Quinn's Qrew

Here's looking at you, kid.....KIDS

2011-11-23T00:20:00.000-08:00

Psssst..........

Quick tip, go back over the blog to catch new, exciting posts.

Isabella ( names have been changed to protect the guilty) is too caught up in old world technology.

Really, Black and White movies???? Yeshhhhhh!!!!

She added a whole bunch of new pup-dates chronologically, duh.

To make sure you don't miss the good stuff, take a stroll back down memory lane.

This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship....

Take Your Puppy to Work Day.

2011-11-17T23:24:00.000-08:00

Seven Weeks Old !
Already Barb and Linda have them at the office.

What a bunch of Cuties !
And the puppies don't look bad either.

Mayor Hancock Meets Puppy Hancock

2011-11-14T22:50:00.000-08:00

Hi, My Name is Hancock....What is Yours?

Smile for the Camera kid !
This is GOLD!

Canine Partners of the Rockies is fortunate to have many friends and supporters in Denver and across Colorado.
One of our new fans is Denver Mayor Michael Hancock who allowed us to name one of our "H" litter puppies in his honor.
This week, Puppy Hancock had a chance to visit Mayor Hancock at his offices in downtown Denver.

Board Member Seth Rosenman, CaPR Puppy Program Director Linda Port,
Board Secretary Tom Bogdan, Puppy and Mayor Hancock, Dale Koski and Kokomo

Dale Koski who works in the city's Office of Disability Rights was on hand with her Canine Partners- raised and trained service dog Kokomo. Kokomo is familiar with political wheelings and dealings, she gave Puppy Hancock a few pointers.
"First you gotta decide which is your best side and then smile BIG"

And then, all too soon it was time for Puppy Hancock to say goodbye to Mayor Hancock.

Hancock went home, told his brothers and sisters about his big day in city politics, and fell asleep. Dreams of being all grown up, going to work with his special partner, helping them meet the challenges of life dancing in his head.

All The World Loves A Puppy....

CaPR in the Denver Post

2011-11-14T07:01:00.000-08:00

FETCH, the dog loving blog wrote about Canine Partners and our cute puppies today.

Canine Partners of the Rockies breeds help for the disabled

By JOHN DAVIDSON

Sometimes Frank falls and is unable to get up. In the past if

Frank’s cell phone happened to land out of reach, he’s had to

wait until his wife came home to help him up. Frank’s service

dog was taught to retrieve the phone and give it to Frank so he

can get help.

These Lab puppies were bred to become service dogs in Colorado

Click Here for the Full Blog Posting

11-11-11 a Magical day in Puppy Land

2011-11-11T17:15:00.000-08:00

Another gift from Puppy Paparazzo Ruth

So happy to see Miss Ruth, but notice how nicely they all sit down?

I am sure that Linda and Barb have been working with them (really) on a quiet SIT to practice impulse control. Good job ladies.

Sleeping is good, sleeping on a brother or sister is even better.

I don't know what kind of trash talking Hanson has going on when he is towel wrestling but the puppy noises will draw Yeti from any room in the house.
She will look behind the computer and in the trash can to see where I am hiding the puppies.

Getting So Big- We are Wearing Capes

2011-11-07T22:56:00.000-08:00

Where did our Little Puppies Go?!!!!

Team "H" gets "big dog" collars and their first Service Puppy in Training Capes.

Of Course we needed formal portraits of each puppy to mark this big event...

Hancock

Holly

Hansen

Harper

Haylee

Honey

and one more of Holly because she is just so dang cute...

Visitors.....

2011-11-07T22:50:00.000-08:00

We are VIP- Very Important Puppies !

We have had 65 visitors who have held us and loved on us.

Not bad for being so young.

If you visited the puppies and your picture isn't shown, email it to Canine Partners. We would love to have a complete "Rogue's Gallery" and will post Visitors pt. 2.

Grampa Pete...

Board Member Tom Bogdan, nothing but puppy

Barb Cardell, imitating a puppy with its eyes closed.

Laura listens to puppy secrets

Lauren and the boys love them some puppies

Shasta

very peaceful puppy

Patty visiting Quinn and the puppies

Kristin joins the puppy pile

Dude.... I gotta take a nap now....

Photographic Evidence

2011-11-06T21:41:00.000-08:00

Had to share these........ so indulge me a bit....

