Poor Watty

Doesn't seem fair, somehow.  Watson is absolutely the sweetest, most mild-mannered of dogs, and deserves better.  He's had a rough winter.  First it was a huge hematoma on his ear that had to be emptied and a drain inserted.  He never fussed about it, never tried to remove the drain, and it appeared to be healing properly.

Then he broke a small bone in his foot.  Somehow. Not a serious break, but it had to be protected so it could heal.  Although Watson will be 13 in May, he's very healthy for his age, and we wanted him to be sound on that foot, as well as comfortable.  So he was fitted with a splint to wear for 6 weeks.  Again, he never fusses about the splint, never tries to remove the wrapping, never objects to Glad Wrap on the splint when he goes outdoors.  Fortunately, other than a bit of initial curiosity, the other dogs never bother it either.

Last weekend, Watson started to develop a new hematoma in the same spot.  The drain had been removed, the incision healed over, and fluid started to build up again.  So far it's stayed relatively small and we are just watching it.  I won't put him through surgery again if I can avoid it.

Then the splint malfunctioned.  First there was a sharp piece we could feel along the back of the wrappng and by the next morning the whole thing had shifted.  A trip to the Vet showed the splint had broken, the plastic piece along the back of his leg shattered.  How did that happen?  Defect?  He never does steps without someone holding his color, takes only short walks always on leash, and doesn't do ANYTHING wild and crazy.  How did it break?  Am NOT at all happy about that.

His foot is rewrapped now and should continue to heal properly as the plastic part was still protecting the broken area.  His ear got rechecked and we discussed possible options including just watching it unless it starts to get really large again.  Watson handled everything with patience and cooperation, as always.  Unlike most of my boys he has never enjoyed going to the Vet, and has decided he does NOT want to go back again for awhile.  He like Dr. Amy a lot, but is getting tired of seeing her so often.

Fingers crossed for my sweet boy.

Trapped

Well, the little Houdini seems to be successfully confined, at least for now.  Max had gotten out of the pen half a dozen times throughout the day, so was available to help Ron with his laundry and other chores, while Melitta yelled "No Fair!" from the pen.  A puppy can get caught on a fence when climbing out, and dropping to the floor from 42 inches up can't be good for the feet and pasterns, so I created a (hopefully) SECURE pen for them.  It's 4 feet wide and 8 feet long, smaller than the previous configuration, but completely covered.  Seems to keep the pups confined, BUT crawling around in there to change papers is not a lot of fun for me.  Oh well, this is only temporary.

The contraption on the right is not a device for torture, but rather a homemade "stacking stand". The pups stand there with front feet on one end and back feet on the other, while I feed them small treats, teaching them to hold their feet in place for show dog stacks.  Works amazingly well, and when I stacked Max without it this morning he stood perfectly still except for his wildly wagging tail.  He certainly has a show dog attitude!  They're learning to have their bites checked too, and this weekend can begin lead training when the weather improves.  Just not enough room in my house for lead training.

Watson is headed off to the Vet today to have his ear rechecked and his foot rewrapped.  Yesterday evening we found a piece of the metal "spoon" poking through the wrapping, and by this morning the wrapping had totally shifted.  Hopefully this does not set him back almost 3 weeks on the healing.  Fingers crossed.  He's been such a good patient and never fusses with the wrapping.

Twice As Bad

What was I thinking?  Did I truly think I could raise two Dalmatian pups to be good citizens?  Not sure I will have enough patience when one of them has Very Bad Dog potential!   They sure are cute though!

Although they are still in their pen (more on that later), they need to come upstairs for crate training pretty soon, and they need to be housetrained of course.  Ron isn't always on top of getting them outdoors in time, especially in the winter, and with two pups to deal with, timing is everything.  I thought perhaps we could use puppy pads too, so the pups could use the tray when Ron didn't get them outdoors in time.  Maybe not.  At least not unless I can explain to the pups that the tray is for peeing, not for shredding.

Then there is the issue of the pen itself, since Maxwell has started to climb out when he's bored, leaving his sister shrieking behind him.  If I'm home I can dash down and put him back in, but if I'm not there he has time to get into mischief.  This is what I came home to yesterday!  Glad my camera was handy.  He had climbed out of the pen, climbed up on the crate with the blankets, and fallen into the trash barrel.  He must have been sleeping there, as he appeared to just be waking up when I arrived, giving me time to snap the picture.

Tonight we will bring in the tall exercise pen and try to puppy proof it.  The key word is TRY.

Just Mine!

Down to only two pups - just mine.  We did it!  Raised a happy healthy litter of well adjusted pups and placed them in wonderful homes.  Whew . . .   It was a ton of work, but well worth it.  The pups all seem to have settled in well, the new owners seem to be delighted with the pups, and I'm very happy with Max and Melitta, who will be keeping their litter names.  Am always a bit sad when new owners change the litter names, because to ME that pup will always be the name I gave it as a baby.  I thought the names for this litter were outstanding, but only Britt may keep her name, and I'm not even sure about her.  That's really the only downer, and a pretty minor one, I guess.  

We're selecting the registered names now, so I can do the AKC whole-litter option complete with names. Then all we have to do is transfer the pups to the new owners. This insures that each pup gets individually registered - so often new owners never send in the paperwork for individual registration.

