Bye Bye 09

Welcome, 2010!

I think I'm one of the few people who did not have an awful year. I'm thankful that I have been majorly healthy and that all the dogs and pups have too. I'm grateful for the many new people the dogs have introduced me to... even some of the stinkers! (It's all a learning process.)

I have hope that things will improve greatly for most folks this coming year.

My new year's resolutions are few and simple:
eat less
sleep less
spend less.
Live more!

All the best to everyone!

More Pictures, Cotton/Brogue pups

This is another look at Bode, from the first (May 09) Cotton/Brogue litter. He is a little over 35 pounds at 7 months.


And THIS is Brady, from the same litter. Brady is 28 pounds.


Brady likes the snow too...


Finally, a Hunter Whoodle puppy


This is Alice, one of my grandpuppies from my friend Penny's litter. Isn't she a cutie?

Odds and Ends

So the big day came and went without our area getting hit by the tremendously high winds we might have had. Even so, I have MORE trees down and a number of my very tall, thin pines lost their tops. It's the first time I've seen that... I guess they get to swaying in the wind and just snap off.

Bought the pups a water BOTTLE for Christmas... actually, I bought it for ME. But it just doesn't attach to the pen wall like it should and the pups would have it down... and open... in no time. So it's going back and they'll continue to play in the water bowl. This morning, one of them...6, I think... managed to get his whole body wet in one of the adult bowls when the pups were out playing. I mean he had all 4 feet standing in the bowl (which holds over a gallon and had just been filled up.) He was looking very pleased with himself. I think I managed to get him out of there BEFORE anyone else noticed. At least, none of them got inside the bowl THIS morning... they may have filed the idea away for another day! And yesterday 2 learned "Climbing and Jumping 101." Most of my food bowls are the elevated kind, ranging from 8 to 12 inches off the ground. As soon as the pups were allowed out to explore the bedroom, they all started eating the adult food in the bowls. (And, of course, the adults all make a beeline for the PUPPY food!) The pups stand on their back legs and s t r e t c h to reach inside the elevated bowls. Well, yesterday, the bowls were empty. When 2 couldn't find any kibble, he climbed on top of his brothers and onto the bowl stand. He was obviously taken with being ABOVE everyone else... he stayed up there even after the rest had gone to get into other things. Then he half jumped/half fell off. A few minutes later I watched him figure out how to get back on top without the aid of his litter mates. And he jumped off. The next time, he LEAPED OUT and off. He practiced until he had all that down pat and then went in search of something new to conquer. THIS morning, he got on top of the full bowls, made a flying leap to the ground and didn't get up there again.

Cotton and Brogue's 2009 litter
Got some beautiful pictures of one of the pups, enjoying the New Mexican snow. Bode is a little over 35 pounds at 7 months.

Christmas Photos

Here's wishing everyone a wonderful last week of 2009!

Numbers 1 and 4 (left/right, elephant and duck)


Number 2 (hippo)


Number 3 (cow)


Number 5 (chip 035 - panda)


Numbers 6 and 7 (left/right, chips 536 - tan dog and 621 - bear) "Hang in there,kid, it's almost over!"


Slightly different shots are on the website and my dogbreedinfo ad

Who's a Smart Puppy NOW?

But first, a contest...
WHO is the actor who plays S Clause in the Belk Cristmas commercial?!
No big prize to the person who supplies me with this information. Just a big BIG "thank you!"

And, now, back to the puppies...
Today, for the very first time, the gang was allowed out in the bedroom. I usually have to free them at 6-7 weeks, but these pups have seemed perfectly happy behind bars. They've loved it when I've come in with them but haven't been too upset that they aren't loose with the other dogs. In the last couple days, however, they've been VERY boisterous about wanting out... and 7 pups yelling at you at one time is boisterous! So this afternoon, I ran everyone out of the house into the snow (yes, I still have plenty of snow) and opened the flood gates. MOST of the pups just crowded into the opening... and went no further. For a few minutes. Then they wandered out. All except #4. He had been trapped in the back of the pack and didn't actually see that he could get out until most of the pups in front of him had moved into the wide open spaces. BUT as soon as he was free, #4 made a beeline for... the big dogs' food bowl! And he stayed there, feasting on the unfamiliar, but obviously delicious, stuff until he could eat no more. Here's the thing: the puppy pen takes up one whole end of the room. It is 14 feet wide. The adult food bowl (one of them) is on the end of the pen AWAY from the gate. Sometimes it gets pushed over against the wire and pups have tried to fish some of the kibble out and over to their side without much success. #4 OBVIOUSLY has put a lot of thought into planning his raid on the adult delights as soon as he was free. He didn't look around at all. He walked through the opening, made a left and went straight to the bowl.

