Our Havanese Puppies are getting bigger

Maxi is giving baths. This also stimulates the puppys' bowels.

Our Havanese puppies are one week old now and have almost doubled in size! I love their little pink paws and round bellies. Eyes are still closed...noses still pink. That will soon change!

Everyone is gaining nicely. They like to sleep in a clump!

Puppy at the milk counter

Nap buddies

Maxi keeping a watchful eye.

Eating and Sleeping at One Week Old

Puppies are growing so nicely. They are in my bedroom right now and I love to hear their little squeaks and squiggles!  They are one week old today. I can't believe it has flown by so fast. Still, there is not much new to report so I thought I'd just fill in on what development has taken place at one week.

Typically they double their weight the first 8 to 11 days. For about the first two weeks their eyes and ears are closed. They sense light, though, and they find Phoebe by scent. Sometimes they look for her and she is sleeping outside the whelping box which brings on a series of woeful pleading cries to which she responds immediately. She is such a good mother.

As for Phoebe, I am letting her free feed from 6:30 am until 6:30 pm. She is eating about four times what she normally eats! I watch her closely for signs of mastitis...swollen or hardened teats.

Really, at this stage puppies are a very easy proposition. Phoebe does everything from feeding to rounding them up to cleaning their little poops and pees. She constantly licks the puppies' tummies to stimulate their bowels and bladders and, believe it or not, she benefits nutritionally from what she ingests. 

Update on Dew (now Maize)

Dew in her toy basket

Dew "at work" with her new dad

She is the best!  Loves her basket. Bob is doing a great job with the training. She walks w me like she is at a show. She is loved!  Thanks! 

Sad News

Lynn Nieto with her boy Pan

Lynn Nieto, owner of Los Perritos Havanese, brought us some sad news yesterday. Her Havanese boy Pan, CH Los Perritos Wee Pantaloons, passed over the rainbow bridge. Pan is grandfather to both Maxi and our one-year-old, Marli. He is a champion in every sense of the word and has more pups carrying his gene pool than any other Havanese in the country. Lynn, with her huge knowledge bank and equally huge sense of humor,  has been a mentor to me.

I will never forget attending my first Havanese National Specialty in Chicago when I sat in a breeding seminar next to a small crate of puppies. They were sired by Pan and caused almost as much commotion as Dr. Huchinson, celebrated reproduction veterinarian, who gave the seminar!

Pan, may you rest in peace.

So Many Puppies--So Little Time

My days are filled with changing towels, changing newsprint (I use the clean newsprint that U-Haul sells as packing paper), feeding and bathing the grown-ups. I LOVE IT!

Daughter Jenny nursing one of our preemies

All the puppies are growing by leaps and bounds. I am still bottle feeding Maxi's two little ones and Phoebe's two smallest ones though they are not nearly the size of Maxi's preemies. It just gives them an edge since they often lose out to the bigger pups at the teats.

Don't you wonder what is going through his little mind?

Two of Maxi's pups eyes have opened partially. They are the largest pup with the full white blaze and the littlest pup with the forked blaze. The rest should be open in the next day or so. Generally their ears open about the same time so the sensory input for these little guys is huge this week.

Maxi has pretty much got the hang of this part now.

Today was manicure day for Maxi's pups. They are two weeks old now (can you believe it?) and by gently handling their paws and getting them used to the clip-clip-clip...this process will be much less traumatic for them as adults. I use a human baby nail scissors at this stage. Their nails are tiny and they are also very sharp so I know Maxi will be very grateful!

Just think. Next week I get to trim 64 paws! I better keep the whole morning open.

Phoebe's pups at five days old...so much stronger than Maxi's thanks to their later arrival.

How sweet are these babies?

Phoebe has Babies!

I have been a bit remiss and I apologize but we have been very busy. Wednesday morning I took Phoebe to my vet where they would keep a watchful eye on her while I participated in an event that took me out of the house for two days. Because we thought she was so late in her pregnancy I had actually decided Thursday morning to leave her at my vet until she had her puppies. But my dear daughter had a free afternoon and decided it would be in Phoebe's best interest to bring her back to my house where she could deliver in the comfort of familiar surroundings. I called my vet to get her take on this and she said Phoebe was showing many signs of getting ready to whelp and would likely have her pups that afternoon or by Friday morning for sure but she saw no reason why we couldn't bring her home. So, Jenny did and about twenty minutes after I got back to my house Phoebe delivered a beautiful black parti girl! 

