Canadian Doodle Puppies

Luna (previously known as Sheridan) is still looking for a guardian home

2012-02-21T16:54:00.000-08:00

Luna has now received all her vaccines and is house trained. She is looking for that loving forever home who will support her during her breeding career and then provide an ideal retirement lifestyle once she is done.

Cassonade is getting big and Guinness has a little belly

2012-02-21T16:52:00.000-08:00

Cassonade is such a trooper. Even though she has 10 babies, she still comes to Bruce Pit with us in the morning and she still participates in everyday life like all is normal. She can't jump up on my bed anymore, but that is about it. Her belly is so big it is almost dragging on the ground.

Guinness's belly finally popped and you can sort of tell she is pregnant. It is like that with all first pregnancies - the body is still young and firm. By the second pregnancy, they pop pretty early on. Guinness is also laying with her belly pressed to the ground and her legs out behind her. I always imagine that is to slow the squiggling of the babies. Use some gravity to flatten everything out a bit.

So the countdown for Cassonade is on. I expect it will be 10 days at the most. We are setting up the whelping box this weekend. Then I need to get serious about cleaning out the spare bedroom for Guinness whelping box.

Poor Juno is going to feel left out with no babies to care for.

Rosie is in heat and less than 2 weeks until Cassonade's pups arrive

2012-02-18T17:09:00.000-08:00

Rosie started her heat cycle today. This will be her last litter and it is going to be a great one. We intend to mate her with our Springville Zip. He is a red labradoodle. We know Rosie carries red as she has produced several in her last two litters. She will be bred the weekend of March 3, which means her pups will be born around May 5 and will be ready to go to their new homes on July 7. We have limited availability on this litter.

Which means that her pups will be arriving just as Cassonade's will be leaving. Cassonade's pups are due on March 3 and will be ready to go around May 5. We still have availability on this litter. Below are some photos of Cassonade's last litter, that was also with Halton Hills New Beginnings. Click on the photo to enlarge it.

Welcome to Baloo!

2012-02-11T17:54:00.000-08:00

Baloo has arrived safely in Ottawa, after a long night of flying from California, then a full day of driving from Toronto to Ottawa. We are absolutely thrilled to have him and thanks to Kiley at Harmony Labradoodles in California for trusting us with him.

Baloo has already found a guardian home. He will be living with a labradoodle brother, Kava, a Juno pup. His family will call him Koko. We are pleased that Baloo will be staying with us for a few weeks until his family is ready to take him as it gives me a chance to develop a relationship with him.

15 Pups on their way in March....

2012-02-07T15:51:00.001-08:00

Cassonade has 10 coming and Guinness has 5 coming.... Going to be very busy in April around here!

Shiraz has found a lovely guardian family!

2012-01-30T16:11:00.000-08:00

Kaleb, Gwen, Karyn, Josh, Samuel, and Dazy are pleased to welcome Shiraz into their family. Shiraz's family and Merlot's family are friends, so the sisters will likely be spending time together, which is lovely. Congratulations on their new addition!

Kahlua and Merlot have found loving guardian families

2012-01-24T16:02:00.000-08:00

Wendy and Oliver are happy to welcome Kahlua into their home. And Merlot has been welcomed by Andrea, Shane, Kennedy, Luke, and Addison. Congratulations!!

Aspen is looking for his forever family

2012-01-21T05:19:00.000-08:00

Aspen is a beautiful caramel parti boy with a liver nose. He will be six months old on February 1, 2012. He currently weighs around 10kg (22 lbs), standing between 16”- 17” tall at the shoulders. We expect him to mature to around 30 lbs and 18”, which makes him a medium Australian Labradoodle. He is a lovely dog with a sweet and very friendly personality. He is a big suck, always wanting to say hi to everyone and get snuggles and cuddles. Aspen is completely house-trained and rings the bell to go outside. He likes to play outside even in the cold winter weather. Aspen loves to go for walks and off-leash romps. He is good at coming when called. He is friendly with other dogs, though a bit nervous of meeting other big dogs – he is still interested in saying hi but he wants to be sure they’re friendly back.

Aspen will do well in a home where he can have lots of attention and play time. A family with children age 4 and up, another dog (or cat?), a couple where one is home at least half the day, or a retired couple or single person would be ideal.

Aspen is being offered at the pet price of $2,500. He has lots of added benefits because he is already house trained and past the worst of the puppy phase! He also has all his vaccines.

If you are interested in being Aspen’s family, contact me at cooldood@doodlepuppies.ca, 613 720 5589 or Roma at roma@dragonramdoodles.com or call 613-552-3066.

Guinness was successful bred the weekend of January 14.

2012-01-21T05:17:00.001-08:00

We are expecting her pups around March 14! We hope for chocolate and black phantoms.

Cassonade successfully bred!

2012-01-07T15:56:00.000-08:00

Cassonade was successfully bred to Halton Hills New Beginnings on Tuesday, January 3 and Wednesday, January 4. Our pups should be here around March 3.

Puppies playing in the snow

2012-01-01T08:40:00.000-08:00

These beautiful girls below are still looking for guardian homes. If you think you might be interested in being a guardian family, please contact us.

Cassonade will be mated this week - we are accepting reservations on her upcoming litter. Guinness will be mated the week after - her reservation list is presently full.

Cassonade and Guinness are both in heat!

