Puppy Care

Some Books I Like…

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I have had several families appreciate input on what books to read before your new family member arrives.

Here are some I like:

The Havanese was written by a veterinarian who used to breed and show Havanese dogs

 

How to Speak Dog is a fun but informative book about communicating with your canine family member. Modern Dog Parenting has a wonderful approach to training your new puppy.

Dr. Pitcairn has included dozens of recipes for hand made dog food should you be so inclined. But this is a great reference book for many health issues that can come up. And, he has a holistic approach which I like.

Joyous Havanese was written by Kitty Braund and is very helpful. I got my first Havanese, Phoebe, from Kitty. It was her last litter as she was approaching 90 years young. Phoebe is my heart dog…just turned 10!

Plump Little Puppies

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Maxi’s puppies are getting so plump! Still do not do much besides eat and sleep. But, their eyes should open soon. They are twelve days old and at this stage are still in the neonatal stage. They are born with a keen sense of smell so they can find their mother’s nipples. Their eyes and ears are tightly closed so they do not hear their own little squeaks, nor do they see each other! They sleep 90% of the time!

I spend several minutes a day holding and caressing each of the puppies so they get used to me. I want them to have a comforting and warm experience with their first human. I stroke their heads, caress their tiny paws and gently tickle their tummies.

Puppies at this stage do not even have control over their bowels so mom has to lick them to stimulate elimination.

Here are a couple photos I took yesterday.

                      This is the little boy I am still bottle feeding. However, today he actually gained a few grams in                      between feeding so I think he is finally figuring out the nursing routine!

Is this not the sweetest face ever?!

A puppy yawn

Yin and Yang

Maxis Havanese Puppies at 2 days old

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The first few days are always nail biters. Puppies that appear healthy suddenly take a turn. Puppies that you are worried about either fail to improve or surprise you with spurts of energy. I am happy to report today that all is well. Everyone has gained at least 2 grams from yesterday when their weights were basically in a holding pattern or dropped slightly.

Since it is difficult to get individual shots just now, I thought you’d enjoy a video. Listen carefully for their little squeaks and grunts!

Catching up With Hermoine

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We are back in Florida now and I had the lovely opportunity to catch up with Hermoine, who is now Meisha, and her parents Linda and Steve. I am happy to report they are one very happy family. We had a nice chat that covered everything from grooming tips to food to socializing and “obedience” training. Nothing serious, mind you!

Anyway here are some pix from our visit.

This is one of my favorite parts of breeding. Nothing better than seeing the little ones you were responsible for bringing into this world and knowing they have found the very best family!

Rehoming Willow

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Willow is the little girl out of my Marli and my friend’s boy Ruger. She was born February 27, 2014. I had kept her as a show prospect but it doesn’t appear she is going to get as big as I had hoped. Marli stands 8 1/2″ at the withers and Willow is about 9″. They both weigh about 8 pounds. Willow will get a little larger but I am looking for a girl about 10 pounds and I don’t think she’ll get that big.

She is a darling girl. Has lots of spunk but also loves to cuddle. She plays very well with my other dogs, especially my 10 month old, Potter. And, when we had Maxi’s puppies here Willow was their “adult” playmate.

Willow has a very soft, silky coat. She is all black except for a white “goatee”, a white patch on her chest and four white “slippers” on her feet. You can see lots of photos of Willow on this blog. But here are a couple of my favorites.

Being a breeder is a wonderful thing. But having to make tough decisions like this one is…..tough!
We have to have a discerning eye and an open mind and sometimes your heart gets in the way of all this. I could wait longer to see if Willow does get bigger but it wouldn’t be fair to her. She needs to begin bonding with her forever home!

If you’d like to meet Willow, her mom and me, drop me an e-mail and we’ll set something up.

Romping in the back yard in Florida

Willow loves her toys.

Giving Padfoot some sound words of advice

At the beach on Lake Huron