Plump Little Puppies

Maxi's puppies are getting so plump! Still do not do much besides eat and sleep. But, their eyes should open soon. They are twelve days old and at this stage are still in the neonatal stage. They are born with a keen sense of smell so they can find their mother's nipples. Their eyes and ears are tightly closed so they do not hear their own little squeaks, nor do they see each other! They sleep 90% of the time!

I spend several minutes a day holding and caressing each of the puppies so they get used to me. I want them to have a comforting and warm experience with their first human. I stroke their heads, caress their tiny paws and gently tickle their tummies.

Puppies at this stage do not even have control over their bowels so mom has to lick them to stimulate elimination.

Here are a couple photos I took yesterday.

                      This is the little boy I am still bottle feeding. However, today he actually gained a few grams in                      between feeding so I think he is finally figuring out the nursing routine!

Is this not the sweetest face ever?!

A puppy yawn

Yin and Yang

Maxis Havanese Puppies at 2 days old

The first few days are always nail biters. Puppies that appear healthy suddenly take a turn. Puppies that you are worried about either fail to improve or surprise you with spurts of energy. I am happy to report today that all is well. Everyone has gained at least 2 grams from yesterday when their weights were basically in a holding pattern or dropped slightly.

Since it is difficult to get individual shots just now, I thought you'd enjoy a video. Listen carefully for their little squeaks and grunts!

Catching up With Hermoine

We are back in Florida now and I had the lovely opportunity to catch up with Hermoine, who is now Meisha, and her parents Linda and Steve. I am happy to report they are one very happy family. We had a nice chat that covered everything from grooming tips to food to socializing and "obedience" training. Nothing serious, mind you!

Anyway here are some pix from our visit.

This is one of my favorite parts of breeding. Nothing better than seeing the little ones you were responsible for bringing into this world and knowing they have found the very best family!

Rehoming Willow

Willow is the little girl out of my Marli and my friend's boy Ruger. She was born February 27, 2014. I had kept her as a show prospect but it doesn't appear she is going to get as big as I had hoped. Marli stands 8 1/2" at the withers and Willow is about 9". They both weigh about 8 pounds. Willow will get a little larger but I am looking for a girl about 10 pounds and I don't think she'll get that big.

She is a darling girl. Has lots of spunk but also loves to cuddle. She plays very well with my other dogs, especially my 10 month old, Potter. And, when we had Maxi's puppies here Willow was their "adult" playmate.

Willow has a very soft, silky coat. She is all black except for a white "goatee", a white patch on her chest and four white "slippers" on her feet. You can see lots of photos of Willow on this blog. But here are a couple of my favorites.

Being a breeder is a wonderful thing. But having to make tough decisions like this one is.....tough!
We have to have a discerning eye and an open mind and sometimes your heart gets in the way of all this. I could wait longer to see if Willow does get bigger but it wouldn't be fair to her. She needs to begin bonding with her forever home!

If you'd like to meet Willow, her mom and me, drop me an e-mail and we'll set something up.

Romping in the back yard in Florida

Willow loves her toys.

Giving Padfoot some sound words of advice

At the beach on Lake Huron

Puppy Outing in the Puppy Room

I took the puppies out to meet the other dogs today. Maxi was a bit nervous at first but settled right in.
Potter was the one most interested in the puppies. Then came Lily. Phoebe and Willow were pretty much nonplussed.  Here are the photos. You can see how big they are getting. Pedicures later today for all!  36 paws....150 nails!!!

Playing inside the whelping box

Total relaxation. I love this pose!

Checking out the picnic blanket.

Meeting Potter who just came in from romping in a rainy yard.

Maxi looks like she's taking a head count.

Potter wants to play but the puppy wants to escape!

Okay they've pretty much ignored the picnic blanket.

Nothing better than snuggling with a sibling and mom.

Maxi multi-tasking.  Feeding the sable pup and bathing the black parti.

It's Early But....

I know it is early, but this is a good time for my families to get some basic equipment for the new addition! That way you can spend more time with your puppy when he arrives.

1. Carrier (to bring your puppy home)

                  If you plan to travel on an airplane with your Havanese it is wise to purchase a sturdy carrier that is airline approved and will fit under the seat of your airplane. I do not allow my puppies to travel as cargo in the belly of the airplane. Get a carrier that will be large enough for your puppy when he is full grown. Plan to spend about $30-50. Sherpa is a good brand.

2. Harness and leash

                  Because a Havanese puppy is so small, I don’t recommend collars. The size harness you will want will be extra small (up to 4 pound pup) or small (4-8 pound pup). I actually don’t use collars even on my older dogs. Harnesses are much easier on their necks.

