vom Holzbach Blog
Kennel updates and hunting/Training Journal
Closing Out the 2019/2020 Season
We certainly had an abbreviated hunting season, being completely occupied with puppies for most of the late fall and early winter. To cap off the final days of Washington’s upland hunting season, we headed over the mountains and spent a week in the southeast corner of the state. Despite cold weather and being terribly out of form for late season hunting, we made the most of the opportunity end the season with some birds in the bag!
'A' Litter All Grown Up
The puppies have all departed for their new homes and are settling in nicely. I have so enjoyed the updates that I’ve gotten from the new families! I’m excited to know how all of the dogs do in their first few months of training and eventually heading into their first hunting season next fall.
'A' Litter at Seven Weeks: Preparing to Launch
This was a busy week for the growing puppies! They visited the vet for exams and vaccines, they visited our local breed inspector for tattoos and microchips, and they learned how to ride calmly in the car while venturing out on all these errands. Their world is expanding daily!
'A' Litter at Six Weeks: Becoming Individuals
The physical and mental development of the puppies hit warp speed this week. I think they look taller, leaner, and more mature every time I look at them! Photos that I took on Tuesday suddenly look outdated by Friday. In addition to physical growth, the puppies are starting to display distinct personalities and traits. They are truly becoming individuals instead of just a pack of puppies.
'A' Litter at Five Weeks: Building Confidence
The puppies had a big week this week: they moved out of the whelping box and into their playpen. This gave them much more room to run and play, which definitely changed their interactions. Life no longer centers around eating; they are making social bonds and learning how to interact with each other, with people, and with their environment.
'A' Litter at Four Weeks: Independence and Discovery
Week four was all about independence for the pups, both by choice and by circumstance. They are gaining confidence in themselves during play time, whether it’s with each other or during their one-on-one times outside of the whelping box.
'A' Litter at Three Weeks: Up and Alert
The puppies took on their third week with open eyes and ears, giving them a week characterized by alertness and awareness. Suddenly they were noticing things in their world - especially each other. The regular rhythm of feeding and sleeping gave way to an additional activity: play. The living room is now ringing with the sounds of puppy barks and puppy growls as the pups engage in this crucial developmental activity.
'A' Litter at Two Weeks: On the Move
The A litter puppies turned two weeks old this weekend. It was a big week for them! The theme of the week was mobility. They are really getting their legs under them. What started with just a few shaky stands soon turned into first wobbly steps. Seemingly overnight, they were on the move.
'A' Litter at One Week Old
We’ve had a busy week as we all get adjusted to raising a litter of puppies. Piper continues to do a great job, though I can tell she gets a little bored sometimes! Things are slowly falling into a regular routine as we work together to care for the pups.
The 'A' Litter Arrives
The A litter is here! Piper delivered eight healthy puppies on Saturday night - and not without her usual flair for the dramatic.
The Home Stretch
Entering the ninth week of Piper’s pregnancy is both exciting and nerve-wracking. She appears wider every time I look at her! I tell her she’s “glowing” but in truth, I can tell she’s ready for this phase to end. Her perpetually good-natured attitude is being challenged by the discomfort of the final days of carrying growing pups.
Pregnancy Confirmed!
After Zeke and Piper were bred, it was time to play the waiting game. We knew there wouldn’t be any obvious signs of pregnancy for a while, but that didn’t stop me from reading into all of Piper’s behaviors. Was she extra tired? Extra clingy? Extra…maternal?
Dusky Grouse Redux
Feeling pretty excited about our rookie success on Dusky Grouse, we headed back over the mountains at our next available opportunity. We retraced our steps to the areas we’d found birds and focused our efforts on identifying likely habitat and resting spots.
Chasing Blues
We made it a goal this year to really focus on early season grouse hunting. With Piper being pregnant, we wanted to take advantage of as much of the September and early October hunting opportunities as possible. Here in Washington, that means forest grouse.
Zeke Goes Hunting
While Zeke (Bolt vom Coraschatten) was staying with us for breeding purposes, we took advantage of the opening of Washington’s grouse season to stretch his legs and to learn more about his hunting abilities. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to hunt behind the sire of our future litter; in addition to getting to know him in our home, I’d also get to know more about his hunting style and handling of birds.
The Future Begins
We welcomed a very special visitor to our home earlier this week: Bolt vom Coraschatten, known as “Zeke”, flew to Seattle from Denver to (hopefully) breed with Piper. We opted to have him come a little early so that we could get to know him better, have him get settled in and comfortable, and to err on the side of caution when trying to identify the right time for breeding.