I claim blogger's privilege to occasionally write about the puppy I am raising for Canine Partners.

If you haven't read the blog posting from 11/2/11 about what our Puppies love to do (hint, think RETRIEVE, RETRIEVE, RETRIEVE ) go back and read it now. Otherwise this won't make much sense.

" Slumber Party !!!!"

I have been busily catching up on blog postings for Quinn's Crew. Collecting photos of the cute puppies and in the deluge of new photos I unearthed a couple of cute Yeti pics from the last time she was staying with a Puppy Sitter.

Unashamed Promotion:

CaPR is looking for Puppy Raisers and Puppy Sitters!

These angels take care of a Service Puppy in Training when a Puppy Raiser goes on a trip or just needs some time away. They continue the skills training, take the dog to class if necessary but most of all, just love and enjoy them.

If you are interested in being a puppy Raiser or sitter, check out the application on our web site Puppy Raiser/Puppy Sitter Application Form.

First, a disclaimer. At the time the photos were taken, Yeti was less than a year old and had NO sense. She should have been better behaved but as Miss Linda reminds me, I am always making excuses for my puppies in Training.

Yeti is really, really smart but has a definite idea about how her day should be structured.

What a busy Yeti can retrieve in a morning

It goes something like this... Get up, Pee, Eat, Poop, Get Treats, Play, Play, Play, Play, Play, Play, toilet, Eat More Treats, Pay attention to the Yeti, Play, Play, Play, Sleep and then Eat, toilet, Treats, Play,Play and Play.

See, doesn't that sound fun?

Yeti's favorite game is to roam around the house looking for something that belongs to the person she believes is ignoring her the most, pick it up, show it the rude ignorer, chew it if they don't pay enough attention to her, "DROP" the item when asked and then TREAT !!!!!!!!

Do it all over again.

"Yeti, I am telling you ...
You need to shape up"

Rather than chasing her all over the house to get our things, we instead redirect her energy. We ask her to "DOWN" ( with an implied WAIT) as soon as she starts to "shop" for items to barter for treats.

It has given her "buns of steel" and a really solid "DOWN". She can stay in one place watching us for 20 minutes. All the time, her puppy brain is working, working, working and soon it is tired, tired, tired.

By turning a irritating behavior into a "Teaching Moment", Yeti practices her impulse Control and we get a calmer start in the morning. Talk about a win-win situation.

Barb

Puppy Howl and How My Dog Ate My Homework

2011-11-02T19:37:00.000-07:00

Pretty cute but I am still partial to our crop of puppies. After listening to the puppy howl a couple of times through, I am glad that we don't raise beagles!

One thing I always mention to new puppy raisers and puppy sitters is that while our puppies are very cute, we primarily raise Labrador and Golden Retrievers and what do they do?

THEY RETRIEVE THINGS !
All kinds of things, important things and unimportant things...

Sounds obvious but I am still learning to pick up after myself. I can't tell you the number of times that I have been 10 minutes late to an important meeting because "my dog carried off my keys". My life is a virtual scavenger hunt, unearthing socks hidden in dog beds, forks tucked in sofas (ouch), a hair dryer in a kennel (really), and keys in the backyard... all because retrievers like to retrieve things.

What makes it even more challenging is that carrying my personal things around IS A GOOD THING! We like it when our dogs carry stuff around in their mouth, not chewing mind you but carrying is good, really, really good. Since we train service dogs for people with mobility challenges, we focus on the ultimate goal. A great dog to partner with someone who needs them. We intentionally train our dogs to pick up keys that have been dropped, bring their food bowl to the kitchen to be fed and turn on light switches.

So I see all this retrieving as a great chance to train another command, "DROP"...
Sometimes it even works.

Barb

Puppy Clothes

2011-11-01T22:23:00.000-07:00

Sporting the Latest Looks in Puppy Fashion...

I will tolerate this dang thing as long as it doesn't slow me down
when I am doing something important, like EATING.

Whew, modeling the latest look in puppy fashion
is exhausting. Time for a nap.

All dressed up for dinner and the rest of the day. The puppies wore scarves to get used to wearing "clothes". The two puppies who are not wearing scarves, got to wear them the following day. All the puppies did well. No one seemed to mind wearing an "outfit". Hopefully this will translate well to their Canine Partners capes.

