Preparing for your Puppy

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

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

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

Lots of development in the last 48 hours

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

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

One Week

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

The Pups are thriving

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

Puppies have arrived

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.