GCH CH Mack Hill Ryo Of Caradoc x Caradoc’s Mirror Mirror
The Climb On! Litter
THE PARENTS
GCH CH Mack Hill Ryo Of Caradoc CA BCAT CGC (Ryo)
Ryo is the #1 Icelandic Sheepdog in all systems for the second month in a row.
“Ryo joined the Caradoc family from Mack Hill kennels. We are very excited about this young boy. He has a wonderful outgoing personality and has yet to meet a stranger [he hasn’t liked]. Ryo finished his AKC Championship easily from the puppy classes and is now working on his performance titles!” - quoted from Caradoc Kennel’s site
Caradoc’s Mirror Mirror TKN (Millie)
We got Millie as a puppy in February 2020. She’s been with us through the hectic streets of Manhattan, on the snowy trails of Acadia, and along the tree-lined paths of Shenandoah. Millie loves truly everyone, is polite and friendly with other dogs, and loves to play. Millie earned her TKN as a young pup and has set her sights on TKI and RN. She has all her majors and is just one point shy of her AKC championship!
THE PUPPIES
We are thrilled to announce the arrival of four little Icelandic Sheepdog girls, born on July 31, 2023! This litter is AKC registered, and all pups will be health tested (eyes and ears) and temperament tested before going to their new homes.
THE PROCESS
Our goal is to have our puppies be confident and happy wherever they end up. Here’s a sneak peek into the type of activities we’ve done with them each week.
Week 1
The puppies have landed! Lots of late night feeding sessions for us and Millie as she adjusts to being a first time mother. Every day, the puppies got extensive handling—touching their feet, picking them up, cutting their nails—and, of course, cuddling with them.
Week 2
They’re growing. We do individual handling sessions, and they get occasional sniff visits from their uncle Sunny. They are more mobile now, and we begin to introduce new soft surfaces to the whelping box.
Week 3
It’s a big week! Their eyes open for the first time!
Little by little, we introduce the puppies to new rooms, new surfaces, new toys, new people. We start to incorporate low-stress soundtracks, like cities, traffic, and vacuums, so the puppies can passively acclimate to these stimuli. We also introduce new texture tiles for them to walk on. We begin puppy-pad potty training.
Week 4
The puppies explore a safe, outdoor space for the first time. They’re unsure at first about the grass and the large world, but Mom comes along for comfort. We take them for short walks in a puppy stroller through the neighborhood. They start clicker and stack training this week too! Plus, a pen upgrade to a larger space with new toys and new people coming by during our weekly Puppy Parties.
Week 5
Car rides, individual play time, stack training, new blocks to climb, new toys, new friends, outside play and roam time, crate training, clicker training. We introduce unstable objects to build body awareness and balance. So much to learn and do in the life of a puppy! They’re getting really playful too, and are happy to see us.
Week 6
The puppies got their first bath (and taste of cheese and chicken) this week. We introduced a nifty new cube of jingly toys.
Week 7
Broke out the puppy pool to beat the heat. Everyone also got their nails clipped and dremeled. They also adventured out in a stroller to a pet store in a stroller, though we’ve started leash walking indoors.
Week 8
The pups headed to our friends at the vet to get their 8 week check up, first vaccines, and microchips! They were big hits at the vet.
Week 9
Off to Philadelphia for eyes and ears evaluations! Everythign came back clear! The pups completed their structural evaluations, and then it was time to head to their new homes :’)