How did you get a purple one?
No fair, I want a purple one!
I want YOUR purple one.

The "Business" End(s) of Puppies...

2011-11-01T10:56:00.000-07:00

These are a few of our favorite things….

Raindrops on Roses

Whiskers on Kittens (really?)

What do you have over there?

How about eating?!!!!

That sounds much better than stinky ol' kittens....

There is always room at our new "Feast-O-Plenty" style puppy bowl. Sometimes we still push eachother out of the way, hey, the kibble is always better where someoneelse is eating. Most of the time, our main concern is getting something, anything in our bellies. We are growing puppies after all.

Hummm, you are all too chubby for me to fit in.

Mama Quinn still nurses us but since we have our little puppyteeth, she isn’t as willing to be our sole source of nutrition. We don’t seem to fit as well as we did 5weeks ago at the “milk bar” . We have even resorted to flinging ourselves in on top ofthe others, just like a quarterback going for that last desperate attempt at a touchdown or would that be a Pup Down?

The other “new” thing that has appeared is a potty box.

We thought it was a great place to play but we don't get to do that too much. Instead, we are rewarded if we poop or pee there andwe are pretty good at it. We say that we ALWAYS use the box but Miss L. says it is more like 98% of the time. Occasionally, we just can’t get there in time or simply hang too much booty over the edge of the box and miss.

"I don't know, what do you think this is?"

"Really, you want me to go here?"

Our potty box is on loan from Gabriel's Goldens (Patty Lorence). Patty bred Service Dog in Training, Evie. The potty box has a tilebottom, covered by a specially made quilt out of packing blankets (washable),then covered with towels (washable) and finally with artificial turf(washable).

Do you get the point that everything is very, very washable?

The artificial turf was donated to Canine Partners by Steve Walkerfounder and President of ProGreen International Inc. THANK YOU STEVE, you are a life saver!

"Well don't watch and quit muttering 'DO IT'
under your breath. You are making me nervous"

Note from Barb: These 5 week old puppies are toileting in a designated place98% of time time?!!!!!!! Linda hasnow moved from Puppy Whisperer up to Puppy Goddess in my mind. I wonder if she will try training kidsnext?

Puppy Names.

2011-10-31T20:01:00.000-07:00

Mouseketeer Roll Call....
Count off NOW !

Who's the leader of the Club that's made for you and me?
M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E

"Hello everyone, my name is Annette!"
"You aren't on "A" names yet?"
"Well, then how am I going to name all six after me?"
"YOU KNOW, Annette one, Annette, Two, Annette Three, Annette Four, Annette Five and of course MY personal favorite Annette Six."
"You don't like that?"
"Fine, you do it."

Sorry Annette but I think we will do better without you.
Here is CaPR's youngest puppy Trainer, Shasta, leading the Pupsketeer Roll Call...

My name is Hancock, I am named for the Mayor of Denver.

Hi, my Name is Hansen...

My name is Harper....

My name is Honey.

My name is Haylee....

and my name is not Annette
but Holly, that is much nicer.

Puppy Names

Pink = Harper

Red = Honey

Black = Hancock

White = Holly

Green = Haylee

Blue = Hansen

First Puppy Named is..........

2011-10-29T23:02:00.000-07:00

Hancock !!!!!

Story to follow after a "teaching"moment...

Last night the city of Denver went to the dogs!

Well to be completely accurate, we went to the cityof Denver's Diversity Awards Ceremony where they honored our program (CaninePartners) , recognizing partnerships and the work that goes into theseexceptional teams.

We had a great time introducing Roy and Yampa ( Seepost from 10-28-11) to the Commissioners and other honorees.

Yeti in the snow

But, how does this relate to puppy naming ?!!!

First, some background information.

Most service dog organizations have a plan whennaming their SDIT (Service Dogs in Training). I have tried hard but mostpuppies don't answer to "hey YOU". A good name is a must.

At Canine Partners, we name our dogs in alphabeticsequences. You can determine an approximate age by where in the alphabetthe first letter of their names fall. Example, Rowena isolder than Yolo who is older than Alpine. See howsneaky that is? Reach the end of the alphabet and we start over at thebeginning.

We also name the puppies from the same litter withthe same first letter. Take for example Yeti,Yolo, Yankee, Yampa and Buckley. Four of these are litter mates... can you tell who?

