Willow’s puppies (left) and Ellie’sPuppies(right) two weeks old
Willow’s puppies (left) and Ellie’sPuppies(right) two weeks old
LOOKING BACK
We have had another busy week and the puppies have made so much progress. Our puppies are now two weeks old and growing more adorable with each passing day! We reached a couple milestones this week: (1) All our puppies have doubled their birth-weight and then some. (2) The puppies opened their eyes. Their sight will improve as the days and weeks pass.
Ellie and Willow continue to be loving attentive mamas who take wonderful care of their babies. The puppies are gaining weight daily and continue to do what healthy puppies do – Eat, Sleep, and Grow! Besides feeding and cuddling, it is important for our mamas to lick their puppies. The licking interactions between a mama and her pup have been shown to be essential to the physical and emotional health of both mama and baby. Newborn puppies need to be stimulated by their mother to eliminate. This is why the mama’s spend time cleaning each pup before and after feeding.
See How They Have Grown
NewbornTwo weeks old
Although their mama’s take care of cleaning the puppies, cleaning of the whelping boxes is my responsibility. Our whelping boxes are disinfected and a clean vet bed liner is replaced daily. We line the whelping box with a “vet bed fleece”. This is a financial investment on our part but, we feel it is well worth the money. It not only keeps our puppies warm and dry, it also provides excellent footing for the puppies as they learn to walk and stops their legs from slipping as they nurse. When it is time to clean the whelping boxes, I put the puppies into a laundry basket to keep them contained. I am going to have to find bigger containers because some of the puppies are starting to climb out. We have also had to add a panel to the whelping box entrance to keep them safe inside.
Laundry basket
Door Panel Added
A day in the whelping box consists of eating, sleeping, and cuddling with mama and grandchildren
Looking for a comfy spot to sleep
With Ellie locked out of the room, I took the opportunity to take a quick video to show the the puppies progress. Soon Ellie came back … She wasn’t too happy as you will hear in the video 😂 The below video shows the progress the puppies have made. Their hind legs have become stronger and they are moving more quickly around their whelping box. The puppies are starting to vocalize. Now that their eyes have opened they will start to interact with each other.
Things to look for: eyes opened, puppies using hind legs, puppies starting to vocalize
The excitement as mama returns and another meal
LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK THREE
Puppies will still eat and sleep most of their day
Puppies will continue growing
Sight will slowly become clearer
Puppies Ears will start to open and they will begin to hear.
Puppies hind legs will become stronger and they will practice walking on all fours
Puppies will become more aware and start to play with their litter-mates.
It is always a day that we look forward to – Puppy’s Eyes Opening. It can happen anywhere from ten days to two weeks. Last night at weigh-in and ENS exercise time, I was excited to discover that Cayenne Collar Boy from Willow and Brinkley’s litter was the first puppy to open his eyes! I always feel the puppies start to feel more alive once their eyes open and look back at me. 😊 Over the next few days, all the puppies eyes will open.
Milestone Reached
Our mama’s are doing a wonderful job caring for their babies. We monitor our puppies progress, comparing them to our previous litters and observe them during their short awake times. All the puppies are doing well, gaining strength in their hind legs as they exercise moving to their mama’s for their next meal.
From our past experience, the puppies should double their birthweight somewhere between 8 – 12 days. Ellie’s litter all doubled their birth weight on day 8 and 9. Willow has an extra puppy to feed and therefore are gaining a little slower. Yesterday on day 9, two of her puppies doubled their birth-weight. Over the next few day, the rest of her litter will have reached this milestone. After all, at this stage in the puppies life, all they do is eat and sleep 💤
Ellie and Brinkley’s LitterWillow and Brinkley’s Litter
LOOKING BACK
Wow, our precious puppies are now one week old. We have had a busy week! For the first few weeks of life, a puppy cannot regulate their own body temperature. We have added an electric heater to our rooms to help keep the temperature at a warm 28 – 29 degrees C. We gradually reduce the temperature as the days pass.
First 72 Hours
Willow and Ellie are great mamas. For the first 24 hours, I had to force them away from their puppies for a potty break. Then they went right back inside to their babies. I even had to feed them inside the whelping box. The next 24 hours, they would willingly leave when I called them to go outside but, still went right back to the whelping box after their short break. After 72 hours, they spent a little time away from their puppies to run the yard for exercise and eat a meal. As the days pass, time away from their puppies will gradually increase. We place an evaluated bed just outside the whelping box for our mamas to rest on. This allows them their own space away from their puppies but they can keep a watchful eye on them.
Neonatal Period
The puppies are in the Neonatal Period which is from day 0 to day 14. During this period, puppies spend their time eating and sleeping. On day 3 we begin ENS (Early Neurological Stimulation) which continues through day 16. We preform ENS daily during our weigh-in time. Research shows these tiny struggles and stresses in small doses are good for puppies. Benefits from ENS include greater tolerance to stress, greater resistance to disease, faster adrenal system, stronger heart rate and stronger heartbeat. This is a gift that a breeder can only give their puppies during the 3 to 16-day window.
PUPPY TWITCHES – The above videos show sleeping puppies “twitch” This is a sign of a healthy puppy.
Puppy socialization
Puppy socialization starts at birth. We handle our puppies as soon as their mamas feel comfortable and give them all daily cuddles. My grandchildren love to help me cuddle puppies!
Feeding
Before puppies are born, they receive immunity and everything they need to grow from the placenta. After birth newborn puppies do not possess immunity. A mothers first milk called colostrum is a protein-rich, nutritious, balanced, and protective food. The special milk provides passive immunity which can last several weeks and protect them from various infections and diseases. For this reason, the first twelve hours after birth it is vital for the puppies to nurse frequently and build up their passive immunity. (Passive immunity is the short-term immunity which results from the introduction of antibodies from the puppy’s mother. Compare with active immunity – the immunity which results from the production of antibodies by the immune system in response to the presence of an antigen)
Weigh-in
We weight our puppies and keep daily records. In the first 24 hours, it is not uncommon for puppies to loose up to 10% of their birth weight. We were very pleased at our first 24 hour weight-in, all our puppies had gained weight. Our mama’s are doing an amazing job feeding their babies.
Puppies are born with their eyes and ears sealed shut; they cannot see or hear. They have to rely on “smell” and “touch” to find their mother. Puppies are born with a natural instinct to nurse but as the days pass, they have become more proficient at it. The puppies are now experts at nursing! As you watch the videos below, listen to the cute little sounds the puppies make as they nurse – so precious !
LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK TWO
Much the same as week one – Eat, Sleep, Repeat!
Puppies will continue growing
Puppies still crawl; hind legs will become stronger
Eyes should begin to open towards the end the week – so exciting !!!
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.