3.  Crate

                  I recommend the open wire crates with a removable floor (for cleaning) and a divider that will create a smaller space for sleeping until the pup is completely housebroken. A crate appropriate for a 15 pound dog is more than sufficient. Any larger gives the pup too much space inside.

4. Confinement during the day

                  There are a lot of wire and plastic pens on the market that you can use to keep your puppy confined when you are in a different room or out of the house. My latest favorite is the IRIS 4 panel hard plastic pen. It is easier on my hardwood floors.  It comes with 4 domed panels and rods that connect them. They come with or without doors. I don’t really use the doors and they are usually less expensive without them. You can also purchase extra panels, which gives your puppy a little more room. I‘d put the puppy’s crate with his bed inside this pen so he can come and go as he pleases. Put his potty box outside the sleeping crate but inside the pen.

5. Food bowls.

                  Ceramic or stainless steel are best. Puppies will chew plastic ones. Smaller is good (5” max) as the older pup’s ears will likely land outside the bowl (and the food).

6. Food

                  Your puppy has been eating  Back to Basics, Open Range Formula.  They also enjoy Taste of the Wild, Prairie Puppy Formula. I get both online at Chewy.com. I also recommend Wellness Super Mix Just for Puppy (most pet stores) or Natural Balance Puppy to Adult.

Puppies are used to three meals a day…about 1/4-1/3 cup per meal.

7. Toys

                  Havanese love their toys! Lots of toys keep their interest away from furniture, cords and shoes! Tough rubber toys for teething are critical, especially the small “Kong” toys that you can stuff with yogurt and freeze. Squeaky toys are good too. Just don’t spend a lot on these squeaky toys as they pup will likely dismember it in a few weeks! And soft, floppy toys that they can tug and shake are also good.

8. Pottying

                  Your puppy is trained to use a litter box. I use tin lasagna pans from the grocery store with pellets made from either saw dust or grain husks. Brands I like are Eco-Straw, Yesterdays News or GreenPet Aspen Supreme Pellets. If you are lucky enough to have a farm supply store near you (Tractors Supply, etc.), you can buy the large bags of pine sawdust pellets used as horse bedding. Don’t use kitty litter!

As your puppy gets accustomed to your house you can easily transition him to pottying outdoors. I recommend you spread a layer of the same pellets, ideally “used” ones, where you want him to potty and take him to the same spot every time.

9. Teething

                  Get 5-6” long Nylabones or the nylon bristle bones. Do not use rawhide chews for puppies and always supervise your puppy when he is chewing any kind of bones.

10. Mistakes

                  Have Natures Miracle spray on hand. It is an enzyme cleaner that does a pretty good job eliminating both stains and odors.There are all kinds of sizes as well as special formulas for hardwood floors, laundry, etc. I blot up any mistakes thoroughly with paper towel. Then spray Nature’s Miracle, let it sit a couple minutes then blot it up thoroughly. Finally, spray the area with white vinegar and, after it sits a minute or two, blot that up.

11. Grooming:

                  Your puppy is used to having his nails trimmed. I do this to reduce their angst down the road. You can use a human nail clipper for now…the kind that clip from the side are good. Later you will need a regular dog nail trimmer.

                  A mini pin brush work best for general grooming.  Again, your puppy is used to this and it is a good idea to continue to brush him 2-3 times a week if only for a few minutes.

                  Bathing supplies should include shampoo, conditioner and detangler. For the first two, I actually use Tresemee’ brand that you can find in most grocery and drug stores. For the detangler I use Christensen’s Ice on Ice Detangler which can be purchased online.  For their little faces I use a tearless puppy shampoo diluted 1:1 with water. You can use this daily after meals.

We Have Been Very Busy!

It has been a very busy household. Maxi's puppies are growing by leaps and bounds. But, Maxi is holding her weight....eating like a horse....and producing gallons of milk. The puppies' eyes are still closed but their noses are beginning to turn. The two chocolates will have dark brown noses and the others will have dark black ones.

Here are some photos to enjoy.

Nursing puppies can have the craziest positions!

Maxi, the lunch counter.

This little girl is really going at it. Love her tail.

A puppy huddle after lunch.

And now for some individual shots....

This is Puppy #2....a black parti girl. Note her nose hasn't changed completely.

This is Puppy #3....a sable parti girl. Nose is almost all black.

Puppy #4... the black parti boy.

Puppy #1...chocolate parti boy. You can't see his nose but it is almost all brown now.

Puppy #5....our other chocolate parti boy.

Puppy #6....our black parti girl.

Roll Out the Red Carpet!

Here are Maxi's pups front and center! Aren't they gorgeous?

