The social German Shepherd Dog.

The family friendly German Shepherd dog LOVES attention.  They actually thrive on attention from their human family.  The GSD will grieve when ignored and will even quit eating and can develop some serious behavior problems if not included in sufficient quality time with his or her 'people.' 

The GSD becomes part of the human family. The dog doesn't understand family in the ways or sense that we understand human family relationships.  The GSD assumes that the human family is ordered and functions as a dog's pack would.  The dog never ceases to be a dog, no matter how much training they've been through.  A human often will have trouble with their dog if they do not understand at least a little bit about the 'law of the pack.'  There is a certain order in a dog's pack and they understand it and expect you to understand it too.  One of the responsibilities of the pack leader is to provide food for the pack.  Since you are the one feeding the dog (I assume that you don't expect it to go running through the neighborhood finding something to kill and eat!) the dog assumes that you are the pack leader. Another thing that the pack leader must do is to provide a safe environment for the pack and also to maintain the social order within the pack. . .  mediate doggy disputes.  So your dog looks to you for order in the family environment and the sense of security is  greatly enhanced as you play with, talk to, groom, and socialize with your dog.

When the dog know's that you are happy with him or her, all (or at least mostly all) is well in the doggy's world! . . .  So keep your doggy feeling safe and content . . . give him or her lots of hugs today and remember to whisper 'sweet nothings' in those big GSD ears.

Until next time . . .   Eliot      follow Mia's stories on Twitter:  @MiaRosehall

What kind of fence?

The standard 10 X 10 X 6' tall chain link panel kennel kits can be the ideal start of your dog's safe home.  If you have a very small dog the kennel pen doesn't need to be that tall and the 100 square feet provided could be adequate for fairly long stays in that space.  A big dog will require much more space for day time stretching but the 100 square feet can be a good night time place if it has shelter within it such as a good quality dog house.

The day time play yard should be big enough that the dog can actually break into a run, at least for short distances so if space is limited, a longer narrower space is prefered to one that is more square. . .  thus the term, 'dog run.'  Daytime shelter is required within the play yard as well as the night time enclosure.  A dog house, a roofed porch, whatever can be provided to provide good shade and shelter from wind, rain, snow, etc.

There are a number of good fencing options for dogs.  There are now well tested 'underground' electronic fences and the wireless fences, both of which will alert the dog as it approaches it's boundaries by stimulus through a device on the dog's collar.  These are different from the older style 'electric' fences that actually have an electrical charge pulsing through wire that is run from post to post around the dog's boundary. Back yards can be fenced with wooden 'stockade' type panels making an enclosure that cannot be seen through.  Chain link fencing, woven or welded wire fencing are other options for fencing off a good play yard.

Each of these options has strong advocates.  We know of dogs who stay well within their yards under each of these kinds of fencing.  We also know instances of dogs who chronically escape from any or all of these!  Dogs are able to jump over, dig under, chew through or climb just about any type of reasonable fencing that can be imagined.

The real key to keeping a dog safely contained within it's appointed play yard is relationship.  A well loved and well disciplined dog will know the 'master's' desires and will choose to live within the boundaries set once trained to it. There is effort and perseverance required to training the puppy or young dog to respect the boundaries.  You cannot leave your dog unattended for long periods of time or without toys or amusements to keep it entertained and expect the dog not to attempt to 'break out.'  Your loving relationship with the dog must include bountiful times in your presence as a companion and adequate stimulation to satisfy it's need for amusement for the dog to be content to stay within the fence . . .  whatever kind of fence it is.  If the dog is content, it will stay in a good play yard.

If you have adopted a dog that is old enough to have already developed some behavior problems, it can be a major challenge to work through them.  There are great consultants that can help with dog behavior problems.  Occasionally those problems are the result of a temperament quirk in the dog.  Usually dog behavior problems are the result of human problems the dog encountered or endured.  Most often the problems can be corrected . . .  even the determined escape artist!

Until next time . . .   Eliot    www.rosehallkennel.com

Every dog owner is a dog trainer.

Sit! . . . Stay!   . . . Come!   These are a few of the basic commands which just about every dog owner desires their dog to respond to promptly.  There are several theories and doctrines about when, how and where to train your dog.

