Just a short blog to introduce the puppy singles. Both Ellie and Willow are great mamas and are doing a wonderful job caring for their new babies. The puppies in both litters are gaining weight daily. They are doing what newborn puppies do best – eat, sleep, repeat!
Ellie’s Litter
Ellie’s puppies have variety of colours in the red spectrum ranging from cream, apricot and reds and one brown male. Many of the puppies look similar so we put different colour collars on them to help keep track of who’s who at weigh-in.
Green Collar MaleDark Blue Collar MaleLight Blue Collar Male
Willows Litter
Willow’s litter has a variety of colours, some with lovely white markings and three merle puppies with their own unique chocolate spots and lovely white patches. I haven’t given them collar colours (except green collar girl) because I can visibly differentiate between them at weigh-in. Their collars are pending.
The Girls
Blonde Female Green CollarChocolate Merle FemaleBlonde Female (no collar)Chocolate Merle Female
Black Female
The Boys
Blonde MaleChocolate MaleChocolate Merle MaleWhite Male
The emotions of Whelping Day is always nervous excitement! You plan the breedings and then wait nine weeks for the puppies to arrive.
Breeding Plans
When female dogs live together, their heat cycles sync-up. This was the case with Ellie and Willow. To avoid raising two litters together, the plan was to breed Willow and Brinkley for a Christmas Litter, then six months later, breed Ellie on her next heat cycle for a spring litter. Raise ONE litter of puppies at a time. So, when the girls went into heat, we sent Brinkley away to stay with one of my son’s in Brooklin. After about 10 days, Brinkley changed locations and went to stay at another of my son’s house; this time in Claremont – half a kilometre away from our house.
What happened next?
I am reminded of those words written over 200 years ago by the Scottish poet Robert Burns“the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry”.
My plans for one litter went awry – Brinkley made his escape from my son’s house, crossed our main road and came back home to be with his sweet Ellie. The result – Two litters of puppies.
Preparing
With two litters due together we needed two spaces for our whelping boxes. We set Willow’s whelping box in my bedroom and Ellie’s Whelping Box in another bedroom we use as our walk-in closet. I prepared my whelping cart with all our supplies and made sure everything would be ready. My “Whelping Cart” is on wheels making it is easy to move between the two rooms.
Whelping cart ready and waiting
Whelping Day
Whelping Day is always so exciting and this was no exception. We had double the excitement and whelped two litter in under 17 hours.
Ellie’s Whelp
When due dates are getting close, we keep our expectant mamas in our room with the door closed. We have learnt over the year that sometimes mama’s want to go off on their own LOL! Thursday night, Willow slept in her whelping box in our bedroom and Ellie had a little bed beside my bed that she likes to sleep on. Ellie was restless throughout the night and in the morning, it was obvious she was in labour.
Mid-morning, I took Ellie up to her whelping room and Tom took over caring for our two grandchildren and the rest of our dogs. I didn’t have my daughter’s help as I usually do because she was at her teaching practicum placement – I would have to go solo. At 11:42 am, Ellie’s first puppy arrived – a girl weighing 391 grams. When Tom came to see the newborn puppy, he told me that he thought Willow was also in early labour. Oh well, nothing we could do but press on. Over the next few hours while I continued helping Ellie deliver her litter and in-between puppy births, I popped in my bedroom to check on Willow who was staying in her whelping box. Yes, she was in labour, and I think she was missing me – she dragged my jeans into the whelping box with her to lay her head on. Tom kept Willow company while Ellie whelped.
Ellie’s newborns nursing
Ellie’s puppies in the warming box while she delivers another puppy
Below is a video of Ellie giving birth. NOTE: May not be suitable for children to watch or if you are a little squeamish (Like one of my son’s LOL)
Ellie gives birth
Ellie cleans her newborn baby – notice her tail is wrapped with compression tape to help keep it clean
At 2:48 pm, Ellie delivered her last puppy – a girl weighing 441 grams. Ellie is such a calm dog, even when she is whelping. Her whelp went very smoothly and she delivered eight puppies in just over three hours. Ellie did amazing!
Pics of Ellie’s Whelp
Ellie and Brinkley’s Newborn Litter Huddle
Willow’s Whelp
Willow started labour when Ellie started delivering her puppies. I went back and forth in-between the two rooms checking on Willow and Tom kept Willow company when I wasn’t there. (Our grandchildren are now down for their naps) Willow dragged my jeans into her whelping box – I guess my “scent” was a comfort for her.
In-between the births of Ellie’s puppies, I went to check on Willow.
