confidence – Jema Golden Retrievers

Lazy Day

A Typical Day With Puppies!

Wednesday, July 18

This morning, the puppy pen was a disaster! It was bad! Bless my dear hubby for cleaning the pen this morning even though he always does the morning clean because this morning… It was exceptionally BAD!

Mark was an hour late for work but he still got the first load going and managed to power-wash the potty boxes. BLESS HIM!! Since then, I’ve been keeping the washing/drying going to get all bedding, etc. clean again, WHEW! (Regular laundry is fit in around puppy bedding, LOL!) This is not something people usually think about regarding puppies but it is a very real “behind-the-scenes” thing that needs to be done!

Pups usually “help” with the morning clean. They like to chase the vacuum cleaner! Some even have started RIDING the vacuum cleaner head as the area is cleaned! Such helpful puppies they are! On this morning, pups got to go out to the indoor/outdoor run! They were thrilled! Running up and down my covered 40′ run means… great muscle strengthening and coordination! And it was outside where I fed them their breakfast.

Watching that thermometer closely (and having a lovely breeze today), I left pups out when I went out to pick up the bowl. Polished clean! Starting for lunch, I will increase food yet again! I actually prefer some food be left so I know EVERYONE got their fill.

Sitting in my study, my window is cracked so I can hear them running and playing. I frequently go into the “dog room” to look out the window to check on them. After a short nap (puppies; not me), I went out to pick up and hose down the run.

YEARS AGO Mark bought me a Honda power washer. I struggled so much with our previous power washer pulling to get it to start. Guys will probably understand the motor, etc. of the Honda but… I can start this power washer myself! I’ve been cleaning my dog runs for years! For the last two years or so, I’ve been recuperating from spine surgery (first surgery “failed” so had to be repeated the following year). I haven’t used MY power washer in quite some time (although Mark has, of course). Today, I was able to pull start and hose down the puppy run! Well, YEAH for me! Now I was very careful to NOT let the blast of the hose anywhere near any puppy but they LOVED splashing on the newly wet concrete! Which gave me the idea…

I pulled out the kiddie pool and a different hose (because I remembered how hard it is to ATTACH the hose to the power washer) to fill up the kiddie pool. Then, each pup got to “go swimming”! This time, each pup got to play with the hose and have water from the hose splash and get them wet. And, I placed their indoor slide (which Mark cleaned this morning) so they could slide down the slide into the pool! ALL had a great time!

Because of our cool evenings, the house is opened up for fresh air. It is when I hear the dog room AC kick on, I know it is heating up outside. Time to close up the dog room for sure and probably also the rest of the house (although the dog room is ALWAYS cooler than the rest of the house. For the dogs, of course!)

Lunch fed outside although a few seemed less hungry. That is okay. I’ll pick up now and offer again in a few hours. I’m working on getting the “feeding schedule” closer to what it will be like when puppies leave. When they leave me, they will be on a three feedings per day schedule (with maybe a treat at night). I would like for “lunch” to be closer to noon-1:00 but right now, pups prefer lunch (are more hungry) around 3 p.m. But we’ll get there. For the amount, feed 3/4-1 cup of food/puppy. Again, the goal is that puppy probably will NOT eat all of their food (so the “mom” in all of us will know puppy ate enough; got their fill!) As puppy becomes more active and grows bigger, they will soon be polishing off that 1 cup of food at feeding time!

As an aside and just for reference, my “big dogs” eat 1 cup of adult food per feeding and they are fed twice per day. This is for my girls. Rooster is fed 1 1/2-1 3/4 cups of food twice/day. It depends on how active they are and how they are looking. When you are feeding, it is a great time to “feel their ribs”. You want to be able to feel their ribs without them being “bone-y”. If you can’t feel ribs at all, time to cut back on food/feeding! This is for adult dogs but… You can get in the habit now with puppy of checking ‘how they feel’. One of the easiest ways to assess your dog’s weight is by using the “knuckle test”:

VNT1503-Ackerman-Fig2 — How to evaluate your dog’s body condition or weight:

Another chart you’ll probably see at your vet’s office is the hand’s-on guide for evaluating weight. It will probably look something like this:

Illustrations of Adult Dogs for Weight Evaluation

LATER:

Temp is climbing now; another scorcher of a day! Pups pulled through the doggy door (some came in on their own) to learn how to use. My mistake was in NOT closing the gate… Some puppies attacking me; some running wild! Climbing the single step into the house is no problem for puppies now so I have two puppies in my study, one in the kitchen, and braver ones heading towards the front door! In other words… Puppies EVERYWHERE!