Finally, all our names must have a connection toColorado.

Canine Partners of the Rockies is proud that allour dogs are raised, trained and placed in Colorado. We believe thatColorado is a special kind of state that requires special kinds of servicedogs. But seriously, by placing locally, we can work with our dog/clientpartnerships in their home environment and are close at hand to help with anyfollow up training or additional skill development.

Now, admittedly some of the connections are prettyvague. Take for instance Yeti, she is named for the AvalancheMascot who is Howler, the Snow YETI , get it? But she is also named forYeti Cycles in Golden, and the Yetti mono ski used in adaptive ski programs....

Mayor Hancock at the Diversity Awards

Whew-

So, at the awards, Roz Alston, one of Mayor Hancock'ssuper staffers agreed to ask him if we could name one of our current puppiesafter him, we are on the "H"s after all. He agreed and pickedout the Blondie with the Black ribbon... he appear smaller than the others andMayor Hancock wanted to support the "little" guy...

See, that is what I mean about Colorado, we arejust different here.

Special thanks to Mayor Michael B. Hancock and hisstaff...
Barb

Hi, my name is puppy!
vote for me..... just doesn't work does it?

Canine Partners of the Rockies is Honored.....

2011-10-28T23:00:00.000-07:00

It was a Great Night....

Curt Garrett recognizes Canine Partners for
our service to people with Disabilities.
Linda Port accepts the award
while Roy shows us how it is done.

Every day, small nonprofit organizations like Canine Partners of the Rockies go out and do what they can to make the world a better place.
Sometimes there is a pat on the shoulder or a thank you letter but often times, we fly under the radar.

Grant and Yampa are the understudies
but not for long.... That is a Professional SIT

Well all that changed tonight. The City of Denver Diversity Awards were given out by Mayor Hancock's Commission for People with Disabilities and drumroll please........................
Canine Partners was an honoree !
We were recognized for our dedication to the disabled community; raising, training and placing highly trained service dogs with Colorado residents.
The City hosted a fantastic event at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House where we had a great time introducing Roy and Yampa to the VIPs present.

While it is great to be honored, introducing a room full of Denverites to our mission, our dogs and our clients is the best reward of all.
Barb

One Month Old...

2011-10-26T16:06:00.000-07:00

Puppies and Puppy Videos !!!!!!

A video that Ruth Zielinski, CaPR's Office Guru and a super videographer taped and edited. If you came to Canine Partners Graduation Celebration, Ruth also compiled and edited the photos of our partnerships and puppy raisers. Our technology and design ratings have risen exponentially since Ruth joined the CaPR team.

The puppies are exactly one month old, their eyes are open but standing and walking are still petty challenging.... Puppy kibble is AWESOME !!!

If you are like me, you think of likely video titles....

Here are mine, what are yours?

" Move your fat Puppy Butt"

" How do you make these legs work? You mean all four have to work together?"

" Kong Octopus is suspect . I would bark if I knew how."

" Can't concentrate on eating and Standing..., eating wins"

" Whoa dude, gravity stinks"

Cuter by the Day...

2011-10-24T23:09:00.000-07:00

Sound asleep but not a comfortable position

Barb Calhoon, an advanced Trainer with Canine Partners of the Rockies has been visiting and working with the litter of puppies on a daily basis. She know their quirks, strengths and challenges. Believe it or not, you can actually see a glimmer of their personality at this age: who likes to travel around the pen, who likes to be held, who is happiest jumbled up in a puppy pile.

She handles each puppy, touching their paws, ears, putting her finger in their mouth, holding them on their back until she gets "eye contact" each day. This "puppy training" is so important that when she can't come by, another volunteer comes in and works with the puppies.

Puppy raising a service dog is different from raising a pet. They need to tolerate touching and prodding, make "eye contact" to check in with their partner in a non-dominant behavior and be driven to work with people.

People who training working dogs know that not every dog is cut out to be a service dog.
We don't "make" them work in a partnership, a successful service dog is driven to be around people and to help them as best they can.

At the end of the "puppy training" with so much new to learn, all the puppies are pooped.
They fall asleep where ever they are... dreaming of the new skills they will learn tomorrow.

the Girls club

Ongoing Stimulation for Puppies

2011-10-23T23:27:00.000-07:00

Pupdate by Barb Calhoon

"I don't know, what do you think it is?"