After that, Phoebe proceeded to give us five more girls and two boys. Eight pups, healthy and hearty!

She is a mess in this photo but look at the smile on her face. We have a wonderful rainbow of colors...two brown and white, four black and white and two of the girls are pure white! Can't wait to see how they turn out. We have never had a solid puppy so this will be something different.

Meanwhile, we are still bottle feeding the two preemies from Maxi's litter but they are gaining very nicely. Aren't they darling?

And, finally, a shot of Maxi's wonderful litter...getting so big already.

Frosty--Big Girl in a Tiny Body

 This is our little Frosty but never be deceived by her size. She was the first puppy to climb to the top of the cat house and is not afraid
stand up to her big brothers.

Introducing Rudolph

Puppies are eight weeks old and ready to go to their forever homes. I will feature one a day with a little photo essay so you can get an idea of their personalities. Here is Rudolph, a beautiful Black Irish Pied with a very laid back personality. He will snuggle with whoever is the closest, is curious and loves to investigate. You will also notice in a couple of these photos that Rudolph is developing a very nice topline and his bite is perfect! Like all his siblings, Rudy is trained to potty on paper and on the potty park that you see in some of these photos.

How Does THAT Happen?

Well, trust me it does because dogs are like people and they like to 'play around.' So when the breeder who took Phoebe in last September called me to say a disaster had fallen upon their household I was prepared for something much worse than hearing we might have a Multiple-Sired litter. Mind you, if this breeder hadn't called and 'fessed' up to the situation I would likely have never known. That is the kind of breeder I look for...honest, sincere and mentoring.

Yes, I was disappointed. But, what are you going to do. She had a perfectly logical explanation and trust me it did not happen because she was careless.

Moving forward we had DNA testing done on all the puppies, on Phoebe and on both potential sires, Specs and Andrew. But, because AKC takes up to ten weeks for this process and we wanted results much sooner we went with a different company. Kathy was about 90% certain the puppies were all Specs' given he and Phoebe had had three breedings before Andrew stepped onto the scene. That way we could register them right away with AKC.

Bad news:
Two were Specs' pups and four were Andrew's.

Good news:
Andrew has a fantastic pedigree, healthy parentage and a delightful disposition.

We are now in the process of having the puppies re-tested with AKC as they will not accept DNA testing from companies other than their own. Then, we submit two applications to register the two litters that are really one litter.

Ten weeks after that the puppies will have their official AKC papers. WHEW!

Time Usually Flies But....

...this is ridiculous. The puppies are already 4 1/2 weeks old! That's what holidays full of family, friends and Havanese will do to you!  They are growing...no surprise there. And this is the stage where their little personalities begin to surface. We have Rudolph, the independent one. Then there's Dancer, who I thought was a cry baby until I realized he was just bored...probably the brightest one in the bunch the way he explores new toys. Angel is a little on the quiet side...so far, that is. And, Chilli is a rolly-poly  love muffin!

Fun!

Anyway this begins a difficult weak as I wean the puppies from their mother. They have been eating canned puppy food and goat's milk for about ten days now but neither they nor their mother want to give up the nursing. I had to take Phoebe to be with me last night because she wakes up in the wee hours of the morning keening for her babies. A few more days and this will pass and they can romp and play together until they drop from exhaustion.

Just a few photos to update you.

Puppies Meet the Kids

What is the best way to raise puppies who greet strangers with kisses and wagging tails? 

1. Pick a breed known to enjoy the company of humans (like the Havanese).

2. Socialize, socialize, socialize.

Guess what we did Saturday?


Liam is very gentle with Sammy












 Luke and Filer with Mom Lesley












Bill, Liam and Filer






Bill, Liam and a patio of puppies













El and Luke
with the Puppies   
                           
            
Puppies everywhere!!!