Two by two I pick them up and take back to their puppy pen. I refill their water bowls (they have two now) and everyone immediately pees. REALLY?! You couldn’t have done that OUTSIDE before coming in? Well, my fault really… I woke them up from sleeping. I SHOULD HAVE taken them out on the grass to potty then bring them inside. Oops! Remember that everyone… After eating; when they wake up from sleeping; and last thing before bedtime TAKE THEM OUTSIDE to potty! (I would add when you first take them out of their crate too!)

Everyone is settled down for their afternoon nap. Now… Time for me to go mow the grass! I hope everyone is having a GREAT week so far!! Happy Hump Day!

Sorry this is late posting but I had to get photos uploaded, etc. And then… there is always “other stuff” to get done 🙂 And now… It is almost the weekend! YEAH!

I will share that every year we get a pair of nesting hummingbirds although we are not really in their flight/migratory pattern. Well the babies have just left the nest and we now have hummers EVERYWHERE! SO MUCH FUN watching them fly from flower to tree to flower!

I Can Count… At Least To Nine!

3 Week Weights and… Spending Time With Puppies!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve counted to “nine”! 1, 2, 3, 4 and then over there, 5, 6. There is 7 & 8. Where is 9?! Where is NINE! Oh, there is 9… Whew! Checking puppies happens a LOT here! I check them when mom is in with them and I check them when mom is NOT with them! I check to see if they are too hot or too cold. I just check them ALL THE TIME! And I count to nine!

Today was “paperwork” day. I tried to make something I had “work” but that darn “editable” PDF really wasn’t so “editable”! So, I re-typed my intro out and found/corrected several typos. Oops! In reality, it needed retyping anyways. There are always “new things” to add; I would be remiss if I didn’t go over new things too. My “puppy contracts” are up-to-date and ready to be filled in by the new owners. That is another thing I wanted to “get ready”. And the info AKC mandates I have on every new home in every litter, well, my “boxes” are getting filled in which will help not only for the contracts but also for the AKC paperwork I will fill out later.

Meanwhile, folks are locking in their registered and call names. Such fun, great names so far! To the folks who haven’t decided, keep thinking! Yes, you do have time yet; I don’t absolutely NEED your names now but… If your are sure and ready, definitely let me know. We have:

Jema’s Journey of Vim, Vigor, and Valor; call name “Vee”
Jema’s Journey to the Finish; call name “Finn”
Jema’s Lost Paddle Journey; call name “Eddy”

I also chatted with Journey’s owner, Shannon, today. It has been a while since we’ve “touched base”; so nice to catch up! Shannon has been such a wonderful breeder to work with; we ALL are very lucky in that regard! We can never forget “dad” who is why we are where we are today!

I “think” we are ready for the upcoming “puppy party”? I KNOW my dogs are going to LOVE all the extra attention! And the puppies… they play hard and then they sleep but then they wake up again so it will be a fun time giving them lots of extra attention too! Crossing fingers we have nice weather to take them outside! Not too hot and not too cold!!

As everyone knows, pups have started on solid food. I wean pups on Royal Canin Starter Mousse. I swear, this is THE BEST product in the world! Okay, it is a bit “stinky” but that is why the pups probably enjoy it so much? Easy to digest; easy to eat; just the right consistency! The last thing I want is for one of my babies to choke on a home-made “gruel” that might be too thick! This stuff is the best!

Deja helps “clean up” any remainder of the food not eaten by pups and does try to clean pups a bit too! I admit, I help her out wiping faces and cleaning paws. Learning to eat is a messy business! And I’ve started “brushing” puppies. I am sure this must be a strange sensation to them but… It helps get the food out of their fluffy coats and it IS something they will need for the rest of their lives!

Speaking of Deja, now is the time we are REALLY watching her closely (well, really, when have we not watched her closely?!) She now has less demand for milk so should produce less but it is better to have a gradual drying-off period. This is the main time mastitis rears its head with her body thinking it should continue producing as much milk as she has up to now. What I really want to happen is those back nipples (the really “good ones”) to get emptied to prevent any chance of mastitis from coming back! I might say put one of the hefty boys on those back nipples but in reality, the girls are keeping up with the boys in weight. My “lighter” girls are not so light any longer!

Which brings me to 3-Week Weights:

Blue (M): 3 lbs 0.6 oz
Black (M): 2 lbs 14.2 oz
Purple (M): 2 lbs 12.6 oz
Green (M): 2 lb 12.2 oz
Hot Pink (F): 3 lb 2.8 oz
Lime Green (F): 3 lb 0.6 oz
Red (F): 2 lb 13.2 oz
Orange (F): 2 lbs 7.6 oz

Sometimes there is a “runt” in a litter. Not in this litter though! Every puppy has had a good nursing reflex and has been a strong “fighter” to get the best nipple. And once on, s/he doesn’t allow another puppy to knock them off! At one point, I thought Lime Girl was a little behind so I “helped”. To see her go after the solid food now, she is a moose! I will probably “help” orange girl over the next few days; I’m sure she’ll pick up a few extra ounces to catch up to her mates soon enough! Seeing the pups grow, it is definitely time to help Deja out and start the pups on solid food!