Linda did neurostimulation exercises for the first few weeks.
Beginning on Day 22 when they were beginning to toddle around, eyes were open and ears close to being opened, I started body handling exercise you saw yesterday to include body massage from head to tail, tail tugging, handling each toe, rubbing finger against gums, gently massaging ear flaps and turning over in my lap with chest scratches to orient with eye contact.
We also started having them follow the vibration of clapping and floor tapping. We also give them "safe" and interesting toys to explore and play with.

"I got it, I got it...
Nope, I think it has me."

"She who has the most toys WINS"

"I am choosing to ignore this right now"

"Oops, I missed my crate for my nap"

Puppy pile is still the best way to sleep

So Tired

"ahhhh, space all my own"

Busy, Busy Puppies

2011-10-23T14:55:00.000-07:00

How to encourage Einstein Brains in puppies...

First you smell it....

... then you carefully walk under the bridge

The puppies are now almost four weeks old. Their eyes and ears are open but they still don't see very well. Most of their sensory information comes from smell and touch. They are done with their Neurological Stimulation exercises but we still have lots of toys to play with and different surfaces to walk on, the more they explore, the more they learn so they have big, big brains and can go to Harvard and make us proud.
Well not really, but a puppy that has lots of stimulation and is exposed to a lot of different people does appear to have a significant head start as a service pup in training.

We aren't working on any cues or commands but we have started to crate train them. They gradually learn to sleep in the bottom half of a Kennel instead of plopped all over their area.

The best part of the day is always .....
MEAL TIME !!!!

Meal time for BIG puppies

and Group Pedicures

Linda

Puppies from the P.O.V. of a teenager

2011-10-21T22:58:00.000-07:00

“The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool ofyourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a foolof himself too.”

-Samuel Butler

"Speak softly and carry a Big Puppy"

After spending mere minutes with these puppies I am enraptured by their quirkypersonalities. They just barely opened their eyes, and can scarcely walk. They resortto an awkward waddle to move across the slippery linoleum. ‘Green’puppy, nicknamed Traveler, has seemed to master the waddle so he can easilytraverse the rough landscape, which is littered with grates, Styrofoam,seesaws, and even people.

Really, she will fall asleep anywhere....

Itwas surprising to see how each puppy has developed sucha strong personality. ‘Pink’ for example has one goalonly, to sleep. Although to be fair each puppy was rather tired. They keptgetting handed from one person to another like a sack of potatoes. Pink puppywould fall asleep the moment someone placed her on the ground, not bothering tomove get more comfortable. White puppy did notcare where her brothers and sisters were, she was content to be alone. Blue kept walking from one person to another, incessantly looking forattention. One thing all the puppies had in common was the need to sleep. Theyslept on any surface, in any position.

training .... so.... hard.... zzzzzzzzz

Thereis something charming about these tiny creatures. Whenyou are around puppies it doesn’t matter whether you are 5 years old or 50 yearsold, boy or girl, dog person or cat person, they’re cute and that’s all thatmatters. They charm you. They’re eccentric and silly and do nothing at all toearn your affection. It’s truly awesome tospend time with these puppies because it engenders the mostremarkable selflessness and joy, with no strings attached. It’s amazing tothink what these little things will become and it’s marvelous to be therefrom such an early stage of their lives. These puppies are cute, and funny, andhelp prove the fact that dogs really do bring out the best in people.

Laura

Hudson Takes a Hike

2011-10-15T14:27:00.000-07:00

Colorado is a Beautiful Place to Live...

While poor Evie is stuck back at the puppy palace, getting stink eye from a puppy, Linda's other dog, Hudson, is off touring the state.

Hudson enjoyed his hike....

The bath? Not so much....

He has been staying with a variety of Canine Partner puppy sitters but I think he liked this day best of all.

For those of you who see the resemblance, yes he is also known as Fabio... the Super Model.

"Are You My Mother?"

2011-10-15T06:08:00.000-07:00

"You are a SNORT!"

Many people are familiar with the iconic book "Are You My Mother?" written in 1960. I remember reading it when I was small and it was the first book I buy for anyone within a 100 miles of me who has children.

