The first goodbye

Their last night all together

So, we said goodbye to the first puppy tonight (White). It was certainly bitter-sweet. I know that she will be so loved and happy in her new home, it's just hard saying goodbye after pouring myself into these little pups for over 2 months. I can't believe I have been taking care of them since October! That seems so long ago. They have really come along way.

Green eating books

Soon we'll be leaving for CT and we'll lose Blue and probably a couple others. I'm still trying to give one to my parents but my dad is being a little stubborn. If you know who he is, go ahead and give him some grief when you see him next. :-)

I got the puppies all little sweaters last week. They are so cute! I took a pic of White modeling one. Although, it wasn't the one she went home in. She was too fat for that sweater and when I put her on the ground, she couldn't walk very well. lol. Her front legs couldn't take a big enough step forward and so she would just sit still and pout or fall over when she walked. Poor baby. That sweater will go to one of the smaller pups like pink or green.

White in her tiny sweater

Well, not much else to report. Everyone is doing well. Me and Molly will have some adjusting to do over the new few weeks but we'll be fine....hopefully. lol.

Good luck to White and her new owners! We pray for a smooth first night away from home and quick potty training!

Goodbye White!

A clean bill of health for all!

Waiting, sorta patiently, for the doctor

 
Well, everyone got their shots and their worming medicine and their clean bill of health. We left Molly at home and I was really glad about that. Five puppies is enough to handle without Molly trying to climb out of the basket, then in, then back out, and so forth. The pups did really well without their mommy around. They were a little whiny in the car but that's probably because I was driving a little.....erratically. It took me TWO HOURS to get my shopping done at Wal-Mart which then put me behind schedule.. Let me tell you, tis-the-season for shoving and "survival of the fittest" style holiday shopping. Sheesh. Anyway, so the pups were a little whiny in the car and then as soon as we walked in the door of the vet's office it was all "ooohs" and "awes" as usual. lol. One lady practically interrogated me about the mom and the dad and the breed and whatever else came to her mind. I really don't mind questions....but if you're not going to buy, quit torturing the sales person! :-)

I mentioned how Purple always has her tongue hanging out a little bit. They said it's not a big deal and she may grow right out of it. When we looked at her jaw though, when she closes her mouth, her teeth don't touch in the middle. Meaning, her jaw doesn't close completely when at rest and thus, there is a gap for her tongue to slip out of. The teeth/gums/jaw doesn't keep the tongue tucked away like it usually does. Again, it's not big deal. She can eat, breath, bark, lick, pant, etc all normally. It's just her cute little quirk. And again, she could grow out of it once all her teeth come in and the gingiva in the back isn't bulging with forming teeth anymore. We'll see. In the mean time, she's just a cute little goof ball. I really love her personality these days. Such a cuddle bug but she definitely has a playful streak in her.

Like I said, everyone got their health certificate and is ready to go next week. I totally feel like we had a thorough exam too because we were there for almost 2 hours. Basically, nothing happened in a hurry today.

The pups don't act a bit sore. White and Blue were the only ones that even seemed to notice the shot. It's a bunch of brave pups I tell ya! They were all playing and pestering Becks and Molly as usual tonight. I hope we don't have any complications tomorrow.

Speaking of being brave.....ya know, it's interesting how anxious I feel when I'm at the vet's office. It's really ridiculous. Here I am a nurse, and I've even worked in a doctor's office before, yet....I get all antsy and sweaty. It's totally irrational but I really can't help it. It happens every time! I'm sure that energy isn't very reassuring to the pups either. Sorry pups.

I finished my sales contract and also a puppy info. sheet with lots of information that will be useful when you take home your new pup. Feel free to check them out in the Puppy Links section. I'm in bed watching Elf- see ya later!

No milk, no pool, no time before they're gone!

