healthy puppies.

J-C Pups Day 23: Weimaraner Wrestling Fun!

The Holiday pups have grown by leaps and bounds since our last post.  They see, hear and are interacting with each other as well as their human family.

Savi's Pheasant Hunt

On Monday, we were thrilled to be invited on our first pheasant hunt at a picturesque, private farm in Dutchess County, NY. The weather was unseasonably warm, around 40 degrees and partly sunny. Savi, who has never been on pheasant and also hasn't had any formal training since she completed her Senior Hunter title two years ago, was just beyond amazing in the field.  From the start, she immediately went into full hunting mode, searching for the pheasants and strategically covering ground by quartering, working the wind and picking up scent. 

 Pheasants can be very challenging for the dogs as they are fidgety, tend not to hold in position and  run.  Savi had a fantastic day, found nine birds, although our group had only bought six.  Unfortunately,  my hunting partners were off their game and missed all but two of the birds.  Savi was rewarded for her work and had two lovely retrieves.  My friends, who had never hunted with her before, were quite impressed with her awesome nose and how well she listened.  Savi had solid points, even on walking birds and was tenacious in her tracking them down.  A few times, she went on point and we couldn't locate the bird.  I would release her to relocate and she would only move a few feet before going on a staunch point.  The old saying, "Always trust your dog" was the theme of the day and after scrutinizing the area where Savi was looking, we always found the bird, sometimes 20-30 feet in front of us! She hunted with style and enthusiasm, which we all marveled at, for three hours before we called it a day and a fantastic day at that.

 Savi showing off her agility skills!

 Savi going to retrieve her first rooster - it was a big one!

 Savi, beautiful on point!

 Savi was on an intense point and we finally found the hen about 20 feet ahead in the pine trees!

 The corn fields made good cover for the pheasants.

Savi on point

A truly fun and productive day in the great outsdoors!