Most communities have 'puppy classes' available for pups as soon as they have had all of their 'puppy shots.'  Classes continue for older pups and adult dogs too.  Some classes 'sequence' so that when you finish the basics you advance to the next level.

There are services available where you can send your puppy or dog off to school and it comes back 'trained.'  The trainer then has to train you so that you know what to expect and how to command your dog.

When you take your pup to school, you are the one handling your dog.  The class instructor is actually teaching YOU how to handle your dog . . .  more correctly, the instructor is training you how to train your dog.  You are learning the principles during the one hour class but the training of the dog takes place twice a day, day after day, as you practice the commands assigned each week.  The teacher is the coach, you are the dog trainer.  I really think that is the best and most effective way to train your dog and bring discipline into it's life.  The dog responds best within your relationship with it.  When you send a dog off to school, your dog develops a relationship with the trainer which may be quite different from it's relationship with you.  Then you have to learn how to work within that new relationship to get the dog to obey your commands.

The purpose of this post isn't to discuss the strengths of various training methods but to encourage you to understand that it's YOUR dog and YOU have a relationship with it so YOU must be the dog trainer, whether you use some sort of a formal puppy class to assist you or not. Having a dog as part of your family is a wonderful experience with many benefits.  It is not, however, without a significant cost of your time and attention. Training is a very important responsibility that the dog owner has towards their dog so that it will become a respected and civil member of the community.

Until next time . . .   Eliot      www.rosehallkennel.com

It's a natural thing, isn't it?

'Oh, aren't they cute?  I want some.  I want my children to have the experience of seeing puppies born and then helping raise them.  It's such a natural thing. I think it would be good for them.'   Apparently many people are thinking those or similar thoughts.  When multiplied over and over again there are thousands upon thousands of new pups born into the world with little thought of where they will end up.   It is a great experience to watch puppies be born.  It is wonderful to watch a momma dog carefully take care of her young, nursing and nurturing them through weaning.  Many momma dogs continue to seem to enjoy their playful pups for months as they grow and frolic.  If you have children, the puppy experience can be a great tool for teaching them lessons about life and responsibility.

BUT . . .  if you haven't thought about and made plans for what happens to the pups as they grow up into dogs, all the good intentions you may have had for the 'puppy experience' may be negated if those young dogs find themselves homeless, relegated to a shelter and quite possibly euthanized.  Before you consider breeding your dog, please make careful consideration about the fine responsible homes that will be required for each one of the pups resulting from your breeding.  Breeding without a good market of responsible homes for the pups is grossly irresponsible and the breeder becomes morally responsible for the ultimate death of that young dog should it end up euthanized.

'Accidental' breedings are no less the responsibility of the dog's owner.  Breeding and bringing forth puppies is, after all, a very natural thing for the dog!  The dogs, however, have no ability to assure that the resulting pups are properly adopted into loving, caring, responsible homes.  Again, it is the responsibility of the dog's owner to provide for the resulting pups.  If you are not prepared to take that responsibility you must have your dogs spayed or neutered at the appropriate age and carefully guard them against breeding until they are old enough to be 'fixed.'

If you don't have the time (LOTS of it), energy, or resources to feed, vaccinate, care for, love and play with many dogs or if you don't have a list of appropriate homes who can make all those provisions, DON'T HAVE PUPPIES!  . . .  and make sure that your dogs can't!  We try to be very careful to ask those kinds of probing questions of anyone desiring to have one of our pups.  We attempt to assess if the buyer is inclined to be the responsible caring person that will provide a good 'forever' home for their dog.  Our hope and goal is that a Rosehall dog will never end up homeless and unloved and in a shelter awaiting it's execution day . . . for no crime of it's own, but because someone wouldn't provide for it.

Please spay or neuter your dogs at the appropriate age!

Until next time . . .   Eliot     https://www.facebook.com/RosehallLargeGermanShepherds 

Give me Liberty or give me Death

On March 23, 1775 Patrick Henry gave a passionate speech to the Virginia Convention in which he said, 'Give me Liberty or give me Death.'  This remains a well know slogan that came from the American Revolution and is learned by United States school students in their history lessons.  For many of us it remains a cry that is closely associated to our passion for our personal freedom and political liberty.