Remember, when picking a pup to live with you for the next 15 years, the trick is to be smarter than he is!

The Water Bowl

It happens every litter, usually long before 9 weeks, so I guess I have something to be thankful for with these guys BUT... yesterday Puppy #2 discovered the joy of doggy paddling. I was watching when it happened and was powerless to stop it. The pups were playing, chasing each other and wrestling and #2 accidentally stepped in the almost full water bowl when in hot pursuit of Puppy #4. It was almost comical to see it dawn on 2 that wet feet were something different. He caught #4 and then just froze.
S l o w l y he turned and almost casually walked back to the bowl, then around it. Then he tentatively put a paw in and tapped the water. It barely moved so he tapped a little harder. It splashed. Next thing I... and he... knows, he's digging in the water like he's trying to uncover a skier buried by an avalanche! Water is flying everywhere. He's getting his belly wet. He's in HEAVEN! Now, ONE puppy in the water bowl isn't such a terrible thing. But #2 likes to share AND he has thoughts of becoming a teacher in his next life. So, and I kid you not, he goes over to some of the other pups... who are sitting or lying down in a nice quiet little group, getting ready for a nap... and plunks himself down in a wet mess right in the middle of them. And one of them, #6 or 7, I'm not sure which, starts to lick the water off his feet. The two of them exchange a look and I can see #6/7 thinking "His FEET are wet? "
It was all over but the shouting. 6/7 follows 2 back to the bowl... which now has only an inch or two of water left in it... and 2 starts digging in the water. He stops, stands back and I can hear him say:
"Now, YOU try it, kid." Kid tries it. Several times. Until there really isn't any water left to splash. Or drink. My feeble attempts to distract them fail miserably but I got even. I didn't fill the bowl up again for over an our. (Of course, they were all sleeping during that time....) So far this morning, I've not seen anyone IN the water bowl. Maybe they've forgotten about it or the other pups told them wet dogs are unattractive. Right.

The Day After

These are just out my back door... I'm standing on the kitchen thresh hold and just shooting the pictures... no closeup. Trees are within 4-5 feet of the house, in some cases. Great BIG trees (which I'd have to go outside to get shots of because of their size. And I'm not going out in the snow!) This is why this Spring, I'm going to do some pruning and removal.



This one is off the side of the house and again, I'm shooting from the doorway, no closeup. More bad news just waiting for a heavy wind to wander by. The driveway is between the house and these trees, so there's probably 12-15 feet separation. Most of these are thinner, younger growth, but they're tall enough to fall on the house and cause a lot of damage.

This morning I measured a tad over 6 inches with the ruler on the porch railing. And it's rather wet. The main snowfall is over, apparently, and now we're going to have at least 2 days of snow showers and wintry mix (slush!) Power and phone are still on... HERE... but out all over the place. Locations just a few miles from me got twice the fall I did, while some other spots in out "local area" report over 20 inches. Let's not even talk about Asheville, Boone, etc! Got a phone call early this AM from the City of Kingsport saying most of the area was experiencing or going to have WATER outages and the power was out to a lot of people. (I'm on Kingsport water but Johnson City power.) I filled up every bottle, jug and glass I could with water just in case because these dogs use a LOT and there's no way I can get to the store to buy it if it goes off! There has been no traffic on my road... that I have heard... and like I said, I'm not going out in the snow to look for tracks! On this hill, we can almost always get down. It's getting back UP that's a problem. The 3 families above me all have 4 wheel drive but there HAVE been times when the mouth of my drive has been a parking lot. And I sure wouldn't want to hike up that hill... even in good weather!

Not about Dogs (Much)

It's snowing!


It started at EXACTLY 2:30 this afternoon. I know because I was talking with my granddaughter on the phone... she graduated from Naval basic training this morning and is on her way home for two weeks... when I first called it was pouring down rain. Then a little later she asked if the rain had stopped because she couldn't hear it any more. I could see some huge snowflakes coming down... but didn't go to check. I looked at the clock and realised we'd been yakking for a half hour so we started saying good bye... which took another half hour. It was really coming down and sticking! I took the above pictures... hoping you could see the snow, which is unusual for around here, mountains or not! but especially this time of the year. Then I started doing something with the puppies, but since we're not talking dogs in this post, it doesn't matter what.



These two pictures were taken about 2 hours later, 15 minutes a part. You STILL can't see the snow, but there is about 3 inches already! Sent the dogs out for a potty break and some of them... Shadow, Lotus (my Shar-Pei) and a rescue... had a great time chasing around. Everyone else did their business and wanted back in. Especially Cotton and Emy BUT they have the shortest hair right now since they were just at the groomer. The snow was piling up fast on their backs... Keogh looked like she was parti-colored!


