Dr. Reynolds - Vet Visit

The triplets and I went to Dr. Ashley Reynolds at Gasow, my vet clinic, first thing this morning for their very first trip outside my home. They had their six week check-ups, shots and microchips. They had the puppy hepatitis, distemper, parvo and parainfluenza vaccine. Dr. Reynolds pronounced them all A-OK and, as Arne Håkon would say, Yankee has his two stones.

Buska will be traveling in a couple of weeks so she will visit the vet again just before she leaves on a plane for her new home on the east coast. She looks huge because of her long hair next to short-haired Aska but their weight is almost the same differing only by a few ounces. Yankee weighs two more pounds than the girls; that's normal for males.

Everyone wants to touch and play with puppies but I don't allow that because they have no protections against disease yet and we were, after all, at the vets' office where people take sick pets.

They were really good, whining very little and being quiet in the car on the way there and back.

I know it's hard to believe that dear, sweet, shy, sensitive little Aska, that's Aska with the blaze on her forhead and on top of Yankee and snarling at him, still does not have a forever home. Her sibs, Yankee and Buska, found their new homes almost immediately.

There are many more photos of all three pups if you scroll back through the entries.

Serious inquiries only; please contact me: -
248-288-0947
or
jaimehansen1@comcast.net

I believe that she will be great in any dog sport like rally, flyball, obedience, weight pull, herding, tracking, etc. but especially agility. She will also do well in conformation.

Click on photos to enlarge them.

Kersins Huld - Queen Alpha

HULD, THE ALPHA BITCH

Don't let the sweet smile fool you.

My dogs are what make my life complete. They can be challenging but are worth the complications.

Having a suburban home with a limited amount of space and a complementary dog pack is not ideal. Adding a new dog, Bear, to the already existing and established pecking order is complicated. Having a pregnant female deliver her litter at the same time a new dog comes from Norway/Sweden is unavoidable and not a smart thing to do. Kata has always been ready and willing to take over as Alpha Queen Bitch from Huld. Huld has always successfully and easily retained her crown. Pila, returning late to the family, has always been treated with suspicion by all of the dogs but especially Totty.

Things are calm and pleasant 99% of the time. Honest. No exaggeration.

Sooo - when someone comes for a visit now it's exciting. It's chaos at the door. Icelandics love company, whether the company is someone they know or a total stranger, the greeting is raucous for the first two (+/-) minutes.

Yesterday when Eileen visited Yankee, the puppies, Pila, Totty, Huld and Kata were besides themselves to get her attention. Poor Eileen!

I have heard that some breeders do not allow visitors. I like to welcome people into our home but I am concerned that the tumultuous greetings could be off-putting.

I am also concerned that outsiders could bring in disease bugs on their hands or clothes. Puppies have very few antibodies against germs and are extremely vulnerable once they stop nursing and before they have had their shots. (Mom's antibodies to germs pass in her milk to the pups.) Most vets give pups their first inoculation at about the time they stop nursing - six - eight weeks.

When you have puppies, the older dogs get largely ignored. This entry is devoted to Huld and Kata who richly deserve their titles as head bitches!

(The plant is Italian Jack in the Pulpit and is much larger than our American variety.)

Afterthought: Huld's Mom is Edda, Kata's mom is Brella. Edda and Brella lived together in Iceland and were also at each other's throats. History has repeated itself.

The Girls - May 25, 2010

The girls are just too irresistible, aren't they?


Aska
(Aska - Ashes)




















Aska













Buska
(Oskabuska - Cinderella)



(Click on photos once or twice to enlarge them.)

Puppy Play Time

Pila monitors most play sessions carefully to be sure no one is hurt. She is an excellent mother.

Puppy Pile

Aska, Buska and Yankee have left their whelping box and are now living in an X-pen (exercise pen) and sleeping in their crate. Buska's travel crate comes later this week.

Everyone visits them several times a day; mom is still nursing but less often.

Yankee, who used to be a bit of a bully because of his much larger size, has realized that the girls are more likely to play with him when he is less assertive. He often places himself in the passive position which invites play instead of discouraging it. He even lets smaller Aska be in the dominant position. It's so interesting to see how appropriate play patterns and attitudes develop.

Even Pila is enjoying playing with the pups now, teaching them to play but to be careful also.

Haley and Travis with friends

Here's Aska with her new best friend Haley and















Kani (Yankee) with his new best friend Travis.

Wet Dogs

Thank heavens for the water-and-dirt-shedding fur of Icelandics.

I'm longing to take the puppies outside but it's just too muddy and wet.

The three musketeers are playing, eating and growing in leaps and bounds. Buska and Yankee are spoken for and will soon be going to wonderful homes.

Aska remains very people oriented and watches everything. She looks tiny next to her long-coated siblings but they are all about the same size.

On Thursday the pups turn six weeks old. Friday we go for our first vet appointment.

Yesterday Travis and Haley (I hope I spelled their names right), the visiting children were calling Buska "Puff Ball" because her coat and undercoat are so thick. Kids and puppies! What could be better?

No puppy photos this time. the adults were getting too jealous for my attention. Adult bonding time.

Kata is moving up to the most advanced agility class this week. She's been fantastic.