New puppy habitat

Last week, I moved the puppies from their whelping pool into the guest bathroom. They are doing great in their bigger habitat. They have much more room to run around and potty. The room is 2/3 potty area and 1/3 play/sleep area. They had it 50/50 but it was too much room and they were going potty on the end of the play area. I didn't want them to get used to doing that so I decreased the play area and increased the potty area. Pink and purple are doing super great with paper training! The others are doing well but are more apt to going pee in non-paper areas. It's better now with the smaller sleep area though. We lock them in the bathroom with a baby gate which is good because Molly can't be in there all the time like she was before. Yet another step towards getting the puppies ready for leaving mommy and me. Both Molly and the pups seem to do really well with it. However, the pups are starting to be really vocal about what they want. And when they want out of the bathroom, they start the whining and the crying. It's so sad but I'm trying really hard not to cave in. I let them out usually when they are calm and quiet to reinforce those good behaviors. Getting them ready for crate training really is what it's doing.

OOPS!

This past week they've also been spending lots of time running around in the upstairs . They love it (hence the crying to come out of the bathroom)! They come out to play about 3 times a day and they just run and wrestle and chew on anything that looks interesting. Purple was climbing all the way inside Will's boot last night. It was pretty cute. She would get all the way in and then get nervous and pop back out, stare at the boot for a minute, and bark. lol. Green was keeping busying chewing on the fringe of the laces. She loves fringe/string/tassels!

Green chewing, Purple in the boot

Becks is still terrified of the pups although last night for a second he was barking at them and it ALMOST seemed like he wanted to play. Blue is completely fascinated by Becks and follows him around everywhere he goes. It's pretty cute but Becks still thinks he's poison to touch or even give eye contact too. He's a crazy mutt.

So, other than the big move, Not too much going on these days. We've all settled into a nice routine. They are all completely weaned and Molly is not producing anymore milk. That was an interesting process. We didn't feed for her about 36 hours and let her nurse only twice in 48 hours. That was all it took. She shut down production and now she's dry as a bone. Pretty cool really. We felt bad about not feeding her but according to the reading I've been doing, it's the best was to avoid acute mastitis (clogged milk duct) or causing damage due to distention of her mammary glands. That was really a concern since she had such a large litter and was having to produce so much milk to keep them all fed. By cutting off her resources, she didn't have anything to draw from to produce milk and thus, she stopped. We didn't feed Becks during that time either :-) So, at least she wasn't alone in her suffering. I'm not sure why that makes it any better.... but it does in my mind. lol.

Tomorrow the pups go for their first shots, another worming, and get a certificate of health. I get to juggle all 5 pups once again in the blistering cold. It's always crappy weather when we have to go to the vet, it never fails. Oh well. Still deciding if I'm going to take Molly with us. I'm thinking not because everyone needs to start getting used to the idea of being apart from mommy.

More updates to come after the big day at the doctor!

Green playing on the steps

And they just keep growing....

A few things have happened recently. First, the puppies are seriously cutting some teeth. All that cute nibbling on my fingers is now starting to hurt! They are also looking for anything and everything to chew on. The toys are getting constant abuse and when I let them out of the pool onto the floor for a bit, they found that power cords make perfect teething rings. So, we put a quick end to that and will try to discourage power cord chewing every chance I get. Luckily, their teeth aren't big or sharp enough to do any real damage.....yet.

Second, they got another bath yesterday. I've tried keeping them somewhat clean with sponge baths and spot cleans but it was time for another dunk. They did really well again. This time I took a couple pics. I also had the heating pad preheated and Will was around to help me deposit pups on the heating pad as they were done with their bath. It worked out much better this time with much less shivering and Molly wasn't nearly as stressed. They are so soft now! I love it!

They were introduced to the world outside the pool this week. They got their Christmas pictures taken (see www.facebook.com/mmbeckwith) and were allowed to explore for a while. We also brought them down to the living room for the first time tonight and that was very exciting for them. However, the wood floors presented a new challenge for them that they weren't quite ready for. Once they wondered off the area rug and onto the wood, they would just freeze and remain completely still. They really had no idea how to navigate on that slippery surface. It was really pretty cute. Once I encouraged them back onto the rug, they were back bouncing and running around like the crazy little things they are. They really love exploring, especially Blue, Green, and Pink.

