Friday, February 14, 2020

Upcoming Litter at Northrock Barbets - Puppies Expected March 2020

I don't know what could be a better Valentine's gift than the news that we are expecting our next litter at Northrock Barbets. ðŸ’–

Rizzo (CH Northrock's For The Joy Of It CGN) has been bred to Beau (CKC CH Hickory Tavern Fool For Brookberry CM) and puppies are expected mid-March.  Much gratitude to Beau's owners Donna and Stephanie Forte and Judy McMaster Descutner for helping to make this dream possible and to Joy Hettler for sharing Rizzo with me.  Joy and I hope that you will join us in thinking good thoughts that all will continue to go well for Rizzo and that we will be welcoming puppies here in the spring. 

More information about this exciting breeding is available on our website. If you are interested in a puppy for show, performance or as a loving companion, please send us an email providing information about yourself, where you live, the type of puppy you are looking for and the home that you can provide to one of our puppies.















Sunday, February 9, 2020

The Polo x Gracie Puppies: Nine Weeks Old and Leaving the Nest

Snuggle puppy and blankie slumber parties in the ninth week.
It's been a wonderful time raising these puppies from birth to nine weeks.  Our final week with these little ones has been a busy and rewarding time.  
Our routine of frequent trips outside to potty is paying off. They are going out in the rain, snow, sun or dark. First thing when I come down in the am, after waking from naps, after eating each meal and before bedtime for a final potty trip. I'm so proud of them!!!!
These potty trips are in addition to regular recess playtimes outside for longer periods of time (weather permitting). 


Blizzard fast asleep on the car ride home from the vet
Bath time for everyone!
The puppies had their structural evaluations and chiropractic exams and also a trip to the vet for a full check up.



And amidst all the preparations to ready them for their send-offs we were sure to spend some quality time with them before they left.  

A great vet check up for the Polo x Gracie puppies.
Playing in the outdoor yard.
It was without a doubt an emotional week for as much as these pups are ready to move on to the next stage I have grown quite attached to them and will miss their characters and presence in our home.  However, the families that are welcoming the Polo and Gracie pups are terrific and I'm excited for these puppies to be joining them.


Here are the wonderful pups 
and their equally wonderful families;
From top left to bottom right: 
Frosty: Northrock's Lucky Moustache called Moustache
Mittens: Northrock's Lucky Mylah called Mylah
Blizzard: Northrock's Life of the Party called Louie
Chilly: Northrock's Lion In Winter called Hugo (the elder)
Winter: Northrock's Live for Today called Sachem
Crystal: Northrock's Luminous Luna called Stella
Aspen: Northrock's Laughter Is Sunshine called Hugo (the younger)
Cider: Northrock's Let There Be Light called Odin
Cocoa: Northrock's Lorelei and she remains Cocoa

I wish you all the best as you embark on this next chapter and look forward to receiving the updates and photos of life with your new canine companion.  Thank you and welcome to the Northrock Family.

Sunday, February 2, 2020

The Polo x Gracie Puppies: Eight Weeks Old

You can really see the difference in the development of the puppies this week.  They do everything with gusto; run, bark, bite and play.  It's been a busy and rewarding week with these little ones.

















We continued having visitors over which is always a delight and an entertainment for the puppies. 


The puppies were temperament tested this week and we're really please with the consistency we are seeing throughout the litter.  Gracie has decided that for the most part she is done with nursing her puppies but sometimes she surprises me and wants in with her puppies to nurse them.  We let our dams decide when and how often they want to nurse and let them wean their pups as they wish.  She is such a good mother and it's been wonderful watching her nurture and care for her puppies.


Keeping puppies this age entertained is not an easy task so we continue to offer them new items to explore such as the crinkly, noisy tarp and the bottle pool.
We always take off the paper labels, unscrew the caps and remove the rings that are left on the bottles before giving them to the puppies. It's a loud, noisy and crunching good time for the pups.  At this age the bottles don't last long as the puppies can crush them fairly easily so the bottles then go off to the recycling box when the pups are through with them.


The puppies' eighth week wrapped up with an Adventure Field Trip to the county.  We packed up the car with puppies travelling by twos in crates except for one puppy who travelled solo riding shotgun in a carrier and drove for over an hour to Erik and Susan Luyendyk's farm. They were very good for the long drive and once they got out of the car they had a grand time rip snorting around the property, stretching their legs and exploring all the new sights and smells.


If you would like to follow the progress of this litter please like our Facebook Page where more frequent updates, photos and videos will be posted.