Tuula

edited June 2010 in Other Breeds
We got home rom Tennessee last night after a 12-hour drive with my KBD pup, Tuula, in tow.
We got to select Tuula after observing her litter for a couple days. I believe she was the right fit largely because of her interest in people in general and me in particular. She was more inclined to come when called and to spend time playing than some of her littermates. I would strongly recommend spending a lot of time with a litter before choosing a pup. During different periods, Tuula acted differently--sometimes she was hyper and really a pistol; sometimes she was the lazy one who wanted to sleep in the shade.
She's zonked out on the couch next to me. She played with Darcy all morning in the backyard even though she was weirded out by both Darcy and Solomon last night. She made it through the night with only one trip outside at 3.30.
She's a smaller KBD and interestingly has one blue eye, considered a major show ring fault. Thankfully, I consider show standards a major pain in the ass.
Thought I'd attach a few photos--they were cell-phone, so they're probably not great quality.
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Comments

  • edited November -1
    Wow, mesmerizing eyes! Congrats on the new addition. Hope she turns out to be a great hunter.
  • edited November -1
    You know what's funny, Shigeru? My girlfriend's mutt is a better natural tree dog than most of the Mountain Curs and treeing hounds I've seen. Let's hope Tuula gets after it like Darcy. She was playing with a sibling from a previous litter and held on to her tail as good as any catch dog...maybe we'll get her out on some boars. :)
  • edited November -1
    Congrats! She's a looker alright. :-)
  • edited November -1
    Congrats on bringing her home! She is gorgeous!
  • edited November -1
    Congrats! She's gorgeous! Love the name, too.
  • edited November -1
    Awesome man! Congrats! Tuula is really pretty. I've never seen a KBD with a blue eye... any idea where it comes from?
  • edited November -1
    I soooo like KBD's! She is really cool looking with that eye. It makes me stare at her pic. Congrats!
  • edited November -1
    She's adorable!!! Congrats! :D ~
  • edited November -1
    OMG, what a cutie!!:) I love the bi-eye, didn't think KBDs would get it. More pics please
  • edited November -1
    Wow! She's so cute! Congrats on your new buddy. KBD's are awesome and her eyes are super neat :D
  • edited November -1
    Aww! Tuula is so cute! I love KBD. =)
  • edited November -1
    Wow Tuula has the coolest looking eyes. Hey Kevin is she chasing game yet?
  • edited November -1
    she is such pretty pup :) Ur a lucky guy.
  • edited November -1
    Gen, she's only 8 weeks, so I haven't gotten her in the woods really. She's still getting used to me and my dog and the new house and surroundings. I've got a skin in the freezer and I think we'll play around with it this weekend just to pique her interest. There's a couple great places near here where she can start chasing and treeing. Eventually, I have to get her out running coons at night, but her recall SUCKS so I'll have to get a GPS collar first. I'll let you know how things progress.
    I'll get some more and better photos up soon. I've been super sleep deprived since she wants to get up at the crack of dawn every day.
  • edited November -1
    @Brad:
    As I did some research prior to getting Tuula, I think I've read a couple accounts of other KBDs with two different colored or in one case, even parti-colored eyes. I think it's fairly rare, and I would be interested in comparing Tuula's pedigree with those of the other blue-eyed dogs. Everyone thinks she's a husky!
  • edited November -1
    Another photo--gettin' some love.
  • edited November -1
    Awwwwww!!! She's so little!!!! Enoy the puppy cuteness while you can! ~
  • edited November -1
    She is extra tiny. She was on the smaller end of the litter--of six, only one pup was smaller than Tuula, and that was another female I very seriously considered.
  • aykayk
    edited November -1
    My guess is that the blue eye in the Karelian is linked to a wider-than-normal blaze on the face. Some people might label it as a whitehead gene.

    That would be different than the semi-dominant blue eyes in Siberians.
  • edited November -1
    OMG she's so cute! I love her blue eye, it really makes her an eyecatcher ;o)

    Hope she turns out to be all you hope for. The KBD is a wonderful breed!
  • edited July 2010
    Tuula is a very "easy" puppy.
    She doesn't pee in the house (unless I've been a jackass and waited too long to let her out).
    She doesn't pick fights with my older dog (that's what Kayla's dog is for).
    She doesn't whine in her crate.
    She doesn't bark at nothing at all.
    She sleeps through the night (though the nights are admittedly short).
    Won't it be interesting when she hits adolescence?

    She basically comes when called, unless something more interesting has her attention.
    She follows basic commands. I'm not drilling these all that hard--maybe I should start.
    She doesn't walk on leash all that well--need some work there.
    When do I start her running game, hunters? She's chased a skin around the yard and fought/played with it. She seems to have a real interest.
    When should I get her out and bring some of that prey drive to the surface?
  • edited November -1
    She sounds great!

