Eclipse has at least 5, possibly 6, pups!

We had Eclipe's ultrasound last night and we saw 5 pups for sure, and possibly 6 pups.   It was pretty crowded in there, so hard to count.  All the fetuses we saw showed all the signs of great health that one can assess through an ultrasound machine.  We are anxious for their arrival in 3.5 weeks, on December 22.

Oxygen absorber in treat bags - TOXIC

http://www.poisonedpets.com/the-dog-that-ate-the-oxygen-absorber-in-the-jerky-treat-bag-spoiler-alert-it-aint-pretty/

Guinness's Pups at 4 weeks

As much as I love having cute photos of the pups, I find photos never really capture the look of the pup.  Unfortunately, just the way I'm holding them or the camera angle, can give them a different look than in real life.  Having said that, enjoy....

Lots of puppies coming in January

We are going to have 4 litters born within a month of each other!   We have Eclipe's litter due December 22, Hershey's due January 7, Aurora's due January 14, and now we will have Juno's due around January 25.   Eclipse's and Hershey's litters will be raised at their guardian families home and Aurora's and Juno's litters will be raised at my home.  Our reservation lists are almost full, so we have very limited availability on these litters.  If our ultrasounds reveal lots of pups we will be able to reopen some of the lists.

Why you should NOT give your dog rawhide...

Guinness Pups

Momma Guinness is doing the job of feeding and Grandmomma Juno is doing the job of cleaning.....

Why you shouldn't use the 'dominant down' maneuver on your dog

Although I like Cesar Milan's theory of dogs being the ultimate energy readers and responding to that energy, I am not a fan of the assertive-submissive approach to relate to your dog.    Personally I have no desire to dominate my dogs by being assertive and demanding submission.  In any case, they know I am 'pack leader' - I control all the resources and the things they love.  I control their food, their treats, when they go outside, when they go for walks, when they get snuggles.  They know.  Below is an interesting article about the 'dominant down' maneuver that Cesar uses quite regularly and why this is not an appropriate tool for training your dog.

http://www.petmd.com/blogs/purelypuppy/lradosta/2012/nov/using_the_dominance_down_on_dogs?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=20121107&utm_campaign=PurelyPuppy-The-Dominance-Down#.UJsH4sXR7yA

A training philosophy I really enjoyed reading about is that used by Jennifer Arnold of Canine Assistants.  Her book "Through a Dog's Eyes" is an interesting read.

Guinness's pups at 2 weeks

The eyes' of Guinness's pups are now open and they are learning to walk.  They walk around aimlessly and look like bumper cars as they seem to move in no obvious direction, hit an obstacle (another pup), and turn around and head another direction.  They grow so quickly, they almost look too big to be nursing from little Guinness.

Wow, we are about to become VERY busy....

All our girls that are to have Fall/Winter litters have decided to cycle within a few weeks of each other.   Eclipse was mated with Spirit on October 25 and is due to have pups on December 23.   Hershey will be mated with Kodiak this weekend, November 9/10 for pups in early January.   And now Aurora has started her cycle and will be mated with our Zip (or maybe Spirit - can't decide!) around November 19 for pups in mid January.  Still waiting on Juno, but I expect her to start her cycle any day.