Saying Good-Bye to our puppies one by one is bittersweet. We have now said good-bye to six of our puppies.
Today it was Dark Green Collar Boy’s turn. After breakfast the puppies spent their morning together in the yard playing and exploring. They came inside for a little nap and then ate their lunch. Next came time to get Dark Green Boy ready for his forever family. I tied the “take home blanket” on Ellie to put her scent on it (she wears it like a coat). It was then time to prepare our sweet puppy. I gave him a bath, cleaned his ears, trimmed his nails, brushed him and gave him a quick blow dry. I say quick because Dark Green Boy was not impressed in the least with the blow dryer! I didn’t want to stress him out too much so I decided to let him finish drying outside in the sun. I took the blanket that Ellie had been “wearing” outside for Dark Green Boy to lay on. All the puppies wanted to lay on it too. Now he will have many familiar smells to help him feel comfortable in his forever home.
Good-Bye Sweet Dark Green Collar Boy. I wish for you as I do for all of our puppies, a long and happy life with your forever family!
Ready for our forever homes – It’s hard to get 11 puppies to look at the camera together LOL!
LOOKING BACK
Eight weeks have passed since Ellie’s tiny babies came into the world. Remember how tiny they were…..We could hold them on the palm of my hand. They have learned so much over these past eight weeks. I have enjoyed raising them to the point where they are ready to join their forever families. The puppies have spent their time outdoors, running, and exploring in our yard. Ellie has done an amazing job raising and teaching her puppies. This past week we have worked on what is acceptable behaviour – mainly the difference between nipping and kisses. Puppies are not alway consistent but, have made great progress in this area. I just love puppy kisses!!!
Puppies work on “recall”
We have been working with our puppies on recall. They have been learning quickly and have a base for their forever families to continue at their forever homes.
LOOKING AHEAD
Puppies are leaving this week for their forever homes. You have a lot of work ahead of you correcting, training and caring for your new puppy but be patient, they are still learning. The time and work you put in to training your puppy pays off when you have a loving well behaved dog that will love you as only a dog can – unconditionally. You will be the most important person in the world to them.
It’s is always bittersweet saying goodbye to our puppies. I have enjoyed every minute of their care and they have a piece of my heart. It is with sadness I say goodbye to my puppies, but it brings me joy to see the excited families smiles and to know that our puppies are joining such wonderful loving forever families.
We have enjoyed some lovely sunny days this weekend and the puppies have been able to run and play in the yard exploring. They grow bigger and faster each day and are gaining confidence. Mama Ellie and Daddy Brinkley along with Ruska and Willow watch over the puppies as they play and work with each puppy individually, teaching them to submit.
The puppies all love to cuddle and race to sit in our laps. The puppies fight for attention and we like to now give puppies their individual cuddles. It is very apparent puppies are ready for their forever families who will provide them with all the love and attention they desire.
Look for Willow teaching one puppy to submit. What a good puppy lying on it’s back and waiting to be released! (Note: light pink collar is wearing a “rusty red collar” – her pink collar was damaged so I had to replace it.)
Another new experience for Ellie’s babies. Yesterday the puppies had their first car ride and a visit to the vet. We put the puppies’ crate into our SUV and then, two by two brought the puppies out and packed them in. At the start there was a little whining from some of the puppies. It can be a little frightening for them but, soon all the puppies settled and laid down quietly for our short twelve-minute car ride trip to the vets. All in all, they did very well. Maybe the puppies were wondering what was happening or perhaps they just wanted more space.
Packing the crate into the back of our SUV
Puppies packed in the crate and on our way
We arrived at Stouffville Veterinary Clinic and I check in at reception. It’s always an exciting time when we bring a litter of puppies and they were ready and waiting for us. Tom and I have finally got this process down to a tee. Tom stays at the car with the crate full of puppies, and I shuttle them back and forth two puppies at a time. The weather was a little chilly so it was good that Tom wore his winter jacket. He is never lonely waiting; he always has people passing by that come to chat and have a peek at our adorable puppies.
Dr. Westermann is a fountain of knowledge and I have learned so much from him over the years. He is kind and gentle and the puppies always feel at ease with him. Each puppy was given a wellness exam, their first set of vaccinations and their microchip. The boys were a little more “vocal” than the girls when they received their microchip. LOL
Dr. Westermann gives each puppy a thorough wellness exam
Dark Pink Girl receives her first set of vaccinations and her microchip. She was brave and let out only a tiny cry.
