January 29, 2022 – All of the pups are now with their forever families. We’re so thankful for each loving family they went home to! Clara Jane will now retire from our program and live forever with her family not too far away from us. Because of this litter and each family that chose us, we are able to give $1,800 to Amazima Ministries so that a bunch of kids in Uganda can learn, eat, and LIVE! We are hearing great reports from the families. Here are the happy pictures of going home day!
January 24, 2022 – The pups did great on their ride to the vet and each pup checked out perfectly with a great report. We’ve added their weights to their pictures below. Their sizing isn’t too different, but you can see that the ones with the lowest weights will probably be closer to 20-22 lbs., while the bigger pups will be more like dad’s size, closer to 25-30 lbs.
Temperament testing shows each pup to be so equal and comparable. They all did very well and are very similar in temperament and energy levels at this point. All pups are of equal submissiveness and intelligence. All track their humans and follow and want to be close by you at all times. This is what we expect from every pup leaving our home.
Experts say that personalities are just beginning to show at this age and the ones that appear slightly less confident will catch up to their litter mates very soon. Even within a litter, pups are developing at different stages. Some eyes open sooner, some are more agile ahead of others, some get their teeth first, but they all catch up quickly. We’ve provided amazing temperaments in each, and their forever families will be more of a factor in their overall personalities perhaps, then we are. Their new environments, the energy level in the home and training styles of their new humans, will all shape their overall personalities in the months to come during their formative puppyhood.
Some notes on subtle personality differences we see:
JoJo has appeared to be the most sensitive and perhaps in tune with her surroundings and knows what she wants. She was more vocal at only a week old (the one crying for mama), and she still does take the longest to settle down in the crate. She bonds tightly to her humans already and wants to be held and snuggled, and she lets us know it. We continue to make all the pups sit before we engage with them. We just ignore those jumping and whining (keep this up at home and you won’t have a jumper!). She is brave and attempts to go up and down the big steps on leash, not afraid of a tumble. It could be she’s more adventurous and energetic. We just don’t have her figured out yet. Perhaps there’s the most to write about JoJo because she’s shown the most personality so far. She loves to play and wrestle and is one of the leaders on the pack. Jimmy continues to be the pup that loves to play but also is a little more observant than adventurous. He seems confident and laid back and like them all, he loves to be held. Jill is a little more shy and has been from the very start. She is not the alpha and would rather follow than lead. She does well in her crate and on leash and sitting for us. She wants to be on your lap. Jewel is very close in personality to Jimmy. She was one of the first to learn to sit and she settles down very easily when challenged by the crate or when needing to wait for meals. Julie kind of seems to blend into the pack. She loves to snuggle, is one of the first to sit and she too, is adventurous and confident in trying to go up and down the stairs on her leash. She’s pulling a bit on her leash, which to me is a positive thing at this point, she shows confidence. (To give you some perspective, all pups start off leash training on their butts, reluctant to move.) Jackie seems confident and easy going. She, like Julie, kind of blends with the pack. She’s not a leader but she can hold her own in the group and totally keeps up. She is very sweet and settles down easily (they all do) when picked up. Jenny is a little more shy in new surroundings and may be more of a follower than a leader. She wants her humans and isn’t shy about making sure she gets her time for love and holding. We don’t see timidity, but she’s just not sure of brand new experiences and needs a minute to think about it first. She, like JoJo, seems a little more sensitive to new things. Like them all, she loves to play and lives for human affection.
January 24, 2022 – The pups have been doing better and better at leash training and we continue to work on crate training for naps with good days and bad days. All expected. They don’t like being apart but we are readying them for their separation and their forever homes. Mama went home now, and they adjusted quickly to that. They still may have adjustment at home when they finally leave the “nest” but it should be short lived with all of the preparation work we’re doing here to help them get ready. This afternoon is their vet appointment to get nails trimmed, vaccinations and get a thorough exam from the vet. We’ll post their official weights later today, along with any personality differences that stand out. Here are the pictures we took of them this morning! (Reminder: our puppy selection phone calls begin at noon tomorrow, in order of the reservation list. Please be waiting for our call because others behind you will be waiting.)
