Puppy By Proxy

Although I often consider myself kind of a “crazy dog lady,” I do have enough sense to realize that I just cannot have another puppy right now, even though all these cute puppies from great breedings this spring are just CALLING to me!

Thankfully, some neighbors of ours will be starting a new phase in their lives with a new Weim puppy.  So I get to have a puppy by association!

Baby Weim puppies

The new guy will be Iain’s hunting buddy as well as all purpose buddy to the Ferguson family of 6.  I’m thrilled that they are getting a pup from WestWeim and Trax Weimaraners.   The sire and dam are dogs I know pretty well, and I think a pup from this breeding is going to be a great match.

The puppies are currently 7 weeks old.  The breeders have socialized the pups to dogs, kids, cats, horses and everyday household noises.  They have taught them to accept handling and toenail cutting, given them exposure to swimming and mini-agility equipment.  And (Nope I’m not done yet!) they have started housebreaking and crate training the pups. 

As the breeders won’t know until after the puppy testing is complete by 8 weeks of age which puppy will go to which home, the pups have all been trained to recall to whistling. It’s quite a sight to see the whole herd coming thundering as fast as their little legs will carry them when the hear the whistle.  Each recall is rewarded with food to keep the response snappy and reliable. 

Some of the final stages of preparations for the breeders include printing out the puppy owner’s manuals, setting up appointments for the pup’s first vaccination and implanting of microchips, as well as preparing for the all-important extensive puppy testing performed between 7 and 8 weeks to evaulate each pup’s temperament characteristics, natural hunting aptitude, and conformation.  That information will determine which puppy will find it’s way into the Ferguson family.

The Fergusons are now counting down!  Today they went to buy crates, toys and other puppy necessities in anticipation of their new arrival.  So stay tuned to follow their adventure.  Clicking on the tag, puppy by proxy will pull up all the posts related to the new arrival. (The actual tag is located at the bottom of this post, below the photo. All posts are tagged with key words, and clicking on a tag pulls up all posts with that same tag.)

The pup’s name will be “Rab.” First person to post a correct guess as to what novel the name comes from gets…. virtual puppy breath. Yeah the real thing is better, but c’mon, you can practically smell it through the screen with this picture can’t you? 

Awww!