[DanaRuns]

I've spent too much time watching these babies - same as I did with Khaleesi's litter a few years back. I'm a bit clueless about what makes a great mother but I've been super impressed by both Khaleesi and Summer ... so calm, attentive and patient. Do you (Dana and Theresa), as breeders, rate one higher than the other? Just interested.

Summer is being a great mom, so far. We are thrilled. This is her first litter, so there is still some discovery to be had, as there are several times of change ahead. How is she when the puppies start to get teeth? Does she wean them appropriately? Does she teach them bite inhibition? Does she play with them? Etc. So far she's doing great. Different from Ziva, but great. Summer doesn't spend as much time with the pups at this age as Ziva did. But they are all fat and happy and clean, and she's doing everything she's supposed to do, so far. It's too early to be able to compare Summer to her grandmother Ziva, and we don't really think in terms of who is a better mom, just whether they do the things they need to do at the times they need to do them. And you know what? It always amazes me that they know just when to make necessary changes. Nature is amazing.

One thing Ziva did that I hope Summer does is that Ziva started to house train her litters, teaching them to go to the bathroom outside. That was awesome, and saved us some nasty poop and pee cleanup. Ziva also played with her puppies when they were outside. Deuce also plays with puppies, mostly by rolling onto his back and letting the puppies climb on him and bite him. Amazingly patient. It's great discovering their behavior with litters. You realize how sophisticated their "society is, and how innately sensitive to the puppies' needs they are, each of them in different ways. It's great to watch. I hope people get to see some of it on the puppy cam as the babies grow.

 

[DanaRuns]

I guess I was wondering about the scarring. I know each time you have abdominal surgery (speaking of people here) you develop adhesions and such that make the next surgery more difficult, and I have heard that women who have C sections sometimes need to continue to have them with subsequent births or they risk uterine rupture, so I just wondered if dogs had any restrictions/issues if they had to have a c section.

I posted puppy cams for three of Ziva's litters here. Ziva had a c-section her first litter, and whelped the next two naturally.

 

[DanaRuns]

I think question I was going to ask has been answered. Glued to the puppy cam and watching Summer coming and going. Sometimes just poking her head in to see all is okay, I was wondering if she is being directed to do that or if it is a natural instinct. How much she has to be encouraged especially as a new mum. Nature is wonderful, I am in awe.

Great question. What Summer is doing is completely on her own instincts. We monitor to make sure that the puppies are getting enough to eat, and getting pottied often enough, and if so we simply let mama do her thing. Summer will spend hours at a time in the whelping box, and then be out of it for hours at a time, just checking in occasionally, and that is working great so we don't interfere.

 

[DanaRuns]

The puppies look bigger every time I check the camera! They look so huge next to Summer when they're all nursing now. 💗

One of the puppies gained 5 ounces in less than 24 hours. When you realize they weight 2-3 lbs, 5 oz. is a LOT! So yeah, they probably are bigger every time you look! LOL!

 

[DanaRuns]

We are recommending that our new puppy buyers create a setup for their new puppy that looks something like this:

A crate, an exercise pen, rubber flooring, towels and blankets, and a water dish. 9-week old puppies don't need any more space than this. It keeps them safe and secure, and is small enough to discourage them from eliminating in the space (though they'll do it anyway if you're not quick enough). A very common mistake is giving a new puppy too much room. Puppies are denning animals, and they're fine in smallish spaces.

One thing to be careful of, though, is that from about 8-10 weeks, depending on the puppy, they'll have several days where they can get their jaws and teeth stuck in the mesh of the wire crate and x-pen, so you have to still keep an eye on them. Puppies get frightened if they get stuck and will make a huge racket. The real problem though is that they can injure themselves trying to pull their way out of being stuck. So there are two solutions: (1) keep an eye on them; or (2) use different materials than metal mesh.

For instance, you can use an airline crate. And this plastic toddler fencing works just as well as an x-pen, up to a certain age. They can get stuck in that, too, but it's less likely and the material is softer.

Anyway, we're starting to have these kinds of discussions with puppy buyers.