So Sanka will be Piper, Folgers will be Gelert (a dog in mythology, like his dad Argus),  Gevalia will be Lucy, and Vittoria will be LuLu.  We'll see about Britt.  But to me, they will always be the coffee babies.

I spent some time on Saturday, trying to make things right with Argus who was feeling very neglected.  We went to the dog park, stopped to visit Grandma (he told her all his problems), and stopped for a cheeseburger on the way home.  Guess he gets another cheeseburger today as his daughter Weather (sister to Letty) finished her Championship yesterday.  Such a pretty girl Weather is, and with her father's happy outgoing personality.

Later Saturday, Fernly went to her obedience class, where she graduated.  She got a lot out of the class and it was well worth the time and expense.  I won't sign her up for the next level as she'll probably be coming in season soon, and she also needs to start attending show handling classes.  Fernly is looking good now, and acting somewhat more sensible.  Time to practice being a show dog!

Last night I ground and froze veggies to be mixed with ground turkey for the dogs' breakfasts.  Today I will be doing water changes on the poor neglected fishes.  Basement is cleaned up and scrubbed, paper work getting caught up on as well.  Trying to accomplish all the things that got put on hold while I was raising the puppies!

In Haste

If everything falls into place Vittoria will head off to her new home today and Gevalia leaves tomorrow.  Then I can play Catch Up/Clean Up in the basement.  Time to make the pen smaller, sweep and scrub the floor, scrub and put away the whelping box (still sitting in pieces waiting for that scrubbing), and tend to my poor fish.  Drained the water barrels last night and will refill them tonight so I can do water changes on Monday.  Poor fish have been pretty neglected for the last two months, although they seem to be doing OK. Edd Puffer is looking pretty ancient and I need to play Puffer Games with him while he can still chase my finger and play Keep Away.

And Then There Were Four.

Delta Dash and Mother Nature cooperated yesterday and three pups are safe in their new homes.  If the forecast is correct, another will leave Friday and the fifth will be picked up on Saturday.  Because Fern stayed overnight with Jessica who will be taking her to handling classes today, my house was EMPTY with only three adult dogs and four puppies.  Hectic by many people's standards, very quiet and peaceful by mine.  Especially recently!

It will be interesting to see how Melitta does now that her zippy sisters Britt and Sanka are gone.  Melitta always seems to get lost in the crowd because she's not as loud, active or pushy as some of the others.  She's the most cautious of the pups, not timid but careful about stressful situations - such as being tackled by Fernly.  Her brother Max charges in to all situations, while Melitta stops to think about it first.  My Rob was like that, and had a perfect temperament, so am assuming that Melitta is like Rob was.  Rather ironic that she acts like Rob, since she also looks a great deal like a Rob kid, right down the the "crabby face" so many of them had.

Once we're down to two pups, I'll be able to start crate training, house training and show training these two, plus there's puppy class to attend.  They'll also go to visit Jess, together at first, then separately.  When raising two pups together, it's really important that they are separated as much as possible, sleeping in their own crates, going places on their own, and attending different puppy classes if possible.  

Saying Good Bye

Took this quick shot last night while sitting in the pen with the pups explaining what would be happening over the next few days.  As you can see, most of them were paying attention.  Folgers however thought perhaps he should chew on my laces.  From left to right - first row Folgers & Vittoria.  Then Gevalia with the patch.  Next row Melitta, Britt and Maxwell.  Back row Sanka.  I'll miss our nightly chats. . .

If all falls into place, and of course it might not, Britt, Sanka and Folgers will fly out today, Vittoria may fly out on Friday, and Gevalia will go to her new home on Saturday.  If these things all take place, and if Max and Melitta go to visit Aunt Jess over the weekend, it could be pretty quiet around here, the quietest it has been in a very long time.  If Vittoria does not fly out on Friday, she will go visit Heather and the girls for a few days.

Am I ready for this?  I'm not sure.   Although a winter litter of seven very lively determined pups has been a lot of work, it's been such fun!  Can't say I have ever enjoyed a litter more.  It really helps when they are all so attractive, totally healthy, and have such good dispositions.   And it helps that so many friends came to visit and socialize pups (it takes a village), and that there are good homes waiting for all of them.  It's also fun because I got a puppy to keep that I really enjoy.  He's not the right color, but he's the little Argus son that I wanted.   Melitta looks good too, so much like her mother Holly, and could be a useful addition to the family.  Time will tell.

Good Bye my little friends.  I wish you all loving homes and long healthy lives.  You will make your families happy, even though they may get frustrated at times and wonder if they really needed a new pup in their lives.  Hopefully you will do wonderful PR for the Dalmatian breed and make us all proud.

Hectic!

Off to the vets for health certificates for four pups.  Weather still looks good for tomorrow, so hopefully Sanka, Britt and Folgers will be heading to their new news homes.  Vittoria won't be leaving quite yet, but might as well get hers taken care of too.  Pups up and cleaned, all dogs need breakfast, I still have to shower and do my hair, warm up the car and drive half an hour for a 8:00 appointment.  Trying to minimize the vacation time I have to take this week.

Also have to recheck with Delta as the person who took the shipping reservations sounded new and I need to be sure the reservations are correct.  If we miss tomorrow, it will be some time before it will be warm enough to ship again.  Not sure I can deal with 7 pups for another two weeks!  Gevalia goes this weekend too, so I'll be down to three - I hope!

