Boy pictures...top are Mai's boys (4 weeks tomorrow), bottom are Tessa's boys (4 weeks, 2 days). One of the boys is Jack. :-) Click on the pictures to view larger photos.

Well, life sure is getting busy, as you can tell from the delay of updating my blog! LOL I am feeding puppies breakfast and dinner now. This endeavor also includes changing bedding once a day now, as well, though moms are still cleaning up after their broods. 4-5 weeks is the age at which breeders' caretaking of puppies increases exponentially! However, it's a labor of love. They are just so adorable now. They wrestle with each other, and I've witnessed a few carrying toys, pieces of toy stuffing, etc, etc. They are so cute! It reminds me of toddlers who wear their parents' shoes and pretend they are all grown up!

Their teeth are almost all in now, and both moms make a quick dash into their boxes to clean up and feed. One of my other girls weans her puppies at 5 weeks. LOL I don't blame her! However, each dam is different, and some will nurse for a long time. Both Tessa and Mai are very good dams.

This weekend my husband will be removing their "pig rails" from the box. At this point, the puppies don't need to be protected with them from their dams lying on them, AND they are using it now as a step stool! A few have managed to be AWOL from their box this week! We also will be adding an x-pen to their area, and I will be buying some material for a potty area for them. They are pretty good, even now, going in a particular area of their box. I use a type of stall composite for horses in their "litter" box that absorbs urine and greatly reduces odors. Most of the time, they are very good at going there. The instinct to separate their living space from their waste space is pretty strong. It makes for easier house training. :-)

I have a few photos I will post, but these are videos from yesterday's dinnertime feeding of both litters. What a mess! LOL Both dams enjoy "cleaning" their puppies after they eat.

Enjoy!...

We have several new videos today! One is of Mai's puppies, now 3 weeks old today, and Tessa's puppies, now 3 weeks and 3 days, attempting their first meal. They took to it enthusiastically, and did a great job! Of course, I over estimated how much they could eat and made more than they wanted, but the rest is now in the fridge until I heat it up for the next meal. I make the first meal for puppies from ground puppy food (Pro Plan or another good dog food product), soaked in boiling water for hours until mush. Then I add warm water and warmed goats milk (goats milk is easily digestible for puppies), and make a gruel consistency. They eat out of specially designed puppy pans that have a cone-like structure in the middle to lessen the messy stepping through it. The other focus is keeping moms from eating the food. Once they get the idea, they're pretty good at letting the puppies have first dibs on eating. Then, of course, moms finish what they don't. Oh, and the puppies are definitely wetting more!!!! More bedding changes, more often. This is now when real work starts!

We also have a lot of tail wagging going on now, and little growling that they practice. LOL They are definitely in play mode with each other when awake, but still sleep quite a bit. They are beginning to charge each other and run a few steps before falling down. Now Tessa's puppies are cutting teeth!!! Next week she'll start nursing in the "feed and dash" method...jump in to nurse, clean, and jump out when she starts to feel the little needle-like teeth. The puppies are becoming more used to me handling them, too. Some allow me to lay them on their backs in my arms and look at my face, and are pretty relaxed for a strange experience.

I've recently learned (from watching NatGeo) that wolf puppies are more advanced at earlier ages than the domestic dog puppies. The human domestication of dogs has extended their dependence on maternal and human care, and as a result they are not at such great risk to predators as the wolf.

Mai is also adjusting to a change in her diet. She finished her Nature's Variety raw diet patties I was feeding her now along with her kibble to increase her calorie intake. She's been fussy since whelping, which prompted me to feed her a raw diet she preferred. However, now her appetite has dramatically increased, and she will eat what I give her, albeit over a period of hours sometimes! The girls are now eating 3 times a day, kibble with added chicken, plain yogurt and a hard boiled egg for breakfast, just kibble for lunch, and kibble, and ground beef and yogurt for dinner.

Mai and Tessa are also spending less time in the box with the puppies. Initially, they were in there almost 24/7 for about 10 days. And they nursed them cuddled against their bellies as they wrapped themselves around them, protecting them from "predators" (the cats...LOL), and the cold. We DO have heat lamps and emitters on them, so that behavior is more instinctual than necessary.