    As for starting her on game, I think it depends on the game. She's probably a bit young for something big like a boar, but there's nothing wrong with starting her on rabbits or the like. I'm sure Gen or Shigeru will have an opinion on this.
  • edited November -1
    She sounds awesome, Kevin. You can start off pups on game whenever you like really. The only caveat being that you don't want them to have negative experiences, or get injured. So based on that train of thought, I usually wait till they're around 2 months to introduce them to dead game, pelts and stuff like that is fine from when they're younger, but the actual boar I wait on. Then at around 6-7 months I'll start taking them on mock hunts. Short walks before that are okay, but you don't want them to get in trouble or overdo it. Live boar in controlled situations I'll introduce around this time. If you're only going to hunt small game, you can start them off sooner. Training dogs to hunt dangerous games takes a slower more careful approach. I'm sure Gen will have some thoughts on this too.
  • edited November -1
    Congrats on the new addition! Tuula is a cute little girl and so is her name.
  • edited November -1
    Yup just like what Shigeru said, you can start whenever on skins and dead game. For small game you can start them a bit younger then if you were going to hunt big game. She is a cute little thing though Kevin.

    More photos please!
  • edited November -1
    I have had Tuula out in the woods twice in the last week. Both times, she's really impressed me. She hasn't shown any interest in running tracks or anything, but she keeps up well, runs out on her own, and doesn't bother Darcy. Usually, those two love to play fight and goof around, but they hunt well together and seperately.
    Right now, she's asleep. She's been awesome! Took her to the vet for her 2nd round of shots today. I'll attach some photos soon; she's getting really tall! Less fluffy and puppy-looking and more like a little dog.
    I need to work harder on her recall. It's funny--when we're out in the woods or in unfamiliar territory, she comes well when called. Otherwise, she kind of sucks. We'll get there, but in the meanwhile, any tips?
  • edited November -1
    Glad to hear she's doing so well!

    To train recall you need to practice a LOT. Get yourself some really yummy treats like chicken or hotdogs. Take her out and give her a few so she knows you've got them. Then, wait for her to range out and come back on her own. Give her a treat and send her back on her way. Keep doing that until she gets the idea that coming to you means good things happen and the fun doesn't end. Then, once she has that down, start calling her as she is already on the way back. The point of that is to pair the cue (you calling her) with the behavior (her coming to you). After she has that down, then you can start trying to call her when she's distracted or doing something else. After a few sessions of that, start slowly phasing out the treats so it is a "gamble" for her. She shouldn't know for sure if she's getting a treat or not.

    Hope that helps!
  • edited November -1
    I believe with this breed that you will have to reinforce recall her whole life. Soon she will start to venture away from you when you take your walks in the woods. Other scents and movements will become far more interesting. It is true that good things must happen when she comes back to you, treats, but eventually that hunting instinct will take over and treats won't matter. Remember that they were bred to hunt alone, not beside/near their owners. You should definitely invest in a GPS collar, if you haven't already.
  • edited November -1
    I haven't been posting or following much lately because I've been busy over the last couple weeks. Kayla and I got married a week ago, so I've been moving all my stuff and then getting ready for the wedding. And a married man has a few more responsibilities than the bachelor I was used to being :)
    Tuula has been great. Her recall is pretty good, but I try not to over-recall her when we're out in the woods. She's been really well behaved overall. I have taken her to numerous fun public places and she's been a champ.
    She's still really small! I had her out swimming twice last week and when she gets wet she looks like a rat. She only weighs 15 lbs or so. She took to the water better than my lab as a pup--jumped right in and swam around, having a blast. She doesn't even have to swim after anything; she just likes swimming.
    Hunters--we're going to have a tree dog. She treed a squirrel and ran in circles underneath the tree, barking her head off. She followed it as it timbered out to another tree.
    Can't wait to get her out at night sometime and get her on coons this winter. I wish I lived in a place where she could eventually work bears, lions and bobcats. Someday soon, I hope. Anyone have any land they want hunted for black bear? We'll come fight off your bears in a year or two.
    She hunts surprisingly far out--sometimes. She'll get as far as a hundred yards out and eventually comes back to check in. I couldn't be more pleased with a 13 week-old pup.
    I'm a proud papa. I'll attach some photos tomorrow; I don't have a digital camera and have to upload cell phone photos, but they aren't terrible quality.
  • edited August 2010
    Sounds like she's doing amazing, Kevin! Just be sure you keep a close watch on your little baby. Negative experiences when hunting pups are young can leave a big imprint. Can't wait for the photos.

    And congrats on getting married!
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