Week 7

Day 53 - 11/15/09

Today is Gordon's day! I'm sure after spending a lonely night in the Puppy Cottage, he will be glad that it's his turn for a bath and blow dry, seeing as how all the other pups got all dolled up and then disappeared. He was the perfect gentleman in the bath tub and sat there like a little trouper while being all lathered up and then rinsed. He even sat very well for the big loud blow dryer. I was very impressed.

As we usually do with the last pup, we brought Gordon into the house after his bath to play and interact with the big dogs and the cats while we waited for his new family. He was such a good boy, exploring every nook and cranny and returning to my side when called.

Like all the other pups, Gordon couldn't have been happier with the new family that chose him. His name will remain Gordon (that's THREE pups from this litter that kept their temporary Litter "G" names), after his new parents considered Barron and Colby for their new pup. They said that the name "Gordon" just stuck. We are lucky that Gordon will be staying very close by in the Cedar Rapids area and we will have more of a first-hand experience watching him grow up.
 

Day 52 - 11/14/09

Today is Gunther and Gator's day to go home. The Schlueters traveled all the way from Nebraska to come get Gunther (new name is Hickory's General Trek -- Trek for short). They brought along Gunther's new big brother Sig (actually Hickory's Captain Sig, who is a half brother from Litter F - Duchess / Splash) so they could meet on neutral ground. Sig wasn't so sure what to think of Gunther and the other Litter G pups at first, especially when they all tried to nurse from him (LOL!) But he slowely warmed up to Gunther and by the time they were ready to head back to Nebraska, Sig was already initiating play with his new little bro. It usually turns out that older adolescent Llews paired with a pup will become fast friends. It's fun to watch.

Gator is keeping his Hickory Hollow name and is also going to Nebraska to live with the Nuttelmans, a little boy named Brady and will have a Britney Spaniel for a big sister, hunting partner and playmate. Gator greeted his new family with puppy kisses and apparent contentment. He sat on his new momma's lap the entire time we were going over the puppy papers and didn't make a peep. Gator almost ended up going home with a hot pink collar when his new momma tried to sneak that color on him, but when his new pappa saw what she was doing, she traded for another color. Gator has an excited extended family anxiously waiting to greet him when he gets home.
 

Day 50 - 11/12/09

Ginny flew the coop today, literally... she was hand delivered to her new daddy in NY city. Bob said she was a great traveler and a little trouper the entire way. No complaints from her other than when he was carrying her through the airport in her airline approved "duffle bag" backwards! Once he turned her around so she was moving forward and could see where she was going out the front, she quieted right down. When she arrived in NYC, she hit the ground running, which is a common statement from all our new puppy parents. It seems nothing really phases these pups, even during such a life changing event and a super turbulent airplane ride. I have a feeling Ginny will be a well-traveled dog!  She bonded with her new dad right away, standing on his chest and jumping up to give puppy kisses on his face and nose. Then she settled right down on his lap, watched the people go by. He was smitten; it appeared to be love at first sight and the beginning of a beautiful relationship. I only wish I had been there to witness this heartwarming scene with my own eyes! 
 

Day 49 - 11/11/09

Today we had to say good-bye to Gideon (new name is "Hank III") who will be going to Arizona/Idaho and will be living with the Madsens, and also to Grace (her name is staying Grace) who will be living in our neighboring state of Illinois with the Williamsons. Both Gideon and Grace welcomed their new families with lots of puppy kisses and cold-nose nuzzles.  Grace got to meet her new big brother Leo, who is actually a full brother by the same parents (Duchess/Hank) and is our gal HOPE's littermate brother. It's a small world isn't it?  While the Williamsons were here, HOPE, Grace and Leo ran and played together in the yard. It was especially fun to let Duchess see her son and to see HOPE and Leo play. What a fun and rewarding day. Photos coming soon.
 

This week's milestone: Pups go home.
This is the week that all the puppies will fly the coop and begin their exciting new lives with their new families. While we will miss them, we are so excited for them and for all the adventures they will have.
 

Week 6

Day 46 - 11/08/09

Yet another beautiful, 73 degree day this weekend allowed the pups to venture outside one more time for another play session in the grass.  We won't have very many more beautiful days like this before it turns cold and yucky outside.

During our play session, we discovered that Gordon is going to be a grass eater / digger. He would dig dig dig near the edge of the fence and pluck the grass out with his teeth leaving bare holes behind.  When he came to visit me as I sat in the playpen, he smiled at me with grass still stuck in his teeth. :0)~  Gideon and Gator are shoe chewers. They tag teamed on my right foot, chewing on the tongue, untying the laces, dragging the shoe off my foot and ended up running off with it (my tennies are slip-ons). Gator, after sticking his head way down into it taking a big whiff of the wonderful aroma, pranced around with it as proud as could be. Grace is a t-shirt tugger, no matter how I sat, she could always find a corner to grab and play tug with. Ginny and Gunther are leaf eaters. We would play with the wing on the string, but if they came up on it too fast it would fly away, so they decided to pounce on the crunchy leaves and munch on them instead because those didn't fly away.  All in all it was another wonderfully chaotic and adventurous day.
 

