The Winston and Sophie Puppies are 7 Weeks Old

We had a wonderful week with the puppies.  The weather cooperated and we had several trips outside where they were able to run around the yard, explore the shrubs and hedges and play with the big dogs.  They also enjoyed playing in the pen we have set up outside.

Having a quick snack

Their indoor space has lots of toys for them to play with, especially things to chew and gnaw on as they have been busy teething.  Here is a video of the pups playing. 

New experiences continued this past week for the litter.  They continued to have meals in different rooms in the house. 

Dinner in the laundry room while the dryer was going didn't faze these puppies.

There were more visitors and car rides, they were tattooed and the puppies also had their first baths this week. 

Their personalities are really emerging and it's been fun watching them interact with one another and their environment. They are curious and delightful little puppies and it is such a joy getting to know their individual temperaments.

The Winston and Sophie Puppies are 6 Weeks Old

This week just seemed to fly by!  The pups are growing by leaps and bounds.  Their teeth have erupted and they are busy chewing on anything they can get their mouths on.  Consequently they have been provided with some nice bones to gnaw on and a variety of appropriate chew toys.

Duchess

Rogue

The puppy pen continues to expand as new and interesting articles are added to it.  The puppies are very interested in climbing and exploring and despite a huge dumping of snow we received earlier at the end of the week we managed to regularly get outside with the puppies so that they could romp around the yard.

Minx

Interactions with the other dogs in the house are fun to watch.  The older Barbet girls just love the puppies and I enjoy seeing them play bowing to them or gently licking their little faces.  We are looking forward to the week ahead with Sophie and her pups.

Duke

Lady

The Winston and Sophie Puppies Are 5 Weeks Old

The ability to really influence a puppy's brain begins between four and five weeks of age.  We are now in what is often termed the "critical period" of development.  This period extends from three weeks to sixteen weeks of age.  Busy times ahead with lots of positive new experiences for the puppies.

Sophie continues to be an enormous influence on her pups.  She will snuggle with the puppies and gently play with them.  It is beautiful to watch them interact with one another. She is still nursing them even though they have begun to eat solid foods.  Nursing is a developmental opportunity for the puppies as they jostle for space at the milk bar and now that their teeth have begun to emerge...valuable lessons in bite inhibition have also begun.

Housebreaking training is well underway.  The puppies are regularly using the potty box.  Their pen has lots of toys for them to play with which are regularly exchanged for new and different ones.  A crate was added to their pen and they love crawling in it for naps.  

Here are a couple of videos taken of the pups playing in their pen.

The weather cooperated this week and short visit outside have begun.  There are many new sights and sounds in the yard for the puppies to explore.  

A quick snack "al fresco"

Rogue and Duke pose for the camera.

One of the things we do with the pups while they are in our care is follow the "Rules of Seven" developed by Pat Schaap, a longtime Sheltie breeder.  By the time the puppies are seven weeks old they should have:

• Been on 7 different types of surfaces:  carpet, concrete, wood, vinyl, grass, dirt, gravel, wood chips
• Played with 7 different types of objects:  big balls, small balls, soft fabric toys, fuzzy toys, squeaky toys, paper of cardboard items, metal items, sticks or hose pieces
• Been in 7 different locations:  front yard, back yard, basement, kitchen, car, garage, laundry room, bathroom
• Met and played with 7 new people:  include children and older adults, someone walking with a cane or stick, someone in a wheelchair or walker
• Been exposed to 7 challenges:  climb on a box, climb off a box, go  through a tunnel, climb steps, go down steps, climb over obstacles, play  hide and seek, in and out of a doorway with a step up or down, run around  a fence
• Eaten from 7 different containers;  metal, plastic, cardboard, paper,  china, pie plate, frying pan
• Eaten in 7 different locations:  crate, yard, kitchen, basement, laundry  room, living room, bathroom

Visitors are a regular occurrence now that the pups have moved downstairs.

