Horsetooth Whippets: Halloween Litter Pupdate - Early Personality Profiles & pics

Spicy and a dog cot FULL of puppies.

The pups are all doing great - getting over the little g.i. bug they had and continuing to thrive as they hit their 6-week mark.

This group all love to be outdoors. They've taken advantage of the great weather to explore a bit more of our yard and follow the lead of the big dogs. As a group, they actually stick much closer to the home base of the deck and our house than others have done.

They seem quite content to spend time chewing up leaves and sticks and pine cones, and taking breaks to lounge in the sun.

They are spreading out and getting more active (and getting much more dirty - digging about and discovering the joy of pine sap mixed with puppy fur.), so getting good pictures of them is now a real challenge. We'll share a what we caught of a few of them yesterday, and will try to continue to get more over the next few days.

We're also continuing to monitor development of their individual personalities. Here are a few (very) early observations on personalities:

From Bella & Jett's litter:

Stevie, Theo & Red

All 4 of the black girls (Annie, Becky, Stevie and Theo), plus Bedelia all seem very similar in temperaments. They are a busy bunch, like to play with the other puppies, and are super friendly with people.

Becky Driscoll

Becky figured out how to get on the couch this week, and is fearless in her dismounts - pretty much flinging herself off. Thus far she's been able to stick the landing every time without getting hurt. It just makes us close our eyes and pray whenever she does it. Perhaps she has a future in agility???

Stevie - asking for belly rubs.

Stevie continues to really love people and be the consummate tail-wagger. She's also taken to rolling over on her side for belly rubs when you talk to her or bend over to pat her.

Annie Hayworth with Cherry Darling

Annie doesn't stand out a bunch - which is very often a good thing...see some notes on well-balanced pups below. She's just a happy little thing that fits in nicely with our adults and the other pups.

Bedelia

Bedelia is another busy, but very balanced* little girl. She gets along with everyone - adults and other young pups alike.

Theodora

Theo really likes the adult whippets and is often found relaxing on a dog cot with one or two of them.

Duke Henry - the Red

Duke Henry the Red is very similar to his sisters mentioned above - He also discovered how to get on the couch this week and is extremely proud of himself when he successfully scales this mountain. He's a busy little guy who is equally happy entertaining himself with a bug, leaf, or toy, but is super social and wiggly when talked to by his people, and he just melts and turns into a sweetheart when picked up. This is true of pretty much all of the pups!

Wichita, relaxing in some shade.

Of this litter, Wichita and Little Rock are the two we've noticed who are only slightly different than the others.

Wichita is quite an independent gal right now, though has recently been mixing it up more and more with the other pups. She is really growing fast and also enjoys toys (loves to grab them and shake them) and of course continues to like people - but seems to prefer quieter, one-on-one interactions as opposed to the hustle & bustle of the puppy parties.

Little Rock - climbing up to the see camera.

Little Rock continues to be such a gentle charmer. She remains the smallest pup in both litters and therefore tends to avoid the really rough play - at least for now. She also really likes people interactions.

"Hellooooo, camera!"

But Little Rock wants you to notice her - as she sits quietly at your feet, occasionally lifting a paw and swiping at the air toward you - instead of coming up and actively pushing for attention. She's the definition of politeness!

On to Spicy & Alfredo's litter.

These pups are also really interesting to watch develop and change.

Delbert Grady

Delbert Grady remains the largest of the pups, and unlike other big pups we've had in the past, he doesn't use his size as a weapon against the other pups. In fact, he seems to mostly avoid the really rough play, preferring to find a toy, or flop down for some snuggling from the humans.

Upson Pratt

Upson Pratt appears to be another very balanced* pup. He's active and playful with the other pups, enjoys the toys, loves the people, and loves snoozing off by himself when he's had enough mayhem.

Sisters Cherry Darling and Agent Starling are similar to each other in that they are very active and busy. Both of these girls really enjoy activity - wrestling with the other pups, sprinting around the yard, chewing toys, and generally living it up.

