Friday, September 11th, 2020 (Week 7, Day 52)

After three days in the playpen by himself, it's finally Ziggy's turn to go home. His excited new parents Patrick and Michelle Kieffe arrived from Nebraska to pick up their new pup they renamed Lewey. He was so excited to be placed in his new dad's arms which brought tears to my eyes.

This has been a darling litter, Shelby was an amazing first-time mommy and she raised a beautiful litter of plump and healthy pups with thick and luxurious coats. We are sad to see them go, but excited for the new and bright future they will have with their new families.  Happy trails and happy tails to our beautiful and amazing pups!

Week 7 Puppy Portraits with their new families on pick-up day have been posted above. :0)~

So that's all for "Litter Z" folks, until next time... stay safe, healthy and look forward to Litter AA, planned for Winter 2021.
 

Tuesday, September 8th, 2020 (Week 7, Day 49)

Week 7 Developmental Milestone: Pups go home!

Pups are officially 7 weeks old today, however since the "day" is on an awkward day of the week, I agreed to let pups go a couple days early so they could travel on the weekend. As of today we have two pups left here at HHLS. Most of the pups in this litter are staying here in the upper midwest, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Kansas, and Nebraska, but one is headed a little farther west to Ohio.  

Here's how the pups weighed-in on pickup day along with their new names:

Today is Zenia's turn to head home to Ohio with her new parents Jack and Kathy O'Gorman. Her new name is Freya (love it) and she will have a Llew-mix older sister named Lucky to romp and play with, hopefully. Lucky is 13 years old, so she may not have the patience to deal with an over exuberant pup, but hopefully things will go well and they will become fast friends.

Only one more pup left at HHLS, poor Ziggy will have to brave it alone until this Friday, however we will have playtimes with our belton girls, Sienna and Searra to help keep him company over the next few days.

A final set of puppy portraits will be taken with their new families and will be posted on Facebook and on this page shortly after they have gone home.
 

Monday, September 7th, 2020 (Week 6, Day 48)

Two more pups are headed home with their new families today.  First was Zooey, her new name is Izumi (Zumi for short, and at least she will still have a "Z" name - well, kind of...), and she's headed south to Kansas with the Sorensen family. She will have a couple cats as playmates. Next was Zane, his new name is Jack and he's staying in the area in Marion Iowa with his new dad Kyle Trampe. "Little Jack" will have a couple proud Grandparents who live nearby and who will be advocating for puppy play visits so Grandma can get her puppy fix. :0)~

Only two pups left here at HHLS...
 

Sunday, September 6th, 2020 (Week 6, Day 47)

Today two pups headed home with their new families. First was Zeppelin, his new name is Barley (because they both love beer) and he's headed to Wisconsin with Danielle Perry and Duston Roberts. Next was Zahara, she's headed to Illinois with her new family, Jason, Stacey and Haley Nash, and will have an older Llew sister, Kindle (Litter K). Her new name is Caymus Indee (Caymus after a favorite wine).  Hmmm, I'm seeing a naming pattern here... LOL!

Only 4 pups left at HHLS, but will be headed to their new homes soon...
 

Friday, September 4th, 2020 (Week 6, Day 45)

I'm sorry for the lack of posts this week, this is getting to be my busiest time with the pups because they need more care (cleaning, feedings and playtime) and also because I have been working on creating the Puppy Packet documents for everyone to take home with them when they pick up their puppy, not to mention working 9-5 for my day job, LOL. It's amazing how fast this time has gone by thinking that pups will start going home on Sunday already.

The pups are on Day #4 of 5 of their coccidia treatment and poops are looking much better, however since they are currently in an environment where reinfection is likely, they will all probably need another 5-day treatment after going home to ensure eradication. Please be sure to consult your vet about this during your puppy wellness exam, and have your vet check a fecal sample for parasites. Our anti-parasitic program has been documented for each puppy and the treatment information is written in your puppy's medical record which is included in the puppy document packet.

My sweet hubby built a bowl holder for the food dish to keep the pups from tipping it over and to help keep it up higher so it doesn't get full of shavings. It seems to be working fairly well so far...

Week 5 miscellaneous photos have been posted above, ENJOY!  
 

Tuesday, September 1st, 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 brown for tricolors. 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.

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

All puppies received their distemper/parvo vaccination today and a select few pups were microchipped for those who chose that service for their pup. At 6 weeks I always run a few random fecal floats to see how our anti-parasitic program is progressing. In the two samples I checked I didn't see any evidence of worms, but I did find a few coccidia, so the entire litter will be treated for that parasite for the next 5 days. In order to help eliminate a vessel for reinfestation during treatment, I have removed the feeding dish from the pen and their only food source will be the weaning meals fed by me.

At this point we will start limiting Shelby's nursing sessions with the pups so they will be entirely weaned by the end of this week. She will still spend the overnight hours with the pups, but we will limit daytime hours to just visits to check in as I will start feeding three weaning meals per day in absence of milkbar meals.

Week 6 Puppy Portraits have been posted above, miscellaneous photos from week 5 will be posted later this week.    
 