We often hear people who are almost equally passionate about giving their dog liberty. "I wouldn't have a dog that has to be confined,' we hear people say.   Well, with rare exceptions, giving your dog unrestrained liberty to roam the face of the earth at will may well be putting your dog at risk of death. There are all kinds of real dangers 'out there' for a dog.  Often the dog doesn't recognize the dangers because they are not 'natural' in the dog's understanding of their environment. . . the vehicle traffic, the property boundaries that may be strictly enforced by others, the dog fearing humans, vicious and possibly rabid wildlife, and tempting 'eats' that can be very poisonous to dogs (such as antifreeze that apparently is quite tasty to the dog but is fatal.) The unfairness I see here is that in matters of political liberty, I am making my own choices that may place me at risk of great bodily harm or even death.  When a dog owner makes that decision on behalf of the dog, the owner is putting the dog at risk and the dog DIDN'T make that choice. 

One of the responsibilities of the alpha dog in the pack is to keep the pack safe.  As a dog owner, you must take the place of the alpha dog in the pack.  That means it is up to you to provide secure surroundings for your dog.  While we are strongly against 'staking out' a dog or keeping it on a 'dog run,' we are adamant that the dog must have sufficient space and time in which to vigorously exercise every day.  Securely fenced play yards are the best option where at all possible.  This is not the 10 X 10 or even the 20 X 20 chain link kennel pen.  This is the 1/8 acre (5,000 square feet) minimum play area where the dog can actually stretch out his legs and run. (The play yard pictured above is 1.5 acres opening onto a 2.5 acre lake.)

The alternative is twice daily runs with the owner.  The dog must be on leash or under strict voice command depending upon local ordinances.  Some people have equipped bicycles with gear that allows the dog to safely run along side of the bike.  Many communities have dog parks where you can take your dog for exercise and socialization.  An adult dog spends much of it's day at rest. But in order to maintain both physical and emotional health, the dog must have opportunity to be enthusiastically active.

Your dog must have some degree of freedom.  The dog tied out to a tree or living on the cable run needs daily opportunity to experience some freedom.  But it is up to the dog's caretaker to ensure that their freedom is safe from danger.  To greater or lesser degrees human governments attempt to do the same for the citizens.  Legitimate arguments can be made both pro and con regarding the restrictions and interference a government makes in a person's life.  I don't believe the arguments can be the same regarding your responsibility to care for the safety of your dog.

Until next time . . .   Eliot      www.rosehallkennel.com

p.s.  Ironically only a few hours after I finished writing this I received a cell phone call from a family member. She was crying and distressed. She had been on her way to school to pick up her child and a dog darted out of a driveway under the wheels of her car and was killed.  An irresponsible dog owner failed to keep their dog safe and has subjected this young woman to the trauma and distress of the dog's death under the wheels of her car.

'Drop!' . . . a command that can save your dog's life.

Sit! . . .  Down! . . .  Stay!  Maybe the most common training commands that we teach our dogs.  We may add 'Shake!'  or  'Roll Over.' .  . and if we're very patient and dedicated we work on teaching our dogs to 'Stay.'  All good and all important.  Anyone having a dog has the responsibility of disciplining the dog (and themselves) so that their dog is safely under their voice command.  The bigger and more active the dog, the more essential it is that the dog be well trained and good mannered. It's a lot of work but very well worth all the efforts required. It is part of our being a good and responsible citizen in our community.

Some time ago I had been studying about dog obedience training and obedience trials and I kept running across references to 'DOR.'  I was curious and found out that in obedience trial lingo that refers to 'Drop on return.'  When the handler calls a dog to return to them from some distance, as the dog is coming back the 'Drop!' command is given and the dog is to go directly to a 'down stay.'  I thought that was pretty cool but it was only after I considered the practicle application of this command did I come to realize how very useful and potentially life saving this command could be.

