The puppies are now almost 13 wks old and everyone has gone to their new homes except for Wilma who is now Trinity and will stay with us. We had Daisy for a while too until we found the most awesome home for her. Thank you Paula and Brian, you are a dream home and we are so grateful she has found her place with you. Before going to her new home Daisy who is now Sierra and Trinity had quite a few adventures including starting on their obedience training, a long car ride to Maine for a weekend away and apple picking at a local farm.
I've finally finished cleaning up the puppy pen and putting all the toys and equipment away. We've scrubbed the kitchen clean and finally got the dogs back to their normal routine. Having a litter of puppies take over the house is a fun project but it wreaks havoc on the day to day life of a family :) ! The kids were so excited to have the kitchen table back and Zuma and Rhys are happy to be back in the kitchen where they can see everything that is going on when they are crated.
This week I hope to finish up the paper work, not my favorite task. I will mail out the tatoo registrations, photocopy the contracts and mail them out with the AKC registrations and the naming email. I am always amazed at just how much time this takes.
I have 7 of the pups in puppy kindergarten. In fact they graduate tonight !! They are making excellent progress on their socialization and basic training, I am very proud of them. They are a little rowdy when they play but this is typical for littermates. The other 4 pups are doing well too. I get regular updates from all and hear that they are having many adventures and are bringing alot of joy to their families. I am so pleased to hear that...it makes it all worthwhile.
Well, we've come to the tail end I guess. Time to move on and let the pups go and become the individuals they were meant to be. So glad they are in such capable hands, it feels good to know they are loved and cared for by such wonderful families.
Thank you everyone for taking good care of the Cartoon Litter, pictures and updates are always welcome.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
7 wks old
The pups are so big and sturdy now it's amazing just how much they have grown up. It's been an exciting week of development for them as they are now so much more aware of their environment. We've introduce a crate in their indoor pen and will add a few crates to the outdoor pen as well. Housebreaking is coming along nicely and they are hitting the box just about every time now. The noise has died down a bit while playing as they have learned to inhibit their bites and are much nicer to eachother when they play. Tess has begun to wean them and after correcting them for biting her invites them to play. They are a little unsure of at first not sure what to do with themselves and then Tess turns all silly and invites them to play. It's comical to watch them figure out what they are suppose to be doing.
We had to rearrange the indoor pen because the pups were learning to balance on the potty box to reach over the side of the pen. Several pups came close to getting over the top so it was time to innovate. We put a crate in the pen and reconfigured it to make it less inviting to climb out. We found Wilma sunbathing on top of the crate on one of our trips through the kitchen. Tess and her siblings use to do this as puppies and seemed to enjoy the high perch. We took Wilma down twice but she climbed back up so we left her there. She hasn't figured how to get over the top...yet so for now we're ok.
The "din" in the morning is getting louder as the weeks go by and the pups think it is their job to make sure we know they are hungry in the morning. They like to shout at us until we feed them and even a bit longer before they finally go back to sleep. They are a force to be dealt with in the morning to say the least.
It's become challenge to keep up with them outdoors too. They have learned to dig down under the stone and eat dirt, then go dunk their head in the water bucket. Plucking at the weed block has become their favorite sport and it's been tough to stay ahead of them. We finally put a small potty box in the outdoor pen because scooping poop out of the rocks has become quite the challenge, there is always something left behind. This way we can scoop the box and not have as much mess.
Tried lots of new foods this week, ground lamb, hearts, kidney, giblets, chicken wings, necks and marrow bones too. They are eating lots of variety and they are doing great.
Next week is a big week for them, they get their puppy tattoos on Monday and Wednesday and on Thursday we take a trip to the vet for a check up. They have gone for several car rides this week and will go on several more next week. They have had two baths and will get a third this weekend. They have had nails trimmed every week since birth and will begin some basic leash training on Saturday depending on how many folks come to the puppy party. Carol is coming to give a short talk on new puppy ownership.
Well, I am beat. The pups have kept me running most of the day with cleaning, caring for, and paying attention to them. There is just never enough time to do all that I want to do with them. Hard to believe they start going home next week....need to make sure that they are ready. See you all soon.....