Puppy baths tonight - the little paper shredders are a bit dingy. 

Count Down

Pups had more company on Saturday, as we did an interview with a family who used to own a Dal.  The pups got to meet another child, and put on a lively show for the family.  It was easier when the pups would tire after 10 or 15 minutes and fall asleep on laps.  Now after an hour of playtime in the family room they are still going strong.   At least they don't pee every 5 or 10 minutes anymore!

It was too cold for the pups to go outdoors, or at least to play outdoors. They could have done it, and would have done it had I been ready to start housetraining, but there was no real need for that yet.  They ran around the basement for a couple of hours each day to burn off some energy.  I thought the basement was pretty much puppy proofed by now, but had forgotten about he pieces of styrofoam wedged behind the laundry tub.  The pups found it, and scratched it into tiny pieces.  It probably felt just like the dirt they would be perfecting their digging skills in if this were summer.  What a mess!  Bits of styro everywhere!  They also found a bag of aquarium sand, and that was mixed in with the styro bits as well.  Am sure they had a wonderful time.  I cleaned the basement after they were back in their pen - wonder what they will find to get into today?

The pups perfected running on the treadmill and I got some cute video of it.  Amazing how quickly they caught on, and how much they enjoyed it.  Now when I let them into the back room of of the basement they climb on the machine and wait for me to turn it on.  Gevalia likes it the most, with Max and Sanka not far behind.  Even Melitta who is the softest of the seven enjoys the treadmill.

Wednesday is (as of NOW) supposed to be warm enough for shipping, so this will be a very busy week for me as I have to get the pups in for health certificates, get their paperwork together, pick up one more small crate, and probably take Wednesday off work so we can get shipping taken care of.  Please Mother Nature, don't change your mind and mess around with the weather!

Good Bye, My Friend

Holly is home, back in Texas where she normally lives.  On a ranch with lots of other dogs, at least one cat, and a variety of hooved critters too.  Jana sent pictures of Holly from the airport, standing up to give her kisses in typical Holly fashion.  Holly is the kind of dog who is happy wherever she is, friendly, confident & secure, loves people, assumes everyone is her friend, and  interested in everything around her.  She's a little stubborn, but also a little soft, so she's very easy to manage, and tries hard to do things right.  She was enthusiastic enough to be a good show dog, but mild enough to be an excellent pet.  Just the right combination of personality traits, and just the way I think a Dalmatian girl should be. Certainly the way I want my companion puppies to be.

Shipping went well, and the folks at American were easy to work with.  Check in was a bit slow as a new person was being trained in, but everyone was nice.  We wheeled Holly in her crate up to the TSA counter, where her crate went through the machine, and Holly jumped up on the TSA folks who didn't mind a little dog hair.  Thank goodness.  Being a short haired dog she did not have to be "frisked".  Argus actually got a "pat down" when he went to Westminister.  Drugs in his armpits?

The pups continue to do well as I try to find things to keep them busy and expand their minds.  Yesterday everyone got to go outside together, and they did very well, racing up and down and path and around the dog yard.  Their favorite place is the deck, so they played there for awhile as well before coming indoors.  It will be warm enough again today for some outdoor adventures, but then the cold will hit.  I'll take them out one or two at a time, as they will need to be used to outdoors for housetraining, but they'll have to get their playtime in the house.  Fortunately they do not pee every 5 minutes now, so that's a bit easier.  Max and Melitta will start to learn the basics of housetraining, but it's not possible to do a whole litter.  I'm neither strong enough nor fast enough to catch each pup and get it outside in time.  Their new owners can work on that.

No company scheduled for this weekend, though I may do an interview for Gevalia, and will undoubted end up with additional visitors.  The pups will work on learning the treadmill and I'll try for pictures.

Toddler Time

It's important that pups meet as many different people as possible, people of all ages and all sizes, and especially lots of children.  So far the pups had met 43 different people, from old to young, but no toddlers.  Last night Laura came to visit and we filled in that gap.  Laura is a very good natured little girl, granddaughter of the family that owns Letty, and she managed the pups very well.  The pups enjoyed sniffing her and nibbling, but if Laura fell down she got "rescued" before the pups all descended on her in a mass which would have too overwhelming, AND some of my sweet babies are turning into sharks - what we call the Ankle Biter Stage.

Before last night the pups would come upstairs full of energy and gradually wind down.  Last night they didn't happen, and they had endless energy.  They went out on the deck to run around too, but when they went back downstairs they were still ready to play.  Today will also be warm and the pups will go outdoors again, but Friday may rain, and then the cold will hit.  Not very good weather for puppies to play outdoors.  I'll have to figure out some other way to amuse them.  Anyone want puppy visitors?

Holly leaves for home today, assuming all goes well with the airline.  Tomorrow will be her last chance for awhile, so hopefully things go smoothly.  Once the cold air settles in, who knows when she will be able to depart.  Pups got moved to a new crate, since they had Holly's shipping crate in their pen.

The Socialization Continues

"Do NOT touch my cast", says Watson.

Sure wish I was home during the day so the pups could spend more time outdoors.   They love playing on the deck in the evenings, and are quite intrigued by snow.  Am sure they will be less impressed by the rain we are expecting today, and the cold weather that moves in this weekend!

