BlazE doing what he loves most: working with his handler on a perfect early-summer evening. Last night Etta and the eight Game On puppies stayed home in the whelping room with Terra, and BlazE and I drove out to the agility field. With a litter of nine-day-olds tucked in for the night, somebody in the…
Continue readingAn Evening Off for BlazE — Agility on the Course (and an Honest Edit)
Eight puppies, weighed every morning. One week in, that’s fifty-six data points and counting. By Albert & Terra Collver · June 2, 2026 We’re seven days into life with the Game On litter — eight puppies, four pounds of fur and feet between them — and one of the small disciplines we keep up with…
Continue readingWhy We Weigh Every Puppy, Every Day — A Week of Game On Numbers
By Albert & Terra Collver · June 1, 2026 — The Game On litter turned a week old today, and that means it’s time for one of the small, slightly-surprising tasks of new-puppy life: their very first nail trim. If you have never raised a litter, you might be picturing this as a long-from-now event…
Continue readingFirst Nail Trims for the Game On Litter — Domino Takes the Floor
The Game On litter, eight days old, in their namesake — a vintage Winchester shotgun-cartridge crate. If you’ve seen this week’s litter announcement, you’ve already met our newest crew — and you’ve probably also seen the photograph that goes with it: eight tiny English Springer Spaniel puppies piled into an antique Winchester shotgun-cartridge…
Continue readingMeet the Game On Litter — The Story Behind the Name (and That Winchester Box Photo)
*By Albert & Terra Collver · May 29, 2026* — Today the Game On litter turns three days old — and Day 3 is the day a quiet but very important part of our puppy program begins. Today is the first session of **Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS)** and **Early Scent Introduction (ESI)** for every puppy…
Continue readingDay 3 at Three Doves — Beginning ENS and ESI with the Game On Litter
The whole Game On crew, bundled into one warm basket and ready to head to the vet. By Albert & Terra Collver · May 27, 2026 It is day two for the Game On litter — eight tiny passengers tucked into a warm basket, with Etta riding alongside, on their way to Franklin County…
The Game On Litter Has Arrived! — Blaze × Etta, May 26, 2026 We knew it was coming. Etta’s temperatures told the story. One of the most reliable signs that whelping is imminent is a drop in the dam’s rectal temperature — typically falling below 99°F (sometimes as low as 97–98°F) within 24 hours of…
It’s one of the most exciting days in any breeding program: X-ray day. Etta — formally known as Three Dove’s At Last — has been growing rounder by the day, and at Day 55 of her pregnancy we packed her up and headed to the vet for the official puppy count. She’s been bred to…
Continue readingX-Ray Day at Three Doves Kennel — Counting Puppies in the Game On Litter
Even Pregnant — Etta Wanted In: Fetch and Hold on the Cato Board Earlier this week we posted a quick training clip of BlazE working through his Fetch and Hold drill on the Cato board. What we didn’t show you was that **Etta was watching the whole thing from the window** — and the moment…
Continue reading🐾 “If he’s getting to play, I’m getting to play.” 🤰🐾
A quick peek at BlazE working through some retrieving drills at Three Doves — sitting steady on his Cato board with a dummy bird in his mouth, watching another dummy fly through the air, then bringing it back and settling right back into place. It looks simple in a 30-second clip, but there…
Continue readingBlazE in Training: Fetch and Hold on the Cato Board