Day 45 - 11/07/09

The weather was beautiful again today and the temps reached almost 70 degrees so I wanted to take advantage of the warmth and sunshine to let the pups have yet another new experience.  I took the puppy playpen out in the yard so the pups could have a romp session in the grass.  I took some photos of the play session. Some are quite hilarious as the pups rom and scurry around at lightning speed!
 

Day 44 - 11/06/09

The weather today was warm enough that we let the pups out into the doggy run. We put momma in the run to help entice the pups through the doggy door and to the outside. I took some really cute photos of the pups while they were all trying to squeeze through the door.

Miscellaneous 6 week photos now online (view photos)
 

Day 42 - 11/04/09

First, I must apologize for the delay between blog entries. As the pups age they become more and more demanding of my time and I've been spending it out in the Puppy Cottage letting the pups play, socializing them to new sights and sounds and drawing out their natural hunting instincts using the pheasant wing on fishing line, not to mention cleaning up after them, ha-ha. Playtime sessions have gone from 15 minutes at most three weeks ago to an hour now as the pups now have more stamina and don't sleep as many hours during the day.

I think you will all be excited to hear that this litter of pups are probably the most birdy at this age that we've had up to this point. The past two days during playtime, I've been flying the wing over their heads, landing it on the floor and watching the pups develop a slightly crouched stalking walk towards the wing as it lays still on the floor. As we've played this way the past three days, I've watched their prey drive develop and they've gone from just chasing a play thing and trying to pounce on it, to figuring out how to sneak up on it so it doesn't fly away. These pups are seriously amazing! You can just see their nervous energy and the intensity in their body language when they stalk the wing, quivering with excitement. Some of the pups have even developed an approach where they stalk it, hunkering down as they walk gingerly towards the wing, and then don't get too close as to scare it, but start to circle it instead of pouncing. This is the PERFECT response!  We have even been able to coax a full-on point out of each of the pups. Gracie totally surprised us and was the first to display a beautiful point with tail straight up and front paw raised and tucked which she actually held for 20 seconds! Pausing for that amount of time was not a fluke since the pups at this age are non-stop action and don't usually sit still for 5 seconds, let alone 20!  Since Gracie, the rest have all followed suit and we've seen them all lock up on the wing. Gordon is probably the most birdy of the males, with Gideon and Gunther next, and Gator not far behind. Gator held a beautiful point as well. It truly sends chills down your spine to see such young pups display the natural instincts that have been bred into them. Bob and I are planning to work together tonight to try and capture some of this behavior on film so you can all witness it for yourselves. Stay tuned...
 

Day 42 - 11/04/09

3rd worming

Pups had their final worming today and took it pretty well. We are no longer allowing momma to nurse the pups, so any liquid milk-like substance is readily welcomed by the pups -- apparently no matter what it tastes like.
 

This week's milestone: Eye color changes from blue to gold or brown
This is the week that the puppies eyes will make the transition from their baby blues to their adult color. All the tri-chestnut pups will have golden yellow eyes and the tri-color black pups will have deep amber to brown colored eyes as adults.
 

Week 5

Day 41 - 11/03/09

Miscellaneous photos from Week 5 are now online.

Day 38 - 10/31/09

As an extra special treat for Halloween this week, I carved a Llewellin Setter pumpkin and took the pup portraits for Week 5 standing in it! I hope you enjoy them.  

The pups were hysterical. As you can imagine, this was not an easy task to capture these pups looking so darling, it was actually quite comical.  Since we are desensitizing pups to different types of noises out in the Puppy Cottage, that fact worked against me because no matter what noise I made, I could not seem to get the pup's attention easily. They would sit all the way down in the pumpkin so sometimes you could only see the top of their heads (next time, smaller pumpkin), they would "taste" the pumpkin and Gideon almost beheaded the carved setter, and some would try to escape from their peril out the carved opening.

It took about an hour to get them all done, but I think it was well worth it. I couldn't have done it without my trusty camera tri-pod. I will be posting some of the funny "out takes" in the Week 5 miscellaneous photos section. They are quite hilarious!

Week 5 Puppy Portraits now online.
 

Day 37 - 10/30/09

This morning the pups ate TWO cans of Science Diet instead of one for breakfast and they also had Science Diet Puppy Small Bites dry kibble mixed in with the canned food. They gobbled it all up like there was no tomorrow!

For the remainder of Week 5, pups will slowly be transitioned from wet canned food to dry kibble and Duchess will be nursing less and less. For each of their meals, we will gradually add more dry kibble and reduce the canned. The goal is by the time they turn 6 weeks they will be eating only dry food. Then the last week they are at Hickory Hollow, we will strictly enforce eating only dry kibble and absolutely no nursing so that they will be ready to go at 7 weeks and still eat well at their new homes.

Week 5 portraits will be online soon... I have something extra special planned for this week so stay tuned...
 