The bad thing about the snow is I had to put off getting Ost, the new Labradoodle puppy. Yesterday, it looked like the storm wasn't going to get here until later tonight. During the 6 PM news, our local weather men, who REALLY know their stuff, said it was going to start with sleet and rain earlier than expected and by 11 o'clock last night they were saying it was going to come down fast and furious in the early afternoon (AFTER the sleet and rain.) So I called and asked Ost's breeder to hang on to him until after Christmas... we're supposed to have this weather for 4 days! and the temps are supposed fluctuate above and below freezing giving us the layered effect of ice and snow. Kind of disappointing. Can't wait to see him! But I'd prefer he was safe in AR rather than stuck at the Atlanta airport! Supposed to have around 9 inches of snow by morning. We'll see! I have plenty of dog food and made a midnight (yep, me, out at midnight!) run to Walmart. I wasn't the only one who'd listened to the 11 PM news... the place was busy and folks were getting groceries, not Christmas presents. Around here, we pay attention to our local weather reports because they are right on the money 99% of the time... okay, 95.

Weights at 8 Weeks

There is a formula for predicting approximate adult weight which works fairly well with large breed dogs... not so well with smaller ones. It is 10% for every 4 weeks. That is, if a puppy is 5 pounds at 4 weeks, it's mature weight will be right around 50 pounds. If it weighs 20 pounds at 8 weeks, full grown it should be 100. Got it? Okay, so here are the weights, by the number... YOU do the math. (We WILL have a test!)
#1 (female) 6.33 pounds
#2 (male) 7.32 pounds
#3 (male) 7.80 "
#4 (male) 5.86 "
#5 (male) 6.60 "
#6 (male) 6.55 "
#7 (male) 5.82 "

As you can see, the two big boys are still the two big boys, but two of the "small guys" have surged ahead of their sister and the black and tan fella is back among the smaller pups. As I've said all along, I can't predict how this is going to go!

Lights Out

Let me tell you how smart and cooperative these puppies are. At night... or early in the morning... whenever I decide it's time to go to sleep, no matter how wound up and active the pups are... and some times they're really tearing around their area... when I turn the tv off and the lights out, that's it. Within a minute, at the most TWO minutes, everybody, even the 7-1/2 weeks old pups, are lying down and QUIET. You can hear a pin drop. I'm used to it, but every once in a while, especially when I have pups, it occurs to me again that dogs are much more accommodating than people are! Now, it doesn't work if I turn off the light and leave the tv on... the puppies just assume I'm not serious and they go on playing (and the older dogs, if they're into something, keep at it too.) Some nights I just lie there for a few minutes and enjoy the silence.

Something new happened... the pups have made each other cry. Usually that starts at 5-6 weeks, someone gets too rough or too determined. But these guys have been remarkable about wrestling nicely with each other, not chewing too hard, the bigger ones haven't pulled the smaller ones around by the tail, etc. In the last couple days, however, there have been a couple of unhappy squeals. Haven't hear any today, so they may have phased on already!

And their still Mama's pups! More so THIS week than last. Di's been spending 4-5 hours away from them... usually in the same room, but not in the pen... for about the last two weeks. Starting Friday and all this weekend, the whole gang has been getting antsy... and then whiny... after about 3 hours. I let Di back in the pen and they rush her like they're starving... and I know by the amount of kibble they are consuming, that's a lie. She nurses them for 3-4 minutes, then goes and lies down on her belly (so they can't get to her nipples) and they go back to playing with each other. Diamond is playing much more with them and she's a lot rougher than she used to be. She also seems to single one out for a romp and ignores everyone else for a long time... sort of like "ME time with Mom." It still amazes me that I used to force wean my pups at 3-4 weeks... actually remove moms to another part of the house and not let them back around their babies until they were ready to leave at 8 weeks. Puppies are no more ready to leave their moms (and littermates) at 8 weeks than children are at 10 years.

And yes, I'm getting Ost when he is 8 weeks old. BUT he'll have Di and that gang to become a part of. I'm really interested in seeing how long it takes him to make a place for himself. Another social experiment on the mountain

7 Weeks Pictures

Just posted the new ones on the website. Here are a couple to whet your appetite:




You'll notice the stuffed animals are back... it makes it so much easier for ME! And I've added a few comments about pups where I've noticed something new or different.

Size-wise they're like this...
female, #2, #3 and #5 (all pretty equal now)
#4 (black male) (right in the middle of the pack)
#s 6 and 7 (still the smallest and the darkest)

Next time I post pix on the website, I am going to remove all the previous pictures. So, if you are keeping an eye on a particular pup or two, you might want to download their pictures each time BEFORE the new ones go up.

Something New

If you've been on the website today, you probably noticed that I am making a change. Of course, if you have the Whoodle PAGE as a favorite link and never go to my home page, you didn't see it. And I'm tempted to be mean... it's been one of those days!... and not explain here. BUT in the interest of keeping things as simple as possible, I'll just tell you.