2011-12-31T12:43:00.001-08:00

Cassonade will be mated around January 4 and Guinness will be bred around January 12. March babies!

Pups are leaving for their forever homes

2011-12-03T10:27:00.000-08:00

There are some happy families in Ottawa this afternoon! Milo (formerly Mocha) left this morning with his new family. Then Nala left at noon and Griffon left just after noon. We have Lola going tomorrow and then all the pups being adopted as pets will be with their forever families! What a wonderful day!

Everyone has recovered beautifully from their surgery

2011-12-02T15:43:00.000-08:00

It is like nothing ever happened! The pups recover so quickly at this age. Everyone is doing well!

Blue boy left us this morning and I received a note this afternoon to confirm we was safely snuggled in with his new family in Prince Edward Island. Mocha, Nala, and Griffon go home tomorrow and Lola on Sunday. Now I just need to find guardian homes for beautiful Shiraz and Merlot.

It has been a very busy week. Silverstar and Snickerz had their annual physicals on Tuesday night. Then the pups had their surgery on Thursday. And today I had to rush Juno to the Vet as she has an unusually swollen mammary gland. I've been expressing it twice a day for the last 3 days, but it hasn't improved so we had her looked at tonight. Nothing appears to be wrong (good news), but I'll have to continue the expressing until the pups are weaned. That is one of several downsides of a small litter. Even though these pups are doing their best to drink all the milk (they weigh over 2kg - the same as Rosie's pups), they just can't drink it all. Weaning will start over the next week anyway and then all will be good.

So, a busy weekend ahead of settling everyone in their new homes and then a little quiet next week. Hopefully Guinness and Cassonade will start their heat cycles soon and we start all over again!

Interesting 3 Part Series on CBC

2011-11-27T06:07:00.001-08:00

I haven't listened to it all, but it looks interesting....

http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/episodes/2010/12/13/dogs-themselves-part-1---3/

Thanks Carol!

Today was Vet Check and Vaccine Day

2011-11-26T13:13:00.000-08:00

The pups had a visit with Dr. Gumley today. All are in excellent health! They also had their first booster. I'll provide families with the vaccine certificates to give to their Vets. I'm expecting a quiet evening tonight after all the excitement of today.

The Pups are keeping me very busy.....

2011-11-23T18:31:00.000-08:00

With Rosie gone home and the pups being at an age where they need a lot of attention and care, things are very busy around here! They are becoming quite strong and coordinated, so I've had to take down the low wooden barrier on the door and a closed the wire door. I had a few escapees....

Their favourite play toys are socks. They get some pretty good tug of war battles going. I give them my sons' rugby socks, which are very long, and four of them can get in on the fun. Earlier tonight they had a battle going with Cassonade. It was her against 4 of the pups.

I transport them from the basement to the backyard or living room in a laundry basket. I call it the puppy bus. As soon as they see the puppy bus they are all scrambling to get on. They ride standing on their hind legs with their front paws over the edge so they can see. They seem to know not to try and climb out. But as soon as I put the 'bus' on the ground, they climb out as fast as they can.

They are virtually impossible to photograph because they never stop moving - except to sleep.

They are eating well. I haven't weighed them recently - again very hard to do because they don't sit still on the scale. But they are going to the Vet on Saturday for a thorough check and their first set of vaccines, so I will get weights on everyone then. I cut their nails the other day and all sat still on my lap for that. So that is good!

Only 10 more sleeps for many of you! :-)))

Update on Juno's Pups

2011-11-17T18:18:00.000-08:00

Well Juno must be producing milk for six, even though she only has two. The pups will be two weeks tomorrow and Kahlua already weighs 1.15 kg. Sheridan isn't far behind at 1 kg. For context, Rosie's smallest pup at 6 weeks weighed 1.5 kg!! They are long as well as round. Kahlua is 11 inches long and Sheridan is 9.5 inches long. I don't think Kahlua and Sheridan will be walking as young as Rosie's pack because they are little porkers :-))).

The girls eyes opened today. Although they are hard to see with their dark faces and dark eyes.

Final puppy allocations

2011-11-17T15:57:00.000-08:00

The Barnes family is excited to welcome green boy (Mocha?) into their home. And the MacClennan family is excited to welcome blue boy in their home. Shiraz (yellow) and Merlot (pink) will both be retained as future breeding prospects. I'm still looking for guardian homes for the cuties.....

Puppy Allocation has Begun!

2011-11-13T14:16:00.000-08:00

The Noxon family is excited to welcome GRIFFON (black collared boy) into their family. The Price family is excited to welcome NALA (orange collared girl) into their family. And the Lee family is excited to welcome LOLA (red collared girl) into their family.

Congratulations to pups and families!

Grandma Cassonade gets in on the fun!

2011-11-12T16:21:00.000-08:00

Kahlua and Sheridan

2011-11-10T16:15:00.001-08:00

A few...

2011-11-10T16:14:00.000-08:00

Everyone loves Aunt Guinness

2011-11-10T16:02:00.000-08:00

A Day of Firsts!

2011-11-05T09:46:00.000-07:00

Today the pups went outside for the first time AND met the other dogs in my pack for the first time. No one was happier than Guinness, who has been anxious to meet the pups since the day they arrived. She was so thrilled to finally be able to play with them.

