Novaforesta `D` Litter, 6 years old today

Happy Sixth Birthday to Bepops first litter, It seems like only yesterday that this crowd were running through my kitchen.

It seems like only yesterday

http://youtu.be/iOj0GPLb3AM

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

Pi the Barbet

She is still looking for birds, one day she might get lucky

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.  

Barbet puppies soon

Well her due date is the 28th November, but as her Grandma and Mother decided to deliver a few days early we are getting prepared. The whelping box will be put up today, and hopefully we will also get the webcam running. Fingers and legs crossed it will all go smoothly.

Barbet dog

It was so windy on the beach in France, poor Martha

Martha the Barbet diva and dog shows!

This is me with my hand on hip, next to me is my chilled Barbet, Martha waiting to go in the ring. My sweet Martha who we can take anywhere, she travels like a dream, she sleeps under the table at restaurants, she is a working gundog, she swims like a fish, in fact as a dog (not just a Barbet) she is hard to fault. BUT take her in the show ring and she becomes devil dog. When we took her to the club show in Holland, she created as soon as she was in the ring, she barked and did absolutely every trick in the book to get out of the situation....hmm....so for Calais we borrowed a soft crate for her and she was the perfect dog, quiet,serene,happy as you can see from the photo above, she was normal Martha. Martha can do normal behavior to lunatic in less than 3 seconds and it is not fear or anxiety, she lets the judge check her over, but trying to make her move in the ring is impossible as she gallops to leave. It is a shame as she does deserve better, and it takes me back to showing Betsy as she had a stubborn streak in the showring and really only behaved if there was someone else handling her. So with that knowledge, I should have thought about training her from an early age about showing, although some dogs are just natural at it, Martha is not. Strangely enough I was not nervous or stressed about the show, I think I knew deep down that Martha was going to behave badly, and I normally just accept I am not a good handler although I never had a problem with Bepop in the ring, and Pi was also perfectly behaved. I think Calais will be Marthas last appearance in the ring, I know what a sweet girl she is and that is what is more important, she also works well in the field and every day life. She got an excellent by the judge at Calais, and I was told she needed cutting to make her hair more even which amused me as a dog groomer!,  ,