Olive's litter is two weeks old tomorrow!

Teal Girl weighs 2.6 lbs.

Orange Girl is at 2.5 lbs.

Black Girl tips the 2.8 lb. marker.

Purple Girl rolls in at 2.4 lbs.

Red Boy is 2.5 lbs.

And Green Boy weighs 2.8 lbs.

 

 

They certainly have been chugging the nutritious milk down that Olive has been providing.  She is nursing many times a day to keep this brood content.  I place a bowl of food in the whelping pool about every 3 hours during the day and always leave a good size snack for late night munching.

Of late, Olive has been taking some naps at night in our bedroom.  I can hear her come in and 'puff up' her pillow bed under ours.  She does not stay long, but needs a bit of time away from her demanding puppies.  All mothers understand the need for some 'me time'.  :+)  Obviously, she knows what she is doing as the pups are looking gorgeous!  :+)

A package of furry hot'dogs'. :+)

 

I walked into the office a bit ago and this is what I saw - I could not resist a pic of these cuties all lined up like a package of hotdogs.  How cute is this??  :+)

Weights on Olive's pups.

Hi all!

The pups are a full week old and I wanted to give all of you their individual weights.  I have also been taking them on car rides in a laundry basket nestled within a dog bed to keep it nice and snug.

Why?  At a seminar with well renown, Pat Hastings - an AKC judge, popular writer on dog conformation and a real stickler on 'form to function' in the canine world states: 'If you take newborn puppies for THREE car rides before they are 10 days old, they will not have car fear or get car sickness'.  I thought this was a remarkable tidbit of information.  Olive is the first girl to have a litter to test out this theory.  Of course, me being me - they will go on FIVE car rides within the timeframe of ten days because I take them out every other day.  The proof will be in the pudding when they go to the vets for their shots at 8 weeks; their eye appointments at 9 weeks and lastly, their spay/neuters.  So, these guys will have numerous car riding opportunities to have motion sickness and I hope this early intervention prevents that!

Here are their weights:

• Purple Girl - 1 lb., 8 ozs.
• Teal Girl - 1 lb., 8 ozs.
• Orange Girl - 1 lb., 12 ozs.
• Red Boy - 1 lb., 10 ozs.
• Black Girl - 1 lb., 12 ozs.
• Green Boy - 1 lb., 11 ozs.

As you can see, these pups are very close in weights and are right on target for approximately 30 lbs. +/- when mature.  As they grow, I will update weights weekly.   Keep watching the AnnaBlog because you just never know when I will post a pic!  :+)

We are chunky and quite content! (Olive's litter)

Green Boy

Teal Girl

Red Boy

Purple Girl

Black Girl

Orange Girl

It has been almost a week now and the pups are doing just great!  Olive is such  an attentive mommy and she keeps them clean and well nourished.

They don't do much but eat, sleep and roll.  Their eyes will not open for another week or so and they still cannot hear.  They sure can smell though!  They know immediately when Olive is near and you can hear them calling for their meal - which is VERY often at this stage.

Orange Girl is being pancaked by Teal Girl and Red Boy!

Purple and Black Girls snuggling with Green Boy.

Pearl has been bred!

The lovely Miss Muddie Pearl has been artificially inseminated twice this week.  Coriander, our Cockapoo stud was taken out of his retirement to be her chosen beau.  These will be true Australian Labradoodles in a compact size.  Both parents weigh less than 30 lbs. and are roughly 16 to 18 inches in height.

Like most chocolates, Pearl has now matured to a distinct cafe/lavender shade that is most difficult to describe.   She stops traffic wherever she goes due to her color (and happiness to meet people!)

Pearl also has a unique greeting:  She quite literally stands on her hindlegs and leaps in small jumps to say 'Hello'!  Almost suggesting you shake hands with her.  :+)

Coriander is a rugged guy who has the personality of a revered monk.  He is very laid back (unless there is a ball around) and quite content to just be by your side; laying on your bed cuddling or going for a ride in the car.  They are the 'yin/yang' of mates.

This is Pearl's first mating and we are hoping that she will produce pups similar to our Figgy Puddin' (under Breeders), whose dad is Coriander as well but from a completely unrelated line.

Olive's little six-pack are here!

 

After an evening of cuddling with Olive on the couch cushions spread on the office floor, her fur-babies arrived as the sun shone brightly on a marvelous early fall morning.

Here are the stats on each one as they came into the world:

1. Purple girl, who is wearing a lavender ribbon, arrived at 8 AM weighing 10.4 ozs.
2. Teal Girl arrived promptly five minutes after Purple at 8:05 AM and weighs 10.4 ozs.
3. Orange Girl entered at 8:32 AM weighing a hefty 12.4 ozs.
4. Red Boy showed up at 9:10 AM and weighed 11 ozs.
5. Black Girl had an interesting arrival - outside at 9:49 AM!  Olive thought she had to poop and that just was not so!  I ran out the door with a towel and guided Olive (with pup still attached!) back into the whelping area.  She weighs 11.8 ozs.
6. Green Boy, born at 10:40 AM, had a similar experience to Black Girl.  Olive did not want to disturb her previous babies beauty sleep, so very gently got out of the whelping pool and had him on the office floor.  :+(  He weighed 11.8 ozs. as well. 