First Meal of Solid Food

2011-11-05T07:08:00.000-07:00

I gave the pups their first meal of solid food today. It was a mixture of warm puppy formula and a can of duck and potato dog food. Because I have food allergies (as does Snickerz), I'm very careful about waiting until the pups are older before I introduce food and also about the ingredients that are in the food (only introducing novel proteins). Because the pups are almost 5 weeks old, they did not need any instruction or coaxing to get them to eat. They literally (and figuratively) dove right in! It was gone in minutes.....

Juno's Pups have finally arrived.

2011-11-04T11:35:00.000-07:00

Juno had two sweet little girls. One is solid chocolate and the other is a chocolate/tan phantom. It is amazing, the phantom's markings are already fully evident. Usually, they grow into them. Her paws, cheeks, eyebrows, chest, and butt are a beautiful caramel tan colour. Juno's pre-labour was long. But she is happy with what she produced now! The solid chocolate girl is named Kahlua and the chocolate/tan girl is named Sheridan.

Still No Juno Pups!

2011-11-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

Juno's pups still haven't arrived. She doesn't even look like she is going into labour today. Last night I thought she would have them for sure, but those contractions seem to have passed without producing any pups.

Rosie's pups are getting more and more coordinated every day. Instead of sort of falling on top of each other while wrestling, they actually launch themselves on one another. They are still a little awkward with their bodies, but getting much stronger and more in control. I took some photos of them today.

Belated Post

2011-11-01T16:40:00.000-07:00

I have allowed myself to be delinquent in posting because all of the adopting families came to visit in the last week. I figured words would not provide any more insight into the pups status than a visit with the pups would. I have now moved the pups into a large play area in the basement. Juno and her pups (whenever they arrive) will move into the whelping room.

The play area is at least 4 x 8. The pups have a sleeping area (all 7 snuggle into one dog bed), a play area (with a super large stuffed german shepherd and a bunch of toys), an eating area (that only has water in it right now) and a pee area (with pee pads). They are using the pee pads to go pee! Not every time and not consistently, but quite often.

I'm thinking Juno's pups may indeed arrive tonight. She is shivering and restless. It isn't the first time in the last few days she's been like that, but it is a bit more intense tonight. I hope they come soon! Below is Juno's X-ray from Saturday. There are two pups.

Preparing for your Puppy

2011-10-23T18:18:00.000-07:00

I know I've shared some of this with some of you verbally, but I thought I'd write it down to help make it simple.

The pups will be fed Orijen Puppy when they are old enough for solid food. Another excellent brand is Acana Puppy. The things I like about these brands are: grain-free, high protein, probiotics, and vegetables and herbs which aid in health and digestion. I also recommend Omega 3 (Salmon Oil, Coconut Oil, Flaxseed/Borage Oil) and Cranimals (cranberry + supplement).

If you can bring a blanket or towel, I will put it in the bin with the pups so when you take the pup home it will have something that smells like its littermates. You will also need a collar and leash. Their first collar will be quite small. If you want to buy a crate, ask the sales clerk for one that will comfortably fit an adult of 25+lbs. You can put a box in it in the early days to make it appear smaller to a small pup. I would suggest a wire crate for at home. If you want a portable crate, I like the soft sided crates. But if you prefer the plastic crates, that is fine too.

In terms of books, I really like Jennifer Arnold's "Through a Dog's Eyes". It combines a dog training philosophy, training guidance, and story into one. Another great book that provides insight into dogs' minds is Dr. Temple Grandin's "Animals make us Human". It is about all animals, not just dogs (there is a chapter on each). It is not a training book, but provides insight into the way dogs think. And it is a very interesting read. Dr. Grandin is autistic and she has used the insight that gives her to improve animal welfare practices significantly, especially for cattle.

Rapid development

2011-10-22T17:14:00.000-07:00

The last few days have seen amazing development. The pups can now walk. They've even begun playing with each other - licking faces and wrestling. Once they are steady on their feet, I put a blanket pile in the bin for them to climb. They love it. As you can see in the photo below, they all climbed up and fell asleep on top of the pile.

Feeding Frenzy

2011-10-18T15:57:00.000-07:00

The pups nurse very vigorously now. It doesn't take long for them to drain the milk. And they are so big, Rosie lays on her back with her legs open so they can access her teets.

Photos - Monday, October 17

2011-10-17T17:09:00.000-07:00

Lots of development in the last 48 hours

2011-10-16T17:55:00.000-07:00

When you see the pups regularly, you miss some of the more subtle development. However, after not seeing the pups for 48 hours (while Rosie and pups were at Rosie's guardian home), I was surprised by how much they have grown. I came home to small slits in the eyes. You can just see the blacks of their pupils. They are also starting to walk like alligators. They can only lift their bellies off the ground for a few steps, but they are getting stronger. And feeding time is more of a feeding frenzy as everyone jostles for position. Fortunately, Momma has 10 teets, for 7 babies so lots for everyone.

Rosie and pups have resettled back into our home. It is nice to have them back!

This weekend

2011-10-14T18:40:00.000-07:00

I am attending a wedding in Hamilton this weekend. My dog sitter will stay with my adult dogs over the weekend, but I delivered Rosie and her pups to her guardian family for the weekend. I heated up a cozy fake fur blanket. I put it in a laundry basket and then put the pup inside. They were sooo cute snuggled up in the fake fur. When I took them out at Rosie's house, they all kind of woke up with a 'but we were so cozy in there' kind of body movement.

