The Puppy Confinement Area

I just wanted to share a bit about what kind of set up I recommend when you first get your puppy home. On our "Puppy Items" page on our website I show a couple kinds of containment areas; a portable exercise pen or an Iris pen.

Right now I have the Iris pen set up in my dining area. Our house has an open floor plan so this is a main area of the house for the puppies to see and hear what's going on. Plus it's close to the french doors that open to the back yard where I have a couple exercise pens set up for potty breaks.

This is the taller of the two Iris pens available. I am using six panels which is just big enough for a small crate, a litter box (more on that later), food and water dishes and some toys. In the beginning you do not want to give the puppy to much room and freedom; less room, less mistakes. As the pup gets older and is consistently using the litter box you can allow more room.

This is where the puppy should be unless he is with someone under constant supervision (playing with someone, attached to someone, etc.) When you're at home the puppy can be taken out for potty breaks (after waking from a nap, eating, playing etc.) But if you have to be gone for a couple hours or you work away from home this is the perfect set up to keep the puppy in. The puppy is safe, your house is safe and there are not a lot of options for puppy to make potty mistakes while you're away.

Our "Puppy Items" page on the website mentions the Ugodog potty system. This is a clean, professional set-up which works great for one puppy. I have found when raising and training a litter of puppies that what works better for me is the system you see here; a Rubbermaid container with wood pellets (the kind that are burned in a pellet stove). Just use a cat litter scoop to scoop out the droppings, the pellets will "fluff up" when they absorb the urine. You can change the whole box out every day, but I usually wait until the pellets have become fluffy before I change the whole container. The only disadvantage I find to this is, the fluff does get tracked around a bit when it sticks to the puppy's feet. Your puppy should be able to use either system.

Right now I have two Cavapoos  (Kai and Fritzi from Belle and Desmond's litter) that are waiting to go home so they are using this pen. They should have a jump start on potty training by the time they go home!

 And like children, puppies also like to rearrange their "room" and make messes!

I also like to use this as "Jennifer's Lazy Way to Crate Train a Puppy"! Seriously, raise your hand if you love getting up at night to take your new puppy outside to go potty! Yeah, I didn't think to many of you enjoy that. *wink*

Your puppy will not be able to hold his or her bladder/bowels for several weeks after you get him home (if you're getting the pup around eight weeks of age.) It's just not physically possible on a consistent basis. So if you're crate training them (which I highly recommend) you will be getting up at night to take them out. Unless, you use my "secret" system. And for only 6 monthly installments of $29.99, I tell you my secret. Just kidding!

Seriously, I've done this before and it works. Take your puppy out to potty one final time when you're ready for bed, then put him/her in their containment area and off you go for a good night's sleep. (Granted most puppy's will be a bit fussy the first few days as they adjust to their new home and routine, so be patient). Do not shut the puppy in the crate! (*For more crate training information, don't forget to read the "Puppy Info" that is sent home in your "Puppy Packet"). Most likely the puppy will go into the crate to sleep and when the need arises can then freely go out to use the litter box and put itself back to bed. When you get up in the morning, first thing, take the puppy outside to potty.

As the puppy grows and matures you will start to notice a clean litter box in the morning. When puppy is going all night without using the litter box, you know he/she is old enough to hold it all and and now can be closed in the crate at night if you wish. Simple and easy!

Our morning routine with the newborns

The first week or so is usually pretty routine with a new litter (unless there are little ones that need supplementing). Each morning when I let the mom (in this situation it's Belle) out for one of her potty breaks, I quickly (because mom doesn't usually stay out long and then she's banging on the front door to get back to her babies!) pull the babies out of the crate and put them in this little dog bed.

The whelping crate has a grate in the bottom so I am able to tuck a towel around it and lay it back down in the crate so mom doesn't mess up the bed with her digging and scratching. So while the babies are out I change the towel and check that her food and water are full.


Then it's time to weigh each puppy and record it's weight for the day. Babies' weights, color and markings are recorded at birth so we can keep track of each one and know they are gaining and getting enough to eat. This litter started out with weights anywhere between 5.7 ounces on up to 8.1 ounces. Here we are on day three and they are already between 7.6 ounces and 10.4 ounces. (If we had one or two that were teeny tiny at birth or were not gaining we would supplement them as long as needed.) Belle has done wonderful with this large litter. They all seemed to latch on and nurse well from the start and are putting on the weight!

After the puppies are all weighed and they each get loved on and looked over, it's back into the crate.

By now mom is ready to come back in. And in she goes to make sure they're all there! The babies wake up when mom comes in the crate and immediately start looking for breakfast!

Hope you enjoyed a look at our little morning routine!

What is "normal" anyways?

This is Abe.

I love this puppy. He is a beautiful sable color, playful, rambunctious, happy, super friendly and outgoing. He loves everybody!