All in all, I am pleased with the girls' transition to mothering and nurturing. It's just so fascinating to watch and learn. They still clean up after the puppies (no more kisses from them for now!), and Mai, especially, is very tuned in to crying puppies...hers AND Tessa's!

More later....

More pictures! I've had a rather busy week, so I'm behind in posting pictures and updates. These photos are of Mai's puppies. It's 5:30 a.m. and I'm about to get ready for work. Late as usual. :-) Mai's puppies will be 3 weeks Sunday, and Tessa's where 3 weeks yesterday. All are up on the feet, starting to run, and just starting to recognize each other. They've started playing with each other, and they are exercising their voices and practicing barking! It's a hoot! They have no teeth yet, however I can feel them right under the gums, so I expect some eruptions this weekend. I'm going to introduce them to some puppy "gruel" this weekend (ground puppy food and warmed goat's milk). The first time is a riot! I WILL post pictures! I'll also try to get better video with sound. In 3 weeks, they've gone from little blind and deaf blobs to miniature labradors. :-)

Mai's chocolate baby I temporarilty named Cherry Cordial. :-) 2 weeks today!

Now the fun starts! The puppies' eyes are opening more, and most of them can hear. It's funny to go to the whelping boxes and whistle, clap, or call, "puppy, puppy, puppy!" and watch the heads bob up and look around with their ears twitching. And you should see these guys get about on all fours now!

Today I cut their toenails. Ouch! Not for the cutting, but poor moms have had to endure needle sharp nails. So, today I cut them. Oh, that was fun! No pain, but they squirm, yip, and fight being confined. LOL Then I changed their ricrac to new ones. The older ones were getting raggedy and I had little left to let out as they grow. Then, everyone got new paper, bedding, etc.

This a.m. with the wood stove going, it was very warm and cozy. The little guys were yipping up a storm, so I watched them. They were looking to crawl under the pig rails again, and a few were panting...too hot for them. I turned off their heat lamps, and in a little while, all was quiet. They don't need to be kept at 85+ degrees anymore!

I took some video I'll post in a bit too, but enjoy the pictures for now. :-)

Leave it to my brilliant husband to come up with this trick! At -2 degrees this a.m., he thought instantaneous freezing of boiling water was worthy of a video. It's pretty kewl! Mind you the water is boiling, and instantaneously freezes when hitting the below 0 degree air outside.

Took some pictures tonight. If I hadn't, I was afraid I'd be tarred and feathered! LOL Those on the cream colored bedding are Tessa's, and those on the green bedding are Mai's. Notice how the puppies love sleeping under the pig rails! The puppies are now attempting to walk on all fours instead of crawling. They're pretty good at it, and they don't even have their eyes or ears open yet! Tessa's babies are 2 weeks today, and Mai's are 11 days old. Enjoy the pictures! This is a 3 day weekend for us, so there will be more pictures coming!

EYES are opening!!! One of Tessa's girls has a glint in the corner of her eye. They are 14 days old today! I will take pictures tonight and post a few. Mai's puppies have not opened their eyes yet. I expect over the weekend I'll see a glimmer in some.

I was going to take some pictures last night, but we had snow all day, and it took me 3 hours to get home!!!! Enough time to feed dogs, potty them, eat dinner, do the neuro exercises with the puppies and go to bed!

I'm still sleeping in the living room. I think both Tessa and Mai (in the adjacent kitchen) enjoy my presence, as unconscious as it is. :-) Both have settled down into motherhood very nicely. No more panting and digging a den. The hormones seem to have balanced out enough for lactation and nurturing only. Whelping is behind them. The puppies are growing like weeds. Tessa's puppies, being 3 days older than Mai's, look like chunkos. But, comparing weights of both litters at the same ages, they are pretty close. All are nursing really well, and sure know how to find Mama! And they are vocal about it, too!

