The "puppy party" is a light form of puppy class for puppies that are between 7 and 12 weeks old offered by a dog school called Care4dogs. The puppies play with each other or the toys and the instructors oversee and give some instructions for the puppy owners about upbringing and training. It is difficult to choose where to take your puppy for training. The methods of puppy training differ a lot. I choose for positive methods. At the moment I want to prioritize that Moët gets to play with a lot of different dogs. Some basic training we will do at home slowly slowly. She is still a baby!

A sunny day we went back to look for the dummy we lost last weekend on the sandy beach. We did not find it but the dogs had a lot of fun as always, digging and splashing along the water banks. Moët was so brave she went very deep into the water. Her front feet lost ground for a moment and she started swimming movements. When Yatzie was a puppy it took quite a while for her to get used to getting into the water - Moët seems to be very relaxed with it. Great! IN the second movie Yatzie and Moët are digging together. Saar is around too and Moët, just like her mother has a habit to do, lures on her and attacks! Then Yatzie attacks Moët back!

Henriot is doing very well in Julianadorp. "He brings a lot of joy into this house", the owners Gert and Monica reports. "We all love him very much and get great reactions from friends and family and the vet, who didn't know the breed, is very enthousiastic." Henriot sleeps in his bench all night and when he needs to go out he síts in front of the door. There are some cats in the house and he is picking up some of their ways of playing, with his foot in hitting mode. But the cats are still a bit scared of him. He has a good friend in the neighbourhood, the white labradoodle in the picture, and they are getting on very well together.

Chandon, who is called Hunter, is already attending puppy class. "A cheeky little charming Barbet full of energy", his owners Martijn and Vanessa describes him, "who steals everyones heart!" He has learned the command "sit" and he gets along very well with the old poudle in the house as well as with the other dogs he meets. See more pictures on his puppy page

A new phase of our life started this weekend. Our little family now consists of only 3 dogs - auntie Saartje, mummy Yatzie and daughter Moët - and our two super kids Bas and Margot of course! It is more quiet here, we are slowly getting used to it. Yatzie is still crying periodically in the evenings looking for her puppies. We started taking long walks again, and are getting back to the normal routines. This is good and has to happen. Moët needs her special attention, just like her siblings in their new families. The two months with ten puppies were totally amazing. It was so intense that looking back at it, it almost seems like a dream that I woke up from - a very good dream! Thank you Yatzie, thank you Chico for the beautiful gift you gave the world. I am sure that our little family, through Moët, and all the families now caring for your children will experience many blessed moments of "the spirit of goodness, gentleness and loving kindness" (in French "l'Esprit de bonté" - our kennel name) over the coming 15 years or so! And of course KJ - I will tell you all about everyone always (!) here on the blog!

Clicquot quickly connected with his new boss Dennis. It was as if he knew. Last night he had a hard time going to rest, moved around 20 times until he finally fell asleep. He never used to do that. Maybe he knew that it was his last night here. Dennis brought a cabin bag and Clicquot was still small enough to fit in it and travel in the cabin. We had been rather concerned, especially since he was a big eater! He now weighed 5,5 kg. Cliquot will live near nature in Edsbyn in central Sweden. He will share a house with 4 cats, a rabbit, mum and dad and 2 children. He is a lively dog with a happy and sweet character, he loves to kiss and bite (!) your face so I have quite some scars from him as a memory! I enjoyed having hin here a little longer - and so did Yatzie who loved to play with him. He could be a bit too forward sometimes and I think Yatzie, just as she did with Champagne, needed to teach him many things. "We will come see you next summer Clicquot! Then you can show me and mummy Yatzie and your sister Moët the big forests around your house. But first tell Yatzie not to chase the cats and the rabbit!"

Yatzie wanted badly to play a last time with her beloved puppy Clicquot before he left for Sweden. So here they are on the floor in front of the check-in at Schiphol airport! They drew a lot of attention from the people around. Yatzie with her feet up in the air, rolling around with her puppy. So sweet! Then she started barking like she does when playing so we had to interfere. Nice good bye scene to our last puppy!

Our neighbour the beagle Tupak came to visit in the garden. It is interesting to see the body language of the puppies towards him and his towards them. Got some good shots of that. He is very gentle when the puppies are around - normally he is very wild! I am glad to see that the puppies know how to behave to another dog, they show humility and respect, licking the side of his mouth. But they are also inviting to play.

Yatzie loves to play with Clicquot. Here they are in the sofa tumbeling around. When Yatzie gets excited in her play she always starts to bark. It is very nice to see Yatzie so playful and enjoying her puppy in this way! But little Moët is not really invited to join in the play. She is walking around them, but never really joins in.