Day 36 - 10/29/09

This evening the pups had more special visitors. The Rasmussens visited Litter G again, this time to pick out their new addition to the family. They were torn between Gordon and Grace, but Gordon completely captured their hearts and so they chose him. They did comment that Grace had changed drastically in one week's time and that she wasn't the same timid and shy pup she was last time they visited. They were amazed at her transformation.

Pups are now bedded down on pine shavings instead of cedar chips. The pine is much softer, fluffier and more absorbent and still has a wonderful fresh aroma. It's also much easier to clean up and I sure wish I had tried that sooner because it is working beautifully.
 

Day 35 - 10/28/09

We had fun today! In our after dinner playtime, we had a percussion session. In order to help acclimate our pups to all kinds of noises, I rapped, tapped and knocked on a bunch of different types of surfaces.  At first the puppies stopped in their tracks and wondered "What's that?" Then they kept on playing like it didn't phase them.

I kept going, making fun rhythmic noises, some soft, some loud, on everything from the countertop to empty Science Diet cans to their stainless steel dinner bowl. After a couple minutes the pups started paying more attention and they ended up all sitting side by side like a captive audience seemingly enjoying my attempt to "make music". Ginny decided that my performance needed some audience participation, so she joined in by pawing at the bottom of the stainless steel bowl I was holding upside down like a drum. She was so cute, she'd lunge forward and paw at the bowl, making a thump with her paw and then jump back. She did that repeatedly several times making her own contribution to the music. Then some of the others joined in, you know "Monkey see, Monkey do". Pups are so easily coaxed. I wished I'd had someone there to video tape our percussion session.

Two new video clips are now online
 

This week's milestone: Puppy Selection Week - Pup's will belong to a new family

At the start of this week, the puppies belong to Hickory Hollow, but by the end of the week, they will belong to a new family! Even though they won't know it yet, they will have been spoken for by their new puppy parents and in a couple weeks will get to go to their new homes.
 

Week 4

Day 34 - 10/27/09

Well folks, I'm sure you are all anxiously awaiting tomorrow's commencement of Puppy Selection week, it's kinda like Christmas, don't you think?  

Here's how it will work; after each deposit holder makes their choice, we will contact the next person and so forth down the list until all the pups have been chosen.  If you need more information about the pups that are available for your pick, please don't hesitate to contact us or to take some time to think about your choices. We want everyone to be 100% sure of their puppy selection and happy with their decision. We do encourage you to visit Hickory Hollow in person to make your puppy selection, however if that is not possible we can chat over the phone.  We'll be talking to you soon!

Puppy playtime is definitely chaotic now. The pups are everywhere and are underfoot so quickly, you have to step gingerly, paying careful attention to the placement of your next step. If you sit on the floor with them, you can call yourself a "puppy magnet" because they will gravitate to you and will be all over you in an instant.  It's a wonderful thing until one is chewing on your ankle, or untying your shoes, or tugging on your shirtsleeve with their sharp little teeth. They are very people oriented and are reactive to your voice and any other noises you can think up. What a bunch of cutie-patooties! 
 

Day 33 - 10/26/09

Today we switched the pups from mash to strictly canned Science Diet puppy food. Most of the pups ate it very well, but others are not quite ready for the more solid food and would rather lick it up than have to chew it.  I will continue with the mash for another day and try again. Others are already trying to eat their momma's dry food, but the kibble size is just slightly too large for their little mouths. When I do switch them to dry kibble, I will start with Science Diet Puppy - Small Bites formula.  

More miscellaneous photos of Week 4 are now online.

Puppy Personality Profiles have just been posted.
 

Day 32 - 10/25/09

The pups had another extra special visitor today who came from a long way away just to meet them in person. It was a beautiful sunny day and some of the pups got to have their very first outing in the grass. We took Ginny, Gordon, Gunther and Gracie out in the front yard and set them on the cool grass.  At first they all hunkered down really low due to being in new surroundings; they weren't sure what to think. The first one to venture from his landing spot was Gunther and pretty soon he was trucking all over the yard checking things out. Ginny sat in one place and whined for a bit until I called her name and then she focused on me and came towards me.  We all enjoyed watching the puppies romp and play. Ginny kept circling around her visitor who was laying flat out in the grass next to her and she went up to him and gave him some puppy kisses. She must have known that maybe he was going to be her new dad.  Surprisingly, Gordon wasn't as adventurous in the yard as we have seen him be in the Puppy Cottage.  Even more surprisingly, Grace seemed to enjoy the outdoors more than Gordon and was soon running around the yard with her siblings and chasing my feet. Gracie is really coming out of her shell and new situations are not so worrisome to her anymore. She is a real snuggler too. She would rather be in your lap or by your side than exploring. All the pups did really good at coming back to us when called.

We also got out the fishing pole with the pheasant wing on the string. Gunther was definitely interested in it and you could tell he had a nose for it. He smelled it immediately and had his nose to the ground sniffing the scent it left as it was being dragged through the grass. We also put the wing in front of Ginny and she was also interested in it like Gunther.
 

