Emma at 22 weeks

Emma posed for this photograph taken by Reed Hamel. Notice her beautiful ridge. She is growing so much, and can't go where she could a month ago, and she becomes bewildered.

I hope you enjoy the snapshots of Emma. Her face and head are beginning to mature now that she is 22 weeks old, and she seems to be nearly through her teething stage. She is enjoying her swim 2-3 evenings each week, always wearing her life jacket.

Emma loves the little zebra toy from Walgreen's. She sleeps with this one and a soft, stuffed pink pig. She is growing and covering much more of her LL Bean bed. Some times Buster, our Cairn Terrier, shares Emma's bed.

Emma and Pippin, our Sheltie, both enjoy the African leopard, though Pippin some times is a little possessive with this toy, particularly today. Emma listens when Pippin objects, some times Emma throws herself onto the floor and argues like a little puppy. We haven't been able to catch that event on film.

The following are the faces of Emma. The temperature has been so very hot, Emma and the others wish to spend no unnecessary time out-of-doors. When I am able, I will take some images of her full body.





Digital photograph taken by Reed Hamel, 7-4-07 in Gilbert, Arizona

Emma Puppy Play Date with 6 of her siblings and mother

Yesterday was a puppy play day for Emma’s brothers and sisters at Copper Ridge Rhodesians Kennels. Lin Hainlen and her daughter Aura, hosted a play day, and seven of the eleven puppies showed up. Emma is on the left, walking with her brother, also a light colored Ridgeback. Notice the pronounced ridge down their back, thus their name, and the light areas on their neck and shoulder.

The puppies enjoyed the trampoline with those who joined in the fun. Lin had her acre-sized yard prepared for the party with pull and chew toys, a tire to jump through, the swimming pool, an in-ground trampoline, and nylon cloth tunnels for puppy enjoyment. Also present were Reese, the puppy’s mother, and ladies in waiting, Whisper and Varoshka.

Emma and her siblings enjoyed the agility practice tube. Emma is the one just exiting the tube. Notice her big, bright white tooth, the first of the big dog teeth to help her eat. She is teething, and having some real discomfort with the process. Our dog trainer from Kokopelli Dog Training, suggested freezing a Kong or freeze a terry cloth rag for her to chew. I do some T-Touch circles on her mouth before she goes to sleep in the evening, and she seems to sleep better. Only a few more weeks, and her adult teeth should be through the gum and she will feel better.

The group enjoyed resting under the shade on the cool grass. Emma is second on the left. Reese, their mother, is the furthest away on the gravel. Notice how much lighter color Emma is compared with the others.

After the play time, Aura took Emma on her first show training walk. It was so very hot, Emma had little enthusiasm for the exercise.

Emma's Swimming Lessons

Emma, 16 weeks old, had her first swimming lesson today with Jeffrey Flocker, a physical therapist in Gilbert, Arizona. He is a certified physical therapist for humans, but his client base is all-canine. Visit his website http://www.caninerehab.com/faqs.htm. He began by treating his own family of Bull Mastiffs, and now he has a marvelous hydro training facility with all the tubs, elevator lifts, ramps, tables, pool and much more. In this Arizona environment, everything is peaceful with trees, grass and non-skid surfaces. Dogs and owners are comfortable year round.


Emma first was fitted with her floatation device. Once she was okay wearing the vest, then she was walked onto a platform over the edge of the pool. Jeffrey held her for comfort and safety.


The lift is easily lowered into the water free of any noise. As soon as Emma noticed the water level rising, Jeffrey stopped the lowering platform. Jeffrey got into the water, and gently nudged Emma into the pool.






















Jeffrey and Karen introduced Sparkle, their 19 week old Bull Mastiff puppy, into the mix. Sparkle loves to swim and showed Emma how it was done. Emma took the hint. Emma began swimming like a professional. She swam toward the side of the pool, and Jeffrey gently held her tail. She wasn’t afraid, she was just uncertain.















Emma learned where the pool stairs were. That was one of the biggest lessons I wanted her to learn. Look for the stairs if you fall into a pool, water safety 101.



Emma swam to the lift under Jeffrey's guidance. She emerged damp and ready to go home.











Emma's first pool experience was a good one. She may never look at a swimming pool as the place to play, but she will know how to swim and get out of a pool, if ever she falls in. I will take Emma into the pool again with me this evening, just for a few minutes.

If you would like to read more about the benefits of hydrotherapy, check out these two sites:
http://www.natural-animal-health.co.uk/hydrotherapy.htm
http://www.dogswimming.co.uk

Hydrotherapy is not just for dogs with problems, it is for dogs with strong muscles and healthy joints.

