Comet takes the puppies for a run around the kitchen for some excercise
Atlas and Apollo are trying to take off my wrist brace, they love the sound of the velcro
Freya is running back for some food in the puppy room
Today the puppies have entered the world of the kitchen, exploring beyond the puppy room.
Oden climbs in the wine shelf
Apollo nestles in the bread basket
Freya kisses Michala
Inquiring Atlas wants to play
![[puppy pic]](photos/puppiesinarow.jpg)
While Cari is away in Florida on a judging junket this weekend, I have been given the dubious honor of sleeping over with the puppies for two nights. When you consider that I have never owned a dog–or a cat, or a horse, or even a gerbil–my assignment might seem a bit odd. But, hey, I’m a neighbor and all the pets know me pretty well. Most of them even come when I call them. Except for Cupid, who has to mope about at the top of the driveway waiting for Cari to come home and must be chased, grabbed, bodily picked up and driven back to the house in the car. Very loyal, that little girl is.
![[puppy pic]](photos/mamafeeding.jpg)
Luckily for all of us, babysitting puppies consists pretty much of making sure the other canine family memebers don’t have access to the room with the puppies while allowing Mama Comet plenty of access back and forth to feed her babies. So far, I have handled this part of my job quite well.
They look so cute right now, you want to die. I was not explicitly told to play with them constantly, but I have added that to my job description anyway. Every few hours or so when they wake up from a nap, I go in and let them chew my fingers (they have tiny teeth now!) and climb all over my lap and make their teeny little growling sounds at me.
![[puppy pic]](photos/atlasmaybe.jpg)
![[puppy pic]](photos/puppies+b.jpg)
![[puppy pic]](photos/odenmaybe.jpg)
And, yes Cari, I wash my hands! Every time! My hands are shriveled up from washing so much! And although the puppies have only had two visitors so far, they have all willingly washed their hands too.
So, the puppies are safe, well-fed, happy and sleeping tons:
![[puppy pic]](photos/apollo+boot.jpg)
Atlas tips the scale over 3 pounds at 3 weeks old
Apollo and Oden fighting for attention
Here are the puppies at one week old nursing like piglets….
Comet’s puppies are growing by an ounce to 4 ounces per day
WHEN IT COMES TO BUYING A HORSE, it is nice to know what he or she has been doing the past couple of weeks. Orion has been working hard and been getting excellent results. See below recent clinics attended and the clinicians’ comments:
Peter Leone Clinic at Winley Farm, Millbrook, NY: 3’6″ division, very bold and honest to the jumps, impressive capacity to learn new exercises. Peter thinks he would be a good Junior Jumper.
Judy Richter Clinic at Coker Farm: Gymnastics to improve balance and straightness, worked with complex figure 8 exercises over narrow walls and cavaletti. Orion maintained a super rhythm to the fences. Judy suggests an Equitation rider who is looking for a fancy horse.
Locust Hill Hunter Pace: Pleasant Valley, NY: jumped over 30 fences cross country including drops, walls, water jumps, ditches, coops, natural fences. He was bold and brave to everything, led the group of three, also fell behind and was fine following, shows talent for eventing.
Heritage Farm: Patricia Griffith suggested he would make a super Junior Jumper. Orion jumped around the indoor course at 3’3″?3’6″ without touching a rail and did not back off any of the spooky jumps. She said many made horses stop at the fences because they are carved trees, or other unusual jumps.
Critical Control is the ability to place the horse anywhere you want him to go. Here Ruben demonstrates how to teach the horse walk across a bridge from very large to medium to small. He initially asks him to place his front feet on the bridge, then the hind feet and finally all four feet. When the horse resists, Ruben makes him work very hard backing up or going in a small circle. The horse is only allowed to rest when he is on the bridge. Finally, the horse choses to be on the bridge where he can rest and conserve his energy.
Regal with Ruben taking the tongue Ruben is demonstrating the important technique of taking the tongue of the horse. The mouth is one of the defense mechanisms of the horse, when there is danger he can bite. By taking the tongue it shows the horse that the trainer has the authority of this weapon. This is also very pleasureable for the horse once he accepts giving the tongue, he enjoys the massage and it calms his entire being.
Dennis under saddle: Lateral and Longitudinal Control Ruben is demonstrating lateral control and teaching how to read the many signals of a tense horse and how to alleviate the tension by using lateral control. He first allows the horse to take a few steps and controls the movement by flexing the neck to one side, releasing when the horse flexes in the poll and is relaxing the neck. By increasing the time the horse moves longitutadally before taking the lateral control, the horse learns to listen to the riders aids and will be less likely to perform bad behaviour such as bucking, rearing or bolting.
