May 2011
It’s Spring in Idaho! Finally!
Spring has finally
reached Idaho with green grass, blue skies, and glorious snowcaps still
gracing the mountains. For those of you affected by the power of weather
across the country, please write me to let me know how you are doing.
We see the dramatic news stories of flooding and tornadoes and cannot help
but be concerned for our Candle Hill friends.
Our most recent puppies
have gone home. This litter of pups from Chinook, out of our beloved
long coated line, and Drago, our fantastic new stud from Germany, have been
received with the most accolades of any litter that I can remember.
The exciting thing about this blend of bloodlines is that if these pups
continue to meet expectations, we have several opportunities to repeat the
genetic match with our Max/Wessa daughters and Drago.
These puppies have all
been especially happy pups. Their common denominator is a true and
exuberant love of people, affection, and bonding, with good focus.
From there we found a variety in drive and push, with some having what we
call working dog traits and others being more suited to be family
companions. All have the makings of faithful partners. It is the
perfect blend for the variety of wonderful people who come our way in search
of that right puppy.
Lucca, the black
standard coated male, went to California to join a puppy family who has been
on our list several years. He is proving to have the right
affectionate character and look that they have been waiting for.
Jago, a longcoated
sable male, went to Missouri to join a breeding and training program.
Shane, the bi-color
standard coated female, is staying with us for the summer, with Hannah
carefully taking her through our Puppy Foundation Program. Shane is a
delight, ready to learn, and eager to please.
Argus moved to Orcas
Island where there is a growing population of Candle Hill Shepherds.
He is already learning lots of things from delivering the mail (at least
there was a video of him carrying the mail tray with an envelope in it) to
walking a ramp up into the car.
Here are some
testimonials from the two families with the most rambunctious pups of the
bunch:
From Ashley, a K9
Police Officer and Professional Dog Trainer, who has Fury out of Drago and
Chinook, 2011. Please note, Ashley was one of our first puppy families
and one who has been watching our breeding program for years. She wanted
Chinook as a puppy but was not in a position to adopt another dog at the
time, so Chinook became ours to keep. When we announced the Chinook /
Drago breeding, Ashley was first in line, requesting the wildest female
puppy of the bunch. If that puppy were to be black and long coated, so
much the better. We watched the black puppy with suspense to see if she
would be the one and well, here you have it, you have to love Ashley’s
description right below the picture of Fury.
“Hahaha...oh dear. You definitely sent me the right pup. She is a wild
child! I went to correct her yesterday, and she turned around, mouth open,
growling and bit me on the arm! She does not like to be told no! LOL. I love
it! She is full of herself. Spunky, fearless, into everything and has a mind
of her own! Wow! This is the most confident pup I've had yet. I can't even
describe it. I was honestly half expecting to see a glimpse of the long coat
side...haha which I did the first few days when she liked to snuggle. But
now...not a bit. She is 100% tough working lines. She's gonna have the agile
structure of her mom but my heavens ...this girl is going to be the one to
watch! I think you hit it spot on with this breeding. My mom was watching
her tonight while I was working and she called and said, "this girl is wild!
She doesn't take no for an answer! What she wants, she works at until she
gets!"
E! I LOVE IT! I could scream I am so happy with this little terror! She will
latch on to anything! Anyone else may be calling you to return her....me on
the other hand...I am stoked! “
What we strive for is
not puppies that are all the same, but the ability to match each puppy with
the right person. My favorite is a litter with a pup like this at the high
end, and a cuddle muffin at the other extreme.
From Tammara who has
Bella, the long coated sable female,
Hi Elizabeth!
Soooo, apparently Bella is already an agility star....she climbs baby gates
like they are ladders! This morning, she climbed the gate next to my bed and
laid down next to me. Too sweet to say no to! Yesterday we had to leave her
home for the first time, and she climbed over the gate that was keeping her
in the front room! She is a very determined little girl. She comes right
over to investigate things I touch when I say "Whats this?"....She digs in
areas where I say "Get it!" She and I were laying in the grass the other
day, and the chihuahua came running toward us....she jumped up between me
and the other dog and started barking at him! We went for a walk last night
and it was very windy....she would pounce on anything that blew by her. So
far nothing at all has startled or frightened her. If she's unsure about
something, she will stand and look at it while moving her head around
scenting, then take steps toward it. It helps a lot if I say "Whats this?"
It's like she trusts that if I touch it then it's ok. She is like no puppy
I've ever had....I can see the specific traits she was bred for, I can tell
this girl was born to work. She is going to be a wonderful challenge, and at
the same time teach ME so much about how to raise and train her without
dampening her natural abilities. Thank you for your careful breeding and
puppy placement....so far it seems I got the exact puppy I was dreaming
about!
I will keep you updated!
Tammara
More puppies are coming in the next few weeks and
through the summer and we also have several young adults who will be coming
available who are already house and obedience trained. Be
sure to call or email for more information.
We don’t know which is
more fun, the puppies, or the dear people that become a part of our Candle
Hill Shepherd Family through them. Though I love training dogs, and
have been doing a lot of it lately getting ready for the spring and summer
dog competitions, you, my puppy families, are what is most rewarding.
The insights you share as you write me are invaluable in directing the
breeding program. I appreciate each of you so much.
Elizabeth
208-818-3099