Puppy Evaluations by Debbie Gross Saunders

On February 23, 2010 Kim and I traveled to Colchester with the litter.  Debbie evaluated each puppy and these are her findings:

Peanut/Tempo

    Good prosternum

    Good front angles

    No slipped hocks

    No herring gut - good length of loin

    Overall, very nice dog - will do well in a performance home.  Well balanced and good proportions. 

Padre

    Great prosternum

    Good angles

    No slipped hocks

    Slight herring gut - short spring of rib and longer length of loin

    Strengthen his back - ball and balance work

    Should do well in a show/performance home

Regan

    Fair prosternum

    Elbow laxity - significant rotation of elbows and shoulders

    Unequal length of upper and lower hindlimb

    Straight forelimbs

    Herring gut - short spring of rib and longer length of loin

    No slipped hocks

    Slightly cow hocked

    A pet home would be the best for her.   

Bella

    Fair prosternum

    Good angles

    No slipped hocks

    Slight herring gut - will need strength in the lower back - ball and stabilization work

    Fine for a performance home

Bertha

    Good prosternum

    Well balanced

    No slipped hocks

    Good angles

    Good spring of rib and length of loin

    Fine for a performance home

Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test

The past month has been a busy one for me and the puppies.  We tested their temperaments with the Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test.  Thank you to Donna Vera and Lea Lupinacci for their assistance.  The test was performed on each puppy at exactly 7 weeks (49 days) of age.  They all did pretty well.  Regan was the first one to be tested, and I don't think her results are accurate.  We were going to retest her, but didn't get around to it.  

Here is a break-down of the test results: 
Social Attraction:
Bella, Padre, Peanut and Bertha came readily with their tails up. (3)
Regan came hesitantly with tail down. (5)
Following:
Bertha, Bella, Padre and Peanut followed readily with tail up. (3)
Regan followed readily with tail down. (4)
Restraint:
Peanut struggled, then settled. (4)
Bertha & Padre did not struggle and made total eye contact. (5)
Bella did not struggle. (5)
Regan struggled fiercely. (2)
Social Dominance:
Bella went away and stayed away. (6)
Padre forgave. 
Bertha froze.
Regan squirmed and licked at hands. (4)
Peanut cuddled up to testor. (3)
Elevation Dominance:
None of the puppies struggled.  They were all relaxed. (3)
Retrieving:
Regan, Bella and Peanut chased and returned to tester with object. (3)
Bertha did not chase the object. (6)
Padre chased object, picked it up and ran away with it. (1)
Touch sensitivity:
Bella - 3-4 seconds before response. (4)
Padre, Bertha, Peanut, Regan - no reaction
Sound Sensitivity:
Regan, Bertha,  - listens, locates sound (4)
Peanut, Bella - Listens, locates sound, and walks there curiously (3)
Padre - Ignores sound, shows no curiosity (6)
Sight Sensitivity:
Regan, Bertha & Peanut - Looks curiously, attempts to investigate. (3)
Bella - Looks, attacks and bites.  (1)
Padre - did nothing.

For interpretation of the scores please go to
http://www.oes.org/html/how_do_i_pick_the_right_puppy_.html.  Note that we do not perform the Stability test.

Health check

The puppies had their health check visit with Dr. K tonight.  She always likes to make puppy appointments at the end of the day so she can play with them afterwards.  We spent about 50 minutes letting the puppies run around the exam room and over and under our legs, etc.  Dr. K and Bryn wanted to steal Peanut.  Jessica wanted Bella.  Don't worry Shari and Margaret.  I told them they are already spoken for!  Regan, Peanut and Bella displayed great athletic ability, running around and around the exam table, jumping, climbing and diving over our legs as we sat on the floor with them.  They all got tons more socializing tonight, and we wore them out for a couple of hours.  Now they are awake again, and tearing around the mud room.  They really are fun puppies with tons of energy!

Forgot to mention their 'official' weights at the vet.  Padre was the winner at 4.2 lb.  Big Bertha is no longer so big!  She weighed in at 3.6 lb.  Regan and Bella weighed 3 lb. and little Peanut has almost caught up to them.  He weighed 2.8 lb.!!

Just another day...

The puppies LOVE to maul our white kitty, Stuart Little!  The funny thing is that this cat is very unsociable.  When strangers come to the house he disappears until he is sure they are gone.  My friend Carolyn once took care of the cats for a week when we traveled to Maine and she didn't see him once!  So to see this cat letting the puppies climb all over him and chew on his ears is really amusing.

Bella is doing really well.  If one of the puppies gets too rough she just removes herself from the rough play.  Regan was after her this morning and when Bella decided she'd had enough she just went and sat under the bench in the mud room.  Smart puppy.  Tonight is our visit to the vet for their health check.

Here are Peanut, Padre, Bertha and Regan with Stuart Little

 

Together again after Bella's absence.