So far all are doing very well and I know Olive and I will look forward to a good night's sleep.  At least I don't have to nurse all night.  :+)

Black screens. Need imput!

Hi!

I just received a call that on some of my recent posts, when you click on the post 'to open it', there is just a black screen.  Has this happened to anyone else?  Please let me know right away so I can try and address this issue.  It could be the program I am using or just a glitch on someone else's computer.

My hope is to get this addressed before Olive has her pups.  Nothing is worse than clients not being able to see posts of puppies!

Thanks!  Joyce

OOOOOOOOOH! We are getting so very close to breeding Pearl! RETIRED

Bright and early this morning, I met my guardian, Lisa, at the vets to do another smear and progesterone on Pearl.  A smear tells us if her cells are cornified yet.  When the cornified cells no longer have a nucleous in them, Pearl will be near her 'fertility' time.  The Progesterone test results tell us when the best time to breed within that fertility window.  I will not have the results until tomorrow but  I think we may be breeding in the early part of this coming week.  :+)

We had x-rays taken today.

Since I had to go to the vet for another dog, I decided to add Olive for the ride.  Luckily, they could x-ray Olive and six pups showed up clearly.  Of course, that is not carved in stone, but they are usually correct.

I have already informed the last two clients for Olive's litter to ask if they wanted to be added to Pearl's upcoming litter.

Pearl's litter of cafes and creams should be going to their homes at the end of January.  Pearl may be bred by this weekend if her progesterone levels are on target. 

I should add that many times, the original client list changes due to 'life's schedules' and clients move up the list.  I will ask for client confirmation once Olive's litter is born and I know colors and gender.

Oh, sometimes I wish Mother Nature would just take a vacation!

My Dancing Matilda, who I have been waiting and waiting to breed with because I REALLY want a litter of black and white parti pups, is now in season.  Of course, I have already decided to breed Muddie Pearl.  To top it off, Tillie's guardians had planned on a wonderful trip which included some camping and hiking to celebrate their retirements and Tillie is to be a part of that wonderful experience.  So, we are postponing Tillie's breeding until the next time.  I hope the trip is fun for all and that the weather holds for stunning views.  

At the moment, I will soon have Olive's pups to dote on and then Pearl's 'box of chocolates' will be expected in November.  Enough to keep me quite busy during the holidays.  :+)

Breeding preferences.

Unlike most breeders that prefer lots of  'fair' weather litters, I enjoy having some time off in the summer and begin breeding in earnest by early fall through the winter months.  Yes, it is a pain to have the moms whelp litters when it is snowing or icing but I seem to thrive on this schedule.  I am sure it is because our winters here in Southern Maine are long and having litters of adorable puppies to entertain you makes the Winter season go by quickly.  Plus, there are a number of holidays which brings lots of visitors for socializing.  :+)

With this said, I just received a very excited call from the guardians of Muddie Pearl stating that she is 'in season'.  They have waited a long time for this 'event'!  So, Pearl's litter will arrive when Olive's litter is very close to going to their new homes.   Excellent timing, Pearl!  Then, I expect Tillie will be next (with black and white parti pups!) and perhaps Camden with creams and apricots.  It appears, I will have a very busy winter season and I like it that way.  

I could have numerous litters, but I prefer not to.  Puppies require lots of time and effort.  Even overlapping litters can sometimes be overwhelming given I am always welcoming visitors to view and play with the pups.  Timing is everything.  So, I may just have to do the 'Eeny, meeny, miny, moe' game to see who will have litters for the 2012 - 2013 season.  It is sure to be an interesting one given all the possible combinations of patterns, colors and textures that this winter's line up will bring!  Of course, Olive is starting it out with a bang with a full rainbow litter of colors expected.  :+)

Olive's belly grows and grows....

I was away for just an overnight and I swear Olive's belly grew another two inches!  She is waddling and swaying as she walks and thinks twice about using the doggie door.  Olive is a very cautious girl by nature, so is a careful and dedicated mom when she has pups.  I love her tender qualities. 

To date, Olive's pregnancy is 'by the book'.  My plan is to have her x-rayed for a pup count on September 17th.  Hopefully, she will not whelp before that date.  She is in need of another trim and I will tend to that soon.  Her coat grows quickly like most doodles.  Till then, Olive continues to follow me everywhere and each night she climbs onto my lap to have a belly rub as I watch t.v.  Sometimes, I wish I were an Annabelle doodle.  :+)

Capi goes home in style.

On Friday, Capi was waiting for his family to arrive.  We had brushed, combed and trimmed him up so that he would look his best.

Mark and Max arrived early and after going through all the paperwork, playing, talking, we took our family photo.

Settled in the back seat with his new 'big brother Max,' Capi's adventure begins.  He can't wait to meet up with his big sis, Lily and new mom, Robin.   What a way to travel, Capi!!