Day 31 - 10/24/09

Weaning is going good, all the pups are eating really well. We are currently feeding mash two times per day, but we will go to three times per day starting tomorrow. Duchess is such a good mommy, she patiently watches and waits while they eat and even cleans the mash off their little faces. When they are completely finished, she will go in after them and clean up the dinner plate and the floor surrounding it.

Today's Observations:

Like Ginny yesterday, Gunther flew the coop today, this time while I was in the room. I took out the 1/4 door extension so it was back to only 1/2 height and while I was fixing their mash, Gunther got out! I guess he was ready for din-din!  

Playtime is starting to become chaotic! Gracie was very playful today. It appears she is getting used to her new surroundings in the Puppy Cottage and was play bowing, jumping and spinning and initiating play with Gideon. She was even caught tugging on my shoestrings. Ginny was seen chewing on her back foot (a fickle Llewellin trait) and she has also found a new place to play. She LOVES the laundry basket underneath the deep sink and was seen crawling up in there and spinning circles. Gator tried to tug the blanket out of Ginny's favorite spot, but it's a bit too heavy for him yet. Gator was also quite the little snuggler today. While I was sitting on the floor, he came up to me, put his front paws up on my leg and let me scratch his back. He really liked that and stayed there for a long time. Then he crawled up in my lap for snuggle time. At one point I had Gideon, Gator and Ginny in my lap all at once! Gordon continues to be the most energetic and explorative. He's into and behind everything! Gideon also likes to explore and has no problems being away from the pack.

The tan ticking is now starting to become evident on the pups' faces. The dominant black or chestnut ticking appeared first, but now you can start to see their "tri-colors" with the addition of the tan ticking. They are all going to be beautiful dogs!
 

Day 30 - 10/23/09

Today a pup flew the coop! I had stopped out at the puppy room right after work to feed the pupper-doodles. Then put them all back in their playpen. When I went back out later that evening Duchess was nursing only FIVE pups, and I started to panic! Where was the 6th pup?  Then I felt a little tug on my pantleg... to my relief it was little Ginny saying "Hello". Apparently, she had scaled the puppy play pen door and climbed out! She had been curled up sleeping on a clean blanket in the laundry basket and her spot was still warm. Needless to say, the half-door to the play pen immediately become a 3/4 high door because I quickly added the 1/4 height extension. NO MORE ESCAPEES, at least for a little while!

More Video Clips were added today.
 

Day 29 - 10/22/09

Puppy Selection Week is fast approaching. In order to help some of you that are still trying to narrow down between a couple pups, I will be posting Personality Profiles sometime this weekend. During each play session I have both a camera and a notepad in hand and I am snapping photos and writing down personality observations so I can report on them.  If any of you have any questions or want to chat about a particular pup, just give us a call. We are here to help.

I will also be posting more miscellaneous photos and videos that I have taken over the past week very soon.

4 Week Puppy Portraits are now online

Day 28 - 10/21/09

Today's pup observations:

All ate their morning and evening mash pretty well. It's a big adjustment going from mother's milk to solid food, but these pups are definitely ready.

Gordon and Ginny are the most people oriented right now, with Gator being close behind. Gator is very laid back and doesn't seem to be bothered by much or get worked up about anything. Gator was the first one to give up on playtime and go sack out. Gordon is the most energetic, explorative and playful of the pups and wags his tail wherever he goes.  Grace is starting to come out of her shell more and more. It takes her a little while, but eventually she warms up to a situation and will get right in there. Today she was instigating play with Gunther. Gunther and Gideon are both just as sweet as pie and are both explorative and not afraid to scout out on their own away from the pack.

They are all starting to chew, chew, chew and tug, tug, tug! It will get worse as time goes by, this is just the beginning! The pups are growling more frequently during play. If one pup is chewing on them and they don't like it they will growl and bite back. Today the pups were also introduced to Country Music, complementary of our local radio station.

The pups had very special visitors today! The Rasmussens came out to see the litter and start formulating opinions about which pup they will make a part of their family.
 

This week's milestone: Rough Play / Weaning Begins

We are no longer weighing puppies on a daily basis now, however I will still weigh them weekly.

Right now the pups are so sweet and gentle and when they come to see you they are snuggly and want to be held and get some attention. For the most part, they like to crawl into your lap and go to sleep. In a few days, this will all go away and they begin to become little monsters (lovingly referred to of course). They will bite everything they can get their little mouths on including fingers, toes and their favorites... shoelaces! As their little personalities continue to emerge this week, we will be posting puppy personality profiles in preparation for puppy selection starting next Wednesday.
 

Week 3

Day 27 - 10/20/09

Today was the litter's first solid food dinner. I feed them mash, which is canned Science Diet Puppy food mashed into small bits and mixed with warm water to make a gruel. The pups were not sure at first and started by sniffing the bowl, but it smelled so good that they couldn't resist taking one lick.  Once it registered that they actually liked what they tasted it was like a light bulb went on and then it became a feeding frenzy. All the pups ate their first solid food meal very well. Pups are also drinking water from the automatic waterer.

