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.

Cheerio "C" Litter!

The Obie and Mona puppies have left for their new homes.  These puppies have been a complete joy and our time with them has gone by so quickly.  Mona was a wonderful first time mom to her puppies and she and Obie produced some very special pups.  They are confident, friendly and über affectionate.  Their new homes are head over heels in love with them.  I am enjoying the updates that are coming in from their families.  None of these puppies have ventured too far from home and I look forward to meeting up with them again in the future.  

Thank you to their new families who have opened their homes and their hearts to these four wonderful puppies.

Chewie went to live in Toronto with Maren, Paul and their daughter Lilly and they named him Barnie.

UPDATE:  Sometimes despite careful preparation and planning things don't go as expected.  It turns out that after living with Barnie for a number of weeks, Paul's allergies became unbearable and it was decided that it would not be possible for them to continue to keep their puppy.  The way a person experiences allergies can vary from one individual to the next.  In Paul's situation the visits to the breeder's home (even with multiple dogs present) weren't the same as living with his own pup and having constant daily exposure to the allergens.  We will always be grateful to Maren, Paul and Lilly for the love and care they gave to Barnie during the time that he was with them.

At the beginning of January Barnie went to live with David and his wife and their two children in Markham where he is much loved and now goes by the name of Alfie! His registered name is Northrock's Charlie Brown.

Leia has gone to live with Banny and Kim and is staying in Toronto.  She now goes by Sadie and her registered name is Northrock's Chocolate Kiss.

Luke is now Northrock's Caped Crusader aka "Baxter" and lives in Toronto with April and her  son.

Amidala is now Northrock's Calypso Rose and goes by Suzie.  She lives in Whitby, Ontario with John and his family.

Obie x Mona puppies - 4 to 9 weeks.

From four to nine weeks we were kept very busy with the puppies.  Lots of visitors came through the house to help socialize the puppies. 

The pups spent plenty of time outdoors, mingled with the big dogs and met the cat.  They all agreed that fallen leaves make wonderful toys. 

Puppies cavort in the yard on a sunny autumn day while Quincy supervises their play.

Sophie and one of the pups share a tender moment.  Kelly's exuberance is contagious and she quickly convinces the little puppies to play with her.  She was very good at being mindful of their small bodies and adjusted her play style accordingly. 

         Snowy days added an extra element of fun for the puppies!

We do our best to offer the puppies lots of interesting things to play with in their indoor puppy pen.

The puppies have had solo expeditions to other homes so that I can observe them in unfamiliar surroundings away from their litter mates.  They did great and were confident and outgoing each time.  

We did temperament tests on each of the pups when they were seven weeks old and were very happy with what we saw.  They are truly a delightful bunch and performed well during the test.  These Obie x Mona puppies were wonderful and we had a fabulous time raising them during their first weeks with us.  

Obie x Mona puppies are now 4 weeks old!

Obie and Mona’s puppies are now 4 weeks old.  The time is flying by but we are careful not to waste these important early weeks.  Our last post celebrated the puppies turning 1 week old.  Since then they have completed the Neo-Natal Period (1 - 14 days) and we wrapped up the Bio-sensor and Early Scent Stimulation exercises.  The puppies begin their time with us in a guest bedroom and they remain there during the Neo-natal Period and through the Transitional Period (14 - 21 days).  They are handled frequently not just by our own family but by friends that stop by to gently hold them and cuddle with them.  We are always very careful to practice germ control but we do feel that socialization should begin even when they are still very young.

During the Transitional Period the puppies eyes open and their hearing develops.  We keep the lights low in the room during the days when their eyes are opening.  Once everyone’s eyes are open, shortly thereafter normal lighting resumes.  We have a television in the room which we use as the low level of changing light that it emits has been said to help the brain to develop.  It is the same with low level sounds, so we have classical music playing at a low volume to facilitate auditory stimulation.  We add some novel items to the whelping box such as soft stuffed animals, little balls and different footing for the puppies in the form of bath mats and small carpets.  

