Puppies: week 7
After enduring endless weeks of rain, high winds and unseasonably cold temperatures, conditions have at last returned to more normal for August and the puppies have finally been able to get out onto the grass, making life more interesting for them and much easier for us. Now fully weaned and (most, at least) with a full set of puppy teeth, they are readily tucking into their raw diet interspersed with goat’s milk and will soon be heading off to their exciting new lives in their loving new homes, so this coming week will be their final one with the whole litter together.
THE GIRLS
Miss Lime
Miss Orange
Miss Pink
Miss Purple
Miss Yellow
THE BOYS
Mr Black
Mr Blue
Mr Grey
Mr Red
BONUS / CUDDLE SHOTS
Mr Black
Miss Pink
Miss Lime
Mr Red
Puppies: week 6
Time is flying by and the puppies are looking very grown-up now, fully weaned from mum and getting stronger and more boisterous by the day. Once again, the often terrible weather has meant that they are indoors more than outdoors, but they certainly make the most of it when the sun does make an appearance.
THE GIRLS
Miss Lime
Miss Orange
Miss Pink
Miss Purple
Miss Yellow
THE BOYS
Mr Black
Mr Blue
Mr Grey
Mr Red
Mr Red – stacking practice
Puppies: week 5.
The pups have been dodging torrential rain and gale-force winds throughout most of this week but we’ve still managed to get them out for at least a few hours every day and, as a result, they have quickly become immune to all of the racket from the storms raging in the trees around them.
They have also enjoyed lots of visitors and additional cuddles through the week, as well as becoming super-adept at eating solids from their feeding bowls. Now, at 5 weeks of age, they have transitioned almost entirely onto their raw food diet with mum making visits to feed only once a day, and this will drop off further over the coming days so they should be fully weaned by this time next week.
Developmental changes are more gradual this week, but a brief break in the rain (if not the wind!) did allow us to get some extra head-shots of them today:
THE GIRLS
Miss Lime
Miss Orange
Miss Pink
Miss Purple
Miss Yellow
THE BOYS
Mr Black
Mr Blue
Mr Grey
Mr Red
Mr Red – Bonus Shot!
Puppies: week 4
Another huge week for the youngsters as their eyesight finally comes fully online allowing them to play and chew their way excitedly around their ever-expanding worlds.
Semi-decent weather has allowed them to be outside in their run for at least a few hours every day of this past week, taking in the sunshine, rain, winds and all points in between. Just like all Belatarr generations before them they also immediately gravitated towards their mini den for snoozy puppy pile-ups:
They are now well on their way towards being weaned and have quickly become experts at eating solid food from their Weenafeeder in-between visits form Mum. This is also the most significant change in their head shape, as muzzles elongate, eyes widen and skulls develop to give them fully formed puppy heads. Here they all are, outside in the dappled sunshine this morning:
THE GIRLS
Miss Lime
Miss Orange
Miss Pink
Miss Purple
Miss Yellow
THE BOYS
Mr Black
Mr Blue
Mr Grey
Mr Red
Billie makes Breed History (again!)
Amongst all the puppy news a thrilling update: Sh Ch Mahalia Jackson ShCM (Billie) achieved her Kennel Club Veteran Warrant today, becoming the first-ever HWV to qualify for the award!
Billie turned 7 years of age in Oct 2018 and managed to achieve this from just seven consecutive shows. She was named Best Gundog Veteran at 5 of those shows, at two of which she went on to be named Best Veteran in show, whilst she also collected 2nd Gundog Veteran at two further shows.
Billie is, of course, the first and still the only HWV ever to win a UK Championship Show Group, and her extraordinary achievements never cease to amaze and delight us.
Huge congratulations to Irene for this latest incredible milestone.
Puppies: week 3
All change for the pups this week as eyes opened fully and full vision slowly came on-line, accompanied by better mobility – although 4 to 5 steps followed by a quick tumble is still very much the order of the day.
All up and motoring about.
Mum checks that everything is in order.
