Sunday April 5th, 2020 (Week 6, Day 48)

My sweet baby Yoselyn left today with her new dad Steve and is headed to Wisconsin. Her new name is Rosie and she will be loved to pieces by her new dad and sorely missed by her mommas back here at HHLS, namely me and Benelli.  I don't think momma Benelli was ready to let her pups go either, she still begs to go out to the Puppy Cottage to check up on them. So, we will be making several trips out there over the next couple days just to show her there are no puppies left. :'(

Puppy pick up photos have been posted above as the last portrait in the lineup. Notice everyone by their vehicles or wearing a mask instead of out in our yard this time due to the COVID-19 scare... Social Distancing and PPE are in full force... Weird times...

So that's it folks, until next time...
(Litter Z is still planned for summer 2020. We are planning to breed our little Shelby to Duke sometime in May, if this virus thing allows for us to do so.)  Y'all take care, stay safe and keep healthy!  
 

Saturday April 4th, 2020 (Week 6, Day 47)

Since Yoselyn is the last pup here after her sister Yennie left a couple days ago, we've been giving her special love and attention so she's not out in the Puppy Cottage all by herself all the time.  She is getting to come into the house and play with our big dogs and we are working on potty training and name recall. Her new name will be Rosie, so we are already calling her that here so she gets used to it. Skylar and Shelby both love her, but Skylar is so highly energetic she's just too rough with the pup, so the only one I allow to play with her is Shelby. I took a cute video of them playing together today that I titled "Aunt Shelby, The Pup Sitter".
 

Thursday April 2nd, 2020 (Week 6, Day 45)

Another little sweetie went home today, Yennie, now called Nelli (after her momma Benelli) is headed to IL with her new puppy parents Kurt and Julie.

I think this litter is harder for me to send home than most prior litters because the pups are still so small as compared to other litters and because they are leaving a little early they are younger and have not reached the full-on "monster" stage yet...

These pups have given me the peace of normalcy and sanity during this nightmare public health crisis that is called COVID-19, where everything else in our lives have been literally turned upside down. I hope you all are being smart, staying home and being healthy. Prayers and peace to all.
 

Wednesday April 1st, 2020 (Week 6, Day 44)

Another pup went home today, Yolo, now called Ruger by his new puppy parents Greg and Angie. Now only two pups left here at Hickory Hollow, Yoselyn and Yennie, and they are the best of buddies. They play really well together and are a really fun pair. During playtime yesterday I let them out of the playpen to explore the entire cottage without using gates to block them from going places and they were EVERYWHERE! I had to pull them out from under the water heater and out from behind the laundry baskets and off the food shelf, etc. These pups are so ready to EXPLORE!

Again, we are practicing social distancing like pros and tried to maintain at least a 10 foot distance from each other during the meeting. This whole thing feels so strange, I don't like feeling like I'm treating everyone like they are Lepers. I can't wait until this whole thing blows over and becomes merely a bad memory.

Pups are now only on dry kibble and are eating well, momma Benelli is no longer allowed to nurse them as she was just given her heartworm medication today and I don't want her to transfer anything to the pups in her milk.
 

Monday, March 30th, 2020 (Week 6, Day 42)

Week 6 Developmental Milestone: Eye color changes from blue to brown

This week, the puppies eyes will start to transition from their current baby blues to their final adult color which is gold for chestnuts. It's too bad they have to lose those beautiful baby blues so soon... The transition takes a few weeks and the color mix during the transition is neat to see. Sometimes I've noticed that the chestnut dogs will have almost a sea green eye color for a while, it's beautiful!

Here's how the pups weigh-in at 6 weeks old:

Week 6 portraits and Week 5 miscellaneous photos have been posted above. ENJOY! :0)~
Pups had their third dose of dewormer today.
 

Sunday March 29th, 2020 (Week 5, Day 41)

A couple more of our sweet pups left today to embark on their new lives. Yolanda, now called Libby Lou, is headed to western Iowa with her mom Tammy. Yukon, now called Arlo, was picked up by his new mom Allie and gramma Kim and is headed to Illinois.

I was able to take 6 week photos of all the pups (except for one) before they left, so I will be posting those soon. I will also be posting 5 week miscellaneous photos.

Puppies are now eating dry food only, sometimes momma Benelli insists on nursing them once in a while, but as long as their still eating dry food in the meantime, I'm not going to force Benelli to stay away from the pups. 
 

Saturday March 28th, 2020 (Week 5, Day 40)

Pups were microchipped today for those puppy parents who opted for this service. These pups are little troopers and took it well.

A couple of our pups left Hickory Hollow today, Yakira, is headed to central Iowa with her new family the Brummels and will have an older Llew brother named PJ (aka Quigley, Litter Q) to play with. As of this time she does not have a new name, but I will update when I get that info. Yahtzee, now called Indy, left with his new parents TJ and Michele, headed to Wisconsin.

I have to admit it was harder to do today than normal, I think because the pups are still so small and I love snuggling them and I would normally have at least another week with them. We are just so afraid of our state governor issuing a lockdown order due to the coronavirus pandemic that might keep us from getting our pups to their new homes that we thought it would be better for them to go a little early rather than delayed by a month or two.

We are following social distancing guidelines as much as possible during our pickup appointments while also trying to keep them short and sweet. We sincerely apologize for the apparent lack of personalization during these appointments, it feels extremely awkward and is not the normal way we do business.

*Note: We don't normally send pups home at 6 weeks, however in light of the COVID-19 public health emergency, we were afraid that the governor of our state may order a lock down limiting travel very soon, in which case our pups may not have been able to get to their new homes next weekend when they turn 7 weeks of age. 

