Martha and Hallie

I really think that being a black dog with a brown father produces rather an attractive coat colour. Martha is on the right of the photo and Hallie on the left, both dogs look brown and yet Hallie is black. The girls had a good romp yesterday together, so they had a lovely walk

Martha and house training

I may be odd getting my camera to take a photo of a dog wee, but this is no ordinary dog wee as it belongs to Martha who for several months has also been called 'Pennypisspants'. When we got Martha she seemed to understand very quickly to squat outside on command, it is always the first thing I teach pups or youngsters as it makes life so much easier and avoids those long minutes off standing outside in the garden in the rain waiting for a dog to pee. Anyway, although Martha squatted outside we were still getting accidents inside. Well, one day with a dry patio I was quite taken back that her squatting left a dry patio therefore I had to accept that I had trained her to squat, but not to wee which explained the accidents in the house. I had to have a major rethink as it was now clear that Martha and I were not quite on the same wavelength and potentially she was confused. Rule number one is don't get cross, so with a plastic smile I went back to basics of opening a door every 10 minutes and letting her out, a rather polite, ''good girl'' or ''well done'' when she went successfully and finally taking her away for the weekend to Belgium which meant any habit regarding favorite spots in the house were removed. She behaved perfectly when we were away, no accidents in the hotel. So why the photo? When I got home today, Martha greeted me in the wild way that I am getting more used to, and then rushed to the patio door and threw herself at the door handle, she was desperate and had waited. So I am proud of her........In hindsite I think I rushed her at the start, and I am quite impressed that she learnt to squat without weeing  

Betsy and Martha

Betsy, Martha, Jazz and Bobby

Finally our grass is starting to dry up, it makes life a little easier not to have so much mud. This photo makes me smile, as I hadn't realised that Marthas' collar is rather oversized.

Novaforesta Duplo

I had a lovely visit today, from Duplo and family.Duplo met Martha and  I would say he was rather bemused by her, she desperately wanted a mad run around the garden and he was enjoying the smells in the garden (remember Betsy and Bepop in season!). Duplo is a very calm boy, wonderful to groom and bath and it was great to catch up with his owners. Duplo also has a crochet hook at the end of his tail, similar to a Briard, not many Barbets have this.  

Puppy time for Ebene

I am very pleased to write that Ebene, the lovely girl from Canada is laden with puppies and they are due in the middle of March. The Father is Eton, the productive boy who sired a litter of 14 in the UK last year. The GB site is being updated with the news and contact details for Annette who will be the trusted guardian of mother and pups.
Ebene and Eton are lovely Barbets, so this is a good combination to take the breed forward.
We will of course have many Barbets in the UK that are related but as only a few will go on to reproduce this is not a problem and it means most owners have dogs in common with each other; one big happy family.
 Related dogs in the UK, also means that anyone wanting to breed  in the future will have to travel or import new lines, and that is good news for the breed.
The choice of sires, is not a twinkle in the eye of a Barbet......it is normally hours of discussion.

When I imported my two girls in 2007 the plan was to breed them both to different lines so that the offspring could mate together. Novaforesta Dora (Bonnie) and Novaforesta Eton are the resulting pairing that produced 14 pups last year with a very good COI, and from that mating I have Hallie (Charamese Hernione)  who is the grand daughter of Betsy and Bepop, So the plan set out in 2007 became reality in 2012. 

Netis Hazzah aka Claude with Hallie

Annette (Netisspinione) is the owner of Novaforesta Dudley a.k.a. Ooli and who imported Ebene, from Canada as the perfect match for her boy. A beautiful litter was born last year, with one pup in particular making the headlines.There are not many white/brown Barbets in the world, and not only is he rather dashing but he is also training as a gundog.

A rare dinner treat for dogs

When we have a Roast Chicken, the next day the dogs have a real treat as I boil up the bones and strip off any left over meat. So one chicken can feed 6 people, and 5 dogs, I will add to this some leftover veg and some old fruit and whatever else is lying dormant in my fridge. What I know will happen after dinner, will be greasy beards so the hairy gang will be fed outside and left to their own devices for beard wiping as otherwise the curtains/settee or my legs will suffer!!! Remember if you only have one dog, then use the freezer....doggy ready meal!

The remains of the Chicken, so little wastage in our house.  

Barbet Hallie the recycling monster.

Some dogs get pleasure from a bone, some have a favourite toy, Hallie has the recycling bag!