From leeches to vampires

The puppies are growing, oh my how they are growing! Weights are 3 - 4 X birth-weight, and watching them drain Tigress dry is something to behold. She enters the whelping box fully "bagged up" (a horse term for full udders), and exits an hour or so later trim and svelte, cute waist and proper tuck-up restored. The puppies' appetites are so voracious they remind me of vampires, though the life-giving body fluid is puppy-appropriate. Tigress's appetite is correspondingly voracious; I couldn't calculate the number of calories required to support 800-1,000 grams of puppy-weight increase every day.

Today, 11 days old, eyes are opening. So pardon the fewer photos, but the use of flash isn't allowed for several days.

What is allowed, in spades, is visitors. The puppies have met 11 people so far, men and women, ranging in age from 19 years to early 70's. I can't begin to imagine how many smells they've encountered, as everyone I know has dogs or horses or both. Some basic sanitation precautions are strictly enforced (shoes stay outside, anti-microbial soap, a towel over the lap) and volia! socialization in spades. Anthony and I are routinely around clients' dogs, and have perfected the strip-in-the-garage-mad-dash-to-the-shower relay; cooties just aren't allowed into the house. Thankfully we have no neighbors to terrorize with our streaking.

Tigress also has a routine - beginning with proper greeting and fawning over her before her offspring can be handled:

Sarah pays respects to mama Tigress for raising such excellent babies.

Doug and Sarah cuddle Dulce and Chip.









Becky and Diana will be regulars, they come by our ranchero every couple of weeks:

As the puppies eyes open, seeing people with hats will be as normal as those without.

Vanna (L) and Ripple (R)

Throughout, Tigress keeps a polite eye on everyone.










Our other dogs quite got a nice compliment this week, as some visitors want to meet the other adult borzoi we have. "Your dogs are always so friendly and well-behaved!" While I may not always agree, I do greatly appreciate the compliment. It is worrisome however to think that not all borzoi - indeed, not all dogs! - can be described that way. Socialization must start as early as possible and continue for life, and I think that is especially true for a large and powerful predator. We live in what can accurately be described as "the boonies" and work hard to ensure our puppies meet a huge number of people and are exposed to as many things as possible while they are young and impressionable. Actually, work is the wrong word... we make it a form of play!

Meanwhile the puppies just know what is normal: plenty of love and attention from their mother and a parade of kind people, with lots of smells and tender cuddles. They open their eyes and find their legs and are entirely too much fun to watch.

Tigress carefully cleans her babies and tends to their needs.

Pix, Picks, and Picking Up

Once again, I have become overrun with puppy laundry and neglected myself.

You'd think I'd have learned my lesson last week when I ran out of clean socks, but... no. I had to have NO clean pants - jeans or sweats - to drive home the point that I really need to do one load of people laundry every couple of days. Thankfully there's a pile of clothes headed to Goodwill; I picked sweats out of that and started the washer.

The puppies are a fat and glorious 10 days old; weight gains range from 126% to 165% over birthweight - I'd say they are thriving! This is however a tough time photographically - no more flash pictures until their eyes are open for a couple of days, so there will probably be fewer pix this coming week.

Skype has enabled co-breeder Sandra to see the scoops a couple of times. We've had fun speculating about colors and admiring their markings. We will be splitting this litter at about 9 weeks of age, and I'm sure she noodles over which puppy to pick first as much as I do.

There are as many ways to choose as there are breeders, and I always find it interesting to compare processes. Some "pick 'em wet" and given how unique each puppy is, in appearance and behavior, at birth I can understand this temptation. There were three in this litter that - let's just say made an impression - when they hit the ground. I will confess to having made mental notes on them.

Some breeders go on color, or markings. No matter what drives that - sentiment, preference, flash, easier to show or keep clean or spot in the field - this is also understandable. And I for one find it easier to tell them apart (not that I keep names straight, oh no).

And then there's sex. Many, many breeders only keep bitches, so only select from the girls in a litter. I suspect this contributes to the noticeable quality difference, overall, that is seen in borzoi, between dogs and bitches. It is widely agreed that there are more good bitches than dogs, and in fact really great males (no matter how "great" is defined) are very hard to find. On the other hand, I know at least a couple of breeders that prefer to keep males...