Although their pen is quite large, the pups really need to get out and run.  Morning and evening they have the run of the basement for an hour, and have such a great time wrestling.  The crinkly cat tunnel is a great favorite for games of hide and pounce.  Because everything must be explored and played with, I continue to find things in need of puppy proofing.

This is a time when the pups should be having new adventures and experiences, something a lot easier to do in the summer.  They've been coming up in pairs and individually to explore the rest of the house including the bedrooms, and everyone had fun helping me put away the Christmas decorations and clean up the guest room.  There are a couple of toys upstairs only used when pups come up to visit, and they've gotten a real workout.  Individual attention is very important to pups as they transition from being part of a litter, to being individual dogs who live with humans, and it's important that littermates don't stay together for too long and become too dependent on one another.   Max and Melitta will take turns going to camp with Jess and Don, learning to be only pups.  Various friends have offered to take pups for "camping" if weather is a problem and it is too cold to ship them to their new owners.

Last night when I had all the pups loose in the basement, I introduced them to the doggy treadmill.  Sure wish I'd had my camera with me!  I turned it on very low so it hummed and moved very very slowly.  Each pup got lifted up on the machine at first and before long the others were jumping up to enjoy the ride.  Some caught on to walking up the slope of the treadmill, while others went down the slope, or wrestled on the deck, but everyone seemed to enjoy it.  We'll play on the treadmill a bit every evening, and I'll teach them all to walk on it.  Very slowly of course, and only for a few seconds, but it's a great learning opportunity, as well as a confidence builder - AND I'll try to get some pictures.  Too cute!

Time For Holly To Go Home

Time for Holly to go home.  The pups are totally weaned, the weather is warm enough for shipping, and I could do with one less dog underfoot right now.   She's been such a good guest, very sweet and friendly, and gets along with everyone.  I'm very pleased with her puppies, and grateful her owner let Holly come to Minnesota to be bred to Argus.  She'll go back to Jana, to live on the ranch in Texas with her Beagle buddies to run with and a pond for swimming.  Ron will miss her a lot, as Holly was a very good sofa dog.  Josie will be glad to see Holly go, so she can reclaim her spot on the sofa with Ron!

Puppy people are making me crazy as I try to find the right home for Gevalia.  Despite my long list of potential pet homes, this is turning out to be a marathon.  The thing that is most annoying is that I told so many people that she was not available and she might still be available after all.  An interview with "creepy" people was the final straw, as I had a feeling they didn't even like dogs, especially not dogs that shed hair and jump on people. I want my puppies to live in homes with families, and to be part of that family.  Dogs are not something you add because you think you should have a nice looking dog to go with your nice looking home.  Dogs need your time too, and Dals as a breed want lots of your time.  If you don't have time to spend with a dog, please don't get a dog.  Of any breed.

Just Five More Minutes

Dogs are all standing there watching me, wondering when I am going to feed them.  Just five more minutes, OK?  Because I rarely blog on weekends, I really need to update things today as so much is happening!

Pups are 7 weeks old, actually old enough to go to new homes although I prefer to wait until 8 weeks if possible.  With this group, because most of them will be shipped, it will actually be longer.  Because it has to be warm enough on both ends, and because 2 pups are going east, and 1 to Canada, we have to work around the weather.  Some of the pups will be staying a bit longer, but hopefully not too much longer as they are getting to be a lot of work!  Looking forward to the time when only Max and Melitta remain.

Everyone is doing great and the litter continues to please me.  Pups are truly gorgeous, and temperaments are absolutely lovely.  BAER testing went well, with 6 of the 7 pups testing as bilateral, and a uni that I knew was a uni.  No one gets carsick which is a very good thing so the pups are easy to travel with.

Pups are being promised to their new owners now, with only one undecided as I wait to see which of two homes will end up with Gevalia.  That decision will hopefully be made by this evening, and she will probably be the first pup to leave.  We still have people who want to visit the litter which will be fine since most of the pups will still be here for at least another week.  Maybe even another month - horrors!  I love them, and have really enjoyed this litter, but I sure could use a break.

Two Puppy Parties over the weekend, one Friday evening and one Sunday evening.  The pups can be counted on to put on quite a show!

Dog shows this weekend too, and Gemma got her first two points, handled by Jess.  Gemma is a beauty and we expect her to do well at the spring specialties.  Had the pleasure of seeing a new Special too, a handsome and sound young dog with gorgeous spotting, a fantastic disposition, AND a perfect (and natural) tail.  I'm predicting this dog will have a wonderful show career.

Still A Puppy

I was thinking that I had no puppy pictures for my blog today, when I remembered this one of Fern.  I keep forgetting that she's actually just a puppy herself, only seven months old.  She's got most of her size now, and is quite adult looking too, with a hard body and plenty of muscle.  She's still lanky, but certainly would look good in the ring if I wanted to start showing her.  Fern's manners around the house are very good, other than her habit of sometimes flying through the air for a cookie rather than sitting.  She doesn't counter surf, and is very good in her crate unless one of her favorite people is visiting.  Argus and Josie both play with her, and she loves the dog toys, so she generally stays out of mischief.  Fern was extremely easy to housetrain and is very trustworthy, but I have to keep reminding Ron not to give her too much "freedom" yet as she IS just a puppy.  She's doing well in her obedience class, catches on quickly to everything except walking nicely on a leash.  Pulls like a draft horse.  Actually, she knows the command Walk, just needs constant reminders.  A good puppy though.  I've put a lot of time in to Fern, and enjoy her company.  Argus has been suggesting that Fern will be coming in season soon.  He sneaks a sniff from time to time and gets that dreamy look in his eyes!

