I figured I may as well start a new thread for my puppy's photos, as there will be an overload!
Quill is my 8 (almost 9!) week old Wyoming Mountain Dog puppy. It's a breed that they are working on establishing with the AKC (I believe its been something they've been working on for 15+ years), being bred with the purpose of being great companion and backpacking dogs (obedient, athletic, thick coats and big paws, etc). They are a german shepherd, malamute, elkhound mixture. I'm very excited to finally have one of these pups. I learned about them last summer, and a year later I've got my dog!
He's extremely smart -- he learns things SO quickly! He knows sit, leave it, come, and is currently working on lay down and "wait" while on walks. He's kept me busy and I'm a worried first time puppy mom, but its been worth every second so far! This past weekend was his first big adventure. We went to visit my aunt and uncle in CO, and he was such a good boy with my young cousins and the long car rides!
So, here are just a few of the photos to start with! I'll update this thread with photos, as I'm sure I'll have more than anyone can handle as we begin our backpacking and hiking adventures!
First, Quill as a baby! I believe he was 5...6? weeks here. It is terrible cell phone quality. It was before I had actually chosen him as mine, but was hoping he could be mine!
The best place for information is probably their facebook page. And from that page:
The Wyoming Mountain Dog is a Spitz type of dog developed as a trail, pack, and companion dog. The concept of the Wyoming Mountain Dog developed out of the need for a horse-friendly trail dog that is naturally imbued with the temperament and good senses for working, packing, and negotiating the steep mountain trails of Wyoming. In appearance, the Wyoming Mountain Dog has a “natural”, wolf-like appearance inherited from spitz-type dog ancestors. The specific temperament qualities sought are a strong love of people and responsiveness to the human master, and also the strength, endurance and willingness for the trail. Such trail dogs must be able to carry a pack, be sensible with horses, not rove out too far from the trail, and able to sleep out comfortably in sub-zero weather.
The founder is also always happy to give more information about them, and can be contacted through there.
I think Quill is a perfect example of what they are trying to accomplish, so far! I really can't wait to see how he matures. He's so smart, friendly, and athletic. At 8 weeks, he can already go four miles a day without tuckering out, and yet is also totally okay with a "chill" day where he has to just sit around patiently while I work 8 hours. He comes to the office with me and will lay quietly on his bed without needing me to run him around to tire him out. Next week he will meet my horse for the first time!
Yes, they are. All three are large breeds, and Quill will likely be 70-80 lbs when he's done growing. I understand your concern.
However, the founder of these dogs is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about them and is breeding them for a very specific purpose -- a purpose that would not be possible if he was using stock with major bone and joint problems. Dogs capable of navigating steep terrain and going miles a day into back country would not be possible if they were suffering from major bone and joint issues.
He is not just breeding any one dog with another. He is ensuring the cross will work to better the breed, at whatever is needed. Including importing dogs to help with this. He has dedicated a lot of time and effort into establishing this breed and getting them rocognized with the AKC, and to date none of the animals have any issues of their ancestors.
Thanks! I definitely will! I'm pretty obsessed with taking photos of him haha. I already have more than is probably healthy and an entire folder just for photos of him, but he's just so dang cute. And he's growing so quickly, I need to remember his adorable puppy stage.
I thought I would share these photos. I can't believe how much Quill has grown in two and a half weeks! These photos are probably two weeks apart:
And the day I brought him home (Sept 23) versus today (Oct 11):
(sorry, photos are from my phone which takes terrible pictures!)
Unfortunately I don't have a scale at my house, but we visit the vet on Tuesday. He was 9.5 lbs when I picked him up, and the visit will be three weeks from that date.
Another Quill update! He was 15 lbs at his second vet appointment (roughly, their big scale had broken and so they used the small one...and Quill was squirmy). The vet said she wouldn't be surprised if he ends up over 80 lbs.
I can't believe how smart this dog is! He has sit, lay down, leave it, come, and wait completely down pat. We took him out with my land lady and her dog, and he refused to wander more than 10 yards or so away from me and listened to my every command. My land lady commented he was better behaved than her four year old dog! I think it helps that he is so people focused and food driven. We're trying tog et more dog socialization though...he is still awkward around dogs, and really doesn't have much interest in them. But he takes new experiences so well, I'm sure it will happen once he spends more time with them!
We made the 11 hour drive back to MT on Wednesday and he took it like a champ! He seems to be enjoying his new home in MT. My BF and I took him out on the boat yesterday and he did so well! He mostly slept curled up in my arms after his initial exploration of the edge of the boat. He also wasn't 100% sure what to think of the river, but he still was willing to get his paws wet. Some of these pictures really show the cool coloring of his ears and just how much grey is starting to come through in his whole coat. I'm so curious to see what he looks like as he matures! There are a lot of pictures, warning!
Those ears!
"What is it, Mom?"
Captain Quill
Tuckered out...we're enjoing him being holding size while we can!
Well, at 11 weeks, Quill is (roughly) 19 lbs according to my scale. The weight estimator I used says he'll hit 89 lbs at this rate! And his legs are getting so long. He's also hit a particularly obnoxious biting stage...but hey, someday he'll be big and calm, right?! The trick is teaching the BF to be patient with the biting, growling, crazy puppy. Here are some pictures from our adventures today. His face his getting SO light!
ZOOM!
Fetch is our new favorite game...
And he passed out the moment I set him in the car -- "leave me alone, mom!":
My mom keeps teasing him about his ears, hehe. She said we are in trouble if the rest of him grows into those ears! He definitely keeps us on our toes and having fun (and going crazy), but I still think he's a pretty chill puppy. He gets his crazies, but will settle down nicely and entertain himself or sleep almost as often.
Wow! Sounds like the prefect dog! The reason I got my Vizsla was because I was looking for an outdoor dog - athletic, intelligent, velcro. Maybe when I move out to Montana (a girl can dream, right??) I will look into this breed and hike with them all day long!
Rosie amid the cosmos. Sometimes I feel (as I'm sure Rosie does) that Gracie gets the lion's share of attention since she's the youngest. But Rosie is my heart dog. And a bonus pic of her going "yeah!"
I found this little treasure at the local shelter. He had been returned twice, for health problems & for not instantly getting along with 2 rambunctious dogs 4x his size.
I was drawn to his affectionate nature with receptive humans and his quiet, serene nature (not typical for chis, in my...
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