Regalgoldens Golden Retrievers

Our first adventure outside! “Boys Will Be Boys” It was all fun and games during the week when the group was introduced to the great outdoors. Since they were a little young at the time, they made a beeline to mom to enjoy one of her famous milkshakes. On their second outing, there was little hesitation as the puppies scurried off in all directions as though they’d done this a hundred times before. Both Faith and Paige were there to chaperone, but also to add to the excitement by playing with the members of her mini pack. She would frequently tempt them with an offering from the milk bar and dash off with several of them in pursuit. She also demonstrated how to roll in the grass, but beyond that the little ones just improvised. They ran, they wrestled, they rolled around and somewhere along the line managed to find some twigs that apparently needed reshaping. A good time was had by all followed by the requisite naptime. The dynamic in the whelping box is also evolving. This i

Our first big adventure outside! “The Gladiator” Never underestimate the strength of a mother’s love. It takes many shapes and forms. It didn’t dawn on us at first, but Paige added a whole new dimension to the concept. This week, Paige’s litter made their inaugural visit to the great outdoors. From a distance, Paige’s behaviour seemed erratic and inexplicable, but upon closer inspection she would lunge at and swallow any mosquitoes she noticed were in the proximity of her little ones. That’s all very well and good, but we were kind of hoping Paige would do the same for us. From day one, these little guys were totally comfortable with their outdoor surroundings. Some litters are very tentative as they venture out, but not this one. They immediately went off to explore the grass, the rockery or munch on fallen twigs. Others used the vastness of the yard to engage in sporting activities with their siblings. Wrestling and jousting were popular sports. It’s funny to watch the pup

I can see the world now! “Peekaboo” The big news this week is that the puppies have opened their eyes. At this stage, they can only differentiate between light and dark, but the haze will clear up very quickly over the next week or so as they begin to experience normal sight. They can hear quite well as soon as their ears have opened. Now that they’re being so well fed with the all-day buffet that Hannah has provided, they’re a little quieter at night. That, of course was one of the conditions we gave Hannah in allowing her to remain in the bedroom. In order to accommodate the puppies’ rapid growth, we’ve raised the pig rails in their box up a notch. These are rails around the inside of the whelping box that are there to help prevent mom from accidentally squishing one of her kids. At some point during the coming week, the rails can safely be removed altogether. Now that the puppies are getting adept at staggering around, an extension will be added to the box soon which will

What a fantastic week we've had! “Taken” We did the head count twice and came up with five each time. This had never happened to us before and of course we were most concerned. Mr. Ivy was missing from the whelping box! We feared he had been taken and that we’d have to call Liam Neeson to find him and bring him back. And then it dawned on us.  A puppy has escaped the day before, so we promptly put it back into the whelping box. A check of Paige’s residence revealed that there were two puppies in it with green collars:  Miss Kale and Mr. Ivy! Oops….wrong box. Mystery solved. The gang had their first raw feeding of hormone and antibiotic-free meat with organic vegetables, pro-biotics, vitamin supplements including vitamin C, bovine colostrum and Puppy Gold for eye and immune system development, goat’s milk and plain yoghurt to supplement the feedings they get from their mom. They enjoyed it so much, they even polished the bowl. Of course, they are boys. Once that was done,

Miss Olive says hello! “The Houseguest” Every now and again a puppy escapes from the whelping box and makes its way to some unspecified location. They never really get too far and are soon whisked back into the box with their siblings. A shortfall in the headcount of their neighbour Faith’s litter led to the discovery that Paige’s group included two puppies with green collars. Oops! When Mr. Ivy escaped the previous day, without checking his undercarriage, it was assumed that it was Miss Kale who had escaped so in he went. Fortunately, both Paige and her crew were very accommodating and welcomed the little guy into their circle. We can’t imagine what he must have been thinking. The dynamic in the whelping box is evolving. This is the beginning of the most influential socialization period for the puppies. They’re learning to communicate with each other and with us by wagging their tails. With the increased control over their facial muscles, they are making expressions and ar