But Abe is different. Abe was born with only one ear. He has cartilage on his left side, but no opening to the ear canal and no ear flap. His right side is perfectly "normal".

We don't know why this happened to Abe. Obviously something didn't develop right in the womb. He did have seven brothers and sisters crowded in there with him. 

Our vet has checked him out well and he's perfectly healthy and "normal" in every other way. I love the way our vet described him. When I said he had a disability. She said, "No, he has a different-ability." 

Abe doesn't know he's "different". Abe doesn't know he's suppose to have two ears. Abe doesn't know he's not like everybody else. Abe doesn't know he's not,  "normal". I guess we humans are the ones with the hang-ups. We see something different and we step back, we're afraid, we're cautious, we don't know how to react or what to do or say. Maybe we can all learn something from Abe. Love everybody whether they fall in our category of "normal" or not! Give everyone (including animals) a chance! Have fun! Enjoy life! What is "normal' anyways?!

"Can I read the paper?" (Actually he'd rather shred it!)

"Travis, turn me back over!"

Sitting at attention. He's staring at my son.

"Here mom, I'll hold the strap while you take the picture! I'm such a good helper."

Cuteness!

His left side without the ear.

"Haha, I got the kids toy!"

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father.." (James 1:17)

 Abe is a gift!

Playtime outside!

I set up an outdoor play yard right outside the dining room doors. It's convenient for me if I'm working in the house to keep an eye on them and watch them play without them seeing me. If they see or hear me, they stop playing and come to me clambering for attention.

Today I was able to sneak outside by the trees and take some video of them playing. Then I was able to get halfway close to the pen and lay on the ground to snap some photos. That didn't last long though. The big dogs thought me laying on the ground was an invitation to come get in my face for attention. Of course when I told the big dogs to "Get!" (out of my way), the puppies heard me and ran to the fence line whining and barking.

Here's a few shots I did get. I love the last couple. You can see some the puppies howling and barking. "Mom, let me out of here, I want to come get in your face too!"

Bath time!

Mom (my human one), just gave me and all my siblings and "cousins" our first bath. It sure wasn't like the bath my dog mom gives me. She never gets me that wet!

Oh, I forgot to say, my name is Juliet. I get to write this because I'm one of the "older" siblings. I'll tell you what happened to me, but I think everybody got the same thing done. (Actually, my mom is typing it because I don't know how. Plus she said since I was wet I couldn't touch her computer.) "Mom, you're the one that got me wet!"

We were all comfortable in our puppy pens with our dog moms when our human mom picked me up and took me to the laundry room by myself. Then she shoved a piece of cotton in each of my ears. That felt weird! But she said it was to keep water out of my ears. (That didn't sound good....) Next she put me in this big, deep plastic box. I was so far down I couldn't see over the top. It was kind of scary, but my mom was right there with me, so I didn't cry. (My cousin Martha did though, 'cause she's a baby still.) Then all of a sudden water (which I usually drink from my bowl) came pouring out of the sky above me! Mom rubbed me all over to make sure my hair was all wet. It was yucky. Then she took something called a sponge out of a bucket that had more water with bubbles in it and rubbed that all over my body. Then it started to rain again and mom rinsed all the bubbles off me. After that she squeezed me all over to get the water off. ("Mom, if you want the water off, why did you get me wet  in the first place?!") Finally, she put me on top of a table-thing and rubbed me all over with a big towel. And took the things out of my ears so I could hear her talk to me and tell me what a cute puppy I was.

Mom had our puppy room all warm with the wood stove, so when I was done I finally got to go back with my dog mom and everybody else. Whew! I hope she doesn't do that to me again!

This is my sister Gracie. She doesn't look really happy about her bath either.

My cousin Rosie doesn't look really excited either.

Um, mom! There's a hole in the towel. George doesn't look very happy about it.

But look at George's pretty curls! I don't get pretty curls because I'm a Cavalier, not a Cavapoo like George.

Thomas got pretty curls too!

Ah..doesn't Thomas look cute wrapped up like a baby?

Can someone please talk to my mom and tell her I don't need those bath things anymore?

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..........

Ahhhh.....sleeping puppies; they are so cute! I love taking pictures of them while they're sleeping; especially at this age. They look so peaceful, so content. But boy, do they sleep in some weird positions too.

Sneak peek!

You always wonder with a maiden female (one that's never had pups before) how she will do. Will the delivery be easy or difficult? Will she know what to do during delivery? Will she bond with the puppies or wonder who the little aliens are that just came forth from her body? Will she have enough milk? Will she be nervous or will she cuddle and clean her babies and let them nurse? All these thoughts can go through your mind while waiting for that first expected litter.

And I am so pleased to share how well Fancy is doing with her first litter. She is a  calm, sweet, loving dog to begin with so I'm sure that helps. Her delivery went really well; straight forward, no complications or issues. Delivering seven living, breathing little fur balls in a little over four hours. She cleaned and did everything necessary. I only jumped in a couple times to clamp a cord that was bleeding or cut one that needed to be done sooner than she was getting it done.