Some make selections based on which sex they need out of a given breeding, which may change from litter to litter. Others just pick the "best" puppy for their needs regardless of sex or color.

I had a fascinating conversation a couple of years ago with a long-time dog man, an icon with 50 years of hunting and breeding experience in his head. He said, in brief, that he lets whoever wants a puppy, come and pick whatever they want, and he keeps the one or two left at the end. He said that most people go for extremes - most flash of color, most pushy personality, most size or bone or angles, most whatever - and what's left is moderate. And moderate often does best in the long run, holds up to years of field work and is easier to live with. Words to pay attention to.

And sometimes there are a few that are so afraid of making the wrong choice, keep an entire litter or wait until they are adults to start placing them. Sometimes there's a good reason to keep an entire litter, but I would think it's awfully easy to get over-dogged doing that.

No matter how picks are made, it is usually done with a certain dose or two of second guessing and hand wringing. Thankfully I've got several weeks before we get to that point.

Dishing it out - or, Nicknames

Litter nicknames are forming up, and subject to change.

Without further ado, ladies first:

Girls

From left to right:
self B&T w/ star - "Truffle" (Chocolate Truffle)
self B&T, white front feet - "Dulce" (Dulce de Leche)
IM silver brindle - "Vanna" (Vanilla Caramel)
self B&T, white pastern - "Cookie" (Milk & Cookies)

And, the gentlemen:

Boys

From left to right:
IM red "Moose" (Moose Tracks)
self B&T w/ star: "Ripple" (Chocolate Fudge Ripple)
self gold brindle w/ star: "Bruno" (Crème Brûlée)
self B&T w/ star, white pastern "Chip" (Chocowlate Chip)

**note on colors - subject to correction as they age. all the B&T's show brindle, too; we'll see how they turn out.

If you've picked up on an ice cream theme (part Ben and Jerry's, part Skinny Cow) you're right. Before whelping, we joked that Tigress was the size of an ice cream truck. We called the kicking pre-puppies "scoops", and now Tigress really likes a little (or a lot) of French Vanilla on her meals. So, why not? The nicknames are temporary and we really have to call them something besides Bitch 3 or Boy 7. Puppies are fun, and so are their names.

Laundry and snuggling continue unabated. The puppies are showing a knack for finding their feet already, so the next couple of weeks are going to get mighty busy! Pigmentation is filling in rapidly, just as hoped. Hard to believe how fast they grow...
 

Followed by a very long night

The puppies are five days old, and I have resumed breathing.

Call me paranoid - everybody does - I just didn't want to jinx anything. Puppies are at their most vulnerable during the first five days after whelping; tempting fate goes against my nature. So a self imposed information embargo was much more "no news is good news" and not so much "the rapture came and took us." Not that I am rapture-eligible material, mind you... even my mother knows that.

Tigress's temperature was noticeably lower for the 48 hrs. before she went into labor, though it never took a 2* plunge. Or rather, I didn't measure it when it took a big drop. Regardless, there was no question whelping was imminent; her appetite vanished, her personality changed. Labor started shortly before midnight Thursday, and the first puppy appeared at a quarter past. By 4 a.m. we had seven puppies - they came so fast and furious I was grateful to have my husband's help taking notes (sex, color, weight, Biotinus score) and replacing pads in the whelping box before POP! here was the next one. After a short break the last two arrived (x-ray count of 9 was correct); one was stillborn.

So we have eight puppies, five in shades of black&tan/black&brindle. Thankfully their markings are enough different I can keep them straight; Tigress brooked no discussion of neck bands. Three are uniquely colored, so easy to keep sorted out.

Meet the Dva "deadly weapons" litter:

on Monday

Like all changes, a new routine quickly emerges. First thing in the mornings, Tigress takes a trip outside to her private yard. While she's out I weigh each puppy and move it to a "hot box" (basically a plastic sweater box with a crate pad over the warming disc), remove the bedding, sanitize the whelping box, scrub out her water bowl, and prepare her breakfast.

