New Titles Earned at Northrock

It has been a successful month at Northrock Barbets as a few of the Barbet girls brought home some new titles in Rally Obedience*.

UCH Nuphar's Soak Up The Sun RN CGN "Summer" with her rosettes from her first two CKC RN legs

Summer now has her CKC Rally Novice title earning the title in three straight trials with a 93, 98 and 96.

URO1 CH Northrock's Eau De Joy CGN "Ellie" and
URO1 UCD CH Neigenuveaux Fleur D'Northrock WC CGN "Sophie"

photo by A. Smith

In UKC Rally, Summer, Sophie and Ellie each earned the title of URO1.  We are really enjoying the sport of rally-obedience.  

A big thank you to Ellie's co-owner, Lise Pomeroy for putting the first two legs of Ellie's title on her.  All of the dogs worked well and earned some really nice scores.

Also many thanks to my friend and coach Alison Smith at Personal Paws Inc. for all of her training help and encouragement.  

*pending CKC and UKC Confirmation

Northrock's "E" Litter - Welcoming the Winston x Sophie Puppies

Announcing the arrival of the Winston and Sophie litter!  Five lovely Barbet puppies were welcomed into the world on November 2nd, 2014.

Introducing:

Miss Pink born at  4:32 pm 10 1/4 oz - Black

Miss Green born at  5:24 pm          9 7/8 oz - Brown

Miss Red born at  6:40 pm         10 3/4 oz - Brown

Mr. Blue born at 10:45 pm         10 1/2 oz - Brown

Mr. Camo born at   1:30 am               11 oz - Brown

Sophie is doing a wonderful job caring for her puppies.  She is a calm and attentive mother and her puppies are strong, happy and content.  We are grateful to Winston’s owners Denyse Rousseau (BleuZorange Barbets), Isabelle Auger and Derek Duguay for making this litter possible.  My dear friend Nellemarie Hyde was once again great company and a fantastic whelper helper.

Please visit our Facebook Page Northrock Barbets for frequent video and photo updates.  We will also be providing updates via the blog, just not as often.  

Barbet Josie in the Club Barbet Canada booth

Josie and the CBC booth. Josie is Northrock's Black Seal from the Chmurnik x Sophie litter. 

I am back home again after spending the weekend in London, Ontario attending the 2014 Purina National™ dog show which was hosted by the Elgin County Kennel Club.  Club Barbet Canada (The National Club for the Barbet) had a breed booth in the Breeders’ Village all weekend long and that’s where I was stationed.  The Purina National is a large, prestigious dog show that attracts many exhibitors and offers over $40,000.00 in prize money.  This show took place in conjunction with the 2nd Annual London Pet Show and attracted a lot of visitors.  

Josie with Brian and JoAnne who stopped by to visit the booth on Saturday and help meet with the public and hand out brochures.

I like to keep my dogs at home when one of them is pregnant or if there are puppies on the ground.  With Sophie’s puppies due at the beginning of November, Brian and JoAnne were kind enough to let me borrow their Barbet Josie for the weekend.  I had a great time hanging out with “Josie the Wonder-Dog” as her family affectionately calls her.  Josie is such a sweet Barbet and she did a great job all weekend long meeting and greeting with the public.  She was a wonderful ambassador for the breed.  

Derek Duguay who travelled all the way from Quebec with his family and his two Barbets, Pearl and Winston as well as Myself and Josie.

Throughout the entire weekend a large number of visitors who had never heard of the Barbet before stopped by to say hello and to get to know the breed. Myself along with the other club members who volunteered in the booth handed out close to 150 brochures during the weekend long event.  It was a great weekend of breed promotion and education and I look forward to doing it again in the future.

Upcoming Litter - November 2014

Sophie has been bred to Winston and puppies are expected at the beginning of November 2014!

At the beginning of September my daughter Olivia and I drove to Quebec to breed Sophie to Winston.  We had a wonderful time and enjoyed visiting with Isabelle Auger, Derek Duguay and their boys and Denyse Rousseau.  Winston is a lovely Barbet and we are very excited about this litter.  More information can be found on our website.

CH BleuZorange Xed dit Winston, the sire of our upcoming litter posing with Isabelle

Isabelle and Derek live near Old Quebec City.  Olivia, Sophie and I were able to take some time to explore the city while we were there.  Here are some photos from our visit.  

UCD CH Neigenuveaux Fleur D'Northrock WC CGN "Sophie" and Olivia - View from the Citadelle de Quebec.

Taking a little break beside the St. Lawerence River. 

On the promenade de Samuel de Champlain.

Sophie is doing very well.  Her pregnancy was confirmed by palpation towards the end of September.  She getting a little bigger now and her svelte little tuck up has disappeared. Sophie is in great shape and we are enjoying the beautiful fall weather we have been having by going on lots of walks together.  We are so looking forward to the Winston x Sophie litter and we are very grateful to Isabelle, Derek and Denyse for letting us use their beautiful boy.  

 We anticipate that these pups will have many of the wonderful qualities their parents possess, especially their outstanding temperaments.  If you are interested in a puppy for show, performance or as a loving companion contact  Stephanie at northrockbarbets@gmail.com 

Summer Memories at the Cottage

It has been a great summer here at Northrock.  We had lots of fun weekends up at the cottage with the dogs and I wanted to share a few photos...   

I can't believe how quickly it went by and now that we are into September we are enjoying the cooler temperatures.  Fall is my favourite season and we are all looking forward to long hikes in the conservation areas with the kids and dogs.

The Fab Five Are Four Weeks Old

 

The Chmurnik and Sophie puppies turned four weeks old today.  A few big changes have happened for these fabulous puppies.   This past week the pups made the big move from the guest bedroom downstairs into the dining room.  They have begun eating solid foods and visits with guests have commenced.

