Live! From the Whelping Box

Wish decided yesterday should be moving day. She evidently decided the pups, the pad, and the paper should all be relocated. Wish shredded and shredded paper, then made several trips in and out of the box with it dropping it in her 'rest area", trampled it down, and made quite a nest. Then she gently picked the pups up and carried them over to the new spot. They did protest and I don't blame them! Although a warm and heated carpeted area it's not as cozy as their whelping box with the heat lamp hanging above. John and I moved the pups and paper back several times to no avail. I sat there and observed them for quite awhile, just to be sure there were no problems. The air and box temperature were compatible, there is a small fan moving the upper air around but! I wondered... If the curtain which I use to afford her some privacy, was actually bothering her. So, I simply moved the curtain to shield the area where she insisted on bringing her pups and voila! That was the solution. When the curtain left the area of the whelping box open, Wish was pleased with that. So now we're somewhat back to normal. (what is normal?!)

This morning Wish and I enjoyed a little break in the dog house together, sitting on the (towel covered) couch with the pups under our watchful eye. Every once in awhile they would let out a noise, she'd go check and clean them, and return to me. Weighing each pup is always challenging the first few days; 'mom' doesn't understand what is going on but I don't leave her out of the process, she get's too frantic and it's not worth it. Every time I handle the pups for any reason, it is done very slowly and deliberately, keeping an open eye for any sign of protectiveness emerging from Wish. She and I do trust each other, but she afterall ultimately is an animal and these are her babies. (Dams sometimes do revert to their natural, protective instincts especially in the early days following whelping. I know of breeders who have been bitten by the most docile and gentle dogs. You have to use wisdom.)

I carried the pups over to where she was resting on the couch and watched her clean them briefly. They are little roly poly pups, with full bellies and she keeps them immaculate. Their weights are equal so the little boy has caught up with his sister. Because there are only two pups, some of the ways necessary to care for a singleton (Pippin) apply here as well. Typically, in a larger litter, the pups are crawling all over each other, form pigpiles, and push each other back and forth from one nipple to the other while nursing. It's not that way with one or two. Things people take for granted in a large litter of pups, become extremely important to the development of smaller litters. The most important aspect of it all is the need to simulate, handle, and provide some challenges. As they get older, we will add safe toys and or pillows, obstacles for them to navigate around. We'll also handle these pups more frequently and deliberately. I don't worry about swimmers developing because of the indoor/outdoor carpet. Also our friends and fellow breeders Paul and Dawn Hill shared a simple but succesful technique designed to help further develop muscles for singletons which we'll use here.

Speaking of navigation; Lili and Todd's puppy scooted herself around the inside perimeter of the entire whelping box this morning! She sided up to the bottom wall and scooted her little self completely around. I couldn't help but wonder what that experience is teaching her. Sherry and Sheri's pup is mommas favorite, I think that's because she had such a hard time with him being breech. I was studying his markings this morning, he has a perfect heart on his shoulder, and a real nicely marked face/head.

In a few days, we will add a small carpet remant to the whelping box. This will remain under the light (as long as mom doesn't move it). We have found this absorbs the heat in one spot, and the pups navigate on and off of that frequently during the day. It's also useful to us in determining if they are too warm or too hot, not only depending on the thermometer. When it's just right, the pups tend to lay apart from each other and further away from where the heat from the overhead infrared light is focused. If it is too cool for the pups, they will gravitate towards each other, and onto the carpet pad, eventually piggy backing. Although the temperature remains consistent, there are variables involved. Sometimes Wish will scoop the pups up to nurse, and turn her back to the heat lamp. In the days and weeks ahead, the use of the heat lamp and supplemental heat will be decreased of course. It may be July - but it's Maine, and our dog house is a separate building which can get very cool at night. Especially when we have this damp rainy weather of late. On the other hand - we have air conditioning for the dog house as well!

Well that's about all the time I have because there are more kennel chores calling my name at the moment. I did see the sun awhile ago, where did it go?