Having Fun With Bird Wings !
They say time flies when you're having fun and I know I've been having a lot of fun the past 4 weeks. But how can it be that the Triple J litter of Bullet and Treasure are, for the most part, half way to the first day of the rest of their lives? These 11 beautiful, new, little Brittany puppies are going to make a lot of people very happy and bring joy into their heart and home. With hopes and dreams of starting off on the right food with a new puppy, planning and preparing for its' arrival carries with it a sense of urgency. And planning for it's departure brings along a sense of somber responsibility.
John and I will ask ourselves if we have done all we possibly can do to assure each precious little puppy here has received the very best possible start. I will tell him yes we have and he will tell me the same thing. But there is always the little nagging voice that says could we have done or could we be doing - more? I read and re-read my notes and that of my parents. I listen to advice from other dog breeders and we share stories, tips, and advice. I sit and watch, observe, and make mental notes of each puppy just as often as I physically can. More nights than I care to count I have fallen asleep with a pup or two or three on my lap or chest. Up until now at this 4 weeks point it really has been Treasure who has been the primary care taker in regards to their most basic needs. All of that changed today.
4 weeks of age with our Brittany puppies is always a dramatic point of change. It ushers in the natural weaning process where they will transition from nursing at their mother's side, to eating puppy food gruel from a special pan designed to make weaning easier for pups. This is a time when Treasure is beginning to snap and growl at the pups if they use their teeth while nursing. That in itself by the way is the true beginning of a puppy learning about bite inhibition. Treasure will not tolerate any puppy biting her and they quickly learn to lighten up. Even so, she gently licks and nudges a puppy closer to her after a correction. Pups need to wrestle and play, rough housing with each other and yes even try to bite each other. For this is the only way that they will learn their teeth can cause pain.
When a pup yelps it is communicating the same message that Treasure does when she corrects a nursing puppy who is using their teeth on her. It is feedback and a communication to the developing puppies which teaches them about their teeth. In a similar way, humans also need to indicate to pups that it is totally unacceptable to bite down on our skin. (There's a lot of really wierd and quite questionable methods I've heard of and seen through the years. But the one method I would always recommend for pups under a certain age is to mimic exactly what the mother does and that is to gently mouth them around the scruff of their neck enough to cause them discomfort while firmly and loudly telling them NO!) Early bite inhibition training begins right now in the whelping box with Treasure and with each puppy. They're working out their own heirarchy right now, also important for their deveopment. It is as equally important to John and I as breeders to let this heirarchy develop and to be aware of it. Otherwise we could not identify in the weeks to come the type of personality of each pup.
Treasure is fastidious when it comes to keeping her 'nest' and her pups clean. For the 1st four weeks there is little if any puppy poop ever on her puppies, so much so that you have to wonder if they ever even eliminate! A lot of this is natural instinct as in the wild the mother does not want any scents lingering that might lead a predator straight to her young ones. From this point on it becomes our responsibility to keep Treasure's pups just as clean as she did. And it's quite challenging! You figure consuming solid food at one end means that same food will exit at the other. Rather quickly I might add and usually they are quite synchronized. The biggest problem is the way they step in it and track it so we have finally settled on the use of shavings inside the puppy play pen.
Today we took up each of the indoor/outdoor carpet squares in the pups area. We replaced it with sheets of unprinted newspaper ends, layering them upon each other. For the first few days we'll watch where the pups decide to eliminate because usually they will find one specific place. Just imagine the conveinence of having 11 pups all go in the same spot. Once we've figured that out, we place a square frame about 5 inches in height in that area and fill it with fresh, clean shavings. Shavings smell good and are a natural deodorizer, the absorb moisture, and they also coat the puppy droppings which are less likely to be tracked or rolled in. There you have it - your first actual attempt towards housebreaking a puppy. Sometimes they get it wrong so I'm not trying to kid you. I mean, they may decide to reverse the purpose of their whelping box with the purpose of the framed area with shavings. With 11 puppies though - it's also possible we're just going to fill the entire puppy pen area with a layer of shavings over the paper.
From this point on we will be leaving a puppy saucer pan full of fresh clean water in with them at all times. They are old enough that they should have it available, especially with Treasure spending much more time away from them. Today as I set the food pan down I called "puppy puppy puppy" which caught their attention and they looked up. There are a few of these pups which will probably be shown. To get them to focus on me at such an early age is going to help them learn to watch a handler. Now is also the time to introduce the clicker and that library of sounds CD.
As great and as significant as reaching the 4 week mark is for dog breeders I personally feel that the greatest physical changes will occur at 5 weeks. This begins a period of maximum puppy cuteness, silliness, antics and more. And it is a time where pups are going to be as active as ever, getting into things which can mean geting themselves into trouble. Vigelence is the key, constantly watching, ever aware of the possibility and having eyes in the back of our head. Although pens and crates have a purpose for containing pups and keeping them safe, I don't believe they should be used to the exclusion of not letting them explore, play, romp and enjoy times with their littermates, other dogs, their mother and most especially - people! Fortunately, pups at this age have very short energy spurts and just as quickly as they burst onto the scene woofing, barking, jumping and playing - so do they all tucker out together, sometimes as if dominoes were falling over.
Tonight I shall weigh and photograph each pup. We did nails today and it is time for a second deworming. Pups have had a lot of visitors and this will increase in the weeks to come by family, friends, and soon to be new puppy owners. Speaking of which - it does look as if we may have another one of the boys going to an experienced Brittany hunting family!
Every day is a new adventure. The pups all run forward when approached and when hearing voices. Some are more confident than others, and there are those who are more agile than their littermates. They are playing with each other and with toys now. We shall once again be working on a group 'sit' taught with the help of a clicker, following tips published in Pat Hastings book 'Another Piece of the Puzzle' which includes a great chapter called "Clicker Training a Litter". I think it's a pretty cool thing when pups will all sit down at once when visitors come. That's a goal I hope to achieve by the time they are 6 weeks. We'll see!
Well, John has spent the day with state officials and members of a couple of bird dog clubs to discuss certain problems where land used for events has undergone some extensive excavation, thus truly raising the concerns of some of the sportsmen. I know when he comes home we will be talking about that and how to follow through. I think I need some more puppy therapy after spending time with my Rose and Molly as well as our house guest, Mr. Bogey!
Thanks for your interest and as always take care and God bless you - John, Ann, and All Things Brittany
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