Regalgoldens Golden Retrievers

  It's all about playing this week! “School is in Session” Pepper and her crew have moved out of the bedroom and relocated into the living room which is like a V.I.P. room for moms. She has a sofa to stretch out on for her ultimate relaxation while being able to keep a watchful eye and ear on her brood. What’s more, she has a private yard for a little walkabout which her puppies will eventually use as their playground.  The puppies now have numerous plush toys at their disposal and in order to accommodate their rapid growth and increased mobility, we’ve added an extension to the whelping box. This has doubled its size giving the gang lots more room to play in, so they are now able to pick up speed to scramble from end to end.  The little ones are developing their strength, co-ordination and cognitive skills as well as learning how to engage in an activity with a littermate, even if it’s just bumping heads. They typically congregate in groups ranging in size from two to fo...

  Ain't No Mountain High enough..... “The Hoover” The pups reside in what’s called a whelping box: a 4 ft. square enclosure which we’ve lined with mats and towels, not to mention that nasty rolled-up towel that now serves as a headrest or leaning post for the little ones. There is an opening at one end of the whelping box that allows mom to get in and out at will to deal with her mini-pack or venture out on her well-deserved breaks. There are 4” high removable slats at the opening which serve to contain the pups. We start with one when they’re born and insert additional ones as they grow so that now we’re up to three so the pups can’t get out on their own. That said, the other day we discovered Miss Mars on the bedroom floor some distance from the whelping box. Apparently, she was latched onto Pepper’s milk receptacle with a super-vacuum, so she was whisked away and deposited onto the carpet where we had to rescue her. To accommodate the puppies’ rapid growth, we’ve had to raise th...

Sleeping beauties! “I’ve Fallen and I Can’t Get Up” At first glance, it may appear that the puppies spend all their time sleeping, but they also do their share of exercising. As they lay there asleep, they are constantly twitching. These involuntary actions, referred to as “activated sleep,” help strengthen their leg muscles and begin to build muscle mass. We’ve also added a rolled-up towel which serves two purposes. It acts as a barrier to place the pups behind when mom is entering or exiting the whelping box. It also creates an obstacle course that the puppies must climb over to help them get their muscles into shape. All was well until one day; we heard a persistent cry for help emanating from the whelping box. Upon further investigation, we discovered Mr. Supernova stuck on his belly atop the roll with all his legs flailing in mid-air. We’re sure his legs will be long enough in another couple of days. It’s always exciting for us when the puppies’ eyes open at around the 10-day mark...

  “Number Nine” Puppies are typically born in the middle of the night, but every now and again we catch a bit of a break. In fact, Pepper surprised us with a quick “deposit” of Miss Twilight (Purple) at 4:15 pm before we even had a chance to set up for the big event. In as much as we follow the science by taking temperatures, monitoring behaviour and stages of labour, we had to do a quick scramble. Her brother, Mr. Galaxy (grey) followed at 5:22 and so it went every thirty minutes of so for Miss Mars (Red), Mr. Martian (Green), Miss Milky Way (Beige), Miss Sunglow (Orange), Miss Comet (Yellow) and Mr. Supernova (Blue) at 8:15 pm. Pepper was dropping them out like a vending machine* so we were optimistic. And then we waited and waited and waited. It wasn’t until we carried out a procedure to “shuffle the deck” (dislodge a stuck puppy) that we were graced with the presence of “Number Nine” - Mr. Starry Night (Black) at 10:08 pm. Fortunately his sister Miss Moondust (Brown) capped off...

Miss Pepper with one week to go 😉 We are heading into the home stretch with our precious Pepper as she continues to get bigger with each passing day. She is slowing down and prefers the cool tile floor to lay on. Despite the loss of her girlish figure, she can still jump onto the sofa to demand cuddles and belly rubs. She measures 36 inches or 91 cm, so she has quite a bit of extra weight to carry around! With just a few more days left to go, the whelping area has been prepared for the big event. She has her meals three times daily and seemingly has an internal alarm clock because within a minute of our usual feeding times she barks to alert us “it’s time”. We will begin to monitor her temperature twice daily as any significant drop would signal the onset of labour.  At this point the fetuses are fully developed and can be born safely. The puppies have basically finished their development and are just growing bigger at this point. Puppies are born without the ability to see and th...

  Pepper – Day 49 (pre-parturition)   Pepper enjoying the first snowfall of the year. Sporting her baby bump! Our precious Pepper is expecting her babies in 2 weeks. She is soaking up all the attention and getting lots of princess snuggle time. Pepper loves her cuddles - especially when we relax with her at the end of the day all the while stretching and moaning as we rub her belly. She ravenously eats all her meals which consist of an unprocessed raw diet with veggies and fruits. We add in folic acid, fish oil and probiotics – everything a pregnant mom needs. Next week we will increase her food and spread it over three meals daily.   Pepper is now sporting a baby bump and measures 32 inches (81.3 cm). She is still quite active with no signs of slowing down as she continues to explore the fence line in search of potential intruders.   Pre-natal period: It is an interesting fact that a dog's tactile perception develops before birth, therefore unborn puppies can detect...

“The Uninvited Houseguest”   Apart from the odd bad-weather day, we’ve had lots of outdoor time with these pups. And when we’re not quick enough to extend our invitation to go outside, we certainly hear about it. Each and every puppy loves their cuddle time but relishes their playtime as well. The piece of culvert we salvaged and have placed on a bit of a decline in the backyard has made a fabulous tunnel and slide. They go up and they go down and race around the other end to do it all over again. Couple that with the usual rock climbing and stick munching and much fun was had by all. Except for that one day when the playing was halted abruptly. The alarm was sounded that there was an “enormous” (garter) snake sunning itself on the grass apparently oblivious to the activity all around. We escorted everyone to the side and coaxed the snake, whom we apparently share the yard with, to its den to an opening underneath the concrete patio. Play resumed as usual.   It’s interesting t...