Pups are doing great, but eating me out of house and home.  It's expensive to feed raw to puppies, but it's worth it in terms of clean up.  Raw fed dogs have small dry stools that break down into powder when stepped on.  Very little odor or bulk to them because the dog is digesting almost everything it eats - no fillers in a raw diet, it's the undigested grain that gives regular stools their bulk.  They do get a kibble meal occasionally, so will be able to eat either raw or kibble or a combination of both.

Tomorrow I pack them up in the car yet again, and drive down to Rochester for BAER testing.  The pups are becoming seasoned travelers which will make it easier on them when they have to be shipped to their new homes.  I'll bring along their pen so they can all be in the examining room while they get tested one at a time.  I know their hearing status already, just need to get it verified.

Health Checks & Puppy Buyers

We made it through another challenge!  Yesterday I took some time off work, loaded up the pups AGAIN, and off we went to the Vets for our "Well Puppy Checkups".  A pen was set up in one of the examining rooms, and the techs helped me carry in all 7 pups.  Each pup was weighed, had its temperature taken, and got a thorough physical.  Eyes, ears, hearts, bites, patellas, etc.  Dr. Valenti does very thorough checkups.  The pups were terrific, all of them brave, confident and friendly, although the ones sitting in the pen made some noise while waiting their turns.  "Pick ME up", they seemed to be saying.  The pups got their first vaccinations, and complimentary nail trimming too, which I appreciate as cutting all those little nails by myself takes a lot of time.

BAER testing this weekend.  It's going to be a very expensive week!

People can be so aggravating.  I had a large number of pet reservations and when the time came to decide where Gevalia (the incredibly cute patch) was going, the first few people on my list passed on her.  One wanted a non-patched pup, another had adopted a mutt, a third found a puppy closer to home (St. Louis), and the fourth decided to wait for a liver pup, as they really wanted liver and were in no hurry.  The next person was local, sounded very interested, and was going to get "right back to me" so we could set an interview.  Yeah, right.  After three days and several emails, I have not heard back from her.  If you don't want this puppy, have found something else, or the timing is wrong for you, at least have the courtesy to let me know.  So aggravating.  I've moved on now, deciding that someone like this is not someone I would sell to anyway.  If she's sick, or having computer problems, so be it.  I've probably told two dozen people that Gevalia was not available, but she still is.  Back to the list.

Many people say that the reason they rarely breed is because they hate dealing with puppy buyers.  I have to say that most of my experiences have been very good, and many of my buyers have become good friends, but it can be aggravating at times.  I'd much rather be annoyed now though, before I sell someone a puppy, than have to deal with issues later.

Major Project Completed!

One more major project complete, six week puppy pictures taken and posted as an album on my Facebook page.  If you are not on Facebook and you'd like the link, send me an email.

Packing up a litter of 7 6-week old pups and traveling an hour in very cold winter weather is a major project.  Pups traveled well with very little fussing and no car-sickness, although Melitta was a bit subdued at first so must have had a queasy stomach.  All pups were brave and bold and very friendly.  Could not have asked for better temperaments on an entire litter.  They explored the huge kitchen & dining room, met cousin Meribel and got played with my Jess & Don, Ron & me, and Don's son & daughter-in-law.

This weekend we have a vet visit for health checkups and the clinic is only about half an hour away, but on Saturday the pups have their BAER tests done and we'll drive an hour and a half to get there.  I already know the hearing status of everyone, so we'll just be confirming the results.  I actually begged off on puppy visitors tonight as it will be my only evening off this week.  My poor fish need some care too!

The photo session went well and I was particularly pleased with Sanka and Vittoria who have really blossomed in the past week, both looking better than I had anticipated.  By six weeks pups are pretty much "there" - what you see is what you get, and I'm very pleased with what I am seeing.  Jess agreed that we should keep Maxwell and Melitta for the time-being, as both are what we wanted from the litter (other than being the wrong color), and they remind us of some of our favorite dogs.  Maxwell is so much like Argus in so many way, and Melitta reminds us so much of Rob, and the type of pup that he so consistently produced.  Rob is a ways back on both sides of the pedigree, "the look" is definitely there.

Naturally the two pups definitely going as pets also looked extremely good and have exceptional structure.  Gevalia is a pet only because we can't show patches, and Folgers only because I do not have an appropriate show home for a black-spotted boy.  Folgers probably has the best overall spotting and construction in the litter.  He's is promised, and I'm checking through my list of people with reservations for girls for Gevalia.

Pictures, We've Got Pictures!

Can't believe how many pictures I have of this litter, but they are so incredibly cute!  Between my regular camera and my cell phone camera, and the pictures that are forwarded by visitors, there must be thousands.  A visitor yesterday took over 200 and posted well over 100 to Facebook!

