Novaforesta puppies, Martha and Ooli at 5 weeks

This little girl loves Pi and is very much one of the crowd, at the moment she doesn't ever seem in the thick of any mischief but does like mud!

He is such a boy in looks, but he is quiet and very gentle and loves a cuddle. At the moment the girls are taking advantage of him as he is avoiding most of the wrestling games. 

This little girl is quiet but one of the first to explore, and just loves being outside. She loves also to play with Lydia Broom 

She is still a poser for the camera, and can normally be found sitting waiting for the gate to open to find new adventures, but then decides last minute that the kitchen is fun enough . 

She loves to carry all the toys, the best find a pair of socks which were taken and hidden from the others. She is very tail waggy and a very happy puppy

She is a cheeky girl, and the slowest eater in the litter but she is a confident girl and loves being outside. She was the only pup that disppeared with Martha late last night  to the end of the garden, so not sure whether that makes her brave or mad, however she did fall asleep first so it wore her out!  

I apologise for the photos being a day late, but last night I had them all out in the garden at night and had no PC time. The pups are on 3 meals a day, resonding well to the whistle and just busy exploring.

Martha and Ooli pups at 4 days old

They are growing very fast, and if Martha is lucky they now take at least a 5 minute break between feeds. The names have nearly been decided as this litter will be Islands in Thailand, and yes there will be a Koh Lanta and a Koh Jum just debating if it tempts fate calling a puppy after a party Island!.

Novaforesta Jack Black at 7 weeks

Novaforesta Jack Black learning about bikes today as he will be joining a family so needs to know about these sorts of things, he is a real chunky boy

Novaforesta Janis Joplin at 7 weeks

 Novaforesta Janis Joplin who will become Nell in a few days as the countdown has started, she will be having a lovely life with lots of travelling  and will be seen in France

Novaforesta Joan Jet at 7 weeks

Novaforesta Joan Jet aka Olive, I think she will be like her Mum Hallie in looks and character.This is a lucky girl as she will be joining a family who already have a Barbet :)

Is a Barbet a Gundog?

Martha surprised me on Saturday, so her new title will be Amazing Martha.
We have been on a new shoot which is quite near us and they were short of beaters so we went along, sadly Bepop is a bit big for this shoot as due to the distances we cover, sometimes a landrover is needed so the size of dog is very relevant. Anyway back to Martha......On the 5th drive of the day she appeared along a track with a huge cock bird that had only a leg injury, this was her first experience of a warm bird and to add a very large alive bird and she presented it to me beautifully, a very proud moment :). I didn't think the day would get better but on the last drive, when we were all exhausted as it had been a tough day with only 6 beaters and 2 dogs, a Spinione and a Barbet , amazing Martha worked like she had never done before.The last drive is called the the Water meadows, and with all the rain and flooding it was extremely wet!!!!, she worked the hedge without any instruction and flushed the birds and as she was doing all the work I got out my camera, and suddenly she appeared with a shot bird, so there you have it, Martha excelling at a job. At the end of the day she got a few more pats than normal from the guns, and a few more asking, ''what is your dog again?''   .

Barbet Puppies 2014

I am hoping that 2014 will bring forth the patter of tiny paws again.
Hallie and Martha have both passed the health checks for breeding, so once males have been confirmed I will be making official announcements.

Hallie

Martha

Martha and Hallie are related to each other as Eton is the Father of Hallie, and Effie is the Mother of Martha, and Eton and Effie are brother and sister.
Both Hallie and Martha love water and mud , and both retrieve well ( and I mean retrieve not playing fetch) but what they are really good at ,is cuddles.
     

Obi Barbet puppy is growing up

Once known as red collar, now he is known only as Obi. Bepop and Jedis' pups are nearly 6 months old already, where does the time go?

Novaforesta Irrestible at 8 weeks

My little sweetie, or little Miss naughty!. She is just adorable but when you feel teeth on the back of your legs, it is always her !, when a puppy escapes, it is always her, and she can push her Mother to extremes, but of course Bepop always wins and out of all the puppies this little girl is always next to Mum. She also adores my other dogs, and when she sees them her little tail doesn't stop. I thought I had put a pheasant wing out of reach, but she appeared with it. This little girl will not be destined for a show ring, she should be out working as she has the determination at such a young age.

Finally purple Barbet boy at 5 weeks

He is rather beautiful, and he started by being the most shy boy of the litter and the most sensitive, but this is changing as he gets older. He entertains himself with toys and has proper games and a couple of times has fooled me as I think he is having a scuffle with another pup but no, he is just chatting to a toy.

Solid black Barbet boy at 5 weeks

This is still the smallest pup, but don't be fooled as being little doesn't stop him being in the middle of the scrum for food so he is not missing out, he carries all the toys and out of the whole litter always shows an interest as soon as something new arrives in the pen, he loves to sleep in the bed with all the toys, doesn't look very comfortable but that is what he likes. 

Green collar boy at 5 weeks

Now considering this boy was like a bar of slippery soap as a newborn he is now quite placid, that is if puppies can be placid! he loves being back in the bed quietly playing with toys.

Hallie and training

Charamese Hermione aka Hallie

Grandma Be-poppy aka Bepop

Training a Barbet is not hard work, but you need to understand that you have to go at their pace and look at what they are good at and turn that to your advantage. I am learning about training once again with Hallie, she is very different to Effie who lived with me till 16 weeks old and so I had the opportunity to start early basic training. Hallie is very sensitive, showing any displeasure means she walks away in a huff and as you know training always has to be positive especially at a young age.At the moment she is very much a family dog, she loves us all and shows no real attachment to anyone in particular but the other day I did witness her showing a preference of trust. Julian and I took her swimming, the water was deep and the entry was tough for her as she had to jump in, Barbets can be very careful over water entry so we are just seeing if early jumping into water will make her less worried as an adult. So she became more confident as she jumped after the duckwing, however getting out the water was an issue as she needed to be hauled out by her collar. I was in charge of the camera and you will not see any photos of her getting out the water as she would only let me do it, when Julian tried to grab her she swam away, after three attempts I decided to intervene and bingo so we tried again and the same happened. I like to know my dogs and how their minds work, so this fascinated me, so when more quirky things happen I will keep you posted.