We had to rearrange the indoor pen because the pups were learning to balance on the potty box to reach over the side of the pen. Several pups came close to getting over the top so it was time to innovate. We put a crate in the pen and reconfigured it to make it less inviting to climb out. We found Wilma sunbathing on top of the crate on one of our trips through the kitchen. Tess and her siblings use to do this as puppies and seemed to enjoy the high perch. We took Wilma down twice but she climbed back up so we left her there. She hasn't figured how to get over the top...yet so for now we're ok.
The "din" in the morning is getting louder as the weeks go by and the pups think it is their job to make sure we know they are hungry in the morning. They like to shout at us until we feed them and even a bit longer before they finally go back to sleep. They are a force to be dealt with in the morning to say the least.
It's become challenge to keep up with them outdoors too. They have learned to dig down under the stone and eat dirt, then go dunk their head in the water bucket. Plucking at the weed block has become their favorite sport and it's been tough to stay ahead of them. We finally put a small potty box in the outdoor pen because scooping poop out of the rocks has become quite the challenge, there is always something left behind. This way we can scoop the box and not have as much mess.
Tried lots of new foods this week, ground lamb, hearts, kidney, giblets, chicken wings, necks and marrow bones too. They are eating lots of variety and they are doing great.
Next week is a big week for them, they get their puppy tattoos on Monday and Wednesday and on Thursday we take a trip to the vet for a check up. They have gone for several car rides this week and will go on several more next week. They have had two baths and will get a third this weekend. They have had nails trimmed every week since birth and will begin some basic leash training on Saturday depending on how many folks come to the puppy party. Carol is coming to give a short talk on new puppy ownership.
Well, I am beat. The pups have kept me running most of the day with cleaning, caring for, and paying attention to them. There is just never enough time to do all that I want to do with them. Hard to believe they start going home next week....need to make sure that they are ready. See you all soon.....
Friday, September 17, 2010
Moving on Up...6 wks and 3 days old
The Cartoon litter is growing up and I'm getting a little sad because they will only be with us for another few short weeks before they start their new lives. This is the whole point of raising a litter but it is still sad.
I'm happy to report that the puppies had their first bath last Friday and they did great ! Of course it only lasted a few hours before they were filthy again but they survived it and did very little complaining. I had the help of Paul and Julia who worked as my puppy driers and so it only took a little over an hour to get everyone squeaky clean. It took another hour to clean up and do all the laundry associated with bathing 11 puppies but we won't talk about that :).
Tess has done an excellent job of teaching the puppies about their mouths. She has been giving feedback to them for a week an a half now and they are finally getting it. I notice now when she goes in to nurse she no longer profiles the little bugger who is biting too hard. For the past week while she is nursing she looks over her shoulder multiple times, figures out which puppy is biting her too hard then turns around and pins him to correct him for biting her then happily trots off. I don't interfere with this though I see it coming and close my eyes, this is one of those tough love moments that humans screw up by interfering in. Momma dogs know what they are doing and I have learned to stay out of their way as much as possible. It took her about a week to teach this lesson but now they nurse and when she's done she leaves without fanfare and they accept it. Really cool if you ask me !! And there will be far less nipping and biting if any when they go to their new homes.
The pups are learning to use their mouths more carefully thanks to Mom but they are still making occassional mistakes with their playmates. I know they are improving because the cries and squabbles are far less this week and the play is nicer. Puppies have a lot to teach eachother and this is ESSENTIAL if they are going to be behaviorally normal around other dogs. By wrestling, biting and roughing eachother up they learn how to moderate their play and inhibit their bite. The play this week is much nicer, the biggest thing I notice is that they stop biting the playmate if the playmate cries or grumps about it. No more indiscriminate ear and tail chewing and looking around like they have no idea why their littermate is screaming !! Another huge milestone of development that I love to see !!
The girls had their first car ride this week on a field trip to the training center. They were incredible, barely a peep on the drive and they had a blast while they were there. They got cuddled and loved by clients and staff and even used their portable litter box. The boys will have their turn this weekend or early next week. Every few days we try to get them in the car and drive them somewhere so they get used to the motion and experience which will is another necessary life skill they will need to have a happy life.
