ATB: And On the Ninth Day



The puppies are still tiny enough to fit in the palm of my hands.  I love the way a pup will wiggle and snuggle as I hold it.  They seem delighted to discover my fingers while sniffing then trying to mouth them, uncertain of what they are exploring.  Slowly and gently I bring their pudgy, roly-poly bodies up closer to my face. As I do they react to the subtle movement of being lifted. Ever so gently I reposition them so that we are face to face although the eyes remain closed. Patiently, I wait for a reaction as I bring the sweet little puppy ever closer, my nose and my breath right there to be discovered.  Soon I am rewarded with the fresh clean intoxicating scent of puppy breath.

Hemi and Treasures beautiful litter of 8 Brittany puppies is 9 days old today.  Soon, their eyes will open, marking the end of the neo natal period and the beginning of the 'transitional period'. (Those following along in the ART OF RAISING A PUPPY book can take note!)  Today I detected the teeniest and tiniest of little slits from the inner corner of one of the pups eyes.

The smallest puppy in this litter is "Chris".  He barely weighed 6 oz. when born but every day he has gained steadily and now he weighs 1 pound.  Chris is no slouch when it comes to rooting around among his littermates to find an open spot to nurse!

Treasure keeps her 'nest' and it's precious inhabitants absolutely immaculate. She is fastidious in the care of her puppies and has strong maternal instincts.  Although it would appear to the unobservant eye that not much is going on in the whelping box there is in fact a whole new universe developing so to speak, other planets soon to be heard from!  It won't be long before these near reverent and serene moments of blissful quietness turn into a whirlwind of busy-ness, noise, activities and exuberant joyfulness. And when that happens, the "birthing suite" will be transformed to a spacious puppy playpen with most of the current furnishings removed.

I know breeding is not for everyone. And I know not all breeders approach their programs the same way. Fortunately, I do have the opportunity to devote a lot of time to Treasure and her pups. It is now going on two weeks since I have moved in to the puppy cave.  But I am here because it's where I want to be not because it is where I have to be. There is a world of difference.  Yes these are 'just animals.'  Yes the mother dog takes care of everything the first few weeks. Yes I could even leave them all alone and go off for the day and they'd still be fine. But I really don't want to miss a moment, I don't want to miss it for the world. John and I are a team together. As surely as he runs the dogs in the fields, takes them for training, and travels where the birds are while I stay home to take care of the crew - so do I devote all my time, resources, and ability to the rearing of each litter of pups for the first 8 weeks.

A few weeks ago John brought home an enormous orthopedic dog bed.  The covering is like a faux suede and inside is an" egg crate"  foam mattress. Per usual, he found a bargain of a bargain when he found that and wished they had more than one!  We decided that for the time being Treasure would be the one who could benefit the most from it.  I like it too because I can easily and comfortably use it while on the floor next to the whelping box.

Buck, Hope, Comet, Donna, Dasher, Holly, Chris, and Cupid just fascinate me.  I look at them and realize I already "know" them.  Soon I should easily recognize various  expressions and behaviors in them.  There will be such a familiarity about them.  This that is familiar with enable me to easily identify all things new.  That's a lot of fun to do. 

At 9 days old the pups have daily already been handled according to the bio-sensor method. I think there's a page link over to the right here explaining that more fully.  But basically it is a structured early stimulation process designed to develop the highest level of intelligence possible.  It doesn't take a lot of time and each day each puppy goes through the same few exercises every day.

Another thing we enjoy doing once their ears are open is introducing them to a sound effects CD.  Prior to that we do try to keep noises to a minimum while their ears open. Anyone who has visited pups here can probably remember that there is always quiet music playing in the background. This is because when their ears do open I want to be sure that they are not jarred into a rude reality of loud noises.  Just my preference. And as the eyes begin to open this week, we'll make sure the curtains are drawn when the sun is the brightest. These babies don't need the brilliance of the morning sun shining into their newborn eyes. A lot of things that we take for granted we realize not every breeder does nor has the convenience of doing things this way.

We will be looking for the wobbly, unsteady movement of short, little, chubby  legs to suddenly propel an unexpected puppy across the whelping box sometime this coming week. Just as rapidly as the pup lurches forward so it will suddenly kick it into reverse and they will clumsily walk backwards.  Funniest thing ever and we have always called this the 'drunken sailor' stage. We have always provided a disclosure when using this statement as well; we surely mean no disrespect to any sailor anywhere!! Very young Brittany pups who are learning to walk truly provide plenty of opportunity for comic relief.

Our good friend Julie is such an important part of All Things Brittany. She supports us, encourages us, motivate us and truly demonstrates unconditional love and friendship. One way she does this is by crocheting a puppy blanket for every puppy to take with them when they go home. We tell her she doesn't have to do this but it is a labor of love.  These blankets are used while the pups are here, gently loved on, laundered frequently and then when they go home the scent of momma and littermates go with them. Not only does she crochet all these beautiful blankets, but she keeps track of the colors.  In this case there will be one blanket with the same color as Treasures and one blanket the same color as Hemis.  She also will repair the blankets.

 Julie is a blessing in many ways including often adding to our ever growing ATB library.  One book that she added years ago is called "Another Piece of the Puppy Puzzle" which I refer to frequently when raising a Brittany puppy. There are many, many development tools for a young litter including how to clicker train a litter to sit all at the same time and wait for their food.  THAT is quite amazing.  We always recommend that an owner might continue with clicker training, it's a successful tool for very young pups shaping positive behavior at a very early age.

I'll continue to provide updates here and on Facebook. I had thought of doing a private FB page for the family of ALL THINGS HOPED FOR but decided against it.  I know that there are those who enjoy following us when we have pups.

No matter how much devotion is poured out upon these pups I will never feel as though I have done all that I could do to prepare them for the first day of the rest of their lives. In the meantime though, I'm just simply planning to take things one day at a time and enjoy these very wonderful, special days. I have taken so many photos and videos I'll never have time to edit/upload half of them but will try to keep them coming.

Hope that you are all ready for Christmas and that this weekend sees you enjoying the last minute preparations. Whether shopping, baking, visiting, traveling or any number of things - I hope you do find time to reflect upon the birth of Jesus, what does it mean to you or for you, and share some special reflective moments with those who you love.  Thank you for your interest and as always, God bless you and yours! John, Ann, and All Things Brittany