I’m pretty sure that everyone is going to show up to pick up their puppies, but feel free to email bluestemkennels@gmail.com in the event that someone doesn’t show up. We don’t have any immediate breeding plans for the future and are taking a little semi-retirement, so we’re not taking deposits or reservations on future litters at this time.
It is super hot here and these guys are all super crazy, so it keeps us super busy. Here’s the photos from the leash and bird exposure this morning.
Males:
Xander
Male Xander on the leashMale Xander looking at the pigeonMale Xander with the dead chukar
Xavier
Male Xavier on the leashMale Xavier checking out the pigeonMale Xavier with the dead chukar
Xerxes
Male Xerxes on the leashMale Xerxes looking at the pigeonMale Xerxes with the dead chukar
Females
Xena
Female Xena on the leashFemale Xena checking out the pigeonFemale Xena with the dead chukar
Xantia
Female Xantia on the leashFemale Xantia checking out the pigeonFemale Xantia with the dead chukar
Xaria
Female Xaria on the leashFemale Xaria checking out the pigeonFemale Xaria with the dead chukar
Xandra
Female Xandra on the leashFemale Xandra looking at the pigeonFemale Xandra with the dead chukar
Xyla
Female Xyla on the leashFemale Xyla looking at the pigeonFemale Xyla with the dead chukar
And here’s the last video for this litter! Next blog posts will be of the photos of the new families. Always a fun and exciting time for everyone!
All puppies currently have homes, but feel free to email bluestemkennels@gmail.com in the event that anyone backs out at the last minute.
The six puppies of the “W” litter have had their leash and bird exposure, as well as plenty of kids’ cap gun fire. They’ll get their crate exposure after they come home from the vet’s office on Friday. At the vet, they will have their exam, first shots and microchip.
Of course here is the last weekly silly YouTube video:
We decided to forego the posed shots and just use action shots this week. These were actually taken on Sunday when everyone in the household was around to help. The “X” litter will go through the same process this coming Sunday.
Female:
Wynonna
Female Wynonna on a leash walkFemale Wynonna checking out the pigeonFemale Wynonna with a dead chukar
Males:
Winston
Male Winston on a leash walkMale Winston checking out the pigeonMale Winston with the dead chukar
Wade
Male Wade on a leash walkMale Wade checking out the pigeonMale Wade with the dead chukar
Waylon
Male Waylon on a leash walkMale Waylon checking out the pigeonMale Waylon picking up the dead chukar
Wycliffe
Male Wycliffe on a leash walkMale Wycliffe checking out the pigeonMale Wycliffe with the dead chukar
Washington
Male Washington on a leash walkMale Washington checking out the pigeonMale Washington with the dead chukar
Now normally we use a dead quail for the dead bird exposure, but our dead bird refrigerator died (things that you have when you train dogs) a few months back, so all I had was a chukar. I use zero pressure, there is no expectation for them to pick it up. New puppy owner can get bird wings online and yank them around the yard with string like I did here if they would like. I just put them in an exercise pen and drag the dead bird around until it gets their attention.
I also like to keep the live bird caged so that they can’t put their mouth on it. We don’t want to create any bad habits by letting them chase or put their mouth on the live bird. You can let puppies chase live birds for a little bit, but I think it is better to keep them on a check cord to not create a bird busting habit.
The first puppy from this litter goes home July 31 and most leave the weekend following. It’s always a joy to raise a litter and I can’t wait to see how happy all of the new families are when they pick up their new puppies.
We’ll be back one more time with puppy photos and videos on Sunday with the “X” litter, then it will be time to post homegoing photos after that.
All puppies have homes at this time, but feel free to email bluestemkennels@gmail.com to get on the contact list in the event of a last minute back-out (we had one just today, but were able to place the puppy quickly).
The face shots today are really terrible, I’m not sure why my camera decided to act up. I think it’s the 14 year old lens that just doesn’t want to focus right. We couldn’t get the puppies to hold still on the ground long enough to get face photos either, so Caleb had to hold them while I photographed them.
But here we are, female first:
Wynonna is staying in South Carolina.
