Tess Puppies at 2-1/2 Weeks

Tess clearly is putting out cream, these puppies are so big! None have been lacking a meal, that's for sure. Their ears are just starting to open, so it's going to be time to start tiptoeing around the house.

At almost 3 weeks, their noses are completely black now and they are starting to discover each other and toys. It's about to start getting FUN around here! One of the boys is pictured above.
 

Tess is not too hip on camera action, so most of the puppy shots are taken when I'm changing puppy laundry, cleaning the box and letting the nannies provide some care (Tess would much rather sit on my lap than let me take puppy pictures). JJ is in the picture above, the pictures below are with Gamine.

Gamine is quite tolerant, several were doing the best to nurse on her and she just fell asleep!

The Nanny....Our Unsung Hero!

We first stumbled across some impressive nanny skills many years ago after Callie's first litter. We were whelping a lab litter for someone about one month after Callie's puppies had flown the coop, so to speak. Bailey wasn't terribly interested in cleaning the puppies, so Callie stepped in full time. She absolutely went nuts over the puppy squeaks and sounds and I was failing miserably at trying to keep these puppies clean. I figured "What the heck?" She would clean them several times daily and Bailey would nurse them. This was the first of several litters to be raised by more than one mom. My apologies for the poor video quality, this was from an old cell phone, but it does get the point across!

Callie was always in the habit of checking the puppies out and would let me know quickly if they required her skills (though I already had an idea, since I handle them constantly from the start).

 

We even had a couple of times when she would help nurse, if she happened to have had her own litter (or she'd just let them try). You can see the tandem milk stations above with Gamine's litter from 2010. This was just after her last litter of twelve had weaned, but she still had milk. It has always been pretty standard to have the village of goldens all participating in puppy raising here in the house. It's hard to see, but one of the puppies nursing on Callie (she's on the left) is JJ, who has taken over the Sutter Bay nanny job.

 The same Gamine litter learning the value of fireside naps in the winter.

If they squeaked and made puppy noises, Callie was all over them (she treated human babies the same way...that could get awkward!!). No discrimination here! She also would give the puppy alert when a female was going into labor. She would come flying into the bedroom and jump on me if it was the middle of the night...along the lines of "Come quick!!! Timmy's down the well!!" Usually she slept in a crate, though I would keep her loose for this purpose in case we would be too sound asleep.

One of the little guys who simply had a slow start. He was having a difficult time getting enough from Mom, so Callie shared. Dash (Dad) helps to supervise the whole production.

While we miss her greatly, as do so many others, especially at her other job at Evergreen Hospice, we are so happy with the time she was with us. I never knew what a special girl she would be when I whelped my very first litter in August 2004. She's got big paws to fill!

Our tribute to her, the music makes it even more poignant:

New Kids on the Block

The new group arrived last weekend, ten in all. This was Tess' first litter and I wasn't sure how it would go, given the drama act she gave me each time I checked her temperature, but she's settled right in and is very attentive. All are doing very well and are thriving and gaining weight daily.

Day 2

Notice the pink noses they are born with.

Day 6, their noses are starting to transition to black.

While we have ten, we're getting sleep through the night, as Tess is doing such a good job. We rotate them during the day to make sure the littles get enough (there are some CHUNKY boys in this crew!) They are none too thrilled with bath time, which is frequently imposed upon them throughout the day and night. This where white noise comes in handy for sleep!

Preparation for the Big Day

Many have asked me about the setup we use when we are expecting puppies. One day, I'll actually have a "Whelping House" separate from the "People House", but for now, puppies make their grand entrance in our Guest Room/Maternity Ward (you guessed it.....not too many guests staying with us these days!). Keep in mind, left to their own devices, the girls would prefer to have their puppies under the deck. However, since we provide a whelping service for people, I take this midwifery pretty seriously, especially when someone has entrusted their female and puppies to us!

The nurse in me makes sure we're set with our litter records ahead of time. Timing of puppy catching is greatly assisted by checking the female's temperature twice daily several days before the due date, though I'm not sure they are as hip on the idea! For the most part, we get a good idea of the timing, though occasionally there just has to be one or two that doesn't follow the "Getting Ready For Your Puppies" guidelines!

The "I-Spy" Camera

Even though we are just in the next room, our "I Spy" night vision camera makes it easy to keep distractions to a minimum. This is really important for those first time moms who can be a bit anxious. 

 One of the common questions we get is "What is that thing?" The whelping nest is heated and recessed into the whelping box. It has been a life saver for us! For those who don't know much about newborn puppies, keeping them warm is critical in the first couple of weeks. Puppies can nurse, but if they aren't kept warm enough, their bodies won't be able to digest and use mom's milk. We keep a heated box for those who need extra warming, or when we have to rotate puppies. Think: Big litter of puppies, but only so many stations at the milk wagon. We know we won't get much sleep that first week when we have litters of 10 or more. Apparently, sleep is overrated!!

You might notice the collars that are put on the puppies at birth. Color coding helps us make sure each puppy is gaining weight and that we are properly rotating them. By the third day or so, getting weights on squirmy puppies can be a challenge!

Puppies are pretty easy the first couple of weeks. They are born with an acute sense of smell (the better to find the milk stations with!) but cannot see or hear for some time. They look like little hampsters at first and their eyes will open around day 12-13. They majority of what they do is sleep when they aren't eating. They get handled alot, but they are not terribly interactive except to root around for milk when they are awakened. Many breeders will have fancy terms for "neurological stimulation", I choose not to do this. Creating small stressors as each day goes on helps to stimulate the neurological system. I have very specific things I do with the puppies as they grow, developing an early start of socialization. These are the stepping stones to creating bold puppies who love to explore their world.

By the time they are chewing on each other and interacting, their ears are opening and the party begins!! This is the time we all have to tiptoe around the house, lest we wake the sleeping monsters! This is when puppies get very fun and interactive and changes are noticed daily as they grow.