Friday March 27th, 2020 (Week 5, Day 39)

Note to Puppy Parents:

Please check your e-mail, I have recently sent out a couple communications that will be of interest to you and will be sending out one more to everyone. If you don't see them, check your spam folder, then let me know if you have not received them. I sent them to the e-mail address you provided in your Application, so if that one is no longer current or is not the best one to send stuff too, please advise. Thanks!
 

Thursday March 26th, 2020 (Week 5, Day 38)

I do plan to post Week 4 miscellaneous photos sometime soon, but I've been working very hard at putting together all your documents for the Puppy Packet I will give to you during your pickup appointment. I think I have a couple more videos to post as well, and I apologize for the delay on those. (I really need an assistant or a clone of myself in order to get all this stuff done, LOL!)

UPDATE: Week 4 miscellaneous photos have been posted. ENJOY! :0)~
 

Wednesday March 25th, 2020 (Week 5, Day 37)

Weaning is going well, the puppies are now eating Native 3 dry kibble mixed with a small amount of canned food which I think I will be able to wean them off of very soon and then they will be eating only dry kibble.

Pups are getting really FAST! I now have to shuffle my feet when walking amongst them because they are so quick they get underfoot before you know it and it's easy to trip over them.

Today I removed the platform underneath the automatic water dish. I replaced it with some small landscaping blocks which they can use as stepping stones to reach the water. They have transitioned to this really quickly and easily figured out what the stepping stones are for. They are drinking water more regularly now too. I've noticed that once they are done eating their kibble, that's the first place they run to is the water dish, then it's into the pine shavings to do their business.

Our percussion sessions are going well also, most of the pups are no longer startled by loud noises and will stop what they are doing, just sit and listen. Then they will approach the noise with curiosity. This is the perfect response and is what I'm looking for.
 

Monday, March 23rd, 2020 (Week 5, Day 35)

Week 5 Developmental Milestone: Puppy Selection / Noise Desensitization / Socialization / Potty Training

This is one of the most anticipated times in this process; Puppy Selection time! Although we completed the process a day early, all the puppies have been assigned a new family! That's exciting stuff!!

Although the COVID-19 outbreak has kept us from allowing visitors, the pups will still have lots of opportunities for socialization. I will also continue to concentrate on acclimating them to noises of all varieties so by the time they leave they will be desensitized to strange sounds. During each mealtime or play session I have started incorporating what I call "percussion sessions" into the mix. During that time I will make a variety of different sounds while increasing then decreasing volume and severity including tapping on metal pans, knocking on walls, stomping the floor, opening and closing doors, running a can opener, playing christian pop music on the radio, and whatever else we can think of to condition them for life after Hickory Hollow.

The pups are also in the first stages of potty training. During playtime, any pups that start to potty on the floor are swiftly airlifted and placed into the playpen to finish the job (this reinforces the area where I desire them to potty), but most choose to go in and potty in the pine shavings on their own. By the time they go home, they associate the "place to potty" with the pine shavings so I always suggest using the same philosophy at home by placing some pine shavings in the yard when potty training pups to go outside. That association with the pine shavings and the place to potty can help speed up the house training process.

Here's how the pups weigh-in at 5 weeks old:

Week 5 Puppy Portraits have been posted above. ENJOY!
 

Sunday March 22nd, 2020 (Week 4, Day 34)

Today is our long-awaited and highly-anticipated Puppy Selection day!! As I call folks on our reservation list asking for their puppy choice, I will update the reservation list with the pups's name as well as update their Status at the top of their photos and statistics column.

Here's how the choices have gone:

*All reservations are secured with A $200 deposit.

UPDATE: Congratulations to all our new puppy parents!! All the puppies have now been selected by their families and in very good time I might add! I started calling folks around 10 am and even took a short break for lunch and selection has now been completed by 2:15 pm. Thanks to everyone who already had their picks in mind which really helped to make things go smoothly! I'll be putting together invoices and puppy packets and will e-mail those to you over the next few days.
 

Saturday March 21st, 2020 (Week 4, Day 33)

Today during playtime after lunch I did the puppy personality tests and evaluated the pups for the amount of ticking they should have as an adult and posted the results above (see Puppy Profiles, and ticking amount is in the puppy stats at the top). As you can see from their personality scores, we have a very well-rounded litter again this time, much like Litter X.

Usually these tests are done on older pups at around 12 weeks, but since the pups are not here at that age, these tests are performed at 5 weeks and should only be used as a gauge for comparison between pups as to how they react right now, but should not be used as a complete diagnosis of personality type. Please keep this in mind... If a pup tests one way now, that doesn't mean they would test the same way at 12 weeks, but right now this is our only unit of measure to differentiate between pup personalities at this stage which might aid in selecting a pup since you cannot be here in person to witness personalities first-hand. Puppy personalities can be somewhat influenced by environment and training which will be molded and shaped by their new families.

Also, any pups that tend to test on the shyer side will be worked with for the next couple weeks to coax them out of their shell to hopefully help make them a more well-rounded pup. I do this with additional socialization exercises as well as noise conditioning and I have been successful in the past. Most pups, if not all, will be fully noise conditioned by the time they leave Hickory Hollow to embark on their new lives.