January 17, 2022 – This week we are working on crate training and learning to be independent from mama. We take them away from the litter and mama several times a day for holding and human time. Getting them slowly ready for separation from the pack. Always a bit of a hard adjustment no matter how much preparation we do here! Tomorrow we’ll start on leash training. Time is flying by! We love this litter. Each pup is doing well and gaining in confidence each day. They get the puppy “zoomies” three or four times a day where they just need to run and chase and wrestle with each other. This lasts about 30 minutes and then they want to go back to sleep. (After some human snuggles, of course. ) Here they are at six weeks old.
January 9, 2022 – The pups are doing very well. We’re working on “manding” which means they need to sit for any attention. They love their humans, and are connecting with all of us. They’re tracking us and very affectionate! They’re exactly where we want them to be. We’re continuing to work on “scary” noises and exposing them to vacuums, blow dryers and lots of baths. They are gaining confidence in all their socialization and we’re pleased with their progress. Here are the pictures we took of them today at five weeks old.
January 3, 2022 – Happy New Year everyone! The pups have changed so much that it was clearly time for a formal photo shoot. Lots of firsts this week: Today they had their first play time outside of the pen. Not much movement yet, but just wait! They have started on mushy kibble to give mama a break. They got introduced to the vacuum and fireworks sounds today.
Nose pigmentation is still filling in. I think they will all have solid black noses, but we shall see.
The fear stage has not set in yet so it’s so important that they’ve already been so socialized and been introduced to lots of “scary” sounds. This is what makes amazing temperaments for life! They are pretty calm and very adjusted to humans. They’ve had so much socialization that they are right where we want them to be. Here are the pictures we took of them today, at four weeks old.
December 27, 2021 – The puppies are starting to hear now and so sound desensitization begins! Today they had baths and experienced blow drying, a good part of their conditioning. They are awake a lot more and wobbling around their pen. Not out for playtime yet, but it won’t be long. During the Christmas season, especially, they had lots of visitors and lots of extra holding time. They are very conditioned to humans now and are starting to bond, but still very focused on mama for another few weeks. Here are some shots we took of them today so you can see how they have changed.
December 19, 2021 – The pups are two weeks old now and all have opened their eyes over the past couple of days! We hardly see their eyes though- they sleep almost all the time. This will be so for another week or more. They’ll start to move about and begin walking and becoming more active over the next week or two. They have all nearly doubled in weight and size (exactly what we like to see) and are doing very well. Janie is super attentive and rarely leaves their side. They are being held and massaged regularly and they remain in a heated pen to make sure their body temperatures stay warm enough. Pups can’t moderate their own body heat until they’re almost three weeks old, so a warm pen is very important. They still can’t hear, but that should change in about a week. Here are pictures taken of them today!
December 13, 2021 – We are excited that we have pups again after a long time off to rest! Clara Jane, best known as “Janie” is being an excellent mama, as usual, and is doing a fantastic job on her final litter. Janie brought us seven healthy pups, mostly girls, in the early morning hours of Saturday, December 5. We like to wait and make sure all of the pups are healthy and thriving before we make an announcement.
We are happy to report that all seven pups are gaining weight daily and doing very well! We have six girls and one boy. The one boy is a black pup with subtle white markings. As time progresses, we will get better pictures of them. We don’t like to take them away from the heat and their mama for extended periods of time at this point.
We have started on the bio-sensor program with each pup and they are being massaged daily for the critical human touch component that is so important at this phase. They can’t see or hear at this point, so touch is our primary way of starting their conditioning steps to create amazing dogs for life.
Here are some pictures we took of them at one week old. We can’t wait to watch them grow! Keep an eye on this blog spot and we will posted updated pictures and an update about once per week. Welcome to our world Jimmy, Julie, JoJo, Jenny, Jackie, Jewel and Jill!