 

Puppies don't bounce

What a scare we had Friday evening.  I was carrying Bella, Peanut and (I think) Regan from the puppy pen in the dog room to the play area we set up in the mud room.  I was about 3 steps into the dining room when all the puppies started to squirm and Bella popped right out of my arms.  I tried desperately to catch her but she fell onto the floor, flat on her left side.  It sounded like a sack of flour.  She went stiff and her breathing was extremely shallow.  She was making little tiny grunting noises and then went limp.  I kept rubbing her and even did a little CPR.  I put Regan and Peanut in the mud room, grabbed my car keys and purse, and ran out the door with Bella.  (Didn't even take my coat.)  I rushed her down to Ellington Vet where Dr. Leah took a look at her.  There were no broken bones, and she seemed more alert when they put her on a little oxygen.  They even offered her a little baby food which she ate right up.  They did an xray which confirmed no fractures.  Her breathing was poor though, and she was a bit listless.  Dr. Leah recommended that I take her to the emergency vet at Bolton Veterinary Hospital.  I rushed Bella over there where Dr. Kopec checked her out.  Neurologically she was fine, but her breathing was too shallow.  She wanted to keep Bella overnight for observation, put her on oxygen and do a repeat xray.  When I got home I immediately emailed Andrew Mancini's girlfriend, Samantha.  She works at Bolton Vet, and I wanted to let her know Bella was there so if she was working, she could check on her for me.  Samantha and Andrew took a trip over to BV that night just to see how Bella was doing, and took some photos which are attached here.  Poor little Bella was in a little incubator with an IV line hooked up to her leg so they could hydrate her.  Samantha gave her some food which she ate up ravenously (that's a sheltie for you!).  The next morning Dr. Kopec called to say Bella was doing well, but her breathing was still shallow.  They wanted to keep her on the oxygen awhile longer.  Bella was definitely feeling better though because she'd been chewing on the oxygen and IV lines.  They had to put a little E-collar on her, which Samantha told me they made out of a cat E-collar.  Poor little Bella!  I spoke with the day doctor at around 1pm, Dr. Lee, and she said they had started taking Bella off the oxygen and she was doing ok, but that they wanted to keep her one more night to be sure the swelling didn't get any worse and create any problems.  Dr. Lee also explained how Bella's lungs were bruised from her fall, and that this showed up on the xray they did.  Samantha is going to copy the xray onto a CD, so I may be able to post it to the blog.  On Sunday morning I got a phone call from Dr. Kopec.  She said we had a "completely normal acting sheltie puppy"!  What wonderful news.  Bella came home later that morning and it was nice to have her back with her siblings.  We are under orders to keep her quiet for the next 10 days, but that is next to impossible.  Even when she isn't with her brothers and sisters she jumps around like crazy.  We are VERY relieved that Bella is ok and back home!!

Bella in the incubator

Bella also in the incubator

Bella eating in the incubator

Bella in her E-collar

Play date

The puppies had their play date with "second cousin" Sunny, Don & Sue's puppy.  After some initial uncertainty the puppies had a great time playing together.  They all wore each other out!  In the first photo from top to bottom are cousin Sunny, Bella, Bertha, Padre, Regan and Peanut.

Latest activities

The puppies took their first car ride yesterday and nobody got car sick!!  They had an exciting time at Kim's house.  We connected two big x-pens and let them romp and run.  It's more space than they have ever had, and I don't think they knew what to do with it!  We put the crate inside the x-pen play area and opened the door.  The first puppy out was Peanut.  I have been calling him the investigator for the past few weeks, and he lived up to the nickname, checking out every corner of his new world.  The last puppy out of the crate was Padre.  He liked the security, and we had to help him out.  Kim took the crate out of the play area so he couldn't jump back in and go to sleep.  The puppies played while we bathed and groomed dogs.  Then we spent some one-on-one time with them.  Kim glued their ears up and we also wormed them.  Those puppies sure were tired by the end of our visit!  They slept well last night.  Today Don & Sue Mancini are coming to visit.  They are bringing a singleton puppy that was born 4 days before these guys, so it will be interesting to see how they all interact.  Rick is helping me set up our mud room as a play area for the puppies, so they will have more room to stretch their legs.

Here are some photos we took of each puppy yesterday. 

PADRE

REGAN

PEANUT

  

BELLA

  

BERTHA

 

Chow hounds!!

The puppies will turn 5 weeks old tomorrow.  They have been without Silvi since Wednesday and the only thing I have noticed is that their appetites have really increased.  They used to leave food in the puppy pan after each meal, but not anymore!  I hope my order of Honest Kitchen food gets here soon!!  I weighed Peanut last night and he was 2 lb. 2 oz.  Regan was 2 lb. 11 oz., and she is the 2nd smallest puppy.  I don't bother weighing the others anymore.  They are all very plump, healthy babies!  Tomorrow they are all going on a field trip to Kim's house.  Another new experience.

The last supper

The puppies are pretty much weaned so Silvi is going home to Kim's tonight.  Here are a couple of photos of the last family gathering.  Judging by the look on her face Silvi will be really happy to be home in Ashford, romping and playing with the other shelties, and away from 5 sets of very sharp puppy teeth!

