The Kanzu x Salome puppies have turned 3 wks old. This is a really exciting phase in puppy development.  At this stage the puppies now have the use of all of their senses.  Their sight and hearing are now working well. They will be interested in toys and other visually stimulating objects in the whelping box and their environment.  It is also time for puppies to experience different locations sometimes without their littermates.  At this stage the puppies are also imprinting  not only on their mother but also on their littermates and the humans in their lives.  Puppies begin play fighting during this stage and a ‘pecking order’ will begin.  So the whelping box will be quite an active place. On their 3rd week birthday the litter was started on a gruel and they were very interested and excited to have such interesting food. Now, Liz’s nephew Sam has come to visit and help with the puppies. There will be lots of socialization going on and lots of fun to be had by all.  Be careful Sam, the puppies are imprinting on you!

 

For videos of the puppies at 3wks Click Here

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

One of Kanzu’s jobs is working as a therapy dog.  He visits many different types of facilities including retirement communities, libraries and schools.  But his favorite venue is a local alternative school.  One of the special things about this location is the small contained yard where he can walk and run and play with the kids.  One young boy has become Kanzu’s very special friend.  Dayvion was drawn to Kanzu immediately at their very first meeting.  Kanzu has many tricks and behaviors that he will do on command for Linda.  But he has never volunteered nor routinely performed these tricks for others.  Dayvion wanted Kanzu to do his tricks for him when asked.  So, he worked very hard with Linda to learn Kanzu’s special commands and hand signals.  He also had to learn how to keep commands consistent and understandable and how to reward the behaviors Kanzu performed on command while not rewarding when Kanzu did not comply.  There are so many lessons for everyone in this set of learnings. To Dayvion’s amazement and delight, after only a few short lessons Kanzu began to respond to Dayvion’s commands.  Kanzu seemed very generous with his responses often responding to Dayvion’s requests even when his body language or commands were a little confusing.  The end result  has been a special bond that has provided many opportunities for learning and discussion.  And Kanzu is a happy dog who got lots of love and treats while working.

 
 

For video of Kanzu and Davion Click Here

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Kanzu x Salome puppies are now 2.5 weeks old. They are moving about more and walking more both forward and backward. Their eyes are open and they are very interested in their littermates and paw and chew on each other and seek out their littermates for play and for snuggles. They are vocalizing actively, frequently and loudly. Their vocalizations are also more specialized indicating different psychological states. They seem to sing together especially while eating. They have little barks and they certainly cry when they are away from their littermates for more than a few minutes. But, they are easily calmed when picked up and snuggled. They move about in their sleep and appear to have a rich dream life. They move to their potty pad at one far end of their whelping box to potty. Liz, (Salome’s human mom) has begun an early neurological stimulation program to optimize the puppies’ neurological systems and make them more resistant to stress and change in their later lives.  Salome now spends a little time each day out of the whelping box watching over her pups from a nearby futon. She often goes out to find the rest of her RR pack and brings them in to see her precious babies. But, don’t let that fool you, she is still very protective and seems to count all the puppies when she returns.

For videos of the puppies at 2.5 wks click here

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

On July 17, 2014 Kanzu and Vicki earned his PAX2 (Preferred Agility Excellent) and MXPS (Master Excellent Preferred Silver) agility titles. The PAX is earned when a dog has earned 20 double qualify scores on the same day on the Jumpers with Weaves and the Standard courses. The PAX2 is the second time Kanzu has reached the 20 Double Q level. The MXPS represents 50 qualifying scores on Masters Preferred Standard courses. Kanzu and Vicki are now under 100 points toward his Preferred Height Agility Championship. As always, Kanzu loves running with Vicki and never misses an opportunity to give her big kisses and let her know how much fun he has running with her.

Click Here to see Kanzu’s PAX2 runs

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

Ask a group of Ridgeback owners about the breed’s  reaction to water and swimming and a lively conversation will ensue. Most Ridgeback owners will tell you that their Ridgebacks view water as ‘acid’. There will be a host of humorous stories about how their dogs were walking on the beach and as a wave came in and touched them they jumped as if they had received an electric shock. Others will tell you how hard they tried to get their Ridgeback to swim and the dog rebelled with all the stubbornness the breed has to offer. But on the other hand, a few owners will tell stories of how much their Ridgeback loves to swim. Some will say that if a Ridgeback is exposed to water early in its development and in a positive playful manner they will be more likely to swim. Short of some sort of social experiment, we have no way of knowing what percentage of the breed are innately  happy to swim. I have had both types. But I discovered quite by accident that Kuyu is a swimming machine and Kanzu is happy to be in there as well although more to please his mom than because of any natural affinity.  I originally took Kanzu to swim when he was actively competing in agility in order to get exercise that would not add additional stress to his back. But Kuyu who came along for some exercise as well, stole the show and showed how much he thinks he is a Labrador Retriever. Below are some photos and videos of the first few sessions that Kanzu and Kuyu had in the water. Some of the videos included in this post were taken in the summer of 2013 when Kuyu and Kanzu began swimming with Chelsea Conway who at the time did K-9 water therapy. We will always be grateful to Chelsea for introducing swimming to Kanzu and Kuyu and making it so fun for them.

 

Click Here for video sequence of Kuyu as he learns to swim

Click Here for videos sequence of Kanzu as he learns to swim

Click Here for videos of Kuyu and Kanzu swimming summer 2014

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Not a lot is known about dreaming in dogs. But experts believe that dogs do dream. Sleep is an important time for data processing, memory storage and neurological growth and organization. Watch this 2 week old Kanzu x Salome puppy as he ‘dreams’ and masters his running and chasing bunnies…..(at least that is what we like to believe he is doing!).

The Kanzu x Salome puppies have had their first week birthday and are now a week and a half old.  They are thriving and doing lots of eating and sleeping and talking and eating and sleeping and pooping and eating.  Liz describes Nat King Cole in this photo as being in a milk-coma.  She says that he is a very efficient boy….he eats and rolls over to go to sleep and then is close by when he awakens and wants to eat again. Soon their eyes will be open and they will begin to explore.  Stay tuned.