Our Eyes Are Beginning to Open!!

This is when the fun begins! The puppies are moving around a lot now and all but one have eyes at least partially open! They are also making fun coos and chirps…almost like little birds. Please click “MORE” to see photos of each pup at two weeks.

Puppy #1 medium sable pied with 4 white paws

Puppy #1 medium sable pied with 4 white paws

Puppy #2 male dark sable with 2 white back paws

Puppy #2 male dark sable with 2 white back paws

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Puppy #3 sable parti boy with mustache!

Puppy #3 sable parti boy with mustache!

Puppy #4 champagne boy

Puppy #4 champagne boy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Puppy #5 sable pied boy with 4 white stockings.

Puppy #5 sable pied boy with 4 white stockings.

Puppy #6 is a medium sable girl. She has some white on her back paws and a white goatee!

Puppy #6 is a medium sable girl. She has some white on her back paws and a white goatee!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Puppy #7 cream female.

Puppy #7 cream female.

Puppy #8 cream male

Puppy #8 cream male

Lily Has Puppies!!

Lily whelped 8 beautiful puppies October 11. Six boys and two girls.

I’m sorry for the delayed posting but I had a hip replacement September 29 so we have been very busy!!!

Anyway, mom and puppies are doing well. You can see more about the parents on my “New Litters” page.

Meanwhile, here are some photos.

Lily's puppies at 1 week old

Lily’s puppies at 1 week old

The whole gang at 10 days.

The whole gang at 10 days.

Fresh Air and a Warm Winter Breeze! A Video

Click on this post’s headline to view the viedo.

Puppies are 5 weeks old now and able to enjoy the wonderful weather in Southwest Florida. It took a few minutes to get accustomed to this new environment but pretty soon they were enjoying their picnic and the fresh Florida air!

More from Avidog!

Here are the next few puppy nurturing steps on Avid Dog.

7.  On Days 3-16 do Avidog’s Early Scent Stimulation. Things like leaves, bark or wood. An orange peel or banana…we let them smell banana.  Fresh evergreen or flowers…we introduced jatropha blooms from our patio. Fresh herbs…we introduced basil.

8.  Give pups a floor with good traction to build muscle and coordination while reducing future orthopedic problems.

Note: while it is tempting to keep the pups on tile or vinyl, these surfaces are NOT good for muscle development. Instead, they are on cotton pads and fleece that gives their little feet something to grab on to.

9.  Stack each puppy on the table twice a week.

Note: We are starting that now. I like to wait until their little legs could support them.

10. Trim toenails every three days to reduce risk of mastitis in the dam and to accustom the pups to this constant grooming task.

Note: I’m on it!

11. On Days 3-16 perform Dr. Carmen Battaglia’s Early Neurological Stimulation protocol on each puppy. Gently supporting the pup;s body, perform these exercises for 3-5 seconds.

* Hold the puppy with both hands perpendicular to the ground, so its head is directly above its tail.

* Hold the puppy with both hands perpendicular to the ground, so its tail is directly above its head.

* Hold the pup in both hands with its belly down so it is facing the floor.

* Hold the pup with its back resting in the palm of both hands so it is facing the ceiling.

* Hold the pup in one hand, while using a Q-tip, gently tickle the puppy between its toes on one foot. Tickle a different paw each day.

* Place the puppy, belly down, onto a cold, textured surface. Do not restrain the puppy from moving.

Note: I will be doing this several times while the puppies are with me. 

12. Rotate new toys into the whelping box each day.

Note: We go through mini-kongs, tennis balls, large stuffed toys, and cat toys with internal jingle bells.

I Learn Something (or a lot of things!) New Every Day

“The time in every puppy’s life, from 3 to 16 weeks, is often referred to as “the
sensitive period.” The things that breeders and new puppy owners do, or do
not do, are important and have the power to greatly influence the kind of dogs
their puppies will become. During this time you literally have the ability to grow
your pup’s brain in size and complexity, making your pup smarter, healthier and
more confident.
As a breeder you will have your pups during much of their sensitive period.  Whether
you sell your puppies to buyers who plan to do search and rescue, agility, tracking,
service work, therapy work, hunting, herding or simply bring joy to a family,
you can increase their success by integrating the list below into your puppy-rearing
program and encouraging your puppy buyers to continue once they bring their
pups home.”
This quote is taken from a wonderful resource I discovered the other day. I was looking online for ideas
for making a puppy’s play more fun and discovered “The Adventure Box” pictured at left.
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Doesn’t this make you just want to jump inside and play?

Then I discovered the entire website called

Avid Dog at http://www.avidog.com/
It is the creation of some California dog trainers that share the same breeding and training philosophies as I do…starting, of course, with the puppy stage.
They have an e-book that I would encourage all puppy owners to download. It’s FREE!! It’s called “97 Ways To Create Great Puppies”. I am so overwhelmingly impressed with it that I want to spend each post talking about them. Here are the first six ways with my notes:

1. Supplement your dam with Omega 3 fatty acids for increased trainability in her pups.

Note: Our moms alternate between Salmon Oil and Coconut Oil. They LOVE both!
2. Give puppy kisses each day.
Note: OMG! Who could miss out on this one?
3. Supplement your dam with probiotics for stronger immune systems in her puppies.
Note: This is new for me but I’m convinced it is a worthwhile supplement. Ordered some today!
4. Run your fingers down the puppies’ tails from base to tip.
Note: I think the kisses are their favorite but this is a close second!
5. Keep mom’s stress low to increase milk production and mothering.
Note: Sometimes, with all the activity in our house, this is a challenge but it is a huge priority for me!
          I think we do pretty well here.
6. Keep room temperature so the pups aren’t crying and their mom wants to be with them.
Note: Never an issue here!
Before I conclude, let me say I am on my way to creating my own Adventure Box!!!  I have found a bunch of fun toys at the dollar section of our local Target store. Metal toy buckets, mini tennis balls, bright ABC’s and some cool plastic bowls and lids. I’m on the lookout for more. And, I’ve also ordered some stains for my PVC piping in bright blue and bright pink…because the white is ugly and boring!