What A Beautiful World It Is!

Nearly all the puppies’ eyes are open now. A pretty translusent blue….like a Northern lake just after a spring rain. While they can’t distinguish much besides shadows at this point it must give them a whole new perspective and certainly more reason to explore their whelping box.

They still spend all their time with Maxi. Don’t seem to be nursing quite as much but still gaining beautifully. The first three weeks are the easiest for the breeder as the mother does all the cleanup! In another week or so they will begin eating mush in between meals with mom. That’s when the real work begins.

Still I love this stage because they are beginning to stand on their wobbly legs and make lots of protest yips. Such a sweet sound.

My daughter Jenny stopped by this morning to help me take some photos. Here they are with new weights.

Maxi wasn’t so sure about all this so we had to reassure her we’d take good care of her babies while they were out of the whelping box! This is Puppy 1

Puppy 1 again. Black and white with one spot on her side that you can see below. She now weighs 13 7/8 ounces

Puppy 2 is also black and white. His eyes are wide open and he’s developing some more silver on his face. Sweet markings! He weighs 12 1/8 ounces. You can see his markings below.

Puppy 3 is very sweet. Eyes almost wide open. She is getting more black on her nose and some brown cheeks and eyebrows. Weighs 11 7/8 ounces.

This is our little Irish Pied boy. Lots of black markings. Weighs 13 1/2 ounces.

Puppy #5 is our smallest one but still very healthy and strong. I expect her eyes to begin to open tomorrow. She is a soft sable and white girl that now weighs 9 3/8 ounces.

Puppy #6 is a sable and white with a beautiful face and four distinct spots on her back. Her eyes are almost open wide and she weighs 12 5/8 ounces. You can see more of her markings below.

Puppy seven has his eyes open. He’s black and white with two large patches on his back. He weighs 12 1/4 ounces. You can see his sweet face below.

And puppy #8 seems to be getting more white on her face. I love the white tip on her right ear! She is sable and white and has a patch on her back as well. She weighs 10 1/2 ounces.

Nine days old!

Pups are gaining by leaps and bounds! Their noses are beginning to blacken and they are pretty mobile though they don’t quite get up on their wobbly legs yet. Here are some photos. No names yet and some are not the greatest pix but I’ll bring out my good camera for the next ones. I’m giving you their coloring and weights as well though it has little bearing on their final size, I’ve learned.

Puppy #1 is a female. Weighs 11 3/4 ounces. She has a small black spot on her side that you can see better in the group photo below.

Puppy #2 is a black and white male. Weighs 10 1/4 ounces

Puppy #3 is a black and white female. Weighs 11.5 ounces.

Puppy #4 is a male Irish Pied. He weighs 11 ounces.

Puppy #5 is a tan and white female. She’s 7.5 ounces but strong as ever!

Puppy #6 is a female with sable and white coloring. She weighs 10 5/8 ounces.

Puppy #7 is a male, black and white. He weighs 10 ounces

Puppy #8 is a female with sable/white coloring. She weighs 8 7/8 ounces.

Yes, they are all in here, nursing to their heart’s content. You can see the spot here on the middle one, Puppy #1.

First Movie as Promised!

This movie is about one week old but between my sporadic internet service and my ineptness with all things technical it has taken me that long to get it to work! Anyway, enjoy and (God willing) I’ll get something more current up shortly.                               
 

Eating and Sleeping at One Week Old

Puppies are growing so nicely. They are in my bedroom right now and I love to hear their little squeaks and squiggles!  They are one week old today. I can’t believe it has flown by so fast. Still, there is not much new to report so I thought I’d just fill in on what development has taken place at one week.

Typically they double their weight the first 8 to 11 days. For about the first two weeks their eyes and ears are closed. They sense light, though, and they find Phoebe by scent. Sometimes they look for her and she is sleeping outside the whelping box which brings on a series of woeful pleading cries to which she responds immediately. She is such a good mother.

As for Phoebe, I am letting her free feed from 6:30 am until 6:30 pm. She is eating about four times what she normally eats! I watch her closely for signs of mastitis…swollen or hardened teats.

Really, at this stage puppies are a very easy proposition. Phoebe does everything from feeding to rounding them up to cleaning their little poops and pees. She constantly licks the puppies’ tummies to stimulate their bowels and bladders and, believe it or not, she benefits nutritionally from what she ingests. 

Three Days Old

Puppies are three days old now and gaining every day. Here they are resting and nursing. Phoebe prefers to nurse sitting. Easy to do with just six pups. Note that two we thought were Black Parti have lots of brown hair showing up underneath. These will likely fade to a tawny brown and white…just like their mama did.

From left to right we have:
Puppy 3, Boy, Black Irish pied, birth weight 215 grams-now 251
Puppy 4, Boy, Sable Parti (not black parti as formerly thought), birth weight 177 grams-now 187
Puppy 6, Girl, Sable Parti (not black parti as formerly thought), birth weight 198 grams-now 213
Puppy 5, Boy, Brown Parti, birth weight 213 grams-now 251 (huge gain!)
Puppy 1, Girl, B/W Parti, birth weight 240 grams-now 265 (my biggest but that will likely change)
Puppy 2,  Girl, B/W Parti, birth weight 164 grams-now 179

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