Arcadia Field Spaniels

01/04/2025

Happy 4th birthday to our much loved and cherished Animal Crossing litter. 💕

Willow and her 1.5 week old babies

12/04/2024

Our most recent set of puppies, the Golden Age Litter, is coming up on their first half-birthday. This is the home stretch to having a wonderful lifelong companion. Adolescence is hard, but with patience and preserverence, everyone can survive it!

Adolescence occurs between six months and 18 months of age—a time when guardians typically struggle the most with their dogs. Some guardians are so overwhelmed and underprepared for this developmental stage of their dog’s life, they choose to surrender the dog to a local shelter or rescue group. In a recent study published in the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science found that the majority of the surrendered dogs (47.7 percent) ) were between 5 months and 3 years of age (M.D. Salman,John G. New, Jr.,Janet M. Scarlett,Philip H. Kass,Rebecca Ruch-Gallie &Suzanne Hetts, 2010)

The neurobiology of adolescence is fascinating, with some key events that alter both the structure and function of the brain.

During canine adolescence, changing s*x hormones effect the animals stress responses. Adolescent dogs have a decreased ability to process information they are receiving from the environment including the presence of dogs, vehicles, people, or really anything around them. They behave in ways that might feel frustrating or upsetting for the dog’s person.

The connectivity between the frontal cortex (responsible for decision making) and amygdala (responsible for emotional processing) decreases, resulting in less behavioral control. We see increased risk taking and more sensitivity to fear.

So what does this mean? This could mean that what was once no big deal to the dog now feels scary; what was once easy to do is now stressful; what once made sense is now confusing. At times, the world can feel like ‘too much’ for the adolescent dog.

As your puppy undergoes this transition into adulthood their inner world is intense, even chaotic. Many pet owners experience an increase in undesirable behavior and find themselves becoming increasingly frustrated. In turn, our own frustration and impatience can cause us to act unpredictably. This adds to our puppy’s inner turmoil. When the inside and the outside are both unpredictable it can be difficult for our dogs to adjust.

If you have an adolescent dog, what can you do? You can give your dog the time and space to observe what is going on around them when on leash at a distance away from the activity when possible. You can give your dog long walks to sniff and explore in nature, giving their brain time to decompress. You can offer your dog a quiet space to sleep so that they can consolidate memories effectively. You can continue training various skills, breaking them down into easier steps that can be generously reinforced.

By understanding what our adolescent dog is experiencing we gain greater compassion and understanding. When we approach adolescence with patience we create a world that is predictable and gentle so our puppies grow up to be their best adult selves.

11/03/2024

Fantastic weekend at the Old Fort Cluster show! Augustus (Arcadia East of Eden at Bramasole) got a BPUP Group 2 Saturday and Sunday, in a highly competitive ring of beautiful puppies. That will be a wrap on showing for the year for Gus!

10/26/2024

Did you know: There a ton of fun things you can do with your dog, and get pretty ribbons and titles in return, other than conformation shows?

Today Francine and Wildemere walked a charity 5K. Pending AKC submission and approval that should be the last thing they need to add their FITB title to their registered names!

10/20/2024

Francine (Saltmarshe Arcadia Light in August) got to play her favorite game with her favorite humans this morning: and got a big new ribbon and an FCAT title to add to her name to boot!

10/17/2024

Although he wasn’t quite old enough for the national proper, August (Arcadia East of Eden at Bramasole) got to try out the show dog life at the trailer shows last weekend. Little man got BPUP Sporting Group 4 and Group 3!

10/03/2024

Willie (CH Arcadia’s Brave New World FCAT ATT) and Francine (Saltmarshe Arcadia Light In August DCAT) playing their favorite game last month: chasing the plastic bunny!

09/24/2024

Here's a great article about how versatile our breed is from members of Fox River Field Spaniel Club

09/22/2024

We are proud to say that Pepperoni (Willow x Finley) earned his Senior Barn Hunt title today! He can now be known as Arcadia's Pizza My Heart RATS. Congrats Jamie and Andi Elvert!!

09/16/2024

Our last puppy going to a new home left today. Fern, formerly Esther (Grey collar) left for a long drive after the Fox River Field Spaniel specialty. Safe travels, and we love you forever and ever sweet girl.

09/15/2024

And pending AKC approval, Wildemere has finished his championship, with 3 points by going Reserve Winners at the FRFSC Designated Specialty at Greater Lafayette KC, and a Winners Dog and Best of Winners at the Fox River Field Spaniel Club specialty for 5 points! We are so proud of you Willie for an awesome win at such a large and beautiful entry of Field Spaniels!

09/15/2024

This morning at the Fox River Field Spaniel Club Designated Specialty at Greater Lafayette Kennel Club, Maple went Best of Opposite S*x in a fantastic entry of 40+ field spaniels! We are so excited to announce that Maple is now GCH Arcadia’s Pour Some Sugar On Me BCAT ATT. Maple is our first bred by Grand Champion and we are so proud of her ❤️

09/13/2024

Not to be outdone, Willow and Wildemere both added some titles to their names. Willow passed the Canine Good Citizen Urban test and Willie passed the AKC Temperament Test. So happy with these dogs' wonderful, stable temperaments!

09/13/2024

Today at the Autumn Harvest Cluster at Central Indiana Kennel Club, Maple (CH Arcadia's Pour Some Sugar On Me ATT BCAT) won Best of Opposite S*x over a supported entry of over 20 Field Spaniels! So proud of Niki for piloting her to this win! 💕

08/26/2024

We’re having a bit of a heat wave out here in the Midwest where Gus (formerly Errol - Red) lives. He’s dealing with it by melting completely. 🤷‍♀️

08/24/2024

Fern and Gus here, just waiting for you to share your Friday night snackies. 💕