There is no way these pups could be better socialized!  We've had lots of company of all ages, and the pups are incredibly friendly.  This weekend I started taking them up to the bedrooms one at a time, so I could observe them away from their littermates and stack them a bit in front of the mirror on my dresser.  Again, all were brave and secure and comfortable exploring without the backup of littermates.

Tomorrow the pups will get their first car ride, going to visit Jess, Don, Cousin Meribel, and Simmie the GSD.  We'll see how they ride, and observe them in a totally new environment which will tell us a lot about their personalities.  AND we'll do formal pictures, stacked shots of each pup from the side, front, and rear.  That helps us evaluate their make and shape, how they fit together, and to see their outlines - things that are very important to me.  They'll have more room to move too, so we can observe their gaits more carefully. We'll probably decide from those pictures and observations which puppy will go where.

Maxwell continues to be absolutely fearless and so funny.  Into everything, but so cute I can't resist picking him up and cuddling him.  He's very handsome, a beautiful mover, and full of personality.  Very glad I do not have anyone waiting for a top show male - guess I will just HAVE to keep him.  Easy decision!

Melitta looks very nice too, moves well, beautiful black eyes and lots of angle.  She has the "crabby face" like so many Rob kids did, and both Jess and I are quite smitten with her.  As hard as it is to get extra good bitches, she will stay too.  Maxwell and Melitta may not stay forever, but we'll probably run them both on for awhile and see how they develop.

 Liver Sanka also looks very good.  Beautiful face, great color, and a pretty shape.  When I had her upstairs last night I was amazed at how much reach she had. Covers ground the way Maxwell does.  She's a compact chunky girl with a lot of bone - more bone than Melitta has, and something that is nice to get in this breed.  She already has green eyes which tells me she will have dark gold ones as an adult.  Argus has been doing excellent eye color on most of his liver kids.

Britt is similar in type to Sanka, but with more skull and stop and a "stuffed toy" look to her.  Incredibly pretty markings, expression and attitude make her extra cute.  She's built similarly to Sanka with lots of bone, and a "pick me up" look to her, but she's actually the adventurer.

Vittoria is very pretty and we have not decided if she goes to a pet or show home.  Have one of each waiting for and wanting her.  She's a bit slighter and less mature than her sisters, and we may wait another week before making a decision on her.  She was a quieter pup but really blossomed over the weekend.

Folgers is going to be the heart-breaker I suspect.  Had no show homes waiting for black-spotted blue-eyed boys this time, and I do not believe in waiting for homes to show up if I have good pet homes waiting.  It's too much work, especially in the winter, and not fair to the pups who deserve homes of their own.  Folgers has almost perfect spotting, and sets up well.  He's got a bit more leg than Maxwell, so an curious to see how he photographs.  His people are not interested in showing, which is a bit of a shame, but it should be an excellent home.

And beautiful Gevalia, the patch, will go as a pet of course.  This week we'll decide who gets her.  Not everyone wants a patch, while others prefer them -and she's an extra cute patch.  The party at the top of my list wants an unpatched pup - they already have a gorgeous black spotted Argus daughter and are waiting for another, but will continue to wait unless Vittoria is available to them.  I've offered Gevalia to the person who is next on the list but have not heard back yet, but the person who is right below them is interested so we'll see.  As I had expected, a couple of the parties for pets are no longer waiting.  One adopted a mixed breed dogs who showed up on the doorstep, and another found a Dal pup close to home - so glad for the latter as they had been waiting since last June for a puppy!

Evaluations

The pups had more company yesterday, when Kathleen and Dave stopped by over the noon hour. Once the pups had slowed down a bit and gotten their peeing out of the way, we brought them all up to the family room so Kathleen could get some pictures.  I snapped away too and finished off yet another set of batteries.  Digital cameras are so perfect for puppy pictures since fewer than one in a dozen pictures is really a keeper.

The litter continues to look fantastic and I could not be more pleased with them.  It's one of those litters where everyone (except the patch) could probably go to a show home.  As the pups develop, it's great to see how sound they are and how well they move.  A quality Dal is a lot more than pretty spots, and most of this group seems to have it all.  On New Years Day we will be doing a set of stacked shots - pups set up in show poses, with pictures taken from all angles.  This allows us to see their outlines and proportions and how they fit together.  Jess will do the stacking and she will also note how the pup "goes together" when she stacks it.  A really good puppy also has a good "fit" and its legs automatically set down in the right places - now, whether it will stay that way long enough for me to get good pictures is the question!

This evening the pups will come up into the family room again and I'll be watching them move and "set themselves up".  I'll watch how they looking coming and going and from the side.   I'll watch their foot placement, their toplines, how they carry their heads and tails, and whether they move with attitude and style.
They are almost six weeks old now, and by then the pups pretty much are what they are.  Proportions and outlines are very similar to what they will be as adults, and although they will go through stages, Dals generally come back to what they were at six weeks.  Some things are not fully predictable at six weeks - tail carriage, bites, and size can still be a problem later, but in general we know what we have by six weeks, or occasionally a bit longer.

Currently I am looking at Melitta and Maxwell, and could possibly keep both, at least for awhile.  I like Maxwell a lot, and do not currently have a home for a top quality male if that's what he is, plus he's my favorte pup!  Melitta looks like the most suitable girl puppy for me to keep, and is most promising, my reward for all the work of raising a litter!