Willow continued to labour throughout the afternoon and evening, staying in her whelping box in our bedroom. Finally, just after midnight at 12:30 am, Willow’s first puppy arrived – a chocolate male weighing in at 393 grams.
I know I say it after every whelp, but it still holds true! I am so in awe at the instinct God has given animals. They just know what to do! The miracle of birth is so amazing, and I am moved each time I experience it.
Willow is protective of her newborn
Willow cleans her baby
After a puppy is born it is important to get them nursing. New puppies receive important antibodies in colostrum – their mother’s milk during the first few days of nursing. Just like humans, mama dogs produce a milky-textured substance called colostrum which contain the mother dogs antibodies that give puppies’ bodies the ability to fight off infections in the first weeks of their lives.
As the puppy nurses, you can observe Willow’s contractions
Willow is very protective of her babies and didn’t want me to handle them right away. Each mother is different, and we interact with the newborn puppies as our mama’s allow. After Willow’s second baby arrived and she was occupied with his care, I was able to look after the first puppy. We first make sure their nose and mouth are cleared of fluid then, dry them with a towel. This process makes them cry which is good to help get them exercising their lungs by taking deep breaths. Next is weigh in and observation.
Whelping can be messy business. Willow is white and gets very dirty throughout the whelping process. I opted to give her face a clean shave, making it easier to cleanup. Below are a couple videos of the birth of one of Willow’s puppies NOTE: May not be suitable for children to watch or if you are a little squeamish
Willow gives birth
Willow cleans her newborn puppy
At 4:15 am, Willow delivered her last puppy – A chocolate merle weighing 378 grams.
Willow feeding all her newborns
Willow’s whelp lasted just under four hours. She had nine puppies in total – five girls and four boys. Willow did an amazing job and deserves a good rest!
Our family has had a busy September. We spent the first few weeks of September raising our Singleton puppy Finley. She went home to her forever family the morning of the 21st and that afternoon we welcome our 11th grandchild a beautiful baby boy. I am always amazed at the miracle of birth! We have much to be thankful for this season!
When we have puppies, I like to limit my dog’s interaction outside our home to protect our puppies from any viruses that may be carried in from the outside world. With so much time in-between grooming all my dog’s fur is over grown. The longer it grows, the harder it is to keep the mats at bay.
Maui
Willow
Our Shaggy Girls
Ruska
Ellie
My dogs head to the groomers next week and I am sure that they will return from their Spa Day with a shave🥲 Oh well, it is only fur and it always grows back!
Exciting News
Willow and Brinkley are expecting
🎄Christmas Puppies🎄
🐾 Pregnancy Confirmed! 🐾
Due Date
November 1, 2022
(Due Window: October 28 – November 3)
Go Home date
🎄Christmas Week🎄
(8 weeks after birth)
Congratulations Willow and Brinkley!This will be their second litter together. Their first litter produces some beautiful, wonderful temperament puppies in a vast array of colours and patterns! Willow is nearing the end of her second trimester is getting lots of TLC! Her appetite is increasing now that her puppies are in the Rapid Growth stage.
On Tuesday (Oct. 4th) we used the Ultrasound Doppler to find puppy heartbeats. So much hair on Willow’s tummy makes it more challenging but, I did find puppy heartbeats❤️
Eight weeks have passed since our sweet singleton puppy came into the world. Remember how tiny she was – I could hold her on the palm of my hand. Echo has been a wonderful mama caring, loving, and teaching her baby. Finley has learned so much over these past eight weeks. I have enjoyed helping Echo raise her puppy to the point where she is ready to join her forever family.
Substitute Littermate – The Snuggle Puppy
Finley with her “Snuggle Puppy”; her substitute littermate. Look how much she has grown over the past eight weeks!Finley was not too impressed with her bath and wanted no part of the blow dryer. I had to let her dry off in her puppy pen.
A Look Back At The Past Eight Weeks
This video looks back on the past eight week – how quickly puppies grow. Finley has grown into a Beautiful Girl!
Off To Her Forever Home
Our sweet puppy left for her forever home on Wednesday. Finley is a lucky puppy to be joining a wonderful forever family. Her forever family already have a dog Charlie (red collar boy from Ellie and Brinkley’s 2021 litter). Finley and Charlie will be great companions, playmates, and best friends.
Even though Finley was a singleton pup without littermates to keep her company, I am so happy that she will always have her brother Charlie as her companion. She goes from Finley the singleton to Finley and Charlie the duo! Good-bye sweet Finley girl, we wish you a long and happy life full of love, continued learning and, lots of adventures !