Fearless Blue

Potty training up-date: I have their pool divided into a "sleep" area and a "potty" area. They have pretty well got it down. Very few accidents on the "sleep"side. This week though, instead of just having the area divided, I put down newpaper on the "potty" side so that they start to make the association with newspaper and potty. They did really well with the change. They are still using the potty side for about 90% of their urine and 100% of their doodles. I hope this will make the house-breaking process much easier for their new owners. Reinforcing the "don't pee where you sleep" concept should help them later with crate training or whatever method the new homes will use. Eventually, the potty area will get a little smaller and the play area a little bigger. In not too long, they should be able to be locked in a small room and know that they need to walk over the to paper to do their potty business.

Today was mom's official spa day. No more DIY treatments at home. She spent a few hours at the groomer and looks like a new dog. She's lost so much hair though! Up to a 50% loss in hair is expected post delivery so I'm not concerned, but her "cow skin" as I call it, is really showing through her fur. Molly requested a couple new sweaters on her Christmas list that we sent to grandma/Santa. I think she's going to need a full-blown winter coat when we're in CT. I love any excuse to shop for dog clothes! :-) She already has her Christmas dress for this year. lol.

Well, that's about it. There is a sale pending on Blue and I've contacted a few people who had previously expressed an interest. The pups need to go for another worming and their first set of shots next week. My oh my, how time flies!

Play, Play, Poop

No major updates to report in the last few days. However, the pups are so crazy this week! They are chewing on anything they can get their little mouths on (including your fingers and toes....and their fingers and toes too). Will had his foot resting on the edge of the pool and a few came over and started sucking, licking, and chewing his toe. Funny babies. They are trying their hardest to get the running thing down and are getting pretty close. Right now it still kind of looks like bunny hops. So cute though! The weaning is going very well. We're giving them 3 meals of gruel a day and Molly still nurses a little in between. I think we're going to have a really smooth transition. Molly is such a good momma with great instincts and I feel like I'm reading her ques accurately. Good team work I guess you could say.

Oh wait I do have one up-date! I almost forgot. The puppies are pooping up a storm! (Gotta love my updates....right?)

On Thanksgiving day (PS- happy belated Thanksgiving!) they created such a mess we had to give them their first bath. Head to toe poop. No lie. They did so great though! No fussing, no panicking. Even under the running water, they just stayed calm and trusted me. They did get a little chilly towards the end but I dried them all off and turned on the heating pad for a while. They were fine after a few minutes all huddled together. Blue got the most chilled- figures since he's the least chubby. They look much better now, feel softer, and most importantly....SMELL better. Molly seemed to get the most stressed by everything. I guess she could tell they were cold and in a little distress. Or maybe it was their smell. Not really sure but she calmed down after a few whimpers and then went back to her own affairs as usual. I totally didn't get any pictures...bummer I know. It was sort of an emergency bath. I walked up to check on them in the afternoon and it was such a dramatic mess that I just went right to work getting them cleaned up. Will changed all their bedding while I washed them up so I didn't have a camera man either. Maybe next time. They've done well at staying mostly clean after that. Only a couple spot-cleans since then. Their poo is getting more solid now that their belly's are getting more used to the puppy food which means less mess. Molly is still good about cleaning up after them too which is not always expected after they start to wean. We'll see how long it lasts. Yeah, it's gross, but anything that makes my easier is fine with me. Just don't let her lick you if you come to visit :-) Eeeeeeww.

The Beginning of the End

For the last few days we've been offering the puppies formula in a saucer a couple times a day. They would lick some off my finger and the edge of the bowl but that was about as far as we got. But, the other day I got the bright idea to put a piece of Molly's kibble near them and just see what exactly they would do with it. Well, two of them were very interested (white and pink) and they actually ate one piece....I think. So, I figured maybe they just weren't loving the taste of this formula or something and so I went ahead with the puppy chow gruel today. I blenderized the kibble and added enough formula to make it the consistency of cream of wheat. It was a SMASH HIT! Purple probably ate the most but little boy blue was really into it as well. They all ate their fill, played for a moment and then quickly fell into a deep, satisfied coma. It was amazing. Later in the day, I refreshed their water dish and they came right up a lapped up the water without any prompting! I was so impressed. So, my advise from all this- yes, try the formula solo first but if they don't go crazy over it, don't worry about it and proceed as scheduled with the weaning! They are 4 weeks old today and obviously so ready to eat the real food. And so, the weaning is officially underway and one more aspect of their puppy-hood is fading away. Molly isn't shedding any tears though :-) Just me.