While we like to think that we could have our dogs so well trained that they would never wander off from us and get into potentially dangerous situations we should recognize that mostly we have not arrived at that place yet.  It is also likely that no matter how well we are disciplined  and our dogs trained there is the potential that our dog could be distracted by something very appealing at the very moment that we ourselves have allowed our concentration to wander elsewhere.  We look up, find that our four legged friend has crossed the street (following a rabbit, investigating the pretty blue ball in the yard, or enticed by a child's call or whatever . . . )  As we call our dog to return to us and it promptly obeys (being so well trained), to our horror we see a car racing down the road and our pup is on a collision course with a couple thousand pounds of speeding metal.

It is here were the value of the 'Drop!' command becomes obvious.  You sharply yell 'Drop!', your dog goes to an immediate 'down stay' and the car whizzes by and your dog is safe.   Hours and hours of work and (sometimes) frustration has come to fruit.

I started working with Mia on the 'Drop!' command at about 12 weeks of age.  During our twice a day 15 minute training times I would insert the command at random times in our routine.  I would always yell loudly and she would always be startled. (You are not likely to use the command in a situation that isn't some sort of a potential crises.)  I would then quickly reach down to her and push her down to the ground and hold her there while I pet her and praised her and comforted her in her confusion.  It is now a game to her and she drops right to the ground. She will stay put and I can walk away from her and she will not move until I release her from the 'Stay!'

Ironically Mia is one of the dogs that has shown the least interest (so far) in wandering too far away.  I would like to think it is be because I have been more intense and methdical with her training but more likely it is her tempreament and the stage he is going through.  I am not deluded that she isn't capable of getting into some sort of trouble so I continue to keep the 'Drop!' command in our workouts.  I have come to think that this is so important for a dog to be able to do that I felt compelled to encourage all of you to begin to add this to your training work if you haven't already mastered this move with your companion.

May we never have to use this in a real life situation!

Until next time . . .   Eliot

www.rosehallkennel.com 

Wow! How they grow!

Healthy puppies with a healthy mom grow at an almost amazing rate early in their lives.  Tacie's pups were born a week ago. The 5 pups ranged from 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds each at birth. A short 7 days later they are all over 2 1/4 pounds . . .  each gaining about a pound during the week  (thats a little over 2 ounces per day!)  Tacie is producing an abundance of milk and the little puppy bellies are staying full and round.  Mom is doing a great job of keeping the pups clean and keeping track of them as they've become rather mobile, squirming around and occasionally getting behind her.  Emily keeps close tabs on them by frequent visits into the nursery and monitoring by way of a closed circuit television camera with a microphone that picks of the tell tale sounds of a pup when it's unhappy.  Emily sleeps (or doses off an on) next to the pups each night all through the first week and mostly through the second week too to reduce the risk of a pup getting hurt by getting stuck between mom and the wall.

Regular doses of calcium supplement are a precautionary measure for momma to reduce the chances of her contracting 'milk fever' . . .  a condition caused by low calcium from the tremendous strain of the puppies' requiring nutrients from mom before birth as they developed bone and muscle and now from the demands of nursing and milk production.  The nursing mom gets a carefully balanced high nutrition feed mix eating as much as she wants during this stage and drinks water seemingly by the gallon!  It's no wonder that the pups grow so fast during this stage. 

These pups that were a little over a pound at birth last week and over two pounds today could be between 15-20 pounds by the time they are picked up at 8 weeks old. That means in the next 7 weeks they will average over 2 pounds of growth per week!  They will begin nibbling on puppy food in a couple of weeks and then the puppy food will begin to disappear.  Mom will wean the pups sometime around 5-6 weeks (rarely a mom will nurse steadily until 8 weeks.)

This week we will be watching for eyes to open (Tuesday or Wednesday) although it takes many more days for vision to begin to get clear and focused.  Hearing comes after seeing but the pups develop fast and before we know it we will begin to see little puppy personalities developing.  Each pup will 'come ito it's own.'  This is a fun season but VERY busy for all of us here at the kennel.

Fresh pics are posted regularly on our web site and on our Facebook Fan Page. . .  follow along and watch the puppies grow before your eyes!

Until next time . . . .   Eliot

www.rosehallkennel.com

What's in a name?