Overall the pups are starting to show their personalities and we are spending alot of time with them getting to know them and watching them change and develop. This week Julia's buddy is Velma who follows her everywhere and wags and wags whenever she pays attention to her. Julia taught her to chase a ball this week which is quite funny and kind of amazing seeing since their eye sight is still developing and their coordination is not all that sophisticated. Pretty cute if you ask me.
So that's the update. The puppy party will be a blast this weekend we hope you can make it. Shannon Gervais will be coming to give a talk on feeding a raw diet and you'll get to the see the pups chow down on their bones and raw food. It is amazing to watch how easily the eat chicken wings, chicken necks. Looking forward to seeing you !
I'm happy to report that the puppies had their first bath last Friday and they did great ! Of course it only lasted a few hours before they were filthy again but they survived it and did very little complaining. I had the help of Paul and Julia who worked as my puppy driers and so it only took a little over an hour to get everyone squeaky clean. It took another hour to clean up and do all the laundry associated with bathing 11 puppies but we won't talk about that :).
Tess has done an excellent job of teaching the puppies about their mouths. She has been giving feedback to them for a week an a half now and they are finally getting it. I notice now when she goes in to nurse she no longer profiles the little bugger who is biting too hard. For the past week while she is nursing she looks over her shoulder multiple times, figures out which puppy is biting her too hard then turns around and pins him to correct him for biting her then happily trots off. I don't interfere with this though I see it coming and close my eyes, this is one of those tough love moments that humans screw up by interfering in. Momma dogs know what they are doing and I have learned to stay out of their way as much as possible. It took her about a week to teach this lesson but now they nurse and when she's done she leaves without fanfare and they accept it. Really cool if you ask me !! And there will be far less nipping and biting if any when they go to their new homes.
The pups are learning to use their mouths more carefully thanks to Mom but they are still making occassional mistakes with their playmates. I know they are improving because the cries and squabbles are far less this week and the play is nicer. Puppies have a lot to teach eachother and this is ESSENTIAL if they are going to be behaviorally normal around other dogs. By wrestling, biting and roughing eachother up they learn how to moderate their play and inhibit their bite. The play this week is much nicer, the biggest thing I notice is that they stop biting the playmate if the playmate cries or grumps about it. No more indiscriminate ear and tail chewing and looking around like they have no idea why their littermate is screaming !! Another huge milestone of development that I love to see !!
The girls had their first car ride this week on a field trip to the training center. They were incredible, barely a peep on the drive and they had a blast while they were there. They got cuddled and loved by clients and staff and even used their portable litter box. The boys will have their turn this weekend or early next week. Every few days we try to get them in the car and drive them somewhere so they get used to the motion and experience which will is another necessary life skill they will need to have a happy life.
Overall the pups are starting to show their personalities and we are spending alot of time with them getting to know them and watching them change and develop. This week Julia's buddy is Velma who follows her everywhere and wags and wags whenever she pays attention to her. Julia taught her to chase a ball this week which is quite funny and kind of amazing seeing since their eye sight is still developing and their coordination is not all that sophisticated. Pretty cute if you ask me.
So that's the update. The puppy party will be a blast this weekend we hope you can make it. Shannon Gervais will be coming to give a talk on feeding a raw diet and you'll get to the see the pups chow down on their bones and raw food. It is amazing to watch how easily the eat chicken wings, chicken necks. Looking forward to seeing you !
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Five weeks and 1 day old !!
The puppies have come a long way in a week and they are so much fun now !! This was a big week development wise and they are really becoming coordinated. They now run instead of stagger and they can climb, balance and plan how to get from one place to another. They have mastered the potty, I am soooooooo proud of them. Very few mistakes now and almost everyone gets it that the box is where you potty and the beds are where you sleep. You have no idea how HUGE this is, we have laid the important foundation for housebreaking for their future moms and dads and it only took a week.