Sunday, August 30th, 2020 (Week 5, Day 39)

The weather was beautiful today and the humidy completely gone (which is a welcome break), so the pups got to go outside for two playdates this afternoon. First Kyle Trampe and his parents came from Marion Iowa (just 40 minutes away) to visit his new pup Zane. During the visit they revealed that the pup's new name will be Jack and are excited to bring him home next week. Then later in the day Duke's family Nick and Amanda Staab and their two kids along with a neighbor came to play with pups and invited Sienna and Searra to join in the mix too. That means all six Litter Z pups along with our two belton girls, three adults and two kids were all in the giant playpen together. Needless to say the playpen was FULL! I was super proud of Sienna and Searra, they played with the Litter Z pups really well, they were gentle with them and played like they were all the same age. It was truly fun to see.

Here are a few pics from today's playdates.

Friday, August 28th, 2020 (Week 5, Day 37)

I have a bunch of fun updates for you today. First, I finally got the Week 4 miscellaneous litter photos posted for your enjoyment, there are some really cute pics in this bunch!

I also posted pics from last weekend's playdates below in the blog for those days, so check them out in that location. A few are repeats from the Week 4 miscellaneous section.

Weaning update: Pups are now eating dry kibble with a little bit of watered down canned food, but I have also added a bowl of dry kibble in the playpen for them so they can eat whenever they're hungry.

Zane's tail: I have been working on Zane's tail every chance I get. If you remember a few days ago I reported a kink in the very tip, so I've been doing a little physical therapy on it several times daily and I think I'm getting the kink worked out. Hopefully he will not have any long lasting physical apearance issues with it going forward.

Thursday, August 27th, 2020 (Week 5, Day 36)

Needless to say after this episode they lost their comfy puppy bed as a result. Once they figure out the zipper and find the stuffing there's no going back to innocence because this breed is PERSISTENT and they will go right back to that zipper and do the same thing all over again! The stuffing actually becomes a choking hazard and if actually swallowed can cause a bowel obstruction. In order to avoid that condition, the danger has been eliminated. Many of the pups were sleeping outside the kennel bottom on the pine shavings anyway, now they seem to gravitate to the water dish and Ziggy likes sleeping underneath it.

Pups were dewormed again yesterday. This time I just fed them their dosage mixed with a bit of canned food instead of using the stomach tube delivery method. They ate it very well, with a few begging for more. Today I'm seeing a few dead worms in their stool which is a solid indicator that the medicine is working as expected and hopefully all worms will be eradicated before the pups go home in a couple weeks. This was their thirddeworming dose and I will give one more dose before they go home.

I apologize that I have not yet posted Week 4 miscellaneous litter photos, I haven't fogotten and plan to do it soon, I've just been super busy with puppy chores, invoicing, and my 9-5 day job.

Tuesday, August 25th, 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! In just a few days (or even in a matter of hours) all the puppies will have been assigned a new family! That's exciting stuff!!

The pups will still have lots of opportunities for socialization in the next couple weeks. 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:

This morning we took Week 5 Puppy Portraits out in the yard, which are now posted above. I have added a Status row to the top of the Puppy Stats table, all pups are marked as "Available" right now and as they are selected, the status will be updated to "Reserved". We've also decided to remove our breeder pick for this litter, so all puppies are available for selection. I will start calling people on the reservation list later this afternoon as I've been extremely busy so far today. Stay tuned!

UPDATE: All pups have been selected and the process went very smoothly! I think everyone got either their first or second pick pup!  
 

Monday, August 24th, 2020 (Week 4, Day 34)

Puppy Profiles have been posted above. As you can see from the scores, this litter had very neutral ("N") responses meaning they are relaxed and undemanding with well-rounded personality types that are great for all types of families.

With Puppy Selection starting tomorrow, those with reservations for this litter should try to prioritize your top pick pups. That really helps so that when I call you asking for your selection you'll already have a good idea of which pups you would like to discuss further or make your final choice if you're ready.

Here's a link to read more about how the selection process works if you haven't read it already.
http://www.hickoryhollowllewellins.com/Purchasing.html#puppy_selection

Tomorrow will be a fun day!
 

Sunday, August 23rd, 2020 (Week 4, Day 33)

The pups had more special visitors today (Danielle and Duston), this time they came all the way from Wisconsin for their puppy playdate. Again, the pups did not disappoint, they were active, interactive and just as cute as ever and Momma Shelby greeted our visitors with lots of kisses. The pups played for quite a while before they crashed, but had another good day. It was however a little hotter this afternoon than yesterday, so when the pups started panting pretty hard we had to take them back to their climate controlled cottage.

The pups were all fed a weaning meal after playtime was over. This time I added some dry kibble to the watered-down canned food and that didn't seem to slow them down a bit, they still gobbled it all up.

I'm working on Puppy Profiles, so stay tuned for those...
 

Saturday, August 22nd, 2020 (Week 4, Day 32)

Now that the pups are over 4 weeks old we allow people to come see them, so today they had two very special visitors (Jack and Kathy O'Gorman) who traveled all the way from Ohio for today's playdate. After waiting out an unplanned rain shower (the first rain we've had since our derecho on 8/10) the weather finally cooperated, the sun came out and dried up the wet grass, and the couple arrived for their playdate. Shelby greeted them with wiggles and kisses as they approached the triple-sized wire puppy playpen that we had set up out in our front yard.

