pUpdates

We’re down to just Delilah with this litter. But she’s not alone! We’ll have her and Eagle a couple weeks longer than everyone else. This will be the last pUpdate for this litter. Follow us on Instagram, though, as we’ll continue to post pictures there. Thanks for following along. This has been a fun ride!

I am going to cheat the pUpdate this week and post the same on both pages.  But please look at both pages to see different photos as those are not the same.

Very fun week with these guys and our last full week with all nine.  Dandelion went home on Christmas, and Dennis went home two days later, so you’ll start to see the numbers die down as we progress toward the New Year.  These pups have been a true joy.  I remember thinking after Litter CC how could any litter top that one?  I know I’m repeating myself, but we would keep any one of these pups.  They all stand out in their own way and they are just awesome.

I did want to offer some limited advice should you find your puppy doing behavior you’re not crazy about.  At our place, we have diggers and barkers.  With seven dogs, neither of these behaviors are very desirable and can be difficult to control. 

A good rule of thumb:  A tired Llew is a good Llew.  But the days get busy and getting them the exercise they need isn’t always in the cards.  Truly, though, if you can get them out and let them run, your problems melt away.  If not, here a couple trouble areas and some suggestions if this is your Llew…

We’ll start with digging.  Shelby’s a digger and she’s been working to convert everyone else.  After doing research (YouTube, Google, etc) we’ve found there’s no cure but there is some prevention you can try.  We buy cayenne pepper in bulk (no joke, you can get it in a 5-lb container) and sprinkle it wherever you don’t want your pup digging or where a hole has been started.  It truly works.  Generally, a dog will sniff before they start digging.  When they get a whiff of the pepper they move on.  Shelby is a nondiscriminatory digger.  We can’t pepper our whole yard, but we at least can get the flower beds and then spots in the yard where she starts to dig.  You do have to reapply after rain or snow.  And one extra tip, applying in heavy wind is not very effective.

As for barking, we have a couple ladies who like to bark at the dark when we’re all tucked in and sleeping peacefully.  As soon as one barks, they all spring into action and race out of the house.  While not all engage in the conversation, the ruckus they make just getting out the dog door is startling.  We do use bark collars and have tried quite a few other deterrents to get away from the collar.  The bird houses which emit a high pitch – not reliable.  Getting up and calling them all back in doesn’t last very long.  Closing them in at night is problematic for those who can’t quite make it through the night without a pee break.  So, we tried a couple different bark collars brands and landed on the Garmin Bark Limiter Deluxe.  It has multiple settings and they truly do work.  We put them on our ladies at night and they go to bed.  There are different settings ranging from zero correction to an autorise setting where it gives the dog a warning vibration and slowly increases if the barking continues.  Before you judge too harsh, please read up on these collars.  I’m confident there isn’t a neighbor near us who loves to hear our dogs barking in the middle of the night.  We needed to do something because we like living here, and we like our neighbors.

These are suggestions based on what has worked for us and may give you a starting point if you find you need to redirect certain behaviors.  Give ‘em a try if the need arises.  If it doesn’t work, don’t give up!  There are other options out there, just keep looking.  And Good Luck!

Week 7 and we have a trio of all stars on our hands. Dennis gets most improved pup of all. My goodness, what strides he has made. He went from smallest to biggest in seven weeks. He rules the roost. Luckily the other seven have Delilah’s help! I wouldn’t pin him as Dennis the Menace, I think his size just makes him seem more rambunctious than the others. I did notice tonight when he was chewing on my hand, he was not clamping down like the others. Maybe the others are teaching him to be gentle.

Dandelion is the class clown. Today she chose to haul around a toy bigger than she was. And that toy was hers. She was not willing to share and won all tug of war battles. It’s pretty enticing to the others when someone’s dragging around a brightly colored, crinkly, sea creature looking thing. I think it was a stingray at one time…? Ultimately, she held onto it like it was a best friend, and no one was taking it away.

Deliliah reminds us the most of our Llew named Gloria. All the pups will look your direction and seemingly in your eyes, but Delilah will hold your gaze. She has a very stoic, observing nature about her. GLoria is still like this. A friend of mine once commented how Gloria has very human eyes. She’ll look at you and listen. This seems to be the same for Delilah. I may be reading too much into a seven week old pup, but she seems to observe and then play. Being the closest in size to Dennis, she has pinned him down when she gets tired of his antics.

This week they’ll get their first round of shots. We’re extremely fortunate in our relationship with our veterinarian. She comes to our house for everything puppy related. Actually, there has been a time or two when she’s come over late in the evening to doctor up our older ladies. Big thanks to Dr. Julie Frese - she makes our lives so much easier.

This week’s pUpdate will focus on puppy profiles using the same categories previous litters were evaluated by.  After you read through these, please feel free to email with any follow up questions at jennifer@hickoryhollowllewellins.com.  We have a lot we can say about all of them.  This is just a snapshot.

Temperament Types:

• Active (A) - Smart, interactive, spirited, intelligent. Pup needs owners who have the time and determination needed to train them.

• Neutral (N) - Relaxed, undemanding, well-rounded pup. Perfect for all family types.

• Passive (P) - Reserved, shy, submissive. Pup needs owners who will respect the pup’s limitations and devise ways to coax the pup out of his/her shell.