The outdoor pen has been like an amusement park for the puppies and they are having so much fun out there. Right now they have several pop up tent cubes and tunnels to play in and all different textures of toys. They are having a blast with their sit and spin and have even mastered balancing on the moving base while resting their front paws on the top. I'm hoping to paint the swing bridge and puppy A frame this week so that we can give them more toys to play with. I have lots of fun toys for them to test out and now that they are ready I can't wait to change things around for them day to day. It is so much fun to watch them explore and problem solve. Putting in all kinds of structures for them to climb on help them gain good body skills for learning how to climb and descend stairs and gain body confidence. If it stays warm I am hoping to also introduce them to water in their little puppy pool. The first day of swimming is always one of my favorite with a new litter. It is so comical to watch them explore and see who is brave and who waits around for everyone else to try it before they give it a try.
Developmentally they are experimenting with their teeth this week and you can hear the feedback. Their mother is not happy with their teething and is not shy about letting them know when they have crossed the threshold. She does this fairly and with exaggerated gestures but they still act surprised when she tells them off, they even sulk a little :). There is a lot of wrestling and screeching this week too which is right on target. When Mom no longer tolerates mouthing and biting it's time to try it out on the littermates. From the sounds of it there is a lot to be learned and the squabbles that I am hearing are all about being too rough with their teeth. The feedback they get from their littermates (and they are getting plenty) and their mother and later their grandmother (Cameo lives to tell puppies off :)) will mean that they do minimal to very little nipping and biting when they go to their new homes. This is a very important lesson to learn when you are a puppy, it helps you negotiate the human world and the dog world with less conflict. Too many puppies that I get in our puppy classes have not learned this lesson at 12, 14 or even 16 wks of age making it no fun to be their family. Feedback is a wonderful thing and it is crucial to get that feedback early rather than later.
Later this week I am hoping to give the puppies their first bath. I need at least two hours to do this since I like to make sure that each puppy isn't overwhelmed by the experience and has a decent first encounter with the bathing process. I love the way they snuggle afterwards all wrapped up in their towel all sleepy and clean.
Taz already had his first bath because he likes to take a running leap into his food. Being the smallest he needs to get right in there or he won't get to eat and he takes this very seriously. I haven't weighed him recently but he is catching up and looking quite sturdy these days !!
The outdoor pen has been like an amusement park for the puppies and they are having so much fun out there. Right now they have several pop up tent cubes and tunnels to play in and all different textures of toys. They are having a blast with their sit and spin and have even mastered balancing on the moving base while resting their front paws on the top. I'm hoping to paint the swing bridge and puppy A frame this week so that we can give them more toys to play with. I have lots of fun toys for them to test out and now that they are ready I can't wait to change things around for them day to day. It is so much fun to watch them explore and problem solve. Putting in all kinds of structures for them to climb on help them gain good body skills for learning how to climb and descend stairs and gain body confidence. If it stays warm I am hoping to also introduce them to water in their little puppy pool. The first day of swimming is always one of my favorite with a new litter. It is so comical to watch them explore and see who is brave and who waits around for everyone else to try it before they give it a try.
Developmentally they are experimenting with their teeth this week and you can hear the feedback. Their mother is not happy with their teething and is not shy about letting them know when they have crossed the threshold. She does this fairly and with exaggerated gestures but they still act surprised when she tells them off, they even sulk a little :). There is a lot of wrestling and screeching this week too which is right on target. When Mom no longer tolerates mouthing and biting it's time to try it out on the littermates. From the sounds of it there is a lot to be learned and the squabbles that I am hearing are all about being too rough with their teeth. The feedback they get from their littermates (and they are getting plenty) and their mother and later their grandmother (Cameo lives to tell puppies off :)) will mean that they do minimal to very little nipping and biting when they go to their new homes. This is a very important lesson to learn when you are a puppy, it helps you negotiate the human world and the dog world with less conflict. Too many puppies that I get in our puppy classes have not learned this lesson at 12, 14 or even 16 wks of age making it no fun to be their family. Feedback is a wonderful thing and it is crucial to get that feedback early rather than later.
Later this week I am hoping to give the puppies their first bath. I need at least two hours to do this since I like to make sure that each puppy isn't overwhelmed by the experience and has a decent first encounter with the bathing process. I love the way they snuggle afterwards all wrapped up in their towel all sleepy and clean.