Are You My Mother?" is the story about a hatchling bird. His mother, thinking her egg will stay in her nest where she left it, leaves her egg alone and flies off to find food. The baby chick hatches. He does not understand where his mother is so he goes to look for her. In his search, he asks a kitten, a hen, a dog, and a cow if they are his mother. They each say, "No."
Then he sees an old car, which cannot be his mother for sure. In desperation, the hatchling calls out to a boat and a plane, and at last, convinced he has found his mother, he climbs onto the teeth of an enormous power shovel. A loud "SNORT" belches from its exhaust stack, prompting the bird to utter the immortal line,

"You are not my mother!"
"You are a SNORT!"

"YOU are a SNORT!"

But as it shudders and grinds into motion he cannot escape. "I want my mother!" he shouts.
But at this climactic moment, his fate is suddenly reversed. The shovel drops him back in his nest, just as his mother is returning home, and the two are united, much to their delight, and the baby bird tells his mother about the adventure he had looking for her.

Linda Port, the head Puppy Nanny, has two other dogs in her house. Evie who is an eight month Golden Retriever puppy in training with Canine Partners and Rossie, an old sweet retired service dog. Rossie is sweet to anyone and everyone on the planet UNLESS you are a puppy. Eventually, introductions needed to be made, so of course this book popped into my mind.

Everyone was well behaved but little green girl (above) looks like she is putting Evie in the steam shovel category, certainly not her Mother.
Barb

Day 17

2011-10-12T15:40:00.000-07:00

Our cute little puppies are growing up !

Some have their eyes open but they still don't walk too well...

Stacked up like a pudgy bunch of potato chips

finally back with Mama.... at the Milk Bar....

Barb Calhoon had a chance to visit the puppies today and sent us some great photos of these cuties. But then, who are we kidding, all puppies are cute. But our puppies are smart too, some already escaping from their first "Baby" birthing/swimming pool.

Family Portrait

2011-10-11T23:13:00.000-07:00

Just goofy about these puppies...

Okay, so now you all know, as an organization, we are crazy in love, over the moon about these puppies. If I could paint their room in unicorns and rainbows, I would have lots of help.

But sometimes, cute is just cute.

Pete Friesema, was Quinn's Puppy Raiser. He worked with her for eighteen months, travelled with her and did an excellent job of raising a potential Service Dog in Training who was immune to any sports mascot. I was raising a puppy at the same time who was shamed weekly by Quinn's great behavior in class. Most of the time, I was too humiliated to even watch Pete work with Quinn. My favorite memory of Quinn and Peter was a recall task. We were supposed to leave the puppy in a "DOWN" (with an implied "STAY"), turn our back and walk away. We then recalled the dog to us from a distance of 20 feet. I went first and was only mildly successful, and that is being kind. Pete's turn came a few puppies later. He asked Quinn to "DOWN", he walked away with out even sneaking a peak at her, confident that she was not going to budge. Pete tried to trick her by calling out "Quinn, Treats.... Quinn, Cookies" tempting but still no.... Then he said the magic words, "Quinn, HERE", and she was free to come bounding over to him, the biggest puppy smile on her face.

The Puppy Raiser Trainer gave Pete a lecture on using the correct recall words, completely misunderstanding that this was obviously a routine between these two hams. Pete and Quinn, just smiled, reveling in their connection and mutual understanding.

Now, Pete is a Grandpa.... and here is the Family Portrait.

I think I can see the family resemblance.
Barb

Growing Massive Puppy Brains

2011-10-10T22:06:00.000-07:00

...or how to raise "Super Puppies"

We get a weight each day...

Quinn's Litter is the second litter that Canine Partners has whelped and raised to be "Super Dogs". Believe it or not, there are accepted (and humane) neurological stimulating exercises that start when the puppies are 3 days old and last until the puppies are 16 days old.

Each day, we do.....

1. Tactile stimulation - holding the pup in one hand, the handler gently stimulates (tickles) the pup between the toes on any one foot using a Q-tip. It is not necessary to see that the pup is feeling the tickle. Time of stimulation 3 - 5 seconds.