I have already started noise conditioning earlier this week. At first, the conditioning starts out as small taps and raps on walls, countertops, doors, etc. during playtime. Most pups just stop what they're doing and listen as each material creates a somewhat different sound. Some pups are curious, they will stop, look around and try to figure out where the noise is coming from, some already have figured out the direction of the noise and are walking toward it. As the conditioning progresses through the week, my sounds get louder and more startling, some pups may shrug and retreat, so I will back off the noise and begin again with softer taps. The last thing I want to do is traumatize them. Most times while the pups are eating they really are oblivious to things going on around them, so those are the best times to make loud and alarming noises. During a meal these sounds usually won't phase the pups at all. For instance, last night at dinner, I was tapping their metal dinner pan right in the middle with a metal fork. The sound was fairly loud, but none of the pups even looked up from their meal. This response was exactly what I was looking for.

Puppy Selection starts tomorrow! Starting around 10:00 am CT, I will call everyone on the reservation list in order of reservation deposit date to ask for your pup choice. At that time we can discuss personalities and I can answer any questions you may have. Once a pup has been selected, I will update the Pup's "Status" at the top of their column (all pups are currently set to TBD -- to be determined). Talk to you tomorrow! HAPPY TAILS! :0)~
 

Friday March 20th, 2020 (Week 4, Day 32)

I love playtime with the pups, it's fun to watch them explore and get into things. I had to chuckle today over the boys.... So, there's this dinner mat.... (When I feed the pups, I lay down a cloth mat first which serves two purposes, it keeps the area more sanitary while they are eating because they are not touching the floor and it keeps the canned food from getting smeared all over the floor which is a mess to clean up.) Today during playtime, Yolo started dragging the dinner mat across the floor, then Yukon grabbed the opposite end and started tugging back like they were playing a tug-o-war game. Then, Yahtzee walked onto the mat during tug-o-war, so they were sliding him around while on the mat. It was like he was on a magic carpet ride! I wish so badly that I could've caught that moment in a video clip, it would've been just the cutest thing to share with you all, but sadly I didn't have my phone with me. I honestly don't know why I ever head out to the Puppy Cottage without it.

During playtime I am also noticing that the pups are starting to go back into the playpen to potty in the wood shavings, this is the beginning of litter training/potty training. By the time they leave Hickory Hollow, they should all be going back into the wood shavings to potty instead of on the concrete floor where they eat and play. This is why I always suggest to new puppy parents to get a small bag of pine shavings to have at home so you can put some out in your yard and direct the puppy to that area immediately after meals or from waking to help you in your house training efforts. This really is a great tool for associating outdoor potty during the house training phase.

When they start to wind down after playtime, they are so sweet and want to come sit on my lap for attention and to snuggle with me or up next to me to take a snooze. They are so fun to snuggle and I've noticed their coats are super soft and fluffy. This makes me happy because I know if their coats are plush, they are getting the proper nutrition they need to be healthy on the inside as well as the outside. :0)~
 

Wednesday March 18th, 2020 (Week 4, Day 30)

SPECIAL UPDATE: Due to the Coronavirus situation and the government's strong warnings to limit or postpone non-essential travel, we are unfortunately not allowing puppy visits at this time. This is extremely disappointing because I know a number of clients on this litter's reservation list were planning visits this weekend prior to Puppy Selection which starts on Sunday and I'm so sorry to have to say "Please stay home". The timing of this litter corresponding with the virus outbreak is very unfortunate as we would normally welcome visitors coming out to see the pups to evaluate their personalities first-hand before selection and help us with their socialization. I will be available this weekend for phone consults should you want to discuss the pups or have questions before selection begins.

We are however, still planning to send pups home the weekend of April 4th-5th, and we hope this virus situation doesn't affect these dates. To create a safer environment for both our clients and ourselves, we will probably limit the number of people that can be included in the pickup appointment to just one person versus bringing the whole family, and/or figure out an alternate location for pickup instead of everyone coming here. I usually spend a lot of time with clients during pickup appointments going over all the documents included in the puppy package which we could alternatively discuss over the phone before pickup. In addition, we would probably request that all final invoice payments be made electronically beforehand instead of handling cash during the appointment (PayPal, Venmo, and major credit cards are accepted). This would help limit the pickup appointments to simply signing the contracts and handing over the pup along with the puppy kit items.

This virus situation has been life changing for everyone in our country and we are still figuring out how to deal with normal day-to-day situations to ensure we are doing our part at social distancing. We understand a lot can change in 2 1/2 weeks, so we will reassess the situation when the time gets closer. Should you have any questions or concerns, I am always just a phone call away.

On a happier note, the pups are growing like little weeds. I'm sure you can see from the LIVE Puppy Cam that they are noticeably bigger now and are taking up lots more room in their puppy bed. Momma Benelli is still nursing them inbetween weaning meals that I feed to them and she will continue to do so until around Week 6. Puppy personalities are certainly starting to become noticeable, we definitely have a few talkers in the group!

Pups received their first deworming dose today. They normally DO NOT like the taste of the dewormer so I've had to figure out an alternate way to dose other than squirting it in their mouths. Usually when I deworm the pups starting at 2 weeks, I just administer it through a stomach tube, just like we did with the milk replacer formula, and I can do this for dosages at 2 and 3 weeks. This way they don't have to taste it and gag or choke on it. At this age however, the pups are too far past that stage to try the tube, so I mixed each pup's dose in some canned puppy food and fed each pup their dose separately. Of course the best time to do this was right before lunch, so they were really hungry and wolfed it all down in no time flat. Then I followed up the dosage with their normal lunchtime meal of canned puppy food mixed with a little warm water.

Week 3 miscellaneous photos have just been posted above, ENJOY! :0)~
 

Tuesday March 17th, 2020 (Week 4, Day 29)

The pups are now eating canned puppy food mixed with warm water and Gerber baby rice cereal. It's funny to watch them eat, they love it so much they literally jump right in the pan. Afterwards I not only have faces to clean off but little puppy paws as well.