How cute are we! “The Breakfast Club” This may well go on record for one of the longest whelping sessions in a long time. Puppy births generally happen in the middle of the night and this was no exception. Despite our desire for sleep, Hannah was in no hurry. Her labour began at midnight and she produced her first pup (Mr. Bacon) at 2:00 a.m. followed by Miss Omelette, Mr. Hash Brown and finally Mr. Toast at around 6:00 a.m. just in time for breakfast! One never really knows how a girl will take to motherhood, but Hannah has joined the ranks of those we deem “supermoms”. She has been exceptionally enthusiastic when it comes to the hygiene of her pups and initially licked them so much, we were surprised they still had fur on them. Hannah is so dedicated to the wellbeing of her new family that we have to drag her out of the whelping box just to get her to go out for a bathroom break. Once outside, to linger was out of the question. Like a woman on a mission, Hannah would race ba

Hey do you want to play? “Things that go bump in the night” Now that their vision is established beyond simply being able to detect light, dark and movement, the puppies are becoming increasingly curious about their surroundings and each other. As they are beginning to get acquainted with their littermates, they can often be seen standing in a group gently colliding or rubbing their noses and heads against one another whether awake or asleep. Admittedly, this activity often culminates in something that resembles bumper cars at the fair. This is the beginning of a key period for the puppies as they are developing rudimentary social skills. They are testing each other’s limits and learning the difference between hard and soft biting and they also take turns sleeping at the top and bottom of the sibling pile which in itself is a sight to behold. To further enhance their experience, we’ve put stuffed animals in the whelping box as an obstacle course of sorts as well as fluffy playm

We are becoming more playful by the minute! “How Luxurious!” This week we were able to remove the pig rails in the whelping box that help keep the little ones safe from being accidentally squished. How roomy is that?! The puppies are getting to know their siblings better and are engaging in many playtime activities. They can now pick up a bit of speed when they’re charging at their littermates.  They’ve also found their voices which range from miniature dogs barking to baby wolves howling to pigeons cooing and someone in there even shrieked like James Brown.  In the meantime, Paige is spending more time out of the box relaxing or trying to figure out how to create a cave in the backyard with her partner in crime, Faith. Always on the lookout for sticks to chew or enjoying a good roll in the grass, we have to drag Paige back into the house and remind her to resume her maternal duties. To help the puppies continue to bulk up, they had their first raw feeding of hormone and an

Good morning! “Hot Stuff” Since newborn puppies require a good deal of warmth and aren’t able to regulate their own body temperature until the third week, Mother Nature has made some clever provisions for that. Momma Faith’s mammary glands are very warm; in fact almost hot to the touch. She therefore provides her brood a nice warm brew for these cold Caledon nights that not only nourishes and makes them sleepy but also offers a nice warm shelter for them to curl up in. Apparently, Faith hasn’t read the memo as she still insists on excavating a tunnel with Paige, her partner in crime when she’s outside on her bathroom breaks. In order to provide her pups with their sustenance, along with her regular meals, Faith is getting a super-charged smoothie consisting of pro-biotic yoghurt, pre and pro biotics, calcium citrate, vitamin C, colostrum and bio-active proteins to help kick-start her puppies’ immune systems. While the little ones spend a great deal of time eating and sleep

Hello world! “Creature Comforts” Paige and her brood have been relocated to the living room which is a pretty regal deal for mom. She’s got both a sofa and a love seat to stretch out on, not to mention some carpeting and some sections of cool wood flooring for lounging. There’s also a walkout to the backyard for those peaceful Zen moments or for chasing chipmunks. Unlike many other moms in this situation, Paige didn’t bat an eye about being transplanted - she knew this was a good deal. In order to provide her pups with their sustenance, along with her regular meals, Paige is getting a super-charged smoothie consisting of pro-biotic yogurt, pre and probiotics, calcium citrate, vitamin C, colostrum and bio-active proteins to help kick-start her puppies’ immune systems. Now that their vision is established beyond simply being able to detect light, dark and movement, the puppies are becoming increasingly curious about their surroundings and each other. They are beginning t