Finley is already getting comfortable in her new home. Watch as she plays tug-of-war with her big brother (Spoiler – Charlie wins this time LOL!)
Echo’s baby is now seven weeks old. Finley continues to grow bigger and more adorable each day. She is full of energy and curious about everything. Finley is a smart puppy – she knows her name, the sit command and is doing well on recall. Finley had an exciting week experiencing more firsts. Sunday she met her forever family who will soon be her world. Her forever family includes one of our puppies from Ellie and Brinkleys 2021 litter – red colour boy now Charlie. Big brother Charlie didn’t show too much interest in her other than a few sniffs every now and then but Finley was very cautious of this new dog. She hid under a chair when Charlie came to investigate her. I am sure that they will quickly become best friends playing and exploring together.
Finley meets her big brother Charlie
Outdoor Play
Finley, our 7 week old singleton puppy loves spending time outdoors! She has lots to keep her busy: running and exploring the yard, playing with my grandchildren, learning from the big dogs and wrestling with her mama.
Finley thinks that she is a big dog drinking from our elevated water bowls LOL
LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK EIGHT
Puppy will start eating dry kibble this week
Puppy will continue exploring and playing inside and outdoors as weather permits
We will continue to work on Recall with “The Puppy Call”
Puppy will continue learning from her mama Echo and our other dogs
We will continue to encourage puppy to use potty area
Puppy heads to the Vet on Saturday for her wellness check, first set of shots and her microchip
Echo’s puppy is six weeks old today. As I mentioned in our previous post, her forever family has named her Finley. We have had another busy week introducing Finley to so many new things. All the challenges and hard work for the first three weeks of raising a singleton puppy has paid off!!! Finley continues to grow bigger and stronger and may even be ahead of our previous puppies from normal size litters navigating the yard because she tries to keep up with the BIG dogs.
This past week, Finley was introduced to the outdoors and enjoys exploring the yard during this time. She is always keen to join the big dogs outside. If she hears the bells on our sliding door jingle, she lets me know she wants outside too. All our dogs are giving Echo a hand keeping watch over Finley in the yard and teaching her dog manners.
Echo is weaning her puppy – she feeds her in the “standing position” for a very short time and then makes a quick get-away. Finley has now progressed to eating softened kibble.
Learning to Submit
Echo has a laid-back personality and is not as strict as some of our previous mama’s. I have never heard Echo growl at Finley for discipline. Not to worry, our other dogs have taught her what a growl means – LOL! Echo is getting a hand from the nanny Maui in teaching Finley to “submit”. The goal is to get the puppy to lay on her back in the “submit” position.
Learning Commands
Teaching Finley her name and working on some commands – sit and come.
FUN OUTDOORS
LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK SEVEN
Puppy time spent awake will continue to increase
Puppy will begin dry kibble by the end of week seven
We will continue to encourage puppy to use potty area
Puppy will continue to socialize and learn from our dogs
Puppy will continue exploring the outdoors as weather permits
Puppy will continue learning from her mama as she disciplines and teaches acceptable behaviour (dog manner)
As always, puppy will continue to get lots of cuddle time.
How quickly time passes and how quickly puppies grow! Echo’s sweet puppy is five weeks old today. Her forever family has named her Finley.
This past week we have been working hard on potty training. She has made great progress and uses the potty area most of the time but, still some work to do. Her hind legs have gained strength and we have introduced different floor surfaces for her to walk on. She is doing great and is beginning to run.
Starting Solids
Echo’s puppy started eating solids this week. Weaning has started as nursing time from mama starts to decreased. We start off with a puppy mush of ground puppy food mixed with water. It will gradually get thicker, as we progress to softened kibble and then dry kibble by seven weeks of age.
Play Time
Finley is now awake for longer periods. During play time, we open her door which gives her a larger area to play. We have added a play centre for her to explore and a raised dog bed which she loves.
Echo is a smart dog and knows how to open the puppy pen door to let her puppy out. She wants her to run around with the rest of the dogs. Finley loves to interact with her mama and our other dogs.
LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK SIX
Puppy’s time spent awake will continue to increase
Puppies food will become much thicker progressing toward the goal of eating dry kibble
Puppy will continue learning to use potty area
Puppy will continue to socialize with our other dogs through play
Puppy’s balance will continue to improve.
Puppy will begin outdoor play time as weather permits
Puppy will continue learning from her mama as she disciplines and teaches her dog manners
As always, puppy will continue to get lots of cuddle time.
