Last weekend the beautiful Mabel came to stay.  Mabel is a lovely chocolate phantom girl from Daisy's first litter born this summer.  She is such a sweet girl and has wonderful markings and a lovely fleece coat.  All the dogs enjoyed seeing Mabel and had hours of fun playing in the yard and chasing one another about. 
 
Dottie who is now 11 weeks old loved having yet another play mate as did Mabel who was happy to let Dottie hang from her ears! Dottie has well and truly settled in and loves nothing more than playing with Ruby and Daisy.  She is often seen hanging onto a toy as they drag her around or snuggled up against them.  Ruby and Daisy have accepted her as I knew they would, they are wonderful teachers and the perfect pair for balancing play and making her tow the line!  Dottie is a very quick learner and is excelling in her training class, I am pleased that she has created a bond with Ruby and Daisy but she is also very focused on me and eager to please which makes training much easier.
 
I have decided to keep Ruby and Daisy in longer coats and not have them clipped to see if it has any effect on the condition of their coats this winter.  I must be mad with the mud and rain in full swing but I do personally prefer the longer, shaggier look!  They are still going to visit our fabulous groomer Sarah at Barking Marvellous for bathing, general tidying up and shaping but I am looking forward to seeing how their coats look in a few months time.  Keeping them both in a longer coat requires a greater degree of maintenance to avoid painful matting so the girls will be spending more time up on the grooming table in between professional grooms to keep them mat free and comfortable.
 
Here are a few recent pictures of everyone enjoying themselves :-)

Dottie has now been here for over a week and has made a big impression in our home and our hearts! She is so comical and has such a fantastic temperament, with a zest for all things fun! Her favourite game is a quick jump into the air on her dash to the garden to grab a hanging tea towel, she then proceeds to drag it around wherever she goes. She is also very affectionate and loves a cuddle :)

Ruby and Daisy have been great with her and are such great teachers. Dottie has been accompanying us on our daily walks to get used to the sights and smells of the great outdoors, she is so laid back and takes everything in her stride. 

We have started a puppy class for training away from the older dogs and Dottie is proving to be very intelligent, she picks up things very quickly and is very eager to please... She will do anything for liver! 

Here are a few recent pictures and I hope to do regular updates following her development :)