Taz already had his first bath because he likes to take a running leap into his food. Being the smallest he needs to get right in there or he won't get to eat and he takes this very seriously. I haven't weighed him recently but he is catching up and looking quite sturdy these days !!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Day 30 Cartoon LItter
The pups are growing up and becoming little dogs. So many changes this week for them. The biggest change so far is that they started to eat real food. Yesterday was their first meal, ground turkey watered down with goats milk. They loved it! They had enormous tummies when they were done and went instantly to sleep for several hours :). Mom is relieved that she is no longer the only food source and the pups seem very content. When they nurse they look like they are carrying her off somewhere. 11 is a lot of puppies especially when they are doing something all at the same time !!!
Of course along with real food comes real poop sooooooooo the whelping box needed to be put away and the new pen constructed. The kids and I worked at it all day yesterday and though it took several hours we did it. Cleaned and put away the whelping box, laid down more linoleum, plastic gating, metal exercise pens,and of course the potty box. The new pen is nice and spacious but can't be too big at first or the pups won't get the whole sleep here, potty there. Remember they have been going wherever in the whelping box so this new change needs to be coordinated carefully so that they will learn where it's ok to go and where they shouldn't. One thing I do to help them is wait for them to finish eating or wake up from a nap and put them in the potty spot. Most of the time they go and the more they have success the more they will begin to climb in on their own and go. Sure they will make mistakes which requires vigilance and changing of bedding 50 times a day but that's what washer and dryers are for right ? Mine get a major workout whenever we have a litter and are easily my favorite appliance. This is time consuming but worth it. Their future owners will be grateful that they are a breeze to potty train.... everyone wins !!
The pups had an outdoor adventure yesterday and went out to their new pen to investigate. They huddled together at first which is normal for a litter this age, the wide world is scary right now and requires everyone to stick together. The kids and I hung out in the pen with them and loved them up and after a while they relaxed and began to explore a bit. They ate their meal out there and found a quiet corner to crash for a while.
The puppy collars arrived yesterday and so we've done away with the ribbons and outfitted everyone but Taz with their new collars. They look very spiffy now and quite grown up. Taz is too little for his collar but he is unmistakably cute anyway !!! I was home most of the day yesterday to watch them to make sure no one got caught on anything and so far so good.
After their field trip to the outside pen we brought them back inside to check out their new digs and they slept and slept. I think all the changes made them exhausted but by the later afternoon they were up and ready to go. They seem to really like all the new toys, the favorite being the little step stool that Julia donated to the cause. We were trying to find a way to help them climb up more easily into the potty box. Julia insisted that she had outgrown her step stool and since it's washable and sturdy we decided to try it out. They love to hide underneath it and crawl on it and fall off it, very high entertainment value that's for sure !!
Well, better go figure out how Taz escaped the new pen and fix it before all the babies make a break for it and start roaming the house !!
Of course along with real food comes real poop sooooooooo the whelping box needed to be put away and the new pen constructed. The kids and I worked at it all day yesterday and though it took several hours we did it. Cleaned and put away the whelping box, laid down more linoleum, plastic gating, metal exercise pens,and of course the potty box. The new pen is nice and spacious but can't be too big at first or the pups won't get the whole sleep here, potty there. Remember they have been going wherever in the whelping box so this new change needs to be coordinated carefully so that they will learn where it's ok to go and where they shouldn't. One thing I do to help them is wait for them to finish eating or wake up from a nap and put them in the potty spot. Most of the time they go and the more they have success the more they will begin to climb in on their own and go. Sure they will make mistakes which requires vigilance and changing of bedding 50 times a day but that's what washer and dryers are for right ? Mine get a major workout whenever we have a litter and are easily my favorite appliance. This is time consuming but worth it. Their future owners will be grateful that they are a breeze to potty train.... everyone wins !!
The pups had an outdoor adventure yesterday and went out to their new pen to investigate. They huddled together at first which is normal for a litter this age, the wide world is scary right now and requires everyone to stick together. The kids and I hung out in the pen with them and loved them up and after a while they relaxed and began to explore a bit. They ate their meal out there and found a quiet corner to crash for a while.