Examining eleven puppies takes time and by the time our appointment was finished, ninety minutes had passed by. All the puppies were well behaved and passed their Wellness Exam “with flying colours!” Dr. Westermann commented on how clean and well behaved our puppies were. Good job Ellie! All the time she spends making sure her babies are clean was noticed.
All that work deserved a treat
After such a busy day we deserved a treat. Before heading back home, we did a Starbucks run. Too bad the puppies are too young – It would have been fun to ask at the drive-thru window “11 puppuccino’s please!“
LOL
The puppies are always tired after receiving their vaccinations. After we returned home, they all took a nap. When it was time for dinner the puppies headed outside. The vaccinations didn’t slow the puppies down at all – when we opened the door for the puppies, they made their usual “puppy dash” to eat their dinner of dry kibble puppy food. No, the video was not sped up for their “puppy dash”. LOL!
Ellies babies are now seven weeks old. The puppies continue to grow bigger and more adorable each day. They are full of energy and curious about everything. The puppies had an exciting week experiencing more firsts. Saturday they met their forever families who will soon be their world. The puppies also experienced running in the yard for the first time. They love outdoor play time where they get lots of exercise running and playing with everyone!
Ellie’s Babies Exploring Something New – The Yard
On Sunday I looked at the weather for the coming week. It forecasted rain again and for the next few days. Which meant, if I wait for my yard to dry up, the puppies may never get to run free. So on Sunday afternoon I thought I would take advantage of a break in the rain and introduce the puppies to our yard. Ellie, Brinkley, Ruska and Willow were so excited to have the puppies join them. The puppies had a great time running, smelling new smells, and exploring everywhere. When play time was over and we brought the puppies back inside, we had very dirty puppies but, it was totally worth it!
The puppies had so much fun running in the yard!
Play Time Over – Our puppies had a great time playing but it’s time to head home. Dark Green Collar boy needed a little help getting up that big step – LOL!
LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK EIGHT
Puppies will start eating dry kibble this week.
Puppies will continue exploring and playing together inside and outdoor as weather permits
We will continue to work on Recall with “The Puppy Call”
Puppies will continue learning from their their mama Ellie and daddy Brinkley along with Ruska and Willow
We will continue to encourage puppies to use potty area
Puppies head to the Vet on Wednesday for their wellness check, first set of shots and their microchip
One of the highlights of raising our puppies is Selection Day. We love the excitement in the air as we introduce the puppies to their forever families. Even with Covid restrictions in place and limited time for selection, it was still a great day. As I was looking back at our weather the last couple weeks and the strong winds on Friday, I am thankful that God blessed us with a sunny warm day to welcome our forever families! Ellie, Brinkley Tom and I along with our other dogs, enjoyed meeting everyone and getting to know the forever families a little better!
The puppies had a long exciting day meeting their forever families and by the end, they were so tired they just wanted to sleep LOL. Before dinner I put the puppies outside for a little exercise. I went in to make their dinner and when I came out to feed them, I found them all asleep on the mat.
After dinner I put the puppies back into their Puppy Enclosure and they quickly settled down for a good sleep.😴
Look at the puppy in the crate – classic doodle position so relaxed, sleeping on their back
🐾Tired puppies….. after such an exciting day, they just want to sleep! 🐾
Watching the puppies grow and trying to determined if they would be flat coat golden doodles (retriever style) or have facial furnishings took patience. Early on I knew what six of the puppies coat type would be but, the other five I had to wait until I could or couldn’t see facial furnishings growing. I am impatient so waiting is not easy but, finally I was able to determine the coat type of four of the last five puppies in question.
The mathematical estimate from genetics was that at least fifty percent would be flat coats. This prediction was correct for Ellie’s and Brinkley’s litter – four puppies have facial furnishings and six puppies are flat coats. One puppy I’m still undecided.
No matter the coat type, all of Ellie’s puppies are beautiful, confident, calm, gentle, loving puppies that love to cuddle. They will make wonderful additions to our forever families!
