Right before our eyes

Our beautiful babies are getting big so fast it was just two weeks ago that we made the move into the living room. Here was there last day in their birth box….you can see they are ready for some more space! Grandpa Chmurnik is in the background ‘SQUEAKING’ away on a toy, as he does best when he receives a new treat. He too is ready for his grandpuppies to make the BIG move ;)

Since then the puppies have a lot more room and are around all our dogs. This is important to us to properly socialize our puppies with their family. These little guys have begun to have puppy families & friends come over and meet them to see what a loveable bunch they are. They now have teeth and love to eat a puppy slurpie mix of pup chowder and goat’s milk with a touch of kefir. I am suddenly shocked that we are at that half way point and I want my babies to stay small forever although watching them grow is the best miracle of life…..






I have more NEWS on puppy socialization to come but not to leave you empty handed, the pups went outside for their first time this Sunday :D They loved it! Here are a couple photos of their curiously peaked outing….

Take my hand

Our puppies have entered that magic hour when they can see our faces and hear our voices. They now wake whenever we say ‘good morning’ or ‘hello babies’ into the box. They have begun to pay more attention to each other and now paw at faces & mouth on little tiny toes ;) The pups are now beginning to show more individuality and it is up to us to pay special attention to each and everyone.

We have slowly begun to add more toys into the box and will add something new every week. The puppies now explore new surfaces and are quite curious with all the new smells. Daphne is still quite close to her puppies all the time although she enjoys cooling off on the front porch or snoring up a storm whenever she gets a chance.

Here the puppies have a one-on-one photo session at 2½ weeks old on a beautiful sunny day….

Black collar boy

Blue collar boy

Green collar girl

Grey collar boy

Orange collar girl

Red collar girl

White collar girl

Yellow collar girl

Nappyroots E litter pupdate

So near the end of our first week with our puppies our lives were turned upside down with a wicked storm that went thru these parts. We had 100mm of rain and hail in what was one hour in our small town of Elmira which all of Kitchener-Waterloo does not see in one month. The result was a flooded basement and pups including the whelping box were emergency evacuated to the main floor. Everyone is doing well and momma Daphne has become adjusted to her new living quarters. This just goes to prove why Chris or I are ALWAYS home while we have a litter at the house….you just never know what could happen.

During the last week I have not had a chance to post the lovely photos Chris has been taking since turning the dining room into our new office and now will be bombarding you with all the updates.

The first week of the puppies lives is the Neo-Natal Period which lasts well into their second week. The puppies are born helpless and completely rely on their mom, they can feel her warmth, smell and touch her when she enters the box or is near. The puppies make peeping noises when they are looking for their mom to nuzzle them or are hungry. These vocalizations are usually almost always to let mom know that they want some milk but the puppies can also let her know if they are laid on or in distress from digestive problems or infections. Every good dam will know the difference in their pups cries and will be on alert for the next few weeks. It is crucial at this point that momma Daphne is healthy and happy so she may have all her strength to tend to her little ones.


During this first week we have begun the puppies Early Neurological Stimulation which will have important and lasting effects on the pups. This program has shown that newborns can respond to thermal, tactile and motor stimulation in order to give the dog a superior advantage. The program requires handling the puppies one at a time while performing a series of five exercises for 3-5 seconds from the puppies third day of life and lasts until the sixteenth day. The five exercises are:

  1. Tactile stimulation – holding the pup in one hand, the handler gently stimulates (tickles) the pup between the toes on any one foot using a Q-tip. It is not necessary to see that the pup is feeling the tickle.
  2. Head held erect – using both hands, the pup is held perpendicular to the ground, (straight up), so that its head is directly above its tail. This is an upwards position.
  3. Head pointed down – holding the pup firmly with both hands the head is reversed and is pointed downward so that it is pointing towards the ground.
  4. Supine position – hold the pup so that its back is resting in the palm of both hands
    with its muzzle facing the ceiling. The pup while on its back is allowed to sleep.
  5. Thermal stimulation—use a damp towel that has been cooled in a refrigerator for at least five minutes. Place the pup on the towel, feet down. Do not restrain it from moving.

There have been 5 benefits noted with preforming the Early Neurological Stimulation (Bio-Sensor) exercises. The benefits noted were:

  1. Improved cardio vascular performance (heart rate),
  2. Stronger heart beats,
  3. Stronger adrenal glands,
  4. More tolerance to stress, and
  5. Greater resistance to disease.

These exercises in no way are suppose to substitute our daily handling and loving of the pups. We make sure to hold and cuddle each one several times throughout the day, holding them close to us and showering them with many kisses. We weigh the puppies everyday for the first few weeks, maintain keeping their little toenails trim and give them the occasional wipe down with a face cloth if they have made a mess. Chris has taken the time to give these guys a photo shoot while they were just a few days old. He does so very carefully by making sure the pups are never far from mom and after each photo spends his time getting to know the pups by giving them some love :D Here are Chris’ wonderful photos from week one….



Brogan on the cover of Dogs Naturally magazine

We have just seen a sneak peak of the July/August 2013 cover of Dogs Naturally Magazine and Brogan has captured some hearts! Not only are we proud that a Barbet has made the cover of our favourite canine magazine but we are also thrilled at Brogan’s look in this photo. This is my most cherished look for the Barbet both rugged and rustic. Loving what they do best….having fun & enjoying the water!