The Tests:

1. Interaction: (A) jumps right into play (N) hangs out amid activity (P) stays on sidelines

2. Play: (A) hyper (N) easy going (P) just wants to be petted

3. Cradle: Lay pup on back and cradle in arms
   (A) kicks like crazy (N) wriggles a bit then relaxes (P) relaxes immediately

4. Call back: back away from puppy with a toy
   (A) races after you, jumping and nipping at ankles (N) follows happily (P) hesitates or needs coaxing

5. Tuck & Pat: sitting in chair, settle puppy between legs and stroke pup's back
   (A) wriggles free and nips (N) wriggles then relaxes (P) enjoys the petting and relaxes immediately

6. Bend over: approach puppy then lean over to pet him/her
   (A) jumps at face (N) relax and lets it happen (P) cowers and retracts

7. Nose kiss: cradle pup's face in hands and Eskimo kiss, nose to nose
   (A) bites your nose (N) accepts and calmly returns affection (P) pulls back

8. Toe squeeze: gently squeeze the pup's skin between the toes
   (A) attacks hand (N) licks or mouths gently (P) cringes

9. Startle sound: make a loud unexpected noise (like clanking two stainless steel pans together)
   (A) aggressively approaches the source of the noise (N) nonchalant glance or stop and listen (P) cowers or withdraws

10. Uplift: lift puppy 4" off the floor cradling the midsection
    (A) wriggles and bites furiously (N) relaxes and looks around (P) looks fearful and constricts posture

Results:

• All A's - This is a dominant puppy, bright and interactive. Raising the pup will take concentration, consistency, and time. Pup's favorite expression: "What's next?"

• All N's - Easygoing and contained, this pup will be pleasant and self-assured, though perhaps not terribly motivated to follow your agenda when it conflicts with his own. Pup's favorite expression: "Is this absolutely necessary?"

• All P's - This pup has a weak self-esteem and needs your reassurance to feel safe. Without proper lessons and socialization, the pup will be shy. Pup's favorite expression: "It's been three minutes; do you still love me?"

• Mix of A and N - This puppy will want to be in the middle of everything but will show slightly more impulse control than a full-on Active pup when stimulated. Pup's favorite expression: "Let's do it again!"

• Mix of N and P - This self-assured puppy will be easygoing and gentle yet with a stronger sense of self than a completely passive pup. Because the pup is more composed, it will be an ideal puppy for a calm house. Pup's favorite expression: "Another belly rub please!"

Excerpts taken from https://www.dummies.com/pets/dogs/how-to-test-a-puppys-temperament/

I am way behind - sorry folks! Another good week. It feels like it’s been more than five weeks since that crazy night at K-State. To say we’re thrilled with these three is understated. They are a joy to be around. We have been putting them in the puppy cottage with Litter EE during the day and letting them sleep with mom in the house at night. This is not under any recommendation from anyone but it’s what we think is working best right now. We’ll continue this routine until these three go home. Skylar loves her pups and we want to give her time alone with them. All nine are doing great together in the cottage. They are a little stronger than Shelby’s but that’s the difference a week makes. We are able to allow both moms in together for supervised nursing. So far, Skylar is the only dog Shelby will allow in with her pups. We keep a close watch but it’s the easiest way to let both nurse and contain the mess. All nine pups are really good about going to the bathroom in the shavings and keeping the play area clean. It’s amazing how quickly they figure this out. Hopefully it means they’ll be easy to house train…! We will post puppy temperaments in the next day or two. Admittedly, it’s basketball season and our time is shared between raising pups and raising teenagers. Basketball is maybe the busiest sport the kids do. We’re headed to Concordia tonight for three games. I do want to point out one of the pictures below is Stella with Skylar’s pups. Stella is a full sister to Skylar (Litter O - Odessa). This is the first time Stella has allowed a pup to even touch her, let alone chew on an ear. Good Aunt ;). For an idea of what these pups might look like, Gloria is also the daughter of Skylar (Litter W - Willow).

Another good week for these pups. We offered real food for the first time and they did not turn it down! The first few meals were a mix of goats milk, rice cereal, and soggy puppy kibbles to get them interested. They now just get soggy kibbles (Purina ProPlan Lamb & Rice Puppy Formula) and don’t mind it at all. It seems estimating the amount of puppy food to soak is about like guessing how much spaghetti to make - we end up with enough for the neighborhood. But Skylar is always game to finish it off. We did get snow this week - this one storm was more than we had all last year. Much needed. But it does mean the pups won’t be getting outside any time soon. Everyone received a dose of deworming today, including Savvy. She seems to really want to hang out with these three so we figured we better get her on the deworming schedule as well. Skylar doesn’t have any problem with the other dogs playing with her pups which is lucky for us. We brought these three in the house temporarily, which you may have read about on Jeff’s social media post. As soon as Shelby’s Litter EE is weaned (and she’s comfortable with it), we’ll put all nine together in the puppy cottage. All nine puppies already interact with each other, but just for short periods of time. These three are a bit stronger, having an extra week on Shelby’s, but all are about the same size.

We have noticed a good change in Skylar this week.  Our guess is she’s feeling better and not quite as sore although she’s never been one to complain about any aches or pains.  She’s definitely more comfortable with motherhood this week.  Her pups have been gaining weight much faster over the past few days and we’re starting to reach milestones.  Everyone’s eyes have opened and they’re all starting to perfect their stumbling drunk walk.  Delilah enjoys a good meal followed by a long nap, on repeat.  She seems to prefer space from the other two as we often find Dennis and Dandelion draped over each other in an opposite corner.  Dennis was the first up on his feet.  Week three will bring a bit more activity if you’re able to catch much on our temperamental puppy cam.