Angus
BPIS Am Ch GChB Labrys Just
One Look JH WC
Hips: Good
Elbows: Normal
Patellas: Normal
Eyes: Clear (including
gonioscopy)
DOB: October 23, 2014
Black, carries yellow
Stevie
Ch Muddyflats
Shutter Speed RE
Hips: Good
Elbows: Normal
Patellas: Normal
Eyes: Clear (including gonioscopy)
DOB: March 5, 2021
Liver
New Arrivals
Stevie whelped 7 ginormous puppies in the afternoon of September 18th. I thought our singleton from the last litter was big (471 g), but there were some even bigger puppies in this litter. By some miracle, Stevie whelped them all naturally. There are 4 males puppies and 3 females - all black as expected.
Stevie is an excellent mother who is completely smitten with her puppies and is attentive to them. We have hard time even getting her to go out for bathroom breaks because she doesn't want to leave her puppies.
They've had great weight gains so far and spend their days eating and sleeping.
Week 1
The puppies had wonderful week filled with a ton of nursing and plenty of sleeping. They are all gaining weight well, and a couple of them have already double their birth weights. I've been having to let out their collars every day. They've already had a couple of nail trims, which they hated.
Stevie continues to be a great mom. Early in the week, I couldn't drag her from the whelping box to go outside for bathroom breaks. Now she's excited to spend some time with us outside, but needs close supervision as she's determined to dig a den or the puppies somewhere in the yard.
Mark and our son Theo gave the puppies bird nick names to correspond with their collar colours. She's starting to take short breaks now and will take naps outside of the whelping box, or will hang out with us in the yard for a bit. Unfortunately, she needs to be closely supervised when outside, because she is set on digging a den for her puppies. We've got a number of good-sized holes she has started all over our yard at this point.
Week 2
The big news this week is that the puppies eyes began to open mid week. They don't hear anything quite yet. They are growing quickly, and it seems I'm letting their collars out daily. We weigh them twice daily to make sure they all continue to grow well. The puppies continue to spend the bulk of their time eating, sleeping, and growing, which doesn't make for a very exciting week.. The puppies are still living in the whelping box in one of our bedrooms. I continue to sleep on a mattress on the floor near them, and am very much looking forward to moving back into my bedroom in another 7 days (but who's counting?).
The puppies are starting to get up onto their feet and are attempting to walk a bit, rather than crawling, like newborn puppies do. We are hearing adorable puppy noises - tiny yips, grunts, and growls.
Stevie continues to be a great mom and continues to use every opportunity she has outside to try to dig a den for her puppies.
Week 3
The puppies are right on track for their expected growth. They have all quadrupled their birth weights, which is right where we would hope they would be at the 3 week mark. They still spend an incredible amount of time sleeping, but are beginning to play with one another for short periods of time. Blue Jay was the first rascal to escape the whelping box at the beginning of the we.
We introduced litter trays earlier this week and have already had many successes teaching the puppies to use them. Towards the end of the week, we moved the puppies out of the whelping room and into the living room. They now get to experience the sights and sounds of our busy household. They hang out in our kitchen every time I clean their pen. The kids are the best puppy helpers and spend a ton of time handling the puppies.
Stevie has just begin to nurse the puppies standing up at times, and it's painful to watch the puppies have to work so hard to eat this way. I know it's important for their development though.
Week 4
It's amazing how quickly puppies change and grow. Teal is the pork chop of the litter, and Flamingo is right behind him. Their sharp little baby teeth have emerged now. It's not quite time for them to start solids yet, but a few of them have shown interest in Stevie's meals. Stevie prefers to eat while she nurses, and little Oriole tries to sneak over for a nibble of her meal every chance he gets. The puppies have been mouthing us, toys, and one another. One surprised me by giving my knee a little bite out of the blue a few days ago.
We are continuing to work on training the puppies to use their potty box. We're seeing many successes. It's amazing to see such a small puppy walk over to the litter to poop. They are very smart puppies.
The big news for the week is that the puppies were able to go outside for the very first time. It was a pile of fun to watch them explore the outdoors for the first time. I was annoyed by the sunny days we've had though - they make for terrible pictures. We did manage to find a bit of a shadier spot for better outdoor pictures this morning.