Maxi is such a good mom. Puppies are all gaining nicely.

When I weigh them, I take a few minutes to stroke their tummies and nuzzle their little faces so they can get accustomed to people smells and touches.

At this stage they are both blind and deaf. But their senses of smell and touch are extremely keen. That is how they find their way to the milk station!

 Enjoy this morning's video on YouTube. If you double click on the video it will enlarge to your entire computer screen. The background whining is from my puppy boy Potter who is so done with all the attention being diverted from him!

Already Gaining Weight

It is more common than not for puppies to lose weight their first day with their moms. But apparently Maxi has more than adequate milk (nice when there are only 6 puppies!) because everyone of them gained weight. Some more than others and I am encouraging the big weight gainers to use the less used nipples to get them into more production. As with humans, the more a nipple is stimulated the more it produces.

Ooops how did this get here? My grandson Ben who came to see the new puppies. He's being protected by Lily and Willow

Maxi giving one of her pups a bath. Since puppies cannot control their "plumbing" yet, the mama will lick their bottoms to stimulate them to urinate and defecate.

Most of the puppies taking a nap. All except for the little black and white boy. The other boys are chocolate and white. And we have two black and white girls and one sable and white girl.

The Results Are In!

My friend Linda assisted me in assessing the temperaments/ personalities of Marli's puppies and they are closer in most respects than I thought. All three have socialized nicely. It helps to have them exposed to lots of dogs at various ages as well as lots of different people and children.

Dillon went first. Over the past several weeks she has gone from being the "leader of the pack" to one that kind of held back and now to a wonderfully adjusted, yet lower keyed, than the other two.

She scored three 2's, three 3's and a 4 on the sound sensitivity. In other words, she is a confident and outgoing puppy that will respond well to human companionship but might require a more consistent hand in training.

Delilah was next. She scored four 3's and three 4's, making her slightly more social but not enough to make much of a difference. She also has displayed a more outgoing character than Dillon, but again, not anything close to what I would call wild.

Daffodil was kind of all over the map, scoring two 3's, two 4's, a 2 for Following, a 6 for Dominance, and a 1 for Sight Sensitivity. Of the three she is definitely the most energetic and outgoing. So, while she will make a fine pet she might not be the snuggle bug some are looking for.

So, none of the pups display overly excited behaviors. They play well and seem to take turns being "boss."

If you'd like to read more about the Volhard Test, go to the February 19, 2014 posts.

Our Havanese Puppies are Five Weeks Old

Our puppies had their first taste of Florida sunshine yesterday. It has been a cold winter, even down here, so they haven't been outside until now. Enjoy their romps on this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeyvLbhgLxE&feature=youtu.be

Also, I came to the shocking realization yesterday that my individual photos are a little off! Puppy boy 1 and 2 were the same puppy!!! I'm really seeing a lot of black and white and it is beginning to affect my brain. That's my excuse anyway.

So, I corrected the photos of Puppy #2.

And, I weighed the puppies just to see how they compare and here are the results:

Puppy boy #1: 1# 14 oz.
Puppy boy #2: 1# 14 oz. (this is not a mistake. I checked it three times! LOL)
Puppy girl #3: 1# 10 oz.
Puppy girl #4: 2# 2 oz.
Puppy girl #5: 1# 15oz.
Puppy girl #7: 1# 15 oz.
Puppy boy #8: 2# 4 oz.
Puppy girl #9: 2# 8 oz.

Other new happenings:

Puppies still sleep a lot. It does not appear that there is any stress here at all!

They look like spokes of a wheel when they eat. This is kibble soaked in water overnight. They love it!

More sleeping!

Taking a taste of Mama's food.


 

Havanese Puppies See the World!

Our puppies are 17 days old now and their eyes are pretty much open. No, they cannot focus yet but they can see shadows which has to be exciting. Even more exciting is that their little legs are getting strong enough that they can move about the whelping box very well. Here are some photos ... you'll be amazed how much they've grown!

Puppy 4 is developing some nice brown markings!

Getting so strong!

Eyes wide open!

Telling secrets?

Puppy play is beginning to take form.

They can get to their milk station much faster now.

I love it when their eyes open!!!

Havanese puppies - 10 days old

Here are some photos of our individual puppies. Their noses are mostly black now but their eyes are still closed. Next time I'll use my camera. I'm not too happy with the quality of my phone photos.

Puppy #2- A boy

Puppy #1-A boy

Puppy #3-A girl

Puppy #4-A girl

Puppy #5- A girl

Puppy #6 -A boy

Puppy #7-A girl

Puppy #8-A boy

Puppy #9- A girl