The Puppies Are 3 Weeks Old!

The puppies are 3 weeks old today. So much has changed in a week! Eyes are open, puppies are hearing, and overnight they have been transformed into baby dogs! They are well up on their legs and busily exploring their world. In the wee hours of the morning Tom thought he heard something. He went in to check on the puppies and he found the purple rick rack puppy taking a stroll around the guest room at 5:00 AM. Our first escape artist!

This weekend we will be moving the puppies out of the whelping box and into a larger play area. We'll also be starting them on solid food. Now that the pups are mobile they need more room to move around, and they need room for puppy toys!

We've also started bringing pups out to sit with us while we watch television in the evening. The puppies like to cuddle and all the handling is great socialization.

The puppies have discovered each other, and have started to play. This video was taken this evening. We'll be updating the blog again this weekend with more pictures of the pups in their new play area.

the Puppies are 14 Days Old!

The puppies are 14 days old today. They have grown to more than twice their birth weight. They are now up on all four legs and can totter around the whelping box. Eyes are starting to open. When I came in to see them this morning, one of the little boys had his little head cocked and was looking around. His world right now is only shadows, but imagine if you could remember your first moments of sight. What an amazing thing even light and dark must be!

Over the next two weeks, the puppies will undergo several changes. They will begin to see shapes and they will discover that there are other puppies in the whelping box with them. These early interactions are priceless! Hearing will start to come in over the next week or so. Our litters seem to have read the text book on hearing and we won't really see evidence of working ears until the 21st day. This is a time of tremendous sensory stimulation and discovery for the puppies. It is also the last week that they will be in the whelping box and solely reliant on Mom for nutrition. Spotting is starting to come through and is becoming more pronounced each day.

Ginger still spends almost all of her time with the puppies, although we are seeing evidence that she is getting restless. Ginger has been popping her head out of the puppy room more frequently, and the other day when I came in to watch puppies, we sat on the bed together and admired her kids. Today she joined the other dogs for their daily trek out to the barn to feed the horses and nosh on a carrot. Ginger decided she could take the extra time away from the pups. It was her equivalent of going to Starbucks for a coffee with her friends.

Not sure that the video quality this week is very good, but here's the crew as they get their legs under them. Video and music courtesy of Tom:

The Puppies are 1 Week Old

The puppies are seven days old today. Everyone has been steadily gaining weight and we are pleased with the progress that they are making. We have started the Early Neurological Stimulation Exercises for the puppies. This program was originally developed to improve the performance of dogs used for military purposes. The study confirmed that there is a window of time beginning at Day 3 and continuing through Day 16 where rapid neurological growth and development occurs. There are 5 simple exercises that are done each day with each of the pups during this time period. These exercises impact the puppy's neurological system by kicking it into action earlier than would be normally expected. There are several benefits that have been attributed to the exercises, including increased tolerance of stress and greater resistance to disease.

You can find more information on these exercises at:
http://www.tehillahgermanshepherds.com/earlystimulation.html

Pigment is starting to intensify on the pups. Nose trim is continuing to fill and we are starting to see the shadowy images of the spots coming through their coats. Ginger has been a very attentive mom, leaving the whelping box just long enough for a quick meal and romp around the yard. With 9 pups to feed, she's been a voracious eater, and we've upped both the amount of food and the frequency that she is eating. We feed Purina Pro Plan Puppy formula, which provides Ginger with the additional calcium and calories that she needs right now. We made the change to puppy food 2 weeks before the litter was due and Ginger will continue with the richer diet until the pups are weaned. Then she'll have to go back to watching her weight like the rest of us girls!

Here's a video example of a typical day in the life of a day's old litter:

The Puppies Have Arrived!

The Puppies have arrived at SunnyOaks!  Ginger; BISS CH SunnyOaks Spicen' It Up was bred to Chase; CH Spotlight's Storm Chaser.  Puppies were born on May 5, 2010. This is Ginger's last litter

Both Chase and Ginger have completed their health clearances.  Ginger's information is in the OFA database and under her CHIC#62334.  Chase's CHIC number is pending the finalization of his OFA hip information which will be done once he turns 2 years of age.  Chase's hips were prelim'd OFA Excellent and the balance of his health information can also be found in the OFA database.


Here is a picture of Chase taken almost one year ago.  Chase was Reserve Winner's Dog at The Dalmatian Club of America's 2009 National Specialty Show.  He finished his championship by going Best of Breed over several top Specials under Judge Richard Bauer.  Chase's Dad Ian was just awarded winner of the Top Twenty event at the 2010 National Specialty.  Chase is moderate in size, has lovely dark brown eyes and beautiful pigment. He is a happy, silly young man and we think he compliments Ginger nicely.

Here is a picture of Ginger taken during her show career.  Ginger was specialed in 2004 and 2005.  Ginger was Winner's Bitch and Best of Winners at the Dalmatian Club of America National Specialty in 2003, won the Top Twenty event in 2004 and received an Award of Merit in 2005.  She was the #1 Dalmatian bitch in 2004 and 2005 and the #3 Dalmatian those same years.  Ginger is a multiple Best in Specialty and Group winner.  Ginger ended her career by being awarded Best of Opposite Sex at Westminster Kennel Club in 2006.

  
 The puppies were born on May 5, 2010.  My husband wanted to have a basketball themed litter and Ginger took him literally.  She delivered 7 boys and 2 girls.  The puppies are all black and white spotted. There are 2 patched puppies; one boy and one girl.  Mom and babies are doing well.  Here's a recent picture of Ginger with her pups.