Skip to main content

Jazz and Bailey’s Litter – Week One



 
Welcome to the world!

 “Room for Rent”


In our previous posting, we revealed how much Bailey enjoyed accommodating her puppies in the plush surroundings of the whelping box. Now that she’s recovered from her C-section and has had a little more time to reflect, Bailey been on the lookout for some other digs; quite literally. On more than one occasion, she’s been caught trying to excavate some spaces in the yard she deems suitable to raise her new family in. There’s one hole under a rock that was so deep, we could hear an echo in it. Since the digging was proving to be difficult, Bailey finally settled on a readymade dog house on the side porch, albeit we think it may just be a little small for her needs.
Bailey in the dog house!

Thanks to Bailey’s dedication as a mom, spending almost 24 hours a day in the whelping box, the puppies have almost doubled their birth weights. Bailey’s milk depository provides their nourishment which contains antibodies vital for the first several weeks of their lives. She provides them with the warmth necessary for their survival as their body temperature is three degrees below normal at birth, climbing a degree each week thereafter. The little ones spend all of their time eating or sleeping and since their eyes are closed at birth, their senses of smell and touch are what guide them to their mom and to each other. They use their tiny forelimbs, coupled with a great deal of determination, to propel themselves around. Since this is a very strong, active, well-developed bunch, it won’t be long before they’re walking.

Nearing the end of this first week, Bailey was enjoying the luxury of a few private naps outside of the whelping box. If she lingered a little bit too long, the puppies had no reservations about letting her know with squeaking that began as a solo, continued as a duet and culminated as a piercing choral chant. Once Bailey obliged them, they voraciously suckled, piled atop one another, some even upside down! We’re lucky to have front row seats to this manner of dinner theatre.

That’s it for now, but be sure to join us next week for another beguiling installment of “Puppy Tales”.



Click to play this Smilebox slideshow

Popular posts from this blog

Bronson and Tulip Litter – 7 weeks

We're 7 weeks old today! It has been an adventure-filled week! It was the puppies' first-time riding in a car! Introducing them to new experiences begins at this age. Rides in cars, sounds, meeting new people, etc. Our puppies are often taken to Home Depot, Winners, Homesense, Petsmart, and other pet-friendly stores after they receive their next set of vaccinations. While they still ride in the shopping cart, their horizons are broadening. We’ve expanded the puppies play area which is either in our kitchen, outside in the yard or on our porch depending on the weather. They enjoy playing together and are becoming more and more confident. Their play area includes toys an activity center, a crate, and tunnel.  Jolly Pets' Jolly Ball was a huge hit today. The puppies seemed to take turns carrying it! All of them weigh between 13 and 15 pounds. Their appetites are good, and momma Tulip occasionally stops by with a vanilla milkshake. Beef, turkey and chicken are among the protein...

Ruly and Tulip Litter - Week 1

Ruly and Tulip Litter - 1 Week Old What a week it's been! The Tulip puppies continue to thrive, gaining weight steadily and remaining fairly quiet. Tulip dotes on her family, rarely straying far from the whelping box. As you can see on the 24/7 camera, she is starting to spend a bit more time outside the box, but she consistently checks on her babies. Tulip currently eats around 4 pounds of food per day, along with calcium and pre-probiotics supplements. As her pups grow, her daily food intake will be gradually increased, reaching 5 - 6 pounds per day by the time the pups are about 7 weeks old. This increased caloric intake is necessary to meet the energy demands of milk production and to maintain Tulip's own body condition. Tulip still believes an outdoor den would be best for her pups, so we are monitoring her closely when she ventures out. The whelping box is lined with padded bedding and clean, white bleached towels on the bottom. The white towels allow us to quickly spot a...

Bronson & Tulip Litter– Week 6

A very happy 6 week birthday to this eye-catching litter! We are loving every minute we have with this litter and the weeks are flying by. The milk bar continues to be provided by Tulip who is an excellent mom. We had a wonderful time outside in between the rain showers this past week. The pups are confident and didn't seem nervous at all. Immediately they were at ease in their new surroundings, sniffing and exploring this new exciting adventure. Each time they go out, they explore further into the backyard but are always under the watchful eye of Tulip. This litter continues to be very quiet, which means they are very happy and content. They are all approaching 10 pounds in weight and it amazes me from one day to the next how quickly they grow up.  Mom begins weaning the pups and teaching them discipline. Through puppy play-biting, the pup learns bite inhibition and socialization with its siblings. Normal behaviour at this age. Six-week-old puppies still have a lot to learn from t...