Puppy Blog Autumn 2022
We were blessed with 11 puppies. Seven were born on October 29 and the other four arrived in the wee hours of October 30. October 30 was the 40th anniversary of my husband's proposal to me, so this was a very special weekend in two ways. I am finally getting broken bits of sleep and still trying to catch up but holding them and just watching them eat and sleep is so worth all the lost sleep.
Light Pink and Fushia: two brown and white parti's, White and Purple: two mostly black with white socks and white collar, All of our puppies are spoken for.
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Male Puppies;
Red: Black with white markings, Green, Orange, Light Blue, Dark Blue and Black: five brown with white markings: three have white muzzles, two have brown muzzles, all have white socks. All of our puppies are spoken for.
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January 6: Hard to believe the holidays are here and gone. Our pups are 10 weeks old now. They grew up so fast. We just have Cobalt and Bella here with us, along with Hera, the one my daughter is keeping. Blush left two hours ago and she will live in the Salt Lake Valley, so not far away. Fuchsia, now Roxy is in Arziona, Pumpkin and Knight, now Auggie and Bobby are in New Jersey. Irish is also in New Jersey but at a different home. Triton and Pearl went together to Washington state. Skye is in California
Remember that your pup will need their second series of immunizations in the next week. I will text all of you to remind you. They will also need another dose of worming medication, as I never give puppies meds too early in their life.
December 19: They are an active and extremely loving litter of puppies. All are social, happy to see us and so well balanced. I love the attention and love they have to give. They are such a joy in my life. We are expanding their pen and they could use more room. Their pen is about the size of a small bedroom, maybe 8' X 10' with a long run that is about 22' feet long. They are getting much better at eliminating on the piddle pads instead of the bedding now.
They all had their first veterinary visit and first set of immunizations. All are very healthy and did well with the immunizations and check-up. Some larger than others. The largest male is Green (Irish) and the largest female is Hera, one that my daughter is keeping. They both are hovering around 11 lbs. They eat three times a day. First thing in the morning, then mid-afternoon and again before we go to bed. This keeps them quiet through the night so the weary here can get some sleep. Their diet is very healthy and they are all good little eaters.
No matter how many toys we purchase for them, they would prefer to chew on their pen and the piddle pads. We have now entered the stage where it is difficult to keep them clean for long, as they want to pull everything up and move it from one place to another. I know individually, they won't have partners in crime and will be more subdued. Right now, one comes up with a trick and they all have to take part. Keeps me on my hands and knees for much of the day just trying to stay ahead of their instigations.
Last night was a fun night for play. All were so happy and playful, jumping around, tugging on my clothes, hair, chewing on my bare feet, you name it. Gradually, one by one they fell asleep though. Bella was unusually active and just wanted to be on me. I was trying to tape the damage from the piddle pad brigade but she was determined to me in my lap. I was sitting and when I moved, she would race to my front. This happened at least six times until my husband and I were both laughing. She was determined to finish out her lap time so she did. Blush made an appearance on my lap too and they both snuggled with me. Then Pearl came over after Bella went off to sleep. She was also wanting some one on one time. She gave me lots of kisses, was very gentle and could tell she just appreciated my attention with no other pups around. I get these moments with all of the puppies so will start sharing more, but I just wanted to document last night before I forgot.
December 12: Sorry it has been awhile. With the holidays approaching, my auto immune flaring up, my job keeping me busy and my template for this website being outdated, I could not access the site and I can barely keep up with my responsibilities. The pups are very active now, all are so loving and they just cannot wait for the moments that I crawl in the pen and play with all of them. I feel so big compared to them and they climb on me like a mountain. They love my long hair and will grab any clothing and gnaw on it. They are the highlight of my day, yet trying to keep up with them and keep their pen clean seems an impossible task. They never complain, but they need a full-time nurse maid to just be focused on them all the time now.