These are the last days for Moët and her brother Clicquot to play together. They are taking the chance and having a lot of fun in the back yard.

We are doing small excursions in the neighbourhood. Here we are at the water front by a canal near the vet, after the deworming of Clicquot who is leaving tomorrow. Holland is a highly populated country and in most places nearby us there are roads, so I must keep the puppies on a leash. It is a bit tricky with two puppies! They get entangled and half strangled. I did not have the chance to start the training for leash walking yet! So I let one off the leash at a time. At least I have som e control then :-) ! Both puppies followed Yatzie into the shallow water. Yatzie was totally focussed on a coot further out in the water. They got to walk on short reed for the first time. And heard and paid attention many bird sounds.

Ambeloui, called Beli, who is now living in Poland, is setteling well in her new environment her boss Irek informed me. House breaking well, sleeping quietly near his bed and even showing obedience! She listens to her name and comes when he calls her! Beli has developed a very own use of her bed - instead of sleeping in it she gathers all her toys in the bed and plays there, as you can see in the picture. Creative girl!

Moët and Clicquot are both normally very interested in food. In this video they are amazingly uninterested in the bone Yatzie is chewing on and just play around her. But at one point Moët gets too close to the bone and Yatzie tells her off. The two puppies enjoy this last week that they can play together. On Friday Clicquot is moving to Sweden!

Yatzie today gave Moët and Clicquot a good lesson in how to dig on a sandy beach. They all had a lot of fun as you can see in their dirty faces! It was a very misty Sunday and I was afraid we would loose someone in the mist. We did not, but we did loose the orange water dummy that I hid in the sand for Yatzie to search for. She usually always finds the things and I knew exactly where I hid it, but despite digging for half an hour noone could find it... We will be back to search for it another day!

I think all of you know who the brown boy with a white chest and paws is. He carries the name of this whole litter and from the very beginning he stood out. Not only by his special colours but also by somehow always being around when the camera was on. He is a very active dog with eyes wide open all the time looking at you. He sleeps less than the others and whenever I came to the puppy room he was already waiting for me while the others were sleeping. From the very beginning he was dear to Yatzie. Not only did she work more with him than with the others, since he was dominating his siblings, she really enjoyed playing with and caressing him. I do not know who misses him the most - she or I? Our special Champagne now lives in Hengelo, west Holland, with a family with a lot of experience of dogs and who have been longing for an intelligent dog to be very active with. They have got it! "Bye bye my sweetheart Champagne. I know you will steal also their hearts and keep them very happy - and busy!"

The three puppies that are still with us had their 9 week vaccination today. The veterinary and the assistants always make the puppies feel very good about the visit, cuddeling with them and giving them some snacks. Our food master Clicquot quickly knew where the bowl with cookies was and tried to get up on the counter by himself!

To say good bye to the puppies going abroad has been the most difficult. Cristal is at this moment on the plane to Finland! Her new boss Juha works in a game farm and Cristal will be working with him there in hunting and herding of game. I spent much time picking out the right puppy for this special task and Cristal has proven herself to be clever, quick and very interested in things that move. She is a good retriever and brave. She is not afraid of noise which is also very important now that she will be working with hunters. I will tell you more about her work as I have reports from Finland. Cristal also has a very affectionate character and will be a very nice dog in the house as well. She is jointly owned by Paula Horne who is also a hunter and with her Cristal will be trained for Finish hunting dog diplomas. "Work hard my brave girl Cristal! Your life will be fulfilling, in your true hunting element!"

Ayala, in this house called Pinky, was the last puppy born. She decided that the difficulties she had the first two days of her life (to suck the milk) was not going to show as a weakness! She soon became very lively, dominating her siblings and showing off. Her true character is very sweet and cuddely and she has a very feminine cute face. All the children love her! She now lives with a nice family with two children in a house in Nieuwerkerk aan den Ijssel near Rotterdam. We miss your sweet face and your kisses Ayala! Come see us soon again!

This morning there was frost in the grass for the first time. Cristal, who is leaving for Finland tomorrow, got a chance to walk in the frost together with mama outside of the house. She was very curious. The water in the water bowl in the back yard had also frozen so the puppies got to try to hold ice in their mouths!

This morning five puppies are still with us. Yatzie still likes to play with them. Cristal is very playful with Yatzie in the first video. In the second one there is a tug-of-war going on with Yatzie and four of the puppies! It is difficult for Yatzie that her puppies leave. In the evenings she walks around the house crying, looking for them, she wants to go out, in again and so on. It is hard to see, but it has to happen. On the other hand it is nice to know that she really feels for them as a good mother should. And there will be one left for her! We will keep Moёt! As you can see in the second video she already feels at home - she is the only one that gets up in the sofa by herself!