I hope you enjoy our weekly blog posts about Northrock's "E" litter.  If you would like to see more photos and videos of the pups I invite you to like our Facebook page Northrock Barbets where I try to post photos of the little muppets on a daily basis.

The Winston x Sophie Puppies are 4 Weeks Old.

The pups had a great week.  Last Sunday they made the big move from the guest bedroom to what would be our dining room on the main floor of the house.  This space is located right next to the kitchen and the living room so the pups are exposed to all of the household sights, smells and sounds of everyday life.  They still have their whelping box which made the move with them but they now have access to a potty box and a small play area.  Already the pups have been making use of the potty box.  Upon waking they toddle over to the box to eliminate.  I'm so pleased with these little puppies.

The radio is always playing and is usually set to the classical music station. We have also started to use the various sound effect CDs that we have to help the puppies get used to the noises of gunfire, thunderstorms, babies crying etc..  They are growing so much from one day to the next.  

It's such a joy to watch them interact with one another and their dam and to see how they use the toys in their set up.  Their teeth have not yet erupted but it won't be long now and they are busy mouthing anything they can get their little gums on. 

The pups were given their first solids meal of ground turkey with bone mixed with goat's milk which they thoroughly enjoyed.  

Visitors have been a regular occurrence this past week and the puppies are getting lots of exposure to men, women and children.  It's an adorable age and we spend countless hours cuddling with the puppies. 

Here are the photos of the puppies taken today when they turned 4 weeks old.

The Winston x Sophie Puppies are 3 Weeks Old

It's been another great week for Northrock's E litter.  The pups eyes are all open now.  They had toys added to their whelping box during this last week and have slowly begun to interact with them.  They are also beginning to play with one another.  Mouthing and batting at each other and with Sophie.  I could sit and watch them for hours on end.

Minx and Duke

The pups are also up on their feet now and are moving about the whelping box.  It's not the most graceful movement but they are most definitely up and about and enjoying their new found ability to explore.  We had to add the door to the whelping box as they had figured out how to climb over the pig rail and out of the box!

Here is a video of the pups at 2 1/2 weeks old.

These little pups are growing quickly and the weeks ahead will be lots of fun as we get to know their little personalities.  

Rogue - 3 weeks

Duke - 3 weeks

Minx - 3 weeks

Duchess - 3 weeks

Lady - 3 weeks

The Winston x Sophie Puppies Are 2 Weeks Old

It's been a great week here at Northrock for momma Sophie and her pups.  Everyone continues to do well.  Today wraps up the end of the Neo-Natal Period which lasts from one to fourteen days.  We continue with the Bio-Sensor and Early Scent Stimulation programs and will continue with these exercises through day 16 of the puppies lives.  

The pups have all gained very nicely.  As of today's weigh-in they range from 2.2 3/4 lbs to 2.7 1/8 lbs.  Duchess and Duke were the first to open their eyes followed closely by Minx.  We are still waiting on Lady and Rogue.

The puppies have been spending most of their time sleeping and eating.  They are a quiet bunch as Sophie is a very attentive dam and keeps them well fed and comfortable.  Her whelping box is always clean and you can tell she is very pleased with her little family.   We look forward to watching the pups continue to grow as they move into the Transitional Period (14 - 21 days). 

The Winston x Sophie Puppies are One Week Old.

November 5

The Winston x Sophie puppies are doing great.  They are a week old now.  Small and precious, these little neonates still have not yet opened their eyes or ears.  They do however taste, touch and smell.  Their mobility is improving and they are pretty good at moving around in the whelping box and climbing over one another and their mother.  The puppies are weighed daily, they have all gained well and have more than doubled their birth weights.

Lady - November 7

We started the Bio Sensor Exercises and Early Scent Introduction on day three and enjoy doing this with the pups.  They receive lots of cuddles in these early weeks and regular nail trims have commenced.  The puppies are absolutely marvellous.  I love to sit in the whelping box with them and listen to their little coos and murmurs.  The tiny little gulping sounds they make when Sophie's milk lets down are music to my ears.  We are all so in love with these darling pups and are looking forward to getting to know their little personalities over the coming weeks.