Photo - Friday, October 14

2011-10-14T15:50:00.000-07:00

One Week

2011-10-12T19:05:00.000-07:00

In the first week, the biggest change in the pups is their size. Their eyes and ears are still shut. They are more efficient at dragging themselves around the box to get to Momma, but their movement hasn't really changed much. Speaking of changing size - at birth, the pups' weight ranged from 250 grams to 300 grams. After one week, they now range from 475 grams to 580 grams. They have doubled in size! I had to put new collars on everyone over the weekend because they had grown out of their first collar. Rosie is an excellent mother, providing her pups with the best motherly care.

3 Days Old

2011-10-07T13:25:00.000-07:00

The Pups are thriving

2011-10-06T16:56:00.000-07:00

Dr. Gumley came by today to give everyone, including Rosie, a thorough once over. His conclusion after examining everyone "Well, Linda, you have some really beautiful and healthy pups here". The pups birth weights were between 250 and 300 grams. Everyone has gained at least 30 grams - that is 10% of their body weight. I had to loosen the collars as they were already getting tight. Below is a photo I took tonight.

Nursing Puppies

2011-10-04T15:39:00.001-07:00

Puppies have arrived

2011-10-04T14:29:00.000-07:00

Rosie's 7 pups have arrived safely. Everyone looks great and is doing very well, including Momma Rosie. They are a good healthy size (250 to 300gr) and all are nursing vigorously. There are four girls and three boys. All are dark - we have several reds and several apricots. It is hard to know how dark they will all stay, but they are the darkest pups I've delivered.

I will post photos later.

Answer to the puzzle

2011-09-30T17:47:00.000-07:00

Below is the radiograph with the skulls and spines marked up. How many did you find??

Seven Pups!

2011-09-30T14:50:00.000-07:00

Rosie had her x-ray today. We counted 7 pups. The radiograph is below. It is a bit small, but it can be like a game - can you count the skulls and spines?? The trick is to look for the small white circles (skulls), then trace their spines like snakes and ladders. Five of this litter are already reserved, so that means we have 2 available. If you click on the image it will enlarge.

Studs, studs, and more studs....

2011-09-29T18:04:00.000-07:00

Roma, from DragonRam Doodles, and I have banded together to buy 4 (yes 4!) studs in the last few months. Not only does it give us much more control of our breeding programs, it is also a lot less stress when it comes to mating our girls. The daily progesterone tests, the guess at ovulation, the made dash to the FedEx office (and fingers crossed it made it overnight), the race to the Vet office, and then the insemination process - will generally be things of the past for us. Our oldest boy, Magnum, the chocolate and tan phantom, will be 'mature' around January. I will mostly use Magnum with Guinness and Eclipse to produce chocolate and tan phantom pups. But Guinness and Eclipse also carry for parti, which means that matings with our caramel and white parti boy, Aspen, will produce chocolate and white parti pups as well as solid chocolate. Aspen has a chocolate nose, which is so cute on his white and caramel face! He will reach maturity around June, 2012. Zip, our red and white parti boy, is an excellent match for Rosie, Maple, and any Rosie or Cassonade offspring that I hold back from future litters. None of my cream girls carry parti, so none of the pups will be parti, but I could get some nice reds and apricots. Zip will be ready to go by March, 2012. Kodiak, our solid chocolate boy, works great with all our girls too, but is particularly perfect for Juno, Hershey, and any of their future offspring to produce solid chocolate pups. Kodiak is our youngest boy, although he is only two days younger than Aspen so we too will reach maturity around June 2012. With these 4 boys, the possibilities for me in terms of colours, markings, sizes, are endless! It is so very exciting.....

If you want to see photos of my boys, check out Our Labradoodle Studs page (http://www.doodlepuppies.ca/labradoodlestuds.html).

The only thing outstanding for these boys is forever homes. We are looking for guardian homes for Aspen and Kodiak, and possibly Zip.

Starting Regular Updates!

2011-09-27T16:05:00.000-07:00

I haven't been active on the blog for quite some time because my house was empty of pups. Life just isn't as exciting without pups. But now that we have Rosie's litter coming within the next 4 to 7 days I will start posting regularly.

Rosie is looking very pregnant. She's got a nice round belly and that glow in her eyes. We are going to the Vet on Friday for an X-ray to confirm the number of pups so that once she goes into labour we know when to stop expecting more pups.

Five pups have forever homes already. Once we have numbers confirmed on the X-ray we may be able to accept a few more reservations.

Juno's ultrasound, to take a first count of pups is scheduled for Tuesday, October 4. Quite exciting!

Puppies at 6 weeks

2011-05-08T13:42:00.001-07:00

I look at other labradoodle websites and I see such beautiful photos and I wonder how they manage to capture them. So, determined I would get some nice photos, I spent part of this afternoon trying. Unfortunately, I just don't seem to have the touch! I did go purchase a lighting set after this session so that next time I can put the camera on sport mode and just shoot multiple frames. Every time I had the perfect shot lined up, by the time the flash charged up to take it the pup had moved.

Here is the gang below. They really are much cuter in person!

Bohden

Cadbury

Eclipse

Kava

Oreo

Puppies at 6 weeks

2011-05-08T13:41:00.000-07:00

Cadbury

Eclipse

Kava

Oreo

Pups are now 5 weeks old!