We have introduced them to a lot more interactive toys and they love playing with them. We are also weaning them off of goat milk this week. Mom weaned them last week, as she was drained and just couldn't keep up with their needs. They are now eating ground Orijen for puppies with meat (they have had pork, beef and chicken), organic vegetables, quinoa, Lundberg's organic brown rice and sweet potatoes. I put it in an Insta pot for 30 minutes and then let it cool. We were blending all their food like baby food and mixing it with goat milk, but they have most of their teeth in now and we need more solid defacation, to ensure we can keep them clean. When I make their food, my husband often asks what is for dinner.
They interact with each other very well. Most know that when they need rest, they will go into an open kennel and rest. That way they will not be stepped on when others play.
My laptop has been acting up for months now and finally has given out on me. I need a new one but just cannot decide what I want. I apologize about the reformatting on the picture page. I was working with my iPhone trying to update, and don't know if it was my phone or my laptop, but it should all be fixed now. Thank you for your patience.
December 3: the puppies were moved to a large run up in our main level. They really enjoy running around, tumbling and playing. This seems to be the quietest litter that we have ever had. They seem to get along so well, never cry for food, and are a wonderfully easy litter.
They seem to like soft beds to sleep and when they see us, they just want yo play, so we crawl in and play with them a lot. In the past, they would want food but this litter definitely wants time, even though I have slept in their room since birth.
Today we had a lot of fun playing in their new area. They love the space. It has room to run, and they have identified their sleeping spaces, eating area and the piddle pad area. Their mom is such a great mom. She loves them so much and is always close by. Love these little ones.
November 26: Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving. My birthday was Thanksgiving day and I have been beyond exhausted, so I have actually slept a lot the past two days while my husband is home and the girls are here. The pics I just posted are of their 3 week old group, I will take more Sunday for their 4 week old pictures. It takes me about five hours to take pictures, email them to myself, download, file and then upload to the website. Although I upload them correctly, the website turns them sideways and no longer has an editor. I will have to play around with it and maybe save the pictures sideways in my computer, so they upload right side up. For now, I am just thankful I am getting weekly pictures of them. The pups have grown so much in the past week. We have trimmed their nails as their mom did not like their sharps claws. Their ears opened a little over a week ago, so I can no longer sneak into the room. I had moved my office into their room, so I am with them and mom all day, but that will change soon. I cannot train with them making all their little noises now so they will be moved up to our main level into a run, so they have much more room and can get used to the sounds and smells of life in a home.
Their teeth have been coming in so quickly I cannot keep up. It started with the molars a few days ago and now all have their molars in and some have canines and even front teeth breaking through. We like mom to nurse for about six weeks, but this litter is big, growing well and taking to food so quickly mom cannot keep up with their needs. We have always topped them off with goat milk and have started adding baby rice to it for a better sustenance for them. We also have baby oatmeal that we will mix in with warm goat milk in a few days once we know that they can all process the formula.
Now when I open the door, they all whine or bark at their mom and me. They know that they get food from both of us and have no problem sharing that they want food. I think I may have to give them sponge bath before pictures tomorrow, as we introduced them to milk in a pan and they step in it, drip milk off their faces and then lick each other. They are my crusty critters now and loving it. The milk is great for their coats, but is a challenge to keep them clean from here on out.
November 19: pups are three weeks old today. They have grown so much and are beginning to develop their personalities. They are all stable walking on all fours. They are pretty good little eaters although they would like more of mom‘s attention but those little nails are sharp on her belly. She’s very patient with them and we top them all off with goat milk to ensure good feedings. This week for the girls: White (Snowflake) is my calmest. Very easy to feed and never gets too excited about anything. She’s a little snuggler. Yellow (Bit ‘O Sunshine) is still my largest female and one that my daughter is toying with keeping. She is one that gets excited about food , and therefore can be a little hard to bottle feed. She’s a great little sleeper and once she feeds, she pretty much drifts off. Purple (Flower) is a bit more active than white is but not as much as my other girls. She also eats well, and will take a tour around the whelping box prior to falling asleep. Light pink (Blush) was pretty calm last week, this week she’s a little bit harder to feed with a bottle. I think she’s probably ready for a nipple that releases more milk at one time and she doesn’t want to wait around for a slow stream. She also explores the pen and is a good napper. Dark pink (Fushia) is probably somewhere personality wise between yellow and light pink. She also could use more of a milk flow and likes to be fat at a quicker pace, but she and yellow will not howl for food, whereas light pink will.
