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❤️
Echo was breed at the end of May for her first litter of puppies. Then the waiting began to confirm pregnancy. Echo is Ruska and Tulo’s daughter from their third litter of puppies. My son and daughter-in-law agreed to become a guardian family for Echo. She went to live in their home as a puppy to train, love, and care for her. We believe every dog should be first and foremost a beloved pet.
We needed to look for another blood line for Echo’s stud because our stud dogs carry the same blood line as Echo. I have spent the past year looking for a stud and we finally decided on Riggs from Delilah’s Poodle Doodles. They are ethical breeders – breeding and raising puppies as we do at L.A. Doodles. Their tag line says, “Honest Breeding, Done with Love, Care and Morals”.
After Echo was breed the waiting began until we could confirm pregnancy. There are various ways to confirm pregnancy ranging from abdominal palpation, an ultrasound performed between 22 – 28 days in pregnancy or my choice – waiting patiently for five weeks until Day 35 and using a Doppler Ultrasound.
Day 34
Today, one day early, (I can never wait until day 35 lol) we decided to listen for puppy heartbeats. Echo’s tummy is full of fur which makes it a little harder to pick the heartbeats up than a clean-shaven tummy. My husband Tom helped keep Echo calm by patting her head as my daughter Kendra helped out to video. This is Echo’s first experience with the doppler, and she did a great job laying still while we listened for those tiny fast heartbeats. Her calmness reminds me of her mama Ruska.
Listening for puppy heartbeats using the doppler
Exciting news…….we found puppy heartbeats!
Congratulations Echo and Riggs on your upcoming litter of puppies!
Due date: July 30th, 2022
We have room on our waiting list for this litter. For more information and to apply
We have a routine on go-home day – bath, nails trimmed and blow-dry. Some puppies tolerate the blow-dryer longer than others. I don’t want to stress the puppies out too much so the puppies finish air drying. We then give them a final brush.
Our mama “wears” the go-home blankets to put her scent on it. Our puppies put the littermate scent on the “snuggle puppies”. These familiar scents can be a comfort to a puppy in their new environment.
Then, it is time for our Puppy Go-Home Pics – Such Adorable Puppies!!! 🥰
Our puppies are now ready and waiting to go to their Forever Homes with their Forever Families.
It is always a bittersweet time when puppies go to their forever homes. It is hard to say goodbye to my puppies 🥲. I have loved and cared for them for the first 8+ weeks of their lives – we put our heart into each puppy we raise ❤️ It brings me joy to share in the excitement of our forever families as they pick up their new puppy.
This poem perfectly describes my thoughts!
One Puppy Remaining
We have one puppy left – Purple Collar Girl. I’m sure she is wondering “Where did my littermates go?” Her forever family made arrangements for her to stay a little longer. She will be leaving on Tuesday but, until then, she is one of the family. After all the puppies left we headed outside to the yard and filled the pool with water for the dogs to cool off😅 All the dogs then headed back to the deck for a long deserved rest. Raising puppies is hard work!! 🐾
Eight puppies minus seven leaves one puppy – Purple Collar Girl
Yesterday the puppies had their first car ride to the veterinarians. We pack our eight puppies into the crate in our truck and made the fifteen minute car ride. A couple of puppies whined for the first part of our trip but they soon settled down any nobody experienced and car sickness.
Loaded in the truck and ready to go to see Dr. Westermenn
Tom and I have done this many times and we have the process down pat. Tom waits with the puppies at the truck and I carry the puppies two by two in to see Dr. Westermann. Each puppy receives a full wellness check, their first set of vaccinations and then the dreaded microchip needle. The first two puppies we took in were Blue Collar Boy and Magenta Collar Girl. I thought the puppy carrier was heavier than usual and then remembered the puppies usually go to the vet at seven weeks of age – what a difference a week makes!
First puppy was Blue Collar Boy. After his wellness exam and weigh-in, he received his vaccine needle with no complaint. Then it was time for the BIG Microchip needle. He sure let us know with a big “Yelp” that it hurt – LOL! The girls followed the same routine but, not a peep out of anyone. I guess they wanted to show Blue Boy how tough they were!
I’m happy to report that Dr. Westermann gave all our puppies a clean bill of health and commented at how calm and well behaved every puppy was. It is always nice to have positive feedback on my puppies and to know that all the hard work we put into raising them pays off!
Packed in carrierAlmost 30 lbs. of puppiesBack Home AgainSome TLC from mama for brave puppiesVaccines make tired puppies
After the puppies came back home, they went outside on the deck with their mama. Somehow, I think Ellie sensed that her puppies’ needed a little TLC after their trip to the vet because Ellie let her puppies nurse. She is a loving, patient mama and has done a wonderful job raising her puppies!
