After many years of sharing our Barbet news and writing about the growth and development of our Barbet puppies we retired the blog at the end of 2020. All of the past entries remain posted so feel free to take a look around and scroll through previous posts to get a feel for the breed, our dogs and how we raise our litters. More information about the Barbet (French Water Dog) can be found on our website: www.northrockbarbets.com
The Obie and Mona puppies have left for their new homes. These puppies have been a complete joy and our time with them has gone by so quickly. Mona was a wonderful first time mom to her puppies and she and Obie produced some very special pups. They are confident, friendly andüber affectionate. Their new homes are head over heels in love with them. I am enjoying the updates that are coming in from their families. None of these puppies have ventured too far from home and I look forward to meeting up with them again in the future. Thank you to their new families who have opened their homes and their hearts to these four wonderful puppies.
Chewie went to live in Toronto with Maren, Paul and their daughter Lilly and they named him Barnie.
UPDATE: Sometimes despite careful preparation and planning things don't go as expected. It turns out that after living with Barnie for a number of weeks, Paul's allergies became unbearable and it was decided that it would not be possible for them to continue to keep their puppy. The way a person experiences allergies can vary from one individual to the next. In Paul's situation the visits to the breeder's home (even with multiple dogs present) weren't the same as living with his own pup and having constant daily exposure to the allergens. We will always be grateful to Maren, Paul and Lilly for the love and care they gave to Barnie during the time that he was with them.
At the beginning of January Barnie went to live with David and his wife and their two children in Markham where he is much loved and now goes by the name of Alfie! His registered name is Northrock's Charlie Brown.
Leia has gone to live with Banny and Kim and is staying in Toronto. She now goes by Sadie and her registered name is Northrock's Chocolate Kiss.
Luke is now Northrock's Caped Crusader aka "Baxter" and lives in Toronto with April and her son.
Amidala is now Northrock's Calypso Rose and goes by Suzie. She lives in Whitby, Ontario with John and his family.
Obie and Mona’s puppies are now 4 weeks old. The time is flying by but we are careful not to waste these important early weeks. Our last post celebrated the puppies turning 1 week old. Since then they have completed the Neo-Natal Period (1 - 14 days) and we wrapped up the Bio-sensor and Early Scent Stimulation exercises. The puppies begin their time with us in a guest bedroom and they remain there during the Neo-natal Period and through the Transitional Period (14 - 21 days). They are handled frequently not just by our own family but by friends that stop by to gently hold them and cuddle with them. We are always very careful to practice germ control but we do feel that socialization should begin even when they are still very young.
During the Transitional Period the puppies eyes open and their hearing develops. We keep the lights low in the room during the days when their eyes are opening. Once everyone’s eyes are open, shortly thereafter normal lighting resumes. We have a television in the room which we use as the low level of changing light that it emits has been said to help the brain to develop. It is the same with low level sounds, so we have classical music playing at a low volume to facilitate auditory stimulation. We add some novel items to the whelping box such as soft stuffed animals, little balls and different footing for the puppies in the form of bath mats and small carpets.
During their third week the puppies enter the Awareness or Identification Period (21 - 28 days). [For more details about these periods in a puppy’s development see Pat Hasting’s book Another Piece of the Puzzle: Puppy Development] Now the pups make the big move downstairs into our dining room which is adjacent to the family room and kitchen and right smack in the heart of our home. Since they now can use all of their senses they are exposed to all the sights, sounds and smells of our home. They are still using the whelping box but we have added a potty box. We have found this to be very helpful in encouraging the puppies to eliminate in a separate area. We also add a small play area that over time gradually is enlarged to accommodate their growing needs.
Pups have dangling toys, and noisy toys, toys that roll and squeak, toys that they can pick up and toys to climb over. The radio is often set to the classical music station because we like all the different sounds that the many varied instruments make. We also play a few different cds of various sounds to help further expose the pups to noises that they might encounter outside the home such as thunderstorms, fireworks, gun shots, airplanes etc....
The big dogs in the house are now invited to meet the puppies and interact with them through the puppy pen. Even our resident cat Daphne has come to check them out!
When the puppies turned 4 weeks old we introduced them to their first meal of solids. Which was ground turkey with bone and goat’s milk. They enjoyed it immensely.
Visitors are now coming over on a regular basis to help socialize the puppies.We aim to have them have many positive interactions with a myriad of different people by the time they leave for their new homes.