 

[DanaRuns]

How big are the pens? How tall? And how long do they stay in said pen? Meaning till they're 6 mo? Potty trained? I mean I know they're not permanent in the pen. You take them out to potty or play but then? Do you know what I'm saying?

Nope, sorry. What are you saying?

We use an x-pen. The ones we have are 48" tall, so we just use those.

Puppies stay in their enclosures whenever they are not being actively interacted with and watched. As they age and become housebroken, they get more space.

Other than that, no, I don't know what you're saying, sorry.

 

[DanaRuns]

Oh, boy. There are no hard and fast rules. Every puppy is different.

48 in tall by what? L x W? I'm assuming the kennel's entrance/ exit is where the pen starts so I'm not counting that space.

X-pens are usually 8 panels and come in different heights. I have 48" tall x-pens for my adult dogs, so that's what I use for puppies, too. So the answer for me is 48" tall by 8 panels long. It can be any height tall enough to contain the puppy. Of course, if you use a 24" high x-pen, they will get over that in a few weeks, so you can buy one taller or swap out taller ones as the puppy grows.

The second question was, they go in there at 8 weeks. Do they stay in the pen {when not being watched/sleeping} until they're 6 mo? A year?

Every puppy is different, but they stay in there until they outgrow it. We use this for about the first month, and then we periodically increase the space the puppy has as he grows and as he becomes more housebroken and less chewy, on an as-needed basis. Every puppy is different. There are no hard and fast rules.

When they're potty trained you said they get more space, but how much more? A couple panels or? I'm trying to configure the set up even though I have no confirmation on any puppy yet.

We don't keep adding panels, which you can't really do anyway. You can hook multiple x-pens together. But you increase space according to the increase in the puppy's size and housebreaking status. The better housebroken they are, the more space they get. If the puppy is reliable and isn't chewing electrical cords and such, he gets the run of the house in our home.

There aren't any hard and fast rules. It's all ad hoc. But I'm sure other folks have systems they use, and perhaps they'll talk about their systems, too.[/quote][/QUOTE]

 

[DanaRuns]

Our litter is two weeks old. Here are x-rays of the bones of a two-week old puppy. The joints don't even touch yet. And they won't be touching at 9 weeks when the puppies go to their homes. This is why it's important not to force exercise or allow inappropriate exercise at an early age.

 

[DanaRuns]

Hello
If you have time to answer a few questions-I was wondering if you start noticing personality traits in puppies this young?

No, we can't really tell any personality traits this young. But we do notice development. They don't all move forward at the same time, and not all in the same ways. Until their eyes open they're not really aware of their surroundings at all. For instance, they don't even know they have siblings, they just know there are warm things they can cuddle with that are sometimes in the way of the food. They know mom as something big and warm that dispenses milk. But at about two weeks they start to interact with their surroundings a little, and that's fun to watch as one after another discovers that, hey, I have brothers and sisters, and I can bite their faces! LOL!

We've found that a couple of them are a little more cuddly and interactive with us than the others, so far. Eventually they all will.

Do the puppies instinctively know that Summer is mom?

Not before two weeks. They just know warmth, and smell, and food. They do know that the big warm food dispenser also licks and cleans them, but that's about it. Both their brains as well as their eyes and ears have to get to the point where they can recognize things in the world and conceive of them. When their eyes first open they still can't really see anything, and there has been insufficient myelination of the nerves in the brain to allow recognition and conception. That starts to come between 2 and 3 weeks, and continues slowly for several weeks as their brains continue to develop. Right now, some of the puppies have begun to recognize mama as a discrete being. This, of courser, is bad for mama as all the puppies come waddling whenever she appears. LOL

Does Summer react/interact with each puppy the same way?

Yes. She doesn't treat them as individuals. She does know them as individuals, and she counts them every time she comes to the whelping box, but they all get the same treatment at this point. Basically, that means cleaning and pottying them, and making sure they get milk. That's about it at this point.

I am enjoying the puppy cam and wanted to thank you for sharing the puppies and Summer.

