Kong toys

I love #Kong toys! They are durable, come in different shapes and sizes, and you can stuff them!

Here are a couple different ones I have for the puppies.

Today, I'll show you what I do with them. 

First I filled them with puppy food.

Then I sealed off the end (both ends on the red ball) with peanut butter or cheese. *Hint* Don't put to much cheese in there (just enough to "seal' the end) or you may end up with some loose stool:(

Filled with food and sealed shut.

Now we stick them in the freezer until the cheese/peanut butter is frozen. (Shhhh...please don't tell my family there are dog toys in the freezer! *wink)

Now we share with the puppies to keep them occupied!

These are wonderful for crate training. It gives the puppy something to keep them busy instead of worrying about being closed in their crate. And you can actually get the bigger Kongs and put the puppy's whole meal in there. This is especially great if the puppy has to be home alone while you go to work. It will spend a good part of it's morning getting his breakfast out of the Kong.

Of course, they both want the same one!

Now we've got it. One Kong per puppy! Happy mom, happy puppies!

"Can we come in now?"

We're finally getting more snow. Which does make it a bit challenging when I have two puppies I'm trying to potty train. (Thank goodness for litter boxes!)

I usually put them in this little fenced in area outside the back door for potty breaks.

You can see how deep the snow is compared to Echo. And it's a bit deeper in the pen because the snow slides off the roof here. I think I'd lose the pups for sure out here!

So for now the only "safe" place to let them potty and stretch their legs a bit is Echos' covered kennel.

"Mom, can we come in now?"

Something new and different!

We decided to try something new and different and are super excited to tell you about it!

For those of you that love the Australian Shepherd but you've hesitated to get one because their personalities can be a bit "intense", (most herding/working breeds are.) We'd like to introduce our new litter of Aussaliers! Yes, that's right, they are half toy Australian Shepherd and have Cavalier King Charles Spaniel!

The mother, China is a blue merle toy Australian Shepherd about 10" tall at the shoulder and weighs about 13 lbs. She is a high drive dog (wants to herd the horses, is the best "mouser" around, etc.) a one-man (woman) dog, smart, energetic and we think, beautiful. She is CERF eye clear. This is a picture of her when she was a bit younger so her coat is not as full as it is now.

The father is our beloved, Noah. He is a gorgeous tri-color Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (heart checked clear). Noah is 13" tall at the shoulder and 19 1/2 lbs. Noah completed basic obedience this spring and earned his AKC Canine Good Citizenship Award. He is a typical happy, fun, gentle, sweet, more laid back, but playful Cavalier.

Puppies arrived on June 29 (so these pictures are at one week of age). We have two blue merle boys, one is mostly white with blue patches! Three girls round out the litter, with two blue merles and one beautiful tri-color. We guess that these pups will mature in the 15-20 lb. range (but will have a better idea when they reach 8 weeks of age as we have a puppy formula to guess adult weights). Dewclaws have been done and tails are docked like the Australian Shepherd. Some could have blue eyes, but of course we'll have to wait a bit longer to know about that:)



I'm excited about this litter and hope they will be a wonderful combination of mom and dad's personalities in a beautiful colored package!

 These pictures were taken in the afternoon sun, so unfortunately it kind of makes their colors look "bleached" out. But we will be making an album for these guys and doing new pictures weekly. Please contact us if you are interested in one of these unique puppies!

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!

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?

Sister, rivals, friends!

These two are something else! Raising two litter mates and both females is not highly recommended. Since mama Zoey was retiring, I was hoping to get at least one daughter to keep and take her place here. Zoey surprised me with three beautiful girls! I decided to keep these two and place the littlest one in a wonderful pet home.

So double trouble is what I've kept for myself! I've never had two puppies that make so much noise wrestling, growling and fighting with each other! Granted they do have their down times, but they are very active and vocal! (I can hear them behind me scraping in their Iris pen as I write this.) I haven't figured out if they both want to be "boss" or if one is always top dog picking on the other. I have a feeling it's the first one. ;)

You'd never know it by this picture though. Look at the little "angels".

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.

New toys!

I don't know about you, but I always enjoy shopping for my critters, whether it's a new blanket for the horse, a special treat for the parakeet or new toys for the dogs!

Yesterday when I made my weekly trip to town for groceries and other essentials, I stumbled across some cool new "Zoink!"s at my local grocery store! (These had openings where treats can be inserted.) That heightened my awareness for other fun ones, so of course I was on the watch at my other local stops.

I love toys that are interactive to keep the dogs minds (and mouths) busy. So I was happy to find some new Kong toys at one of my other stops. I don't usually buy the rawhide sticks, but the Kong toys had a spot where you can slide a long treat through from one end to the other, with some nice rubber ridges in the middle "to massage gums and help clean teeth". (I love the bully sticks for the dogs, but since they can be a bit "spendy" I usually by them online or at Costco which is a couple hours away.)

And lastly, the cute little rope toys are always fun for the little pups, so I had to snag some of them also.

Now to go try them out the the official "toy testers"!