TT Puppies at 7 to 8 weeks old

Well how much fun are 7 week puppies? 

I'd put fun above hard work, but they are time consuming (I wouldn't have it any other way)...

All the puppies now have lovely new homes to go to and new names, but they'll be with us for at least another few weeks or so.

There are advantages and disadvantages to summer time puppies. The advantages for us breeding them at that time (and really not having any choice), is that we can open the back door, and the puppies just love playing in the garden. This keeps our carpets clear of puppy poop etc!

The disadvantages though are maybe for the puppy's family, in that due to long time prearranged commitments, the puppy's can't venture into their new homes at 8 weeks, but will be leaving at 9 to nearly 11 weeks old.  But I know that all the families are really excited about their new family member.

Orio (previously Claude) learnt last week how to jump out of the whelping box at night and kept leaving me little parcels in the lounge. The funny thing was though, that he got back into the box as if nothing had happened!

When Sky (our girl) started to do the same, it was time to take action, and we took out the pig rails.  So far so good. 

That was until last night when a parcel was left at the bottom of the stairs (Sky's spot).  Time for a re-think, I think!

Playing

Our four Tibetan Terrier puppies (3 boys, 1 girl) are having a whale of a time! Summer, their mum, has just started to play with them and in general, is returning gradually to her pre-pregnant self. She spent about 20 or so minutes playing with Zeus (previously Ryan) the other night, rolling him, tapping him with her paws, jumping around him - it was a joy to watch.  She's since done the same with Mario (previously Sable), who is a bit like his name sake, Super Mario, darting around the garden. I'm sure she'll do the same with Oreo (previously Claude) soon.

The toys the puppies like are their small soft toys which we bought from charity shops, and the toys some of our friends have bought them too. Small chewy toys which they can pick up easily. Empty toilet rolls and kitchen rolls, go down very well. My slippers. Our toes. Anything hanging on the washing line that they can reach. Small sticks and branches. Summer's ears. Corners of mats. Dish clothes and socks pupped out of the washing basket as I take them out of the washing machine...  You get the picture!

Newspaper

I've been so thankful for all the newspaper that our friends and friends of friends have supplied us with. You just can't have enough! We filled two shelves of a cupboard and as it keeps being topped up, we haven't emptied a shelf yet.  I will be giving bundles to our puppy's families to use. It really soon goes...

Inoculations

Yesterday (Wednesday), we took the puppies (and Summer) to have their first inoculations. They were very good and the vet was lovely. She also gave them all a good check, listening to their hearts, checking every nook and cranny, and all were given a very good bill of health!

Tomorrow, we will be going back to the vets for the TT puppy's final (whilst with us) dose of worming medicine. It's a three day course, given by syringe. It tastes really nasty (if the puppy's faces are anything to go by)!!

Puppies need to be wormed EVERY month - at LEAST - up to 6 months. As Sky will be staying with us, once the other puppies have gone to their homes, we'll be starting her on Advocat. If your dog or puppy laps at puddle water (as the advert says), your dog is in danger of lung worm which is carried by slugs and snails. Lung worm, if not treated, can kill your dog, so just know the signs to spot. It also keeps fleas away, and we've found that ticks don't develop as quickly and sometimes even die (horrid things) with Advocat!




I'm in the middle of preparing a load of photos to load. I'll TRY to get these on the site tomorrow.

Tibetan Terrier Puppies - 4 1/2 weeks old

Well what a week!

This hot temperature has been brilliant for drying oddles of 'vet bed', now our little Tibetan Terrier puppies - 1, 2, 3 and 4 - are weaning and then weeing and pooping, ALL over the place...

Above: Claude (left), Ryan, Sable (and Sky asleep in the back)

The Three Boys

Sleepy Sky

"I love my mummy" says Ryan!

Ryan (sitting), Sky and Claude (sleeping)

Summer with her chew. She wanted to hide it in the puppy play area! But ate it instead...

UPDATE

In the last week, the four puppies have not only leant to walk, but now run too! And they are just so funny!!

Eventually their little TT tails will curl over their backs, but for now the pups look a little like a fair ground bumper cars, with tails stuck straight up in the air and running backwards as well as forwards.