Raw Food Diet for Emma

I have been reading extensively about the pros and cons of various diets for Emma. She is 12 weeks old and still not eating all Lin, her breeder, recommends for the puppies. There is the conventional, over the counter in the grocery store food, then there are the specialty brands, like those recalled, and finally the raw or part-raw diet like The Honest Kitchen.

Lin feeds her dogs The Honest Kitchen diet of dehydrated raw for one meal then kibble from Dick Van Patton called Natural Balance for the second meal of the day. She is recommending the same diet for Emma, reinforced with Missing Link and Vitamin C. I am following her lead, because her dogs all look healthy and happy, they are long-lived, and there is research to back up the approach. I have been adding raw whole carrots for Emma to chew on and small pieces of fresh apple. When I brush Emma’s teeth, she leans into my finger as if her gums and teeth are bothering her. She is chewing on everything, despite her endless supply of chew bones. I have also been doing TTouch on her gums at night as she is ready to retire for the evening. She is sleeping all night now. (I would too if someone were giving me a relaxing rubdown and foot massage as I lay in bed ready for sleep.)

I would love to hear your opinions about puppy diets for large breeds.

More Photos of Emma at 12 Weeks

Emma always looks so grand. Even at 12 weeks old, she looks so mature to me.
Emma and Pippin, our pet Sheltie, love to puppy play. I hope they will have some new rules as Emma grows to be 3 or 4 times Pippin's size.
Look below to see Emma playing with a visitor, and my son just happened to catch the look. I love this photo, because she didn't trip over her own feet. She is gaining agility, improvement each week.

Emma's New Collar

Emma is only 10 weeks old in this photograph. She likes to be wherever I am, even if it is in the restroom. I put this soft place for her to wait, though I don't think she will fit in it very much longer.

Emma has a new dog collar. It is 16” long and she wears it on the first hole. She will surely grow into it, past the last hole, and will need a larger one in a few weeks. Her collar is rolled leather. That shape is supposed to last a very long time and not wear the hair beneath it. I learned that tip from Barbara Raynsford, a former Doberman Pincer breeder/show participant, and now owns and operates Heritage Grooming in Gilbert, Arizona.

Emma’s collar will have a tag, which allows anyone who finds her to get in touch with us. Both Petco and Petsmart have the machine to make beautiful tags. The tag will only hold her name and our last name on the top line, our telephone number on the second line, and the state we live in on the last line.. She will have a dog license from the county, as soon as she is old enough to have the rabies shot , and a tag to alert anyone that she has a chip for identification. She has a microchip in her back for further identification, just in case she looses her collar.

Fitting the collar was easy. When it was buckled, I made certain there was plenty of room for two of my fingers to slip easily between the collar and her neck. Because she is a growing puppy, I will test her collar using the two-finger rule every day as I pet her. When the fit becomes snug, not tight, I will let it out a notch until there are no more holes. Then is the time to go to the next collar. If the collar becomes wet, I will remove it so that it does not shrink around her neck.

Emma and Russian Borsch

Emma was the center of attention at our home Saturday. We had a few friends over for some Russian cuisine. Each knew of Emma because of the e-mail announcement I sent to everyone with her 8-week-old photo attached. I think they came to meet Emma as much as the visit and meal. Many brought gifts of play toys and long lasting displays of affection.

Russian food is not something I can just throw together. I shop and cook for several days. Emma loved the process. She loved the kitchen aromas and remained as close to the center of the action as possible. She had been having trouble eating as much as Lin Hainlen, the breeder, said she should be eating. Preparation for the meal, and the wafting aromas stimulated her apatite, and all of a sudden she was hungry, eating almost the amount she is supposed to.

I use “The Joy of Cooking” recipe for my Borsch. I e-mailed Lin this evening with the ingredients to be certain Emma could have her “dish of choice” to mix with The Honest Kitchen, Embark. She also has Van Patton’s Natural Balance kibble in her diet. I am hoping Lin can find no reason for Emma not to enjoy her Borsch on a regular basis.

Note: Onions are a toxic for your dog as chocolate, so leave out the onions!

Emma's Routine

The past couple of days have been pure joy watching Emma and her housemates work through their differences and establish the new group ranking. Emma still has that wonderful puppy smell that just makes me swoon every time I smell it, and seems to cause the others to excuse some of her behavior. The cats even excuse her cold nose and Emma walking behind them with their tail hanging out of her mouth.

The cats are both ten year old Abyssinians, brother and sister. The brother loves our dogs, and parades proudly when one of the dogs licks him to the point of being sticky coated. The sister is less patient than her brother. So, it was a head turner when I saw the sister walk across the living room floor, Emma slowly advance behind her, take the cat’s tail in her mouth, and carry it as the cat walked away. All the cat did was twist her ears backward.