I guess the whole eating real food thing has forced my mind to turn to long term goals and scheduling. That means preparing my news paper ad. I started doing that tonight and it's taking much more effort than I thought it would. And I know I'm taking this whole puppy thing very seriously, but is it so wrong to want to have the best darn puppy ad in the whole dang paper? I mean, they are the cutest puppies in the world and I want all of them to go to the very best homes. So, when asked, "would you like an ad enhancement?" I click "yes" to almost all:
Yes, I'd like to add additional lines.....how about 3 more.
Yes, I'll take the border.
Yes, I'll take the background color.
Yes, I'll add a picture.
Yes, I'd like my first line in bold.
And yes, I would like my ad in the Sunday paper for two consecutive weeks instead of one.

Then, I click the checkout button. Oh my. $67 for a puppy ad!
Back to the drawing board I guess. I did create a special puppy-related email address though. So, I did get one thing done tonight. It's all about baby steps. lol.

Maybe it was the eating of solid food today.  Maybe it was seeing the solid grown-up dog like turd that resulted after eating the solid food. Maybe it was the fact that they are now 4 weeks old and look more like dogs than rats. Or maybe it's just a feeling. But one thing is sure in my mind after today...November 24th marked the beginning of the end of this wonderful and heart-wrenching experience of whelping and raising puppies. They're growing up and soon they won't need me or Molly at all. Whoa.

Just plain UGLY

Ok, so Molly's umm.....nipples (my mother is wincing right now) are pretty ugly. They started getting these little dark spots on them, kind of like big freckles. Then they started getting bigger. On one of them, there aren't any freckles but instead a big black ring right around the nipple (like a black bull's-eye with pink nipple in the middle). They've kind of looked odd since the very beginning of whelping and at about 1 week, I had the vet look at them and she started her on Orbax (antibiotic) for 10 days. She wouldn't call it mastitis but they were certainly not healthy looking. I mean, she didn't really fit the profile for mastitis- no fever, no lethargy, still eating well and the puppies were gaining weight. But again, they didn't look quite healthy. Well, she finished her antibiotics 4 days ago and it was time for the puppies to be dewormed anyway. So, off to the vet we went- where they now know us by name :-) The bottom line....just bruising. It even looks like the blackness is spreading (kind of like spider veins) but we've decided not to be concerned. It has been my suspicion all along that it was just bruising/blood flow/hickies. But, now I have some peace of mind. Whew!

Like I said, the puppies got dewormed today. They are 3 weeks 1 day old today. Recommended first deworming is between 2-3 weeks. Since Molly had been on antibiotics lately, I waited until 3 weeks because the poor puppies bellies were obviously upset (evidenced by mild diarrhea) and I didn't want to add insult to injury. Dr. Burdette also said they they looked great and their hearts sounded good. :-) Yeay!

Everyone at the vet's office goes crazy when we come in. Now that they are older, everyone wants to hold them and love on them. I have no problem with it. They more socialized, the better! They also keep asking what my plans for selling them are. I so hate thinking about that day! But it is a must. I was encouraged to list them now because Christmas is coming and the people who are planners (and possibly a little bit more responsible pet owners) are looking now. Oh boy. So, I guess I need to place my add this Sunday and touch base with people who have expressed interest already. I can't believe it's time to plan their departure already!!!

Yesterday everyone got a toy of their own. They are so curious! They love the little stuffed animals and have started chewing on things already. They also got an introduction to milk in a saucer yesterday. Purple and white showed the most initiative (the fat ones....go figure). They would suckle the edge of the plate and also suckle and lick it off my finger. They definitely have the licking action down, they just need to get more comfortable with it. Purple walked over to the dish and did take a lick or two but that was about it. Then she proceeded to take a little bath in it. Her whole left side was nice and sticky. lol. She got a little sponge bath after that. Blue had some milk on his face a purple was nice enough to clean that up for him. Too cute!

See the milk experiment in the new video. Pics of puppies with toys also posted.