Female Wynonna faceFemale Wynonna body
Males:
Winston is going just across the border into North Carolina to be a second Bluestem puppy for this family.
Male Winston faceMale Winston body
Wade is going to Iowa and is also going to be a second Bluestem puppy.
Male Wade faceMale Wade body
Waylon is going to stay right here in the Clover/Lake Wylie area.
Male Waylon faceMale Waylon body
Wycliffe is going up the coast to Maryland.
Wycliffe male faceMale Wycliffe body
Washington is going up the road a bit into North Carolina.
Male Washington faceMale Washington body
As you’ll see in the video, these guys are everywhere. It takes both Caleb and I out with them to keep them out of trouble and catch them up after kennel chores are over.
Now that I have the placements sorted out on this litter, it is time to focus on figuring out who-goes-where on the “X” litter. Having last minute back-outs has kept me on my toes and I really need to tune in to this project over the next few days.
Everyone is eating quite a bit of food and that creates quite a bit of poop and so I feel like I’m always shoveling. Which is actually what I am going to do now! Catch up with you all on Sunday with the six week update of the “X” litter!
All puppies have homes at this time, but email bluestemkennels@gmail.com to be on the contact list in the event that someone backs out at the last minute.
As promised, I have the pool photos from last week. They also like to play in their large water dishes to stay cool. Their kennels are under a covered porch awning, so there is always shade in the hot southern summer.
Here is Briar and the six puppies of the “W” Litter:
Here are the eight puppies of the “X” Litter:
Both litters were de-wormed yesterday and showed no signs of worminess. I feel lucky down here that folks keep the vermin animals at bay, back in Nebraska we had a terrible time with the wildlife poop in the yard bringing us nasty worms.
Here is this week’s video:
I finally finished the “W” litter picks and let the new owners know today. I’ll start working on sorting out this litter this week.
Here are the individual “X” litter photos, starting with the males:
Xander
Male Xander faceMale Xander body
Xavier
Male Xavier faceMale Xavier body
Xerxes
Male Xerxes faceMale Xerxes body
Females:
Xena
Female Xena faceFemale Xena body
Xantia
Female Xantia faceFemale Xantia body
Xaria
Female Xaria faceFemale Xaria body
Xandra
Female Xandra faceFemale Xandra body
Xyla
Female Xyla faceFemale Xyla body
We’re on the countdown of the last few weeks with these guys, per the USDA puppies can go home on their 8 week birthday and following days/weeks. All of the new owners are getting excited and I’m excited to meet them in person. We actually have our first three-peat puppy owner, so that is exciting, as well as two people getting their second Bluestem puppy.
I’ll be back on Wednesday with the six week update of the “W” litter. I know I keep saying “stay cool” but that is really what our life here revolves around these days! The dog days of summer…
All puppies have homes at this time, but email bluestemkennels@gmail.com to be on the contact list in the event that someone backs out at the last minute.
I was totally not prepared to have to find a home for a puppy over 4th of July weekend, but one of my future owner’s elderly father fell and it was just not possible for him to watch a puppy and care for his dad. But I did it and hopefully that is it for this round of puppies, but one never knows when crisis will strike.
It has been super hot and I’ve been out giving the puppies pool time in the afternoons. I put the photos on Facebook and Instagram, I’ll get them up on the blog next post since I’m super tired and just need to get through this week’s video and photos!
We’ll do photos first since those are ready and the YouTube is still digesting. These guys just get cuter and more active by the week. They got their front nails trimmed yesterday and got their new collars.
Female:
Wynonna
Female Wynonna faceFemale Wynonna body
Males
Winston
Male Winston faceMale Winston body
Wade
Male Wade faceMale Wade body
Waylon
Male Waylon faceMale Waylon body
Wycliffe
Male Wycliffe faceMale Wycliffe body
Washington
Male Washington faceMale Washington body
And here’s this week’s YouTube video:
So it’s time to start evaluating puppies for homes and talking to new owners about what they are looking for in a puppy versus what they are seeing in the videos and photos. So those of you up for a Duke x Briar puppy, think about what you want and I’ll start making earnest evaluations of these guys.
