Friday, December 28, 2012

Seven week stacked pictures

 Ok, if I didn't say it enough times before than I'll say it again...I love this litter. They are coming along just beautifully. Not only in structure, but they have wonderfully outgoing and brave temperaments too. Phoebe continues to be an outstanding mother, still nursing them and glad to do it. Many dams would be done by the time their babies turned seven weeks of age but she runs right in there and stands while everyone latches on and gets their fill. She doesn't have much milk left but she is quite willing to give them what she has. They are so big now they just sit while they are latched, they don't even have to reach up really...quite funny.

The puppies won't be seven weeks until tomorrow so pictures are a little early, but we had the time tonight so went ahead and did it anyway.

Here they are:


Green collar getting a little loving before being stacked. The best part of having the babies. ;)




Green collar



Male



Yellow collar



Red collar



Purple collar



Pink collar



 No collar




 And blue collar who was being naughty tonight. ;)


Sunday, December 23, 2012

First stacked pics of the Freddy x Phoebe litter!

I am very happy with this litter, they just keep getting better and better. They have strong, confident temperaments and move with great purpose wherever they go. I see them stop and stack themselves all the time which I love to see. They also have lovely toplines that they carry on the move and strong rears with good tail sets. They have good depth of chest and pretty front angles. I am so pleased.

 Here are their first stacked pictures at six weeks of age.

Pink collar:




Blue collar:



 No collar:



 Yellow collar:



Green collar:



Male:



Red collar:



Purple collar:


Monday, December 17, 2012

New Champion Braebrook's Courvoisier CGN

This post is actually long overdue as Cooper finished his championship in November at the Elsie Murray show in Cloverdale BC. The thing that makes it really sweet is that he did it on a Doberman booster weekend, which means that fellow breeders and fanciers get together and "boost" the entry under a breeder judge. They offer prizes and other fun things and work hard to get a good sized entry, which they succeeded in doing.
Cooper has been appreciated by breeder judges in the past as well, having garnered his first points by going best of winners at the BC Doberman Pinscher Club specialty in April of this year. That is the photo of him that I have used here as I think it turned out really well.


When Cooper finished it made him the third dog to finish in a now all champion litter, I'm very proud of them. 
The first to finish was BPIS Ch Braebrook's Hennessy "Bravo" who started his career by going best of winners on the BC Specialty weekend in 2011 for five points at just six months of age (he also picked up a best puppy in group that weekend with a total dog entry of about 1200 per day - big show!). Bravo finished his championship with a best puppy in show and a third in the adult group, he also picked up another best puppy in group before that. As an adult Bravo was 1st award of merit at the Doberman National this year in Calgary Alberta.

The second to finish was Ch Braebrook's Remy Martin "Remy" who is also a best puppy in group winner and has many group placements to his credit including a fourth in group at this years Lower Mainland Dog Fanciers show...the largest in Canada. Remy also has nine points including both majors towards his American Championship in only two trips stateside on Specialty weekends!

And the third to finish was Cooper who this post is about. Cooper is working hard in both the obedience ring and tracking field as well and it proving exactly how versatile this breed is. He has even been involved with search and rescue work, putting in a long six hours in inclement weather searching for a lost dog. Cooper also has his Canine Good Neighbour title, and I predict lots of good things coming from him and his hard working owner Nancy. She adores Cooper and has put a lot of time into training him which really shows when you see them together. He only has eyes for his Momma. :)

I am very pleased with how this litter has turned out. The nick between Ch Holmrun's Fred Astaire and Ch Braebrook's Coco Chanel Holmrun has proven to be a good one.

The Freddy x Phoebe puppies at five weeks!


Purple collar, how cute is she??



Pink collar



The male



No collar girl....didn't want to give her ears...little brat. ;)



Yellow collar



Blue collar



Green collar...apparently the black girls didn't want to give ears this week.



Red collar girl



Stacked pictures start next week so you'll really be able to see how they are coming along. I love watching them move around on the ground, very smooth, trotting everywhere and so proud of themselves.

They are all very outgoing and social and I always make lots of noise around them....radio playing, singing, dropping things...I don't hold back. They also get all kinds of toys to play with and are handled constantly. My first priorities are good pets and companions and I want to set them up to succeed. Usually I like to give them lots of time outside running around but having a litter this time of year makes it difficult to do that...it's just too cold and wet.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

A day in the life....

This month has been so busy and just gets busier and busier as Christmas gets closer and closer. Yesterday I took the day to go shopping for presents, actually I should rephrase that...I took half the day because I can't leave the puppies that long and I had to get home to pick up Ella from school. I ran around all morning doing dogs (letting them out to do their business and then picking said business up after them...cleaning up after puppies, feeding everyone, washing dishes etc etc etc..) getting Ella ready for school, Marshall dressed and fed, lunch packed, Ella dropped off at school and then back again to clean up after puppies, catch the first 15min of the LMDF dog show (that's all I had time for) on TSN because Ch Braebrook's Remy Martin had won the breed and was on TV before I headed out the door to go shopping.




