The pups are doing well and getting fat with Tabitha's TLC. One of the boys is much smaller as you can see in the last picture but is coming along well now after a slow start. Thanks to Susan doing some unique things to make sure the little guy doesn't get brushed aside by the bigger pups. You can see in the 2nd and 3rd pictures what is done to maintain the little ones position at the table. Susan has also fed the little one with an eye dropper and he is responding very well but will likely remain much smaller than the rest.
May 22, 2012
Tabitha and Dig It Quick's pups were born May 22. She had 4 girls and 4 boys but one of the boy's didn't make it through the day. This is a large litter for a JRT but follows in the footsteps of her Mom Taz who's first litter was 8 pups also. This litter was whelped by Susan Crotty in Pennsylvania and co-owned by us and we will get two picks of the litter. These pups will be with us shortly after they are weaned from Tabitha and will complete their upbringing here at JRRanch.
Click on a thumbnail to view larger pictures.
June 5, 2012
Thanks to Susans great work the little boy is coming along steadily. Due to his reduced size and weight he is almost standing and moving well already while his fat siblings are still doing the belly crawl.
You can see from the pictures that their noses are starting to turn black. The next milestone for them will be when their eyes open. That will be followed in a few days by their hearing developing. When this occurs they will also start to navigate their whelping pen more seriously and start to stand up and walk.
Susan is also doing the neurological stimulation from day 3-15. We have been doing this for several years now and it helps stimulate healthy development of the heart and many other body functions as well as allow them to cope with stress better. The military put all their dogs through this and they believe it helps their dogs prepare for the stress of their jobs. They call it super dog training.
June 7, 2012
The pups are all gaining weight well now. The Wee one is coming on strong now also. The last 3 pictures are of him and he is easily recognizable by the unique ring around his tail.
Read the caption under the 4th pic as it identifies the sex of all the pups.
Report on June 9 is that their eyes are fully open and they are beginning to stand and walk. When they are born their ears stick straight out or up. Just before their hearing comes in their ears will fall flat on the side of their face as they are supposed to. From the last pics it can be seen that their ears have fallen so they will be hearing shortly. They will then begin to get vocal. We new a litters ears were open when we opened the whelping room door and startled them awake and they would all begin yapping at us. They would make good politicians as they love the sound of their own voice and don't begin talking until they can hear it. Don't think they will be using a teleprompter though.
June 17, 2012
The pups are almost 4 weeks old now. Eyes are open and they are hearing now. The next milestone for them will be the development of their teeth. Shortly after that they will be able to handle some solid but mushy food which will be the start of the weaning process and Tabitha will start to get a break from providing all their nourishment.
The first set of pictures shows that these pups really know how to relax. All sprawled out every which way on their backs.
The pups got a visit with Susan's male dog Frodo. In true Jack Russell fashion they don't show any fear just curiosity as each one inspects the furry one. Tabitha can be seen in the background keeping an eye on things and watching out for her pups.
The pups will be started on a watered down and mushy puppy kibble with some added soft food to entice them. The first attempts at eating will probably result in less food injested than spread around the floor and on themselves.
They will be pretty mobile now and mom will be less inclined to clean up after them. Tabitha will also be spending increasing amounts of time away from her pups. Thats when our work increases to clean up after them and try to get them outside regularly before they need to go. At this age and with the amount they eat they seem to be going p&p constantly.
June 24, 2012
The pups are almost 5 weeks old here. They all look very well fed and even the wee one is gaining steadily but still a lot smaller and expect he always will be.
They are getting some crate training already and look pretty comfortable being in there. Pups will be starting to run now and lots of playing amongst themselves. Many faux battles with lots of growling as they each take their turn being the alpha dog and getting put down by their siblings. Mostly they just learn to get along. This is an essential part of their socialization before they go to their new homes.
July 2, 2012
The pups are almost 6 weeks old now. They really enjoy playing with the hairy one, Frodo.
They are totally weaned now and have begun their crate training. This starts with 2-3 per crate for several days and when they graduate they get their own crate. This is usually the hardest time because a few will usually cry for awhile and some stubborn ones will carry on for a long time making it very difficult to ignore. Tough to sleep through this so we expect to lose some sleep during this process.
The pups are starting to ask to go out to do their business so they are making great progress towards house training.
Susan is bringing up the pups much like we do so when we get some of them next week they will be ready to go to their new homes well adjusted, socialized, crate trained and house trained.
July 11, 2012
We picked up five of the pups to take back to JRRanch today. We met Susan and the pups at Gaye and Tom's farm in lower NY. Thanks to Gaye and Tom for their hospitality and the great lunch at their hillside lake above their farm.
The pups had a great time and we had no worries about them running free because we were back in the hills away from roads and other distractions. Gaye and Michelle also helped us evaluate the pups for potential breeding/ show quality to run on. Michelle also drove a couple of hours to meet here and look at our pups, thanks it is really appreciated.
After a great lunch the pups crashed and the big dogs got a chance to stretch their legs. The dogs are a combination of Gaye's, Michelle's and Susan's adults and they all had a blast running around in a pack.
The pups were all tired and didn't make a peep in their crates for the four hour drive home. The last picture is from last night on the deck. Will post another update soon of the pups first walk with Mrs JRRanch down the farm lane.
The pups have settled in fast. No problem getting used to their new surroundings. The first night they slept 2-3 to a crate and only woke up around 3:30 when one had to go outside. No messes in their crates. Last night thay slept through but we woke them up before 6 to take them out on the grass and they all did their duty.
We have an x-pen set up in the kitchen and another larger one on the deck where they spend most of their day.
They go for several long walks down the farm lane each day and many more trips to explore around the yard.
They haven't all got the hang of eating in their crates as a couple don't eat much at all yet. May just be the new surroundings but we will keep at it and I am sure their appetites will pick up from all the exercise they are getting.
Most should be going to their new homes next week.
Check out the puppy cam on Ustream. It should be up most of the day.
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/jrranch-puppy-cam
The pics of the two remaining Tabitha pups are combined with the Gage pups on that page. Go there to check their progress.