Today – May 12 – Puppies last full day together
Today is the puppies last full day together before they start to head home to their forever families. We had a beautiful sunny warm day and decided to introduce the puppies to water. My big dogs (except Ellie) love the pool on a hot day to cool off. While the puppies were napping, Tom got the pool out and washed away the winter debris before adding some water. It was very shallow because we don’t want to scare the puppies. I was excitedly waiting for the puppies to wake up. When we put the puppies in one by one, they didn’t linger to play. Some puppies had a little drink and then jumped back out. Purple Collar Girl was the fastest to get out – she wanted no part of it – LOL!
I think my grandsons enjoyed the puppy pool more then the puppies did.
Eight weeks have passed since Ellie’s babies came into the world and filled our days. Remember how tiny they were…..I could hold them in the palm of my hand. They have learned so much over these past eight weeks. This past week we have worked on what is acceptable behaviour – sit to get picked up, play nice, kisses (not nips).
We have also challenge puppies to use their brain. One such challenge was to descend the rock steps to get to the big yard. Willow’s puppies faced this challenge with much more ease but, every litter is different and learn at their own pace. The video’s and pics below show the puppies at seven weeks old facing this challenge. (Note – Willow’s puppies are whining in the background of these videos – they want to join Ellie’s puppies 😂)
Rock descend take 1 – they wanted back into the pen
Time to Close the Gate
Rock descend take 2
Rock descend take 3 – with the gate closedNot too sure if they are up for the challenge
One brave boy decided to go first
A couple girls followed as the rest of the puppies tried to get up their nerve to give it a try
Rock descend take 8
Rock descend take 9
With lots of encouragement, all Ellie’s puppies finally made it down and enjoyed their reward – to run and explore the yard together.
What a difference a week makes!
Over the past week the puppies worked on this challenge – what a difference a week makes!
Eight week old puppies have learned to descend the rock steps – they love to play in the yard! (The last puppy down was Black Collar Girl – she was in the potty box when the other puppies started LOL)
LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK Nine
Puppies will continue exploring and playing together inside and outdoors as weather permits
Puppies will work on recall
Puppies will continue learning from their mama, littermates, and our other dogs
Puppies will go to the Vet for their wellness check, vaccinations and microchip
We will continue to encourage puppies to use potty box
Puppies will leave for the forever homes at the end of the week
The rain has stopped,, and we finally have a beautiful sunny warm day. Though our yard is still very wet and muddy we took the puppies out to play in the yard. They had so much fun running, exploring, and chasing each other. The puppies’ mama’s Willow and Ellie and Daddy Brinkley along with Grandma Ruska and Nanny Maui enjoyed teaching and playing with them – Our big dogs love it when the puppies join them in the yard! 💕
It is difficult to keep track of eleven puppies with so many hiding places even with the help my daughter and husband Tom. Our time to work on recall has been limited because of so many rainy days but, the puppies are learning to come running to me when they hear “puppy, puppy” called. We are then able to do a puppy count 🐾
After a long play secession, eleven tired, muddy puppies found their way to the swing in the rear of our yard for a large puppy-huddle nap. Ellie and Brinkley kept watch.
My Good-morning greeting from Willow’s eight week old puppies
Eight weeks have passed since Willow’s babies came into the world and filled our days. Remember how tiny they were…..I could hold them in 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. This past week we have worked on what is acceptable behaviour – sit to get picked up, play nice, kisses (not nips). Puppies are not always consistent but, have made great progress. I just love puppy kisses!!!
Eight Weeks Old
LOOKING AHEAD
Puppies are going to their forever homes. Lots of work lies ahead for your family as you continue teaching your puppy! They are still learning, but the time and work you put in 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 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 through tears🥲 I say goodbye to each puppy, but it brings me joy to see each excited family! I know that our puppies are joining such wonderful forever families who will love them as they deserve 💕
Yesterday, Tuesday, May 3rd
The puppies had a lazy morning yesterday. The puppies ate their breakfast and had a short outdoor play secession before settling down for a nap.
Three of Willow’s puppies went to their forever homes yesterday – it was time to prepare for their forever families. We bathed them, trimmed their nails , blow dried them, and gave them a few extra cuddles.
Time to take their Go-Home Photo. Such handsome boys!
Callum – Black Collar BoyRed Collar BoyFinley – Orange Collar Boy
After Willow’s three boy’s left, the eleven remaining puppies enjoyed a late lunch and play time on the deck.