These are truly such delightful puppies. Mona continues to be a wonderful dam to them and we are enjoying our time with these little sweethearts while it lasts. Here is a brief video of the pups taken on November 3rd.
Today we celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada and we have so much to be thankful for. We are extremely grateful for our good health and happiness and that of our friends and family (including the four legged ones) and we are extra thankful for our beautiful litter of Barbet pups that were born last Sunday.
Mona and her puppies continue to do very well. The pups are in the neo-natal period of their development. They are extremely vulnerable in these early days since they cannot regulate their own body temperature and they need help eliminating. The puppies spend an enormous amount of time sleeping and nursing. They are getting better and better at moving around the whelping box but are not yet up on all fours. Their eyes and ears are still closed. The little noises that they make are ever so endearing and Mona is very attentive to their needs.
We have started the Bio Sensor program of early neurological stimulation exercises which began on day three and will continue until day 16. It's a series of 5 exercises. We have also introduced the puppies to novel scents. You can read more about how we do these exercises in one of our past blog posts Early Neurological Stimulation & Early Scent Stimulation
Of course in addition to these exercises the puppies are weighed daily, receive regular nail trims and lots of gentle handling. They are terrible time wasters and I find myself crawling right into the whelping box along side Mona and her pups for lots of snuggles and loving.
We are delighted to announce that the eagerly awaited Obie and Mona puppies have arrived safe and sound at Northrock. On the morning of October 6th Mona whelped 4 beautiful puppies.
Mona and her pups are all doing well. Our children are huge Star Wars fans and they wanted to give these puppies special names in addition to their collar colours. Please join me in welcoming these little darlings to the world:
Mr. Blue "Chewbacca" born at 7:50 am 14 7/8 oz. - Brown
Miss. Purple "Amidala" born at 7:58 am 14 1/4 oz. - Brown
Miss. Red "Leia" born at 8:56 am 14 3/4 oz. - Brown
Mr. Yellow "Luke" born at 10:02 am 13 1/4 oz - Black
I am looking forward to all the fun that we will have watching these puppies grow up. We're very grateful to Chris and Ula Pepper at Nappyroots Reg'd and Paul Hunter (Obie's owners) for letting us use him with Mona. They are lovely puppies and we are thrilled.
We are very excited about our upcoming litter here at Northrock. Mona has been bred to Obie and she is expecting puppies the first week of October. Details about the breeding can be found on our website. Mona is such a sweet Barbet and her pregnancy is going well. Pregnancy was confirmed by palpation at the end of August and the positive palpation combined with other signs that Mona has been exhibiting
(an increase in lazy behaviour, her nipples are pinking up and getting
larger and she had experienced morning sickness) all point to
pregnancy.
Photo credit: National Geographic, fetus at 39 days
Here is a link to a past post that has some information about how puppies develop when they are still inside their dam.
If you would like a
further glimpse into the canine womb to see what exactly is going on, National
Geographic has created an incredible video called “In the Womb:
Dogs”.It is a fascinating
documentary about the fetal development of 3 different breeds.If you ever get the chance to watch it I
highly recommend it.Here is a little
teaser.
We are very much looking forward to meeting these Obie x Mona pups. Obie is a really nice Barbet and together with Obie's owners Paul Hunter and Chris and Ula Pepper of Nappyroots Reg'd we are counting down the days until these precious puppies arrive!
♥ Sophie ♥ UCD CH Neigenuveaux Fleur d'Northock WC CGN
I am often asked why we chose the Barbet as the breed of
choice for our family.It truly was a
love at first sight deal for me.Their
dishevelled curly coats give the appearance of being anything but glamorous but
their sweet nature is bright and sunny.The breed has completely bowled us over.I admit I am head over heels in love with these dogs.The Barbet epitomizes everything that I am
looking for in a canine companion.Now
that I have come to know and love them I cannot imagine ever living without
one.
Camping with Sophie
At Bruce's Mill Conservation Area with ♥Mona♥ Bayport's Gem of Northrock
The Barbet is smart and sensitive and faithfully loyal.Their devotion to their families and
affectionate disposition are trademarks of the breed.Barbets are good natured and fun loving and
with proper training can become enthusiastic partners for sport and
pleasure.
I want to share my home with
dogs that I can do competitive sports with but who will also be up for whatever
activity our active family wants to engage in.Swimming, canoeing, hiking or just hanging out with us at the kid’s soccer
games.If it’s competition you desire,
be it agility, obedience, rally-o or tracking Barbets are up to the
challenge.If given the opportunity they
also have the potential to serve as capable bird dogs for hunting or field
tests.