The puppy collars arrived yesterday and so we've done away with the ribbons and outfitted everyone but Taz with their new collars. They look very spiffy now and quite grown up. Taz is too little for his collar but he is unmistakably cute anyway !!! I was home most of the day yesterday to watch them to make sure no one got caught on anything and so far so good.
After their field trip to the outside pen we brought them back inside to check out their new digs and they slept and slept. I think all the changes made them exhausted but by the later afternoon they were up and ready to go. They seem to really like all the new toys, the favorite being the little step stool that Julia donated to the cause. We were trying to find a way to help them climb up more easily into the potty box. Julia insisted that she had outgrown her step stool and since it's washable and sturdy we decided to try it out. They love to hide underneath it and crawl on it and fall off it, very high entertainment value that's for sure !!
Well, better go figure out how Taz escaped the new pen and fix it before all the babies make a break for it and start roaming the house !!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Puppy Party Day 25
The cartoon litter had their first puppy party today and they are wiped out !!! Lots of snoozing this evening after such a big day. We had 25 people total, including 10 kids which is a nice variety of exposure and a good step in the right direction for socialization.
The pups are gaining daily and are still a variety of sizes. The smallest pup Taz is climbing slow and steady, he is 1.80 today and I am thrilled. We started private nursing sessions twice a day and it seems to have made a huge difference. He is stronger and steadier than he was at the beginning of the week. The largest pup is Perry/ Blue followed by Daisy/purple they are well over 4.0 lbs.
Everyone is playing now, wrestling, chewing on eachother and falling all over the place as they attempt to tackle eachother. I could watch them all day long they are so much fun ! They outgrow their ribbon colors almost every other day so I have ordered their lupine collars which should come any day now.
This week they will be introduced to food, likely ground turkey or beef mixed with a little goats milk. We will also take apart the whelping box and make them a potty spot so that we can begin their housebreaking. The outdoor playpen is up we just need to find some time to finish the surfacing. We are hoping to get some time on Monday to finish it up. Then of course I need to get moving and start repainting all the mini agility equipment I put in there for playtime. A bath might be part of the agenda toward the end of the week. I like my pups to have a weekly bath if possible so that when they go home they are use to it and are easy to groom and bathe.
Have screened and approved 2 homes so far, several more to do this week. Put together an info packet for the puppy families and hope to start working on the going home binders in a week or two. Need to look into what goodies I will send home with the pups this time around too. So much to do !!
Friday, August 20, 2010
Day 17
Well it's been a busy 5 days. The pups are changing by the hour it's amazing. Almost like watching a flower bloom in slow motion, they are one way one minute and entirely different the next. They opened their eyes Monday and Tuesday of this week, then they began being able to hear on Thursday and somehow in between there they learned to walk and today they are barking and vocalizing and attempting to play with each other. They are still quite wobbly on their feet and fall over if they get too excited but it's so fun to see them waddle around the box.
Today we started music appreciation :) ! We started playing their sound tape which has a variety of household, industrial and neighborhood noises for them to get used to. The sounds include the vacuum cleaner, lawn mover, blender, bus, trucks, kids shouting , babies crying, motorcycles, you name it. I play it twice a day to start and then gradually increase the volume and frequency throughout the next few weeks. For music we started with George Winstons Winter into Spring, then the Mills Brothers, a favorite of my late grandmother,then to top it off a little Barry White and Steely Dan. They seemed to like the Mills Bros best as they woke up and began moving around whenever I played it.
So fun to watch them now as they are beginning to interact with eachother and the toys in the whelping box. So cute to see them mouth eachother, attempt to paw at eachother then fall over in their enthusiasm and fall asleep. They look a bit like drunken sailors staggering around looking for the closest milk bar !!