Flat Coats (retriever style)
Purple Collar GirlOrange Collar GirlGreen Collar BoyLight Blue Collar BoyLight Pink Collat GirlDark Green Collar Boy
Wavy/Curly (with facial furnishings)
Red Collar BoyBlack Collar BoyGrey Collar BoyDark Pink Collar Girl
Undecided
I am undecided if our dark blue boy will be a flat coat goldendoodle or not (time will tell)
This morning the puppies ate their breakfast and had playtime out side but, because it was damp, I brought them in to sleep. This afternoon has been raining so the puppies ate their lunch and had indoor recess LOL. I feel sorry for them when they can’t play outside. I open our sliding door to let our adult dogs out and the puppies start to whine – they want to go outside too. So sad 😞
Ellie is a kind and gentle loving mama taking wonderful care of her babies. Yesterday I gave a special treat to our adult dogs – a “WHIMZEES DENTAL STICK” (I usually give our dogs the more economical Pedigree DENTASTIX.) Our dogs love these special treats and yesterday after they got their Whimzee, they disperse to find a secluded spot to eat this special treat. They didn’t want to take a chance of one of the other dogs stealing their Whimzee. I went outside to sit with the puppies and soon Ellie was at the door asking to come outside too. She had brought her Whimzee with her and gave it to her puppies. The puppies spent the next little while taking turns chewing on Ellie’s special treat. I thought it was so sweet – mama wanted to share with her babies. After the puppies had all had a turn chewing, Ellie picked it up and ate it.
Ellie started to wean her puppies at four weeks when we introduced solids. In the wild, dogs nurse their babies and when it is time to wean them, they “regurgitate” their food for them to eat, until they are old enough to eat “adult food”. Many of the domestic dog mama’s today have stopped this natural instinct but not Ellie. Many times, I have seen her feed her babies this way. I caught it on video today and thought that I would share (you can’t actually see the regurgitated food because the puppies were busy eating.) Watch closely: at the beginning of the video puppies are nursing and soon you see Ellie regurgitate the food on the grey carpet in front of her, then the puppies pile in to eat.
Ellie feeds her babies
Puppies grow so quickly and need to be stimulated and challenged daily. Every couple of days I try to introduce the puppies to something new. Today it was a new toy – a water bottle covered with one of the many odd socks I had laying around. Every time I introduce a water bottle to a new litter it’s always a big hit – they just love the “crinkle sound”. Watch them having fun playing with the water bottle in the video below:
A new toy
Having fun on a raining day with a new toy! (look for the water bottle covered with a “black sock”)
Six weeks old today. We have had another busy week caring for Ellie’s babies. They have been introduced to so many new things including the outdoors. This week we have had multiple weather conditions including snow and rain, both warm and cold temperatures, and sunshine – the puppies have experienced them all. We have continued to expose the puppies to different household sounds such as vacuums, pots and pans, stove fan, dishwasher, music etc. The puppies have been exposed to new outdoor sounds including planes/helicopters, lawn mower tractor, outdoor building sounds i.e., hammering, saws, etc. The puppies have been introduced to many different walking surfaces both inside and out i.e., tiled and smooth flooring, carpet, and outside decking when dry, wet from the rain and snow covered. We are also teaching the puppies to maneuver up and down steps.
Six weeks old
The puppies have grown bigger, and you can see each unique personality developing as they play and interact. They have now progressed to eating softened kibble. They enjoy spending the days playing with their littermates. Mama continues to wean them as she teaches them to submit. Ruska, Willow and Daddy Brinkley are also helping out teaching Ellie’s babies!
LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK SEVEN
Puppies time spent awake will continue to increase
Puppies will progress to dry kibble by the end of week seven
We will continue to encourage puppies to use potty area
Puppies will continue to socialize and learn from each other through play
Puppies will continue exploring and playing together outdoor as weather permits
Puppies will continue learning from their mama as she disciplines them and teaches them to behave
As always, puppies will continue to get lots of cuddle time
Today after the puppies had their lunch, Tom and I tackled the task of taking Ellie’s babies singles. Ellie was cleaning the puppies faces after they had eaten their lunch and some of puppies have a bit of a wet face in their photos. LOL! Some puppies were better at “Posing” and some puppies needed more “Takes” than others, but we were eventually successful in capturing Ellie’s adorable babies!
The Boys
Red Collar BoyDark Blue Collar BoyLight Blue Collar BoyGrey Collar BoyBlack Collar Boy
