With the beautiful spring weather I want to take the puppies out to play but I will wait until after next week when they have had their shots. Outside they have total freedom to run and play. Inside they are more confined. They are always making a mess and have found the water bowl a great place to play. It is constant cleaning and the cat lurking somewhere unseen. It is all fun and games until some pup turns on the Rumba.
Month: February 2021
Pups Week Four
Red collar pup decided that he was going over the wall. Once that happened it was time to remove the whelping box. Now they have more room to play and run. Mom is no longer with them at night and they seem to be much quieter. I have always been told that pups will go to the opposite end of the puppy pen to potty. They like to keep their sleeping area clean. I have never found this to work for me. It was always constant cleaning. But this litter seems to get it. They are certainlly making my job easier.
Yesterday the puppies turned five weeks old. They are eating out of the big puppy bowl. All are doing well up on thier feet. And Mom has decided she can spend time away from them. So I went online yesterday to see what dog shows were coming up. I found one over springbreak in Jackson, TN so Win and I will go up for two days. I usually go to Texas for springbreak and then stop in Louisiana for an agility trial on my way home. I am just not there yet, traveling to far from home. Maybe next year.
Photography and Puppies
I have a good friend that is a pet photographer. You have probably seen some of the photos she had done for me on my website. Let me tell you if you have never tried to photograph a litter of puppies before, it is like trying to herd cats. The first time we photographed a litter of eight. It probably took hundreds of photos to get those few perfect pictures where at least one puppy was not a blur. But I would pay her just for the fun of it. And some of the blooper shots were priceless. It was such a good time with lots of laughs.
I remember back in the day taking a photography class in college. We did black and white photography for this class. What fun it was to take all the pictures with film and then develop them in the darkroom. It was so satisfying to manipulate the photos to get the desired effects. Now days we have digital photography and Photoshop.
I always like getting that one photo of all the pups in the whelping box. I tried the other morning and this is what I got. I will try again for a more perfect photo. But his shot always signifies that it is almost time to move the whelping box back out to the shed. Mr. Yellow escaped one day last week, he managed to get himself up on the pigrail and then over the top of the box. At that point the pigrail came out. But it won’t be long until they are all escaping and the whelping box will no longer be needed.
Yesterday afternoon was cold and rainy. So I decided I would put some effort into getting some cute puppy photos. The yellow boy was the most cooperative being a little well fed, tired yet alert. I got some great pics of him. The others not so much as they wanted to walk around and investigate. I will try again later with them. It is easy to get a picture of a sleeping puppy. Maybe next week I will set up the adventure box, wobble board and tunnel and get some video.
Below are some candid photos of the pups from yesterday and this past week. They are now four weeks old. They are playing and barking. I have been letting them out to play and explore. Off course Maggie is always looking for trouble.
Oh Maggie 
Three weeks old today
This was such an exciting morning. The puppies were introduced to thier first meal and they seemed to love it. With the puppies now weighing about five pounds their total combined weight is half of that of Mom’s. Mom is finding it hard to keep up with all the hungry mouths. They are still sleeping this morning with their bellies full. They have changed alot in the last week. From their eyes opening, starting to play and interact with each other and eating on their own . Now the fun begins. Of course Maggie is without her pink collar once again.
I don’t have litters very often as I enjoy training and working my dogs and hate taking the time off. Punch did have a litter last year. I wanted to get her second and last litter out of the way so I could get back to all the events I enjoy. Though many events are certainly limited now. So I thought I maybe I would not enjoy this litter as much; but I was wrong. I find it hard to get to the computer to post pics and videos as I would much rather be playing with puppies. I have spent a few late nights up with them but I don’t mind. It is somewhat sad to see them go at eight weeks. But I have never felt that I could not part with them as many think that might be the case. I know I could not give them all the love and attention they deserve, I want them to be that one special pup. And I certainly enjoy seeing them go to their new homes where they will get all the love and attention I have been sharing with six of them for the last eight weeks.