Kudos to Judy Preston for sending the photo into the contest and a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS for making the final cut!!! Seeing that my subscription ran out this month I will definitely be renewing to make sure we get this very special issue.

Nelum-Himalis Daphne and Nappyroots Afrika Bambaataa puppies have arrived!!!

On Mother’s Day….May 12, 2013….Daphne gave birth to eight very healthy and absolutely stunning Barbet puppies. This is Daphne’s second litter and everything could not have gone more smooth for her ;) Daphne had 5 girls (3 black & 2 brown) and 3 boys all brown. We have been waiting what seems like days for these wee ones to be born and now that they are here we can enjoy their new precious lives. Mom and pups are all doing well and everyone is taking their fair share at eating & sleeping. Chris and I have been with mom & pups around the clock and everyone’s exhausted but we are thrilled to be a part of this journey. This is our Nappyroots E litter and puppies will have ‘E’ registered names.

We would like to send our appreciation and love to Paul & Kim Hunter who raised such a loving and obedient boy. He has grown into quite the man! This is Obie’s (Nappyroots Afrika Bambaataa) first litter of pups and this guy has gone & out done himself ;) We look forward to the coming weeks to watch these puppies grow and enjoy each day with us. This is a very exciting litter as we now have 3 generations of Barbet….with this litter Madzia became a grandma and Chmurnik is now a grandpa!!!

We hoped Daphne would have them on Mother’s Day and she waited until 20 minutes before the day was up to squeeze out her first beautiful girl :D

Birth Record:
11:41pm (may 12) – Black girl 353g – orange collar
12:13am (may 13) – Brown boy 360g – black collar
12:29am – Brown girl 340g – yellow collar
2:15am – Brown boy 329g – blue collar
2:20am – Brown boy 321g – grey collar
2:30am – Black girl 309g – white collar
3:37am – Brown girl 411g – red collar
3:52am – Black girl 445g – green collar



Barbet Daphne….just days away

Our Daphne is such a beauty and expecting her puppies with Obie any day now. She has been spending all her time with us enjoying the beautiful spring weather, BBQ’s and watching movies snuggling in the evenings. We have kept ourselves busy preparing her puppy room and Chris built the best whelping box ever! We can not wait for these special puppies to arrive.

Chris took the opportunity to have a special photo shoot with the ‘momma to be’ :D


Here is Daphne enjoying the breeze out on the front porch and the cold on her belly ;) Next time you hear from us we will be welcoming her little ones into the world!

Chmurnik is proud poppa to Northrock’s B litter

We are so very pleased to announce the arrival of 5 beautiful Barbet puppies born at Northrock Reg’d to first time mom CH Neigenuveaux Fleur D’Northrock WC CGN and our baby daddy CH Chmurnik z Gorki Podduchownej CGN. Stephanie Dixon has kept us posted every step of the way with Sophie’s whelping and we have news that all the puppies are healthy and happy to be with mom.

The litter of 5 puppies was born in the afternoon on April 24 and Sophie has a pleasant mixture of colours and sexes. She has 2 males (1 black & 1 brown) and 3 females (2 black & 1 brown). You can see photos and follow these babies progress on Stephanie’s blog at Barks and Woofs.

Check out their birth announcement here Northrock’s B Litter: The ‘Fab Five’ Have Arrived!

We are extremely excited to watch these special puppies grow and this was a wonderful experience working with Stephanie Dixon. Sophie is a breathtaking girl that is adored by Stephanie and these pups have everyone’s full attention :D I know Chmurnik wishes he could be there….I have never seen a boy love puppies as much as this guy does! Here’s sending his love to his lady Sophie and the ‘Fab Five’.

Daphne and her baby teddy

Daphne is a prime example of a great momma. She is still a few weeks away from having her puppies but here she is seen already tending to the needs of others like this baby teddy that she’s been carrying around and caring for all week. What more of a sign do you need that she’s pregnant….well other then her growing belly, hehehe:)

Here’s the beauty herself on one of our weekend outings….with our two hoople heads in the background (Barbet Sadie & Dali).

Barbet Ruby with baby Freya

I wanted to share some photos from Roland & Rita Sheaves of Barbet Ruby (Nappyroots Aaliyah), a gentle soul, with baby Freya. She is a 2½ year old Barbet from our first litter of pups to Madzia & Chmurnik (2010). Since Chris and I don’t have any of our own kids it is always nice when our families share their photos/stories with us about how much the Barbet love their children counterparts. Madzia always had a longing for children when we lived in the city and you can see her gentle friendly nature was passed to her daughter as well.

Here is Ruby enjoying some crackers with her friend….


Sadie…sadie…sadie…sadie

Nappyroots Dharma finally Sadie is home safe in New Jersey, USA with the OConnor family. They have decided to give her the name Sadie and thanks to Chris I can’t get the jingle from ‘This Is 40′ out of my head when I think of this little girl. Love the name and miss her so much. Sadie stayed with us a couple of extra months and I gotta say the attachment factor there….was HUGE!

The OConnor’s have been waiting a long time to bring their baby girl Barbet puppy home and now there family is united. Sadie flew home with Liv about two weeks ago and the transition for her was fabulous. She has a bigger brother Benny (Portuguese waterdog) who I hear she is very ‘gentle’ with, LOL, and two very special twin girls that love her dearly.

Here are Sadie’s first days with her new family….