Good! We're super glad you like it! We're getting comments from people all around the world, from China to Europe to Australia. I'm very glad it resonates with people. But be careful, it can be addictive. LOL!

 

[DanaRuns]

They are starting to look more like puppies than potatoes, now. Eyes open, though they can't really focus yet. Ears opening and they are plainly hearing and responding to sounds now. They're also staggering around like drunken sailors, using their feet and motoring around the whelping box. Pretty soon they will start tryin to climb out, and we'll have to expand their area.

 

[DanaRuns]

Do you have a litter theme?

Yeppers. It's the "weather" litter. Chosen by Theresa because of the name she wants to give the puppy we're keeping. Here near the Sacramento River delta, there is a breeze that comes up in the afternoons, especially in summer, called the "delta breeze." So decided that our puppy will be Esquire's Delta Breeze, call name Delta. And to make it fit, she decided the litter theme should be weather generally.

 

[DanaRuns]

FYI PUPPIES WILL BE SERVED THEIR FIRST GRUEL TONIGHT AT 6:00 PACIFIC, 9:00 EASTERN.​

At this initial feeding they usually bathe in it, wear it, sleep in it, and do everything except actually eat it. It's fun to watch. Check the puppy cam at that time for some Wednesday cuteness.

 

[DanaRuns]

certainly is one of my favorites by far. Love all the new toys in the box too.

The pups are three weeks old today. That means that major changes will be coming within the week. For one, we'll be expanding their universe past the whelping box they've lived in their whole lives, and we'll start trying to potty train them with potty boxes. Plus there will be all sorts of new challenges, and toys, and things to interact with. It's gonna be a fun week for Theresa and me (and the puppies! ).

 

[DanaRuns]

Round one is done.

 

[DanaRuns]

The puppies have moved to a bigger apartment. So far, they seem to like it. And they've already peed and pooped in the potty boxes! Woohoo! Below is a photo. But here's the link again: Puppy Cam

And for the moment, at least, the puppies are listening to Christmas music, which you can hear too.

 

[DanaRuns]

How much are the puppies weighing these days? They are so darn cute with their roly-poly waddles. I love watching their interactions with people and the way they have been playing "bitey face" with each other!

Oh my goodness, they are little porkers! At 4 weeks old, most are between 7 and 8 pounds, and two of them are over 8 pounds. They are eating puppy food now, and mama is still nursing them.

 

[DanaRuns]

I have a couple of questions, when you get a chance --- what sort of material do you put in their potty boxes? It looks like cat litter -- do the puppies not try to eat it? Did you do anything to teach them to use the boxes? I'm impressed at how relatively clean their pen area looks.

So, there are two things in the potty boxes. First, we put down potty pads. Then on top of them we put a little bit of cat litter; but it's not regular litter it's paper pellets. We used to use a brand called Yesterday's News, but that has been discontinued, so this time we tried So Phresh pellet cat litter. It works well.

It really didn't take any effort at all to get them to go in it. The first time we put it in there, we put them in the potty boxes and kept them there until a few of them had peed and/or pooped, so that the smell of their waste was in there. Since then, they've identified the boxes as where they are supposed to go, and they just do it. It's magical, and happens that way with every litter.

Today we took them outside for the first time, and every one of them immediately peed and pooped outside. We're going to do the best we can to get them kinda-sorta house trained before we send them to their homes.

 

[DanaRuns]

Oops! Looks like someone escaped. Time to raise the barrier, lol!

Yup, that's the sign. LOL! Now the problem is that Summer can't get in and out without assistance. Hmmm...

 

[DanaRuns]

JAIL BREAK!!!!

 

[DanaRuns]

Plus, shes idanger of losing a couple of toes. They have turned into quite the little sharks, haven’t they?


oh, for a whiff of puppy breath….

Oh yeah, you can't get in their area with bare feet or socks without war being waged on your toes. LOL! A puppy buyer sat down with them a few days ago and discovered that they make the same attack on crotches, too!

It's only going to get worse. I'm glad they go home at 9 weeks.