During their third week the puppies enter the Awareness or Identification Period (21 - 28 days). [For more details about these periods in a puppy’s development see Pat Hasting’s book Another Piece of the Puzzle: Puppy Development]  Now the pups make the big move downstairs into our dining room which is adjacent to the family room and kitchen and right smack in the heart of our home.   Since they now can use all of their senses they are exposed to all the sights, sounds and smells of our home. They are still using the whelping box but we have added a potty box. We have found this to be very helpful in encouraging the puppies to eliminate in a separate area.  We also add a small play area that over time gradually is enlarged to accommodate their growing needs.

Pups have dangling toys, and noisy toys, toys that roll and squeak, toys that they can pick up and toys to climb over.  The radio is often set to the classical music station because we like all the different sounds that the many varied instruments make.  We also play a few different cds of various sounds to help further expose the pups to noises that they might encounter outside the home such as thunderstorms, fireworks, gun shots, airplanes etc....

The big dogs in the house are now invited to meet the puppies and interact with them through the puppy pen. Even our resident cat Daphne has come to check them out!  

When the puppies turned 4 weeks old we introduced them to their first meal of solids. Which was ground turkey with bone and goat’s milk.  They enjoyed it immensely.  

Visitors are now coming over on a regular basis to help socialize the puppies.  We aim to have them have many positive interactions with a myriad of different people by the time they leave for their new homes. 

These are truly such delightful puppies. Mona continues to be a wonderful dam to them and we are enjoying our time with these little sweethearts while it lasts. Here is a brief video of the pups taken on November 3rd. 

Happy Thanksgiving! Obie x Mona Pups are One Week Old Today.

Today we celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada and we have so much to be thankful for.  We are extremely grateful for our good health and happiness and that of our friends and family (including the four legged ones) and we are extra thankful for our beautiful litter of Barbet pups that were born last Sunday.

Mona and her puppies continue to do very well.  The pups are in the neo-natal period of their development.  They are extremely vulnerable in these early days since they cannot regulate their own body temperature and they need help eliminating.  The puppies spend an enormous amount of time sleeping and nursing.  They are getting better and better at moving around the whelping box but are not yet up on all fours.  Their eyes and ears are still closed.  The little noises that they make are ever so endearing and Mona is very attentive to their needs.  

We have started the Bio Sensor program of early neurological stimulation exercises which began on day three and will continue until day 16.  It's a series of 5 exercises.  We have also introduced the puppies to novel scents. You can read more about how we do these exercises in one of our past blog posts  Early Neurological Stimulation & Early Scent Stimulation 

Of course in addition to these exercises the puppies are weighed daily, receive regular nail trims and lots of gentle handling.  They are terrible time wasters and I find myself crawling right into the whelping box along side Mona and her pups for lots of snuggles and loving. 

Northrock's "C" Litter: The Obie x Mona Puppies have Arrived!!!

We are delighted to announce that the eagerly awaited Obie and Mona puppies have arrived safe and sound at Northrock.  On the morning of October 6th Mona whelped 4 beautiful puppies.  

Mona and her pups are all doing well.  Our children are huge Star Wars fans and they wanted to give these puppies special names in addition to their collar colours. Please join me in welcoming these little darlings to the world:

Mr. Blue "Chewbacca" born at 7:50 am  14 7/8 oz. - Brown

Miss. Purple "Amidala" born at 7:58 am 14 1/4 oz. - Brown

Miss. Red "Leia" born at 8:56 am 14 3/4 oz. - Brown

Mr. Yellow "Luke" born at 10:02 am 13 1/4 oz - Black

  I am looking forward to all the fun that we will have watching these puppies grow up.  We're very grateful to Chris and Ula Pepper at Nappyroots Reg'd and Paul Hunter (Obie's owners) for letting us use him with Mona.  They are lovely puppies and we are thrilled.