These little puppies are capturing my heart! This morning we had a few more little eyes peeping back at us and then throughout the day they have opened. Anyone who knows me, will know just how much this means to me. It is not just the start of them accomplishing their milestones for me. I feel so blessed at this point to witness this special time.

I have a video from this morning

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMNLFX1ME/?k=1

another little video…. https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMNLYjwGs/?k=1

I have taken some photos using a different lighting system so no flash was involved.

So today is classed as an official milestone day. So very happy!

Miss Orange

I have also added photos to the puppies gallery.

What a beautiful day to have puppies. I have felt so much pride in my pups today as they are reaching their milestones. One of the puppies has completely opened her eyes. WIth another pup not far behind at all. It is something that I don’t think I can describe enough just how special this is to me. Seeing their wonderful little eyes is honestly like looking into their soul. It is such a magical time. My heart was certainly full this morning.

Tilly is being a fantastic mum, very thorough with tending to the pups needs and feeding them relentlessly. As a result of how much time she spends feeding them, she takes any and every opportunity to have food. 4 meals a day plus all the extras (cheese/goats milk/nutriplus gel) is the aim. In reality she is probably having 5 meals a day as she often asks for a meal during the night too!

Here is a video with Miss Yellow – it was the exact moment I saw her eyes for the first time.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMN8adVgC/?k=1

Two of the puppies are now in their next stage collars! Exciting times – it wont be long until all of the puppies are in their ribbon collars.

The puppies develop so quickly that they go from foam collars, to ribbon collars and then just before they are ready to leave me they are in either cat collars or small pup collars. It can feel constant checking and changing the collars but it is very important to remain vigilant and observant.

A video from this evening….

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMN8se8fG/?k=1

Cant wait to see what tomorrow brings.

So I didnt get to do a post yesterday – here is a video of them at 11 days old. They have suddenly become very active. It is really lovely to see their mobility improving (and the speed being increased!)

Apologies for the overlay of the audio I chose! I found something much nicer afterwards but cant get that as a link now. So watch with the sound down.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMN8Jy8vY/?k=1

I started to clip their claws when they were 9 days old, it is a tricky task as they need to be still long enough for me to aim for such a small target without risk of over doing it! So I keep a list of which claws have been trimmed and then keep taking opportunities to finish the job! Today I finished trimming the remaining 2 puppies claws. So this will need repeating in approximately 7 to 10 days time. It is important to not clip their claws too short otherwise you could catch the quick which then bleeds, this then encourages the quick to grow longer (making it easier to accidentally cut the claws at the quick in the future).

A job that is done twice a day, every day, is checking the collars. They grow so rapidly that the collars can be snug overnight. The collars made of foam and do not create any risk as they snap easily.

They are making some lovely little squeeks and warbling noises but I am starting to hear little dog noises too that are not far off a little growl!

Photos from last night.

The puppies are getting so big. This period of time shows such rapid growth where they have all achieved double their birth weight in a short space of time, just 7 days. Their mobility is getting stronger and stronger, it wont be long before we see some proper tottering about.

Three of the puppies are starting to show signs of their eyes opening – so hopefully in a few days time we will be seeing their beautiful eyes.

Today marks the start of clipping their claws. This is a job that takes time and lots of patience. It is very important to clip their claws as they become quite hooked in shape. I will be having to clip their claws every 7 to 10 days. If I don’t clip their claws regularly then they will cause lots of scratches to poor Tilly’s tummy and teats, as to stimulate the milk to flow the pups paddle their paws around the teat.

Here is an adorable little video from last night.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMNRRkTtj/?k=1

Photos taken two days ago – when they were 6 days old!

The puppies are so delightful. Im thoroughly enjoying cuddles with them.

The layout of our set up of the whelping box means that Tilly can come and go from the puppies as she pleases, so she is now having a well deserved break from her puppies between feeds. She chooses to sit just outside the box and watches them!!

Tilly will need to continue with the high level of food intake all whilst she is feeding the puppies – she really loves the silver service treatment of having her food delivered to her! Currently she is having 4 meals a day with extras such as cheese, nutriplus gel and goats milk. It is important to ensure the meals are spread out otherwise Tilly would get an upset tummy. If she was feeding more puppies she would need a higher nutritional intake!!

Here are a couple of videos from today for you to enjoy!

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMNdU2Swe/?k=1

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMNdDpgCa/?k=1

I have some photos to upload from Friday (6 days old) I always have problems with data being swallowed up on my various devices which then makes it hard to upload photos as both my laptop and my mobile have very little memory left!!! (I have ordered another external hard drive to cope!!) so watch this space for some photos!

Wilma has been watching over “her” puppies. She actually cannot believe her luck! She is beside herself with joy when she watches them. Wilma keeps bringing them gifts, we have a tally so far of 1 ball, 1 soft toy, a slipper presented twice and 2 deer antler deliveries!

The puppies are doing so well. They are getting faster at wriggling around the whelping box. I always worry that someones perception of them moving about in the pen at this stage means something is wrong, when in fact this is how they start out. Their legs are getting stronger all the time, It wont be long before they are making those first faltering steps, makes me so proud to watch!

BUT… we have the excitement of the eyes opening first ! Adorable. I just cant wait to see those little dreamy eyes!

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMNe3ddTL/?k=1

The puppies are doing so well, they are ahead of their first target! So I am really happy with their progress.

It is expected that puppies should double their birthweight in the space of a week. 4 out of the 6 puppies have surpassed doubling their birthweight with the remaining two not far behind. They will probably meet this target of doubling their weight by this evening.

I am going to have clip their claws in the next day or so otherwise they could end up scratching their mum when they are feeding. This is something I usually do when they are asleep, as it requires a steady hand and patience!

When puppies are born, they can not walk but can only drag themselves about, relying heavily on their noses to work out where they should be ending up!

So as the days go by they are getting stronger and stronger, it is noticeable the physical improvements they make. They are able to push with their legs far more now, pushing upwards with obvious strength as they hold their bodies up! (I do love watching this process of development).

They are all continuing to gain weight which gives me reassurance that everything is going in the right direction.

Here are a few photos from yesterday.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMN1CeY7Y/?k=1

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMN1Cd5CM/?k=1

(Please click on the links to watch some short videos!)

The puppies are all putting on weight really well. I have had to adjust their collars – this is something I have to keep an eye on at least twice a day as they are growing so quickly. They have all lost their little umbilical cords now (most of them fell off yesterday).

They have been “paddling” around the whelping box, building strength in their legs. One of my favourite developmental stages is watching them learn how to walk. Those tottering steps are so special to watch. That I, as their breeder feel immense pride to witness this firsthand, cant wait!

Today we had a development whereby Tilly felt relaxed enough to allow Wilma (the puppies big sister) and Maggie (Nonna) to look at the pups. What strikes me is that Wilma knew her mum was going to be ok about it and was very respectful towards her mum when she sniffed the puppies. (I hope she remains respectful and doesn’t push the boundaries!)

We are always guided by Mum as to whether the other dogs can be around her as she mustn’t get stressed out. Stanley and Melvin so far have not even looked at the whelping box, let alone looking inside it! Lucy, surprisingly has stayed away.