By the time we were down to just Quincy and Quinlan she easily matched his level of rambunctiousness.  Still, when I called them or issued a command she was all business and quick to comply.  “Sit”, I instructed the two of them, but Quincy called out in his puppy voice, “Not now, in a minute, I need to inspect this leaf, run over to this tree and jump a few more times!”

Quinlan’s a focused girl and a good observer and I love these things about her.  It’s been so easy to take her training a step further than usual too, which is never work for me, but always pure fun.  I’m happy to see her lighthearted side blossoming.

She’s enthralled with her sire, Clancy McGee.  Clancy brings the puppies toys, but mostly he strolls around the yard with the line of puppies following after.  He lies in the sun and they lie a foot away.  He chews on blades of long grass and they do the same.  Ellie, Kate, Emma and Maddie play tumbling and chase games with the puppies, but Clancy is more regal.  Quinlan loves both, but she’s especially charming as her daddy’s shadow.

She bounds and jumps like a bunny, and she rolls to her back for petting.  She studies the world around her carefully – the antics of children, the older dogs’ behaviors – and mimics anything likely to yield a treat.

Quinlan knows “come”, “settle”, “sit”, and “follow”.  She sleeps all night quietly and dry in her crate in our bedroom.  She takes a daytime nap in her crate for a couple of hours and doesn’t complain. She entertains herself in the puppies’ kitchen exercise pen with her brother Quincy and their innumerable toys and chew sticks.  She’s curious and unafraid of the five large retriever dogs she can see through our open iron fences in the neighbors’ yards. She has enjoyed all the people we’ve met so far, around a hundred, including plenty of children.

She’s available to a qualified family or single person.  Contact me with questions!

Carol Crumly, pups@bluemountaincotons.com

Quincy will leave for his new home mid-week and Quaid and Queenie went to their homes last week.

It’s always bittersweet to see them off.  This group was very easy to care for, and when they blend into family life so naturally we really do miss them.

Here is Quinlan (also pictured above),

and Quincy.

Please contact me for information on Quinlan.  The puppies are ten and a half weeks old this weekend and she is ready for her permanent home.

Carol Crumly, pups@bluemountaincotons.com

Quincy,

Quaid,

Quinlan,

and Queenie.

I love the look of my puppies at eight weeks.  They resemble stuffed animals.  In real life they’re at their most adorable, with thick, fluffy coats and warm, soft, floppy bodies when we hold them.

These four are sleeping through the night in their crates, quiet and dry, and using “the facilities” outside frequently throughout the day.  They continue to meet new people and they know all the little training commands I expect in puppies here.  Four is an easy number to work with.  Emma agrees – she spends lots of time outdoors playing with them.

Quincy, a tri-color male,

And his tri-color brother Quaid,

and the black and white girls, Quinlan,

and Queenie.

We’re enjoying the blossoming personalities!

Quincy is clownish and cuddly, a beautiful blend.  Quaid rolls around with his plump tummy and lives to snuggle.  That wide-eyed baby face captures the attention of every visitor.  Quinlan’s independent streak caught my eye in the early weeks – she preferred exploring to cuddling.  But I’ve been massaging her gently and I see a change.  The children playing with the puppies this afternoon commented that she was the calmest of the four.

I had my eye on Queenie as an aspiring leader of the pack, but it isn’t so obvious.  She snaps into her “sit” with full focus on our eyes for what we might want next.  A sense of respect will serve her well.  She’s the image of her daddy’s “yes ma’am, what can I do for you now?”

The Q puppies had their first vaccinations this week and A+ report cards from the vet.  We started short visits in public to meet people.  I have to say that over the years I’ve been doing this, I’ve seen a marked increase in the maturity of children who interact with the puppies.  They ask to pet the puppies, for starters, then offer their hands for a sniff.  Then they move nearly in slow motion as they gently pet the puppy, careful not to startle.

Parents, if you’re teaching your kids this approach, good for you.  Kids (yes you, Lindsay!) your gentle way with the puppies will affect them all their lives by helping them trust children.  To all the store employees, friends and strangers who help me give my puppies a good start, thank you so very much.

Our males, Quincy,

and Quaid,

and our females, Quinlan,

and Queenie.

The “Q” puppies are a pretty mellow group.  They’re inquisitive, friendly, and uncomplaining.  The most impish among them is Quinlan, and her spirited nature is mild and quite charming.

Even though they’re young they’re fully able to learn – a simple example is their relative cooperation with sitting and standing when I place them for photographs. We still take lots (they blink and stick out their tongues and take five tries to remember the routine.) But at least I’m choosing photos with a choice of head tilts rather than from several of a puppy leaping over the arm of a chair.   I couldn’t resist adding a photo of Quinlan insisting on some tug of war with the quilt before (finally) settling down.

It’s a beautiful time of year for a litter.  They’re in their outdoor exercise pen on our deck while I water flowers and weed.  The neighbor boys’ trampoline is within sight, and all four puppies sit mesmerized as the boys jump and their retrievers, Skip and Shaggy, bound around the yard and take an occasional bounce too.

All the puppies are eating soft solid food well.  Emma stands upright to nurse briefly a few times a day still, then she simply walks away when she’s had enough of the emerging teeth.  This week I expect her to begin the quick, low growl that will mean “you can play and snuggle, but let’s skip those between-meals snacks.”

Quincy,

Quaid,

Quinlan,

and Queenie.

Here’s Quincy,

Quaid,

Quinlan,

and Queenie.

And while she is a faithful mother, with her first litter she endured a little tutoring from Ellie, her own mom.  Their litters were just four days apart.  Ellie is retired from breeding, but we remember her seriousness about her puppies.   She was the picture of maternal responsibility.

Emma nursed, cleaned and performed all her expected duties.  But she did love to run when she had opportunity, with hair blowing and wind in her face.  Ellie addressed this frivolity by leaping into Emma’s whelping box whenever Emma went outdoors, where she nursed Emma’s puppies with a stern look on her face.

We eventually made sure both girls took breaks together.  Ellie tended to lie stretched out in the sun and Emma bounded around and greeted the neighbor dogs and kids next door.  I remember them running in, running out, up the stairs and down, a perfectly matched pair.  They jumped into their adjacent whelping boxes and nursed their respective puppies.

Ellie raised one more litter in her own focused style, and Emma carries on as the mom with the impish smile.

As these current puppies grow older we’ll be able to make reliable guesses about their temperaments – and in the meantime it’s fun to describe our cheerful Emma.

Here is Quincy, the first of our boys.

And Quaid.

And our girls, Quinlan,

And Queenie.