I had not seen Yatzie and Chicos's puppy Teddie (Ayala de l'Esprit de Bonté) for quite some time and seeing her as a more mature Barbet (9 ½ months old)  I was struck by her rustic, old-line Barbet beauty. Her black generous fur has a brownish touch on big parts of her body. The wavy fur is silkier in it's stucture than Moët's, who has a thick strong hair structure. The fur is groomed once, three months ago. Her character is jolly and playful. She has a humble spirit, showing low signals, (last puppy born in the nest) but she is not afraid and likes to approach every dog. She loves water, jumps into every pond and she is now a good swimmer. Last week she passed her basic obedience training exam. She likes to go to classes so more training is planned for after the summer.  

Moët posing for the first set of shots after she had her puppy fur groomed some weeks ago.

But most of the time we see her like this - on the run!

I want my dogs to eat very good dog food. I change the brands now and then; they get tired of the same taste every day. Periodically they eat fresh raw meat compounds (frozen) and sometimes dry food. So far I have preferred Orijen and James Wellbeloved for dry food. Again it was time to find something new. I look for grain free food with natural ingredients and high percentage of meat/fish. After some investigation on the Internet (and a tip from Gert - thanks!) the choice fell on Wolvesblut (German) and Taste of the Wild (American). I ordered some test packages to see which tastes the dogs liked the most. I placed seven bowls on the floor at three different occasions. Their preferences were quite clear. Yatzie preferred the Wolfsblut Blue Mountain and Moët Taste of the Wild High Prairie. Today two large packages arrived at the door!

In Yatzie's litter were two brown girls - Moët and Fenna. Fenna, who is in all other aspects a very brave girl, had not really started swimming yet, so Mariel, her owner, and I got together to let Fenna learn from her sister and mother. To get Yatzie to fully emerge she needs water work but Moët is always in the water, with or without "reason". It did not take long until Fenna was just as wild in the water as Moët. She even jumped off a high stone wall, following her sister's example. Moët enjoys "bombing"! Moët, who is more careful in the beginning of a "new" acquaintance, soon made best friends with Fenna and they had a great time together playing, chasing each other and competing about the water dummy!

In May and June, all over Holland, schoolchildren walk 5 or 10 km together with their parents four evenings in a row. It is called the Avondvierdaagse - "evening-four-day". It is an old Dutch tradition from the 40s that has become a part of the Dutch culture. Last Thursday the crowd passed by our house. Kids and dogs found it interesting to watch the crowd from the top floor window! We decided that we will participate next year. We even saw some dogs walking with the crowd so I guess next year will be a premiere for Barbets to do the Avondvierdaagse. Or? Anyone that brought their Barbet along before?

A sunny day in the garden. I cuddle with Yatzie who cuddles with Moët who enjoys the attention. This is a lovely Barbet-life!

Beli in Poland got her first agility cup (bronze) last week! Excellent job considering she just started her training! The weekend before she also particiated in her first dog show where she was shown together with Georgia, owned by Tomasz Targowski. Both Barbets won their categories with the highest scores. Enjoy some pictures from the two events. The brown Barbet is Argo, also owned by Tomasz. If you have not yet discovered his beautiful Barbet blog visit it at http://kula.ndl.pl/en.

Yatzie received a postcard from her son Hunter (Chandon) who is on vacation in France and seeking his French roots. He is enjoying himself with water activities and lazy moments judging by  the happy photo collage!

Moët's first experience on the grooming table. Away went all the golden curls. Left was a more mature, well balanced Barbet body. Moët's fur is now medium brown, very thick and wavy. I like the feel of it a lot. She seems to have more hair than Yatzie. Thanks again to Judith at De Hondenkapper Almere!

Princess Goldilock is a famous old fairy tale whose title I was reminded of admiring Moët's puppy fur. In a few days she will be groomed for the first time. Her fur is now 15 cm long. The ends have a light golden colour and the new fur is chocolate brown. It has a more woolly feeling than Yatzie's silky fur and she is more curly than Yatzie was as a puppy. Yatzie's fur changed over the years and she now has big open curls. But the fur on her head is rather straight and Moët has inhereted that look, it is even straighter than Yatzie's now. She is as pretty as a princess!