This morning I opted to take their puppy portraits BEFORE lunch instead of afterwards which was both good and bad; good because the puppies were clean and didn't have puppy food all over their faces, but bad because they were so wiggly with anticipation for their meal that they hardly sat still for me to take good photos. In the past it had been beneficial to take photos right after a meal when pups were sleepy (aka milk drunk) to get focused photos, the only problem with that approach was it was hard to get photos with their eyes open, they were always yawning or falling asleep. LOL, guess I can't win no matter which approach I take... patience always helps. :0)~

I just posted Week 4 Puppy Portraits above, despite my dilemmas, I still think they turned out pretty cute! The pups ticking is really starting to show on their faces. I hope you enjoy the photos.
 

Monday, March 16th, 2020 (Week 4, Day 28)

Week 4 Development Milestone: Weaning Begins / Rough Play

This is the time that weaning normally begins here at Hickory Hollow, however the pups were started last Wednesday due to their special circumstances. They are still nursing, but now the pups are fed supplemental meals from a flying saucer pan on the floor rather than nursing from momma all the time. It all started with a thick mixture of Esbilac puppy milk replacer formula, so they can get used to lapping up and swallowing a thick porridge. Then a few meals had the addition of Gerber baby rice cereal, then the Esbilac was changed to warm goat's milk with the Gerber baby rice cereal, next will be a transition to goat's milk with canned puppy food, then they will graduate to canned puppy food mixed with soggy kibble, and later mixed with dry kibble, then slowly remove the wet food until they are on solid dry. This progression will happen gradually through the next couple weeks until they are given only dry kibble starting at week six.

Play behavior started late in the pups' second week, but this week it will turn rough and rowdy with pouncing, pinning, biting, pulling, head shaking, chewing and growling. By the end of this week I will lovingly refer to them as "my little monsters", because they will bite and chew anything they can get their mouths on, including their siblings, show laces, toes, ankles, fingers and long hair. A play session on the floor with the pups can be painful at times and sensitive areas of the body need to be protected!

As their personalities emerge more this week, I will start formulating some comments for the pup Personality Profiles so they are posted by the time Puppy Selection starts next Monday!

Here's how the pups weigh-in at 4 weeks old: (last daily weight, now weighing only weekly)

Momma Benelli is now done with her antibiotic treatment for mastitis, so now according to my veterinarian, I can deworm the pups. Their first dose will be given soon and I will give them a dose weekly until they go home.
 

Sunday March 15th, 2020 (Week 3, Day 27)

The pups are loving their weaning meals and all pups are still gaining a good amount of weight in a 24-hour period.

Their personalities are really emerging now, little Yakira is a very social pup and has quickly become my favorite. She always wants my attention when I come in the room and quiets right down when I pick her up. She is quick to give kisses and really reactive to my voice when I talk to her.  The other pups are coming right along too, it's just that Yakira is the one that stands out to me at this point. All the pups are starting to come over to the playpen door and jump up on it when we are in the room. They are getting big enough that they are now peeking over the half door so I had to add the additional 1/4 door height so they don't crawl up and over it.
 

Saturday March 14th, 2020 (Week 3, Day 26)

Today I switched the pups' weaning meal to goat's milk and Gerber Baby Cereal (Rice) so I could feed more to the litter per meal. The Esbilac formula is pretty expensive to feed in large quantities, so this is the reason for the switch.  Two quarts of goat's milk and rice cereal should last a couple days.

Hopefully you are all staying healthy and safe during this scary outbreak of the Coronavirus. We are dealing with the changes to our daily way of life as well as possible, but I'm sad to say that I had to cancel a puppy visit from my college-aged niece and her friend yesterday. They were on their way home from Iowa State University for spring break and wanted to stop by to play with the pups, but with the latest recommendations from the CDC for social distancing we didn't think it was a good idea. This is actually the best time to visit the pups because they are so sweet and cuddly and don't bite yet, plus it helps us with socialization of the litter so I usually encourage visits, but unfortunately in these scary times it just doesn't feel safe to do.
 

Friday March 13th, 2020 (Week 3, Day 25)

Thursday March 12th, 2020 (Week 3, Day 24)

This afternoon puppies were moved from their 4'x4' whelping box to their 9'x5' Puppy Playpen. I captured their first few moments in the new playpen on a video titled "Exploring The Playpen". After being set down in the new enclosure, most pups branch right out and explore their new surroundings, while some just stay put and take a snooze. In all fairness, the pups had just eaten a large weaning meal, so it's only natural to cash out after eating.

Our new WiFi Access Point arrived today so I got it all hooked up and got the IP camera switched over, and now (according to an app on my smartphone) I am getting a much stronger signal out in the Puppy Cottage, however I don't believe it has really increased the performance of our LIVE Puppy Cam unfortunately. So after spending several hours tonight without getting anywhere, I ended up putting the older IP cam back in place with our original network connection. I think the older camera picks up the WiFi signal much better than the new camera which is strange because they are both the same model of camera and were located in the exact same place because each was mounted on the wall bracket above the puppy playpen. I preferred the new camera because the older camera has lost the capability to transmit audio through the speakers, which I use when I'm monitoring the pups from the house. Anyway, the older camera seems to be working more reliably... for now.  If the problem persists, I may have to look into this further and maybe get the Best Buy Geek Squad involved.
 