Visitors!

The puppies are four weeks old today and they had visitors!  Margaret McKulsky, Shari King and Lynda Moore came to meet the babies.  We had a great visit, and the kids put on quite a show for the girls.  Especially Bella, who decided she had an awful lot to say.  I've never heard her be so vocal!  Peanut gave Shari a kiss the moment she picked him up.  Even though we had an idea ahead of time of which puppies Shari and Margaret were interested in, it was almost as though the puppies had figured it out first.  Bella picked Margaret and Peanut picked Shari.  It was a beautiful thing!  The other puppies had fun too, and everyone got lots of cuddles and loving.  The visit was really good for the puppies, who really seemed to show off and be at their best.  Here are some individual photos of the puppies.  You can really see how they have changed in the last week.  Also, I finally changed Fina's name.  It is now Regan.  It fits her a lot better.  She really is quite a little lady of a puppy. 

PEANUT

BIG BERTHA

 BELLA

PADRE

REGAN

The puppies started eating regular food this week.  It all started when Peanut got into Silvi's food.  He seemed to like it so much, I let them all have some.  They are still nursing, but they get several meals a day of puppy food as well.  I am feeding them the same Honest Kitchen food that Silvi is on, only I run it thru the food processor to grind it up even finer.  Not that they need it ground up.  They have teeth, much to Silvi's dislike!  Here is a picture of one of their first meals earlier this week.  This was taken early in the meal.  They do not stay this neat and tidy for long!  Clockwise from lower left to upper right are Big Bertha, Regan, Padre, Bella and Peanut.

Three weeks old

The puppies are growing in leaps and bounds.  A couple of them lost weight or didn't gain a few days this past week, but each time they gained a lot the next day, so I am not concerned.  They seemed to have loose stools early in the week, so we had a fecal test done, which came back negative for everything, including coccidia and giardia.  Most puppies end up having worms, but it is kind of early for them yet.  We'll repeat the test in the next week or two.  Bertha likes to bark, and so does Bella.  They seem pretty proud of themselves when they do.  Bella can definitely hear, and the others can too, but in varying degrees.  Padre likes to sleep and Peanut is an investigator.  They all get cuter by the day, if that is even possible.  I just LOVE to watch them learn how to play at this stage.  Everything is new and movements are in slow motion.  It is so funny when they try to 'eat' each other -- i.e. open wide and try to fit another puppy's head in their mouth!  This morning I set up a 4x4 pen for them, divided down the middle, so they have a sleeping/playing side and a pottying side.  They really aren't ready for it, but the 2x3 pen was a little snug, especially when Silvi is in there too.  They totally don't 'get' that they are supposed to pee/poop on one side and not the other, but eventually they'll learn.  Here's is a group shot.  I'll do individuals tomorrow!

In the foreground of the picture is Padre, sound asleep as usual.  Just behind him are Fina (left) and Bella (right) mouthing at each other.  I can't tell where Peanut and Bertha are.  Probably buried under Silvi somewhere!  As always, Silvi is the model of a mom!!

15 days old today!

Here are the photos I promised!

PEANUT:

BIG BERTHA:

BELLA:

 PADRE:

FINA:

The big move

We moved the puppies downstairs to the dog room yesterday morning.  They all have their eyes open now, and are trying to toddle around on unsteady feet.  I still have them in the small puppy pen, but will move them into the big pen next weekend.  They got their nails cut this morning and nobody complained!  I'll post more photos later.  Not feeling much up to it right now, as I fell & hit my head on the ice and am not feeling my best.  Sure hope this headache goes away by tomorrow/work.

A milestone for the girls

All three girls opened their eyes for the first time this morning!  The boys are still shut tight, but I'll bet they'll be open by tomorrow.  Now the fun begins!!

Names

I knew I'd eventually come up with names for the puppies!

#1 is now Peanut.  He was always Peanut, since the moment he was born.  Everyone keeps referring to him as the Peanut, so the name has stuck.  He has come a long way, and weighs 13 3/4 oz.
#2 is Big Bertha!  No explanation necessary.  She was the biggest at birth and still is, at 1 lb. 10 5/8 oz. this morning!
#3 is Bella.  I kept thinking she looked like a baby Beluga whale, but that's such a harsh name for a cute little puppy.  I shortened it to Bell, and my friend Carolyn suggested Bella.  It fits.  She weighs 1 lb. 6 1/2 oz.
#4 is Padre!  If you look at photos of him (lots posted on this blog!) he has a nice little white ring around his neck, and I decided it looks like a priest's collar.  He weighs 1 lb. 6 oz. today.
#5 is Fina.  I came up with the name before the puppies were born.  Not sure if it fits her though.  Maybe I'll come up with another name for her eventually, but right now I like it.  She weighs 1 lb. 3 5/8 oz.
Here are more photos.

PEANUT

 BERTHA

BELLA

PADRE

FINA

And a group shot so you can see the difference in size between the babies.  From bottom to top:  Bella, Peanut, Padre, Fina, Bertha