Tess is doing great though she is thin and very hungry all the time. I'm trying to feed her enough but it's hard, we are up to 4 lbs of food today and I'm afraid that much more will make her sick. I broke up the meals into 5 portions so she ate all day but it still doesn't seem like enough. She's a trooper though and will get in there multiple times an hour to feed them. Today I divided the group in half so they ate in two seatings. 11 hungry puppies are intimidating when you have only 8 place settings so this gave some order to the whole thing and Tess and pups both seemed happy with the arrangement. The little guys went on with a few medium sized pups so they could eat their fill without so much competition. I am weighing them everyday and watching to see who is gaining and who is staying the same and altering the way I manage them according to how they gain. Mother nature is crafty and in order to build strong pups mother dogs stop laying down to nurse and start sitting up and letting the pups scramble and stretch to get their meal. The problem with this when there is significant size difference is that the bigger pups can reach easily and the smaller pups can't reach at all. By dividing the group at least once a day it gives the pint size babes a chance to catch up.
The size difference between the pups doesn't worry me. I learned a long time ago that there is no such thing as a runt (or runts). This is Tess' 3rd litter and what that means is that the little pups placement in the uterus was likely next to the scar tissue of a pup from a previous litter. The pup only grows as large as the placenta it is attached to, so lousy placement means a small pup at birth. The good news is that pup will reach it's full genetic potential and be as big as it's genes tell it to be. One of my smallest pups at birth turned into a moose at a year old.
Finished up the Bio Sensor Exercises last night on day 16. These exercises are meant to help wake up the nervous system and get the immune system to kick in early as well. I have always done these exercises with my pups and feel that it gives them an advantage for life. Now that that stage of development is over I can concentrate on developing physical coordination and strength and encourage exploration !!
This is such a great litter, I am really enjoying them !!
Today we started music appreciation :) ! We started playing their sound tape which has a variety of household, industrial and neighborhood noises for them to get used to. The sounds include the vacuum cleaner, lawn mover, blender, bus, trucks, kids shouting , babies crying, motorcycles, you name it. I play it twice a day to start and then gradually increase the volume and frequency throughout the next few weeks. For music we started with George Winstons Winter into Spring, then the Mills Brothers, a favorite of my late grandmother,then to top it off a little Barry White and Steely Dan. They seemed to like the Mills Bros best as they woke up and began moving around whenever I played it.
So fun to watch them now as they are beginning to interact with eachother and the toys in the whelping box. So cute to see them mouth eachother, attempt to paw at eachother then fall over in their enthusiasm and fall asleep. They look a bit like drunken sailors staggering around looking for the closest milk bar !!
Tess is doing great though she is thin and very hungry all the time. I'm trying to feed her enough but it's hard, we are up to 4 lbs of food today and I'm afraid that much more will make her sick. I broke up the meals into 5 portions so she ate all day but it still doesn't seem like enough. She's a trooper though and will get in there multiple times an hour to feed them. Today I divided the group in half so they ate in two seatings. 11 hungry puppies are intimidating when you have only 8 place settings so this gave some order to the whole thing and Tess and pups both seemed happy with the arrangement. The little guys went on with a few medium sized pups so they could eat their fill without so much competition. I am weighing them everyday and watching to see who is gaining and who is staying the same and altering the way I manage them according to how they gain. Mother nature is crafty and in order to build strong pups mother dogs stop laying down to nurse and start sitting up and letting the pups scramble and stretch to get their meal. The problem with this when there is significant size difference is that the bigger pups can reach easily and the smaller pups can't reach at all. By dividing the group at least once a day it gives the pint size babes a chance to catch up.
The size difference between the pups doesn't worry me. I learned a long time ago that there is no such thing as a runt (or runts). This is Tess' 3rd litter and what that means is that the little pups placement in the uterus was likely next to the scar tissue of a pup from a previous litter. The pup only grows as large as the placenta it is attached to, so lousy placement means a small pup at birth. The good news is that pup will reach it's full genetic potential and be as big as it's genes tell it to be. One of my smallest pups at birth turned into a moose at a year old.
Finished up the Bio Sensor Exercises last night on day 16. These exercises are meant to help wake up the nervous system and get the immune system to kick in early as well. I have always done these exercises with my pups and feel that it gives them an advantage for life. Now that that stage of development is over I can concentrate on developing physical coordination and strength and encourage exploration !!
This is such a great litter, I am really enjoying them !!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)