Early Training happening at Happy Labs Kennel. At 31/2 weeks the pups are starting to use the pee-pads to do their wee-wee on. Sometimes LOL They are starting to keep their sleeping area clean, so now I'm starting to crate train as well. Generally pups don't go to their new homes crate trained and basic potty trained. This is one area I have focused on and have been successful at training early on. Also, I have only one litter at a time. That helps. Puppies don't have control of bladder until they reach 14 to 16 weeks, so important to keep training pads available to them. Belle Starr is starting to leave them for longer periods of time so is the very beginning of the weaning stage. They still sleep with her most of the night. It is also the time where I keep a bucket of disinfectant water and a pair of gloves to keep puppy room clean, I use Dawn dish soap with a little Clorox to keep the room smelling clean and not so kennel like. Works good. Today we will feed solid food that consists of puppy formula and Gerber multi grain cereal 3 times. This just supplements mom's breast milk during this growing time. The puppies have all hit 4 pounds and on their way to 5. Each day they start to interact with each other a little more. They all play for a few minutes and then fall over asleep. Something I think I would enjoy.. The ears, eyes, and nose are all starting to develop and we now have to walk quietly if we don't want to wake them. Their coordination is still developing and they stumble and fall a lot. For the kennel, this is my busiest time. Love em all. ..
Getting Closer to Babies
I actually blogged yesterday, but my computer went off line before I saved it. Oh well, called life. Belle Starr is getting closer and starting to show whelping signs. Nesting, big boobies, huge tummy, and very restless. I'm thinking the 10th. It is my son's birthday, and that would be cool. Puppy room pretty much ready. The towels and washcloths are clean and in huge bags. I need to re-sterilize forceps, scissors, and, syringe. The warming bed is set up and ready, as well as the whelping box. Looks like a hospital emergency room. I haven't bought scrubs yet, but have thought about it. I reviewed the birthing book for a refresher. Now just to get some rest before this all takes place. Last week I put ceramic wall tiles around the base of the puppy room. This is to discourage little teeth from chewing the wall. They start off by being bored, licking, then the paper starts to come off. And then it is all fun and games. They do this before 8 weeks of age. It is when they start teething and when you have 11 puppies, it is hard to keep them occupied all the time. Good thing they are cute. I'm hoping this will discourage the behavior so it doesn't become a habit. I will try to do more blogging now that we are getting closer to whelping. Prayers for the Belle Starr.
Puppies are in the future.
After a very lengthy breeding with Belle Starr and Shadow, we saw puppies on the ultrasound. Phew!! The ultrasound showed seven puppies. Her last litter as well showed seven puppies and she had eleven. So since that was quite a chore for Belle Starr and humans as well, we would be pleased with seven or eight. It doesn't matter how many, we just pray for healthy puppies. Will love whatever comes our way. Puppies become part of one's family, just like children. They each have their own personalities, faults, and looks. It has been an awesome experience to watch Belle Starr's last litter grow and become these different little dogs. They seem to all be in between the size of Belle Starr and Shadow which is quite interesting. It will be interesting to see what they are like at a year old. Fun! Fun! I'm amazed at what good parents they are and still are with the Strom Trooper. He is always laying with mom, dad, or both. They love spending time together and love on another. Belle Starr and Shadow are also very good with the little Cassiopeia (our 3 month old lab we bought for future breeder) and she is a jumper and biter. All the dogs put up with her shenigans and have excepted her to the pack. So now to get all the things done I need to get done before the little bundles of fur arrive. For I know that everything will be set aside during those first few weeks. Some Family Time at Happy Labs Kennel
A Day at the Kennel
Excellent weather and it is nice to have the dogs outside. The house stays clean for a while, go figure... It really is amazing at how much time we put into the kennel. Get them up in the morning, potty time, social time, breakfast, poop scoop, and then a little down time. I call this 'human time" or housecleaning.. Then potty breaks for the little ones and making sure everyone has outside exercise time. Before we know it, lunch time. Then again potty time, exercise time, and poop scoop. Afternoons are outside time when weather permits and training. Today the weather was outstanding and we took the pack for a long walk. Even the Cassiopeia got to go with the big dogs. Then the afternoon lent to baths. We use the camper shower for bathing the dogs and it woks so nicely. Then before dinner, everyone got brushed. Needless to say after a good hike, a bath, and then dinner, the gang is sleeping peacefully. It is poop scoop time again. And in between all of this, dog blankets washed and dried int he sun. I always feel privileged to have some computer time without interruptions. A good day at the kennel.
Phase One
I categorize breeding into 4 Phases. The first phase is the breeding. You would think that it would be the easy one. But, one has to make sure that the timing is right with ovulation. And since this can happen throughout a 7 day time period, it takes lots of testing. Then after 20 days an ultrasound to determine if we have pups growing in that little belly. The second phase is the whelping phase. This is the busy phase that turns the puppy room into what looks like a hospital room. I really think that I'm going to buy scrubs for this next litter. It's intense and exciting getting each puppy to breath and nurse before the next one arrives. It takes both of us to keep up with the pace. Then the third phase is working with the little bundles to help them learn what they need to know before they troddle off to their new homes. The fourth phase is saying good- by and with tears as they start their next chapter of life. I know that dogs have been having puppies forever and you would think it would be as easy as throwing them together and letting nature take it's course. Since we want to make sure that the pups come from the right parents and have a good start to life than we need to do our job to make sure this happens. In the end, Mother Nature has the say so. We are only guides. I'm planning on an ultra sound May 5th to determine if we have puppies or not. No Stress, No Stress... One thing about all of this is that Belle Starr is looking great and seems to be in excellent health. Go Belle Starr
