German Shepherd puppies in Virginia
Kemy came back today for a retaping. I had hoped her ears might stand a little bit more since yesterday, but instead they were more droopy. But at least we know the bases will stand. I think with a real concerted effort we can get this puppy’s ears up. The old school wisdom is “If they’re not up by 6 months you’ll never get them up.” But I have proven that wrong before.
Josh really wants this to work. So we will keep at it until they come up.
Josh brought his 6m old female GSD, “Kemy”, back over for a retaping. The ears are coming along nicely. They definitely look better than they did, but have a ways to go. We decided to let them “rest” overnight, and we will retape tomorrow. The ears look very healthy, with no sign if irritation or infection, which must be closely monitored during taping. Josh has done a good job keeping the tape dry and keeping her comfortable.
Sometimes when the tape is taken off, the ears are a little tender. And so they don’t hold them up as well as they do the next day. Other times, the ears are as good as they’re going to get and the ears fall back down without the support of the tape. So we will see what tomorrow brings. Regardless, we will keep at it until they are up.
Jasmine brought her friend Lexi with her to dog class, and with Liz helping out, I got video of three GSDs, including two of mine, Clyde and See See, in handling class.
The room where we have class is rather small, and the floor is slick, which is fine for smaller dogs, or dogs that do not have to go so fast in the ring. GSD handlers have to go faster than any other breed handler because GSDs are shown at a “flying trot”. These ladies are doing an amazing job with these GSDs despite the less than ideal conditions.
If you’ve been following my blog for awhile you might remember Winston’s Auntie Gail. She is my neighbor and helped me so much with my last litter which included Clyde and See See. She visited the other day and it was quite clear that she and Clyde REALLY missed each other. Each pic is a little different but I love all of them. The last one is best.
My friend Josh came back to day for a retaping of his puppy’s ears. First we had to get the glue off, and that was a job. In the pics, you can see that her ears are still floppy.
On Sunday I participated in another leg of a long line of volunteer drivers who transported dogs from overcrowded shelters in Alabama and Georgia up into the New England states where they will be adopted. I drove with my friend Stan from Richmond to Newington with seven dogs of the 18 that were transported.
My friend Keith gave me a bunch of venison scraps and I put them in the oven in a roasting pan. I saved them in the freezer for later for the dogs. Then I set the pan on the floor. This is what happened.
I met Josh and some other friends in Petersburg to practice conformation handling some dogs. Josh brought his new female puppy, who is now 6 months old, so I could check out her ears. She tore the tape off after 8 days, so he glued them instead of retaping them.
I advised Josh to reset her ears using the forms and tape, because on close inspection, a crease is starting to form on the inner portion, just above the base. I could be wrong, and maybe her ears will straighten nicely once the glue is removed. I like the way the glue holds them together and pointing up, but I am worried that they sag too much. This gluing method works better on much younger puppies before the back portion of the skull has grown and widened as much as hers has. Regardless, I know he won’t give up on her ears, and they will stand eventually.
Winston, Clyde and See See can be overly affectionate when greeting old friends. Sharon hasn’t been to visit in about a month, so let’s just say they were enthusiastic.
See See has just finished her heat cycle, and I had to keep her apart from the three males in the house. She normally is kept with her two brothers and is fed and exercised with them. During her heat cycle I let her out separately, and she spent time in a crate beside my bed at night and for meals.
I gave her a really good bath first. When I reintroduced them, I did it one boy at a time, and then threw them all together. The brothers have been together throughout her heat cycle, with absolutely no contact with See See.
It is difficult to keep multiple (3) intact males in one household with an intact female. It’s only manageable because I have two completely separate yards and two levels in the house to keep dogs separated. And of course because the two youngest males get along so well with each other. Johnny and his mother and sister have been together from the beginning. Since both older females are spayed now, I don’t have to worry about ever separating them again.
Shepherd Sight