Meals are served three times a day, consisting of high-quality kibble mixed with a rotating assortment of goodies: canned tripe, boiled egg, sliced roll, cottage cheese, yogurt, or ice cream. Once a day she gets salmon oil and primrose oil. Fresh water and a pail of kibble are always out - feeding eight and hanging on to some body condition of her own will require countless calories over the next month.

Tigress shows her sense of humor is intact.

Then I bring Tigress in from her morning constitutional, and take her temperature. She does a "drive by" the hot box to count her brood and dives into her breakfast. When she's eaten her fill and goes to her whelping box, I give her two puppies: whichever have gained the least amount of weight in the last 24 hrs. They get a 10-minute head start on their siblings, then the rest go in. When the puppies decide it's time for a nosh, the swarm is a cross between a rugby scrum and bar fight - a no holds barred rush with competition over nipples barely more civilized than a riot. For critters that can't see or hear, they are a noisy and ruthless bunch, climbing over and knocking into each, forcing each other off teats, jockeying for position. This competition is normal puppy behavior and essential for muscle and neurological development. In short order all eight are installed at the milk bar, all happy grunting noises and plump tummies.

Busy nursing... and sometimes this is a good sleeping position, too.

Tigress gets trips outside every few hours, puppies are handled regularly and have already met 6 people (half of them men!). Neuro stimulation exercises started on Day 3 and are in the early afternoon (when Tigress gets lunch and another temperature check); much of the day I spend either watching from my computer desk (my foot is resting on the edge of the whelping box at this moment) or sitting in the box cuddling puppies. At night I have been sleeping on the cot next to the whelping box, but the last two nights Tigress hasn't needed to go out so I will be moving back to the bedroom tonight. (I can really endorse this cot - it's very comfortable and I've had no trouble with my back!) The whelping box gets another bedding change while Tigress has dinner. Lots 'o laundry!

Tomorrow they get their nails trimmed for the first time... and we'll try and figure out litter names. In the meantime, a few pictures to keep you amused.

I think we're gonna need a bigger box soon.

Cuddling with Mama

The Longest Day

Today is day 63.

Well, it is if you count from presumed ovulation, which Py seems to have a preference for as a breeding date. And that means the puppies should arrive today.

But Tigress sez, not yet.

I'm not allowed to panic until sixty-three days after that last tie (which will be Saturday), as long as everything continues in a boring fashion. Which it is. Interesting, but boring.

But I'm an Olympic-class worry wart. Yesterday she went a bit off her feed, and her temperature took a dip. This morning, it was back to normal. I'm anticipating seeing a huge drop... hasn't happened yet. She's nesting, burying food, digging, and is absurdly clingy. In a great mood, taking naps, and generally acting like I'm a nut. Except, last night she tried to climb on my cot with me, so the door to the whelping box went up to keep her confined.

Not that either one of us slept, oh no. Her restlessness had me turning on the light and checking on her every few minutes (or so it seemed). By the time the alarm went off, I'd been up for an hour.

Our routine for a couple of weeks now has included a daily walk. This morning there was no reason to do it differently, so out we went. Just the two of us - and Mr. Winter.

mmmmm - snow is delicious!

Yes, snow on May 19th. Crazy, eh?

On the other hand, it's pretty great weather if you're a borzoi.

Tigress out for a stroll, enjoying the unseasonable weather.

Silly bitch has no respect for my feelings, at all. I'm a wreck, she wants to party.

Silly human, relax already!! Let's have a snowball fight.

Count 'em - if you can

OK, posting was the "magic trick" I got the pix from the vet!! so here's a combination of the two views (side by side) so you can see the "whole enchilada"

Two views, she's so wide!!

The vet, Dr. MacDougall, was as always great. We had a long chat about oxytocin, calcium, and emergency options.

Plan for the worst, hope for the best...

Change of Plans

Sleeping arrangements here at our Ranchero are, by design, flexible. Dogs have many choices, from barn to kennel to family room to master bedroom - crates, x-pens, raised beds, and orthopaedic cushions abound. People have beds, sleeper sofas, and air mattresses to choose from.

I have extensive experience sleeping on an air mattress. One summer I spent a month (with Dot) sleeping on one in the back of my Outback, waiting for a foal to drop. It gets cool in the summer nights in the desert, a dog is just the thing to keep my feet warm. Add a pillow and a sleeping bag, and I can go without end.