2011-05-02T18:21:00.000-07:00

Because we had such beautiful weather this weekend, I took the pups outside several times. The first time they were a bit unsure. But once they realized it was safe, they loved it! They actually made a puppy pile and fell asleep out there. I've attached two photos below.

From left to right, the chocolates are: Cadbury, Eclipse, Oreo and Kava. Of course Bohden stands out!

Video of Juno Pups @ 4 weeks

2011-04-22T12:58:00.000-07:00

You can see a recent video on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOdNg4hCu7M

Happy Easter

2011-04-22T07:36:00.000-07:00

I'm glad the easter weekend is here and I get to spend 4 days with the dogs. The pups are at a great age to spend extra time with as they are starting to respond to humans. All the pups are now sold and in 5 more weeks will be ready to go to their forever homes! I have not yet started them on puppy food as they are thriving so well on their Momma's milk. Next weekend I will introduce them to puppy formula with some rice cereal in it.

They are very playful. They love to play with each other, but especially love to play with their big sister Guinness. I love watching her play with them. She is so gentle and sweet with them. Juno plays with them as well, but it is a different kind of play. With Juno, she lays on her side and they climb all over her. It is a more passive kind of play. Guinness stays on her feet and tickles them with her nose. It is more active.

Below are some photos. The three pups together are the girls. The cream pup is one of the boys. I don't have a good one of the chocolate boy.

Guinness finally gets to play with her brothers and sisters

2011-04-14T17:16:00.000-07:00

Juno's pups are progressing beautifully. They can now walk properly and their eyes are fully open, although still a little cloudy. They interact with each other, in a social sort of way, as well as with their Mom. And today, Juno allowed them to have a little play with Guinness, their older sister. See pictures below. They aren't the best quality because I knew I only had a moment to capture this and grabbed the first camera I found.....

Juno's Pups @ 2 weeks

2011-04-10T09:32:00.000-07:00

The pups are growing nicely. They can now walk - a little wobbly, but still a walk - and their eyes are open. They still nurse quite often, but Juno is now able to leave them for short periods. She's come to Bruce Pit with us every morning this week. After we get home she has to have a bath before she can see her puppies. That is the hardest part because they start to whine when we come back and she is desperate to get to them but I have to force her in the shower. There are a lot of dogs and wildlife at Bruce Pit so I need to be sure she isn't bringing anything home with her......

Below are some photos.

Stewardship

2011-04-02T06:50:00.000-07:00

I was at a leadership retreat where we were discussing organizational maturity. The fourth level, which is where I am trying to take my organization, is called Stewardship. This requires a true acceptance of accountability for oneself (no blaming others) and commitment to the greater good (taking one for the team).

In trying to communicate the meaning of stewardship, we started with an exercise where people introduced what they are stewards of in their everyday lives. The parents all noted they are stewards of their children. One young girl stated she is a steward of her parents' expectations. I stated that I was a steward of the joy that a healthy and beautiful pup brings to its new family. As I watched each family leave with their pup, observing their excitement and commitment to this new addition to their family, I felt the sense of satisfaction that comes from being a steward of joy through my pups. It is very rewarding......

All of Cassonade's Pups have gone to their forever homes.

2011-04-02T06:40:00.000-07:00

The pink collared girl and black collared boy found forever homes this week. It is nice knowing the pups have all gone to families that are so excited to be welcoming them into their lives.

Juno Pups

2011-03-31T14:17:00.000-07:00

Juno and her pups are doing really well. They continue to grow at a rapid rate. Juno particularly likes to snuggle and nurse them in a dog bed. I've attached a picture below of everyone snuggled in. One is hard to see as it in in a fold of the bed at the front. If you look really close you can see her ear.

I always like to give the pups names so that I don't just refer to them as 'pink collar', which feels so impersonal. I've given the pups the following names: Pink Collar: Eclipse; Red Collar: Cadbury; Yellow Collar: Oreo; Green Collar: Harley; Blue Collar: Aspen. New owners are of course welcome to change these names. And once the pups are allocated I will start using the name chosen by the new owner.

Early Spay/Neuter

2011-03-31T14:07:00.000-07:00

I often get questions about early/spay neuter. I have links to a number of reputable websites that discuss early spay/neuter on the LINKS page of my site.

The following is an extract of one of these articles:

Pediatric or Early Spay Neuter refers to spaying or neutering pets at a much earlier age than the old six month standard. With today's anesthetics, advanced monitoring equipment, and surgical techniques, not only are these procedures safe in young puppies and kittens, the risk of complications is lower and the recovery period shorter. Concerns about adverse affects have been proven unfounded. The American Veterinary Medical Association, Association of Spay/Neuter Veterinarians, and the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia, are among those that support early spay/neuter. ( Linda's NOTE: The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association also supports early spay/neuter).

But why spay and neuter babies?

It's safer. Our mortality rate is lower. Complications occur less often. Most compelling, in a study done by veterinary students, completely inexperienced surgeons, their death and complication rates were lower.
It's easier on the pet - anesthesia time is shorter and recovery takes only a few hours.
It completely eliminates the possibility of accidental litters. We daily hear the infamous " I didn't know she'd go into heat so soon." And "She just got out for a few minutes." The list is endless. My personal favorite is "She can't be pregnant, I chained her up when she was in heat."
It completely eliminates the possibility of intentional breeding by well meaning but ignorant owners. The old "so the kids can have the experience", "just one litter", "we can make a little money", or "I found her a good home" that turns out to be a backyard puppy mill.
Breeders can avoid having their names show up on poor quality stock and help control competition by backyard breeders.
The bottom line is fewer unwanted pets, and fewer ill-bred animals filling up homes so that others go without.