Today was the first day the pups have felt grass under their feet and they loved it! They romped and played and checked out all the corners of the playpen. Jack and Kathy got into the pen with the pups and they crawled all over and under them, Kathy was just soaking up all the puppy love thoroughly enjoying every minute. They shared some of these special moments with their daughter via video chat and she was able to name all the pups immediately when her mom pointed the phone toward them (which made me smile). Needless to say this family regularly tunes into the LIVE Puppy Cam! They stayed for about an hour and a half and if it had been up to Kathy she'd have easily stayed another hour. It was a fun time, but sadly it came to an end as the pups started to fizzle out for afternoon naps. The plan is to do this all over again tomorrow with a new set of visitors. I have posted a few photos from the playdate here for you to enjoy.

Friday, August 21st, 2020 (Week 4, Day 31)

During playtime after a weaning meal, I noticed that the tip of Zane's tail has a kink in it, like it was broken. I felt it and sure enough it felt kinked which made me wonder if Shelby may have stepped on it while jumping into the box or playpen to nurse her pups. At first it was fairly stiff, but I worked on it for a bit, wiggling it back and forth and flexing it. I think I may be able to work out the kink over time if I keep up the physical therapy. He protested a bit during the manipulation but I think it will get better over time.
 

Thursday, August 20th, 2020 (Week 4, Day 30)

Just posted Week 4 Puppy Portraits, their little freckles are coming out on their cheeks this week, SO CUTE!  Also just posted Week 3 miscellaneous litter photos. ENJOY!  
 

Wednesday, August 19th, 2020 (Week 4, Day 29)

Weaning is now underway! The pups were fed their first weaning meal today which I captured on video. As is usual for most litters, the pups took to the meal almost immediately and ate like there was no tomorrow! The transition from milk to solid food is quick and usually goes very smoothly. I feed the pups on mats for cleanliness and to give the pups traction while standing so their feet don't slide out from under them.

Shelby has done such a wonderful job with her pups. As I'm petting and playing with them, I have noticed they have a very thick, soft and plush coat, no doubt from momma Shelby's rich and abundant milk. These pups are strong and healthy, I'm really impressed with this litter so far.
 

IMPORTANT NOTE! If you are planning a 4-week visit to play with the pups and/or when you come pick up your puppy at 7 weeks, please DO NOT bring along any of your pets from home. For the safety of our dogs and especially our pups, we cannot allow any client's pets on our property, even if you leave them in the car. Many folks travel from long distances and sometimes in from other states and there are plenty of opportunities to pick up disease at pet parks or rest stops, et cetera along the way. If your dog steps or sits on your lap they've just transferred what's on their feet to your lap and then you put one of our pups on your lap, you've just transferred what's on your dog's feet to my pups. Our pups are not vaccinated until they are 6 weeks old so they are very susceptible to disease. So, if you arrive with a pet in your vehicle, you will be asked to leave immediately.

We cannot risk the health of our dogs and the longevity of our business by other animals bringing in pathogens that might cause the demise of our business. Therefore, we RESPECTFULLY but ADAMANTLY request that you please leave your pets at home. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me and we can discuss this further. If we have previously discussed your situation and devised a plan, you're good.
 

Tuesday, August 18th, 2020 (Week 4, Day 28)

Week 4 Development Milestone: Weaning Begins / Rough Play

Weaning begins this week! Starting today the pups will be fed supplemental meals from a flying saucer pan on the floor rather than nursing from momma Shelby all the time. I'll start with a watered down canned puppy food for the first few meals so they can get used to lapping up and swallowing a thick porridge, then transition 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 Tuesday!

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

Pups will be moved to the Puppy Cottage today where they will have a 9x5 playpen to romp and play in. They love their newfound freedom and I captured their first few moments on video for you called The Big Move and posted in the Videos section above.   

If I can enlist John's help, I may get Week 4 Puppy Portraits taken tonight and posted tomorrow.
 

Saturday, August 15th, 2020 (Week 3, Day 25)

Week 3 collage portraits have just been posted. We hope to move the pups out to the Puppy Cottage some time this weekend as they are almost getting too big for the box now. I am also going to start the weaning process once moved to the cottage.

New video posted above, titled "Standing to Nurse". Pups are old enough now that Momma Shelby doesn't need to lay in the box with them anymore. She will visit them frequently for quick cleanups and stand up nursing sessions. She is still staying nearby with them in the nursery, she just prefers to nap on her comfy cushion instead of in the box with her pups.

Sorry for the short and sweet blog posts, we're just swamped with work and our attention is being divided up between all that is beckoning for it. Now back to more storm cleanup...
 

Friday, August 14th, 2020 (Week 3, Day 24)

I think I'm finally getting caught up on puppy stuff, I just posted several new videos and Week 3 Puppy Portraits. I took a bunch of cute portrait photos this week, so I'm working on putting together pic collages for each pup, but obviously that will take a lot more time, so I hope to have those done sometime this weekend.
 

Wednesday, August 12th, 2020 (Week 3, Day 22)

I am still trying to get caught up with Litter Z stuff after our storm a couple days ago. We've been busy with aftermath related issues and cleanup... The LIVE Puppy Cam is back online, I know you're all probably going into puppy withdrawal by now, :0)~  I just posted all miscellaneous photos from Week 2 and am working on Week 3 Puppy Portraits next...stay tuned...
 

Tuesday, August 11th, 2020 (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:

Our power is still out 24-hours post storm and are running on limited generator power... LIVE Puppy Cam is down and Week 3 Puppy Portraits and Week 2 miscellaneous litter photos will be posted as soon as full power comes back on.
 