Folgers is already promised, as are two of the girls depending on a variety of things including health testing.  We've figured out the hearing status, I think, with two unilateral hearing pups.  We'll check that again when I get together with Jess, and then the pups will get their BAER testing to confirm that the following Saturday.  How can they be old enough for that already!?

Now I need to decide which of the fantastic homes on my list will get Gevalia the extra cute patch, and also need to decide where to place the girl I suspect is a uni.  She's a gorgeous pup and probably would have gone to a show home, but if she is uni we might have to rethink that.  Unis can be shown, and there are many top winning unilateral hearing Dals, but the people on my list for show puppies also want bilateral hearing since you have more options for breeding a bilateral puppy.  Unilateral hearing dogs are more likely to produce deafness - BUT they can be bred intelligently.   If she was my favorite puppy I would not have hesitated to keep and show her.  BUT, what I will probably do is place her locally in a good pet home, and keep the rights to show her (at my expense).  Time to check with the people on my list and see if any of them are interested.  Are you?

New Digs

Pups got new housing arrangements last night when I took the whelping box apart, enlarged the pen and added a crate for sleeping.  Holly no longer spends the night with them, so there's no need to have room for her to lay down, and when/if she feeds them, they have to eat standing up anyway.  More room for toys now, and the pen is easier to keep clean.  Now I need to come up with more "furniture" for the pen, things to keep the pups occupied during the day.

Holly was away from the pups all day yesterday and I did not take her down to see them until 10:00 PM.  They nursed her dry, and by this morning she was still pretty empty.  Maybe one or two more late evening visits, and then we're done.  Once Holly got tired of the pups, that was it.  She kept them clean and well fed when they needed it, but has turned the job over to me.  She's obviously not the earth-mother type like Josie who would have nursed her pups until they were as big as she was.

Pups are changing so quickly and starting to develop their own personalities.  Vittoria is the quietest, although she's brave and friendly, just a quieter dog.  Folgers is the most "peopley" and always wants to sit on your lap and be held.  He's a little whiny because of that, so we'll work to make him more independent.  He's very brave, just wants to be with you.  Gevalia is the most adventurous, and is already trying the stairs.  Although she looks cuddly, she really the explorer.  Sanka is the most mischievous and the most into toys, closely followed by Maxwell.  Sanka is already an alligator.  Britt and Melitta are right in the middle, with Britt being the busier of the two, and Melitta being more cuddly.  Melitta and Britt already know their names, but poor Maxwell thinks he's Little Argus!

Fern is camping at Heather's for a few days, so it's pretty quiet without her.  She's a busy dog, always playing with her toys, tugging with Josie or harassing her poor grandfather Argus.  It will be easier to have the pups upstairs though, and I'll probably introduce them to Josie and Watson tonight (Argus has already been down to visit them).  Josie likes babies, but Watson will sit in his chair and pull his feet up to be sure they don't touch his toes.  He was wonderful with pups when he was young, but is pretty bored with the whole idea now.

Christmas Past

Hope your Christmas was as good as ours was!  Gifts at home, then we picked up mom and traveled to my sister's for Christmas dinner.  My sister and her husband, my nephew and his girlfriend, my daughter and her partner, mom, Ron & me, and four dogs - Kris's charming Rat Terrier and her big mellow Dane/Lab cross, Jess's Meribel and our Fern.  Good thing Kris has a big house!

Fern's first Christmas, and she thought that unwrapping gifts was such fun!  Looked like a little kid on Christmas morning.  The dogs all got gifts to unwrap, although Holly had to do hers in her crate as she's a bit into "resource guarding" and gets a little protective about "her things".  She doesn't snap, but does growl, which I don't care for.  People can take anything from her, but she guards her space from the other dogs when she eats or plays with toys.  We raise our own dogs to "share", so I don't want Fern picking up bad habits.  This is something that is easily trained around.

Pups were pretty bored when we finally got home last night.  Only Fern got to go along to my sister's for Christmas Day, and the others all stayed home.  Holly stayed with the pups as she still has some milk left, but not much.  They are pretty much getting their nourishment from a bowl now.  Goats milk, cottage cheese, eggs, ground turkey and chicken, and kefir so far, plus a chicken neck each once a day.  This morning they will get some sweet potato added to their breakfast, and perhaps some beef for dinner.  They've also had well softened kibble twice.  Everyone is eating well, although Vittoria and Melitta get a separate bowl as they do not eat as fast as the other sharks!

Puppies Of Course

What a good weekend!  Lot's of fun with the pups, a good obedience class with Fern who seems to be developing a brain, a trip to the dog park with my daughter Jess, and Dals Argus, Fern, and Meribel, and a long phone call from my brother in Costa Rica.  Got lots done, and had fun too.

Pups are doing fabulously well.  Jess agreed that Melitta should stay, and perhaps Maxwell too.  Pups are still changing, but I am getting a feel on who should go to which home.  A couple of them are "tentatively promised" but we'll have to wait and see how this plays out.

What I am probably looking for now is a local co-owner - someone who wants to add a gorgeous pet to their home but is willing to let me show her.   We'll see how this plays out.