Juno's Pups are Growing

2011-03-30T04:18:00.000-07:00

Juno and her pups are doing very well. She doesn't leave them except to go to the bathroom herself. I feed her in the bin with her puppies. All have gained between 60 and 80 grams, on a starting weight range of 300 to 400 grams.

We only have one Cassonade pup left - the cream boy. The pink girl goes to her new family on Saturday. I think Guinness will miss them the most as she loves to play with them. The weather has been cooperating this week and they spend a fair bit of time outside too.

Juno's pups have arrived!

2011-03-28T04:09:00.000-07:00

Juno's pups arrived safely in the night last night. We have 3 chocolate girls, 1 chocolate boy, and 1 cream boy. Everyone is nursing well. The Vet is on his way over (it is 7am as I write) to give them a good once over and check on Juno.

And Then There Were Three

2011-03-27T07:26:00.000-07:00

Six of the nine pups have gone to their new homes. Early reports back indicate everyone is doing very well! This is excellent news. The last adopted pup is leaving this afternoon, which just leaves the two that are still waiting for their forever family to come find them. Things are much quieter. Cassonade has more time to enjoy the pups now that she isn't swarmed by nine every time she goes near them. They are also having an excellent time playing with Guinness, who is still a pup herself.

Juno's pups seem happy in their warm and safe environment inside their Momma. I don't expect they will be arriving today. Maybe tomorrow! The x-ray revealed five pups. It is exciting to have one unexpected pup. And five is an easily manageable number for a Momma. I'm very anxious for their arrival as Juno produces interesting colours and markings.

24 Hour Post Surgery Update

2011-03-22T17:44:00.000-07:00

It has been over 24 hours since the pups surgery and everyone is excellent. It is impossible to tell that they've just had surgery. They are playing, eating, and talking just like on Sunday, the day before.

So everyone is officially ready to go home! They have been microchipped, vaccinated, spayed/neutered, and dewormed. And their first 24 hours after surgery has been uneventful.

Grady will be leaving tomorrow (Wednesday), then Billy and Robbie are leaving Thursday. Charlie and Truffles are going Saturday am and Aurora (Indigo) is going Sunday. Sadie will also be going this weekend.

The cream boy with the black collar (I've started calling him Jack - seems to fit with the theme of Robbie, Billy, and Charlie) and the cream girl with the pink collar (I've started calling her buttercup) are still waiting for their forever families to find them. Hopefully they will come soon!

I have all your documents ready including your microchip registration, vaccination certificate and spay/neuter certificate. I registered the litter with the International Labradoodle Association last week. I'm waiting for the registration papers, which should be here in a couple of weeks. I will mail them when they arrive.

But then the excitement starts all over again. If Juno's gestation is identical to her last pregnancy, her pups will be arriving this Saturday. I'm hoping she holds onto them for a few more days and she has them Monday. I think the ultrasound count of 4 is probably correct. She isn't very big. Well, not compared to Cassonade before she delivered her 9! She definitely has a baby belly and is starting to find it challenging to jump on my bed. We have the x-ray tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon so will have a better idea then.

Spay/Neuter went well

2011-03-21T12:23:00.000-07:00

The Vet just called to say the spay/neuter went really well. They are all awake, have had something to eat, and are playing together like nothing happened.

I'm just heading out to pick them up now (3pm Monday).

Growth Patterns

2011-03-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

I ranked the pups by weight at birth and again at 8 weeks. The following is interesting:

At birth:

1. Robbie

2.Truffles

3. Grady

4. Billy

5. Charlie

6. Aurora

7. Pink Collar

8. Black Collar

9. Sadie

At 8 weeks (kg):

1. Robbie (4.1)

2. Sadie (3.4)

3. Billy (3.4)

4. Aurora (3.2)

5. Pink Collar (3.2)

6. Black Collar (3.1)

7. Charlie (3.1)

8. Truffles (3.0)

9. Grady (2.9)

The healthiest litter....

2011-03-20T06:27:00.000-07:00

I took the pups to the Vet on Saturday for a thorough check up and their vaccines. After examining all 9, he said "This is the healthiest litter I've seen.". This is not a small thing as my Vet is a reproductive specialist. He services most breeders in the Ottawa area. He was also impressed with how quiet, content, and cooperative they were during our 2 hour visit.

Tomorrow (Monday) I will be taking them in to be spayed and neutered. I will drop them off in the morning and pick them up around 3pm. They were all microchipped last weekend and I gave them a dose of dewormer yesterday, so they are getting very close to be ready to go home!! Hoping you are all excited and looking forward to it.

When I bathed them the other day I put four at a time in the bathtub with 3 or so inches of water and used the shower head to rinse them. They were a little uncertain, but all were very comfortable in the water.

I took last week off as holiday. It was fun to spend the time with them, although admittedly it was a little exhausting at times. Nine pups is a lot of pups! Next week I'm back to work so it will be even more hectic around here.

