Unbearable Cuteness of Being

If there's anything more fun than 5 and 6 week old puppies, I don't know what it is. This is the pay-off of weeks of work and worry, months of planning and paranoia, sleepless nights, endless laundry and hope.

The Dva puppies are 6 weeks old and although I've kept their webpage current, somehow the blog got neglected. Sorry about that - guess I was distracted!

Anyway, the puppies met the tunnel this morning. They had the buja board in their play area for several days, and took to romping on it like it wasn't even there. (Somewhere there *are* pictures, but I can't find them right now!) I love buja boards because they MOVE and MAKE NOISE and seem UNPREDICTABLE - all of which teach puppies that these things are NO BIG DEAL and in fact FUN.

On our daily adventures and evening walkies they encounter all manner of obstacles - railroad ties marking off an old garden area, drainage ditch, big dirt piles, cactus - our property could hardly be called "groomed". Puppies learn that the ground is uneven, holes happen, falling down is normal, getting up and having another go is the only way to fly.

As their adult baby-sitter is rotated each day, it has become necessary to ensure the adult dog doesn't steal all the puppy food. So an old section of wallboard with a small dog door is set up to block the in/out of the x-pen barricade. A few days of this - puppies have to find the opening and navigate the hole to get into the big paddock - and they are zooming in and out with ease (in for water and food, out for a big playmate and more room to run).

"In" has other perks - Ripple sez MY rabbit skin.

This morning I simply set the tunnel on the "out" side of the puppy hole - they had to go through the tunnel to get into the big yard.

Four of the little stinkers were out before I had my camera turned on.

Hm, I'll stop and have a sniff.

This isn't a real agility tunnel, but a kiddie version. The real things are heavy, opaque, and expensive. Not what I want puppies exploring with their teeth - which of course is the next thing they do, followed immediately by jumping on it.

Why go around? Over works just fine.

Pretty soon they were running in and out like pros, which is exactly the point.

In.

Out. Repeat.

In the puppy paddock (about 3000 sq ft) they can run to their hearts' content. And explore - the big dog-door into the kennel

Moose (r) peers inside; Chip (l) changes directions.

and the big dog house (room to run in there!)

Hey, whatcha doin' in there?

jump on / run over whatever is lying about

The inverted pool was covering a critter hole; these pups are gamey!

and just generally run like fools.

Dulce (r) in hot pursuit of Vanna (l).

Just another morning in puppy playland...

So I guess this is a Coven?

We are back to Vampires - particularly now that TEETH are coming in! Between toenails and teeth, it's no wonder Tigress sez "how much longer am I gonna do this?"

This is what 42.5# of puppies looks like!

How on earth do puppies go from 1# to 5# in just three weeks?!?! Mama's on a steady diet of unlimited fresh water and Evo, an incredibly calorie-dense kibble. She also gets an assortment of ice cream, cottage cheese, yogurt, eggs, tripe - and last night she asked for a bit of cucumber from my salad. I figure, she can have whatever she wants, as this coven of vampires suck her dry several times a day.

The puppies made many other advances this week, and we got some clarification on colors - with some intriguing possibilities. See their webpage for details. Walking - forwards and backwards - is pretty coordinated on good footing, but on slippery surfaces resembles a game of Twister.

One of the things most good breeders try to follow is the "rule of 7's" - and I think it would be hard not to hit 7 of everything by 7 weeks of age. Take for example, surfaces: laps (different kinds of clothing), plastic bottom of whelping box, piddle pads, newspaper, rag in weighing box, blankets (rough and smooth sided), climbing on toys, climbing on dam, grass, dirt, gravel... I find it impossible that any puppy could not be on 7 different surfaces in a matter of days. I like the "rule of 12" and suspect that with just a bit of conscious effort that's quite doable for most puppy raisers. Though I for one will not discourage borzoi puppies from chasing ;-)

Not our usual sunset...