Monday, August 10th, 2020 (Week 2, Day 20)

This day was a scary and heartbreaking one here at Hickory Hollow as we were hit by a devastating derecho thunderstorm that caused severe damage to our property.

Our 11:00 am news warned of a dangerous storm sweeping through Iowa with recorded 90 mph winds. Then around noon the weatherman came on again reiterating that this storm is extremely dangerous and anyone driving should seek shelter immediately because cars can be blown off the road. They projected it would hit our area around 12:25 pm and said the tornado sirens would sound even though there wasn't a tornado, but because of the strong straight-line winds.  We had a good 25 minutes after that report to unplug TVs and computers, etc. and get all the dogs rounded up and downstairs in their kennels. We loaded up Litter Z in a laundry basket and hauled them downstairs to our basement as well. We have a walk-out basement, so John had put a heavy blanket over the sliding glass door down there and we were all tucked in when the front hit. The sky was sea-green and the trees started whipping around so we stopped peeking out the door and retreated farther into the room. After only about 5 minutes the lights started blinking and we lost power. We heard flying debris pelting the side of our house, also heard all of our deck furniture toppling around the deck above and heard trees crashing everywhere. The winds lasted 25-30 minutes and sounded like a hurricane, there was no "gusting", it was constant wind the entire time.  I told John the sustained winds were lasting way longer than any other storm I've ever encountered while living here and was sure we were going to have major damage.

Around 1:00 pm the wind had subsided and all that was left was a "normal" thunderstorm. It was raining and there was plenty of lightning, but we ventured upstairs and looked out the front window. Our yard looked like a war zone, trees were down everywhere and the covered porch on the Puppy Cottage was just hanging on the side of the garage, it had lost a support pillar. We were able to locate the horses in the pasture and were relieved to see they had survived the winds and all the trees falling around them.

After taking some time to assess the damage we figured that there wasn't even one tree on the entire property that was not damaged by the storm. I colmmented to John that if we keep having storms like this every 5 years we will no longer be able to call this place "Hickory Hollow" as all our shag bark hickory trees will be gone and we will only be able to call this place "Hollow" going forward. It kinda feels hollow already with all the trees that are now gone. The tree damage is devastating, but thankfully our home and two barns survived with very little to report other than some missing shingles. It could've been a whole lot worse.  
 

Sunday, August 9th, 2020 (Week 2, Day 19)

I had a client ask me today if I spend a lot of time holding the puppies. My answer was that at this point I don't hold the pups a lot, even though I love to. I don't because it makes Momma Shelby nervous. She trusts me with her pups, but she hovers around me and won't let me out of her sight. If one is whimpering or crying while I'm holding it, she will actually stand up on her hind legs to try and check out her pup in my hands. When they were really young, she would whine the entire time I had one in my arms. If she didn't trust me she wouldn't allow me anywhere near them and would protect them ferociously, so out of respect to her, I limit my handling of them until they are a little older.

This is why I enjoy my morning weigh-ins with the pups because that's my time of the day that I get to snuggle and cuddle them, tell them that they're gorgeous and look into their beautiful little eyes and see them looking back at me which just melts my heart. Their eyes are so sweet and curious as they study my face and listen to my voice. Usually the momma dog's protective nature tends to let up the older the pups get, so she will be a lot less nervous when handling them when they're 5 weeks old as she is now when their only about 3 weeks old.
 

Saturday, August 8th, 2020 (Week 2, Day 18)

The pups are just getting big enough and seeing well enough to nurse while momma Shelby is standing up. I caught them doing that this morning while she was in the box "cleaning up", but was not fast enough to grab my camera for a few candids.

Pups had their 1st deworming today and boy was that a chore. These pups HATE the dewormer (Pyrantel Pamoate Suspension), they toss their heads from side to side slinging their dose across me and the wall, not to mention they sputter and literally choke on it no matter how slowly I administer their oral dosage. I ended up tubing the dosage into the last few pups after Zenia started spewing it out her nose. Poor baby. In recent years the manufacturer has changed their formula, despite the information on the box stating that "this wormer is very palatable and dogs will lick the dose from the bowl willingly", I can tell you it most certainly is NOT palatable. Before they changed the formula it was highly palatable and the pups liked it and would accept more if you'd offer it, however they forgot to change the verbiage on the box after they changed it. I have yet to find a "palatable" dewormer that is comparable to what it used to be a few years back. This won't really be an issue once the pups are old enough to eat solid foods because I will just mix their dosage with a little canned food and down it goes. In the meantime I will just have to use the stomach tube method to deliver their dosage directly into their tummies.

Here's how the pups weigh-in today, with a couple pups already pushing the 4 pound mark!

Friday, August 7th, 2020 (Week 2, Day 17)

I captured another cute video this morning just after breakfast that I titled "Morning Activity". The pups were pretty active and I enjoy watching them mill around the box, they have such a cute little waddle and their tails are just flying back and forth a mile-a-minute. I take advantage of these moments to evaluate conformation and am happy to see that they are holding their tails straight and none of them seem to have a backward curl to them. As a breeder this makes me smile as all of you probably know I LOVE straight tails!
 

Thursday, August 6th, 2020 (Week 2, Day 16)

The pups are just getting so big I can't believe it.  With as active as the pups have been since their eyes have opened, they are getting around much better, they are climbing up on the rails and a few have even tried to climb out of the whelping box. Today I had to add the half-door to the whelping box to help avoid escapees from the box.