Head and muzzle shapes became much more pronounced too, although next week will see an even more dramatic evolution in their heads, whilst coats are also developing rapidly now.
Mr Red, just nodding off.
But it’s very much the case that 90-95% of their time is still spent snoozing.
Sister snuggles.
Puppy pile-up.
THE GIRLS
Miss Lime (snoozy)
Miss Orange
Miss Pink
Miss Purple.
Miss Yellow
THE BOYS
Mr Black
Mr Blue
Mr Grey
Mr Red
Puppies: Week 2
Snoozing Sisters.
After another week of serious eating and sleeping Lyra’s 9 pups are now just about up on their feet, albeit still very wobbly. Their eyes are also just beginning to open, with Miss Pink leading the way on Day 13. For the most part, they still have their eyes closed and even once they have opened fully it will be another week before they can really see anything besides blurry light and shade.
Even so, the combination of being able to start to detect light and being able to propel themselves around more effectively has meant that they are now much quicker to zoom towards mum’s food when she appears amongst them.
They remain an extremely even litter in terms of size/weights and colours/coats, although a few are just beginning to gradually look distinguishable from their siblings, so, let’s introduce them all properly:
THE GIRLS
Miss Lime
Miss Orange
Miss Pink
Miss Purple
Miss Yellow
THE BOYS
Mr Black
Mr Blue
Mr Grey
Mr Red
New Belatarr Babies!
We’re absolutely thrilled to announce the arrival of the next generation of Belatarr puppies.
Our beautiful girl, Lyra, gave birth to her long-awaited second and final litter of 5 girls and 4 boys on the 4th of July, sired by the UK’s only dual (Show and Working) Champion HWV dog, the magnificent Champion Zoldmali Szeles Morganna JW, (AKA Tarot). We have known Tarot well from a first meeting shortly after he was imported at a few months of age by Rachel Newman, at the multi-award winning Morganna HWV’s. He has grown into a hugely well-balanced and superb example of the breed, who, at only 2 years old, already has many awards to his name, including a victory at Crufts 2019, where he was awarded Best Dog.
The sire, Tarot, from the Morganna Kennel.
We have been patiently planning this mating for the past 18 months, wanting to combine the strengths of these two lines, and are delighted with an incredibly even and well-matched litter and even more so that mum and pups are all absolutely thriving. Now a week old, all pups are close to double their birth weight and Lyra is definitely appreciating having slightly fewer to feed/clean/corral than with her first litter of 12, in 2017. So without further ado, here they all are in a record of a first week busily filled with feeding and sleeping, sleeping and feeding:
The Whole gang together, just a few hours old!
…and all together again, now at 1 week old.
Triple wins at Windsor.
A fabulous day for Jenny & David’s Belatarr boys at the Windsor Championship Show, where long-time breed specialist judge Rob McMaster awarded first places to Belatarr Charlie Parker ShCM (Veteran), Belatarr Jupiter (Post Graduate Dog) & Sh Ch Belatarr Hercules (Open Dog).
All three then went head to head amongst the other class winners in the line-up Best Dog, and it was Lyra’s son, young Belatarr Jupiter (Luka) who beat his two uncles to be awarded Best Dog alog with his very first Challenge Certificate, this coming after he picked up his first Reserve CC and earned his Kennel Club Stud Book Number just 2 months ago at the WELKS Championship. Uncle Hercules was then awarded the Reserve Dog CC, with Uncle Charlie completing the set as Best Veteran in Breed.
But even better was to come when Luka went on to be awarded his first Champ Show Best of Breed and the privilege of representing the breed in the Gundog Group. Luka has so far been unbeaten in his Champ show classes throughout the whole year and this was a thrilling new high for his show career. Huge congratulations to Jenny & David!
Hercules Best of Breed at Bath Championship.
A great win for Sh Ch Belatarr Hercules today at the Bath Championship Show where he was awarded his 6th Challenge Certificate and then went on to be named Best of Breed under judge John Thirwell – Huge congratulations to Jenny and David for another memorable result.
Belatarr Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla. 