Starling & E. Buzz

Starling absolutely adores being outdoors, and will fuss to be let back out, even after it's gotten way too cold and dark for little puppies to be safe outside.

Cherry Darling

Cherry Darling seems really smart and spends quite a bit of time following the older dogs around, as if trying to copy them. She's also very interactive with us.

Herbert West...looking sleepy.

Herbert West and Carol Anne have probably changed the most over the past few days. Both were somewhat reserved earlier as pups but are really coming out of their shells now.

Herbert has really started mixing it up and wanting to play, play, play with the other pups all the time. He also will give toys a good shaking, and of course still loves his people. In fact, if he's not getting his due attention, he'll continue to follow us around, or will crowd surf right over the top of a bunch of pups that have gathered for snuggles. He likes to be the center of attention. :)

Carol Anne

Carol Anne is an explorer and really likes snuffling and digging about in the yard. She is polite with the adult dogs, and also seems to be very balanced in how she plays with the other pups (initially a lot of scrums seemed to occur around her, so we weren't sure if she was picking on pups, or getting picked on, but this has ceased in the last week).

E.Buzz - showing off his big red heart marking!

E. Buzz also continues to absolutely love contact with people. He is incredibly affectionate, but isn't pushy. He'll come up from behind you and ask to be held. He's also discovered the joys of rough and tumble wrestling with his puppy buddies and of course likes to play with the toys. A nice, balanced pup!

R.J. MacReady

MacReady is another pup that has changed a lot just over the past few days. He's found his drive and is full of energy and activity - he's often the last pup to fall asleep after big play sessions. He's another that likes to wrestle and also likes to interact with the big dogs. He's a busy boy.

Ash...yawning for the camera

Last but definitely not least, there's Ash. He's a character. Currently slightly more reserved than MacReady or Herbert, he does still really like interactions with people. Definitely not a pushy boy, he's more independent than some of his littermates. Rather like Upson, he often prefers to sleep by himself instead of risking settling in to a huge puppy pile where there is likely to be lots of ear-chewing, face-biting and general silliness. That's not to say he doesn't mix it up with the other pups - he gets his licks in, for sure! He's just not interested in the rough play all the time. He also seems quite smart and observant of his world - watching things as if he's always trying to figure out how they work. He sits back and observes the adult dogs, the humans, and the puppies. If he feels it's a good moment, he'll jump right into the activity. But if things seem too wild, he'll just hold his ground and observe.

*A note on "Balanced Puppies"

What does it mean when we say a puppy doesn't stand out, or call it 'balanced'? This is a special phrase that we use to describe pups that aren't extreme in any way. Not extremely active. Not extremely shy. Not extremely pushy. Not extreme! These pups often get overlooked because they don't stand out in a group, but don't be fooled. Just because we don't have a whole lot of quirky notes about them doesn't mean they don't have their own personality traits or quirks...it just means they're right down the middle - not extreme in any way.

That's also not to say any of the pups we've made more specific notes on is necessarily extreme. Seventeen pups is a bunch to observe all at once, and we're just starting to make notes on what we're seeing.

Another note - on similarities and on EARLY impressions; The Great Nature/Nurture debate.

You may also have noticed that we have a lot of the same things to say about each and every pup - "likes toys, likes people, likes to play," etc., etc. This is for two reasons. One is because we try to provide all of our pups a variety of learning experiences, socialization, and a great start. Hopefully, the similarities in personality means our efforts are paying off!

The second reason is because these truly are very early observations and impressions. These pups will most likely continue to go through many more changes along the next few weeks, so the test of patience for our puppy buyers now really begins to heat up.

And with that note, on to a few more pictures:

Upson - peeking out from under the cot.

Little Rock - wondering why these boys (MacReady & Delbert in wrestling match) must play so rough!

Puppy Pile! We see...E.Buzz, Carol Anne, Ash, Cherry Darling, Starling, Becky, Stevie, MacReady, Herbert, Theo, Annie, Wichita, and Duke Henry the Red.