Oreo x Sophie Litter Update - 6 Weeks Old

Socialization Period (5-16 weeks) and the Curiosity Period (5 -7 weeks) 

It’s been a busy time for the puppies here at Northrock.  The last two weeks have seen many changes in development for Oreo x Sophie’s little girls.  Their pen has expanded and the whelping box has been packed away.  There are lots of interesting things for the puppies to explore in their pen.  Mirrors, stools, toys, hanging objects, a pool filled with balls, a tunnel etc....  They are certainly enjoying their new space!

The pups have been taken outside for several excursions.  

They have mingled with the big dogs and hung out with our cat.  They have also had the opportunity to explore different rooms in the house.

“The more chances a puppy has to be properly exposed to something new during the critical socialization periods, the less bothered it will be throughout the rest of its life when confronted by other new or frightening things.” (Hastings and Rouse 2004:28)

The puppies still nurse from Sophie but they are also eating 3 meals a day that consist of ground meat and bone, organ meat, tripe and goats milk.  They are given raw meaty bones to gnaw on which helps to exercise their jaws, neck and shoulder muscles and ease their sore gums as their teeth continue to erupt.

The girls have all been given their first bath and blow dry this past week.  Here is a photo of Lily in the tub looking rather unimpressed with the experience.

Visitors continue to come over to help socialize the puppies and we welcome the opportunity to have the puppies meet an assortment of men and women and children of various ages. It’s been a great deal of fun helping Sophie to raise her three little girls.  Stay tuned for the next update of the Oreo x Sophie litter.

Hastings, P and E.A. Rouse, Editors. 2004. Another Piece of the Puzzle: Puppy Development. Oregon, Dogfolk Enterprises. 110p.

Oreo x Sophie Litter Update - 4 Weeks Old

The Transitional Period (14 days - 21 days)

Rose - 3 weeks

Lily - 3 weeks

Violet - 3 weeks

The Oreo x Sophie puppies have been busy doing lots of growing here at Northrock.  At four weeks of age they now range in size from 4 1/2 lbs to just over 5 lbs.   During their 3rd week so much seems to happen from one day to the next.  Their motor skills develop rapidly, eyes and ears are open and vision is far improved from what it was initially.  

It is delightful to watch how the pups increasingly engage one another in play, rehearsing pawing, biting and pouncing behaviours with one another and with their dam.  Sophie is very patient with them and gentle in the way she encourages them to be silly with her.  Watching their little tails wagging rapidly back and forth and hearing the little barks, yips and growls they emit never fails to bring a smile to my face.  I could sit and watch them interact with one another for hours on end.  

During their third week week we rotated various stuffed toys in their whelping box for them to snuggle up against and crawl over and around.  The puppies began to be able to eliminate on their own during this time and from very early on they moved away from where they were sleeping or nursing to pee.  

The Awareness or Identification Period (21 days to 28 days)

At three weeks of age the puppies moved from the guest bedroom upstairs down into the main living space in the house.  They are now in a larger puppy pen that is situated in what would normally be our dining room and is adjacent to our kitchen and living room.  

Here they are exposed to all the sights, sounds and smells of everyday household activities.  They have many more toys and objects with which to interact and these are changed around on a regular basis.  Visitors are welcome and the puppies are exposed to many people right up until the time they leave for their new homes.  The radio is on playing mainly classical and jazz.  We also have a few sound cd’s that we play that have the sounds of dog shows, airplanes, gun shots, etc... and these get played for the puppies as well.  

We have also introduced the potty box which is a designated space where the pups will eliminate.  We have found that using the potty box not only helps to keep the puppy pen clean but it is a tremendous aid in teaching the pups to have good bathroom habits.  Sophie has been a very doting mother, keeping her girls spotlessly clean and yesterday morning was the first time I found a poop in the puppy pen.  Gold star for Lily as she did it in the potty box.

Sophie has begun regurgitating food for her pups and they have shown an interest in what she is eating.  We introduced the pups to their first meal of solid food (ground turkey with bone mixed with goat’s milk) on March 7th and it was very well received!  We are very much looking forward to the adventures that will unfold for these puppies in the weeks ahead.

If you are interested in seeing lots of videos and photos of the Oreo x Sophie litter on a daily basis we invite you to like our Facebook Page and that way you won't miss any updates.

Oreo x Sophie Puppies - 2 Weeks Old

Lily - Feb 21

Violet - Feb 21

Rose - Feb 21

The pups have spent lots of time nursing and sleeping this past week.  They have become increasingly mobile as they moved closer to their two week birthday and today they were up on all fours moving about.  They are still very wobbly but they're up!  Here is a video taken today of the three sleepy girlies.