I slept on the same one last year waiting for Rumor to whelp. Wake up, deflate it, roll up in a corner; at night just inflate (self unrolling), hit the sack.

Sadly, that air mattress sprung a leak, one too large to repair. So I set about buying another one that would work with the pump I have. (Great pump - AC/DC, multi attachment.)

No dice. None of the ones available at stores local to me work with the pump, not even close.

After two purchases and returns, today the guy at the store said, m'am, what are you needing this for? I told him. He said - camper cot. I said - no way, bad back. He said - trust me.

So I bought one. After all, what I was doing wasn't working... time to try something else. Man oh man, is it comfy.

And I got one in green, so my bed matches Tigress's .

Bonus shot for today! Pausing mid-walk to admire the gorgeous day.

Day 58

Five days to go, give or take, until whelping. Two days to the x-ray for a puppy count.

So. Time to start the pool...

Take a guess at:
1 - day/time of first puppy to whelp
2 - day/time of last puppy to whelp
3 - number of puppies
4 - division of sexes
5 - bonus points for division of colors
6 - double-bonus points for division of white markings

Put your guess in Comments or just send me an e-mail.

So we're all more or less on the same playing field, here's some detail.

A - Tigress's first litter had 8 puppies in it. See photo from this afternoon and see if the visual helps you with your guess:

It's in the mid 60's but the cool tile is her choice for napping.

B - Sex is determined by the sperm; Py's first litter had 2 bitches and 3 dogs (one stillborn).

C - For a crash course in borzoi color inheritance, click here. The Dva litter is Py bred to Tigress. Py is a self-gold, carries black&tan. He may be a double-chinchilla. Both Py's parents carried white spotting; his sire an IM red brindle, his dam a self red brindle. Tigress is an irish marked black&tan with brindle; she has to carry spotting and probably carries chinchilla. Click to see her sire and dam's coloring. Both Py and Tigress are ticked.


I will post the x-ray picture when I get it, then we can all have fun trying to count skulls and spines and see what we come up with!

In the meantime, Tigress would like more bon-bons served, so I have to go...

Shopping for... well, don't know how many

Maybe it's because yesterday was Mother's Day, but I was in baby-shopping mode. No no silly, not that kind of baby shopping. Shopping for baby - for puppies, actually.

First, an update on how Tigress is looking - which is, huge:

"Oh servant, more bon-bons, if you please..."

The x-ray to count puppy fetuses isn't until next Monday, but I went ahead and shaved her belly today. The hair has been falling out in clumps (normal in preparation for nursing), but it's 71* today and Tigress sez it's hot. I figure a nude belly on our tile floors will feel really good. Plus, maybe I'll see the little "scoops" moving around (!).

She was a very good mother with her first litter; I got to see her playing with them at 8 weeks of age and she was obviously enjoying her babies. I hope this litter is as charming and rambunctious!

While waiting for my car to get its oil changed I wandered into one of the pet super-stores. It's been a long time since I did anything other than dash in and grab cat litter, so took the opportunity to peruse every aisle and see what's new in toys. I found a few items that will make fun puppy toys, and may even work their way into my Temperament Testing box of goodies. Although I don't understand why they were in the cat section??

"Tweet Thing" touch activated noise-maker with feathers. Cool!

"Play N Squeak" comes in a fox version, too! Not too sure about the catnip tho...

A couple of aisles later I found my "now I've seen everything" item:

Disposable boots for dogs... whoda thunk?

Seemed kinda silly - until I started pondering the possible uses, when I almost bought a pack just to try them out... But I restrained myself. They probably don't keep out cactus.

Back at home I finally got a chance to look at the video my son sent me (via FaceBook) for Mother's Day... raunchy humor is right up my - sorry - aisle. Great kid, I'm so incredibly fortunate. He'll be home from university for the summer next weekend, can't wait to see him. And yes, we'll be having green enchiladas when he walks in the door, made with the good stuff. 
   

It's all Semantics

This post is a cheat... was originally an e-mail posted to a list with over a thousand people on it in response to someone who claims to place borzoi as assistance dogs... The entire thing gave me such heartburn that I wrote the following in response. It has since been re-posted and shared on other lists, so I'm posting here so that my original content is unadulterated.

