Thursday, March 31, 2011

Sad news today.

Today was to be the first day of "bio-sensor" work. My post was going to show some videos and photos of the methods and the benefits that have been attributed to these techniques. But overnight our littlest puppy declined quickly. Despite supplementing, dextrose, and lots of special care, she did not make it through today. This is very hard for us all and so today, we dedicate to her. Momma Sky has her paws full still, but she keeps checking over each puppy carefully and I can't help but wonder if she is counting them.

Individual pictures

Boys...






Girls...






Wednesday, March 30, 2011

The Puppies are here!!

After a very long day and night we have 11 (yes that's right!) puppies and 1 tired momma. Sky delivered them all and hung in there for a very long delivery, like a champ. Babies are all nursing and very cute, and I promise to have pictures and details added to this very soon.

Update:
in birth order...
Puppy 1
female, patched and ticked, 13.1 oz

Puppy 2
Male, solid liver, 14 oz  (1 white front foot)

Puppy 3
Female, solid liver, 15.0 oz born 12:01pm

Puppy 4
Female, patched and ticked, 7.7 oz 12:30pm (nicknamed "littlest")

Puppy 5
Male, patched and ticked 14.4 oz, born 4:39pm

Puppy 6
Male, patched and ticked, 12.2 oz, born 6:14pm

Puppy 7
Female, solid liver, 13.9 oz, born 8:58pm

Puppy 8
Female, solid liver, 12.5 oz, born 10:40pm (white feet)

Puppy 9
Female, patched and ticked, born 10:55pm (blaze, r patch, tail patch)

Puppy 10
Male, solid liver, low APGAR, not breathing, CPR....  weak but breathing, crying, trying to nurse at 1:40am (white front feet)

Puppy 11
Male, solid liver, 12.7 oz, born 2:50am (very little white)


5 BOYS

 
                                         6 GIRLS

Monday, March 28, 2011

Silly dog -- or silly human?

After preparing the nursery and getting it ready for whelping, Sky has decided that she has no interest in staying there. She whines and paces to come inside and sleep by the bed, when she could really use the rest. I am sure she would argue that the bed would be a much better whelping place, and she would say what a silly human I am wasting all that time. So we are currently working on making the nursery room more accaptable. Which means we are spending lots of time playing and giving small exciting treats and even napping in the nursery ourselves. Oh well, at least it keeps my mind busy while I wait. Much like I was as a pregnant mommy, she is clingy, needy, and difficult to please. :)

Friday, March 25, 2011

X-rays show 10 puppies!

It gets pretty hard to count with so many, but we are all pretty sure we see 10 puppies on Sky's radiographs. I cannot seem to get the file to upload to this blog page, but all looks good so far. 8 days and counting... Sky is having to eat several small meals a day, and is starting to feel full quickly. We are putting the last finishing touches on the nursery and Sky is uncomfortably large, but otherwise happy and soaking in the attention.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Getting Close!!

Almost time and Sky is getting bigger everyday. Later today is our scheduled radiograph so I hope to post those images tomorrow. In the mean time here is a short video of some light hunting. Keeping fit and in the field is important, but we are careful to select grounds that are gentle and secure and keep it short. Still, I usually have to "convince" her to leave as she would rather keep going! So for all of those who feel that hunting during gestation helps, take a look...

Click HERE to see her hunting video

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Prenatal Care and Development

Every good breeder knows that nutrition and health are extra important during pregnancy. It is always wise to be careful, feed a high quality food, and keep mom in sound and healthy shape. We take daily runs, continue light hunting, and manage Momma Sky’s weight and diet closely. She needs extra calories, but staying fit and not “fat” is vital.
Inside, puppies are growing fast and developing rudimentary sensory and motor abilities. The research on prenatal cognitive development in puppies is limited, but there is strong evidence that maternal influences do affect the future behavior of the puppies. So our socialization program and early learning begins now, during this early developmental stage. Studies show that females exposed to highly stressful experiences during their pregnancy, tended to produce puppies that were more emotional, and that these influences occurred without relation to genetic influences (Serpall, 1995).
In dogs, the fetal nervous system is very immature, and yet there is also evidence that the mother’s corticosteroid hormones (stress hormones) do impact the development of the fetus (Serpell). According to studies by Fox, petting and gentle physical contact with a pregnant mother during her gestation leads to more docile litters. In specific, it activates the parasympathetic system, according to Fox (1978), facilitating relaxation, digestion, and emotional attachment, leading to increased socialization. The tactile sensory system begins to develop well before birth, and is one of their strongest sensations in utero. Puppies stimulated this way during the prenatal period, show a higher tolerance to touching than puppies born from mothers deprived of this tactile contact. Handling and manipulation of the mother before birth has also been shown to facilitate greater resistance to stresses such as cold and hunger, and even disease in the puppies following birth (Dehasse, 1994).
What does all this really mean? It means this is a time to help make Momma Sky comfortable, happy, and loved. Playing games like retrieving, “find it” and light hunting may help her and her puppies more than we realize. Gentle petting and stroking is a family friendly way to help the puppies and the Momma. Everyone helps out with this every day.
Perhaps I should also include some interesting research relating to olfactory development. Bird dogs and their trainers have a special interest in scent development and some recent work has been done with prenatal olfactory experiences. It was determined that when expectant mothers were exposed to a strong smell in association with food while pregnant, and the same exposure was continued during the neonatal period while their puppies were nursing, these puppies later showed a significant preference for that smell at 10 week of age. These puppies with both pre and neo natal exposure showed a greater preference than puppies with only prenatal or puppies with only neonatal exposure, as well, which does indicate that the prenatal influence exists, but may be quickly lost. (Hepper and Wells 2005) This research relates directly to food identification, as the smells likely also had a taste, and may or may not carry over to olfactory abilities like scenting for birds or following scent trails. Nevertheless, it shows that prenatal influences can have noticeable effects. Perhaps more work will be done to carry this on, soon. In the meantime is certainly cannot hurt to continue to expose the mother to the smells that we intend for the puppies to search out in the future.

Dehasse, Joel. “Sensory, Emotional and Social Development of the Young Dog “ The Bulletin for Veterinary Clinical Ethology vol. 2 (1994) : 6-29.
Fox, Michael W. The Dog: It’s Domestication and Behavior. New York, Garland, 1978.
Hepper, Peter G, and Wells, Deborah L. “ Perinatal Olfactory Learning in the Domestic Dog” Oxford Journals. Oxford UP, 2005
Serpall, James. The Domestic Dog, it’s evolution, behavior, and interactions with people. Cambridge, Cambridge UP, 1995.



Sunday, March 6, 2011

Starting to look pregnant

Sky is starting to show, and continues her ravenous desire to eat anything remotely food scented! Everyone has to be extra vigilant with the doors and trash can lids right now...

I stacked her up for a quick photo, but she's all off balence and too much weight in the belly. :)

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Puppies confirmed!

Sky's ultrasound showed lots of little healthy puppies with little puppy heartbeats. Now I have a month to get everything ready for the new mamma. She is feeling great, and loving the extra attention she is getting.