Their eyes are all open now.  Lily was the last of the three to open her peepers this morning.  Their ears are beginning to open as well.  During the period when their eyes are opening we keep the lights dim in the room.  We also have the television on and the shifting light that it emits creates a visual stimulation for the puppies.  We play music throughout the day, usually classical which offers further stimulation for the pups' developing brains and we have introduced some soft toys into the whelping box for the puppies to crawl over and around.

We are still continuing with the Bio Sensor and Early Scent Introduction which will wrap up in the next few days. 

It is a sweet time for mom Sophie and her puppies. The little ones have certainly received lots of love and cuddles in their first two weeks and we are looking forward to helping them grow into the best little Barbets that they can be.

The Oreo x Sophie Puppies Are 1 Week Old Today

Northrock's Three Little Flowers Are Blooming!

The puppies are growing by leaps and bounds.  They have all gained very well and are strong, vigorous puppies.  They are still so small and vulnerable as their eyes and ears are closed and they are not yet able to regulate their own temperature.  Sophie is a wonderful and attentive dam and spends lots of time in the whelping box snuggled up with her babies. 

Little Rose snuggled up with Sophie

At three days of age we started performing Early Neurological Stimulation and Early Scent Introduction on the puppies. If you are curious about what these things are I invite you to visit the embedded link for the ENS.  More information about Early Scent Introduction is available on this  AKC webinar where Dr. Gayle Watkins explains the program we follow with the puppies.  The puppies are definitely able to use their noses and it's fun to watch how some scents really interest them while others elicit little to no reaction whatsoever.  

We are enjoying these puppies immensely.   These early days cuddling with puppies and watching them nurse and move about the whelping box are precious.  I cherish these sweet and tender moments with Sophie and her girls.  

Pregnancy Update (Oreo x Sophie breeding)

Sophie has been doing really well throughout this entire pregnancy.  She really hasn’t skipped a beat.  She has had a great appetite and has been carrying on like her usual sweet self.  She is even more cuddly than usual and we are giving her all the snuggles her dear heart desires.  I have noticed that she is markedly more careful in her play.  She seems to know that she is carrying a precious cargo and is not nearly as boisterous as she would usually be when playing with Kelly.

Today Sophie is 55 days from ovulation.  We know this because we ran progesterone tests when she was in season.  Progesterone levels in the bitch are low before they come in season and as their season progresses progesterone begins to rise.  Ovulation occurs when the levels go over 5ng/ml.  Sophie ovulated on December 5th or 6th.  It takes approximately 48 hours for the eggs to become fertile and they are then viable for another 48 hours or so.  I like to use progesterone testing because it helps me to know when will be the right time to breed my girls in order to optimize conception.  Knowing when ovulation has occurred also gives me a due date, since for the most part, whelping will occur 63 days from ovulation.  

For the past few days we have been able to feel movement in Sophie’s abdomen which is always such a thrill and now we can even hear the rapid tic, tic, tic, of a puppy’s heartbeat with the stethoscope.

If you are interested in seeing what goes on in the womb of a pregnant bitch, National Geographic has produced an amazing video "In the Womb" that explores the process from conception to birth. 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZx1Yt18QxY&feature=share

We are expecting Sophie to have her pups on or about next Thursday (Feb. 6th).  It’s cold and gray outside today, the perfect day for staying home and setting up the whelping room.  We are so looking forward to these Oreo x Sophie puppies and we are hoping and praying that all continues to go well.  

Upcoming Litter Plans

UCD Ch Neigenuveaux Fleur d’Northrock WC CGN “Sophie” has been bred to MBIS GCh Treebeard’s Galileo CGN “Oreo”

Oreo flew out to Toronto from Calgary, Alberta at the beginning of December with his owner Heath Kenyon.  We had a wonderful visit and our family adored Oreo.  He is a delightful, easy going boy who fit right in like a dirty shirt.  He got along great with all of the dogs which was no big surprise. What was extra nice was that he was totally fine with our cat!  Oreo doesn't live with a cat so this was a pleasant bonus.  The children adored him and he did very well walking to school with them in the morning and hanging in the elementary school yard.  It was hard to say goodbye when their visit was over but we are crossing all of our fingers and toes that Sophie is pregnant and that soon there will be Oreo x Sophie pups for us to love and cuddle.  We are enormously grateful to Heath for making the trip to Ontario with Oreo.  If all goes well puppies will be due at the beginning of February.  More information about this breeding can be found on our website.