Martha and Murdoch puppies are 6 weeks old

New Start Orange boy

New Start Orange boy

New Start Orange boy

New World red boy

New World Red boy

New World red boy

New Day Gloves

New Day Gloves

New Day Gloves

New Life - Green boy

New Moon boy with white feet

New Moon boy with white feet

New Dawn girl with white foot

New Dawn girl with white foot

New Dawn girl with white foot

New Life - Green boy

New Horizon- Black Girl

New Horizon - Black girl

New Horizon black girl

New Moon boy with white feet

New Life -Green boy
Life with puppies is chaotic to say the least, and thinking of new experiences for them everyday is a challenge. In the last couple of days Martha has decided that the pups need weaning so as she is too much of a lady to regurgitate her food she has carried meals in her mouth into the puppy area, I hadn't realised until I saw the pups eating beetroot!, the next day she carried a boiled egg and a carrot in, then a mouthful of tripe. The pups are enjoying the experience of seconds, and I am being careful over what Martha eats now I know. Martha is also still feeding them milk and not getting grumpy with them at all, which hopefully will change this week as being rather selfish I don't like the 3am feed and Martha barks at the pen until we let the hooligans out!. As for the puppies and their characters;
New Horizon (Black girl) is very confident  and loves  exploring the garden, never seems to tire.
New Moon (boy with 2 white feet) is one of those pups that is never in trouble, he is good fun and very confident.
New Dawn (girl with white foot) is the puppy with the constant waggy tail who wants to be picked up and when you try and put her down she does the strangest wiggle, she is the attention seeker in the litter but is also very gentle.
New Day (Gloves) she is always watching what is going on, so very alert but likes the security of  what she knows best, she likes being part of the gang and playing with her brothers and sisters rather than exploring the garden on her own.
New Life ( Green boy) he is a confident boy that is very playful and is happy to be exploring on his own, he has started to let me know when he is awake and wants out of the kitchen.
New Start (Orange boy)  he is still a puppy that normally goes to sleep first, he is my quietest boy and just loves to be cuddled, he is calm and loves to play
New World ( red boy) he is my chunky puppy that is always stuck under the sofa  due to his size I think.so not sure how bright he is, he is actually quite a gentle pup though and he still stands in the food bowl to eat!
Snoop is still being a fantastic half sister, she is sometimes a little rough but they all adore her presence and normally a chorus of crying means Snoop is in sight as they get very excited about her in the pen or garden. Snoop is also breaking up the puppies when the play gets out of hand whilst Martha just watches which I find interesting, almost as though she has handed over the responsibility to Snoop ( thats a worry!)
We have a busy week planned as will start taking them out in the car, and we have so many visitors of all ages including some from overseas which I am thrilled about.        

Novaforesta Lily of the valley at 2 weeks

She is a real sweetie, very calm and quiet and the other pups use her as a cushion.

Novaforesta Jack Black at 3 weeks

Novaforesta Jack Black, he is the biggest boy but he is probably the most chilled which I suspect is because he gets most of the food so always has a full belly!

Novaforesta Jools Holland at 3 weeks

Brown male,previously known as red collar. A sweet boy who at 3 weeks is quiet and gentle, although this doesn't mean he will not be a hooligan at 8 weeks!

Barbet puppies have arrived, Novaforesta J litter

Welcome to the world, 11 beautiful Barbet puppies born on the 25th November.

The proud parents are  Charamese Hermione (Hallie) and Cooper du Pré de Redy.

The pups are very strong and healthy, and all very good weights and quite amazing that Hallie managed to keep them till Day 60. 

We have 7 girls 5 brown and 2 black and 4 boys, 3 brown and 1 black.

The webcam is up and running although it is misbehaving and cannot be viewed on internet explorer:
If it doesn't work the first time do keep trying as it does seem to have random blips

Martha the Gundog

Martha is enjoying this season, it has taken a few weeks for her to get fully up to speed but this week end she worked really well and she is certainly using her nose to establish where the birds are.
I could teach her to point , but unless I read a few books I am not quite sure where to start or whether I want her to. At the moment she is pointing at birds that have not been lifted during a drive which is rather intelligent of her, and I am praising her and we leave them be. I so need to do this full time, never enough hours in my day.  