Chandon left today for his new family in Limburg. In the house is a 14 year old white dwarf poodle called Jeanny and in spring the family will have their first child. Therefore they asked for a calm and friendly house dog. Chandon has a very stable and social character. He is open to humans and plays very well with both his siblings, Yatzie and Saartje. As well as with other dogs as you can see in the movie here. Maybe he will be able to charm even the old poodle!

I of course had to take a picture of the couple Moёt & Chandon before Chandon goes to his new family! Just like their names their looks and characters match. They are both friendly and beautiful Barbets and they like to play with each other. In the video Moёt & Chandon patiently wait for grandma Saartje to let them try the bone she is eating. Believe it or not - she lets them! Bravo Saartje! Bravo Moёt & Chandon!

Before each puppy leaves I give them a bath. This is Chandon who is leaving today. They behave very well in the little bucket I put them in. Not that they are enjoying it that much, but when I talk to them and cuddle at the same time they are fine with it. Since they spend a lot of time outside, digging and running in the muddy grass, the water gets rather dirty! It is nice to know that they are clean on the day they leave for their brand new life!

The puppies like each other - in this video they are all kissing. The reason is that they just drank water with salmon oil in it and there is yummie oil left on their noses! Cute!

One would have thought that now that there are only 6 puppies left things would be a bit more quiet. That is not how it is! The puppies get more intense every day and at some moments you feel you loose control totally... In this nice movie Bas and his friend Tom surprise the puppies by coming home from school during the lunch break. They are all overwhelmed by joy and totally attack the boys with playfulness and biting.... Saartje is trying to calm things down without succeeding!

Chandon is a dog with a voice. You can hear it in the morning, when the food is about to be served and when he is playing. He is in general very good at communication, social and open.  In this playful video he is talking things over with Yatzie.

How to eat a sandwich in the couch with a hungry Barbet and her puppies around and a labrador grandma nearby!

Elyssia now lives in a big house in Amsterdam that she shares with the dog Luca and a Russian Blue cat. She was our little teddybear with her soft, curly fur. She is a naughty little girl - one day she stole the pizza from Yatzie's mouth and would not let me take it out of there! She is always happy and her tail is constantly wagging. "You be tough, little Teddybear, and have much fun over there with your animal friends and your big family!"

Hoppetossan is the name I call Tsarine by in Swedish. It is a sweet name for someone who likes to jump! She sure does! Tsarine left today to a lively family in Linne, Limburg. She is the liveliest of the girls so it is a good match! "Let us see how high you can jump when I come to see you one day sweet Hoppetossan!"

Ambeloui's new family drove all the way from Poland to Utrecht to pick up their longed for Barbet. The car was perfectly prepared for the long journey. There was even a little black teddy friend there for her! Ambeloui will be the fifth black Barbet in Poland, where brown has become the dominant color. She will have an active life and try many different kinds of activities to see what she likes the most. Maybe tracking is her thing? Have fun my sweet bird!

Henriot was the first to leave for his new family. He will love in Julianadorp, in west Holland, near the sea. Seeing how happy the new parents were to finally hold him in their arms soothed the pain in my own heart. I could never have imagined how difficult this would be.

I already received the first picture with Henriot in his new home, together with mini boss Martijn. They reported that the trip home went well, Henriot fell asleep in the car, and once at home he was doing very well. I am so glad to have good contatc with the owners and to get to know how everything goes. They are still my little babies... So long Henriot! Go exploring the world and have lots of fun! And please, come see us sometimes!

Just before the first puppy is leaving I call all of them to come outside, feed them some sweets and play a little. It is special moment knowing that this is the last time all of us are together.

This morning my veterinary came to do the final health check-ups of the puppies just before they are leaving. All puppies were good in health and now have their own passports!

This evening our nefghbour, the beagle Tupak, came for nice visit. He is usually very lively but this time he carefully moves around the house, smelling the puppies and letting them smell him. Once they all got accustomed to each other he laid down for them and they could crawl on him. Super sweet moment so precious for the little puppies to meet a freindly other dog.

Tomorrow the puppies will start leaving for their new homes. Yatzie is using these last moments to work with the puppies in order to make them wellbehaved in their new families. She is a strict but loving mother. In the first video she is giving special attention to Champagne, who needs it! He is the most dominant of the dogs and used to start fights with his siblings a lot, but since Yatzie has been working with him, and he seems to ask for her atttention as well, he has changed over the past weeks and is much more controlled now. That is what mothers are for!