This photo is of our retired girl 'Parah' who has stayed on the farm with us.  Her full name is Royalair's Parah Karat. That's the name on her AKC registration papers and the name that shows on all the pedigrees of all her progeny.

It used to be that a kennel had the right and responsibility to assign the name to every puppy that was born to their breeding dogs.  When I was very young my grandparents had a Springer Spaniel that I knew as 'Prince.'  I was surprised to find out that his name was something entirely different.  While I don't remember Prince's registered name I'll probably never forget that part of his name was Bojangles.  I thought that was very funny at the time.  I was never given a good answer as to why we knew him as Prince and that name was in no way related to his 'real' name. 

What we call a dog is known as the dog's 'call name.' (Makes sense.)  And the dog's call name need not have any resemblance to their registered name.  In our kennel all our dog's call names have some resemblance to their registered names.  The registered name most usually includes the name of the kennel where the puppy came from somewhere in the name . . .  begining or end or wherever the kennel chooses to ask for it to be.  So our dog Parah came from Royalair kennel in Iowa.  Dogs that were born at our kennel have 'Rosehall' in the front such as Rosehall Esther's Poolos . . .  who we call 'Polly.'   You can tell from her name that she is a Rosehall bred dog and in this case that her mother is our Esther who we call 'Essie.'   Essie is really Royalair's Esther Haddasah . . .  yep, another breeding girl that we purchased as a puppy from Royalair Kennel.

A few years ago the A.K.C. changed the rules on naming dogs and clearly and specifically gives the naming right for a puppy to the puppy's new family.  As part of our sales agreement  we ask that the buyer include the Rosehall name at the front of the registered name but that agreement is between us and the buyer . . . we can in no way prevent the buyer from using whatever name they choose when registering with AKC.  And now AKC has a procedure by which a current owner can request a change of registered name for their dog. By using several names in the registration name a family can claim the puppy's kennel heritage, their own family name and the call name if desired.  One of our very popular stud dogs is named Royalair's Duke of Rosehall. . .  yep, another breeding dog that we purchased as a puppy from Royalair but this one also shows our kennel's name in this stud's full name.  His call name is 'Duke.' He came from Royalair but Rosehall's name will show on the pedigree of all his progeny.

So there usually is some method in what appears to be the madness of assigning a dog such long and complicated names.  My girl Mia's full name is L'MiaMelas Rosehall von Benedict. In this case the kennel asked that her name begin with 'L.'  Tradition in many kennels is that all pups from a litter have names starting with the same letter and each litter uses a successive letter in the alphabet.  The 1st litter would be all 'A's' the second all 'B's' etc.   So Mia was from the kennel's 12th litter (or 38th litter if they'd already been through the alphabet once.)  We put the Rosehall name in because we hope she will prove to be a breeding girl for us and our name would then appear in the pedigrees of all her progeny.  The kennel that she came from doesn't use their kennel name in thier naming scheme but instead uses 'von Benedict', indicating the name of a famous sire in her direct line.

So when we are out playing in the fields and I call 'Huey' . . .  he comes.  He knows that name and has no earthly idea that he is really 'Rosehall Parah's Eschatos Huios.'  Maybe someday I'll write the story of some of our dog's 'weird' names . . .  for example Parah Karat comes from words that mean 'Fruitful Covenant.'   Each one has a special meaning to us, often a character trait we observed in the young pup or a quality or hope that we want to bless that pup with.

until next time . . .   Eliot.

find us at www.rosehallkennel.com   follow Mia's kennel stories on Twitter  @MiaRosehall.

Big? . . . How big?

'Over size,' 'Old fashioned,' 'original style' . . .  all labels thrown about by various GSD kennels to describe certain various forms of the German Shepherd Dog.  Some seem straight forward but there isn't really a standard terminology and so the words can generate some confusion.

My understandings of the origins of the German Shepherd Dog is that there was not a lot of uniformity in size, color, pattern or even shape of the foundation stock of what became known as the German Shepherd.  The important qualities that were chosen were their herding and guarding skills.  As time progressed and certain shapes and forms became prefered over others the now familiar shape and general conformation of the GSD developed.  By the 1940's and '50's the 'champion' GSD's were large, blocky, straight backed, broad shouldered with big heads and erect ears.  (This is what we at Rosehall Kennel refer to as the 'Old Fashioned' style GSD.)

