Hopefully you enjoyed todays earlier update “Marchstone Minions”

The puppies have enjoyed having the extra space to play.  Primarily we extended the whelping box to ensure Maggie can lay down easier as now the pups are so much more mobile it is harder for her to laydown when they are getting in the way so easily!  The bonus of giving them extra space is they can stretch and explore instead of being in such a confined area.

Feedtime/Playtime

I hope you enjoy the video of them “playing“.  Katherine also recorded a nice clip entitled “Puppies”

We have also given the puppies a very small introduction to food.  We will give them a little more tomorrow, today was about giving them a taster to see how they reacted to having food!

Mr Blue’s First Meal

Mr Red’s First Meal

Miss Pink’s First Meal

Mr Orange’s First Meal

Mr Yellow’s First Meal

Mr Purple’s First Meal

and finally.. Mr Yellow plays with a toy bigger than he is! (super cute!)

Photos have been added to the gallery

I have had confirmation of the pedigree names of the puppies.

They are as follows:

(allocated in order of birth!)

Yellow Dog “Marchstone A Gift in a Minion”

Black Dog “Marchstone Making Miracles”

Black Bitch “Marchstone Made by Maggie”

Yellow Dog “Marchstone One in a Minion”

Black Dog “Marchstone Make Belief”

Black Dog “Marchstone Minion Luv Songs”

A small update for today – I have done a hearing test on all the puppies, using a squeaky toy.  They responded to the noise in both ears.  Clearly this is not a conclusive test but hopefully one that can be deemed very encouraging!

We have also had a move around of the pen to enable them space to grow!

Maggie’s puppies are now interacting with each other, learning how to play with each other which is so very sweet.   Im trying very hard to not fall for these little ones…..but it will happen as they are far too cute.

We have had more visitors today, a friend with her beautiful son Harry.  He was so excited to see the puppies and so very well behaved.  It was lovely to see them both.  Harry helped me find the perfect name for Mr Yellow “Baby Jake”

We have also seen another set of buyers who again, fill me with utter confidence that they will love their new addition and have the pups welfare as a high priority.  Today is there wedding anniversary so it was lovely for them to enjoy puppy cuddles.  Happy Anniversary!!!

Maggie is losing a little bit of condition in her coat, this is called a lactation moult, feeding puppies is an exhaustive role which will end up with some impact on the mother.    It is important to keep her calcium levels up to keep some balance with the needs of feeding her puppies.  Unfortunately there is little I can do to prevent her losing her beautiful coat.  We haven’t experienced this before with Molly, it is something that does happen in bitches when feeding puppies so it isn’t anything to be concerned about as her coat will recover in time.

I am monitoring her nutritional needs with a chart which I am constantly checking.  She is having four meals a day and over two litres of additional fluids in the way of goats milk.  She is very much enjoying being waited on, as she is given cheese and nutriplus gel whilst she is in the whelping box too.

Here are some wonderful videos – they all have the AHHHHH factor!  You have been warned there is cute overload in these videos.  Katherine has taken some lovely video clips!

Feeding time at 18 days

Pups at the starting line

Puppies close up

Puppies playing

Pictures have been uploaded into the gallery!

The puppies are developing before my eyes!  They are putting into practice walking as much as they can between feeding and sleeping.  They are also able to sit up…supporting their heads whilst they are laying down.  They are wagging their tails (AWWWWWW) and just generally are being amazing!  I considered getting them into a sit stay as several are sitting really lovely… but felt there was a chance I might have been doing dog training just a little early!

As part of the milestones – I hadn’t mentioned that they are now able to wee and poo without the stimulation from Maggie.

I am so pleased to see how they are progressing.

A slight alteration to Mr Oranges name – Jorge.  To be in keeping with our Marchstone Minions!

I have added photos to the gallery

Here are a few videos :

Mr Yellow Wags his tail

Mr Yellow CUTE!

Mr Purple Wags his tail

Mr Orange wags his tail

The Big Race!

The puppies are putting plenty of practise in with their walking skills.  It is lovely to see them striding along then toppling over, it is almost as though they don’t know how to stop yet!

They are enjoying sitting up and looking around.  We are seeing a few of them wagging their tails which is so sweet.  The puppies have little dreams when they are asleep – presumably dreaming of rabbits or ducks as it is in their breeding to retrieve them!

All of the puppies eyes are now completely open, so I will need to be careful for only another day or so longer to protect their eyes from the flash of the camera.

I wonder what they think of their new surroundings, they seem to be looking at everything with wonder!

We have had another lovely family come to view the puppies.  I couldn’t be happier to entrust my sweet puppies to the families who have come so far!   I am getting to hear some wonderful name choices too!  I am loving one from today in particular, (I wont mention it here without checking with the family first!!).  I have found a name that suits Mr Red – and that is “Raymond”.  So that leaves me Mr Yellow.  His name will come to me in time!