The puppies now enjoy a larger space.  The whelping box also made the move downstairs but we have introduced potty boxes and given the pups an additional play space.  They have plenty of toys to play with and they interact with them more and more every day.  Being in the heart of the home they are exposed to all the sounds that go along with the space.  Kids playing, radio, t.v., a multitude of kitchen sounds, doorbells and vacuuming.  They are taking it all in stride.   At this age they do not yet know what fear is so they notice the loud noises but just take them as par for the course. 

As an added benefit we have had several thunderstorms in the last few days.  As well as the fact that, this past Monday was Victoria Day which is a national holiday in Canada and celebrated with the release of countless fireworks in parks across the country.  Our house backs onto a park so each evening, all weekend long the pups heard plenty of fireworks too.  Our dogs are not bothered by loud noises so as Sophie calmly lay in the whelping box, the pups happily nursed or played while the cacophony of sounds went on around them.

 

 

The pups still continue to nurse regularly from Sophie.  She spends lots of time in the puppy pen with her kids and is very patient with their increasingly silly antics.  We have now introduced the puppies to solid foods and they were eager to sample their first meals of ground turkey and bone mixed with goats milk.  They are growing steadily and from one day to the next their coordination increases exponentially.  They are hopping in and out of the potty boxes with ease and navigating over and under the stuffed animals, batting at the hanging toys and climbing onto the stool.

 

 

Visitors have begun to come and socialize with the puppies.   These puppies will have lots of exposure to new people.  Men, women, young and old will be welcomed into our home to help give the puppies lots of positive experiences with unfamiliar people.  The Fab Five are entering another stage of development that is immensely entertaining and I am so thankful to be a part of their young lives.

 

Northrock’s B Litter: The “Fab Five” Have Arrived!

I am very pleased to announce the safe arrival of

Chmurnik and Sophie’s puppies on April 24, 2013.

(CH Chmurnik z Górki Podduchownej CGN  x UCD CH Neigenuveaux Fleur d’Northrock WC CGN)

The "Fab Five"

All are hale and hearty and Sophie is doing an excellent job as a first time mom.  The puppies arrived in the early part of the afternoon yesterday and I thank God that the whelping went so well. 

Stage one labour began on April 23rd.  Here is Sophie hanging out in the whelping pool.

Please join me in welcoming to the world these marvellous little pups.  Introducing:

 
Mr. Green, born at 12:46pm - 10 7/8 oz (brown)
Mr. Blue, born at 1:48pm – 9 5/8 oz (black)
Miss. Orange, born at 2:25pm – 12 1/8 oz (brown)
Miss. Purple, born at 3:20pm – 9 1/8 oz (black with some white)
Miss. Red, born at 3:31pm – 10 ¼ oz (black)

Sophie and her pups

A great litter is the result of the combined efforts of many people.  A huge thank you to all of my friends and mentors who have helped and supported us along the way.  Chris and Ula thanks again for letting us use Chmurnik with Sophie.  We're so excited to watch their pups grow up!

Sophie Update

I just wanted to share that Sophie’s pregnancy is going very well.  In the last week she has gotten noticeably larger and it almost seems that when I go to bed at night, by the next morning, she has grown yet again.   Starting last Friday I have been able to feel puppies moving and the wonder of it all will never cease to amaze me.  We are still going for walks every day, though not quite as far or as fast as we usually walk.  The whelping room is all set up and now there is nothing left to do but love on her and wait for her pups to arrive. 

Day 55



Silly Sophie showing off her bare belly

In the Womb…Sophie’s pregnancy and the rest of the gang.

I have been remiss about posting to the blog as I tend to post more regularly to my facebook page Northrock Barbets .  However, here I am and here is the latest news from Northrock…

I am very pleased to say that Sophie is confirmed pregnant by palpation.  At 6 weeks along (42 days) she is beginning to look a little bit bigger, her abdomen is firmer and her nipples are enlarged.  Although, to the casual observer you would really be hard pressed to tell she was pregnant.  Depending on the number of puppies she is carrying, she will become noticeably larger in the last couple of weeks of her pregnancy.  Click here to view a Dog Embryo / Fetal Development Calendar that lays it all out.  We are getting more and more excited as her due date approaches.  Her first breeding with CH Chmurnik z Górki Podduchownej CGN took place on February 20^th and we are expecting puppies on April 24^th.  

Dog Embryo 39 Days

Photo credit: National Geographic

If you would like a 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.  http://natgeotv.com/ca/in-the-womb/videos/in-the-womb-dogs

To view more of this documentary check out these links:



In other news, Kelly turns 8 months old tomorrow and her puppyhood is flying by.  She is a very funny dog with a definite mischievous streak! We are enjoying her immensely.

 

Good ol’ Quincy is very much loved and somewhat spoiled… he is the only one of the dogs allowed up on the furniture. He has quite decidedly taken over the living room chair and it has become an evening ritual for our daughter to spend time reading to him before she heads up to bed.

Daphne is well… Daphne is special.  Like most cats she knows what she wants when she wants it and doesn’t hesitate to let us know.  She has become quite demanding in asking for her evening meal and is always trying to bump up the time from her 5 o’clock feeding to more like 4 o’clock.  That is unless she somehow forgets to wake up from her afternoon nap and sleeps late.

Chmurnik x Sophie

 This past week I travelled back and forth to Elmira, Ontario to breed Sophie. I am so pleased that Sophie and Chmurnik’s romantic rendezvous went well. Chmurnik’s owners Chris and Ula Pepper of Nappyroots Reg’d have been wonderful to work with. Hopefully this happy union will result in puppies at the end of April. For more information about the breeding please visit our website.

Christmas 2012

Bowled Over by the Barbet



 ♥ 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.