Tuula
We got home rom Tennessee last night after a 12-hour drive with my KBD pup, Tuula, in tow.
We got to select Tuula after observing her litter for a couple days. I believe she was the right fit largely because of her interest in people in general and me in particular. She was more inclined to come when called and to spend time playing than some of her littermates. I would strongly recommend spending a lot of time with a litter before choosing a pup. During different periods, Tuula acted differently--sometimes she was hyper and really a pistol; sometimes she was the lazy one who wanted to sleep in the shade.
She's zonked out on the couch next to me. She played with Darcy all morning in the backyard even though she was weirded out by both Darcy and Solomon last night. She made it through the night with only one trip outside at 3.30.
She's a smaller KBD and interestingly has one blue eye, considered a major show ring fault. Thankfully, I consider show standards a major pain in the ass.
Thought I'd attach a few photos--they were cell-phone, so they're probably not great quality.
We got to select Tuula after observing her litter for a couple days. I believe she was the right fit largely because of her interest in people in general and me in particular. She was more inclined to come when called and to spend time playing than some of her littermates. I would strongly recommend spending a lot of time with a litter before choosing a pup. During different periods, Tuula acted differently--sometimes she was hyper and really a pistol; sometimes she was the lazy one who wanted to sleep in the shade.
She's zonked out on the couch next to me. She played with Darcy all morning in the backyard even though she was weirded out by both Darcy and Solomon last night. She made it through the night with only one trip outside at 3.30.
She's a smaller KBD and interestingly has one blue eye, considered a major show ring fault. Thankfully, I consider show standards a major pain in the ass.
Thought I'd attach a few photos--they were cell-phone, so they're probably not great quality.
Comments
I'll get some more and better photos up soon. I've been super sleep deprived since she wants to get up at the crack of dawn every day.
As I did some research prior to getting Tuula, I think I've read a couple accounts of other KBDs with two different colored or in one case, even parti-colored eyes. I think it's fairly rare, and I would be interested in comparing Tuula's pedigree with those of the other blue-eyed dogs. Everyone thinks she's a husky!
That would be different than the semi-dominant blue eyes in Siberians.
Hope she turns out to be all you hope for. The KBD is a wonderful breed!
She doesn't pee in the house (unless I've been a jackass and waited too long to let her out).
She doesn't pick fights with my older dog (that's what Kayla's dog is for).
She doesn't whine in her crate.
She doesn't bark at nothing at all.
She sleeps through the night (though the nights are admittedly short).
Won't it be interesting when she hits adolescence?
She basically comes when called, unless something more interesting has her attention.
She follows basic commands. I'm not drilling these all that hard--maybe I should start.
She doesn't walk on leash all that well--need some work there.
When do I start her running game, hunters? She's chased a skin around the yard and fought/played with it. She seems to have a real interest.
When should I get her out and bring some of that prey drive to the surface?
As for starting her on game, I think it depends on the game. She's probably a bit young for something big like a boar, but there's nothing wrong with starting her on rabbits or the like. I'm sure Gen or Shigeru will have an opinion on this.
More photos please!
Right now, she's asleep. She's been awesome! Took her to the vet for her 2nd round of shots today. I'll attach some photos soon; she's getting really tall! Less fluffy and puppy-looking and more like a little dog.
I need to work harder on her recall. It's funny--when we're out in the woods or in unfamiliar territory, she comes well when called. Otherwise, she kind of sucks. We'll get there, but in the meanwhile, any tips?
To train recall you need to practice a LOT. Get yourself some really yummy treats like chicken or hotdogs. Take her out and give her a few so she knows you've got them. Then, wait for her to range out and come back on her own. Give her a treat and send her back on her way. Keep doing that until she gets the idea that coming to you means good things happen and the fun doesn't end. Then, once she has that down, start calling her as she is already on the way back. The point of that is to pair the cue (you calling her) with the behavior (her coming to you). After she has that down, then you can start trying to call her when she's distracted or doing something else. After a few sessions of that, start slowly phasing out the treats so it is a "gamble" for her. She shouldn't know for sure if she's getting a treat or not.
Hope that helps!
Tuula has been great. Her recall is pretty good, but I try not to over-recall her when we're out in the woods. She's been really well behaved overall. I have taken her to numerous fun public places and she's been a champ.
She's still really small! I had her out swimming twice last week and when she gets wet she looks like a rat. She only weighs 15 lbs or so. She took to the water better than my lab as a pup--jumped right in and swam around, having a blast. She doesn't even have to swim after anything; she just likes swimming.
Hunters--we're going to have a tree dog. She treed a squirrel and ran in circles underneath the tree, barking her head off. She followed it as it timbered out to another tree.
Can't wait to get her out at night sometime and get her on coons this winter. I wish I lived in a place where she could eventually work bears, lions and bobcats. Someday soon, I hope. Anyone have any land they want hunted for black bear? We'll come fight off your bears in a year or two.
She hunts surprisingly far out--sometimes. She'll get as far as a hundred yards out and eventually comes back to check in. I couldn't be more pleased with a 13 week-old pup.
I'm a proud papa. I'll attach some photos tomorrow; I don't have a digital camera and have to upload cell phone photos, but they aren't terrible quality.
And congrats on getting married!