Wow, four weeks old already – this week our singleton puppy has progressed so much. Echo continues to be an amazing mama, loving and caring for her baby. This past week has been a busy one. Echo’s puppy moved to the main floor, her milk teeth erupted, and she is beginning to learn to use the potty area. Echo’s puppy’s hind legs have become much stronger, and her walking has greatly improved. The puppy is vocalizing more and can now bark and growl . Although the puppy still sleeps much of her time, she spends longer periods awake socializing with her mama Echo, our dog nanny Maui, and her many stuffies through play. She also has lots of attention from our family – both canine and humans including my grandchildren who love to play with the puppy.
Critical Socialization Period
Echo’s puppy is now in the Critical Socialization Period. We raise our puppies using Puppy Culture protocols. Socializing puppies by exposing them to as many new experiences as possible while the puppy is young is only part of the process of Socialization. Our goal is to raise dogs that have the emotional intelligence to connect with you. Emotional intelligence can be taught to young puppies and is one of the goals of the Puppy Culture Program. (For more details, see Puppy Culture Page )
Moving To The Main Floor
Since birth the puppy has only know the cozy quiet space inside the whelping box in my bedroom. The main floor is very different so, I like to expose our puppies gradually for a few days before the big move. On Friday we took the puppy for a short period of time to the main floor for some exercise.
Basket Challenge
Just as physical exercise builds strong muscles, challenging puppies works on building the brain. This basket challenged the puppy to get out of the basket to get to her mama Echo. The puppy was a little timid at first, but she finally made it out to her mama.
Having the puppy area on the main floor exposes the puppy to many different household sounds. Not only is Echo’s puppy exposed to the normal sounds of a busy household, because we are in the middle of a basement renovation means a bonus of lots of different building noises for the puppy to become accustomed to.
On Monday we moved the puppy to the main floor of our house. This is when Potty Training begins. We have started with a potty pad at the far end of the enclosure. Teaching a singleton puppy will defiantly be less work than potty training a normal size litter. I corrected the puppy one time and showed her where to go potty. Many times, throughout the day, I observed her going over to the potty area on her own when she needed to go – what a smart girl! I’m sure she will have her “accidents”, but we are off to a great start!!!
Main Floor Puppy Enclosure
Stuffie Wrestling
The puppy loves her stuffies. Without littermates to interact with we use the stuffies for our singleton puppy to wrestle with.
Puppy At Play
This video shows how much more mobile the puppy has become. Watch how gentle she is giving my grandson kisses.
LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK FIVE
Puppy’s awake time will increase
Puppy will continue to socialize with both human and canines
Puppy’s balance will continue to improve progressing towards running
Puppy will continue learning to use potty area
Puppy will start on solid foods as weaning gradually begins
Mama will now add the invaluable teaching phase to her caring & protecting responsibilities over the next weeks.
Three weeks old already – how quickly time passes! Look at our beautiful Singleton Puppy. Now that she can sit upright, you can see her lovely markings. She is jet-black with an adorable white patch on her chest and a touch of white on her feet and chin. Her eyes are fully opened now, vision is slowly improving and her ears have started to open. Echo’s puppy is becoming more aware of her surroundings, beginning to play and starting to vocalize.
The puppy is now at the stage that she is beginning to play. At times I feel bad thinking she is lonely without littermates to play with but, my daughter and husband reminded me that she doesn’t know any different – it has always been just her.
Play Time With Mama, Maui, and Stuffies
Play Time With Mama
With no littermates, the puppy also needs interaction from other dogs to be taught dog social skills. Echo is such a great mother and is willing to spend extra time with her baby to play. The puppy loves to mouth Echo and pull on her beard, ears and tail. During these play sessions, Milk Bar is closed – I cover Echo tummy with a blanket or a tee-shirt. Our Chunky Monkey definitely doesn’t need extra milk!!!
Nanny Maui
This week Maui, our one year old poodle, spent a little time in the whelping box for a few play sessions – she is a great puppy nanny! With no littermates to teach doggie social skills, Maui will take on this important role.
Our Sweet Puppy Has Visitors
My granddaughter and our other dogs also visited to check out the puppy. Echo was willing to show off her puppy but stands by to make sure her baby is safe! The puppy is curious of all her many visitors. Watch the video as she interact
Playing with Stuffie
Puppy plays with stuffie – listen for her little bark
Exercise Time
Echo’s sweet puppy is a big girl – our Chunky Monkey. As I have said in my previous blogs, when raising a singleton puppy, it is important to try to slow the puppy’s weight gain. This past week I again spent much of my time by the whelping box limiting feeding time. Lots of exercise combined with limiting the puppy’s food intake has helped strengthen the puppy’s hind leg muscles. She is making great progress with walking on all fours!