I've decided to do Double Doodles.
Now, I can hear you saying, what the heck is THAT? DOUBLE Doodles are the result of crossing a Labradoodle and a Goldendoodle. They are also called Ultimate Doodles and a friend's children have labelled theirs "SUPER" Doodles. (If an Australian Labradoodle is used in the mix, the cross is called the North American Retriever, which seems rather ironic. For the uninformed, there is a HUGE difference between the AMERICAN Labradoodle, which is the cross of a Lab and a Poodle, and the AUSTRALIAN Labradoodle which is the cross of 5-6 different breeds. This is well documented, so don't kill the messenger!)

Anyway, I have found and purchased a darling little F1B AMERICAN Labradoodle boy and Ost (rhymes with "host," "most," and "boast!") will be arriving here on the 18th when he is 8 weeks old... actually, he's 2 days younger than Di and Brogue's puppies, so he'll have playmates his own age for about a month while he settles in. I expect he'll be in the mood for making babies before the end of the year... will do some preliminary testing (VWD and hips) and then let him talk to Keogh. I'm also looking for another Goldendoodle female, puppy or young adult, mini to medium size, in any color but black or parti since Keogh isn't a youngster herself.

So, right now, that's what's got everything HERE in an uproar!

Just ONE Pup Unspoken for

And then there was one. These little guys (and gal) get sweeter and more beautiful... as in fluffy!... every day. They've also figured out that there is a world outside their pen. They've always known about the other dogs but it has just now dawned on them that there is a barrier between them and them. And they're starting to sound off about it! Again, they are ahead of schedule. USUALLY pups aren't particularly interested in what's beyond their boundary until I start letting them out to roam around. There's at least another week before I let these guys out but they're already eyeing things to get into!

Now, the problem with having just one puppy available... and this is always the case... I've been corresponding with 5-6 different people about the litter. And when we've talked/emailed, there have been several pups unpromised. It's a really big deal, this buying a puppy, and folks need to make sure EVERYONE in the family is in agreement (or controllable!) BEFORE making the commitment. I don't like to rush that. BUT if people let the decision making drag on for more than a few days, the pups are all spoken for. Then I get the weeping and wailing... "but YOU said there were puppies! I promised the KIDS!" I'm not Bettye Crocker... I can't just whip up another batch because I've run short. And I don't like hounding folks because even though EVERYONE sounds sincerely interested, a good two-thirds are not. It's sort of a rock/hard place situation.

Thanksgiving Pictures

Ah, the excitement! Their first holiday! Obviously they were totally unfazed! Got all 7 done in record time... perhaps it's because I did them individually. Pictures of all 7 are on the website and for the first time I am able to tell which pup is which so if you see one that really interests you, let me know!

One cute little thing... the black and tan male puppy has developed the habit of sleeping ON TOP of his mama. There is a rug in their nest which seems to keep the rest of them warm enough at night, but the b-a-t boy isn't satisfied with that. He stretches out full length along her back or side, whichever way she's sleeping, and stays there until she dumps him off.

Di is now spending a couple hours at a time away from them. They're always happy to see her when she returns but are not UNhappy when she's gone.

They'll be 6 weeks old Tuesday and will be getting their first shots. Half way to rehoming time!

Pookie Again

The beautiful Emy/Shadow girl who lives in Chicago, has passed her Therapy Dog test and is certified! Pookie is just shy of being a year old and has done amazingly well.

Dan hopes to start working her soon.

Finally - New Pix

More photos on the website.


Marna's little girl



The two smallest blond pups



The other blond guy and the black and tan male



The two largest pups

Most of the smaller boys are really starting to lighten up and sizes are getting closer to being the same although there are still differences.

The pups are ALL running and wrestling and making a lot of noise. Several of them are really interested in the dogs on the other side of the wire and I spend way too much time watching the ones inside paw at the ones outside... and vice versa! And I can no longer just open the gate and easily walk around in the pen. As soon as I start to open the gate, I am swarmed by little bodies!

Yeah, yeah yeah!

I know. I promised pictures. But things went haywire around here for a couple days and I simply haven't gotten around to it. I will do it this weekend. Owl is leaving tomorrow... I know! Bummer! But as sweet as he is, he's a little too rough on a couple of these little rescues and he can't live with Mina. So some Deerhound people are coming up from Florida to get him. They already have a Deerhound which will give him someone his own size to play with. Although, his best friend here is a little Poodle mix pup, about 10 months old, who weighs maybe 8 pounds. Owl picks her up by her head and carries her around. Scares me to death! Even if SHE doesn't seem to mind. I'll miss his sweet face but not his cold nose waking me up at 7 AM because he wants to go outside! If I don't get pictures of the pups later today, I will do them tomorrow after Owl leaves.