Tonight was also the pups' first night outside the whelping box and in the cedar lined play pen.

Today's play and mealtime observations:

Gideon and Gordon explored everywhere. Ginny loves to tug on shirt sleeves and pant legs. Gator couldn't seem to get enough to eat during dinnertime and at times was caught with his whole body in the food dish. After a while Gordon crawled up on my lap for a snooze.

Week 3 miscellaneous photos now online  

Day 26 - 10/19/09

2nd worming

Puppies had their first extended playtime outside the box today. They are awake for longer periods of time now and playtime lasted about 10 minutes before they started to sack out on momma's bed. Each play session will get longer and longer as the pups get older to where they will play for 1/2 hour to 45 minutes at a time. OH JOY!

During playtime today, we noticed that all the pups were inquisitive of their new surroundings, some quicker than others, but eventually they were all romping and running around. Everywhere Ginny went her tail was wagging 100 miles per hour! Gordon couldn't get into enough stuff, Gator galloped back and forth across the room several times, Grace tried to play tug with my pant legs, Gideon crawled up on the step I was sitting on and pawed me on the back, and Gunther was following all his siblings around trying to instigate play.  At this point they all get along very well and we haven't noticed any bullies yet.
 

Day 25 - 10/18/09

Puppies were moved to the Puppy Cottage this evening. We also moved the whelping box so that it would make their transition easier so you shouldn't notice much difference on the LIVE Puppy Cam yet. Duchess will stay with them for the next week, so we also moved her bed so she could be comfortable out there.  

From this point forward, the pups will be exposed to different sights, sounds and smells and we will begin their socialization process. Pups are now able to have visitors as their immune systems are taking over now where momma's milk was supplementing immunity before.

I've taken lots of miscellaneous photos this week and I will try to get them posted for you soon.
 

Day 23 - 10/16/09

At this point we can see all the darkly freckled skin underneath the pups' white coats. The amount of freckled skin will someday produce the colored hairs that speckle the coat -- which we call ticking -- and the amount of freckled skin is a good indicator of how ticked the dog will be as an adult.  The observations from this morning's evaluation have been posted for each puppy in the stats section.

Three week portraits now online! (view portraits)
P.S. I combined all the male and female pups into one portrait grid.
 

Day 22 - 10/15/09

More and more of the pups are now starting to display play behavior, some of which is already becoming rough. I saw Gordon grab Ginny by the neck yesterday and toss his head around. Gator is rapidly becoming a lap dog and sits in the box and cries until you pick him up and snuggle him.  He was really enjoying laying in my lap for a good rubbin'. Grace and Gideon seem to be more laid back and mellow and are not the instigators of play... yet. Ginny is inquisitive and personable. She is usually the first pup to the edge of the box to come greet you and Gunther is usually right there with her. These are just our observations at this point in time and things will certainly change more as time progresses.
 

Day 21 - 10/14/09

The pups are getting so big now and seeing so well that Duchess is now standing to nurse sometimes. The pups eyesight has really developed and now they can look up and see the milkbar when momma's standing. Here's how the pups measure up at 3 weeks:

This week's milestones: Introduction to solid food / Play behavior

This is my absolute favorite time with the pups.  Their eyes and ears are open and they are becoming playful and inquisitive about their surroundings. Their individual personalities begin to develop and they will begin to do some of their natural doggy behavior for the first time. Their skin is freckled enough that we will be able to tell how much ticking the pups will have as adults.
 

Week 2

Day 20 - 10/13/09

Today the pups are all really displaying play behavior. Gordon was chewing on Gunther's ear, Grace was biting Gideon's neck and Ginny was seen trying to play tug with a towel that was draped over the whelping box wall. Now the fun begins!

Additional Week 2 miscellaneous photos just posted
 

Day 19 - 10/12/09

Unlike the eyes opening on separate days for each of the pups, they all cut teeth today (both upper and lower). If you lift up their soft lips, their mouths now look like piranhas as their little jagged teeth are sticking out through the gums. Poor Duchess... now is the time that nursing becomes painful.
 

Day 18 - 10/11/09

As the pups came to greet me at the edge of the box this morning, some of them were wagging their tails. Oh JOY! This is the most fun time with the pups because their little personalities are just starting to emerge and they are starting to exhibit some of their wonderful doggy behaviors for the very first time.  Some of them are starting to initiate play with their littermates, while others aren't sure how to take that yet.

Pups will be cutting teeth very soon. Right now you can see their little teeth forming below the gum line and they will be breaking through very soon.
 

Day 17 - 10/10/09

1st worming.

Pups are easy to worm at this age and readily lap up the banana colored medication from the plastic syringe. It must taste good because they don't try to spit it back out.

Now that the pups's eyes are open, they are beginning to notice sounds and shapes. Last evening they came over to the edge of the box to see me and started to crawl out of the box already! I had to add the half-door on the box to keep them in.

