Do Young Puppies Want / Need Toys? When?, Only 17 days old, but growing fast! Options

[Vera]

Gorgeous!

This may be a useful resource: The Puppy Plan

Downloadable info booklets for both early care givers and new owners

Exactely that, I was going to give you the same link. Here's the actual booklet, which is excellent: The Puppy Plan for Breeders and early Caregivers

[Sezza]

OOh thank you!

That's a great resource!

I've been getting tips and hints from other who have brought up litters, but they have been a bit erratic, i.e. different people tell me about different aspects, but no one has given be a blow-by-blow daily schedule!

Plus I've been reading personal items from several on the internet - but nothing as structured as this! Got plenty of ideas, but not all in one place.

My next challenge will be to try and determine what their breeding (type) is likely to be. Mum is definataely a pointer-type - best guess English Pointer / GSP / Black Labrador in some combination, and a lovely easy friendly girl, but Dad completely unknown (and of course there might have been Dads plural!

I am hoping that by about 4-5 weeks old I will have a better idea, and can then take some more individual portraits of each puppy and start to advertise for homes for them.

... and as mentioned above, I can see me having 'fun; in the coming weeks, which is in part what prompted me to buy a rather stronger puppy pen as I couldn't see the smaller / lighter ones coping with 9 active pups!!!

So watch this space ......

Sezza

[muttlover2]

They look a bit collie from the markings - but maybe that's pointer markings too.

Aren't they gorgeous? And seriously impressed with your pen. And dedication. Lovely mum too.

[KarenP]

The puppies are cute but mum is really lovely - she looks rather like my lab/pointer cross looked.

Hope that the puppies enjoy their new toys!

[Sezza]

They look a bit collie from the markings - but maybe that's pointer markings too.

Aren't they gorgeous? And seriously impressed with your pen. And dedication. Lovely mum too.

... certainly 'Mummy's Boy' has collie markings i.e. a black body with 4 white stockings, white chest, tummy and ruff and white on his face. But the others are quite different!

So whilst Collie is likely to be represneted as part of Dad, think there's something else there too!

4 were born white with black patches - a typic English Pointer colouring (amongst other breeds) but one of those is getting increasingly 'grubby' on the white bits and becoming more roan or flecked - maybe like a spaniel or setter?

'Grubby' ....



2 are solid black with a bit of white / ticking on the chest like their Mum.



Final 2 are a very dark brown with pale apricot to their inner legs and under the tail and stockings ........ (with collie boy to their immediate left)



Here's one of teh smallest brown girl at about 4 days old ...



So possibly a right mixture!

Sezza

[jackied]

Gorgeous pups and mum too! I admire you for taking them all on.

This post has been edited by jackied: 9th Apr 2012, 11:32 am

[Sezza]

Toy Update

Well as I live in a very rural area, and I don't like shoping, I rarely go into the local towns (where the charity shops are), but I do go to my local (12 miles away) Tesco Extra once a week.

Today was the day ......

.... and I found these on offer - you don't think I've gone a bit OTT do you?



OK, they are a bit big! But I thought that would mean plenty of room for all to have a go, and if / when they lose their stuffing, there will be plenty of 'skin' to go around

I would have loved to get a Tigger - also on offer, but that only had a spngeable outer, whereas this bear and rabbit are machine washable, which I think will be a must!

They were reduced from £7.00 each to £1.75 each, so I think a bit of a bargain, and worth spending out on.

Not sure when I'll actually donate them, as I *think* if I hunt around I will probably find some smaller toys around the place to start them on, but at least we are now prepared!

Sezza

[Deerhounder]

Ahh I'm another that was going to link you to The Puppy Plan stuff!

There is also Ian Dunbars very similar program which will be on Dogstardaily.com somewhere - it covers the same stuff though possibly in a bit more detail and tells you all you need to do so that pups really have the best start possible, even the beginnings of recall, housetraining, chew toy training, being left in crates (building up from a few seconds) and also socialisation with a huge number of people before they go to their new homes.

[our little godsend]

I've been getting tips and hints from other who have brought up litters, but they have been a bit erratic, i.e. different people tell me about different aspects, but no one has given be a blow-by-blow daily schedule!


Sezza

Just picking up on this bit TBH, raising puppies is much the same as raising a baby/child. There is no set way to do it, you can get all the advice in the world but at the end of the day it's just a matter of flying by on a wing and a prayer and doing the best you can - you are doing a fab job btw

The pups are gorgeous and your set up is second to none. You've come up trumph's considering you aren't a dab hand at it I look forward to more pics xxxx

[Sezza]

Well considering I was an unprepared and completly novice Aunty, I have been lucky that some things were easy to put into place.

On the +side, I had a big enough kitchen that I could dedicate an area for the puppies; I have plenty of dog beds around; plenty of chunks of fleece;etc.

I have only had to buy the puppy-pen (and am so glad I took the advice to get a bigger / stronger one than average ); I have purchased a cheap piece of vinyl flooring to protect my laminate under the pen area as I was warned that copious puppy wees wouldn't do the laminate any favours; and I have bought a job lot of extra strong kitchen towels for mopping up with!

I am also blessed by having an excellent Mum, who considering she barely knw me, has been an absolute star She has such a lovely temperament and has been so good, it has made things much easier.

Finally, my own 3 dogs have been really good since their routine completely disrupted! No access at all to the kitchen for the first week the pups were in there, and far fewer walks than normal - none at all for almost 2 weeks whilst I was initially waiting for the pups to come, as I felt I couldn't leave Mum, and then for the first few days after the pups arrived for the same reason.

So all in all, it has been relatively plain sailing so far.

(Oh, and love the advice to bring them up like kids - I've never had kids, so that probably doesn't help - although I do understand the principle. Although I have foaled 5 mares in the past, but that rather different as you are only dealing with one baby at a time, and they live outside! )

Sezza

[Beaky]

I think you've got some proper little mongrels on your hands there

[poppygirl]

what gorgeous pups and mum is

well done you for taking them on, especially with all the stuff you already do with the pointers

I shall be watching this space if mum needs a home

[Sezza]

....... gobby and noisy puppies!

A short video clip of the pup[ies this evening. They are onloy 18 days old, but realy getting active (and increasingly noisy!!!)

A short video of Chloe's 9 puppies at 18 days old

N.B. All the bits of maybe poo are in fact puppy kibble, as they were so excited because Chloe was being fed outside the pen (as she gets mugged if I feed her inside it), I decided to scatter a bit of dry kibble just to see iif anyone was up for it!

... and they've just discovered how to growl!!!

Enjoy.

Sezza


This post has been edited by Sezza: 9th Apr 2012, 6:44 pm

[ajs]

hehe they are lovely pups sezza. Well done helping them all and their beautiful mum of course.

[alpha female]

"Pupdate" has now become my first place to check in the mornings - love the video, I hadn't realised they would be so noisy