The horrifying smoke of the past 10 days has, thanks to favorable wind directions, abated for the present. Here's a photo of last night's sunset. The sun's color is creepy (due to the smoke haze) but at least we can see the mountains. And the stars at night - I really missed those.


However the frequently hazardous breathing conditions put a damper on visitors - three new people this week. That makes 17 since birth, still a respectable number.

Papa Py has sniffed them and gently wagged is tail - I have no reason to think he knows they are his, but his gentleness with these new members of His Pack is unmistakeable.

Py gazes fondly at Bruno, Dulce, and Ripple.

The paper over the insulation is missing in several places.

And in unrelated news... Anthony is now sharing the shower in the master bath, as there's a wee problem with the tile in his bathroom... We are a cozy threesome these days!

As my friend Susan is coming to help do puppy evaluations in 5 weeks, we have a very clear deadline for getting this all put back together.

Ch-ch-chaaaanges

Yesterday was a big day! The puppies went on a field trip and moved to bigger quarters.

Friday night one of the puppies escaped from the whelping box - exactly 2 weeks old and made it over the pig rail, over the wall, onto the tile, and almost half-way across the study floor. Tigress was sleeping in the hall bathroom, apparently finding the tile in there cooler than in the study. (The weather has been horrifying the last few days, more on that in a moment.) It is normal for the puppies' mid-night screaming to wake me up, and if it goes on for several minutes I will investigate. You can not imagine my shock at finding a puppy so young, so far away from the whelping box! Tigress was utterly non-plussed, the puppy was hopping mad but quickly got over it, and I recovered as well. They both went back in the whelping box, and I put up the box's door.

So yesterday we moved them into the family room; normally I do this when they turn 3 weeks old but in order to attach the playpen I need more space than my study easily allows. This project goes in several steps. One, the corner of the family room has to be emptied of furniture. Two, the puppies had to go "somewhere" while the whelping box was taken down, moved, and re-assembled. (The design of this thing is utterly brilliant, incredibly easy and fast to move.)

The fires in Arizona have sent smoke into New Mexico the last few days, and the air quality has been unspeakably bad everywhere in our part of the state. Yesterday afternoon we got a shift in the wind that lifted the haze and revealed blue skies for a while - so the puppies went outside to enjoy the cooler air.

Silly ranch puppies - who needs the towel? We like dirt!!

Tigress laid down next to them in the shade, keeping careful watch. She remained calm and vigilant while her brood moved to a corner for a puppy-pile nap.

Twice the size makes Tigress smile.

Once the new set-up was complete (about 10 minutes), everyone moved back inside to check out the new digs. Tigress promptly clean all the "outside" off her babies and they settled down for a nosh.

Now in the family room, the puppies will get exposure to all manner of sights and sounds - the front door, the TV, laundry activities - and even easier to get cuddles on the sofa with us!

This also means I'll be spending less time on the computer for a while, as the study is far away from their new accommodations.

While the puppies are now better confined, Tigress can hop in and out at her leisure by using the love-seat next to the playpen. This arrangement makes everybody very happy!

And now: Zombies

Watching puppies learn to walk is not just adorably cute. It is also, if you have two teenaged males in the house, a horror-movie analogy opportunity in full swing.

Wait a minute, some of you are saying - two teenaged males?

Well yes. One is 19 and one is 58, but behaviorally they are both teenagers. My husband recently started watching The Walking Dead, yet another re-make of a UK show done for US television. (This is another Netflix recommendation. Sometimes they hit it, sometimes they miss.) So between True Blood re-runs (we're eagerly anticipating the next DVD release) and this new show, you can understand how The Boys have zombies on the brain.

What does this have to do with puppies? Not much really, but puppies do stagger about on their legs (two weeks old today) and moan with half-seeing eyes... so... zombies. Get it?

I don't know if zombies sleep, but if they do, it might look like this:

Dulce napping.

The puppies also sit, climb, and cuddle. For more adorable pictures, see their web page. For thoughts on socializing young puppies and long-term consequences, see Sophia Yin DVM's excellent article.

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...

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.