I managed to get home home just in time to let the dogs out for a quick potty break before I had to leave again to get Ella and make one more quick stop in town before rushing home to get Ella ready for ballet class. After dropping her off there I rushed home to let the dogs out yet again and clean up after the puppies and feed them, and poop scoop the yard. Then it was back out the door to get Ella, stop at the local grocery store to pick up something quick and easy to prepare for dinner because I had forgotten to pull anything out of the freezer and then home to prepare it. I put the dogs out again so they had time for a good run, put the kids in the bath while I was making dinner and then they went off to bed afterwards with hugs, kisses, stories etc and I headed to the dog room to once again clean up after puppies and feed them as well as the adults.
As I was cleaning up after the puppies and thinking how nice it would be just to sit with my feet up and have a cup of tea rather than chase babies around with paper towels because they are running all over the dog room getting their wiggles out and leaving deposits everywhere, I looked up and saw a few individuals stop and strike the most beautiful pose. You know the kind where you look up, stop and think.."wow". Then they trot away holding a perfect topline, looking balanced with nice strong rears and you can't believe they aren't even five weeks old. That is when I remember exactly why I do it, every long sleepless night, every bottle fed puppy, every pile of puppy poop and the never ending bills that go with every part of breeding dogs. I put my heart and soul into this and when I see my hard work grow up and come together the way I hoped and prayed it would when I originally planned out the breeding it brings such a great sense of satisfaction. I truly love what I do. I think you have to or you would never last or succeed in dogs. It certainly isn't for the faint of heart. There have been times when I have felt very beaten down and it's been hard to get back up again, but you persevere, continually striving for that perfect dog...the one that takes your breath away to look at it, has a perfect Doberman temperament and lives long into a ripe old age.
So...I continued to clean up after eight noisy and rambunctious puppies, but I did it with a smile on my face as I watched them. They are the future of my breeding program and with each generation I get closer and closer to my goals, and once all the poop is cleaned up...let's face it..puppies are pretty darn cute. ;)
 Once the babies settled down for the night I headed to the kitchen to clean up supper dishes and then join my fully housebroken and loving adults dogs in the living room for a snuggle and that also helped me to remember what fine companions my Dobermans are (once they are pooping outside ;) ).

Stay tuned for new puppy pictures this weekend!



Sunday, December 9, 2012

Freddy x Phoebe puppies at four weeks

Time continues to fly, it seems that every time I turn around another week has flown by. Here are the babies at four weeks of age.

Blue collar girl:



Yellow collar girl:



Purple collar girl:



Green collar girl:



Male:



No collar girl:



Red collar girl:



Pink collar girl:




Hope you enjoy, more pics each weekend. :)

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Christmas wish list ideas

            I know, I know...it's not like you need an excuse to spend more money on your dog...at least I know I don't. :P  However, if you are looking for some inspiration either for your own dog or for a friends dog I have put together a few ideas here....read on at your own risk. ;)

My friend Janice Chapman does amazing doggie woodwork and here are a couple examples of things she has done for me:

This collar and lead rack was made for me about 12 years ago now (they last!) and is the old design. The new design is a little larger and more substantial looking and yes, I have one on order right now with a Doberman at the top.


 Everything is handmade and hand painted so can be customized to your specifications, as well as being very reasonably priced. It's not limited to Dobermans either, all breeds are available.
On the top is a crate or x pen tag. These can go on the outside of a crate or x pen at a dog show or trial and help friends find you or new people meet you. On the bottom is my Doberman Wipe Yer Paws! sign that when it arrives will be going on my kennel door (I wish the dogs could read....), note the "Braebrook" painted onto the dog tag...it's all in the details.
 If you are interested in any of these or one of the many other designs Janice makes (shelves, stools, feed bowl holders, doggie toy boxes) you can email her for more information as well as photos of other work she has done: jadegsp@shaw.ca









How about a new collar? I have a few options for you...

The first and what my dogs at home are currently wearing is AddisonLogan. These collars are all handmade and are very sturdy. Here are a couple pictures of the girls sporting their new collars when they arrived this summer:



 They have some end of the year sales going on right now including some great Christmas designs like this one:




Another collar option is from Cali's Collar Collection. Again these are homemade, come in a variety of colours and are very sturdy.




One of my very favourite leads are the kennel combo leads from Mes Amis Collars & Leashes. These are incredibly easy for moving dogs around from one yard to the next, to take them from show grounds to the van, or just to take them for a quick potty - they are great for travelling. They are very soft and easy on your hands, but very strong and come in many beautiful colours. I have five or six and I'm always adding more.
They come in regular leads with snaps as well and beautiful collars, both regular and limited slip.





Do you have a particularly strong puller? These collars from Lola Limited: index.html might be your answer. They are a prong collar that has been sewn into a limited slip collar. I have one for one of my dogs who is a real pulling machine and it has worked wonders. Again, lots of colours and designs to choose from.





For the showing crowd I have to share one of my favourite finds. These ringside totes are awesome! I use mine all the time to take bait, water bottles, wet coats etc ringside when I'm showing dogs. They are flashy, sturdy and very easy to clean if they get dirty. They are also as you can see customizable. I know that prices are going up in the New Year so now would be the time to order one of your own. Check out NanaB's Boutique for more information.




How about a new decoration for your Christmas tree? I have many Dobermans decorating my tree this year but it has been a tradition to add something new each year. The one pictured here is from Dannyquest but I have gotten many from eBay so be sure to have a look to see if you can find something you like.




And speaking of Danny Quest , if you are looking for something really special and a little higher end then these sculptures will have you drooling. Look at this Doberman bust...I love it and it will be mine one day.



Or this beautiful pair entitled "The Guardians".



And I have to include a German Shorthaired Pointer one so Libby doesn't feel left out. ;)


 So beautiful...be sure to sign up for their newsletter so you will know when they have a sale.




How about this cute welcome sign from an eBay store I found. They have red Dobermans too, and they are on sale right now. I have the perfect spot for one.....




Or you can just keep your eye open for cute things in any store you happen to be in. I found this great dish in Winners for only $6. It's very heavy and is now a water dish in my kitchen.



Hope this helps you in your Holiday shopping! :)


And just to leave you with a good feeling before you go here is Ella with green collar puppy girl. So sweet....