I captured a cute video I titled "First Glimpses of Play" as you can clearly see Zenia mouthing some of her littermates in a playful fashion. As the pups age, they will become more and more active with less sleep time inbetween.

Tuesday, August 4th, 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 try not to scare them.

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:

It's interesting to note the percentage gain over a week when they are this small. Obviously this growth rate will begin to taper off because if they maintained this rate they would end up being the size of a Grizzly Bear in no time!

Pups had their first toenail trim today to snip off the little hooks on the ends that are so sharp! They were getting hung up in the soft fleece that lines the weigh scale so I thought today should be the day. I will frequently trim toenails throughout their time here at HHLS, not only to preserve my skin (LOL), but also so that the pups get used to having their paws touched in this way. I think this will tend to help with their future nail clippings.

Miscellaneous litter photos from Week 1 are now posted on this page above for your enjoyment. Week 2 puppy portraits are also now posted above. ENJOY! :0)~
 

Monday, August 3rd, 2020 (Week 1, Day 13)

The pups are just so cute now that they can look back at me with those big round eyes. I've noticed when I'm weighing them that they crawl toward me on the scale rather than haphazardly rolling about. I know that's becaue they're starting to see things around them.

Here's today's eye-opening report:

I just posted a cute video titled "Look Who's Walking & Talking Now" which features Zeppelin. He's obviously got a LOT to say and isn't afraid to share his feelings while his bro Zane has no choice but to listen. You can also see him practicing his walking skills throughout the video.

By now the pups wounds where the dew claws were removed have healed and the scabs have fallen off, so I'm glad that phase of their development is done.
 

Sunday, August 2nd, 2020 (Week 1, Day 12)

Here's today's eye-opening report:

With as beautiful as the weather is here today, it makes me want to take the pups outside but they are just too young yet. Maybe in a couple weeks...
 

Friday, July 31st, 2020 (Week 1, Day 10)

Also, the pups are really starting to get up and around, which I'm sure you've already noticed if you've been tuning into the LIVE Puppy Cam. They are wobbly at first while trying to maintain their balance and sometimes topple over, but as they continue to grow and get stronger the wobbly walk will slowly fade.

I captured a neat video this morning that covers both of these developmental milestones, entitled "Eye-Opening First Steps", located in the Video Clips section above.

As soon as the eyes open, the pups will become a little more active as well as interactive with each other and their surroundings. This is when it starts to get "fun"!
 

Wednesday, July 29th, 2020 (Week 1, Day 8)

The daily weigh-ins continue and I will do so until the pups turn 4 weeks. Usually at that age I am confident with their daily gain and overall health, so at that point I will only weigh them weekly. At this age however, even the slightest change in the upward trend can point to problems so this is a great tool to help me identify anything that could potentially be going on. The pups are doing great, so no red flags at this point.

Again, Zeppelin must have just had a big breakfast at the milkbar this morning before today's weigh-in because he had a really plump belly and his weight shows significant gain over the last 24-hours. Pups are all now hitting the 2 pound mark already and are growing fast!

Here's how the pups weigh-in today:

More development news... it's exciting to see that the pups are strong enough to get their bellies up off the floor and a few are even taking their first steps!   
 

Tuesday, July 28th, 2020 (Week 1, Day 7)

Week 1 Developmental Milestone: Eyes will open

During this week, the pups will reach their first exciting milestone, their eyes will open! We are anticipating this should start happening around Day 10 during 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 deepens and separates starting at the corner of the eye by the tear ducts and works 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 and more exciting things start to happen fairly rapidly.

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

Miscellaneous litter photos from Birth Week are now posted on this page above for your enjoyment. Week 1 portraits are now also posted above. ENJOY! :0)~
 

Monday, July 27th, 2020 (Birth Week, Day 6)

It's hard to believe the pups are almost a week old already, time just flies. Before you know it folks will be coming to pick up the pups to take them home. But I don't want to rush things, I love having them here and taking care of our litters are the highlights of my year.

After evaluating today's numbers, it's just as I suspected (read yesterday's blog), especially for pups like Ziggy. Yesterday he had a 21% gain, and today only 6.3% but his 2-day average is 13.7% which is right in there as being an acceptable gain overall.

Speaking of time flying, I know that the 5 week selection time will also be here before we know it. So, in preparation for that John and I have discussed puppy visits after 4 weeks of age. We didn't allow them for our last litter as the COVID-19 outbreak was just ramping up and with the litter being on the ground during colder months we weren't able to take pups outside, but this litter we feel like we are better equipped to handle client visits to see the pups and the warmer weather will help us with that. Therefore, we will allow puppy visits (weather permitting) as play dates out in the yard. We will restrict visits to "healthy" single family units at a time scheduled in specific time slots so that different families will not have to share the space and time with the pups. This way John and I can also keep an appropriate physical distance as we are both consciously aware and very careful how we conduct ourselves in public. However, our Puppy Cottage will still be off-limits during visits in order to limit any exposure from outside sources into our commonly used spaces, so if the weather is not hospitable (ie, extreme cold/heat or raining) on the day of your scheduled puppy visit, we will have to cancel or reschedule. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and things will go smoothly.

