This is Kate a week or so before the birth of her pups.
Aug 25, 2012
Kate had 4 girls and 1 boy. All are very healthy. We had to do a C-section to get her pups born since this little princess did not like the pain and would not push to help her pups birth. After more than 24 hours of initial labour we took Kate in to see our vet and she even screamed when he did a little digit inspection to see if the pups were ready. We all decided right there that she wouldn't get any further herself so she was immediately given a C-section. We are good friends with our vet and he let us watch the operation and help get these little guys cleaned up and take their first breaths. The whole thing was very quick and we had Kate and her pups home in the whelping pen in about 2 hours. Thanks Dr Woodley and staff for a wonderful experience.
The pups and mom are resting now so will get more pictures of the pups when they are settled in tomorrow.
Aug 25, 2012 Evening
Pups have settled in now and are getting fat little bellies already. They will do nothing but eat and sleep for a couple of weeks. They crawl on their bellies to find Mom and get their fill then immediately go back into nap mode.
They will get their tails docked and their dew claws removed at 3 days. This is very little pain for them and they may give a little yip but they immediately forget it and search for Mom and another meal.
Their eyes will remain closed for about 2 weeks. When they open they will begin to get more active and will walk around on their legs more as opposed to their bellies like they are doing now. Shortly after their eyes open you will notice their ears will fall more flatly on their heads and they will begin to hear. We will know their hearing has arrived when they greet our opening of the whelping room door with little yelps.
Aug 27, 2012
All the pups gained a full ounce in their second day so they are getting lots of milk from Mom.
We will begin the Neurological Stimulation tomorrow. This helps the dog develop many body functions including the heart and also helps the pups deal with stress later in life. This involves holding the pups in several positions for 3 seconds each ending with their feet on a cold wet cloth also for 3 seconds. Initially they are not comfortable with some positions but quickly adapt and calmly accept it.
Notice that their noses are pink now but they will turn black over the next few weeks. Also their head colour looks mostly black now but will fade to mostly tan over time. Usually the body spots remain black.
If you follow the web cam you will notice the puppies twitch every minute or so. This is because their nervous system is growing so fast it causes little twitches some of them being pretty obvious.
Mom is doing all the work for the next 3-4 weeks. The pups won't do much but eat, sleep and grow for the first 3 weeks. Then they begin to get more mobile and around 4 weeks need to be challenged by trips to the big world, our living room. At around 5 weeks they will be weaned from Mom and we will be taking them outside for a bit. By 6 weeks they will be away from the whelping pen and will be spending the entire day in our kitchen or on the deck with many walks down the farm lane. By 8 weeks they will be crate trained, mostly house trained and ready for their new homes.
Stay tuned while we document all of the above.
Watch their daily progress on the puppy cam. Link above.
September 4, 2012
All the pups are growing quickly.
Yesterday we removed the plastic box with sides which we use to keep them from falling out of the whelping pen when they are small enough to get through. A few minutes after the picture of the pups resting their heads near the bars the little girl managed to get her head through and we heard her cries of complaint as she could not get back. Managed to get her back into the pen and it hasn,t happened again. We thought they were all large enough but the little girl needed another day of growth and she now can't get through.
The head shots start with the boy followed by the 4 girls. The last girl is the smallest since she had a little setback last week. She lost weight one day and we noticed a laboured and wheezy breathing. We took her to the Vet and he thinks their is some kind of obstruction which may go away as she grows or he will be able to remove it when she gets older. She is on a couple of medications and though we can still see a problem from time to time she is back to growing rapidly. She is a very feisty little girl and we can barely hold her in our hands to give her her her medication drops. After seeing how she got through this I think she will have no problem in the future.
The neurological stimulation is progressing well and the pups are barely reacting to the stimulations so they quickly learned to adapt and accept the very different positions we put them into.
Four more pictures added Sept 7. Pups eyes are all open now and they are walking more upright. In a day or 2 they will get their hearing and then they will get more vocal.
Sept 12, 2012
Their eyes opened a couple of days ago and their hearing has now developed. We know they can hear because they hear the noise when we enter the whelping room and we are greeted by a bunch of yipping by the pups.
They are also walking more erect and really getting around the whelping pen. They have even started to pee on the metal side of the pen not wanting to mess their bed. This is the start of house training.
They are also playing a bit and little faux battles with lots of growling and gumming each other. In one of the pictures the boy is so impressed with his own voice that he is starting to howl just for the heck of it.
The pups still sleep a lot but they are awake for a bit longer at this stage and after exausting themselves with walking and a bit of a play they get a snack and curl up in a little puppy pile for another nap.
Sept 15, 2012
The fun begins. Today the pups made their first trip out of the whelping pen to the living room. This litter is right on schedule for this progress. As usual they lasted about 5 minutes before they started to get nervous. The little girl with the patch on her left eye was the most adventurous this time out. This is normal as every time 1 or 2 are more adventurous. Each day we take them out they will get more bold. Each trip they will want to stay longer and play until they get difficult to contain in about a weeks time. Then we will need the help of the x-pen in the kitchen for their own safety.
In about 2 weeks they will be ready for their first trip outside. Then weather permitting they can spend some time on the deck as well. By this time they will be out of their whelping pen all day.
The little boy is quite the poser and he always seems to be close to the camera to get his picture taken. He also likes his own voice as in the 2nd last picture where he is howling.