Linda does the toe "tickle"

2. Head held erect - using both hands, the pup is held perpendicular to the ground, (straight up), so that its head is directly above its tail. This is an upwards position. Time of stimulation 3 - 5 seconds

3. Head pointed down - holding the pup firmly with both hands the head is reversed and is pointed downward so that it is pointing towards the ground. Time of stimulation 3 - 5 seconds

... and a head stand
4. Supine position - hold the pup so that its back is resting in the palm of both hands with its muzzle facing the ceiling. The pup while on its back is allowed to sleep. Time of stimulation 3-5 seconds.

5. Thermal stimulation—use a damp towel that has been cooled in a refrigerator for at least five minutes. Place the pup on the towel, feet down. Do not restrain it from moving. Time of stimulation 3-5 seconds.

I helped Linda today for the first time seeing these exercises performed. In my mind, this seemed liked puppy torture but Linda whipped through them so quickly that I didn't even have time to take a photo of each exercise.

According to the article "Breeding Better Dogs" by Dr. Carmen L. Battaglia there are many advantages.

Benefits noted were:

1. Improved cardio vascular performance (heart rate)

2. Stronger heart beats,

3. Stronger adrenal glands,

4. More tolerance to stress, and

5. Greater resistance to disease.

If you would like to read the whole article, it can be found at

http://breedingbetterdogs.com/pdf

and a pooped pup with neurons blazing takes a nap

Baby Sitting...

2011-10-08T10:08:00.000-07:00

Keeping a careful eye on these puppies-

Barb - Thought I'd share the photos I took on Saturday when I was baby sitting. I love the one of Quinn just sitting and watching the "kids" and of the little back paw. This was the day before the Pink and Green puppies opened their eyes ( remember they are only 12 days old so this is very advanced). Pink and Green where trying to walk on all fours when I was there but they couldn't quite figure out how to make it happen.

The "tail" End

Micki

Put Your Tails in the Air Like You don't Care....

2011-10-03T20:37:00.000-07:00

One Week old.....

Quinn doesn't look too comfortable in this video but she is a good mama taking care of her babies.

I just love the noises they make and how all their tails are going so fast.

and then... nap time... for peaceful puppies with full bellies...

Blissed Out Babies....

Barb

Put Me In Coach!

2011-10-02T18:17:00.000-07:00

Getting Bigger but not ready for the Major Leagues, yet....

Barb Calhoon, one of Canine Partners' Advanced Trainers visited Quinn and her litter today. She sent some cute pics but confirmed that no matter how much they have grown, they aren't ready for Advanced Training yet. I guess we should wait until their eyes open.

Full Out Puppy Relaxation

Just what every Mom wants, a nose warmer

Sad News

2011-09-28T22:41:00.000-07:00

Good-bye to a puppy…

I love being involved in a non-profit like Canine Partnersof the Rockies. It is anorganization where people come to work and volunteer, bringing the best of themselves. We raise and train puppiesso they can grow up to help people with mobility limitations or assisttherapists who support people with disabilities. After we raise these great dogs, we pair the exact right dogwith the exact right person and we end up with magic!

Taking a nap in happier days.

One Person. OneDog. Partners in Life.

That is the way it usually works.

But, sometimes it doesn’t.

One of Quinn’s puppies died this week, the little boy withthe yellow ribbon. Linda found himunresponsive, still warm one morning. She rushed him to the vet but he did not survive. The vet discovered that he had acleft palate, a birth defect that can be treated in people but not inpuppies. It caused the puppyto aspirate fluids and die of massive heart failure. The remainder of Quinn’s litter have been examined and arefine. According to breeders, thisis a sad but common occurrence when whelping litters of puppies

All I know is that I miss a puppy I never met.

When I saw Quinn last week, she had stopped checking forhim.

But, it still feels wrong, odd that he isn’t there.

Barb

What does "Gone with The Wind" have to do with puppies?

2011-09-28T10:34:00.000-07:00

Original 1939 Movie Poster.

In other words, play to your strengths...

I love Joyce's description of Quinn and the birth of her new litter.
These sweet puppies deserved a warm and maternal welcome into this world.

I can only imagine what my reaction would have been, not as calm to be certain. Perhaps more like Thelma "Butterfly" McQueen's reaction as Prissy in "Gone With the Wind"

"Lordy, we got to have a doctor! I don't know nuthin' 'bout birthin' babies!"

Hint:If you are at work, turn your volume down a bit, then

Click for the Original

Fortunately, Canine Partners of the Rockies has a team roster that is deep in talent and I wasn't needed. Thanks to Linda, Joyce and Pete who did such a great job as whelper Helpers...
Barb

From a Mother's Eye...