Emma has been sleeping eight hours through the night. She plays for about two hours, running, bouncing, climbing and generally pestering everyone after breakfast. She becomes so tired, she either drops in place or glides into a laying position on the floor. When she sleeps, she really sleeps. The loud sounds of our small coffee grinder doesn’t even rouse her. She sleeps until lunch-time, when she awakens enough to go outside for chores, then inside for lunch. She plays small games with us, tug of war, catch or just petting, then she returns to sleep. Mid afternoon Emma awakens again, drinks water and does outside chores again. Dinner at 6:00 p.m. is the beginning of her evening energy burst. She plays and runs for two or more hours and by 9:30 p.m. she is ready for deep sleep. When I am ready to retire, I take Emma outside one last time, give her a chicken strip, and put her into her kennel.

Emma’s kennel is next to a reclining chair on my side of the master bed. If she whimpers in the night, I move to the recliner and dangle my fingers into the kennel. She sniffs my fingers, collapses next to my side of the kennel and returns to sleep for a few more hours. I treat her the way I did my children when they were infants. I really don’t want her to learn to fuss, I want her to feel like her needs will be met with small gestures on her part.

It is time to play with Emma. …

Happy Easter Morning with Emma

Emma and Buster played much of the morning in the living room, at least the times when they were not in the kitchen hoping for a treat.

The following e-mail was sent to Emma's breeder, Lin, this morning. Look for her response at the end.

Happy Easter Lin,

Emma has had a busy Easter morning. She slept until 5:15 a.m. when she needed out and her stomach was growling. She played and ate a hearty breakfast, then was outside with me doing yard work and watering until nearly 10 a.m. She learned about water hoses and water from the hose. What fun! She helped me sweep the front porch and dead head flowering plants. She stayed with me most of the time, except when Pippin chased the birds, or Buster ran and played. All the dogs are tired and sleeping. Emma is with LeiAnna in the office on a bed LeiAnna made just for Emma. Emma has a stuffed elephant that she particularly enjoys next to her, and the bed is next to LeiAnna's feet. Classical music is filling the house, and life is wonderful.

Emma barked for the first time. The neighbor lady was in her yard last evening, saw me and came over to her side of the fence to talk. Emma was a happy little puppy greeting her at first, then moved away, cautiously, and barked one time. I tried to coax her over toward the neighbor again, but Emma wanted nothing to do with the stranger. She seemed relieved when I moved away from the fence, circling my legs, and glancing back at the neighbor. Earlier yesterday the neighbors across the street came over to meet Emma, including their almost 2 year old son. Emma was puppy clumsy, but ever so gentle with the little boy. She has made quite an impression among the neighbors, not just for her beauty, but for her character.

Every member of our household appreciates Emma. The emptiness we have all felt has been filled by her precious being. Thank you.

Lin's reply:
I am delighted to get your updates. Kiss The Divine Miss Em for me ......

Happy Easter to you all!

Hugs,
lin

Emma is Home

Emma needed a good rest after her long car ride and meeting her new home and family members. She was 9 weeks old in this photograph.

Lin Hainlen, owner of Copper Ridge Kennel, had done many things to make our transition with Emma easier for everyone. She does this with every litter and every puppy in every litter. Before Emma was ready to come home with us, she had been socialized to be a healthy family member.

Emma's socialization and road to good health began with her birth. Lin and her family were present from the puppy’s birth, which happened in a special room designed for whelping, located in the Hainlen’s home. The litter of eleven was raised in the same room where they were born. The room where they were born has a large dog door built into the wall so the puppies can begin their own house training, as they are ready. There were no accidents after the fifth week. Lin, her family members and many visitors, handled Emma from birth, so she thought people were important to her wellbeing. Everyone entering the baby room, had to spray their shoes with disinfectant, and wash hands with disinfectant soap. There is a television and stereo in the puppy room, and one or the other plays regularly so the puppies are socialized to a future home environment. The puppies are provided with a play yard equipped with tubes and tents, rocks to crawl over, and a clean grassy yard. When puppies become dirty from playing, they are wiped down with a damp cloth and their feet cleaned. Each week their ears are cleaned and teeth are brushed.

The day Emma was ready to travel to her new home, she had been given her first shots, and had been screened for worms and other unwanted intestinal visitors. She had no adverse reaction to the vaccinations, and the fecal tests were negative.

We arrived at the Copper Ridge Kennel before 3 p.m. Thursday, April 5, 2007. We began with the paperwork. There was a contract to read and sign, a check to write, AKC registration paperwork, identification chip information to fill out as the new owner, and many other valuable and supportive items to review in the folder. I do wish the information could have been e-mailed ahead of the trip. Once in Emma's presence, all I wanted to do was pay attention to Emma.