------------
Thank you for clearly articulating some important questions. I can't speak for anyone else, but will try to answer, generally, what is required of Assistance/Service Dogs (and briefly, a Therapy dog).

I am certified dog trainer (CCPDT) and a professional instructor/trainer for Assistance Dogs of the West (ADW). ADW is a Full Member of Assistance Dogs International (ADI); ADI is the governing body world-wide for assistance/service dog, organization, and trainer standards.

My organization, ADW, focuses on placing dogs with people with cognitive and physical disabilities. Scent alert (diabetic, seizure, etc.) is a new area we're finding some dogs talented in. We do not do seeing-eye or hearing-alert dog placement. We secure our own liability et al insurance privately, which is extended to clients when a dog is placed.

ADW begins the selection process of potential assistance dogs at puppyhood. Youngsters are repeatedly evaluated for appropriate temperament, aptitude, and structure. I am intimately involved in this process and can best describe it as rigorous; well over 50% of candidates are rejected. Every organization does things differently, but because the wash-out rate puts crippling expense on the training organization, ruthless selection is essential. ADW is able to place 80% of the dogs we accept, the other 20% are released.

Training takes an average 18 months; ADW does it faster than most in the US because of our unique, community integrated approach. After a year of training, ADW's dogs have 90 commands; by placement they have 150-200 behaviors on cue, depending on the type of work a specific dogs is suited for. Many assistance/service dog training organizations take 24-36 months. Because the ADA standards require that a dog be able to provide essential life functions the person can not do for themselves (http://www.ada.gov/qasrvc.htm and http://www.petpartners.org/TAP-FAQs#ServiceTherapy) these dog skills must be perfected prior to placement.

And don't get me started on the placement process, it's complicated and thankfully the special responsibility of people in our organization with decades of experience and expertise (including Occupational Therapy) with people with disabilities and the diagnostic capability to match needs and skills. Not my area of expertise, and I am in awe of our staff professionals that do this "matchmaking".

Once placement has been determined, the handler comes to our facility for two weeks of "boot camp" to learn how to work with and care for the dog. Before going home they MUST pass a Public Access Test (AND be re-tested by us every two years) in order to take the dog home. We provide livelong follow-up support. ADW retains legal ownership of the dogs, and sometimes takes back a "retired" dog (if the handler can't take care of the retired dog along with their new assistance partner, for example).

These are a few reasons Assistance dogs are so difficult to get, waiting lists are usually years-long, and the dogs themselves extremely expensive.

And one last word on Therapy dogs... I am with Delta Society and a Therapy Dog handler. Therapy dogs **ARE NOT** Assistance dogs, and the certification tests for Therapy dogs absolutely do NOT qualify them in any way shape or form for Assistance Dog work. BTW, Delta provides insurance for their teams.

I love my therapy dogs, but have no delusions about them being Assistance Dogs. An Assistance Dog must be biddable enough to to work 18 hours a day; a typical Therapy dog will "work" a few hours a week. This is why the vast majority of ADI organizations use labs, goldens, or shepherds - these breeds have the human-driven work ethic required to do the job, year after year. (ADW is doing a pilot program with smaller breeds; the jury is out on these.

As you can see I'm quite passionate about this topic . Hope it's answered some of your general questions about Assistance/Service dogs and Therapy dogs.

Countdown....

Two weeks from today, give or take, I hope to be welcoming a much-anticipated litter of puppies. Mama-in-waiting, Tigress, spends most of her time dreaming of bon-bon's served to her in the whelping box. She eats three meals a day now, and has to be cajoled into a daily walk.

Tigress breaks in the whelping box, earlier this week.

Papa-to-be is, no surprise, pretty oblivious to the upcoming madness. His routine continues as usual, which on Thursdays means visiting "his" kids. Today was all about reading... I am so lucky to just sit back and watch the magic as a child too shy to read in front of people boldly sounds out difficult words for Mr. Py.

Mr. Py gives his full attention.

I blogged about our litter last year, and plan to for this litter as well. So everyone please keep your fingers crossed that all goes well for Tigress and her babies, I'll keep you posted.