2011-09-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

Whew, that was a lot of work

I am a mother, of grown up, wonderful children, and the miracleof birth never ceases to amaze me.

Here is my story of Quinn and her babies.

Like all new moms, Quinn was uncomfortable the day before birthingher litter. She was pacing,panting and wanting constant company. By 9:30 at night, she was nesting andbedding not sure how to get comfortable. Just before midnight, her contractionsstarted, these are never easy, furry or human but we knew something great wasabout to happen.

The first puppy was the hardest for Quinn. She was a first time mombut as soon as the puppy was safely delivered she sprang into action. We gave it a quick once over and presentedthe baby girl puppy to her. Shecleaned that baby girl, nudged her, and urged her to nurse. It didn't take much!That was a lovely black female puppy with the pink ribbon. She continues to bea hearty eater and a very healthy puppy.

How much does a new puppy weigh?

As the remaining puppies came, Quinn was very calm and the rest of the puppies were delivered without much difficulty. She quickly learned her job andwe learned ours and together we brought Canine Partners’ newest puppies intothe world.

Through out the longnight, Quinn was always checking her puppies, nosing them around as if she werecounting them, re-arranging them so they could nurse and cleaning, cleaning,cleaning those babies. If we picked them up, as soon as they were returned tothe litter, she cleaned them again.

As the sun rose in the morning, the last puppy was born at 6:11. After recording all the necessary details, we sat back and gave Quinn attention,watching her nursing, eating some chicken (fed by hand to our new mama), andstepping gingerly around her brood when she left to toilet.

Even though these precious puppies were Quinn's first litter, shebehaved like she has always known exactly how to mother these puppies. Perhaps,she always has.

Joyce.

Birthing Team takes a break

It Is Our Birth Day

2011-09-26T21:21:00.000-07:00

1 Quinn x 1 Jammer = 7 puppies

Hello World,
We were born today between 1:25 am and 6:11 am.
We arrived in the following order (ribbon color):

1. Pink - girl 10.0 oz
2. Yellow - boy 9.0 oz
3. Red - girl 10.0 oz
4. Black - boy 11.5 oz
5. White - girl 10.0 oz
6. Green - girl 12.0 oz
7. Blue - boy 10.0 oz

Quinn's Crew

Puppy Mama Quinn is doing great, Puppy Mama helpers Linda, Joyce and Pete are pooped.

Puppy Lotto and the lucky number is ?....

2011-09-20T21:50:00.000-07:00

.... SEVEN or maybe EIGHT.

Thanks to Dennis and Eileen Griffin, we have a puppy count. Yesterday, Dennis and one of his partners, did an x-ray. Quinn is carrying 7 puppies and maybe 8.

How much longer?

Her due date is this Saturday, September 24. Usually dogs deliver within 3 days on either side of the due date. The puppies are being birthed and raised at my house so I will be working from home so I can keep a close eye on the situation. Wish us luck because this gal looks like she is ready to pop !
Linda

Quinn Comes Home...

2011-08-31T19:35:00.000-07:00

Hi -
I am a volunteer with Canine Partners of the Rockies. We are a small non-profit organization that raises, trains and places service dogs with Colorado residents who have mobility limitations.

Does it sound like I have that mission statement memorized? I have been doing a lot of presentations for CaPR recently so I probably mutter it in my sleep. We have expanded our mission to include therapeutic dog partnerships but I will need to tell you more about that later because
WE HAVE BIG NEWS...

We are going to have puppies !!!!

Cyndy and Quinn at the airport

Quinn, one of our service dogs in training was successfully bred with Jammer, a handsome black lab thanks to ICAN- Indiana Canine Assistant Network and Jamie Young, DVM. This will be our second litter from this great daddy dog (I think he looks like Elvis).

You might be familiar with Bridget and our "R" litter who were born in 2009. If you want to relive raising the "R" litter, visit CaPR volunteer Christine Gillow's blog about Raising Ruby.

Linda Port, CaPR's Director of "All Things Puppy" flew to Indianapolis where she met up with ICAN's volunteer, Cyndy Burnett and Mama Quinn. She brought Quinn back to Denver and now WE HAVE PUPPIES ON THE WAY !

Barb