Since Puppy Selection will start on Tuesday August 25 at 5 weeks, we suggest scheduling a play date for the weekend prior (Aug 22 or 23) if you want to be able to evaluate the pups before picking one. This works best so that when selection starts folks will have a good idea which pup(s) they are interested in. If you can't make it before selection time but still want to schedule a visit, that's okay too. When the time comes to pick your pup, we can chat on the phone about your selection to help you with that decision and then you can come visit your pup at a later date. Please call or e-mail to schedule your Puppy Playdate.
 

Sunday, July 26th, 2020 (Birth Week, Day 5)

I just posted some pics of the pups on our Facebook page, Litter Z album for your enjoyment and to keep you pacified until I post all the Birth Week photos at once at the start of Week 1. :0)~

The pups must have just had a big breakfast at the milkbar this morning before today's weigh-in because all had really plump bellies and their weights show significant gain over the last 24-hours.

Here's how the pups weigh-in today:

After seeing today's numbers, I would expect to see a slight decrease in % gain tomorrow unless the pups have just finished a meal again, but in that case I wouldn't worry too much if one day is askew. These daily numbers are more of a gauge to measure the upward trend in weight gain, so if one day isn't what I expect, then I take the previous 2-3 days into consideration as well. If pups have gained more than average one of those days and less than average on another, they tend to balance out.  
 

Saturday, July 25th, 2020 (Birth Week, Day 4)

The pups are simply wonderful and such little darlings. I look forward to the morning weigh-ins, performing the Super Dog exercises and am really enjoying my time with them. They are just so precious I love snuggling each one and whispering to them that they are beautiful babies. They are such plump little bundles that they are literally a handful and so strong it's almost hard to hold them because they can wiggle free from my grip so easily.

Here's today's weigh-in stats:

I am certainly happy with the growth rate and percent gain of these pups. Although I am not surprised, with momma Shelby's 9 milk faucets and only 6 pups there is plenty of milk for everyone. :0)~

Shelby is now eating about 4 cups of food per day along with a little canned food mixed in and some cottage cheese on top as an extra treat. She is eating Native Performance Level 3 (a 5-star rated food by www.dogfoodadvisor.com) and her normal ration is about 2 cups, so she is eating double what she normally does. We always ensure that our dams are fed a high quality food and a ration that will sustain her healthy body weight as well as support her nursing litter.

Speaking of food, the puppies will eventually be weaned to Native Performance Level 3 also. If you cannot find that food locally to continue feeding to your pups then I would suggest consulting the Dog Food Advisor website when searching for an alternative food choice.  All the commercial dog foods are rated from 1 to 5 stars and reasons for the ratings are provided. It's a great tool and worth consulting. I would suggest choosing a food with at least a 4-star rating or higher. Choosing your dog's food choice should be one of your first and highest priorities and choosing a high-quality food will definitely pay off in the long run. You will have a much healthier dog for the duration of his/her life.  

Enjoy your day all. Make it a good one! It's going to be an oppressive scorcher here today so I'm thankful for air conditioning!
 

Friday, July 24th, 2020 (Birth Week, Day 3)

The pups are doing just great and gained a good amount of weight over the last 24-hour period. I turned the heat lamp back on for the overnight hours to ensure the pups stayed warm and because I raised it up as high as it would go above the floor of the box, Shelby appears to have tolerated that temperature well enough to keep her pups in the box overnight instead of moving them. That's a win/win! :0)~

Here's how the pups weigh in today:

This morning I started the Super Dog program (read about it here). I usually do the exercizes with each pup while I have them out of the box for their daily weigh-in. Most of the pups tolerate the exercises fairly well, once in a while I will get a complainer, but for the most part the pups do okay. The exercises also give me the opportunity to look the pups over really well from head to toe to ensure all looks okay, umbilical cords are shriveling up and falling off, and to make sure their belly, mouth and bum looks normal, etc.

Dew claws were removed today.

After a heartfelt discussion with my husband, we have decided to invoke our breeder's rights and put a temporary breeder-pick hold on the first pick female pup from this litter. I realize this puts a severe kink in our current reservation list for those who want females which is the last thing I want to do for fear of disappointing our clients and thus our careful consideration of the issue. I sure wish we hadn't lost pup #5 which would've made this decision a bit easier and I apologize that I didn't put our breeder pick on the list sooner, but as soon as that little belton girl (Zahara) was born she pulled at my heartstrings.

If we keep this pup, she would allow us to go as far back in our line as our HOPE/Jack "Litter P" from 2015 to restart the pedigree with a pup from that generation and potentially continue with the bloodlines that we are known for but also bring an interesting twist to the pedigree going forward with this litter's sire continuing the HHLS line instead of the dam. This situation would be unlike the rest of our current HHLS dams that originate with Benelli (HOPE's daughter/+ 1 generation). We feel we have gotten ourselves in somewhat of a "rut" with our lines so to speak. We were so IN LOVE with Benelli's pups that we kept a couple females (Skylar and Savvy) and have a couple more males from Benelli on stud contract (Pippin and Tex) so this pup will allow us to offer something a little new and different (going back one generation, equivalent with Benelli instead of out of her) but still stay within our HHLS lines that we are known for.