As time passed, the conformation judges' preferences changed little by little so that in present times the 'champions' have a much different look.  They are smaller with significant angulation of the back.  There are all kinds of health related arguments for or against either style and this isn't the forum to debate those.  Today I merely point out that the breed standards change over time and that in any given season there will be people who prefer the current standards and then there are others who better appreciate the form and size of the 'champions' of another era.  No one need be 'RIGHT' or 'WRONG' on this issue.  We breed what we breed because we are partial to them.  We are careful in our breeding program and strive to produce healthy, well formed, strong animals.

Look for a dog that appeals to you . . .  size, color, coat, temperament . . .  but search well for a dog that is carefully bred so that it is healthy and sound, no matter the other traits.

Until next time . . .   Eliot

take a look at our upcoming litter plans at: http://www.rosehallkennel.com/PuppyDreamPage.htm 

It's puppy week!

It's puppy week!  Boy were we surprised . . .  Tacie's 'due' date was to be this coming Thursday (Jan 12) . . .  that's 63 days from the 1st breeding.  The pups are actually fully developed and 'safe' to enter the world at 58 days and various mamma dogs will whelp on different days (although they most usually are predictable for their own term once they have had a litter or two.)  One of the tricky parts about a girl's first litter is that we have no experience whelping with her so we don't know what HER term is.  In this case Tacie proved to be 5 days early giving birth to a fine litter yesterday, on Sunday January 8th.  As of 6 PM Sunday she had birthed 5 pups. We went back and re-examined her x-ray from Friday and decided that what we thought was the 6th pup was actually a shadow behind the colon and our wishful thinking.  We are accustomed to larger litters and that had something to do with our interpretation as well.  They are all white and she has had 2 males and 3 females.  They are all over 1 pound 4 ounces with two of them weighing as much as 1 pound 8 ounces . . .  big pups!  Almost as big as Dr. Will joked about (as big as full grown Yorkies), they are big and healthy pups which gives them a 'head start' on life.  The down size of such large puppies is that it can be hard for the mom to birth them.  In Tacie's case she did great. A couple of the pups were difficult but she came through each of the deliveries well and is doing a great job of caring for her newborns.  I expect to be able to post a litter picture and provide an update with our next post on Wednesday.

until next time . . .   Eliot    www.rosehallkennel;.com 

Off to see the Dr.

Having a vet (or even several vets) that you trust is essential.  Whether you are responsible for several dogs (like we are) or you have just one, that dog's health and well being are in your care.  Unless you are vet trained yourself, it is unlikely that you are equipped to take care of all of the routine health care needs of your pet and certainly not the more complex needs.  I've commented before that it is important to be able to communicate well with your chosen vet and trust that she or he has the animal's best health interest at heart.

This morning we are off to visit our favorite doctors (who are also family members).  The trip is about a 2 hour drive each way.  We are quite sure that we drive past several very competant vets between our farm and Dr. Will's hospital.  The family connection is certainly a strong pull for us but we are so impressed with Dr. Will and Dr. Tara's willingness to carefully explain all they do to us that we would likely choose to drive that far for their services even if they weren't family.  (They have animals that they care for that are brought from much greater distances than we travel too!)

[I guess it's important to note here that we also use another great vet hospital that is MUCH closer than Dr. Will's for many needs.  In part, we feel it is important to have someone close that is aware of what we are doing so that should a critical emergency arise with one of our fine dogs that we could get attention quickly by competant doctors that we know and have confidence in.]

This morning's trip to the animal hospital in Norris, TN is for x-ray picture of Tacie and her pups in preparation fror next week's whelping. We do this for each mother dog several days before we expect her to whelp.  Getting to see the pups (and count them) helps us prepare for the birthing ordeal to come.  Knowing how many and what size they are gives us a hint about possible difficulties we may encounter. On occaision we make a decision to leave the mother at the hospital for a 'c-section' delivery if we and the doctors feel like it is in the best interest for the mother and pups. 