Progress

Yesterday, right on schedule, the pups found their mom's food. It amazes me that one day they have absolutely zero interest in anything that isn't pre-heated to body temperature and the next, they're chowing down on stuff that is not only cold, but has to be chewed! But all of them are eating it. Of course, they're still on mom as well. I enlarged their pen from 4' by 4 to 7 by 4' and the extra space threw a couple of them... their eyesight isn't too good as yet (or their brains are developed enough to process what they're seeing) and even though they could see the nest a few feet in front of them, they were lost. Diamond was sitting right there... they were practically under her feet... and after she listened to them whine for about a half hour, she got up and walked into the nest. They followed. And everything is peaceful once again. By this afternoon, they'll be comfortable with the additional space and will even try picking up the pace a little... puppies learning to run is actually quite funny. The other dogs are lying around the pen, noses pressed to the wire, some of the smaller ones sticking their paws inside to touch puppies that get close enough. It will be a while before I let the two groups mingle freely although Diamond is no longer warning everyone away.
They'll be 4 weeks this evening! Picture time again!

All Together Now!

For the first time, ALL the pups were out of the nest, roaming around, confident. None of them appeared to feel lost, deserted or alone. They were just exploring. AND when mom went back in the nest (probably thinking she'd catch a snooze while they were occupied elsewhere) everyone of them found its way back. NOBODY squealed, cried or even whimpered for over an hour! Pretty soon, all the puppy raising work is going to be mine and Diamond can just sit back and smirk!

3 Weeks Old Group Pix

This is most likely the last time I'll be able to get them all together... and obviously they weren't all into having their sleep disturbed THIS time! The black/tan male has grown by leaps and bounds and is now in the middle of the pack while the black/tan female is just slightly bigger than he while one of the darkest is the same size. The 2 smallest guys are still the darkest and the 2 lightest guys are now the largest in the litter. Several of the pups have small amounts of white on their chests. ALL have their eyes and ears open and now notice me when I'm in the pen with them, touching or holding them. They are on their feet... still a little unsure but gaining confidence every hour! Looking for their mama, a couple have gotten out of the nest and promptly gotten lost when she's gone back IN the nest. Some time before their next week's birthday they'll discover the water bowl and then the big find... mama's food! They grow up so fast!

Just so you know... the black in the back row is the girl, her brother is in front. The 3 next to them are the darkest little guy with the 2 biggest pups in front and the 2 smallest boys are on the left.

Different shots... still conglomerations... are on the website and dbi.com

Introducing... TATER

This is Mr. Potato Head or, as he'll be known around here, Tater. (I wanted a name that was Irish but not overused!) He's just a baby but when he grows up, he'll take Brogue's place. He was the only male in his litter... just like Marna's new pup was the only female in Di/Brogue's litter. It happens!

Speaking of what's NOT happening
Emy is out of season. The guys have gone back to ignoring her. So, unless Shadow managed to have his way with her one of the days they were out in the backyard and I wasn't with them, there will be no pups from her in December. I was really looking forward to their litter... especially now that I've found my Wheaten puppy. I was planning to keep a Em/Shad girl and they could grow up together. (I was planning to keep a Di/Brogue girl too and we all know what happened there!)

Going to change the website in just a bit so people are aware that we're now waiting for Cotton to come back into season.

Peace at Last, Peace at Last!

Seems like the coughing has come to an end. Finally. It was only around 11 days, but it was a long 11 days! And nights. Even Ravin seems to be 99% recovered. The last coughing pup stopped yesterday afternoon and quiet reigned supreme last night. I would say, on the whole, the individual coughing lasted 4-5 days.

Emy
A lot of you are interested in what is going on with Em... and nothing is. She is simply NOT interested in any of the guys. I AM going to keep trying until Shadow is no longer interested, but I'm not hopeful. Cotton has not been in season yet... that I know of!... and she's next on the list, so we'll see.

Owl is here!
And he must have grown 3 inches in the last couple weeks! He is one tall puppy. And still doesn't speak much English. But he's really sweet.

Daylight Savings Time
This has nothing... well, LITTLE... to do with the dogs, but it's my blog and I can complain if I want. I HATE this time change business, whichever direction we're changing the clocks. It takes me at least a week to adjust... thank heavens I don't have to punch a time clock! And the dogs get really annoyed with me and my arbitrary revamping of their schedule. So, after much thought, I've come up with a solution. This Spring or late Winter or whenever we're supposed to "lose" an hour, we lose a half hour and we leave it lost. Forever. We do not find it next Fall or early Winter. That should even out the daylight/nightime hours quite nicely. And who cares if the rest of the world is on the hour when we're on the half hour? We're the ones in charge, right?