I’ll be back on Sunday with the five week update of the “X” litter, stay cool!
All puppies have homes at this time, but email bluestemkennels@gmail.com to be on the contact list in the event that someone backs out at the last minute.
They moved out on to the back patio today, so with two kennels it’s like 101 Griffons back there. They seem to have adjusted well and are eating kibble and drinking water just fine. Both litters will get collars this week so that they are easier to catch up in the yard. They’ll get play outside of the kennel twice a day and have toys available to them while they are kenneled. I’m exposing them to loud noises as they are being fed, just as a part of the beginning of early gun conditioning. It will evolve into me firing the cap gun while they are playing in the yard in another week or so.
Here is the YouTube video for the week:
Here are their individual photos starting with the males.
Males:
Xander
Male Xander faceMale Xander body
Xavier
Male Xavier faceMale Xavier body (while howling)
Xerxes
Male Xerxes faceMale Xerxes body
Females
Xena
Female Xena faceFemale Xena body
Xantia
Female Xantia faceFemale Xantia body
Xaria
Female Xaria faceFemale Xaria body
Xandra
Female Xandra faceFemale Xandra body
Xyla
Female Xyla faceFemale Xyla body
I’ll be back on Wednesday with the five week update on the “W” Litter! Please reach out to me if you are looking for a female puppy, I’d love to chat.
All puppies have homes at this time, but email bluestemkennels@gmail.com to be on the contact list in the event that someone backs out at the last minute.
We’re in our last few days indoors with the pups and this housekeeper will be so happy for it. There’s just a funk that goes along with keeping animals, no matter how clean you keep it.
The puppies will transition this week from canned puppy food all the way up through kibble. Once they move outside, they are given strictly kibble, the canned puppy food draws too many flies. So the “W” Litter goes out on to the covered back porch Wednesday, then this group will follow (in a separate kennel, there is room for two) a week from today.
Here’s the YouTube video for the week:
And here are the individual photos for the week, males first. And my camera has been acting up in portrait mode, which makes the flash go off a bunch of times right in the puppy’s face. So I opted to get sort of low light crummy photos instead of having them flinch a bunch of times from the flash.
Males:
Xander
Male Xander faceMale Xander body
Xavier
Male Xavier faceMale Xavier back
Xerxes
Male Xerxes faceMale Xerxes back
Females:
Xena
Female Xena faceFemale Xena back
Xantia
Female Xantia faceFemale Xantia back
Xaria
Female Xaria faceFemale Xaria back
Xandra
Female Xandra faceFemale Xandra back
Xyla
Female Xyla faceFemale Xyla back
I wish that they would all pose nicely at this age, but the honestly don’t at all. There are no really good photos until you get them outside running around. They are kind of awkward before that. I’ll be back on Wednesday with the four week update on the “W” Litter.
All puppies have homes at this time, but email bluestemkennels@gmail.com to be on the contact list in the event that someone backs out at the last minute.
Here’s today’s two week update of the “X” litter pups between Obi x Sally.
Sally and the “X” Litter pups
Everyone is developing as they should, with their eyes opening and scooting around on their little legs. Here is the YouTube video for the week:
Here are their individual photos. We don’t even start the process of evaluating for homes until around the 5-6 week mark, but this is where we start to be able to tell them apart. I do not call them by these names, these are just for online identification purposes only.
Males:
Xander
Male Xander faceMale Xander body
Xavier
Male Xavier faceMale Xavier body
Xerxes
Male Xerxes faceMale Xerxes body
Females:
Female Xena faceFemale Xena body
Xantia
Female Xantia faceFemale Xantia body
Xaria
Female Xaria faceFemale Xaria body
Xandra
Female Xandra faceFemale Xandra body
Xyla
Female Xyla faceFemale Xyla body
I’ll be back on Wednesday with the three week update of the “W” litter between Duke and Briar. They are getting really big and active, so it will be fun to try and put it all together in this heat! Try to stay cool out there!