Wednesday March 11th, 2020 (Week 3, Day 23)

The pups are doing so well now after all our hard work at feeding them every 4-5 hours for the past week, they are getting big (and strong), so after fighting them pretty hard last night during their midnight meal, we decided last night was the last night for supplemental tube feeding all the pups. So, today was their first weaning meal which was still the same Esbilac formula that we had been tube feeding but this time it was served in a flying saucer pan. Most of the pups LOVED it and lapped it up really fast, their little bellies were so full they were bloated to almost twice as wide as they normally are. Then afterwards they promptly plopped for a nap. I captured their first weaning meal in a video clip posted above which I titled "Good to the Last Drop". In the clip you can see several of the pups licking the meal off their littermates faces. SO CUTE!  Sorry for the shaky video, I was trying to film while getting the pups out of the whelping box to set them in front of the pan. Some days I wish I had 8 arms like an octopus. I think I need to invest in a cell phone tripod adapter so I can set up the camera and just click record, this will also help to keep my fingers out of the video, LOL!

I need to mention I took some really cute portraits for Week 3 on Monday which I am working on now. I will be putting out collages of the cutest photos for each pup just like I did for Litter X Week 3 and thus it's taking longer to post those so my apologies but it will be worth the wait!
 

Monday, March 9th, 2019 (Week 3, Day 21)

Week 3 Development Milestone: Play Behavior

This is my absolute favorite time with the pups! Their eyes are open and they are noticing things around them, they are hearing better so they react to your voice and other noises and they are walking around and actually keeping their balance and are becoming playful and inquisitive about their surroundings. We've already seen early glimpses of play at about 2-1/2 weeks of age, but this week the pups will start playing with each other more and more, bowing, yipping, pouncing and gently chewing on each other. Their individual personalities begin to emerge and by now they have already begun to do some of their natural doggy behavior for the first time instead of just sleeping and nursing all the time.

The pups are also becoming quite vocal. There are a few pups that are very animated and "talkative", speaking in rolling growls. Actual barking, versus yips, is becoming more and more frequent, and at this point I actually like to hear their little voices, which will change the older and louder they become.

Here's how the pups weigh-in at 3 weeks old:

I usually start deworming the pups at 2 weeks (dosing at 2, 3, 4, and 6 weeks), however with all that was going on last week, I didn't want to overload their system with additional medication. Even though they are doing much better this week, my vet said to wait to deworm the pups until momma is done with her antibiotic medication for mastitis.  
 

Sunday March 8th, 2020 (Week 2, Day 20)

This weekend's weigh-ins continue in the positive direction so yesterday we started feeding the pups 4 times instead of 6 times per 24-hour period with momma Benelli supplementing in between so our schedule has been a little less hectic than what we've been doing for the past 5 days. My goal is to maintain them as they are until weaning starts next Wednesday or Thursday at which time they can eat what they want from the community bowl.

We are definitely starting to see play behavior between the pups. I just posted a video that I took back on March 5th and in a few short moments within the clip you can really see them starting to play so I titled the clip "Glimpses of Play".  ENJOY!
 

Friday March 6th, 2020 (Week 2, Day 18)

Today was the second day in a row that all the pups showed significant weight gain. It seems all of our dedication and hard work has paid off. This morning's numbers look AWESOME, and I'm very pleased and relieved. Most of the pups have returned to normal hydration and for the few that are not quite there, we will continue to provide therapy.  

Here's how the pups weigh-in today:

As I said yesterday, now that the pups are feeling better they are more interactive with each other, playing and growling and yipping and wandering around the box.  I captured a very short clip (a whopping 10 seconds) of a few of the pups in the box. I had taken the three smallest girls out for a special meal nursing on momma and the remaining four were NOT happy about it. However, I had to cut the video short because one of the pups stopped to poop and I needed to take care of it since momma Benelli was busy nursing. Usually when I spot a pooper in the box, I say to Benelli, "Momma, we have a pooper" and she swoops right in looking for the pup to clean up after it. It's been our "thing" and she's really good about knowing what that means. Therefore I titled the video clip, "We have a pooper!", LOL. Speaking of poop, the pups poops are back to normal now except for one, which I'm keeping a close eye on. Hopefully she'll turn around soon which will certainly help keep the whelping box cleaner.

Pups are also cutting teeth right now. Their teeth are sharp and pointed which I would compare to pirahna teeth, YIKES! I'm sure momma Benelli will appreciate the early start to weaning middle of next week.

And FINALLY, I've had a chance to get the 2 week Puppy Portraits posted. I apologize for the lower quality than normal, the pups were not cooperating very well that day so the photos are not as well-focused as I would've liked, however the subject matter is still just as precious as ever. I hope you enjoy them!
 

Thursday March 5th, 2020 (Week 2, Day 17)

This morning's numbers look MUCH IMPROVED, I'm very happy with them. ALL the pups gained weight yesterday which is very encouraging. I will likely continue the 4-hour feedings with momma Benelli supplementing in between until next week when the pups are 3 1/2 weeks old at which point I can start the weaning process. At that point they will be old enough to lap up their meals on their own instead of being bottle or tube fed.

The puppies have been a lot more active today than usual and I'm even starting to see play interaction between the pups.
 

