Happy Sierra – 48 days (pre-parturition) Hudson and Sierra Litter 2014

Sierra will make a great mom as she loves all puppies!

With just two weeks to go, Sierra continues to relish her food. She is now eating three smaller meals daily consisting of fresh pureed fruits, vegetables, oatmeal, chicken and supplements so she and her pups receive the best nutrition possible. This holiday season, she will be lurking around the dinner table but she needn’t worry - she‘ll receive her own delightful turkey feast!

Sierra has slowed down a bit and as previously mentioned, prefers quieter surroundings. She is usually found lying by the fireplace on her own cozy doggy bed or on our bed. She doesn’t stay outside for very long or venture very far from us. Like the rest of us, Sierra is not big on ice storms, but nothing seems to faze her and she didn’t object to the absence of hydro for four days. Throughout the whole “ordeal”, she emphatically wiggled her rear and cooed with delight at every turn.

It was difficult to tell Sierra was even pregnant as she didn’t really show much until day thirty-seven, when all of a sudden her waistline bulged to 31.5 inches (80 cm).

Golden Retriever puppy fetus

By day thirty, digestive and respiratory glands, muscles, bone, the puppy's circulatory, genital and urinary systems, the skin and hair, the nervous system and all of the puppy's sensory organs--including the eyes, inner ear and peripheral nerves have formed. During weeks four to six of pregnancy, the puppy's organs, bones, eyes and spinal cord begin to fully develop. The fetus starts to actually look like a dog, with whisker buds showing on its developing face, and claws and toes differentiating on the feet. By week six, the puppy skin pigment is formed and you can hear a heartbeat. At this point in their development, the puppies have all their features. Now they will begin to grow rapidly until they are born.

The countdown begins….

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...

Regalgoldens Golden Retrievers

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