Today the puppies were baptized in champagnes "de l'Esprit de bonté" (the Spirit of goodness, loving kindness and gentleness) - by the chipper from the Dutch kennel club (Raad van Beheer)! They are no longer Miss Grey and Mr Red - the Champagne names chosen by the owners have now been referred to each family's puppy. As the weeks passed it became more and more clear which puppy belonged to whom. Some asked for lively dogs, others quiet family dogs. Some want to work with hunting, others will attend the courses offered by the clubs. I am feeling satisified with the matching and I am convinced each family will have the dog they longed for. These are the names of the puppies and their previous (collar) name:

MALES

Champagne de l'Esprit de bonté - Mr Orange

Chandon de l'Esprit de bonté - Mr Blue

Clicquot de l'Esprit de bonté - Mr Red

Henriot de l'Esprit de bonté - Mr Purple/brown

FEMALES

Moёt de l'Esprit de bonté - Miss Light blue

Cristal de l'Esprit de bonté - Miss Green

Ayala de l'Esprit de bonté - Miss Pink

Ambeloui de l'Esprit de bonté - Miss White Chest

Elyssia de l'Esprit de bonté - Miss Beige

Tsarine de l'Esprit de bonté - Miss Grey

The puppies are getting more and more intense. In the evening they have periods when they are chasing each other around the house. It is a lot of fun! But Yatzie thinks they are a bit too wild and tells them off. Saartje, who is 12, agrees. We are enjoying these last evenings by the fire place with all of them around us tremendously. Soon it will be quiet here again....

Today all the puppies visited the beach and Yatzie showed them how to water retrieve. It was super to see them all touch the water and one brave girl, Miss Green, followed Yatzie inside the water. She was a bit surprised when she realized it was cold and wet! Yatzie was so happy to work in the water - not having done any water work for 2 months. She got crazy from joy!

Finally I was able to find a real bird from a hunter to introduce to the puppies. I wanted to test their interest in birds once again in order to pick out the right puppy for the families who are going to use their dog for hunting. We did tests with the dummy laying still as well as moving. All the puppies dared to go all the way and touch and bite, some with more intensity. Others started eating!

In this video the puppies are being fed by minimums Margot, Anna and Melise. See how big they have become, almost able to jump up on the chairs!

Imagine 6 puppies (impossible to take all ten) 7 weeks old on leash for the first or second time in their life. It gets rather crazy! They are also not supposed to walk a lot in grass where other dogs are (for the risk of infections) so we tried to keep on the asphalt as much as possible. We had fun but it was a funny scene I am sure! Fortunately my sister Karin and her family was here in the weekend so I had good help.

The puppies are always around us in the house. This evening we are making a simple spagetti with meatsauce and it draws the attention of all the puppies of course. When moving around the kitchen one has to move slowly. And before closing the door of the fridge one better look out to see if there is a little nose inside! Or even a whole puppy! Our clever Miss Green once climbed up to level 2!

Just a lot of happy crazy pictures from this last weekend with all the puppies and with both Dutch and Swedish family around. Next weekend the puppies will start to leave.

I bought a meaty raw bone at the butcher today to let the puppies experience eating from it. They were thrilled! Some were fighting to get it all by themselves, others accepted to share!

We have started taking some of the puppies out on a leash. Yatzie walks in front and the puppies follow. Some of them are still wondering what it is around their neck but most of them do well. In the video the white breasted girl does very well. In the pictures three of the puppies (green, pink, blue boy) walk down to the canal and mama shows them that there is nothing to fear in the water - just get in there! And Miss Pinky did - unintentionally! But she is tough and had not problem with it, just shook the water off and happy again.

The puppies like the feathered dummy and this is the first and only time I will let them play with it this way. Just testing their interest in birds!

In this video Anna is feeding the puppies one by one. This way we know that hey all get the same amount of food. At the same time making them used to our hands in the food. We feed them with raw meat mixture (comes frozen) called Energique. It is all natural and they love it.

A favourite part of the the adventure track is the pine branch. They hide in, chew on and jump in it.

In the neighbourhood is a farm house with all kinds of birds and animals. During week six puppies are still very open and curious (week seven they could get a little afraid of things, it is normal) and it is a good period to have them meet as many animals as possible. These puppies sure did! Some were "fighting" with goats, chasing rabbits, checking out the pigs' house, smelling the donkey and the horse, admiring the ducks and retrieving their feathers! Look at the blue boy - he is POINTING! In the video thr orange boy is retrieving a feather and saying hello tho the farm house labrador and agoat. The goat later butts him and the tough orange boy growls back at him!

All the puppies had their first swimming lesson last night - in the bathtub with Anna! When they felt the water under their body all of them immediately started swimming. Some more confident - others less. It was a great experience for all of us.