Wednesday March 4th, 2020 (Week 2, Day 16)

Well, the rigorous routine continues...  the good news is that I think we have finally ironed out the timing of everything. Every two hours or so we're doing something with the pups, so an example of our schedule is something like this:

• 7:00 am: weigh pups and calculate daily feeding schedule using this formula (puppy weight in ounces / 4) * 30 ml = total fed daily / 6 feedings (every 4 hours) = mls per meal
• 7:15 - 8:15 am: feed puppies their first meal of the day based on calculation above and administer sub-Q fluids -- this usually takes about 1 hour for all 7 pups because I mix up the milk replacer meal for each pup as I go so that it stays warm. When done feeding and hydrating all pups, I set my alarm for 2 hours
• 8:15 am: give Benelli her antibiotic pill. She wolfs it right down if it's hidden in her cottage cheese topping I always add to her breakfast meal.
• 9:45 am: give Benelli an injection of Oxytocin to help milk let down.
• 10:15 - 11:00 am: feed puppies warm water, again administered via stomach tube. Allow pups to nurse on Benelli to keep her milk flowing.
• 1:00 - 1:45 pm: feed puppies their second meal of the day based on initial calculation.
• 3:15 - 4:00 pm: feed puppies warm water and allow pups to nurse on Benelli
• 6:00 - 6:45 pm: feed puppies their third meal of the day
• 8:15 pm - give Benelli her antibiotic pill with dinner and give second injection of Oxytocin
• 8:45 - 9:30 pm: feed puppies warm water and allow pups to nurse on Benelli
• etc...

This is why it's been so hard to find time to work on the portraits and get those posted or do much of anything else. The struggle is real and I'm trying to keep up. I have to set my alarm on my phone as soon as I'm done with a treatment so I don't forget the next thing coming up, otherwise I wouldn't be able to keep up with this schedule.  Thankfully I have a wonderful partner by my side that helps me with everything. My husband John is really a God send and I'm so thankful for him!!

After doing this routine all day yesterday and today so far I can tell a real difference in the pups. They have much more energy and are getting up and walking around really well these days and their skin isn't tenting as bad, meaning they are much more hydrated now than they were at this time yesterday. They are also hearing things fairly well too, they wake up from napping when I come into the room. Once we get them past this hiccup, it will be fun again to have these puppies as this is my favorite time with them at this age.
 

Tuesday March 3rd, 2020 (Week 2, Day 15)

We are still ironing out the new protocol with the pups; feeding a meal of puppy milk replacer formula, providing supplemental water, and running sub-Q fluids in order to rehydrate the pups and get them back into optimal condition with adequate weight gain daily. Most of the pups will not drink from the bottle, they absolutely refuse it and so the only alternative is administer their dose of milk replacer or warm water by stomach tube. Thankfully (due to Litter U) I've gotten good at tube feeding and most of the pups tolerate it fairly well.

On a happier note, I did get the pups' Week 2 portraits taken today, so I will try to work it into my routine to get those edited and posted soon.
 

Monday March 2nd, 2020 (Week 2, Day 14)

Week 2 Developmental Milestone: Ears will open / Cutting Teeth

Now that the puppies eyes are open they will begin to see clearer and clearer each day. Supposedly they can only see shadows for the first few days, but pretty soon they will begin to notice me as I come into the nursery and will wander to the edge of the box for some love and attention.

Just as significant as the eyes opening, the ear canals will deepen this week until they will become completely open and allow the pups to hear crisp noises and not just muffled sounds. Later this week, the pups will be noticeably affected by all the new sounds around them, so I am usually very careful for the first few days to introduce them to noises gently and not harshly.

They will also begin to cut teeth, first the canines will poke through followed by the incisors a few days later.

Here's how the pups weigh-in at 2 weeks old:

This afternoon I was letting specific pups have special meals on momma Benelli hoping to give them an extra boost when I noticed that she had a dark colored discharge on a couple of her teats and realized that this may have caused many of the pups to have pastey mustard colored poop a little while earlier. This was immediately alarming for me thinking it was probably mastitis, so I scheduled an appointment with my vet to take a look at her and the pups. Realizing this was an emergency, they got me in immediately. Long story short, I was right, Benelli has a mild case of mastitis and came home with some antibiotics. I was given specific instructions for how to treat the pups moving forward and was provided with all the medical supplies I will need to try and turn this situation around. In all my years of breeding, I have never had this happen. Needless to say, I've been tending to the pups around the clock, every two hours to be exact, so I have had very little time for blogging and I will "catch up" when I can. My apologies for that and I will try to get the 2 week photos taken and posted soon, but the pups health must come first.

Update 10:00 PM:  GOOD NEWS! Pups are starting to turn around and are not as lethargic and weak. They are up and walking around and are hungry and trying to suckle. The pups that I had been tube feeding are taking the bottle again. This is wonderful and I'm so thankful! I will keep up with the 2-hour regimen and hopefully the pups will continue to improve. Keep the prayers coming!!
 

Sunday March 1st, 2020 (Week 1, Day 13)

Here's how the pups eyes are progressing as of today.

Unfortunately the pups' weigh-in numbers are getting progressively worse and I'm starting to get worried. I have stepped up the bottle feeding, but some are getting weak and are now not taking the bottle where they were before so I've had to start tube feeding a few of the girls. I've been quite busy tending to this litter with not much time left for anything else.

This evening I noticed that most if not all of the pups are dehydrated now which I'm sure is contributing to their weakness and lethargy. The skin is "tenting" when pulled up, when it should be snapping back into place, so I am going to begin giving sub-Q (subcutaneous) fluids to try and help hydrate them because apparently they are not getting enough from momma's milk and bottle feeding alone. I have some Veterinary Plasma-Lyte injection on hand and will run it under the skin where the body can readily absorb the liquid. This litter is starting to become very reminiscent of the troubles I dealt with for Litter U. Please pray for our pups and for me that I can keep up with their needs and help restore them to perfect health.
 

Saturday February 29th, 2020 (Week 1, Day 12)

HAPPY LEAP DAY!!

Here's how the pups eyes are progressing as of today.