2 Weeks Old Tonight

And the birthday pictures are on the website. Stop groaning. I was determined to get shots of faces this time, and out of over 5 dozen snaps, managed to get just a couple that were usable, so they're on the site.

Emy Update
This is one of those bad news/bad news situations. Emy is simply not interested in being a mom right now. She'll let Shadow come and sit by her. He can clean her face and massage her shoulders. But that's it. He's interested in taking it to another level, but is the most gentlemanly stud dog I've ever had, so when she says "No!" he takes it for an answer. I thought/hoped she might be more receptive to another dog... namely Brogue... but as pushy as he is, she backed him right down. I'll keep trying... she could be just cycling very slowly or she could be taking a page out of her mom's book and skipping motherhood this time around.

IF I don't get Emy bred, I WILL breed Cotton, who has not come into season yet. She's due any day now... she's usually about 10-14 days behind Em.

Meanwhile, with the Coughing...
Most everyone has stopped, or at least slowed considerably. I've stopped the antibiotics except with Ravin, my somewhat elderly Lab. She seems to be having a time with it, although (like everyone else,) she's NOT sick. Some of the pups are also coughing, but they have NOT been on antibiotics and are getting the Robitussin only at bedtime (MY bedtime.) It breaks my heart to hear them... a couple of you have told me about your kids having the croup... but so long as no one has a runny nose and everyone is eating, I'm not going to medicate them. I figure (with fingers, toes and eyes crossed) that it will be all over and done with by this time next week. And some of the dogs have not coughed even once... no new cases since Saturday. Go figure!

Pups 10 Days Old - Pix

The 4 smaller ones above
and the 3 larger ones below



The only female is the large black pup.

Everyone doing well... shiny coats and fat bellies!
Different shots on the website, if you're interested.

Everyone is Coughing Nicely!

Well, almost everyone! A baker's dozen are on antibiotics and cough suppresants. No one is sick.

It occured to me that I hadn't said that most people are not aware their dogs have kennel cough until they start coughing... like, duh!... BUT dogs are contagious BEFORE they start coughing which is why it spreads so easily. Dogs at the dog park, on walks with their owners, even at the groomer (where mine got it) show no signs. Short of locking 'em up and throwin' away the key, I don't know how to keep 'em safe! As I said before, if I didn't have pups in the house, I would NOT treat with antibiotics

Cough Hack Gag!

But everyone is doing fine! Treating 10... count them, TEN... dogs as of this morning. Two different schedules because they're on two different drugs. No one is sick... they're all eating, going outside, wrestling inside, etc just as before. They're just making more annoying noise than before! Di's is still the worse sounding cough, but that may be because everyone else gets dosed as soon as I hear anything out of the ordinary and it was about 12 hours before Di was started on medication. Even her coughing is much reduced in frequency and extent. She is feeling so normal, she started napping outside the nest yesterday. Easy to tell how old her pups are as she does everything right on schedule!

Halloween!



Ninja Patch all ready for trick or treating!

Kennel Cough

Well, been up all night because Diamond started with a slight cough late yesterday afternoon which escalated to her hacking and HONKING (like a damn goose!) all night. She sounded so bad I ALMOST took her to the ER even though I was fairly certain it was just kennel cough. Then, about 4 or so this AM, Brogue started coughing in the other room. And now Cotton just had a coughing fit.

Took Di to the vet first thing today because I was worried about the pups and Jane put her on some antibiotic (Clavamox) for secondary infection (should it show up) and something else to try to tone down the cough, and put Brogue on OTHER stuff.... Since Diamond is nursing newborns, she can't take the better meds. I'm supposed to treat anybody else who starts with the same stuff. Pretty sure EVERYBODY here is going to be going at it in the next few days.

Jane thinks the pups will be fine.

Di, Brogue and Cotton... and Emy who hasn't coughed YET... WERE all in the same room and a little isolated from everyone else BUT I had to move Di last week into my bedroom... on the other end of the house... 'cause that's the nursery. And two days ago I moved Brogue into the "dog room" away from Emy because she's just come into season and he's not the chosen one... so now the dogs in THERE have been exposed (if they weren't already.)

For anyone not familiar with kennel cough, it is caused by any number of viruses... 5-6 DOZEN different ones... and generally is non-threatening to the dog, no matter how bad the coughing sounds. Dogs that are otherwise healthy USUALLY do not have a problem with it... they don't act sick... don't run elevated temperatures, don't have runny noses or goopy eyes, DO eat/drink/play/sleep normally. They just cough a lot (and it can be very annoying.) Some vets... ok, MOST vets... will put the dog on an antibiotic, NOT for the kc, but for any secondary bacterial infection that might occur... or because the owner is frantic and needs to do something to "help" the dog. If Di did not have newborns, I probably wouldn't put her on anything. (Brogue, on the other hand, has had an allergy going on all Summer so maybe this antibiotic will wipe that out.)