Sept 17, 2012
Pups are developing quickly now. In just a couple of days their confidence has grown and they are all exploring on their trips to the living room.
Some teeth are appearing so they will start to get solid food soon. We start them on a sloppy mess of puppy kibble and milk and yogurt. Mom is showing signs that she is ready to feed them by regurgitating her food for them as they would do in the wild.
Will be giving them their first worming soon also.
Sept 21, 2012
The pups spent a few hours in the x-pen in the kitchen today. They have been building up to this over the last 2 days. Mom spent some time in the x-pen with them to keep them company but they settled in very well and eventually had a nice long nap here. By the end of next week they should be spending their whole day here or on the deck in nice weather. Mom will be weaning them soon and we will begin solid food probably by the end of next week. Mom will also stop cleaning up after them about this time so this duty will be increasingly up to us to perform.
They still spend most of their time sleeping and are awake for less than a half hour at a time. Each day we see progress in their ability to walk and play. Looking forward to the time we can take them all for walks down the farm lane.
Sep 25, 2012
Nice sunny day so took the pups outside on the deck for the first time. They fussed a bit because it was the first time and the sun was hot on them. But they adjusted and in a few minutes they were exploring their new world.
Charly (a pup from the Tabitha litter) tries to play with them but we have to keep her at a distance because she is to strong and might hurt them. In a couple of weeks they will be able to handle any rough housing Charly throws at them.
The pups are getting some softened puppy food for breakfast but they are not digging into it much yet. The little one is the only one eating with gusto but in a few days they will all be eating hearty solid food meals.
The pups are away from Mom for longer periods now. By the end of the week they will be spending most of the day away and only visting Mom for lunch and the nightime in their whelping pen.
Next week or so they will graduate out of their whelping pen and begin sleeping in crates. We will use two large crates with 2 and 3 in a crate at the start and when they are ready they will get to sleep in a crate by themselves. We usually lose a bit of sleep at this step because some can't handle being alone and we have to adjust the sleeping arrangements usually late at night.
The pups are cute but they can be persuasive in the wee hours.
Sept 30, 2012
The pups are spending most of the day on the deck in nice weather. They also get lots of walks around the yard.
They are only with Mom a couple of times a day and their only extended time with her is at night. Mom welcomes the change and is now enjoying walks with Judi, Omen and Charly down the lane and hunting for little critters (mice, voles) along the farm lane.
The pups are eating but don't have a hearty appetite for solid food yet. This will build up over the next few days as their milk from Mom is reduced.
Oct 3, 2012
The pups are almost weaned now. They have only been with Mom for a feeding at bedtime for the last couple of days. Tonight they will not get this. The pups are now eating a hearty breakfast and supper with a little yogurt for lunch. They are drinking water for the first time also so they are on their own now for nourishment.
The walks are getting longer each day and they are going a bit down the farm lane. At this stage they stay pretty close to us on the walks but in a little while they will start exploring more. Thats when it will take all our attention to herd them and not lose one in the fields. So we are constantly counting 1-5 to make sure one is not left behind exploring on their own.
Oct 5, 2012
Here are some head shots of the pups. Almost 6 weeks old now. They are getting on well without Katie feeding them but we are now doing the cleanup duties.
We put them out every time they wake up and they are getting trained to go outside.
Only 2 pups still available.
Oct 11, 2012
The pups have been eating in their crates for a couple of days now. This gets them used to their crate and is a preparation for the next step, sleeping in their crates.
Last night they started sleeping in 2's and 3's in their crates. Not a peep all night long and we had to wake them at 6:30 to take them outside to do their p&p. In a couple of days they will all be sleeping in their own crates.
The last 3 pictures were taken today and you can see they barely fit in their bed now. They get outside on the deck at every opportunity but it has been cold here. Their little house keeps them warm but we keep a close eye on them and bring them in if they start to shiver or complain about the cold.
Take a look at the videos on the puppy cam site here. So, if the puppy cam is not on you can watch previously recorded videos.
Oct 17, 2012
The pups will be going to their new homes this weekend. They had their first vaccination today and their health checkup with our vet.
The weather has not been nice this past week but we managed to get them for walks every day and they really like the path down the middle of the fields. We haven't gone too far yet because they are so interested in all the intersting stuff in the fields. Charly has come a couple of times but sometimes can be a bit overwhelming to the pups. This is good for their socialization though and makes them respect other/larger dogs.
Recorded a new video today of the pups playing and a little interaction with Charly. The video is here.
Oct 20, 2012
Three of the puppies went to their new homes today. This is a bittersweet time for us. We are sad to see the puppies leave but very happy when we see the wonderful families the pups will share the rest of their life with.
These folks were so focused on their new pup I don't even think they noticed me taking their picture. I hope they are OK with us publishing it here. Just an excellent example of the love these pups will receive.
One pup will be sent to BC in a couple of weeks and another will likely be chosen tomorrow.
That leaves us free to leave for Texas on schedule next month. Looking forward to the warm weather and Mrs JRRanch is looking forward to getting a full nights sleep.
Oct 27, 2012
These last 2 pups will be going to their new homes in a few days.
We are very pleased with the Katie litter and will repeat this next summer.
Thanks for all the kind feedback on our webpages, the puppy pictures and stories.