Pups weigh-in numbers are still not where I want them to be. I sure thought they would've taken off by now, but it looks like I will possibly be bottle feeding until the pups are started on weaning.
 

Friday February 28th, 2020 (Week 1, Day 11)

Here's how the pups eyes are progressing as of today.

A couple pups are still struggling to gain an appropriate amount of weight in a 24-hour period. I'm continuing to bottle feed as necessary.
 

Wednesday February 26th, 2020 (Week 1, Day 9)

As predicted, the pups eyes are starting to open, right on schedule. For most pups, you can see the eyelids just starting to separate from each other in the corners where the tear ducts are located. I will post updates as things progress.

Morning weigh-ins are looking better now for the pups I have been bottle feeding, this is helping them out a lot. I am going to continue to provide supplemental feedings through to the weaning process if I have to in order to keep them on track. Poops are formed and look normal which is one of the critical things I look at. Also the pups appear to be staying hydrated so no sub-Q fluids have been needed thus far.  This is a good thing based on past history with Benelli's prior two litters.
 

Monday February 24th, 2020 (Week 1, Day 7)

Week 1 Developmental Milestone: Eyes will open

During this week, the pups will reach an exciting milestone. We are anticipating the opening of their eyes. It should start happening around day 11 of this week and will take a few days to fully open. When the pups are born, their ears and eyes are closed to keep out the amniotic fluid and any bacteria encountered in the birth canal. The 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 it's way 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.

Here's how the pups weigh-in at 1 week old:

Today's weigh-ins show that the pups finally gained an appropriate amount on their own over the past 24-hours without supplemental bottle feedings. I just pray it stays this way, but if Benelli's recent past litters serve as a good prediction of what may come, they may need bottle feedings again starting around the two week mark.  We shall see...

Week 1 Puppy Portraits and miscellaneous litter photos from birth week have been posted above.  
 

Saturday February 22nd, 2020 (Birth Week, Day 5)

Weigh-in stats are looking better this morning, it sure pays off to keep a close eye on the pups by weighing them frequently throughout the day and adding several bottle feedings to the schedule.

Here's how the pups weigh-in this morning:

Friday February 21st, 2020 (Birth Week, Day 4)

The pups' weigh-in stats are about the same as yesterday with two pups falling short this morning. Even though I say "short", they did gain some weight (just not the full ounce I'm looking for) but at least that's better than going in the negative direction. At this point in their development, the daily weigh-ins are really the only thing to report on because all they do is nurse and sleep. Next week the blog posts will be more exciting when their eyes start to open and after that more new and fun things happen rather quickly. For now, I will keep reporting updated weigh-in stats.

Here's how the pups weigh-in today: (numbers in red indicate not enough weight gain for the 24-hour period)

As I indicated yesterday, I'm not too worried about Yoselyn's weigh-in today since she showed a 2.0 ounce gain yesterday, so her average over two days is still above the 1 ounce minimum (23.5% gain). I am more interested in Yennie since she has only had a little over 1 ounce weight gain since birth. I'm going to step up the number of bottle feedings today to try and give her an extra boost in hope's that tomorrow's weigh-in will be much better.
 

Thursday February 20th, 2020 (Birth Week, Day 3)

The pups' weigh-in stats look much better this morning. After several bottle feedings throughout the day yesterday, two of the pups I had been feeding have gained significant weight, the other two still need some extra feedings today so I will concentrate on those pups and keep an eye on the others as well. It appears our littlest pup, Yoselyn, may have just had a big meal right before her weigh-in. Her belly was plump and today's weight showed a gain of 2.0 ounces over yesterday's weight, so I suspect that tomorrow she will show a loss from today's number. When that happens I usually take things like this into account and average their morning weights over a three day period.

Here's how the pups weigh-in today: (numbers in red indicate not enough weight gain for the 24-hour period)

I posted your first up-close-and-personal video of the pups nursing at just over 24-hours old. They are very tiny and fragile at this age. I think the video does them justice versus photographs because you can see how they move and that they are still learning to nurse and find the nipple. (See the Video Clips section on this page above.) 

UPDATE: Today while bottle feeding Yolanda I noticed she has brown on the underneath side of her ear flaps, so this means she is actually a tricolor! I had originally labeled her as white/black on the day she was born, but now have revised her color in her stats up near the top of the page. I have a feeling I may be revising other pups as well. There are only certain points on the body where the tan (brown) will appear, and when pups are born, sometimes those points don't have any color patching -- meaning the coat is only white in that area -- so you cannot tell that it will be tan until the color starts to come in later.

Started Super Dog exercises today (read about it!)
 

Wednesday February 19th, 2020 (Birth Week, Day 2)

Here's how the pups weigh-in today: (numbers in red indicate not enough weight gain for the 24-hour period)

After bottle feeding a few of the pups yesterday I was hoping this morning's weigh-ins would be more as expected, however those same few pups are still lacking. They should be gaining at least an ounce or more per day at this point. I plan to fed these pups a few more meals than yesterday and hopefully tomorrow's numbers will be where they should be. I'm supplemental feeding four pups with Esbilac Puppy Milk Replacer formula using a human preemie baby bottle with slow flow which is PERFECT for these little guys. Luckily all four are taking to the baby bottle really well (see photos below of two of the pups). I'm really glad I don't have to tube feed. I weighed them frequently throughout the day, before and after bottle feedings and I'm seeing the numbers go up. As the pups get the nourishment they need through bottle feedings, they will become stronger and will hopefully give them the boost they need to be able to sustain themselves by nursing on momma.