A family from New Mexico arrived a few minutes after we did, so Lin showed us the basics at the same time. She made take-home bags for each puppy filled with samples of calcium and multivitamins, food and toys, one toy had been played with by the litter so there would be familiar smells for the puppy. Lin showed us how to clean our puppies with non-alcohol baby wipes, and brush their teeth. Lin made certain the identification chip functioned and checked the numbers. She also showed us how to trim toenails, and the tool to use.

We were on the road home with Emma by 5:30 p.m. My daughter went with me to keep Emma company on the ride. Twenty minutes out of the driveway, Emma vomited, and I had not prepared for such an event. We stopped to take care of Emma and clean up as much of the mess as possible, then continued home. Emma slept soundly the rest of the trip.

Pippin, our black and white Sheltie, welcomed Emma immediately, after all, the two are the same height and weight, and Pippin is only twenty months old. We hope the two will grow up together, and Pippin can establish her position while Emma is still small. I think both puppies are not alpha, however, our Cairn Terrier boy, Buster, who is nearly ten years old, is very alpha. Buster was aggressive at first, perhaps assertive is a better term. It took him until the next morning to decide Emma was okay. Now, only two days later, the three are a pack, and I seem to be pack leader. Enough for now, I don’t want to get ahead of myself.

Lin and I had been in communication for the past several weeks, so I had most of the items to make Emma comfortable and the house puppy proof. I want Emma to know what a kennel is and how to relax through the night when kenneled. I want her to be safe, and a kennel is the safest place for her when no one is home. As she grows older and matures, there will be no need for a kennel at night, but she will be able to recall kennel time if she ever needs to be in one for any reason.

Emma had been in a kennel during trips to the veterenarian, so when we put her in the kennel the first night, she didn’t quite know what to do. We made certain that she had a good dinner and a good play before bedtime. I put her kennel next to my side of the bed, gave her a nice soft bed and a treat to calm her. She slept six hours before awakening with a little whine. I let her out of the kennel and walked her to the outside door. Within ten feet, she was relieving herself. I praised her for “doing her chores” and we went back inside where Emma and I returned to bed to sleep another four hours.

Friday was a busy day for all of us, including Emma. She had a veterinarian appointment with our medical providers. Dr. Christian gave her a clean bill of health, as I thought she would.

Friday night, April 6, 2007, Emma was sure of how the household operated. She didn’t object to being in the kennel at night, after all, she had played until she was very tired. She slept until 4:00 a.m. this morning when she needed out, and was very hungry.

4-4-07 Diary of Emma

Emma is the middle puppy. She is dining with two of her ten siblings. Reese, their mother looks on.

Emma is 8 weeks old in this photograph taken at her birth home of Copper Ridge Rhodesians. She had many things to contemplate that day.

Emma comes home tomorrow, April 5, 2007. The car ride from North Scottsdale to Gilbert will take approximately an hour. I know this experience will be life changing for her, mostly because she truly loves her mother, Reese, and doesn't really know us, yet. I know the day will be fun and go quickly for Emma, it is the night that concerns me.

I have a large dog wire kennel all set up in the master bedroom where my husband and I sleep. It is also where both cats and Pippin, the little Sheltie sleep. My hope is to calm Emma while in the restless stage, and not let her mood escalate to the frantic stage. I have learned some of the Tellington Touch techniques, and plan to use them to help her calm down during the night, if need be. There is a plan for play during the evening, and a nice dinner, after all, a tired, well-fed puppy sleeps all night, so they say.

Emma is eating The Honest Kitchen brand Embark with Natural Solutions kibble by Van Patton, three times per day. We already feed our dogs The Honest Kitchen brand, so adding the kibble brand is easy. We have arranged our schedules so that she will be able to eat and play mid-day. We use distilled water from our own distillation unit, so everyone has clean water to drink. I also like to give the dogs raw, whole carrots to chew on, and a little peanut butter inside a Kong for time in the kennel. I think she will have a good diet to grow up on, not too much protein, as most of the processed puppy foods provide.

Tomorrow, we will do the paperwork transferring information about Emma, payment for her, and plan for her future health. Emma has an identification chip in her, instead of a tattoo, and I will need to register that number to us. She has a veterinarian appointment Friday for a check-up and a "getting to know your doctor" visit. She will also visit our groomer's shop, just to get acquainted. Car rides and play times away from home are part of our plan for her socialization.

I think we are ready for Emma to come home. The house is puppy proofed, there are plans for the other animal introductions, she has a bed that is safe and secure, good food to eat, clean water to drink, and a loving family that is very excited about her arrival. I will let you know how it goes.