The puppies now have litter names:

Rogue wears the camo collar

Lady wears the red collar

Duchess wears the lime green collar

Duke wears the blue collar

Minx wears the pink collar

Frequent updates and photos are posted on our Northrock Barbets Facebook Page if you would like to follow the litter's progress.

Duke - Nov. 9

Northrock's "E" Litter - Welcoming the Winston x Sophie Puppies

Announcing the arrival of the Winston and Sophie litter!  Five lovely Barbet puppies were welcomed into the world on November 2nd, 2014.

Introducing:

Miss Pink born at  4:32 pm 10 1/4 oz - Black

Miss Green born at  5:24 pm          9 7/8 oz - Brown

Miss Red born at  6:40 pm         10 3/4 oz - Brown

Mr. Blue born at 10:45 pm         10 1/2 oz - Brown

Mr. Camo born at   1:30 am               11 oz - Brown

Sophie is doing a wonderful job caring for her puppies.  She is a calm and attentive mother and her puppies are strong, happy and content.  We are grateful to Winston’s owners Denyse Rousseau (BleuZorange Barbets), Isabelle Auger and Derek Duguay for making this litter possible.  My dear friend Nellemarie Hyde was once again great company and a fantastic whelper helper.

Please visit our Facebook Page Northrock Barbets for frequent video and photo updates.  We will also be providing updates via the blog, just not as often.  

Upcoming Litter - Winston x Sophie

Sophie is doing great throughout this pregnancy.  She’s such a sweetheart, always wanting pets and cuddles.  It’s not too much longer until her puppies with Winston are due and she is definitely looking pregnant.  

Here is a photo of her taken on our walk today.

We are able to feel the puppies moving and if you look close enough you can even see little ripples in her abdomen as they move about in the womb. We are able listen to the rapid tic, tic, tic of their little heartbeats with the stethoscope.  The miracle of new life growing never ceases to amaze me.  We are very much looking forward to meeting these special pups.

For those who are interested in seeing how puppies develop check out this poster developed by Matt Beswick http://barksandwoofs.blogspot.ca/p/embryonic-puppy-and-dog-development.html

More information about this exciting breeding can be found on our website http://northrockbarbets.com/litters.html

We anticipate that these pups will have many of the wonderful qualities their parents possess.  If you are interested in a puppy for show, performance or as a loving companion contact  Stephanie at northrockbarbets@gmail.com 

Barbet Josie in the Club Barbet Canada booth

Josie and the CBC booth. Josie is Northrock's Black Seal from the Chmurnik x Sophie litter. 

I am back home again after spending the weekend in London, Ontario attending the 2014 Purina National™ dog show which was hosted by the Elgin County Kennel Club.  Club Barbet Canada (The National Club for the Barbet) had a breed booth in the Breeders’ Village all weekend long and that’s where I was stationed.  The Purina National is a large, prestigious dog show that attracts many exhibitors and offers over $40,000.00 in prize money.  This show took place in conjunction with the 2nd Annual London Pet Show and attracted a lot of visitors.  

Josie with Brian and JoAnne who stopped by to visit the booth on Saturday and help meet with the public and hand out brochures.

I like to keep my dogs at home when one of them is pregnant or if there are puppies on the ground.  With Sophie’s puppies due at the beginning of November, Brian and JoAnne were kind enough to let me borrow their Barbet Josie for the weekend.  I had a great time hanging out with “Josie the Wonder-Dog” as her family affectionately calls her.  Josie is such a sweet Barbet and she did a great job all weekend long meeting and greeting with the public.  She was a wonderful ambassador for the breed.  

Derek Duguay who travelled all the way from Quebec with his family and his two Barbets, Pearl and Winston as well as Myself and Josie.

Throughout the entire weekend a large number of visitors who had never heard of the Barbet before stopped by to say hello and to get to know the breed. Myself along with the other club members who volunteered in the booth handed out close to 150 brochures during the weekend long event.  It was a great weekend of breed promotion and education and I look forward to doing it again in the future.