Autumn leaves

The leaves are finally falling off the big cottonwood tree in the backyard, much to the delight of The Three Amigos.

They are spending hours each day playing in the leaves, running circles around the big tree trunk, and chasing their non-existent little tails. Being puppies, they tire quickly, and we love to watch them sacked out on a pile of leaves, sunning themselves.

Their personalities have changed dramatically in the past few weeks. Tater--the puppy who initially was all about play--has matured the most, and he already can sit, stay, come, 'watch it,' etc. Ace, who was eager to please from birth, is following right along. Ironically it is the puppy I decided to keep--Tex--who is proving to be a bit on the independent side.

In an effort to keep Tex's little pea-sized brain active and engaged, I recently made a purchase at Tractor Supply that I am very excited about. I am curling up tonight in the 'dog chair' with Kyra Sundance's Dog Tricks and Training Workbook, hoping to get some great tips from the text. For the visual learner, she includes a DVD, which I plan to watch with Tex--it can't hurt! She also includes a packet of pocket-sized cards to carry along for those of us who are memory-challenged.

Look out, Tex!

Sit! Stay! Come!

We have started working with the three remaining boys on learning manners, and what quick little pupils they are!

My last attempt to teach a dog to 'come' resulted in a great deal of frustration, and a dog that, three years later, I can only get to 'come' when I blow on a harmonica.

My goal this time is to produce obedient little puppies, not big dogs. To accomplish this, I am blending several different training methods together in the hopes that one of them will stick. So far, the Dog Whisperer/Mother Knows Best/operant conditioning-trained puppies are actually 'sitting' on command, nine times out of ten. This process is greatly aided by the huge sacks of delicious liver treats I am shoveling to them.

We'll see how the 'come' thing goes.

Conformation Puppy

Miss Amanda and Tuffy went to their new home this weekend, along with Lexie and Abigail, who both wound up close to us. We are all missing them terribly, especially at playtime, when the big group made for such a fun dynamic!

But we are delighted that they all have wonderful new families to love and care for them. And we are looking forward to playing in the leaf pile with the 'three amigos' who are left: Ace, Tater, and Tex.

Until we post their leaf photos, here, once again, is the lovely Miss Amanda, striking an attractive 'conformation' pose.

What a sweet puppy!

Discrimination...

I just realized how many pictures of the boy puppies I have posted, compared to pictures of the girl puppies. I hate to discriminate, so I am posting a picture of the lovely Miss Amanda.

Amanda is a very sweet, genteel puppy, who does not like to get dirty, and who dearly loves to snuggle. She is our go-to puppy when we need kisses, or tears wiped away.

Speaking of snuggling, we delivered Tank to his new home Sunday, a 10-hour drive. He spent the entire time curled up in Grandma Helen's lap, happy as could be. We were a little worried about him spending his first night without his brothers and sisters, but once he hit the ground in his new home, he never looked back. He was home. More on that later...

Punkin' Patch Puppy

Cute alert!

Puppy in the Pumpkin Patch!

Puppy Parasol

We have had rain in North East Texas. Lots of rain. Big-time rain. Relentless, persistent, dogged rain.

The rain, while a blessing for ryegrass and mushroom growers, has been a bit of a pain for people raising puppies. A 'potty trip' that a few weeks ago would have involved skipping merrily outside and skipping back in, now involves mats, towels, raincoats, mudboots, umbrellas, and hair dryers. All repeated eight times, every few hours.

But we have a bumper crop of mushrooms!

Of course I spend all of my time running around bent over trying to snatch them out of puppies' mouths.

Here is Amanda, with a particularly large specimen keeping the never-ending drizzle off her fur.

Notice her expression.

Perhaps a better title for this post would be, "What am I doing with this giant mushroom on my head?"

Don't worry, be Happy...

Like the Old Woman Who Lives in a Shoe, I have so many puppies in my kitchen right now that I can never remember all their names.

This puppy looks so much like two of her brothers that I always get them mixed up. I *think* her name is Abigail.

But if we were to wind up keeping her, I think I would name her 'Happy.'

Or 'Smiley.'

Is this the face of a naughty puppy?

Uh-oh.

I think it is possible that I did something naughty.

Is it possible that I might possibly have peed on your new rug?

If so, I would like to extend my most humble apologies.

I never, EVER would do anything like that on purpose. And when I am a big boy, I will never, ever do it again by accident, either.

I promise.

Scout's honor.

Will you forgive me?

Oh, is this warm blanket for me? And this pretty round ball? And this chew toy? Oh, now you are picking me up and snuggling me against your chest, and...gee, this feels good! I feel so warm and safe and happy. What's that? You want me to forgive you for that ugly face you made at me when you found the tiny spot on the rug?

Not to worry.

All is forgiven.

We're good.

Just don't set me down anytime soon, okay?

Do you hear what I hear?

No particular reason for posting this video clip.

I just figured out how to do it, and thought that Tex looked so incredibly cute listening to me whistle that I couldn't resist!

Sky Puppy is Watchin' You...

Combing through our growing collection of puppy photos, I came across this shot I call 'Sky Puppy.'

My married daughter, who loves the icanhascheezburger site, has dubbed it 'Sky Puppy is Watchin' You.'

Whatever the name, I have set this photo as my iMac wallpaper. I love it because it has a very expansive blue area in which to arrange my numerous desktop folders, and a very light dusting of cloud on the left side for my program icons.

Oh, and an adorable little puppy face, as well.

How could I have left that out?

May I have some more, please?

Now that the puppies are six weeks old, their personalities are beginning to emerge.

Some are rough and tumble, some are shy, some are laid-back, some are playful...

Lexie, one of the three girls, is a study in contrasts: while she has all of the other puppies buffaloed into thinking she is The Big Boss, when it comes to the people in her life, she is all sweetness and light.

So at feeding time, instead of pushing and shoving, she looks up at us politely, as if to ask, a la Oliver Twist, "Please, sir, is there any more?"

Aren't I sweet?

Howdy, howdy, howdy! I sure am having fun, playing outside with my brothers and sisters! Just don't leave me out here, and forget mealtime... and naptime... and toy time...

Going Mobile

Well, the day has finally dawned: the puppies have outgrown their tiny puppy pen, and are ready to start exploring the world in earnest. On their First Big Adventure, the Corgis shifted their sturdy little legs into overdrive and learned to run, run, run!

We will now be spending hours each day socializing the puppies, introducing them to other dogs, cats, horses, cattle, and a variety of other animals (rabbits and birds among them). Socializing with people is no problem, as we have scores of visitors to our property each day, and now that the puppies are old enough to go outside, they are being picked up and held so often we are afraid it will rub the fur right off of them.

Big Boots to Fill...

Little did we dream that a June meeting between Daisy and Cactus would yield eight precious Corgi puppies!

And of course, being Texas puppies, their first photo session would have to take place with a pair of Anderson Bean boots.

The puppies had such a good time posing, and we humans had a great time watching them. They are just beginning to explore their environment, and it is so much fun watching them!

Note to self:

Next time, line the boot with plastic...