Puppy Play

Today is a rainy day with not much to do so the pups have decided to start playing with each other. White and green seem to"get it" the most and are nibbling and pestering their littler mates. Blue ventured over to the water dish today and took a sip. It's so amazing how fast they start to wean themselves. Speaking of weaning, by the end of this week we will have officially started that process. The first step was to watch for the pups to become curious about Molly's food and water dish. We are definitely there! Last night white, purple, and pink were taking turns gumming a piece of kibble that they found next to the food bowl. It was pretty cute....wish I got a picture of it. Oh well, there's plenty more eating in their futures :-). Another sign that they are getting ready to wean is the eruption of their teeth. Today I felt little nubs along their gum lines so teeth are not far off now. I had forgotten how yummy puppy breath is. Oh my, I love that smell!  I will introduce a dish of puppy formula first and see how well they are lapping it up. After they are good with that (usually about 2 days) I will introduce a formula/puppy chow gruel. They should be ready for this at about the 3 1/2-4 week mark.

They are also making lots of progress in the walking department. White is doing the best, followed by pink and then maybe green. Green, purple, and blue still flop over on their sides quite a bit but there is genuine determination to get where they want to go. White can take about 3 steps before getting off balance. I think purple is just too darn fat to support her body weight. :-) Not really, she's keeping up with everyone just fine.

Molly is loving the pups independence. She has found her way back to our bed the last couple weeks and I realized how much I had been missing her company. She was pretty devoted to the pups the first week to 10 days. Yesterday Will cleaned the garage and she spent the whole time down there with him wandering around investigating what he was doing. She's still really great about keeping the pups fed though. She seems to just have this timer in her head that goes off every few hours and she knows she needs to spend some QT with the pups. She disappears upstairs and you'll find her flopped over on her back in the whelping pool with the puppies greedily attacking her belly. At about the 2 week mark I really noticed an increase in their feeding time intensity. I guess part of it has to do with the pups increased mobility and ability to navigate, but oh my goodness, they are greedy little buggers! They practically swarm Molly and are constantly changing nipples and pushing others out of the way. They will eventually settle down and start to fall asleep after about 10 minutes (which is a good sign they are getting enough milk) but those first few minutes are pretty serious. I've been keeping their nails trimmed about once a week because I don't want them to scratch each other or Molly too badly. They seem to tolerate it really well and Molly's belly looks really good so far.

The Bio-sensor training is going really well. So is the submission exercises. Pink and green remain the most resistant to being turned on their backs but they are starting to calm down more quickly every day. Green has really made a lot of progress just in the last 48 hours. Blue remains the most passive followed by purple. White is in the middle.

Weights continue to increase by about 15-40 grams a day. Fatties purple and white remain in the lead. Pink is slowing down a bit but still doing well. Blue to really doing well and has increased from a usual gain of about 10-15 grams a day to 20-30 grams. Green has been pretty consistent lately and putting on about 15-20 grams a day. I'm extremely pleased with their weight trends and Molly's milk production.

Today I will introduce some toys for increased stimulation. I will throw in some of Molly's (cleaned first) for now, but I will buy each of them their own toy soon and it will go with them to their new homes. It will help increase their comfort level when the Big Day comes.....totally dreading it by the way. :-(

What I'm about

My name is Monica and I have been a nurse for 3 years. In nursing, there is a strong emphasis on research and using evidence-based practices.  I have tried to use this same philosophy when it comes to breeding. I have quickly realized how similar the birth process of humans is to that of dogs and I have exerted a great amount of effort to ensure that my methods are safe, humane, and will results in the most healthy and happy puppies possible. With those goals in mind, I bravely venture into this new world of breeding.

I may be new at this, but you will find that my puppies are incredibly well cared for, well adjusted, and very trainable. This is because I have dedicated much of my time researching training techniques and whelping practices. I have invested an unmeasurable amount of time handling and nurturing each and every puppy born in our home.

Below are some of the things that you should know about my puppies:

-Handled daily
-Exposed to Bio-sensor (Super Dog) training from an early age
-Professional vet care from the dam's prenatal appointments all the way to puppy deworming and vaccine administration
-Mom and pups are fed super high quality Arcana puppy food
-Raised in our home
-Well socialized
-Started in pre-potty training habits/routines
-Will only be sold to approved homes