For my males, dark blue (Cobalt) takes after his dad and he’s my vocal one. If he doesn’t get filled up to the rim with milk, he will howl let me know. He could also use the milk coming out at a faster rate. light blue (Skye) is quiet and a great little sleeper and eater. He’s a pretty mellow fellow. Orange is also a mellow fellow. He is a good eater and he sleeps when he’s not feeding. Black (Knight) seems to love all the puppies in the whelping box, and I always find him laying between two puppies. I think he’s a snuggle bunny and also a good eater. Red (Crimson) is my feisty ones still. I think he’s mellowed out a little bit since last week, but he has personality plus and is always ready for a good meal. Green (Irish)has just grown by leaps and bounds. Last week he ate continuously it seemed like, but this week he’s tapered off a bit. I think he’s also mellowed a little bit this week. I think they’re all going through a transition where they realize if mom isn’t producing enough milk, we will for them.
November 15: Not only are their eyes opened but they are beginning to walk. They still wobble, as if they have had too much to drink, but their legs are getting stronger. Their little personalities are just beginning to appear, but these can change so much over the next few months. Here is a little bit about each one. MALES: Dark Blue is a talker like his dad. If he is hungry, he will howl, not bark. Light Blue is quiet, not quite on all fours yet but gets around the whelping pen just fine. Orange is my quieter one of the males and never howls or barks for food but is always grateful to get it. Red is my feisty one. When a bottle is in front of him, I need a third hand to hold him still as he twists and turns and is so excited for it. Green was a smaller pup but has grown quickly and now outweighs Red and Orange, maybe even Light Blue. Green is also very excited when he is bottle fed and a bit hard to hold still but relaxes right into me when he knows the bottle is just for him. FEMALES: Yellow is our largest female and was the largest puppy that was born. She was the first to arrive, so all were easy for mom after her. She is calm but loves her bottle. She always sleeps with other pups. Light Pink eats and sleeps now. She will explore a comfy place after eating and generally it is right next to another pup. Dark Pink is very similar, and I often find her in between two other puppies for comfort. White loves our doggie bed and doesn't care if she is alone or with others if she is in it. She is slightly smaller than the other girls but not by much. Purple is hard to tell from White. They are both quiet, great little eaters and Purple can always be found lying in between other puppies. Since they are only 17 days old, there is not much exciting news. They eat, they sleep. That is about it, so more to come.....
November 13: Their eyes are opened. It is so nice to look into their eyes. I think they are still learning to focus but they are growing so fast. They are double their birth weight now and we have had to change their little rik rak collars twice. Hard to believe that in 6-7 weeks, they will be leaving us to start their life adventures. Mom is a fantastic mom. She is very careful around them, always willing to nurse them even though their little claws already need a trim. Life here is very busy and so full of love.
November 7: It has been 8 days since the puppies blessed our lives. They are all doing well. They sleep fairly soundly, sometimes in their puppy pile and sometimes individually. They like to bury themselves under the soft puppy bed or under a piddle pad. They sleep soundly but are always ready for a feeding when they smell mom. From birth, all latched on and were great nursers. We ensured all nurse during every feeding and then we top them all off with goat milk. After all, we have 11 pups and mom has 10 teats, but only 8 are producing a lot of milk. Although their eyes and ears are not yet open, they sense their mom very effectively and make their way to her. She is SO unbelievably gentle and careful around them. One of the best we have had. I am exhausted but really enjoying these little bundles of love.