One Week Old Today

It’s hard to believe a week passed so quickly? So much happened in such a short period of time or so it seems to me! That first week of life can be a very critical stage for puppy’s growth; I’m celebrating that all are doing so well! Pups are all growing/gaining weight; I’ve had to loosen their paracord collars to accommodate their growth twice now. Deja’s body has figured out the milk requirements to make for the demand of puppies and is doing great also. Time to think about “down the road”…

Puppies will go to their new homes any time after Friday of Labor Day weekend. When folks decide exactly when they want to come pick up their puppy, let me know so we can all coordinate calenders.

A week before puppies go to their new homes, I will take them all in for their first vaccinations and wellness exams. New owners will get a copy of this exam for their puppy along with everything I’ve done for puppies prior to them going to their new homes. This information is what you will want to give to your vets to continue puppy’s care. I always want to keep puppies a few days after that first vaccination to make sure all puppies are doing well. It just doesn’t make sense to stress puppies’ system with both vaccinations AND leaving mom/littermates and going to a new place at the exact same time.

At around 4 weeks of age, we will have a “puppy party”. Puppies are more interactive by this age and mom’s LOVE to show off their babies as well as soak up any extra attention they can for themselves. Looking at the calender, this is that first weekend in August. I realize folks have made summer plans so can be very accommodating to everyone’s schedule. This is true especially for out-of-town families. Just let me know what works for you.

Picking puppies… I’ve taken into account what each family has requested when they filled out my questionnaire. It is through ongoing observation and interaction with pups that I will match up each puppy with what each family is looking for/stated they want in their next puppy. My personal goal is to make sure each puppy is placed in the “perfect” home from the start… I am sure that is what every family would want also.

Which brings me back to puppies themselves. Frequently, folks may have heard there is a “runt” in a litter? We take a more “hands-on” approach and “help” every puppy be the most s/he can be. I’ve taken the lightest (weight) puppies and make sure they get the best, most filled nipples at feeding time. I don’t let stronger, heavier puppies bully or push the lighter ones away. Consequently, we don’t have “runts” in our litters. By the time pups go to their new homes, they all weigh basically the same amount of weight. And once they start on solid food, even the lighter puppies “catch up” on their own.

Uniformity… All puppies will be a medium color. There are a few puppies who may be on the lighter shade of medium but none of them will be as blonde/white as my girl, Vee (her mother is Deja from Deja’s last litter). Being that this breeding is an “outcross”, I’m very pleased at how consistent each puppy is to each other. An “outcross” means… Deja and the sire do not share common ancestry/pedigree.

In your puppy packet, you will receive info on both sire (dad) and dam (mother). In that PDF packet that I will send ahead of time/soon, you will see your puppy’s pedigree and see what I mean. The goal of breeding an “outcross” is to produce consistent puppies while still bringing in new genetics to diversify the pedigree.  We don’t practice “in-breeding” which can double up on genes that increase the likelihood of disease or problems in puppies produced. For those not aware, the sire of these puppies is named, Elton. He is the sire that produced the dog that won Best Of Breed at Westminster last February. Besides being a champion himself, he is from a pedigree of longevity, health, and good temperament which really, is the hallmark of the breed and what we always look at first before comtemplating any breeding.

Lastly, we always like puppies to be named according to a theme. It is a fun thing to do while waiting for puppy to arrive. The theme for this litter, in their registered name, will be anything with the word “Free” in the name (since they were born on 4th of July). Think of names you would like your puppy’s registration name to be; of course you can call puppy whatever name you choose. I will work on some name options and post later but time to start thinking of those registered names. I will register the litter and then each puppy with the registration name you pick out all at one time later. This is one less thing new owners have to do after bringing home their new puppy. AKC will immediately send you your puppy’s registration congratulatory email and in about a week, you will receive the formal registration in the mail.

As always, if you have any question, let me know…