Friend Sue came over on Saturday to take Josie for a run and to play with pups, so they had way too much fun this weekend and are NOT happy to be shut in their pen.  They'll be most annoyed to find that the next two days will not include any visitors.  If the pups were just a week older I'd take them along to my sister's on Christmas, but instead they will be stuck in their pen, with only their mother for company.  Fern however, will go along to play with her doggy "cousins".

Am very very pleased with this litter.  They are absolutely lovely, with beautiful spotting and gorgeous faces.  Some show great promise as potential show dogs too, and all the temperaments are absolutely outstanding.  No shrinking violets or wall flowers in this group!

Raising a litter correctly is a lot of work, and takes an enormous amount of time, not to mention a sizeable cash outlay.  Sometimes things fall into place, sometimes they don't.  So far this litter pleases me immensely, which is a good thing as the next 3 - 5 weeks are the most work, the messiest, the loudest (pups have discovered their voices), and the most expensive.  So glad to have wonderful homes waiting.

Merry Christmas to all!

A Big Weekend For The Pups

Pups are changing so quickly now, really becoming little dogs.  They are out of their pen right now, exploring the front side of the basement on their own.  There's nothing they can get in to there, and I want them to be comfortable exploring without me always present.  We did the backroom of the basement earlier, but I supervised that as I like to watch how they react to totally new environments.  It gives me a clue as to which pups are more cautious and will need a bit more work.  

They had their first raw meaty bones today too.  Chicken drummies.  They removed all the meat and I collected the bones.  In a few more days they will start working on the bones too.  They'll try chicken necks and chunks of chicken backs.  They primarily eat ground meat, goats milk, egg, kefir, and I'll start adding baby food veggies to the mix, but they will soon be getting one meal a day of raw meaty bones.  In another week I'll give them an occasional meal of softened Pro Plan Selects Turkey & Barley, a quality kibble that I recommend to kibble feeders.  The pups will be able to eat either raw or kibble.

More company this weekend, a trip to the family room, and an introduction to the portable pen that I'll have for them upstairs.  New toys, new food, new places to explore.  It's a busy time for the puppies.

Puppies Are Bored

Another Puppy Party last night, and the pups had such a good time.  Now they are bored - no longer satisfied to amuse themselves in their basement pen. Sorry guys, I can't take you out to play in the morning or I would NEVER get to work!  You'll have to wait until this evening.

When I go down to clean their pen, they try to climb up my ankles and beg to be picked up.  Who could resist?  I pick each one up, call it by name and hold it up to my face for a kiss.  They are all into kissing now.  Today they will get three meals in addition to whatever Holly has for them.  She'd rather not be bothered, but will continue to spent the night in the basement, hopefully giving them a midnight snack another week at least.

Holly is extremely bored with the pups and would rather be upstairs, preferably sitting on the sofa with Ron, or unfortunately getting into mischief.  She really wants more exercise, but her exercise is limited to leash walks for now and we have to keep them relatively short so she does not get frostbitten nipples!  Her real owner Jana is coming to visit over New Years, but it will probably be too soon to send Holly home.  I don't want to ship a bitch who is still nursing, if she is, and the Holidays are not a good time for dogs to travel.  So she'll probably have to put up with us for a bit longer.

This weekend the pups will come up to visit the family room for the first time which is always an interesting time.  I'll have lots of paper towels and spray cleaner available!  The adults will be crated at first so no one gets stepped on.  When they are tired, I'll put the pups in their new pen which will be set up in the family room, and let the adults out for a visit.  Only Argus has been allowed down to see the pups, and Josie who loves all puppies is so eager.  It will be interesting to see what Fernly thinks.  Watson used to love pups, but thinks that senior dogs should be exempt from dealing with them.  He'll hop up on the chair and watch from there.

Weaning Has Begun

Wish I had been able to convince all of the pups to sit in this grouping for a photo shoot, but three of them were still out playing with a variety of new toys and boxes.  They had such fun last night with all the new "stuff"!  Need to go shopping at a kids store to pick up some other interesting items for them.  A mobile is at the top of my list.  They need a "cat tunnel" too.   Pictured are Sanka, Britt (who is always mugging for pictures), Folgers (in the center) and Vittoria.  I would have gotten a picture of everyone, but the batteries ran out in my good camera, so I just used the cell phone to get this shot.  Am so pleased with how "pretty" this litter is for faces and spotting.  Lots of chrome!

Weaning has begun, and the pups are eating goats milk (wow, is it expensive right now!), egg yolk, kefir, and freshly ground dark turkey from Whole Foods, my regular weaning formula.  They'll eat that several times a day for a few days, then other foods will be added - various kinds of meat, pureed vegetables, yogurt, whole eggs, and eventually they will get a few meals of well soaked kibble as well since some of the pups will be going to raw feeding homes and others to kibble fed homes.  Next week I'll introduce raw meaty bones, starting with chicken necks and wings.  The necks will probably be swallowed whole, but the wings will take some chewing.

They were wormed yesterday for the first time.  My own pups normally do not have worms of any kind, but because Holly is leased from someone else and I'm not sure about her status, it was time to do this for the first time.  I'll worm them again in two weeks, and take in a stool sample too in case they have anything other than roundworms or hookworms.  They look so healthy and robust, I doubt they have any parasites, but it's best to be sure.  I never medicate my dogs needlessly, but this worm medicine is very easy on pups.

Company again tonight - the pups will be delighted!