2 week Puppy Portraits are now online
2 week Miscellaneous Photos are also available

Day 16 - 10/09/09

Today was the last day for the Super Dog program. Most pups tolerated the exercises very well, but there were some exercises the pups didn't like, particuarly during the tail over head position, they would start to struggle a little bit. This is a good neurological response to being hung upside down :0)~  It appears their nervous system is developing well.

Today's fun observations:

Gunther now has his plush puppy coat and so does Grace; first reported was Gator. The others aren't quite there yet, but should be soon.  

Puppies are starting to notice sounds. When I was talking to Gunther while he was practicing his pacing, his ears were twitching back and forth. Some of the other puppies responded in the same manner (ears twitching) to kissing noises.

Bob got his first puppy kisses this evening from Gator who proceeded to lick his nose and respond to his voice.

I will be posting 2 week puppy portraits soon.
 

Day 15 - 10/08/09

Eye opening update:

Gideon - both eyes 3/4 open

Gordon - both eyes 3/4 open

Gator - left eye 3/4 open, right eye 1/2 open

Tonight was quite an entertaining night in the whelping box. Gunther was practicing his walking and getting his balance, so he'd walk from one side of the box (toppling over a few times inbetween), sit down, turn around and walk back to the other side of the box. He did this a few times before he got tuckered out and laid back down for a nap.

Gordon was trying to do the same thing (practicing his walk), but what was so funny was that when he'd topple over he would keep rolling right on over and back up to a standing position on the other side of the roll. It was quite the hoot!
 

Day 14 - 10/07/09

Eye opening update:

Gideon - both eyes 1/2 open

Gordon - both eyes 1/2 open

Grace - eyes are open!

Gator - both eyes 1/2 open

Now that the pups are so much bigger, today was the first day I noticed Duchess sitting (instead of laying down) to nurse the pups. They are so big that it's getting harder and harder for them to lay side-by-side at the milkbar and are starting to pile up on each other.  Here's how the pups currently measure up:

This week's milestones:  Ears will open/Cutting teeth

Most of the pups' eyes are now open with a couple trailing behind but they will be open soon. They will be able to see clearer and clearer each day, starting with shadows for the first few days until their eyes can focus on specific objects. This will be a fun week and we are looking forward to having the puppies notice us when we come into the room and come over to the edge of the box to greet us. This week's milestone, although not as noticeable as the eyes opening, but just as significant for the pups, are that their ear canals will be opening. Later this week the pups will be noticeably affected by the sounds around them.
 

Week 1

Day 13 - 10/06/09

Last evening I noticed that Gator's coat was becoming very soft, thick and plush. If you stroke his coat forwards and backwards you can tell it's much thicker than the other pups right now. This morning I noticed the same thing about Grace, so their coats are already changing. Eventually all the pups will get in their plush puppy coats.

This evening, Bob was entertained by Gator who was practicing his bark. Bob laughed until he nearly cried it was so funny. Gator is the first pup to actually bark (rather than "yip"), but the others will follow along soon. All the pups have been making vocal sounds from their cooing while sleeping, gulping chirps while nursing and their little lost yips when they get separated from the group or are hungry for momma to come, but they really haven't started barking, yet...

Eye opening update:

Gideon - both eyes 1/4 open 

Ginny - both eyes completely open!

Gunther - both eyes completely open!

Grace - both eyes 3/4 open

Gordon - eyes just starting to open

Gator - both eyes 1/4 open

Two more video clips were added today!

Day 12 - 10/05/09

The pups change so quickly at this age; what a difference a few hours makes! Every one of the pups is already up and walking around, some much better than others, but they are all still pretty wobbly. Some pups are able to take a couple steps before falling over and others can take three or four steps (those pups have been practicing more! ha ha!)

It seems the rate of eye opening is about 1/4 of the way per day and seems consistent with all the pups no matter what date the process starts.

Gideon - no signs yet

Ginny - both eyes 3/4 open

Gunther - both eyes 1/2 open

Grace - both eyes 1/2 open

Gordon - no signs yet

Gator - both eyes just starting

Day 11 - 10/04/09

Last evening Gordon was up off his belly and walking for a few short seconds. The rest of the pups are also trying to get up and walk but their balance is not good yet. They will become more agile over the next week and it won't be long before they are running!

More pups' eyes are opening today.

Gideon - no signs yet

Ginny - both eyes are half open

Gunther - left eye is 1/3 open

Grace - both eyes 1/4 open

Gordon - no signs yet

Gator - right corner just starting today

Check out a video clip of Gunther's first steps

Day 10 - 10/03/09

This morning when doing my daily pup weighings, I noticed that Ginny was scratching her ear on her own! Right from birth the scratching instinct is apparent and you can coax the natural reflex by tickling the belly or rubbing behind an ear, but today Ginny was actually sitting up with her right leg scratching behind her right ear.  I'm sure this is because their ear canals are also deepening and will be opening up next week so they may be noticing some changes which cause them to scratch.

Pups are growing like little weeds, they are now gaining at least 2 to 3 ounces per day or more and here's how they currently measure up:

More miscellaneous photos just posted!
 

