Pittsburgh Rubber Duck!

Today we enjoyed the wonderful and whimsical Rubber Duck by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman in our beautiful city!

Barbet Puppies...they just keep getting cuter!

The puppies are eating so well now, and are having a lot of fun wrestling with and chewing on each other. Each day our big adventure is time outside, where they are happy to climb all over me and Claire. So much fun.

Barbet Puppies Outside Again

First Meals

This weekend the puppies were introduced to their kibble/goats milk mixture and it was a hit! While they're all figuring out the concept of licking and chewing for nourishment instead of sucking from mom, they end up wearing as much as they ingest. They are three weeks old today, and they're growing and learning beautifully. These next weeks are really fun as they play more and sleep less, and each day they are exposed to a new toy in addition to what they are already accustomed to. Here are some quick headshots taken this morning. Some of them are still wearing remnants of their food. They're getting to be so cute!

Orange Boy

Grey Girl

White Boy

Purple Girl

Yellow Boy

Blue Girl

Exhausted after eating, Orange Boy falls asleep in the bowl  :)

We are so lucky to have this beautiful late summer weather to get the puppies outside for a few minutes each day. Claire is so proud of her babies, and even gave them a lesson in howling at the fire alarm while we were out :)

Happy Claire

Purple Girl

Claire looks so proud of her babies

Sleepy girl

Most everybody watches while Claire teaches proper howling

Orange Boy

Blue Collar Brown Girl

When I brought them back inside, they all collapsed right where I set them, except for that brown boy...there's one in every crowd!

Happy Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday!

Sunshine and Warm Days

Burgundy and Blue Girls

Today the puppies each had their first trip outside. Going out in pairs and in threes, they each spent a very few minutes experiencing life outdoors. It's always fun to see their reaction! At first they sink into the ground as if they are trying to disappear, but soon they are moving around with a small bit of confidence.

Burgundy Girl

Green Boy

Green and White Boys

Grey Girl

Orange Boy

Purple Girl

Red and Yellow Boys

Yellow Boy

Two Weeks Old Tonight

The puppies have started opening their eyes, but they were pretty sleepy when I had my camera today. They are all walking really well, and looking great!

A Little About Our Breeding Program

Our dogs are part of our family and they all live together as a happy group. Temperament and health are essential. When we breed a bitch, we have done a great deal of research and hope to produce the best puppies possible. The puppies are lovingly raised in our home and receive a great amount of socialization and experiences prior to moving on to their new families.

A few of the criteria that we consider before a breeding:

• Passing health clearances on all standard tests. You will read a lot of breeders stating that all of their dogs are health tested. What you may not see are the results of these tests. Tested does not mean passed. Any dog that we ever use in our program, male or female, will be free from hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, and any inheritable eye disease that can be assessed by a canine ophthalmologist, and the results of these tests will be posted in public databases. Our Canine Eye Registry clearances are done every two years, not just once, to ascertain that our dogs have not developed eye problems over time. While it is impossible to guarantee what will happen in nature, we feel that starting with parents who are themselves clear helps our puppies to lead healthier lives.
• Exhibit correct conformation and breed type, proper movement, and happy, stable temperament. We exhibit our dogs in AKC, CKC, and UKC shows and trials not only because we enjoy the competition but to show that our dogs have been assessed by many qualified, experienced judges. The dogs easily handle the travel, the hands of strangers, the different venues, and motel living as a testament to their high quality.
• Have no disqualifying faults. We will not breed animals with bad bites, bad temperament, or any trait that would be excused in the show ring.
• Are at least 2 years of age, when OFA hip results are attainable. If the stud dog’s information and health results are not posted publicly, I am not interested in using him.
• The DNA of all breeding dogs is on file with the AKC. The DNA Profile eliminates concerns or questions about identification and parentage. .
• The coefficient of inbreeding is low. In a rare breed such as the Barbet, it is nearly impossible to find dogs who do not share some genetics in their pedigree. If you look through Barbet pedigrees on the Pawpeds database, you can see that some of the dogs currently being used have COI of 20%. Our goal is to keep the 4 generation COI near or below 5%, and to lower the COI in every successive generation.

Puppies are sold on a spay/neuter contract, although I encourage owners to wait until the dog is at least one year of age before having this surgery done. Many health concerns are being attributed to the early spay/neuter program in the US. Do some reading on the benefits of waiting for this procedure. We do not ship puppies; all puppies are picked up at our farm. We expect that our puppy families will devote significant time to raising and training their puppy to be a responsible member of society, and that their Barbet will be a great ambassador for the breed as well as a terrific companion.

Barbet Pups 10 Days

Claire loves her babies!