Championnat de France 2014

I am pleased to say that Charamese Hermione, daughter of Novaforesta Dora and Novaforesta Eton got the CACIB on Sunday at the French championship show in Angers. She had no real competition, as she was competing against young females and Martha but she was looking the best she could (coconut coat conditioner and then 3 hours swimming in a lake and temperatures exceeding 29, perfect for natural drying). This was Hallies 3rd visit to France to compete, and in the past she has had some serious competition and I hope we have understood the rules, but winning on Sunday means she has become a French Champion (so watch this space). Hallie was amazing in the ring with Nikki handling her, and when I handled her for the first class we were thrilled as the judge was examining the dogs in the middle of the ring which meant away from the trestle table that Hallie associates with a wormer being forced down her throat (something British dogs have to go through at shows to satisfy the pet passport scheme). Hallie in all her past critiques from judges has it written that she is a little timid, as she goes into reverse when the judge checks her mouth, sadly my French is not good enough to say that she thinks you are going to worm her :). This time however to avoid this we did the worming before we left the UK, and then not being examined next to the trestle table meant the judge saw the real Hallie who is certainly not a timid dog.So another first as the critique did not say those words, just exc this and exc that. We had an amazing time in France, we stayed in a chalet next to a lake and it really was like a mini holiday although it did take 12 hours to get there, but definately worth the effort. If Hallie has become a French Champion then she has retired from the ring, it is not cheap to have these French adventures, and we will need to concentrate on her next achievement which will be Motherhood. She is due in season around August, and a dear boy in Germany called Cooper is eagerly awaiting her visit.  

1st Birthday time for Bepop x Jedi pups

It was a year ago today that 7 little rascals were born, so happy Birthday to Agnes, Ralph, Hugo, Rugby, Bobby, Harpo and Obi.
I will try and get some photos of the pups are grown up.
But just to start RUGBY:

4.5 weeks

7 weeks

11 months and 2 weeks (needing a haircut!)

Afternoon Barbet boys, Eton and Rugby

The boys are good friends, even though Rugby is rather a wild child :) anyway, first groom for Rugby last week and it was rather exhausting as he was not really very impressed but I think he will be better next time. Eton is well behaved for grooming so hopefully Rugby will pay more attention next time as to what to do when up on a grooming table and he will remember to keep 4 paws still. Rugby is already showing his natural ability to flush, so these two boys could become quite a team :)

Mr Bentley the Barbet

A lovely start to my day as Mr Bentley came for a groom, and he loves being here which always helps.
Mr Bentley is a boy from my very first litter, and he lives nearby so I get to see him about every 12 weeks. He will be 6 years old next March, where does the time go? Mr Bentley has had an exciting life, he survived being run over, he was attacked badly by a flat coat retriever (Hmmm...) and has even had his stomach pumped after eating something he shouldn't! and he also has to tolerate other dogs in his home as his owner fosters dogs for a rescue centre.

Ralph the Barbet puppy at 6 months old

This is Ralph , a pup from Bepop and Jedi he is already 6 months old and growing into a handsome chap.

Barbets and French dog shows

We have just returned from Douai Dog Show in France and we are still smiling as Martha and Hallie were both amazing. It was a 2 day show, On Saturday it was a French Championship show and on the Sunday it was the International Show. Although Martha competed in both, due to her age she could not get a CAC or the CAIB but it was very good experience for her anyway. Hallie was in the open class both days and got the CAC on Saturday and on Sunday got the CACs and CAIB and title of Best Bitch. To say we were pleased is an understatement as she had stiff competition for the title. Martha and Hallie both received Excellent  from different judges over both days and that for me is important. Dear Martha managed to make all the judges speak a little English, they loved her expression so I think she batted her eyelashes at them rather than the WTF look, she made them smile anyway.
We heard afterwards that the Judge on Sunday had remarked that the British Barbet was of a high standard, so he will go down as being a good judge of the breed :)
We had a lot of fun over the weekend, the dog showing  is tiring but as it is such a different thing to do with the dogs, it is worth the effort and the travelling.

    

More puppy updates

Bobby with a toy at his new home

Hugo with his comfort blanket in his new bed in Wales