We will wait to make our final decision about the pup until the normal puppy pick time at 5 weeks and will continue to contemplate our decision in the meantime. In the past, I have regretted not following my instinct to take a pup from a particular litter and don't want to do that again as that decision sometimes still haunts me to this day. However, there is a very real possibility that we won't opt to take this pup because we have a couple other options currently in the works, but need to see how those will work out before we make a final decision. We will thoughtfully and prayerfully think this through over the next few weeks. I always say that with the Lord on our side, all will work out as it should and we have faith in that. We hope you can understand why we are contemplating this decision and again I apologize for not making this apparent sooner but wanted you to know now that we are considering this option.
 

Thursday, July 23rd, 2020 (Birth Week, Day 2)

I'm happy to report that the pups are doing extremely well today. The first week of their lives the only thing I can basically report on is their daily weight since all they really do is nurse and sleep...

...and just as I write this I hear a commotion coming from the nursery and now have an interesting story to tell... Shelby is apparently not happy with the temperature in her whelping box. Due to the heat lamp which helps keep the pups warm, she has been panting a lot while laying underneath it. She decided to relocate her pups to the opposite corner of the nursery where she would be more comfortable.

-- Earlier this morning, I caught her digging at the brand new carpet (just replaced it last week) in one particular corner of the room and I thought she was trying to make a bed for herself. So, I put one of the round dog beds we ususally use in the living room in that spot (to try and save the carpet). --
 

So now I'm hearing a pup crying pretty loudly so I went in the nursery to check on them and Shelby had already moved three pups from the whelping box to the round bed in the corner and was working on moving the fourth pup. She was gently trying to pick up the pup in her mouth, but he wasn't having it. I know it's not out of the ordinary for animals in the wild to pick up their babies in their mouths and move them, but I have never had a momma dog here at Hickory Hollow pick up her pups and move them. I scolded Shelby and moved the three pups back to the whelping box where they will be much safer, especially from being squashed by momma. Then within 10 minutes I caught her trying to move another pup back to the round bed. I caught her doing this a third time and then decided it would be much better to unplug the heat lamp than for Shelby to continue trying to relocate her pups to a cooler area of the room. LOL, I have a feeling Shelby is going to be a handful during this litter.

And now, back to today's weigh-in report:

Birth Week portraits are now posted above along with the Litter Z name reveal. ENJOY!
 

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2020 (Birth Week, Day 1)

The LIVE Puppy Cam is now online!

FYI, the camera uses a good amount of our bandwidth, so to keep folks from endlessly streaming or walking away from their computer with the live stream up and then forgetting about it, I have limited each session to a maximum of 10 minutes. Afterward, the browser will automatically redirect back to this page. To view the live stream again, simply start a new session.

Today was an eventful day even though you wouldn't know it from the lack of posts on this page. I did the pups' daily weigh-in, created all my charts for documenting daily weigh-ins and deworming for our anti-parasitic program and the fun part of figuring out all the temporary names for the new pups (not to mention worked a full day online for my 9-5 job).

Naming the pups is always such a fun part of this whole process, but can be harder than one would think. Thanks to all of you who played the "Litter Z" Name Game on Facebook, I have a long list of great possibilities for these pups making it really hard to choose only six of them. I strive to choose fun names that everyone will like and enjoy throughout the next seven weeks or so. Most of the pups will get a new name assigned by their family once they leave Hickory Hollow, but if we're lucky at least one pup will get to keep his/her temporary name.

FYI, I will post all of the miscellaneous Birth Week photos on this page at once, generally at the end of the week. Periodically I will post some photos to the "Litter Z" album on our Facebook page so stay tuned there in the meantime to get your pic fix. I also post weekly portraits near the beginning of the week to keep an accurate record of age progression, therefore I am still working on the Birth Week portraits and will get them posted as quickly as I can.
 

Tuesday, July 21st, 2020 (Whelping Day)

8:00 am: After being up the majority of the night with Shelby, we still have no puppies this morning. She rested comfortably for the majority of the night, but this morning she is panting more rapidly and is whining a lot. Hopefully this means that she is close... I have not seen any contractions yet....

1:00 pm: Still no visible contractions, I have consulted with my vet and we are going to give her Oxytocin injections to induce labor around 3:00 pm if she has not started contractions on her own. I have sent my hubby into town to get the needed supplies so hopefully as soon as he leaves she will start having puppies, LOL. (Isn't that how it always works?)

1:24 pm: Worked like a charm! Visible contractions start, should be 30-45 minutes now for a pup.

PUPPIES ARE COMING!

Whew! It's been a long 28 hours for me, (started closely monitoring Shelby at 5:00 pm on Monday night), so needless to say I'm ready for bed!

Momma Shelby and the pups will be moved to the whelping box and the LIVE Puppy Cam will be brought online as soon as I can get it done. There will be a link to the LIVE Puppy Cam at the top of this page once it's online.
 

Monday, July 20th, 2020

Wednesday, July 15th, 2020

Since we are now in the last week of gestation for Litter Z, I have started taking Shelby's temperature twice daily, morning and evening and am charting the results. This will allow me to better predict when whelping will begin because her temperature will spike and then drop. Normal temperature for pregnant dogs during the last week is around 99°. When she's close to whelping, hormonal changes related to the onset of labor will cause her temperature to drop below 98.4°. This temperature is at what I call the "red line" on my chart, so once her temp drops below the red line we will officially be on 24-hour puppy watch. I will keep you informed when that happens. Until then, we wait patiently...(or not so patiently in my case and probably Shelby's too!)
 