All puppies have homes at this time, but email bluestemkennels@gmail.com to be on the contact list in the event that someone backs out at the last minute.
The puppies chose not to wait until I was done teaching school for the semester and arrived during the last week. Briar and Duke’s “W” Litter arrived on Wednesday, June 4th. Luckily Caleb was home to watch over the process. He is not the first one of my children to whelp a litter of puppies, Cordelia helped BB whelp a litter 8 years ago to the month. There are five boys and one girl in the litter of six.
Sally and Obi’s “X” Litter pups arrived on Sunday, June 8th. Puppies started arriving about 10:30 AM and we were done by 3:30 PM. There are three boys and five girls in the litter of eight. No stillborns in either of the two litters. They both have their whelping boxes and kennels in the basement until the pups are four weeks old, when they get too stinky to be inside and they are able to regulate their body temperature.
So that brings us to a total of eight boys and six girls between the two litters, for a total of fourteen puppies. I need to reach out to folks with 2025 reservations to see if they are confirmed, then check in with the people who have reservations for 2026 to see if they want to move up a year. Then I would be open to taking new deposits.
My females absolutely hate the camera at this point, so I try to limit the exposure. At around two weeks when the puppies’ eyes are open, we can start taking individual pictures.
Here are the Briar and Duke pups at one week old:
Six snugglers of Briar and DukeBriar and the pupsCloseup on a yawnerFaces
Here are the photos of the three day old litter between Sally and Obi:
Nursing babiesSally and the pupsCloseup of nursing pups
So like I say, right now my priority is getting in touch with my folks with deposits down and figuring things out from there. Briar and Duke’s litter will be 8 weeks old on July 30th, so that is when they can start going home. The weekend following is August 2nd and 3rd. Sally and Obi’s pups will be 8 weeks old Sunday, August 3rd, so that is the first day that they can go home. The following weekend is August 9th and 10th. All puppies need to go home by Sunday, August 10th due to my school schedule next year.
Thanks for reading and I’ll post again a week from today when the “W” litter is two weeks old!
We recently complete breedings for two different litters, the first being a repeat breeding of Cedar & Spruce’s Apollo NA III, UT III “Duke” and Bluestem’s Carolina Briar Thicket JH “Briar”. We normally do not do back-to-back heat breedings, but we’ve found a good home for Duke as a finished gun dog in Oregon, so he will be flying out of here in the coming week. The Duke and Briar breeding was on April 6th, so that puts puppies being whelped around June 8th and going home mid-August.
The second breeding of VC Wyo Plainsman Kenobi NA I, UPT III, UT I x 2 and Bluestem Sally Forth SH, NA II was completed on August 10th, with puppies being whelped around June 12th and going home mid-August. As of right now, we have ten reservations between the two litters, so if the breedings take and depending on the litter sizes, there may be additional puppies available (or not). We will get pregnancy confirmation ultrasounds mid-May to verify that the breedings took. Please email bluestemkennels@gmail.com if you wish to discuss.
AWPGA Working Standard Video
While we were at the field events of the AWPGA National Specialty North Carolina, held at the Sandhills Pointing Breeds Club in Jackson Springs, North Carolina, Terry Ann Fernando and her team at On Point Design filmed a video of the AWPGA Working Standard. Thank you to Vicky Foster and Melanie Tuttle for coordinating the efforts and our friends Karen Krautz, Laura Kojima and Amy Caswell-O’Clair and their dogs to come together with Charles, Sally and Obi to make an educational and informative video.
You can see Obi at 4 seconds and 2:47, where Sally and Charles get a lot of air time. They are the opening still shot with the chukar, at 12 seconds, 2:09, 4:37, 5:20 and 6:30. The coule scene is Charles and Sally, showing off her French roots from her Quebecois great-grandmother Bourg-Royal’s CB Bluestem NA I, UT III “BB”.
We hope you enjoy this fantastic video, all copyright belonging to the American Wirehaired Pointing Griffon Association.
So I’ll be back when we get pregnancies (hopefully) confirmed mid-May. Enjoy training in the cool spring weather!
Bluestem Kennels 