The pups' dewclaws were removed today. These should scab over and heal up fairly quickly, it usually takes a little under two weeks to fully heal.

I hope you have been enjoying the LIVE Puppy Cam, I know I have been because I can keep an eye on them using the cam most of the day while I'm working. For me it's basically a visual baby monitor, LOL! It's a nice tool that gives me peace of mind that all is well.
 

Tuesday February 18th, 2020 (Birth Week, Day 1)

Now that we are at least over 24-hours after birth, I started the daily weigh-ins. Today's morning weigh-in numbers are not impressive however. There are a couple pups that have not gained any weight or have lost weight since birth. This can be a typical occurrence for some litters, but is not desireable.  I am keeping a close eye on these pups throughout the day and will help them nurse on momma or provide extra feedings via tube if necessary to provide the boost in nutrition they may need. Hopefully tomorrow's numbers will all be going in the right direction.

Here's how the pups weigh-in at Day 1:

I am working on Birth Week puppy portraits and hope to have those posted later this evening or sometime tomorrow at the latest. 
 

Monday February 17th, 2020 (Birth Week, Day 0.5)

Puppies are coming (continued)

All the pups have finally been born and we are getting them all settled into the whelping box then we're headed to bed! First thing I will do upon waking (later today) is get the LIVE Puppy Cam up and running for you. Stay tuned...

Later this day... The LIVE Puppy Cam is now online for your viewing pleasure. To view the live feed, click the link at the top of this page or on the home page in the "Straight to the Point" column on the right-hand side of the page.
 

Sunday February 16th, 2020 (Birth Week, Day 0)

For the past month, I've been keeping Benelli out in the Puppy Cottage at night so that she can go outside whenever she wants. She had been getting me up 3 and even 4 times per night to go outside to potty and because I was losing so much sleep decided that was a better alternative for both of us.

This morning around 6:30 am I heard Benelli barking incessantly and so I got up and peeked out the window at her, she was acting strangely and pacing in her kennel.  Now I know why... when I took her morning temperature I can see that it has dropped to the red line, 98.3 (remember a couple days ago I indicated anything below 98.4 is indicative of whelping), so we are now officially on 24-hour Puppy Watch!!  Stay tuned to this page and on Facebook for play-by-play during whelping. I will also post timely photos on our Facebook page. Please join me in praying for an easy whelping and healthy pups. It won't be long now before we get our first glimpses of these little wigglers! IT'S ALMOST TIME!!

UPDATE: 7:30 PM, Benelli's water broke!
              8:47 PM, first visible contractions

Puppies are coming!!

Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do for puppy #1. It had obviously been deceased for a while as the fetus was slightly underdeveloped. It's always a sad thing to lose a pup, but now my focus has to be on the rest of the pups and helping to deliver them safely.
 

Friday February 14th, 2020

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY everyone!

Today is day 58 of gestation which an important benchmark date in Benelli's pregnancy. Pups born on day 58 or beyond have a good chance of survival outside the womb. Pups are usually born around day 63 which is our guide for predicting whelping date so now they are in their final stage of growth before they are born. I'm always thankful when our momma dogs get past this day in their pregnancy without complications and I can now breathe a small sigh of relief for Litter Y.  

Since Benelli is now in her final week of pregnancy, I have started taking her baseline temperature twice per day (morning and evening). This will help me to accurately predict when pups are coming. Benelli's normal temperature is around 101.5 to 102 degrees. In the final week of pregnancy, normal temperature drops to around 99 degrees and will hover in this range until about 24 hours before whelping at which point it drops drastically due to hormonal changes which trigger labor to start. Once the temperature drops below 98.4 then we know we are officially on 24-hour Puppy Watch! I love how the Lord has given us an accurate tool for predicting whelping since dogs can't speak to tell us when they feel contractions.  
 

Thursday February 12th, 2020

Wednesday February 12th, 2020

Benelli's pregnancy seems to have gone really fast and tomorrow is the day we will find out how many pups she's having! She's getting really HUGE and I can't wait to see how many pups we will have! I will post the x-ray photo on Facebook and in this blog after we get home tomorrow.

Pups are due next week, best guess between February 19-21 based on breeding dates.
 

Tuesday January 14, 2020

I have exciting news, we have confirmed pregnancy and believe Benelli is carrying pups!  Today I palpated her tummy and was able to confirm little whelps about the size of small chicken eggs.  I found at least two or three to confirm my hopes.  Pups should be due in about 5 weeks.

In lieu of doing an ultrasound to confirm pregnancy at 28 days, we opt for an x-ray at about 8 weeks gestation to count pups. This is much more useful information to me than whether or not she's pregnant as the pups count is something everyone wants to know and helps me to know how many to expect on whelping day. Stay tuned here and on Facebook for more information as it develops.
 

Friday December 20th, 2019

We've had multiple breedings over the past few days, so I'm pretty confident that the timing was right and that the matings will result in a litter.  We will confirm pregnancy around day 28 gestation.
 

Tuesday December 17th, 2019

Today we had our first breeding between Benelli and Sawyer!! They had about a 30 minute tie, so this is a good sign that Litter Y will be on the way soon.
 

Saturday December 7th, 2019

SURPRISE! We decided to plan another litter sooner than expected, this one will be right on the heels of Litter X (Skylar x Sawyer)! Benelli started her heat cycle today and we've decided to breed her one last time and the sire will be Sawyer. When we first got Sawyer, we had always hoped for a litter between these two, but Benelli was promised to Rev for the last couple, so this is our first and probably last shot for pups from these two! We're super excited! Breeding is planned for days 8-12 of her cycle, so stay tuned for news on this.