'Unsanitary Conditions'- Photos (Joke) - Page 2

It really is dangerous. I had ice crystals on my face while I was working that night... not fun! And you know it is bad when Qira doesn't want to play in the snow. Hope the horses are OK. Surely they have some kind of shelters or stalls to go into when it is this bad?

Keith, I don't blanket them. Never have. I know, intellectually, that they're well-equipped by nature to handle the weather. One of mine has had a bit of a rough time health-wise and is a bit thin to be in this weather. I have 2 TWHs- one is 23 (J.R.) and one is 19 (Indy).  They're boarded at a great place with a smart owner who lives on the property, and I have a shareboarder, a high school girl who rides them several times per week and checks them over head to hoof, but I just prefer to have them at home where I can see with my own eyes that they're fine, and have plenty of hay to eat to keep warm in this insane weather (I'm not thrilled with only eating at specific times in this kind of cold, as almost ALL barns do).

Dawulf,  where they are is super, super windy and they have a big barn they can go in and out of as they please, as well as a lean-to type building. They only get fed hay 2-3x per day, which is not enough in this weather, but that's how all barns do it :( .My main concern is colic, honestly, though neither have ever colicked in their lives (knock on wood). Indy, primarily, is my concern. He's going to be stressed, huddled around the building as they're all sure to be; there is a nasty old horse who loves to pick on him and keep him out of the building and away from water. In the summer, the owner puts more water out in the pasture but that's obviously not feasible in this weather. He once slammed him through a fence and into the side of a building where he ripped his chest open 8" on a lag bolt (that's my pic I post whenever someone aks about Vetericyn). J.R. protects him. Poor J.R. now has a ton of war wounds that were never meant for him and people assume it's because J.R. must be some nasty, fighting horse, LOL. It's a good thing he's not a show horse, is all I gotta say. I've never seen anything quite like it as far as this "big brother" thing J.R. has assumed w/Indy. They have only been together a few years and were not like that when I kept them at my home. Indy is not that pathetic, and has never had any issues w/other horses, ever...this Alex critter is just that nasty and has decided he doesn't like Indy. I was not a happy camper when I discovered he was being kept away from water this summer. After the lag bolt in his chest, Indy's been somewhat reluctant to get in Alex's way, so Alex will just stand right in front of the water for hours on end. Serious resource guarding!  My Friesian is at my best friend's house and I don't worry about him at all. He's got hay in front of him 24/7 for warmth and he's young and muscular. 

I wish all breeders would raise their puppies in such "unsanitary conditions"!

Clean puppies, and clean place for them to live in..........NICE.

SM, it's my KITCHEN- if that doesn't inspire someone to be extra-extra clean, I don't know what would!  
I have a 4yr old thumbsucker, so sanitary pups are a necessity.  I honestly would prefer they were not in the kitchen, but weather prohibits anything else at the moment. I figured when I did the breeding that they'd be old enough to head outside in mid December, and that with their house and the way the kennel is built, they'd be just fine in just freezing temps, but...................no. Mother Nature had other ideas. 

BF wanted to put it up in the garage "like normal people." I said no way. That's like...sensory deprivation. No good for growing pups! Plus, I can work on housetraining much easier this way- they're right near the door. I've bought pups who weren't kept clean. They were nearly impossible to housebreak. His Pit Bull was that way- I swear, she was 7 months old before she'd reliably keep her crate clean at night. Those early weeks are so critical in forming life-long habits. 
 

Jenni,  how do you start house training them at such a young age?  I tried and failed miserably with my last litter.

Gosh, I don't really know...

Please don't think they're "housetrained." All I'm saying is that if I'm paying attention to their baby body clocks, I can avoid a big mess by listening/watching for them to get restless, and a few of them throw full-out tantrums if not let out to poop. They pee on potty pads in the pen, as they have water 24/7. I gradually decrease the area they potty in- they used to have half to potty in, and now they have one square potty pad and they use it- the only problem is overnight when they hold their secret wrestling matches.

I've found if they have good moms (Capri was amazing), they keep them clean, so they're used to being clean and then naturally want to go away from their bed/den to potty. Now, these pups will already go to the outer borders of the yard when I let them out. They prefer the fence line and rock garden areas for pooping though they'll stop and pee just about anywhere. 

I wish I could tell you some trick, but I really don't do anything specific, but I let them out immediately after eating (or I feed them outside, away from the house on the deck where they like to nap, so that they have to walk all the way back and hopefully will remember they have to go) and about an hour later, or after a group nap, whichever comes first. 

LOL @ secret wrestling matches.

I like the two in the corner, like they are having a private conversation. Too cute!

Thats a very nice set-up! Too cute pups!