Birth

The puppies often make their arrival late at night when the house is dark and quiet.  Before birth, the mother will show signs of nesting, including looking for a quiet place and digging in blankets and towels.

We are on hand to assist as needed.  Anna really shines as a midwoof.  Midwoofery can include anything from helping pull a puppy from the amniotic sac to extracting fluids from the puppy’s airways.  We identify the puppy’s sex, note color and markings, and record the puppy’s weight.  Each puppy gets a yarn collar right away so that we know who is who.

As soon as the first puppy is born, we send an email to the families on our waiting list.  We may also post an announcement on our Facebook page.  We follow up with more information about the birth process as we are able.  A puppy birth can take many hours, and we often get no sleep until the next day when all the puppies are born.

Naming

Within the first two weeks, we choose a litter theme and introduce each puppy by name.  The theme is always meaningful to us as it often connects to our lives in some way.  Once the puppies have names, it is impossible not to fall in love with them and to see them as individuals with unique personalities.  Instead of referring to Blue Boy, we will start saying Charlie Brown.

The adorable Charlie Brown

The first weeks

As the puppies grow, we will send frequent updates with videos and photos.  We will also tell you about puppy development.  The puppies are changing all the time, and it is fun to document the changes.

Here is an excerpt from one of our puppy letters:

“I had just drifted off when I heard Ruby digging into a pile of blankets.  It can be a forceful process; we have been left with a shredded blanket or towel quite a few times.  It is all part of the process of creating a nest for birthing.  At this point, Ruby was panting heavily, but her contractions were mild, barely visible.  After about an hour, at exactly 1:55 am, the first puppy arrived.  Ruby knew exactly what to do.  She burst the amniotic sac and cut the umbilical cord with her teeth.  I picked up the little puppy, and just felt a gush of tenderness.  It was a lovely girl: white with black ears, a black band around her tail, and three small silver dots on her back.

And another:

Newborn puppies may look helpless, but they have many functions that help them survive. For instance, puppies are unable to produce heat the first two weeks of life. How do they stay warm? They have the power to regulate their own temperature: not internally, but by moving and getting close to a heat source.  They instinctually search for a source of heat, whether it be the heating pad or the best radiator of all: Mom. And when they get there, it is a good opportunity to nurse, which helps them grow and build strength.  

During the first week or two, the puppies spend most of their time nursing and sleeping, and we try to capture some of these sweet moments.  When awake, they move around the whelping box using a process we call army crawling.

An exciting moment is when the puppies open their eyes at about two weeks.  This is also when their ears fully open, allowing them to hear.  We try to expose them to a variety of sensory experiences: new sights, sounds, smells, and textures.  The two-week mark is also when the puppies are strong enough to stand up and take their first wobbly steps.

At four weeks, the puppies walk, run, leap, and tumble.  They are so much fun to watch.  At this stage, their personalities really start to show.

It is really good for puppies to be exposed to a variety of people and animals.  Our puppies get to hang out with the big dogs, under supervision.  We often invite families with kids to come see the puppies.  Kids know exactly what to do.  They hold the puppies very gently, then play with them on the floor or outside.  It never fails; a puppy always drops off to sleep in someone’s arms.

You will know the puppies quite well by the time selection day rolls around.  Are you ready?