Now, you're probably asking about a vaccine. There IS one. However, it covers maybe a dozen or so of the viruses that cause kc. You're still vulnerable to the rest. And where do you get kennel cough... it's a virus, so ANYwhere, EVERYwhere. In this case, I'm pretty sure Brogue was exposed when he went to the groomer almost 2 weeks ago... and he's shared with everyone else.

Over the next couple weeks, while this runs its course, I will try to stay civil in my sleep deprived state... but I'm making NO promises!

Chauncey/Shadow Puppies

5 females, all black (one or two with some white) and 4 males including a blond
These babies will be 4 weeks on Tuesday (I think) and are doing VERY well. They are very sweet and social... used to being handled by lots of people... and incredibly lazy (which translates into "laid back" when they get older.) They shouldn't be too big full grown, probably AROUND 50 pounds, and like their parents, have the most wonderful personalities.
FOR SALE!




Diamond after 4-1/2 days


She doesn't look half bad! And I know everyone thought she'd be a bag of bones.

One more thing
Shadow went and paid his respects to Emy who gave him the ol' "Not tonight, I have a headache" story. He plans to drop in again in another day or two to see if she's feeling better....

4 Days Old

and going strong! Probably hard to tell how much they've grown since Tuesday night, but they have. I think I'm going to pick up something seasonal... a stuffed Santa, maybe... to put in the photos for size reference.

And speaking of that, here are the largest... Marna's black girl... and the smallest... the black male... in the litter RIGHT NOW. Two of the blond boys are just about the same size as the female and one of the other boys is just a tad bigger than the male.

Doing Well (and Big News)

Everybody is fine this morning. Di's a little owly with the other dogs in the room... they can only stand outside the pen and try to see in... there's a sheet over the "walls" to give Di some privacy... but she knows they're out there and would rather they went elsewhere. That attitude will last until the pups are about a week old and then she won't care if they look at them. She won't let them in with the pups for about 3 weeks and even then she's very selective about who is admitted. This litter is fairly quiet for newborns... I did get some sleep last night... but there is one big "red" who tends to get upset whenever he can't get a nipple the second he wants one. It doesn't bother his mom at all to hear him whine... can't say the same for "grandma!"

Big News
Emy is definitely in season. Shadow will be tickled... Brogue will be ticked!

Picture

And here they are! The largest, right now, is the female... she's sort of away from the others in this picture. One of the red boys is very close to being the same size and another is just a tad behind. The one I'm most concerned about is the black boy although I think you can see there is a little red guy and the DARKEST red guy who are about the same size. They just aren't as ribby as the black AND they didn't seem to struggle as much right after they were born. ALL of them are eating and sleeping well. They're all warm. So it's basically just wait and see how things shake out.

One thing to remember... the reds will not, I repeat: NOT, stay red but will lighten up to blond. And at this point, it doesn't look to me like any of them will have the "lace" (dark sabling) that sisters Emy and Dakota do.

Di and Brogue are doing well!

Good News ... Bad News

The good news is the pups are here! Seven of them.
The bad news is there is only one female and she is moving to NYC. I don't even get one! She was the last puppy born... at 1:30 AM this morning... and I had about given up hope there would be ANY girls at all this time. I had planned to keep a girl, but Marna has been waiting over a year and a half, so she gets her.

The pups are 4-5 blonds who are now "red" and 2-3 blacks. One is neither red nor black just yet which is why I've listed them the way I have. I think he'll be blond, but what the h do I know about anything? The girl is black with tan on her legs and a splash of white on her chest. The definite black boy is marked the same way.

All but one of them seems to be doing really well... one little guy is somewhat "puny" BUT he has a very shiny coat this morning and is nursing. We'll see.

Going to get a picture later today when Diamond makes a trip outside to potty... she's not interested right now.

No News

And that's all... no news.

60 Days...

Getting close! Right now, she's in the chair with me, watching me type. She always likes being close Such a sweet girl she is! I hope to get another photo before the pups come... one with her "pointed" so you can see how the pups move around just before whelping... but sometimes, it happens very quickly!

Updates on other people's puppies
Chauncey and her family should be home from their vacation on the coast today, if they didn't come back early because of the weather. I'll give Russell a call tomorrow and see how things are going. AND will get out there some time this week for photos. Pups should have their eyes and ears open by now.
Penny has found homes for all her pups and they will be leaving in a couple weeks.
Liza has an older (5 months) Labradoodle female still for sale... lead trained, housebroken, good with kids and small dogs AND she has a new litter of Goldendoodle pups.
And Cathy hasn't sent me any news on her two big Labradoodle litters, but she still has some available and the baby pictures were beautiful!