We have been cuddling them today and have discovered they do like to be sung to!  How sweet is that!!!  It seems to soothe them to sleep!

Here is a video from today

Tottering tiny tots!

The puppies have seemed to have turned a little corner with their level of activity, going from 50:50 sleeping and eating, we are now getting periods of time where they are exploring the pen, stretching their legs – practising their new skills.

The puppies ears are starting to open up, the canal becoming more evident as the ear flap grows.

From a breeders point of view, we worry about so many things with our beloved girl being pregnant, to going through labour and how she recovers, how she copes at being a mum to worrying about every little thing about the puppies.    A big part of being a breeder is welfare and this then extends to the new owners.  A good breeder will worry about how to select their new owners from the many enquiries they receive.    It is such a comfort getting to know our new families.  Our new families are being trusted with the care of our special charges!

Today we met two more new families, who are both really lovey.  Our puppies will be very well placed within these homes.  Very exciting times ahead for them, for both “oomans” and the puppies!

Here are a couple of videos from today.

Puppies finding their feet

Wriggle Monsters!

A basket full of gorgeous pupsters!!!!!! (((SWOON!!!)))

The puppies were very active just before Maggie came back in from the garden, so I was able to get a video clip of the puppies moving about!

Getting to the milk bar before closing time

I have given names to four of the puppies now, but obviously will not actually be calling them by their names as they will all respond to “Puppy Puppy Puppy”  They cannot learn individual names when still in a litter, as having six pups means they wont know who you are calling if lots of names are flying about – so they all react to Puppy very well.

Names so far:

Mr Purple is Humphrey
Miss Pink is Milly Mouse
Mr Orange is George
Mr Blue is Albert

Mr Yellow and Mr Red will be named all in good time!

Today we have had two sets of families visit, to view the puppies.  I think our puppies will have very happy homes to go to.  They will be loved and cherished very much.

I have been making a few comparisons with this litter to Molly’s puppies.  Our class of 2015 are doing incredibly well.  At the age of two weeks it is this litter who have had a puppy to break the weight barrier of over 3lbs!  (with two puppies weighing over 3lbs).

When comparing the smallest size puppies…. our Miss Pink has broken the mould!  Usually our smallest puppy, at the age of two weeks is roughly 1lb 15oz – 2lbs.  But Miss Pink has excelled and surpassed all expectations at 2lbs 7.4oz

It is such a joy to see these puppies quite literally growing before our eyes with their development totally on target.  The ears are also starting to open up – as up until now the ear canal has been sealed!

We are already a quarter of the way in on our journey – time is flying by!  We have just 6 weeks left with our pups – then chaos will soon be the theme of our day!

I have added photos to the gallery!

But for now here is the obligatory puppy belly photo!

As the puppies are growing so rapidly – I will tomorrow, take my last photos of the puppies in a basket (we had an escapee from the basket this morning!) so will have to find something else to put them in for cute photos!

My beautiful puppies are doing so well.

I am thoroughly enjoying seeing little dreamy eyes peeping back at me.   Not all of the puppies eyes are open yet.

They are spending their days mainly feeding and sleeping, their periods of activity are rushing to the milkbar before closing time!  This is the time when they grow stronger by the day!

They are all gaining weight very well indeed with some putting on over 4oz a day, the typical weight gain is usually up to 2 ounces.

I am so proud of Maggie – she is a modern day Mum, spending lots of time with her babies, but also knows she needs her own “me” time.  She has been treated to a rather large deer antler (from my friend Louise) and she did spend a good fifteen minutes yomping on that whilst her babies were waiting for their milk.  Maggie learnt very quickly that getting into the whelping box safely had to be a calculated manoeuvre.  She picks her safe place to sit, the pups all graduate in her direction.  Once all puppies are in her “zone” she then goes to the other side of the whelping box, settles down all comfy before her puppies come rushing back!

The pups have all been registered, subject to confirmation of my chosen names.  The paperwork should be received in the next week or so.

Here are a few videos from today.

Mr Yellow Walking

Puppy mayhem

Rush to the bar before closing

Puppies settling down after the milkbar closes

It is always a pleasure to update a dairy with developmental stages being reached.

The eyes are opening up (having kept me waiting a few days, I was convinced they were about to open up within a couple of days!) I can see the little eyes peeping back.  I cant wait to see the pups looking back at me properly.

The puppies are making positive steps in the right direction – they are all making such great efforts at lifting themselves off the ground.

All of the puppies are in their second stage collars now – with Miss Pink completing the set!

12 days old and on the move