Day 9 -10/02/09

When looking over the pups today I noticed that Ginny is the first pups to have her eyes start opening up! The corner of her right eye is just beginning and I can see some glistening of the eye beneath. It won't be long now because once they start to open the process is fairly rapid.  None of the other pups have shown any signs of opening yet, other than the deepening crease of the eyelids.
 

Day 8 - 10/01/09

Puppy portraits are now available!

Pups are getting stronger everyday and are already trying to get their bellies up off the ground and walk. They are now able to pee and poo on their own. Up until now momma had to stimulate them by licking them. Their dew claw incisions are now completely healed and the scabs are gone. Many of them have found their little voices and "yip yip" when momma comes in the room or if they are hungry and want her to come feed them. Pretty soon they will be opening their eyes and we are keeping a close watch on that every day so that we can report when that begins to happen.
 

Day 7 - 09/30/09

I'm still weighing the pups each morning and applying the "Super Dog" techniques on each of them. This gives me an excellent opportunity to look them over thoroughly. When I lay them on their backs, I look at their belly button to make sure the umbilical area is healing nicely. When I hold them in the "head over tail" position, I check their eyes and noses for abnormal discharge. When I put them in the "tail over head" position, I look at their little butts to make sure we don't have any bowl or diarrhea problems. When I tickle their feet, I check that their dew claw areas are healing nicely without any issues. This way the Super Dog techniques I am performing serve dual purposes and I like to be efficient!

I will be taking the pups' one week portraits later today and will try to get them posted late this evening, so stay tuned...
 

This week's milestone: Eyes will open

During this week, the pups will reach an exciting milestone; their eyes will be opening probably around October 4th or 5th and definitley before they turn 2 weeks old. Right now, their eyelids are fused together but there is a crease that defines the upper from the lower lid. As their eyes start to open the crease starts to deepen and separate starting at the corner of the eye by the tear ducts and working across the eye until they are completely separated. The opening process can take a couple days from the first peek of the glistening eyeball beneath to being able to entirely see those beautiful baby blues. Once their eyes are open, the precious little babes take on a whole new personality. I will take some photos of this process as it happens later this week and post to the Miscellaneous Litter Photos section.
 

Birth Week

Day 5 - 09/28/09

Wow! The puppies freckles are rapidly appearing and they are most apparent on their little pink noses and bellies. It won't be long before we will be able to predict how much ticking the puppies will have as adult dogs. I posted some more photos of their little faces and tummies so you can see what I'm talking about.
 

Day 3 - 09/26/09

Today we started the Super Dog program. For those of you who don't know what that's all about, (read more).  We will be performing the "Super Dog" techniques from now until day 16.

Pups are all steadily gaining weight, with the average being 2 to 4 ounces daily. Here's how the pups currently measure up.

Some miscellaneous litter photos and videos have just been posted. As promised, I've added the footage of Grace (pup #4) being born. Check it out!
 

Day 1 - 09/24/09

Pups are doing great! I hope you all have seen them on the LIVE Puppy Cam. It's hard to tell in the photos and on the camera just how small they actually are. If you can imagine one puppy laying curled up in the palm of your cupped hand, that's what size they are right now. Even the BIG BOY "Gator" fits, just barely, but he fits, so I took some photos of him snuggled in my hand tonight. How precious they are at this age, so tiny and fragile. I will plan on posting a bunch of litter photos this weekend along with a couple videos.

Dew claws were removed today.
 

Day 0 - 09/23/09

All 6 pups are doing well and are suckling enthusiastically. It always amazes me how the pups instinctively seek a nipple and suckle, even though they are only minutes old and cannot see. Right off the bat, I'm very impressed with the little tri-chestnut female; she is very hefty and strong! Another thing I noticed is that some of the pup's facial markings are different than what we usually see out of Duchess. While some of the pups have the standard full hood, a couple others have bald faces with patches that only encompass the ears and don't include the eyes. I can't wait to see what they will look like when they get a little older and their facial ticking starts coming in!  Pup portraits will be taken later this afternoon and will be posted soon. In the meantime, check out the LIVE Puppy Cam.

Duchess is being the attentive mother as always and has only left them for 3 minutes to go outside. I'm hoping that she will finally eat dinner tonight.
 

Pup names:  A BIG Thank you to everyone who participated in the Name Game and sent us your list of "G" names. You guys are so fun!! There were so many good ones to choose from it made it very hard, we don't have enough pups for all the cool names! Name selection is currently in process... stay tuned!

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 (63 days post-breeding)

I took some neat video footage of female pup #4 being born, so I will get that posted along with the newborn photos! I believe Duchess is done because she asked to go outside to go potty.  No more contractions either. I must assume litter total is six.  LIVE Puppy Cam is now online!  Future BLOG entries will be under the Puppy BLOG section.

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009 (62 days post breeding)

10:30 pm  Duchess' temperature has dropped to 98.6 and believe it will keep going down and reach the red-line of 98.4.  We will keep watch closely now as whelping should begin within 24 hours!!
 