They can all escape from the open door of their whelping box and so we've turned the box around so they have a playing area, and have put some fencing up in front of one of the 'french doors' so there is a cool breeze blowing into the room.

Feeding Puppies

At just over 3 weeks, I started to wean our gorgeous puppies (named for now, Sky (no e), Claude, Ryan and Sable). We had managed to nearly get through 12kg of Royal Canin Starter Mother and Babydogs for Medium Dogs, and then couldn't buy any in the shops. The puppies had about four days on this, and really loved it, but then we had to find an alternative and decided on Arden Grange Weaning/Puppy.

The Arden Grange didn't go down quite as well, so I started making up a mixture of very diluted puppy milk - and now they all love it!  I also went for an Arden Grange Adult food, so that I have now started weaning Summer, their mum, off the puppy food.

But Summer is still feeding them, and cleaning up their poop!

I have to say though, that for all of them, they have scrambled egg for breakfast. Summer has an egg mixed in with her biscuit, and the TT pups have it on it's own.

The puppies can now stand up in front of a bowl, but they get distracted, so I sit with one at a time, making sure they eat properly, and enticing them if they try to disappear to play!!


Kennel Club Registration

We have finally decided on the Kennel Club names for all the pups. I'll tell you when they've been confirmed, but the paperwork has been sent off, and it's all in the hands of The KC now.

7th & 8th July 2013 - Pee Pee Puppies

I've had quite fun with the puppies today!

The Sable and White TT can definately move quicker and with greater ease than the others! These little faces appeared over the whelping box door opening- 3 of the 4 - trying to escape?! Whilst Skye slept, I bought out the 3 boys and put them on the carpet.  Summer quickly appeared (we call her the vampire because she 'just appears' when you're trying to steal a puppy!!), and the 'feeding frenzy' race began. Summer turned a few circles deciding that clean puppy bottems was preferable to having to lie still and feed. As she turned, Sable & White got on his four feet and it looked like he was chasing her, although he could really only manage four or so steps!  It was the first time, I'd seen more than 2 steps. Such fun!!

I can't work out why this picture is portrait when I cropped it to landscape, but here is a cheeky little face, looking for fun!!

Our Tibetan Terrier team are now looking less like guinea pigs and a little more like REAL puppies.  Their eyes are more open, although you can tell they can't see as clearly as they will be able to, yet. Their ears are more than little flaps and more like the start of TT ears which are opening and not just little buds.

Their nails are growing sooo fast - and I think I'll have to give them their 3rd nail cut in 2 1/2 weeks! Poor Summer, when they pad at her teats!

Their hair is starting to get a little thicker too.

But their tails are still little sausages! I can't believe that they'll have the lovely TT curl up tail!

Four little puppies...all in  row...

And why pee pee puppies???

Now the puppies are larger, there is more wee...  Twice today, I've been holding a puppy (different one each time), and I let Summer lick their tummies and make them wee.  Then she turns her head to look at something else.....and I have a puppy sprinkling wee everywhere!

First Stage of Labour - At Last!

This morning I went out and as I was sitting in my car ready to come home at 11.30am, I got a call from my 18 year old daughter, "Mum, Summer's under the bath and making funny noises like she's in pain". 

I suggested my daughter get something nice that Summer would like to eat and lure her out.

About 15 minutes later, "Mum, Summer's in the box under your bed".  Same response. Doors all closed.

I got home and having set up her whelping box yesterday with newspaper and vet bed remnants (saving the nice pieces for later), found Summer happily in there. Well not totally happy.

It is now 6.30pm.

Summer has been alternating between ripping up the newspaper in her whelping box and trying to relax in the bottom of a doorless cupboard for hours. Very restless.

I have spoken to Claude (the super stud)'s owner and experienced breeder, Rose, and she has confirmed that Summer is in the first stages of labour.

So, guys, hopefully when you wake up in the morning, we'll have a whole set of gorgeous, tiny, Tibetan Terrier puppies!

Where to Sleep...

Summer used to do this...

...curl up on "her" sofa...

...but now she can't bend in the middle so is trying to find a nice alternative...

...under the stairs with her head in the cupboard?...

...in the kitchen on the cold floor?...

...maybe in her whelping box?... (we hope!)

...or maybe BY her whelping box?... (more like it)