Just a reminder that you will need to take your pup to see your Vet within 48 hours of pick up. This is to ensure you have your own Vet's assessment for your records. The pups have been eating Orijen Puppy dry dog food. I will give you each a puppy pack of Orijen. If you have limited experience with dogs and dog food, I suggest you speak to your Vet or a knowledgeable sales clerk at a pet food store for advise. You may also want to look on the web for information on how to read a pet food label. I really like Orijen, but there are other brands out there that are equally good.

Recent Photos of the Pups taken by my Friend Dena P

2011-03-16T18:32:00.000-07:00

Aurora (Indigo)

Billy

Black Collared Boy

Charlie and Grady

Charlie

Grady

Pink Collared Girl

Robbie

Sadie

Truffles

Puppy Names

2011-03-14T18:15:00.000-07:00

All 7 pups that have been assigned now have names:

Black boy with blue collar: Charlie
Blonde boy with blue collar: Grady
Blonde boy with green collar: Robbie
Blonde boy with purple collar: Billy
Blonde girl with red collar: Sadie
Black girl with red collar: Truffles
Black girl with orange collar (will be a future breeder): Registered Name - Aurora; Call Name - Indigo

Blonde boy with black collar and Blonde girl with pink collar are still waiting to be adopted....

Bath and Trim

2011-03-12T10:45:00.000-08:00

All the pups had a bum trim and a bath today. I used a small dish bucket filled with 3 inches of warm water. Everyone was quite comfortable in the water (Labradoodles are water dogs), but purple boy thought it was so cool, he dunked his face!

After the bath they were quite tired. Above is a photo of 8 of 9 of the pups all huddled together. There are 5 snuggled up on the dog bed - 4 blonde and 1 black. Try to count them all!

Seven of nine of the pups are now allocated to families. The blonde boy with the black collar and the blonde girl with the pink collar are still available. They are both totally adorable, so hopefully will find forever homes soon.

Puppy Pics @ almost 5 weeks

2011-02-26T16:19:00.000-08:00

Below are pics of everyone. The lighting wasn't right for good pics of the black pups - too many shadows. They are truly gorgeous with their shiny coats. Hopefully I can get some outside soon where the light is perfect.

They've started on puppy kibble, soaked in puppy formula. They gobbled it up. They are hungrier than I realized :-) They will soon start getting 4 meals a day, which should relieve the pressure off Momma Cassonade.

Experiencing family life

2011-02-24T18:19:00.000-08:00

The pups have moved out of the quiet of their enclosed box in a bedroom, into a wire pen in the living room. They can now fully experience life as part of the family. Guinness is so happy to finally be able to see and smell the pups. She puts her nose within the gaps in the wires and the pups swat at her with their paws. Everyone's tails are wagging. They are now eating two big meals of puppy formula mixed with rice cereal. This weekend I will introduce them to puppy kibble softened in puppy formula. Given how quickly they took to formula and cereal, I don't anticipate any hesitation on their part to gobble up the puppy food.

Juno Update

2011-02-19T13:49:00.001-08:00

Juno had her ultrasound today. We could only count 4 pups. But they were all healthy and thriving. I'm going to hope that, like Cassonade (we counted 5 and got 9), there were a couple in there hiding. Unfortunately, since we have 4 spoken for, her reservation list will remain closed until we have the x-ray - and hopefully find a few more! That will be the last week of March.

Learning to Eat

2011-02-19T13:47:00.000-08:00

The pups tried puppy formula for the first time today. They aren't quite sure how to consume it, so they dip their paws in and then lick their paws. But they get it all over their face, so then they lick each others faces. Before long there are milk footprints everywhere and everyones face is either wet with milk or saliva from their sibling. They love it! It is like a game.

Feeding Frenzy @ the Dairy Bar

2011-02-12T16:33:00.000-08:00

The pups are so efficient at feeding, it only takes a few minutes for them to empty Cassonade's milk glands. There are 10 teets and 9 pups, so there is always a mad rush for the last one. I believe that the green collar boy is the most successful as he is 200 grams larger than his 3 sisters. When Cassonade lays on her side, the pups feed in two tiers. The top tier lays on top of the bottom tier.

In the video attached, watch the cream coloured pup third from the left as she dives down to the bottom tier from the top.

THE PUPS FIRST VIDEO!

2011-02-12T09:35:00.000-08:00

The Pups are walking!!

2011-02-10T16:13:00.000-08:00

Wow, did I overestimate how long it would be before the pups would be walking. Some of the bigger and stronger ones started walking two days ago. Now they are all walking. They are surprisingly steady on their feet. I will post some video this weekend.

They continue to grow like crazy. The largest is 1 kilo. The smallest is 750 grams. They still spend most of their day sleeping in a puppy pile. I suspect when you are growing like that your body needs lots of rest.

Puppies Eyes are Open!

2011-02-06T16:40:00.000-08:00

This evening when I went to check on the puppies I noticed that their eyes were open! They also seem to have gotten over the diarrhea so everyone is much happier. As they get bigger, they also get stronger and so they are able to push their bellies off the ground and crawl along for longer stretches. It is difficult to know if their ears are also open, but I believe they open about the same time as their eyes. Cassonade is spending longer periods of time away from the puppies. She has been able to go to the off leash dog park with the rest of her pack this weekend, which she thoroughly enjoyed. The next big milestone will be when the pups truly learn to walk. We are likely only 7 to 10 days away from reaching a milestone.