Monday, September 21st, 2009 (61 days post breeding)

Duchess has not been eating well the last couple days. This is normal behavior for her a couple days before whelping, but she appears to be going earlier than normal. I've tried to entice her with home cooked venison and rice dishes and she went for it at first, but then quickly tired of it.
 

Friday, September 18th, 2009 (58 days post breeding)

Duchess is definitely getting fat and last night was the first night I felt the puppies moving when I laid my hand on her belly. She has begun "nesting" by piling up her bed and scratching around before she lays down. Most nights now she can be found laying on her back with her big ol' belly up.  

We are getting very close now with only 8 or so more days left to go.  Tomorrow I will start taking Duchess' baseline temperature every morning and evening so that I can measure and monitor it up until she has the pups. Drastic temperature fluctuations indicate that puppies are coming, so we will be watching that closely over the next week.

We are starting to review "G" names for this litter and we'd like your help!  We are looking for fresh, fun and unique names for our special pups. Feel free to participate in our search by sending us your "G" name list for consideration, we might just end up using a name from your list.  Click here to e-mail them to us.

Current waist measurement is 30.25".
 

Monday, September 7th, 2009 (47 days post breeding)

We've begun feeding Duchess her two meals per day and she is loving that. She is really fattening up now and is obviously pregnant, showing in her expanding belly, the way she sits and how she waddles when she walks. She is starting to sleep on her back more lately and when it gets closer to her whelping date, she will sleep almost entirely on her back so as not to put the pressure of her body weight on the babies. Countdown to whelping is approximately 19 days (63 days post breeding).

Current waist measurement is 28.5".
 

Monday, August 31st, 2009  (40 days post breeding)

Duchess is starting to show her pregnancy now as her belly is becoming enlarged. She is about 5 weeks along out of the total 9 weeks. Soon I will begin feeding her twice daily, once in the morning and once in the evening to appease her vigorous appetite and ensure that the growing pups get enough nutrients.

Duchess seems to be doing well, is bright eyed, cheerful and full of sweetness. During this time she is especially affectionate wanting more attention than normal, but is content to sit by my side and put her head on my lap. She likes to have her head slowly stroked.
 

Thursday, August 20th, 2009  (29 days post breeding)

GOOD NEWS! Duchess had her ultrasound today and it confirmed that she is carrying puppies! We located at least 5 puppies all having strong heartbeats, but the vet indicated there are probably more. Looking at Duchess' litter number track record, she very well could have her usual eight pups. We will keep our fingers crossed.

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

After almost three weeks since Duchess was bred, I believe I can feel robin's egg sized little puppies in her belly. Usually the experts say that you should wait until at least 4 weeks to check because the pups would be at the optimal size and spacing to tell by "feeling". At 28 days (4 weeks) they should be about the size of a chicken egg and that's the time vets also recommend doing an ultrasound. At this age, an ultrasound would show the puppies hearts beating and we can possibly count the number of pups. I am planning to make an appointment for the ultrasound late next week, so I will be posting some photos after that.
 

Sunday, July 26th, 2009

We picked up our darling little girl today, we missed Duchess so much! Dave said she missed us terribly and was homesick the past couple days, so she was very excited to see us and gave us kisses all the way back through Chicago!

Dave also reported that Duchess and Hank wouldn't have anything to do with each other this morning, so we are definitely past the fertility period, "THANK GOODNESS" Dave says, ha ha! He reported seven tie ups from breedings Wed through Sat, so hopefully we should have a good litter. 

Now starts the count down to whelping. Target due date is 63 days post-breeding and we will confirm a pregnancy via ultrasound at around 28 days post-breeding. STAY TUNED and check back right here for ultrasound results and photos around the August 19th timeframe.
 

Friday, July 24th, 2009

We've had some good reports from Michigan today. Apparently Duchess and Hank can't get enough of each other the past couple days and when separated they each whine until they are allowed to see each other. We've had several breedings and the two are still quite enamored with each other. Hopefully the timing and frequency will produce an awesome litter.
 

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

Well, Duchess' timing has slipped a little from what was expected being a mid-summer heat cycle (which is not normal for females - usually heat cycles are in the spring and fall). We had to leave Duchess in Michigan with Hank because it was not quite her time yet when we had to leave to come back to Iowa.

The good news is that a breeding with Hank did happen today -- 7 days past when first expected -- but they say the stud will always know when it's time, so we are going to trust Hank and plan for pups a week later than we originally guesstimated. Litter Due Date and Take Home dates have been adjusted accordingly. We will be heading back toward Michigan to get Duchess this weekend and then the count down to whelping begins! Keep checking back right here for more puppy blog.
 

Sunday, July 19th, 2009

We went out to Dave's place and his wife Sue cooked us up an awesome meal of grilled pork chops and a wonderful salad. The weather was beautiful so we had the opportunity to take some photos.

Saturday, July 11th, 2009

Duchess is currently in heat and we are planning our trek to Michigan to get her together with Hank next week. Planned breeding dates are July 15, 17 and 19 to target days 8, 10 and 12 of her estrus cycle. Pups should be due September 18 and can go home in early November.