(Remember to click once or twice on the photos to enlarge them.)

Garden in May, 2010

We've had so much rain I feel like Christine & Richard in the Pacific Northwest but it does make the garden grow. It's too wet to work; I'd get all muddy. It's not too wet to take photos.

Bersi av Isheim

It's official - Bersi is now registered with a full pedigree in the American Kennel Club Foundation Stock Service program (AKC FSS) and the United Kennel Club (UKC).

Once Icelandic Sheepdogs are fully recognized by the AKC in June 2010 this year, he will be in the full AKC with a full pedigree which goes all the way back to Iceland.

He has, of course like all of my dogs, a full registration and has also had all of his health checks which he has passed.

His Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) registration is in the works.

He has A hips, his eyes are normal, he has great double dews on both rear feet and a very nice tail. He is four and a half years old.

His genotype is atat bb ss.


I do not breed closely related dogs together nor am I aware of anyone who does. In my opinion, wise breeders out-cross to increase diversity and genetic health as much as humanly possible.

Click on photos once or twice to enlarge them.

Bear will be available soon for stud to approved females.

Please check out Aska in the previous entry. She carries the at-gene for tricolor, the b-gene for chocolate-brown and the s-gene for long fur. She would be a great mate for Bersi.

Vinlands Aska

ASKA is a wonderful little girl and will make an excellent obedience dog because she is so focused on humans. She carries one b-gene for chocolate-brown, one at-gene for black tricolor and one s-gene for long fur. She has good double dews and a great tail curl already. Mostly, however, she will be an awesome pet.

Click once or twice on photos to enlarge them.

Puppy Party

We had a Puppy Party yesterday after which the puppies were totally exhausted as were the adult dogs and humans. It was great fun! (The amaryllis plants do not agree!)

After much running and playing the puppies completely collapsed and slept almost mid-step. Those were the easiest photos I ever took! Trying to capture the puppies on film while they are playing is like "trying to catch the wind", as the Helga the Good says.

Yankee and Buska now have their forever homes! It looks like both of them will be long furred (two s-genes). Aska would make an excellent obedience, agility, rally dog. She carries the black tricolor gene (at-gene) and the chocolate-brown-gene (b-gene)and has good strong double dews. She is very people-oriented. Although she looks like she will have shorter hair, she will have one gene for long hair (s-gene).

Poem

Bullfight critics ranked in rows,
Crowd the enormous plaza full.
But only one is there who knows
and (s)he's the one who fights the bull.


This short poem written by a Spanish matador was on Bart Stupak's, a Michigan U. S. House of Representative, desk to inspire him to continue the fight. I immediately thought of Cathy.

Pila's Pups

Aska, Buska, and Yankee are eating on their own but still grabbing snacks at Mom's milk counter. (Left to right - Buska, Aska, Yankee)

They are now over four weeks old, active and continuing to gain weight. Mom is sleeping with the rest of the pack at night now.

All the other adults have visited the pups and are socializing them. (Top to bottom - Buska, Aska, Yankee)

All of my dogs have had their health checks and passed them with flying colors. They continue to be tested for possible eye problems annually even though they have no recent ancestors with any issues or problems as far as I know.

My puppies are raised in my home with the rest of my dogs and socialized with humans, my cat and my Icelandics. I do not line-breed or inbreed my dogs; I out-cross them for sound genetic health.

Temperament is of paramount importance for me followed very closely by sound genetic and physical health and freedom from parasites and diseases. I consider having healthy hips very important and breed towards that goal.

I breed according to American Kennel Club guidelines. My dogs are active in American Kennel Club dog sports. They are all registered in the Canadian Kennel Club and the American Kennel Club. They are also registered in the United Kennel Club. They leave home with implanted microchips and FULL complete registrations with the AKC, CKC and UKC.

I have been active for decades with my dogs in Sportsmen's Dog Training Club of Detroit, an all volunteer American Kennel Club obedience club that trains people and dogs for conformation, rally, obedience, etc. I am a not only a member of SDTC but I am also an active instructor and student in the club and believe in positive motivation.

My dogs are my family; they live, eat and sleep with me. They have full access to my home and my entire backyard.

I do not bad-mouth other Icelandic clubs or breeders - ever. "Everybody does better when everybody does better." J. Hightower

I respond to all legitimate questions as soon as humanly possible.

Elsie

Elsie who really thought she was an Icelandic Sheepdog, passed away this afternoon.

She would run with the dogs, play with the dogs, sleep with the dogs. She just wanted to be part of the pack and she was. She didn't understand that she was different. There's a huge hole in my life now.

David always said that all of life was learning to be alone. The Buddha got it right.

Herding

Bob and Nan just notified me that their dogs, Trolli (l) and Brana (r) have earned their herding certifications! That's what I'm talking about! Way to go! See below for the certificates.




Brana also won Best of Show (BOS) in the miscellaneous class at a recent AKC show. She was up against 5 other breeds!

Click on photos once or twice to enlarge them.

Trolli and Brana are taking agility classes and are both entered in shows in June!
Icelandics are a natural for agility because of their intelligence, temperaments and agility because of their herding ability.

Buska, Yankee, Aska

POSING!

Buska










Yankee
















Aska



Click once or twice on photos to enlarge them.