Bluestem Kennels

Chief’s NAVHDA Natural Ability Test

On Saturday, May 14, Bluestem’s Otoe Chief earned his NAVHDA Natural Ability Prize II, 107 points.  Thank you to Jeff and Kris Hill for hosting at their gorgeous farm near Brainard, Nebraska.  Thank you also to judges Jason Marzolf, Chuck Casanova and Tracey Nelson for taking the time to evaluate our dogs.

We started the day out in the bird field, where Chief took off with lots of speed but either wasn’t really aware of the task at hand or wasn’t using his nose, but it took him awhile to get on to the birds.  He was not gun shy, but instead looked for birds when the gun was fired.  Once he got started, he was all over it.

Chief on the run

Finally getting down to business

Puppy Enthusiasm!

So that was where we lost our one point, we got a three on search and fours on everything else.

The water was a gimme, he did great there.

Git-r-done

Evaluation of Attributes

Teeth, eyes, and testes: normal.  Temperament normal.  Coat: medium dense, medium harsh.

The track was a little tricky for him, he stood there and pointed the pile of feathers for a solid minute.  We were wondering if he was ever going to get started.  But once he was on the task, he did great.

Is he ever going to move?

On the track

Although we love our Prize I, 112s, this was a solid performance and we’ll take it.  He was at the end of his age eligibility, so it was a make or break deal.

It was really a perfect day for a test, nice and cool with a little breeze.  The food at lunch was super delicious and plenty of good company.  The boys (ages 12 and 7) came along and we all had a fun day of it.

To find a NAVHDA chapter near you: http://www.navhda.us/chaptmap.aspx

Oh and welcome to our new neighbors, the MoKan Chapter, serving Kansas and Missouri!  We look forward to seeing what you all get going: http://mokannavhda.org/

“K” Litter One Week Old

Here are a couple of new puppy pictures, but I really like the video much better.  In the second part of the video where Velma is nursing, she suddenly took off because we had the garage door open and another dog came by.  Here is the link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7lGBpMbmfg

Wednesday night a female was lost.  It was big and hefty, so it isn’t like it wasted away.  I would rather have that happen then get to the vet appointment at 7 1/2 weeks to find out that there is some sort of internal organ problem.  But it is sad, even though it is the nature of things.

The first day that puppies can go home is Friday, July 8.  I would like to have them all sent home by Saturday, July 16.  I will be on the road running kids to camps on July 17 and would like to have Velma’s pups with their new people.

Folks have asked about picks.  I do breeder picks at around 6 weeks of age.  I will informally evaluate the puppies personalities and ask the owners what they are looking for in a dog, then go from there.

Well, that is all for now, check back with you in a week or so!