Cascades Border Collies

Remmi & Rim’s pups made quite the impression at the vet’s today! Everyone was evaluated to be as healthy as could be. It made me cry on my way home. Not because I have I’m sad about letting them go home to live their fullest lives, but tears of happiness and just how bright of a future they all have. I know that they each have the capacity to be far more than just a pet to care for - they’ve worked hard to prepare to reciprocate the love and become well-mannered partners and teammates. They’re so smart, it doesn’t take many reps to learn anything that makes us happy. The car ride there and back was whine-free and full of wagging tails - such a stark difference from our first try 2 only weeks ago. The sitting and not jumping/climbing people unless invited practice was obvious, even in these photos. I was surprised when all of them took turns taking short breaks in the crate on their own. Only 2 individual attempts to go through the doors without a clear invitation out of well over a dozen reps of people coming in/out. Some settled so beautifully and quickly for being in a new setting and ALL wanted to meet everyone they could. Most importantly, do you see how many massive smiles they had? I know some photos are blurry because they were moving so fast, but those smiles still SHINE 😁✨. I’m excited for their families to experience them - so very contagious! The staff said these puppies are so special, polite, and already have such big hearts. I could tell by the way they constantly checked in on me throughout the visit asking for approval and praise, but didn’t cling to me at all. I intentionally went in and out of the room a few times just so they practiced finding joy in any setting with kind people and trust that their people will always come back to them no matter where they are… they gravitated towards the door and whined a little the first time and just continued playing with the staff after that. Of course the staff was so kind to let them practice this and prepare for the day they go home. I really couldn’t be more proud of them and excited for them to meet their forever families 💕

A little peek at what’s been going on here with Rim & Remmi’s litter of floofies. They are so active now! And you can see exactly why trying to practice anything they’ve learned with distractions and their cute attention span doesn’t work… 🤪. But with patience they did try placing their butts on the ground for attention and treats. Good thing they’re always equally eager to learn 1:1 with me, to the point of little jealous whines when it’s not their turn. But taking turns is part of being the best family member they can be and this is the best time to start learning!

The temperament testing results for this litter are finally here! Taken right when they turned 7 weeks today by my sweet mom who flew in from Colorado to meet them 😊 It’s definitely been the busiest week in socialization so far. All the puppies know what the clicker sound means and are sitting politely to ask for attention and treats. They also sit when they come to anyone who calls them over to avoid the classic fly-by after recall. Most of the puppies know the “sit” command (we polished out some natural pawsiness with that one) and we’ve been honing in on the release word since we want to avoid. They know “touch” (tapping an open palm gently with their noses)… the beginning step to being able to lure them into position/place for a lot of sports they would excel at. But the work isn’t even halfway done… we have a little over a month to make the most of their critical learning period. We’re aiming for 6 more car rides, 5 more new places, and at least 2 rounds of learning to settle in the kennel by themselves for the next week yummy chewies, food, and spa music included as part of the bargain, of course. Today’s test results gave us so much more clarity as to what their individual personalities are, what environment/routine they would thrive in, and ultimately gave us the answers to which homes would be best for them. Honestly, these decisions were VERY difficult to make because there were no families that weren’t willing to give them their best lives! I’ve been very busy with these pups these past few days, so I’ll be replying to messages sent during that time and reaching out to those who I’ve chatted with in the next couple of days. You’re welcome to ask me any questions you have about the results in the meanwhile 🙂

The pups are getting SO active and curious! We’ve been moving at what seems like lightning pace in the socialization arena - kids, old people, people with hoodies/sunglasses, a variety of hats, coats, and of course the boots and heels - and they’re LOVING it! They watch mom so intently to see how she handles everything new and follow her lead while learning to read her body language. They also had their longest experience in the car today! Remmi was also right next to them the entire time and we made sure it wasn’t to go to the vet to be violated with a thermometer or poked by strangers, more like to a fun romp around the front yard because car rides are worth looking forward to! 😉 Since our socialization schedule is quite packed this week, I’ll wrap this update up with mentioning we’ve stopped taking new applications because there are far more good homes than puppies. I think we all agree they deserve the time taken to make sure they are the absolute perfect fit for their families and that they’ll get the opportunity to live the best lives they possibly can with their individual strengths that are just starting to shine ✨. Thank you to all that have shown interest and taken time to share what they’re looking for and what they plan to offer. The pressure is on for us to observe, take plenty of notes, complete proper temperament tests, and help decide their fate over the next few days.

The border collie pups had their first experience with snow today and absolutely loved it! “Follow me” practice has been picking up pace and they’re all starting to be able to watch balls move and follow them. See individual pup’s pages for more pics uploaded today!

Puppy ball pit treat search intro day! What is it good for? - Balance & Coordination - Learning to push past resistance and physical/sound desensitization while performing a task - Learning to take turns - Practice problem solving - Learning to use smell to search for things The blue girl is taking after her mom with how thorough she’s been! And the boys… they’re starting to pick up and move the balls 😉

The border collie pups are getting more active and curious this week. It’s the beginning of the 6 weeks of “critical learning”, during which they soak up everything they experience and form their perception of the world in relation to themselves. This week they have the lowest fear of this time period, so it’s the best time to build resilience with little surprises that startle them and celebrate when they get curious enough to investigate. Yesterday we started clicker conditioning to encourage looking at human faces and moving towards a palm so we can lure them and start recall/follow me practice next week. We’re so excited to start showing them the value of a “working” relationship with humans over the next few weeks!!! 😊