Not Yet

I've just realized I've been inconsiderate by not posting more about Diamond's progress. Because I'm here with her and know nothing is going on, it hasn't occurred to me that not everyone is so calm. Sorry.

Nothing's going on. Di is still incubating. Sunday will probably be the very earliest she'd go into labor and since she was bred several times over a week,it could be another week. I'm actually thinking Tuesday, for some reason, don't ask me why. Our weather is turning really cold... for this time of year... highs in the 40s, lows near or just below freezing for the next couple days. I'd just as soon she waited until after then. Cold puppies are crabby puppies and I really hate using a heating pad. But she's big. Pups haven't "dropped" yet, which is a little different with dogs than humans.

The canine uterus is "Y" shaped rather than one room like the human uterus. Pups are in both legs of the "Y." When whelping time gets close, they tend to bunch toward the opening. From the outside, the mom looks like she's swallowed a football sideways. I call it "pointing" and I have yet to meet a breeder who doesn't understand what I mean.

So end of lesson number 610 in Dog Breeding 101! Lesson 611 will be on common signs and symptoms of imminent whelping.

If the sun comes out tomorrow, I'll get another picture.

A More Pregnant Diamond

Here's Ms Di at 54 days into the pregnancy. She's REALLY gotten a belly on her. Actually seems to get bigger overnight EVERY night. Just about a week left to go, give or take a day. She spends a lot of time lying flat on her side, rather than on her belly, and is starting to get "clingy" (wanting to be with me ALL the time.) Going to move her into the whelping pen (in my bedroom) in the next couple of days so she'll be comfortable with her surroundings when the pups arrive. She's always had her pups in my bedroom BUT this time there is the added distraction of Owl... HE may end up moving in with Brogue, Emy and Cotton!

Speaking of Owl...

My friends, from Georgia, Liza and Bill, came up yesterday for a visit and met Owl. Liza fell in love big time! Of course, HE was absolutely charming... he always is... and went out of his way to snuggle (!) against her AND Bill. Liza said she's not coming to visit any more because I'm always introducing her to new kinds of dogs and she wants one of everything. Poor lady, when I met her almost 20 years ago, she was happily breeding JUST Labrador Retrievers. She wanted a Shar-Pei and bought a female from one of my first litters away from the Pacific NW... which got her into showing and breeding Shar-Pei. (This is a pup she has available RIGHT now...)



And then I showed her Labradoodles which she now breeds (along with Goldendoodles) rather than purebred Labs. Over the years I've gotten her to pick up a Chihuahua or two, a few Shih-Tzu and of course, some Poodles for her 'Doodle program. On her own... and against my advice... she got some Bichon and has a litter or two of them every year. She likes them. For me, they're Jack Russells with hair! Don't think she'll get a Deerhound... but you never know... there's a breeder who lives about 15 miles from her!

Owl

Owl and my Shar-Pei (who normally does NOT play with puppies)
and a couple of little Poodles show Owl the neat hole they found in the yard

Which One is the Holstein?

Lulu the Doodle and bovine friend

An Emy/Shadow Puppy

This is Stoney who lives in Tennessee, actually not too far from here. He is from Emy and Shadow. The top picture was in August, the bottom in Sptember. His folks report that he is right around 35 pounds (at 9 months) so he should mature around 40 pounds. Which was my original guess when I did the breeding and which I upsized once the pups started growing up. Stoney is great with dogs his own size or smaller, but a little timid around larger dogs. He also had a problem with "car anxiety" which his folks helped him work through and now he's up for rides anywhere! Stoney was the only blond in the litter and has matured to an off-white... or french vanilla!



And another country heard from
An email I received today:
Wed, 7 Oct 2009 1:18 AM
From "Lundeen" "lundeen@mabe-ethanol.com"
To mountainsummit@fastmail.fm
Subject Inquiry about Whoodles
How dare you take a fabulous dog as the Wheaten and make another breed out
of him..have you nothing better to do????

I never bother replying to this kind of stuff... usually the address given is fake. But I'll bet "lundeen@mabe-ethanol.com" would be very surprised to see his/her email posted here as well as in the "testimonials" on my website! I have nothing better to do.

Just Pix

A pregnant Diamond
Wanted everyone to see Di's little belly... which is coming along quite nicely now. She has a little over 2 weeks to go (9 weeks total gestation period) and is obviously incubating!



Cotton (on left) and Emy (on right)
The girls were clipped down to the nubbins in late August. If you're wondering why their faces look so different from each other, it's because I left hair on Em's ears, but took Cotton's down to the leather. When her hair grows out a little more, I'm going to clip her ears... JUST her ears... again. It gives her head the cutest look!