Sunday, December 27, 2009
Under the  Miss ~ eltoe       
The ongoing photo journal of Katoba Dobermans' 2009 "Miss & Mister" Litter   ~   DPCA Futurity Nominated for 2010
The Christmas Holiday has passed us by now ... and the puppies are back to their same old antics.
After all, they have a whole year to be naughty before they have to swoon their way back onto Santa's Naughty list.
Life ... "as usual" ... again.
4:31am
Cahill is usually the first to run outside in the morning. Then Tyler and Misty go out for awhile. If I can get Echo up and out on MY terms, then the morning is perfect and she
will go outside with the puppies. She truly enjoys the youngsters ... and is a great mentor for them. Today, the morning has gone perfectly ... meaning:
Echo is agreeable to "my terms" today - YAY !
Echo, Soleil, and Zzzen play and chase over the frozen & crunchy topography
Just as the fun is becoming "manageable", the bell tolls ...
6:00am
All dogs have had run-n-play time, they have had potty time, they have each gotten some snuggle time, and each has been quickly hand stacked in front of the mirror.
Now, it is breakfast time.
Then, after a short nap ...
... the REAL day begins :)
As with most Dobermans ... Echo is only tolerant of the cold for a limited period of time. As an Senior Doberman, she is sometimes even less tolerant.
After a fun time with the pups, she was smart enough to some back inside.
Zzzen and Soleil, on the other hand, decided it was MUCH more fun to stay outside and play ... and they did ... until they nearly turned into pupsicles.
It did not take long and they had to come in to "thaw out" and warm up.
So, it was now time for the other three to get out for their morning romp and wrestle time.
Erica, Violet, and Breeze are a riot together ... it is fun watching them play at this age ...
... they challenge & debate; they conflict & problem solve; they taunt & tease; they protect & defend; they plot & plan ...
... and figure things out. They are bratty, then they are sweet ... they are true "bitches".
Below are Violet, Erica and Breeze ... doing what they do every morning :)
Upon arrival at the McLaughlin's house, as would be normal, Soleil was QUITE intimidated. She had not had exposure to children the way some of the others have and
truly, I think I have protected her a bit too much so EVERYTHING was NEW. Two children, no matter how calm, are all hands and 'in-the-face', so it is highly stimulating
to a puppy who had never been around children before. I will say that Soleil actually showed great ability to adapt, defend, investigate, flee, play, tease, attach, etc ...
Within an hour, she had warmed up to everyone, including Jacob and a very anxious young Payton.
When we went out to the backyard, it was dark and Soleil let EVERYONE know she was there - barking when she when she saw Payton flinging her coat sleeves at her.
It is good for her to show that confidence ... and typical of a Doberman bitch puppy. I soon noticed that Soleil was especially fond of Grace, who is old enough (7) to
follow great direction ~ it was explained to her that if she begs Soleil, hovers over her, or tries to coax her in any way, Soleil will be less likely to want to be around her.
Grace decided to just stand still and watch Soleil run around ... and before you know it, Soleil had found her "hitching post" - sidling up to Grace on the left side and
LOVING the way Grace was petting her ... being Soleil's friend ... on Soleil's terms ... without forcing it. Then Soleil got to play with Ronin, as well - she could hear him
whining in the background and was very happy to see him again when he came FLYING out to the backyard. The two of them had gotten only one previous play time
and it was limited, at my house. Remembering how much bigger Ronin is that she, and given the fact it was getting dark, Soleil actually ran and teased and played
beautifully with Ronin, (while he was exhibiting good manners) :). Given the fact that it was RONIN's territory, it was an environment filled with strangers and loud kid
sounds, unknown surroundings, the two new adults, and two playful children, and a BIG dog ... I was extremely proud of Soleil ... she went home happy and exhausted.
Ronin is a great boy and I can see he would love a play mate, I still think some age is good for a male before adding another puppy. I do believe Ronin's playmate
should be a Doberman and, obviously, MUST be a female. He is easy going, but is clearly the "King" of his house - I LOVE that about him and it reinforces that I think
that was the perfect placement for him - he protects his great family.
It is a LOT of work to balance the tremendous needs of a puppy - the focused one-on-one they need AWAY from the other dog ... to make CERTAIN that the dogs do
not become a mini-pack - nor should the dogs babysit or be in charge of each other. It is sad to see when a puppy is brought in to a house just to become a companion
for the other dog ... instead of becoming a FULL family member. Each pup needs new focused individual nurturing - they are each different personalities and each have
their "stuff" that needs consideration and attention. Puppies should NEVER be left unattended with other dogs ... especially bigger stronger dogs.
As Ronin's breeder, I do hope to see him have a canine companion - SOMEDAY - giving him more exercise and have some dog-fun with his "own" gal-pal.
But for now ... I am just grateful for the experience and fun it was for Soleil ...
... Ronin has always been a great "play-date".
Thank you, again, McLaughlin Family, for your hospitality.
My only disappointment: I can NOT believe I forgot to take my camera :)
Later that day, Soleil was a lucky girl this evening. She was invited to have a play-date with Ronin and the McLaughlin Family.
Soleil's Evening Play Date
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Enjoy the life and times of these very special puppies through their eight-chapter photo journal saga,
(click on the links below).
Chapter 8
Chapter 7
Chapter 6
Chapter 5
Chapter 4
Chapter 3
Chapter 2
Chapter 1
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please begin by filling out the questionnaire, (below).
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Kathy can be contacted at 253.312.4839.
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