We may post the x-ray photo on our Facebook Page later today (if it's clear enough.) and give you an update of what we expect from Tacie . . . stand by for PUPPIES!

ps . . .  just arrived home . . .  xray shows 6 BIG pups. Dr. Will jokingly said they look as big as full grown Yorkies    ; - )


 . . . until next time . . .  Eliot   https://www.facebook.com/RosehallLargeGermanShepherds

Getting ready . . .

Tacie pups expected next week . . .  Getting ready for a new litter of puppies is quite an arduous task here at the kennel. There is plenty of cleaning to do . . .  most especially of the birthing room.  The chosen birthing room (we have 5 options) was thoroughly cleaned after the last litter vacated it as a nursery but now it will be cleaned again and bleached. 

We use large plastic swimming pools as our whelping box and they and the cushions they are placed on also get cleaned and bleached.

Then an invenory of 'birthing stuff' is taken and all that is prepared to be sterilized when Tacie begins her labor.  (We also make sure that there is an adequate supply of the essential stuff like coffee and chocolate chip cookie dough, etc.) 

One of the hardest things to accomplish in preparations is making sure that Emily gets a couple of naps in before the day comes.  With all the prep work that must be done, the nap scheduling is difficult but since it seems that most puppies are born in the very early hours of the morning, an 'all-nighter' is all but inevitable.  There are also a couple of nights that follow whelping that require very close and almost constant attention to make sure that both mom and all the pups thrive.

To help us minimize 'surpirses' we have gotten in the habit of having an x-ray taken of the pups several days before they are born.  It gives us a better guess as to how many pups need to be delivered and sometimes gives us a clue as to what complications to watch out for.  We'll have that x-ray done this Friday.  Then the waiting begins in earnest.  63 days is 'full term' but it is not uncommon for some girls to deliver earlier (or later). Since this is Tacie's first . . .  we don't know what her schedule is.

Our last litter was born towards the end of September so there have been a little over 3 months since the last births here at the kennel.  The last of the pups was picked up a couple of weeks ago so we have had a little bit of a 'breather' here.  The next few litters are spaced out nicely so we should have Tacie pups next week (mid-January) with Leucy pups following towards the end of February and Libby pups maybe in mid-late March.

You will be able to follow Tacie's puppies arrival on the kennels Facebook Fan Page https://www.facebook.com/RosehallLargeGermanShepherds and on Mia's twitter account @MiaRosehall

Check us out on the web site too . . .  Tacie's pups are not all spoken for . . . http://www.rosehallkennel.com/PuppyDreamPage.htm

until next time . . .    Eliot

A New Year . . . what comes next?

These pups are only 2 days old in this photo . . .kind of like this New Year . . .only 2 days old.  The pups won't begin to open their eyes until the 10th day and will not see clearly for many days after that.  Hearing doesn't happen until even later in their lives. 

In some ways each new year is like the new puppies.  We can't see into the future clearly to know what is coming.  As we change calendars it is customary to pause and look back over the recently ended year (and those that preceeded that one) and contemplate where we've come from.  We also dream about what we'd like the coming year to be and maybe even be so bold as to make resolutions . . .  attempts to make commitments that will improve our lives and circumstances in the coming year.

We have learned alot from our past . . .  both our successes and progress and also from the occasional blunder.  We have great hopes for the future . . . we have what we expect to be two fine litters coming in the next few weeks with Tacie's 1st litter due in mid January and Leucy's next litter due towards the end of February.  There will be more fine litters coming throughout 2012.   We have some wonderful young dogs coming along, some of whom will be having their 1st litters this year.  There will be more improvements in our tools to communicate with great improvements to our web site and a new web site coming soon.  The addition of this blog and our very new entry into the realm of Twitter will be good additions to our fun presence already popular on Facebook.

But on this 2nd day of January, 2012 (doesn't that seem weird to write the new year in our dates?) rather than looking back or dreaming forward I really want to pause to express my gratitude for all the abundant blessings that have been given to me . . .  and especially in this forum to say that I am grateful to have the priviledge to live and work with these amazing German Shepherd Dogs at Rosehall Kennel and the great people who have brought these pups into their families and into their workplaces . . .  you all are the best!


. . . until next time . . .   Eliot     www.rosehallkennel.com


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