Monday, July 13th, 2020

Thursday, July 9th, 2020

Last evening I was snuggling with Shelby giving her extra lovins during her delicate and clingy state of mind and when laying my hands on her belly I felt a few of the pups move! They were particularly active last night and it was a wonderful blessing and an added confirmation that she is indeed pregnant (as if her swelling abdomen and teats wasn't enough, LOL).  Less than two weeks and counting...

Shelby's pregnancy x-ray is scheduled for Monday 7/13 and then we may finally know how many pups we're expecting, so stay tuned!  
 

Monday, June 29th, 2020

The more time goes by the more certain we are that Shelby is pregnant. Her belly is expanding pretty good now, and she's extremely clingy following us everywhere to the point that we are literally tripping over her. She is now starting to "look" pregnant and we are starting to feed her special meals so she is eating enough nutrition to support herself and her growing pups. She is right at 6 weeks post breeding and has about 3 weeks to go yet. Best guess for due date is still July 21st.
 

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2020

We think Shelby is pregnant, but not 100% sure just yet.  I wasn't really able to palpate pups, but then there have been other times when I have not been able to either. When she flexes her belly muscles and tightens up, it's near impossible to feel anything gently. However, that is not all I look for. I do think she's pregnant based on a few things I've noticed. First, her belly is swelling, she's super clingy (more than normal) which is how most of my females get when pregnant, and the other dogs are really checking out her smell. My target whelp date is July 21st.

We will know more in a couple weeks if her belly continues to swell and we eventually see milk from her nipples.

Friday, May 22nd, 2020

Just like yesterday, Duke was still interested in Shelby, but she was apparently done with him, so she was growling and sitting again. She refused to stand to be bred today, so we have to assume she's done now. We did have two good breedings between the pair so we hope that will result in a litter. It will be about 4-5 weeks before we can confirm pregnancy, so stay tuned for that news.

Here are a few good photos I took of Duke today before he left. He's such a gorgeous boy! We would be so excited to have a litter of pups out of him.

Thursday, May 21st, 2020

This morning Duke was still interested in Shelby, but she didin't really want anything to do with him, she was growling at him and sitting down. She refused to stand to be bred today, but according to both Duke and Sawyer, they don't think she's done yet, so we will try with Duke again tomorrow.
 

Wednesday, May 20th, 2020

This morning was pretty much an instant replay of yesterday morning. Duke arrived just after breakfast, we put the two together in the Love Shack (aka Puppy Cottage) and by 10:35 he and Shelby were in a tie which lasted about 20 minutes this time. We plan to continue this schedule each morning until Duke is no longer interested in Shelby (or vice versa). I'm super excited about these matings hoping they result in a litter to be born sometime in July.

Here's a few photos we snapped of the two this morning.

Tuesday, May 19th, 2020

This morning Duke arrived shortly after the breakfast hour and by 10:15 am he had the job done, YAY! I guess yesterday's practice session really helped along with a night to sleep on it, LOL! They had a successful breeding resulting in a 17 minute tie, this is day 13 of Shelby's cycle so we should be right on target according to her past history.
 

Monday, May 18th, 2020

I think Shelby is ready today because Skylar (our Alpha female) keeps humping her like crazy and because Skylar is in heat at the same time we have been keeping Sawyer away from both females, so can't take cues from him. We invited Duke up and had him spend the day at Hickory Hollow with Shelby. He currenly lives only 15 minutes away which is really handy, so he was able to come up right after breakfast.

I put them out in the Puppy Cottage dog run so they could have their privacy and set up the LIVE Puppy Cam so I could keep and eye on them from a distance. Duke was immediately interested in Shelby and she flagged him telling him she was indeed ready so he spent the next few hours practicing (since both he and Shelby are newbies), but he never made a connection. Shelby stood for Duke really well. It's so funny to watch an inexperienced stud dog try to breed a female because he will mount her from all angles, head, sides, etc. and just go crazy with excitement but never amount to much other than it being a learning process. Around 1:00 pm I gave them a break and put them in separate kennels for a couple hours to rest. Upon putting them back together Duke had very little interest in Shelby the remainder of the day, so he went home around dinner time with a plan to try again tomorrow. And that's how it goes with a couple of newbies... 
 

Saturday, May 16th, 2020

Usually I like to breed on days 8-12 in a female's cycle, but according to my notes on past history with Shelby, her cycle has run a little longer, being ready to breed more around day 14-15. We are keeping a close eye on Shelby and how Sawyer reacts to her so we will know when it's time for Duke's next visit.
 

Tuesday, May 12th, 2020

Since time is getting close for Shelby to be bred (currently on day 6 of her cycle), we introduced her to Duke for the first time to break the ice and see how they behaved with each other. Duke was just so excited to be outside on this beautiful day and in a new area (our backyard) that he was mostly interested in exploring and checking everything out.  Once he settled down a bit then he turned his attentions to Shelby. He was extremely interested in her, but since she was not ready to be bred yet, she got a little snarky with his playful advances and would just sit down, not even offering a sniff. However the first meeting went okay and she tolerated him as long as he wasn't trying to court her, LOL.  We are going to wait until our other stud Sawyer starts showing significant interest in Shelby before we bring Duke back, but hopefully he will get the job done and we will have a litter on the way.  Stay tuned for updates as they occur.
 

Wednesday, May 6th, 2020

Shelby came into heat today, so we are moving forward with our plans to breed her to Duke later this month.