Regalgoldens Golden Retrievers

Bella with 7 days to go! I am not really sure where the time has gone, but Bella is now quite pre-occupied in selecting the best spot to have her pups. Her search takes her to a quiet corner of the house under a tree, probably a very luxurious location in the wild, but we have a much cozier and cleaner place in mind – her whelping box. We imported this premium whelping unit from England so I am not really sure why she feels “dirt” is better. This week, we will re-acquaint Bella with the whelping box and make all the final preparations for the puppies’ arrival. We will be introducing it to her daily and trying to convince her as to how wonderful it is. Bella is now receiving four smaller meals a day, as there is less room for food given the size of the puppies. She is becoming a little picky with her meals, but we continue to offer her a “gourmet” selection of nutritious foods.  Bella's x-ray. How many puppies do you think she will have? Bell...

Bella at 46 days to go! It was difficult to tell Bella was even pregnant as she didn’t really show much until day 37, when all of a sudden her waist line bulged to a whopping 33.5 inches (85 cm). Bella continues to have an amazing appetite and is now eating three small meals a day. We are feeding her a very nutritious diet of premium kibble, ground beef or roast chicken, boiled rice, digestive enzymes and probiotics. Bella seems very active at the moment but as we head into the homestretch, we expect she will slow down. She is ever so affectionate and she is demanding frequent belly rubs, which we are very happy to oblige. Pre-natal period: It is an interesting fact that a dog's tactile perception develops before birth, therefore unborn puppies can detect touch when the mother is petted from the outside of the abdomen. This establishes the basis for puppies to tolerate being touched, when compared to puppies born to mothers that were not petted. Pregnant dogs that are expo...

Mr. Coconut Clearly it was a misunderstanding. When the puppies are outside in their play area, we provide them with bowls of water for drinking. With their entrepreneurial spirits running high, the puppies discovered that using the water coupled with the holes they dug in the lawn, they were able to create their own mud bath spa treatments. Needless to say, this resulted in several of them resembling Chocolate Labs, thereby requiring bath time a little early. It’s not hard to tell that Mango is breathing sighs of relief in only having to offer the pups the occasional quick snack. The gang is devouring their solid food and their portions have grown considerably. The reward, of course is that all of the puppies are a happy, healthy bunch mostly weighing in between eleven and twelve pounds. While food and sleep are still atop the list, the puppies’ sphere of interest has extended far beyond the microcosm of their litter. They are exploring the yard in every-wideni...

Mr. Purple It begins innocently enough. a puppy will crouch down in the grass, watching and waiting very patiently. Off in the distance, he spies another puppy that has moved away from the group for a private moment to conduct some “personal business”. At just the right moment he darts ahead, his tiny legs pumping as quickly as they’ll carry him right up to the moment of impact. As inappropriate as it may be, the puppies appear to have invented their own variation of cow tipping. Now that the group is gobbling up herculean amounts of dry food, Maddie has pretty much retired her role as a nursing mother and repositioned it as an occasional playmate. The puppies are weighing in the neighbourhood of thirteen pounds, which is right where they should be for their age and litter size. Since weather conditions were near perfect during the week, the puppies had an abundance of outdoor time. There is no shortage of curiousity in the group and everyone saw fit to explore e...

Mr. Tangerine We knew it was bound to happen - we just didn’t know when. And what we’re still uncertain about is who the instigator was. Very early one morning, we were awakened by loud, almost celebratory screeching coming from the puppy area. Upon investigation, we discovered that the entire litter had launched an escape from their whelping box in the night and was having one big free-for-all in the living room. We obviously have to step up security in the dorm! Unlike Maddie’s litter, mealtime is conducted in a very civilized fashion in this group. One thing that doesn’t differ is the ear-piercing indicator they proffer that mealtime is expected to be punctual. Of course, once dinner is served, composure is restored and the sound is reduced to the mere smacking of lips. That said, everyone is gaining well and the lot now weigh between nine and ten pounds each. Since they’re eating a much drier food, they are starting to drink plenty of water to keep hydrated. ...

Miss Pink The week began with the puppies engaging in product testing spill-proof water bowls. They subjected them to tests under various conditions and determined that the bowls can actually be substituted for other toys and used for their amusement. The group concluded that when the bowls are inverted, they’re really not so spill-proof anymore. When they weren’t consumed with their Discovery Channel antics, the gang spent much of their time outside exploring more and more of the yard, running, climbing rocks and in one or two instances, learning how to dig holes from Maddie. And now that the puppies have developed a better sense of balance, they no longer stagger around like the last guests at an office Christmas party. Miss Lilac with our boy Haydain The puppies have made even more new friends with some of the other dogs in the pack. They’ve become acquainted with their dad Jazz, the gentle giant. They were also quite intrigued with six and a half month old...

Mr. Teal There’s no such thing as sneaking into the puppies’ room anymore. This attentive little bunch soaks up every sight and sound and the nine little heads continually pop up to see what life is going to serve up next. They now have a huge interest in people and the world around them. With the increased control over their facial muscles, the puppies are making expressions and are beginning to reveal their personalities. In addition, they bark, growl, yelp, chirp and howl – whatever it takes to get someone’s attention, including each other’s. Miss Lilac The gang is spending lots of time outdoors exploring and even trying to engage their mom, Maddie in play. Some of their favourite activities include games of chase or scrimmage, with or without a ball. A fun one to watch is the jousting competition, whereby they’ll lunge, bounce off their opponent and roll over. Apart from that, there’s the usual biting, nipping, pouncing and wrestling, followed by a deep sleep ...