I anticipate eyes opening this week with Tessa's puppies, and Mai's to follow right behind this weekend. Then the fun begins! They start to recognize other litter mates, and ears open up right around that time, too. That is very funny to recognize. When you call them or make noise, their ears twitch and they lift their bobbing heads to see what all the fuss is about. Some will even bark! LOL

After that, introducing them to food is right around the corner at 3-4 weeks. Then MY fun ends! LOL

I'll try to post more pictures this week and weekend. Now they'll start looking like little dogs instead of black blobs. :-)

I seriously contemplated sleeping in my own bed last night next to Keith, my snuggle buddy. I laid down and realized I'm not ready yet to let the puppies and girls sleep alone. So, back to the sofa bed. When the babies are walking around and eyes and ears are open, I can go back to my bed. Another 10 days or so. Mai likes to "rearrange" her blankets, and I feel the need to "rerearrange" them for the puppies. OCD? Actually, it's so the puppies don't get lost in the blanket folds. :-)

Mai has taken well to her new diet. She has decided the only food she'll eat now is the Nature's Variety frozen raw patties. Here is some information on Nature's Variety: LINK. Great nutrition, but expensive! She also likes cooked ground beef and chicken breasts. Tessa, on the other hand, is a great eater! She's not at all picky. God Bless her for being easy. :-)

The puppies are beginning to sound like little dogs. They have a little growlie bark now, and are finding their voices. I will try to take a video of them nursing. It's amazing to watch them. Their sense of smell is unbelievable. They smell mom and locate her like they have a GPS system internally. Reminds me of the crabs at the shore that scuttle towards the water.

Mai and Tessa are feeling more comfortable leaving the whelping box for short periods of time now. But, as soon as they hear their babies, they make a beeline for the box again.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Mai puppies!!! One week old Sunday!

Tessa and her nursing puppies. They are 10 days old today!

(First photo) Mai's litter
(Last 2 photos)Female and Male from Tessa's Litter




Well, here we are 2 years later with TWO new litters! We bred Wren last April 2008, and she did not conceive. We later discovered she was hypothyroid, now corrected. Not wanting too much time to elapse breeding Tessa and Mai, I decided to breed them both. That was when I left my brain behind in my bed that day. LOL Mai came into season one day after Tessa, so progesterone timing and the breedings would be very close. It unraveled from there. LOL Without making this a painfully long explanation, we did breed Tessa easily using Dr. Hutchison in Cleveland via a transcervical insemination. Getting Mai pregnant was another issue. After several interferences, an uncooperative Mai, going only on her LH peak, etc, etc, she stunned us by being pregnant! We had no clue she'd even conceived. Needless to say, she is VERY fertile and the sire, Doc, is VERY virile! LOL

On New Year's Day, 2009, Tessa whelped 10 black puppies. Then 3 days later, Mai whelped 7 black puppies, and 1 chocolate female on January 4, 2009! This from a dam who wanted nothing to do with getting pregnant, and us believing her ruse. The chocolate is not available until I see how she looks at 6-8 weeks. :-)

To bring you up-to-date, it's been a VERY busy week, hence the lack of photos until now. I sleep in the living room on the sofa bed just a few feet from both girls, ensuring nothing out of the ordinary is going on. Tessa is in the dining room behind me, and Mai is in the kitchen, adjacent to Tessa, but of course, separated by a very tall gate. The a.m.'s are busy with feeding, letting dogs outside in shifts, and weighing puppies. So far, all are gaining and looking very healthy and adorable! Both dams are very good mothers. That always makes my job easier.

I have a "puppy sitter" who is with the girls and their broods daily for about 4 hours. She's wonderful, and alleviates my anxieties about not being able to stay with the puppies for weeks at a time. When I return home late afternoons from work, it's feeding dogs and letting them out again in shifts. Then beginning on day 3 of life and for 13 days, I do neuro-stimulation exercises with all of the puppies. This has been shown to enhance canine health, endurance, and intelligence. When puppies are whelped their eyes and ears are completely closed. Their main functioning senses are smell and tactile. The neuro-stimulation exercises enhance those senses and increase neural pathways in the brain. At about the age of 16 days, the puppies' eyes and ears begin to open and they become more aware of their environment, so the neuro-stimulation is no longer as effective.

Keep checking back here. I hope to have updates frequently with pictures and video. Once the puppies reach 3 weeks of age, they then become very entertaining!