Learning to Walk

2011-02-04T16:08:00.000-08:00

The pups are trying to walk. It is so funny because they walk like an alligator. Their legs are not straight out under them, but off to the outside of their bodies. The placement is like when a person does a push up, which is sort of what they are doing - lifting their bellies off the floor, but with all 4 legs. They can only take 3 or 4 steps before they collapse on their bellies. But they love it and do it over and over again.

Their eyes and ears are still closed, but I expect eyes to start opening in the next 2 to 3 days. They are now 11 days old. Pictures start to become harder to take from this point on. First, I can't use a flash because once their eyes open it is too hard on their eyes. So I have to rely on natural light. Second, they will become much more mobile in the next week. Photographing a moving target is a challenge.

They have now doubled in size. And Cassonade will spend an hour or so away from them a couple of times a day. Unfortunately, they have diarrhea. My vet has put them on Bismuth (pepto bismol) to try and stop it. It isn't causing them any trouble or discomfort. It bothers me more than them.......

Below is a picture I took two days ago.

We have happy, healthy babies.....

2011-02-01T04:15:00.000-08:00

All of the pups have broken 500 grams, which makes them all larger than a pound! They are extremely mobile (considering they can't walk and their eyes are closed). They just drag themselves all over the whelping box. They always lie together in a big 'pile of puppies'. They are getting harder to weigh because they are so squirmy.

Cassonade is spending more and more time away from them. She will now leave them for 1/2 hour two or three times a day. When she isn't with them, all she wants to do is snuggle. It is like she needs to take a break from being a mom and let herself be a baby for a few minutes. I suspect most human moms know exactly how she feels.

Pups grow and develop SO quickly

2011-01-30T09:07:00.000-08:00

The speed with which pups grow and develop is unbelievable. When I come home from work, they are noticeably more advanced than when I leave in the morning.

Their body weight has increased from 27% to 42% depending on the pup. The smallest at birth was 283 grams. She is now 385 grams. The largest was 388 grams. He is now 500 grams.

They no longer just slither on their bellies. Some push themselves up (just a tiny amount) off the floor with their front paws - like a little push up!

It isn't really surprising when one considers that in two weeks they will be learning to walk. In three weeks they will jump and run. And by the time they go home in 8 weeks from now, they will be 5 to 7 lbs. But even knowing that, I find it fascinating to see the changes happen so quickly.

The pups are developing quickly

2011-01-28T06:17:00.000-08:00

All that pups body weight has increased by about 15%. They are also able to spend time together, without their mother (see picture below). Even just yesterday, they always huddled up against Cassonade to take advantage of her body heat. They are a quiet litter - not too much squeaking. Cassonade spends all day and night with them. She eats her meals in the bin. The only time she leaves is to go outside to the bathroom. She stands at the door and barks to let me know she wants out. She races outside, does her business, races back inside and stands at the door and barks to let me know she wants back in. This whole process rarely takes more than 1 or 2 minutes.

2011-01-26T13:03:00.001-08:00

Cassonade is the proud Momma of 9 beautiful pups

2011-01-26T09:46:00.000-08:00

Cassonade delivered her last pup about 9pm last night. The Vet came at about 9:30 to check that everyone was doing well. At this point the pups don't do anything but sleep and nurse. They squeak a fair bit. I haven't been able to figure out the purpose of the squeaking as I don't see a pattern.

So, we have:
Purple Blonde Boy .333 grams
Blue Blonde Boy .340 grams
Green Blonde Boy .388 grams
Pink Blonde Girl .317 grams
White Blonde Boy .295
Orange Black Girl .319
Pink (with paws) Black Boy .320
Red (with paws) Black Girl .350
Red (with paws) Blonde Girl .283

9 Beautiful Pups - just waiting to see if a 10th shows up.

2011-01-25T17:59:00.000-08:00

Cassonade has delivered 9 beautiful and healthy pups. The 9th arrived about 15 minutes ago. There are 2 cream girls, 2 black girls, 4 cream boys, and 1 black boy. Her belly was so crowded with pups, the x-ray was hard to read. There was no question there were 9, but the 10th was a little uncertain. The Vet is on his way over to check out the pups and to confirm whether there is still one left in there or not.

I'll post again tomorrow with an update on the pups and whether or not a 10th one arrived!

10 Puppies

2011-01-21T10:28:00.000-08:00

I now know why Cassonade's belly is so big. She had her pre-whelping X-Ray on Wednesday and it looks like she has 10 puppies in there! We expect her to deliver within the next few days so she is under 24 hour watch so we can quickly assume our role as 'Midwoof'.....

About one week to go!

2011-01-16T17:57:00.000-08:00

Cassonade's belly is now quite big. She can no longer jump up onto my bed. But she is still in excellent health and keeps up with the rest of the pack when we go for our daily hike in the forest. Thursday we have our x-ray that will allow us to count skulls and spines so we know how many pups to expect. Our next posting will likely be with news of the pups arrival!

Only 3 Weeks To Go

2011-01-02T11:07:00.000-08:00

Only 3 weeks until Cassonade's pups arrive. We had the ultrasound a few weeks ago and were able to count 5 pups. We will have an x-ray in 2 weeks to confirm the number.

Her belly recently popped - she has a BABY BELLY!