Exercising
This video shows the progress the puppy has made this week.
Sleep, Sleep, Sleep
At this age, puppies still sleep much of their day/night. After her short play times, our puppy walks around the whelping box looking for one of her stuffies to snuggles with.
Sweet Dreams Sweet Baby! 😴
LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK FOUR
Puppy will still sleep much of the day/night as she continues to grow rapidly
Puppy will play with her mama and our other dogs developing important social skills
Puppy’s hind legs will continue to become stronger as she practices walking on all fours
Hearing will improve
Puppy milk teeth will erupt
Potty Training will begin toward the end of the week
Echo is a loving and attentive mama – whether it is cleaning, feeding, or just snuggling, Echo loves being a mama! This past week we have been busying helping Echo care for her baby.
Milestone Reached
This week on day 13, we were excited to see Echo’s puppy’s eyes had opened! Echo’s puppy is now in the Transitional Period which begins when the puppy’s eyes open and ends when they first startle upon hearing sounds. I always feel that puppies become more alive when they reach this milestone.
When puppies are in the Neonatal Period (day 0 – 14) they spend their days and nights eating and sleeping. Sleep-time – 22 hours and Awake-time – 2 hours is spent eating.
Without any competition from littermates singleton puppies have unlimited supply of milk resulting in rapid weight gain. Singleton puppies have a higher percentage rate of developing “swimmer puppy syndrome”. To avoid Echo’s puppy developing this condition, we have been pro-active and undertaken a few strategies to help the puppy as she develops.
Solid Footing
Puppies must avoid slipping as they try to maneuver around the whelping box. It is important for newborn puppies to have good traction as they develop. We alway use Vet-Bedding to line our whelping boxes. It is a man-made material that is soft, warm and provides excellent traction for the puppies as they learn to walk.
Slow Down Weight-Gain
When raising a singleton puppy, it is important to try to slow the puppy’s weight gain. Much of my time this week during the day was spent by the whelping box limiting feeding time, much to the dissatisfaction of both mama and puppy. I’m sure Echo’s favourite time is during the night – while I sleep, Echo gets to spend all her time with her puppy without my interference. Even though our puppy is a Chunky Monkey, this interaction has helped slow her weight gain.
Exercise
During the limited awake time we have been trying to help the puppy get more exercise to strengthen her leg muscles. As we discussed in my previous blog, exercise for a singleton puppy doesn’t happen naturally as it does for a puppy with littermates. Less exercise combined with extra weight, makes it more difficult for the singleton pup to support themselves as they are learning to walk on all fours. To lower the risk of Echo’s puppy developing “swimmer puppy syndrome“, it is important to develop strong hind leg muscles. Below are a few ways we are using to help Echo’s puppy in this area.
Nursing Exercise – During feeding time, I have added a couple stuffed animals beside the puppy as she nurses. This mimics littermates and makes our singleton pup work harder as she uses her back legs to compete for food instead of just lying down to leisurely nurse.
Taping Exercise – One of the symptoms of “swimmer puppy syndrome” is a puppy that stays on their tummy with legs spread out trying to maneuver around – much like a turtle on dry land. To help avoid this, we spent a few days doing a taping exercise. Using Self Adhesive Bandage Wrap, I taped the puppy’s legs to help them stay close together. This helped her not to drag her legs behind while she crawled and strengthened her hind leg muscles.
Front
Back
Watch the video as the puppies moves with her legs taped. This exercise helps strengthen her hind leg muscles which further reduces the risk of developing “swimmer puppy syndrome“.
Obstacles Exercise – Without littermates to crawl over, we needed to add some obstacles. We filled our whelping box full of obstacles – i.e. bolster beds, stuffed animals, blanket, sock buddies for the puppy to crawl over as she moves around the whelping box. This helps her build strong muscles. They also make great headrests for sleeping LOL!
Hard Work Pays Off!
It has been a lot of work this week helping our sweet puppy build strong muscles. Without littermates to compare progress with, it is hard to judge. Looking back at my previous litters, I would say the puppy’s walking development is a day or two behind but, she is making great progress!!! As you can see in the video below, all our hard work is paying off!
LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK THREE
Eyes will continue to open wider and sight will slowly become clearer
Puppy will still eat and sleep most of its day
Puppy will continue growing
Ears will begin to open
Puppy’s hind legs will become stronger as she practices walking on all fours
Puppy will become more aware of her surroundings and start to play