Deja isn’t afraid of fireworks but she isn’t going to miss a chance to be on the bed and cuddled either!

I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July celebration with family, friends, and neighbors today. Happy Birthday, America!! I really hope we don’t have anyone who thinks it is “all right” to set off fireworks tonight!! Our ground is dry; the grasses brown! Plus, it just isn’t good if you have animals. So like most years, Mark and I will be home with our critters ensuring everyone stays safe and out of harms way!

Have a SAFE 4th of July celebration everyone!

Sweet, sweet puppy… They LOVE to be held, cuddled, and petted

Definitely “kissable”! Love this puppy’s personality!

UPDATE (and a day late but…): Puppies have now been introduced to (and are doing very well) on the kibble they are being weaned on… Royal Canin Starter Food. The kibble is soaked until “mushy” then mixed in with the Royal Canin Mousse. And because we haven’t given them water yet (but will today), a nice drizzle of goat’s milk around the bowl. ALL puppies are chewing the softened food and drinking/licking the milk.

Then, Deja comes in to clean up any “leftovers” and helps clean puppies’ faces. Pups are now nursing while she is standing and on the move! Again, we want to make sure Deja doesn’t “explode” but pups are getting the majority of their nutrition from solid food.

And puppies… They readily seek people out for cuddling. They are all barking more and becoming more inquisitive about their surroundings which is now filled with interactive toys. They eat, they play, and they sleep! What a life, eh?!

CH Jema’s Deja Brew, BPIS (x 2!)

CH Deja wins Top Conformation trophy for 2017! I am so proud to be not only her owner but also her breeder!

Dog names generally originate from a deep meaningful place no matter what a puppy’s future may hold. In my litters, I usually have a “theme” to help folks think of a registered name for their future puppy. The “call name”, of course, is whatever the person or family wishes to call their puppy/dog. In the dog show world, the call names usually include some part of the registered name. This is true with “Deja”. Her “call name” is in her registered name.

Deja’s litter theme was “coffee”. All the pups from that litter have names that relate to coffee in one form or another. This is a repeat litter theme; one I did for Deja’s sire, Tazo (GCH CH Jema’s Mocha Kiss, BISS), many years ago although his litter included both coffee and tea. Hence Deja is a repeat of her sire or Deja Vu or… Deja Brew!

Deja, like her dad, Tazo, is a happy dog! She exudes confidence in everything she does. They both can be a bit “bouncy”; all that energy needs to go someplace! I remember showing her once and as I did a courtesy turn getting her lined up to do the down and back, she jumped almost six feet straight up in the air, landed and was ready to gait down the diagonal! The funny thing about this is that I never felt her feet leave the ground! If it wasn’t for a friend who took a cell phone shot of her doing this, I would never have believed it!

Almost ALL of my puppies have won Best in Specialty Sweepstakes or BISS! Deja did not being a bit slower to mature to be competitive in the ring. She did, however, take Best Puppy in Show not once but twice when she was young! Those memories will stay with me forever not only for the recognition of this puppy amongst many other puppies but also as a proud breeder moment!

Deja finished her AKC Champion title with a professional handler. Finding (and winning) those bigger shows meant more travel than I could do at the time. But I believed in her and so did her handler. Deja won her second major fall of 2017 needing one single point to finish this title. Because I had not entered her in any shows after that major show, I had to wait two weeks after entering her in a local show where she won that last point needed. YEAH! Deja now sports the coveted “CH” before her name! Her sire, Tazo, would be so proud! And so would her paternal grandmother, Saga; a puppy I purchased so many years ago!

On a lark (and because I was asked), I sent in Deja’s show record and points accumulated throughout her show career. Our dog club does an Awards Banquet every year where high-achieving dogs are recognized. I had not made plans to attend the Awards Banquet this year and in fact, completely forgot about it until a friend notified me that Deja had won “Top Conformation Bitch From The Classes”! I’m very grateful that my friend at the banquet accept this trophy on my behalf! WooHoo for Deja!!

As my sweet girl lies here at my feet being the completely calm, well-mannered house dog she is, I remember her energy whenever anything is asked of her. I remember that enthusiasm whether being in the show ring or chasing a tennis ball in my backyard. Trophy or not, she is my perfect dog! I need only look at her for her to wag her tail ready for the next game we can play together! And I look at her daughter, Pixel and think… It is almost time to have Pixel shown. She will be my next winning dog; the fourth generation of Jema Golden Retrievers!