Sophie Retrieving
The qualities that enabled the Barbet to function as an
all-around retriever of waterfowl and small game are one of the many attributes
that attracted us to the breed in the first place. I get enormous satisfaction from watching the
dogs do what they were originally bred to do and I enjoy spending a day out in
the field with them.It is for this reason that at Northrock
Barbets we are committed to preserving the breed’s natural instincts,
especially their desire to retrieve and their love of water.
Swimming at the cottage with Mona and Sophie
Two in the canoe - no problem!
Hiking in the Rouge Valley with Sophie
The Barbet is an active and outgoing water dog.They are willing to work as a team player but
they can be wickedly smart and one does at times really need to be one step
ahead of them or they will try to run circles around you!They can also be sensitive and in order for
training to be most successful you need to be patient and happy and remember to
keep it fun for them.I enjoy training
my dogs.Sophie has her Companion Dog
obedience title and her Working Certificate and I am looking forward to putting more titles on her in the
future.We have even tried
tracking and I don’t know if we will ever
bring home a ribbon but it’s a great way for us to spend time together.
Right now Kelly is working on learning
foundation skills that will serve her well in obedience and I’m considering
trying agility with both girls.Although
I have heard it’s highly addictive!Kelly has already been introduced to birds and I was excited about her
reaction to them.I’m looking forward to
being able to play in the field with her too.
Lovin' the Chukar
The breed’s enthusiasm for sport combined with their gentle temperament
makes for a friendly companion that is ever ready for a long hike or a swim at
the beach. Yet they are easy to live
with because when it’s time to relax they are content to lay down by our feet
and just “be” with us.The Barbet is a
breed that for the most part is healthy and hardy with few problems.With a lifespan of 12 – 15 years we look
forward to making many more good memories with our girls.
Sophie, Kelly, Quincy
After a day field training....
It’s not all a bed of roses however….their grooming needs
are high.If neglected their curly plush
coat that is so therapeutic to pet and cuddle up against can quickly become a
matted mess.
Because my dogs
regularly spend time in the great outdoors it means they often bring it home in
their coats.However, with proper care
and management the benefit to the Barbet having a coat of hair and not fur
means far less shedding so with all that cuddling you will never come away
covered in dog hair!
Now with the winter weather on our doorsteps we get to deal with the snow...
♥ Kelly ♥ Northrock's Anchors Aweigh
The Barbet truly is a perfect match for our family.We have been bitten big time by the Barbet
bug!They are wonderful dogs and we are
committed to sharing our hearts and home with their unsophisticated charm for
many years to come.
The dogs had a great time up north yesterday. We took Mona and Sophie up to escape the city heat while Coco and Quincy stayed at home (with the air conditioning) and my Mom looked after them for us. Olivia and I took the Barbets for a canoe ride. The two girls fit in the canoe no problem.
It was an extra special day because it was the first time that Mona went swimming! She did an awesome job. We managed to get a video of one of her first swims :0)
This was also Mona's first time retrieving from the water and it was wonderful to see how naturally she took to it.
Yesterday Mona and I represented Club Barbet Canada at the
Purina PawsWay’s “Celebration of French Breeds” event in downtown Toronto’s
Harbourfront.The PawsWay is a wonderful pet friendly
venue.The public is welcome to stroll
through the Purina Animal Hall of Fame and read the amazing stories and see
photos of the pets and service animals that have been recognized as heros.There is a reference area with books and
materials on dog and cat care and crafts for children to do.You’ll find a store selling pet products and
what I really like, an indoor pet friendly café where you can get something to eat
and drink and sit at a table with your dog right beside you.The indoor Pet Park at Toronto’s PawsWay is
where they hold a variety of events and classes to educate and enlighten the
public about responsible pet ownership.
Club Barbet Canada was pleased to have been invited to
participate in the Celebration of French Breeds and Mona was in her element
meeting and greeting the public for hours on end.She is such a happy and friendly girl and she
loves attention.Of all the people who
walked through the doors no one had heard of a Barbet except for one lady and
another woman who came through with her 11 week old Barbet puppy Merlow from
RoVer Barbets!That was a special treat
for us as this adorable puppy is a nephew to Mona on her sire’s side.
Since it was a beautiful day and we got there a little bit
early we made sure we took a bit of time to walk around and enjoy the
waterfront. If you are in ever in Toronto and looking for something to do with
your dog, check out the Harbourfront area. It's lovely and very pet friendly.
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