The puppies came out strong and vigorous and looking for food! That's what I like to see.

Now they have all settled in, nursing and sleeping as newborns do.

So here's a sneak peek for you all. Seven beautiful Cavapoos, gorgeous colors, boys and girls!

 

It's 2:38 am

It’s 2:38 am. I should be sleeping. I thought tonight I’d get some sleep. Piper’s pups are four days old and doing well. 

I’m still sleeping on the couch to keep an eye on things. Occasionally someone will get stuck behind her or partway under her and cry and cry. So I stay close to rescue pups when needed.

I crashed on the couch about 10:45 tonight (technically last night). It didn’t take long for me to be asleep. Puppy noises woke me up.

Fancy had been a bit restless tonight, but I really didn’t think she’d do anything until tomorrow night. Now how I could tell in my sleepy state that the noises were coming from Fancy’s crate across the room instead of Piper’s crate next to the couch, I’ll never know; “motherly” instincts maybe. ;)

And so the night started. And I wait, because I don’t think she’s done.

Let me just say how pleased I am with Fancy. Granted she did grow to be a bigger Poodle than I had planned. But she has such a wonderful disposition. She’s just a sweet dog! And now to see how well she’s doing as a first time mother, I am thrilled! Her deliveries so far have gone very smoothly. She’s cleaning and taking care of the pups. They all seem very strong and vigorous and it wasn’t long before they were all lined up at the milk counter filling their tummies.

I know I’m being very vague here, giving no details as to how many or what we’ve gotten so far. The first few days after birth can be critical. Occasionally we’ll lose a pup. So it’s easier to wait a few days and make sure everyone is doing well, gaining weight and growing before we share details. Let me just share that we do have both boys and girls and some fabulous colors. I am happy, and tired.

Think maybe I’ll catch a few winks while I wait for more action. Night all! Or should I say, good morning.

Poppy update!

We love getting updates on our puppies after they have gone to their new homes!

Recently we received this update from Poppy's new "mom" with the attached photo. (For those who don't know about Poppy, she was an older puppy that we placed in December with a family that already had a Pinewood puppy named, Zoey.)

"Hi Jennifer,

Poppy is doing great. She is getting comfortable I think. She was never as shy as we expected her to be. She immediately claimed me, to Zoey's annoyance, but they both sit on the couch with me now. It's amazing to watch how her and Zoey are figuring things out. For the most part they are getting along fine. Sometimes you can see changes not just by the day but by the hours. Poppy is a sweetie. They both are. You breed some awesome pups!

~M"

Party animals!

Well, the girls decided to host a going away party for Poppy the night before she flew to her new home. Unfortunately, they forgot to run this by me...

Sometimes I let "the girls" have free rein in the garage to run and play. With the amount of snow we have and the cold, it's not often they get to run around outside. And since our house is small, the garage is a good alternative to race around. (Especially since my family was here for a visit and we had five extra bodies in the house). Their litter boxes, toys and their play pen is set up out there, the wood stove keeps it toasty and the radio is playing.

Well, I let them out of their play pen to play and went back in the house. The family settled down with a good movie, and I totally forgot to check on the puppies. For.a.long.time. (Naughty mom!) All of a sudden it dawned on me, "THE PUPPIES!" and I ran out to see how they were doing.

OK, so right outside the laundry room door as you head out into the garage is a bench. I had ("had" is the key word) a twenty-four roll pack of toilet paper setting on said bench. You, guessed it, they had "helped" themselves to the T.P. and this is what I saw when I stepped out.

It was everywhere! I even found it stuffed in boxes that I had my recyclables in. Boy, had they been creative!
And actually, the pictures don't really give the full affect of what the party girls did. But all I could do was laugh! And holler at my family, "You guys have GOT to come see this!" Of course, the puppies were just bouncing around all happy, as if to say, "Mom, you're the best! Thanks for the new "toys"!

(Just for clarification, we don't put cars in our garage, "Do people really do that?" ;) But we do try to keep it tidy, although occupied with tools, dog crates and paraphernalia, garbage barrels, horse tack and containers of dog and horse food!)

I did manage to round up all of the missing rolls, or what was left of them!

Here's the culprits after I "arrested" them.

(Do you know how hard it is to hold four wiggly puppies for a picture?)

Well, it's nice to know Poppy's last night at home was a fun and memorable time with her "sisters".

And if you come to my house and use my guest bathroom, you might find some interesting looking toilet paper rolls under the sink.

Photo shoot~Boys!

Yep, the boys are just as silly as the girls! Can't hold still either;)

Hope you've enjoyed our blooper show! I'm sure there will be more in the future:) Please try this at home. Take one wiggly puppy, add some props and start taking pictures~good luck!