New collars, almost

I ordered new spiffy lupine collars for everyone and they arrived today.  I tried them on the pups and they look great except they are still a little too big when sized to the smallest setting.  Just a few more days I think and they will grow into them.  But since they had them all on, I filmed them eating and took some pictures of them.  It's back to rick rack ... for now. 

I keep trying to get some really cute videos of them playing but I am always too late in reaching for my camera.  They went downstairs today for a little new experience and didn't like the wooden floors but loved our carpeted living room and getting behind the entertainment center.  At least no one peed back there (and yep, all wires are up already thanks to a still somewhat puppy in the house) :) They heard the microwave, garbage disposal, and pots and pans being banged and rattled. 

And we had our first escape from the whelping box ... mr red.  So we have swapped out the door for the higher one.  They should be moving down to the pen this weekend, I think they are trying to say they want more space :)

We like this new food, we think

Everyone has eaten from the bowl now and they are getting better at finishing most of the gruel.  They don't come running to it when I put it down, I still have to bring them over and put some on my finger or get them close and don't let them back up.  I have a little video of some eating.  All of them had eaten at some point, some more than others.  Yellow is the naked one this time.  They are getting real collars soon :) Rylee still nurses, but only a few times and not for as long.  Their teeth are coming in needle sharp, eep. 

You can hear Ry on the video.  I don't let her in the box when they eat because she just tries to eat all the food and she is very unhappy about this.  She gets to lick the bowl clean after though, which she loves. 

Puppies also experienced carpet today.  They loved it and were moving around like crazy on it.  They will be introduced to wooden floors tomorrow.  And as for sounds, the washer and dryer don't phase them, even when the washer is crazy off

balance and banging around.   Of course, they have been used to that since they could hear because puppies = lots of laundry. 

Three weeks old

Another week has gone by.  Amazing how quickly they change and grow.  The start of week three introduces the Awareness or Identification Period.  The puppies now have the use of all their senses.  I have introduced them to the radio and will begin to add other noises, like a vacuum, rattling pots and pans ...
During this time, they don't have fear, it hasn't developed, so they will recover quickly from a startling noise.  Also, they will be introduced to different light levels. 
I put a few toys in their box which act as visual objects and something to encounter.  I will change out the toys here and there so they don't get used to them.  New things are important.  They will also be placed on different surfaces and have been already ... plush bedding, newspaper, tarp ... it will continue. 
This week the puppies will begin play fighting and barking will increase.  And as I mentioned, will hopefully be eating real food.  I have most of them lapping at the bowl now but not really eating much.  They definitely wear more than they eat, ha.  It's a slow process but I am glad to see most are starting to figure out that it is something to eat.

Here they are being introduced to the sound of barking ridgebacks.  Ha.  Not intentional.  Dexter and Rylee were playing downstairs and they can get quite noisy, as you can hear. 

Most are waking up and then using the paper to potty on.  They are getting the hang of it ... maybe not yellow, haha (as she pees on the blanket) ... Just kidding, they all have their moments :) I say pretty darn good for just turning three weeks old.  Good job kids!

Baby steps

Their teeth are really coming in now and Rylee is getting hesitant to nurse them.  So, tomorrow we start weaning.  I am weaning the puppies onto Holistic Select large breed.  I tried a watery version tonight with esbilac (milk replacer) and a touch of kibble and they licked it off my finger but wouldn't lap at the bowl.

Also, I am trying to paper train them.  I have now divided the whelping box into a sleeping/play area and a bathroom area.  Today was the first day of this division and I would say they did quite well.  They should get the hang of it over the next few weeks. 

This will most likely be their last week in the box since they are getting quite active.  Then I will move them downstairs into an x-pen where they will have lots more room.  I will try to have the webcam set up down there too, if I can. 


And in response to Betty ... their ridges look dark but they have black in their coats and it usually goes away when they shed their puppy coats.

And we pee too

Well they have started going on their own :) I'm so proud.  Rylee still is pretty diligent about cleaning up but I caught blue in a moment, so I am going to embarrass him and show the video.  It wasn't intentional.  I wasn't sitting around waiting for it.  He presented me with the footage.  So blame him :)

And here is the puppy play pile.  They are just now starting to paw at each other and make actual dog noises, like little growls.  Too cute!

And let's walk

The babies are a walking ... sort of.  They get a little steadier each day.  I can't wait to see them at the end of the week.  Everyone's eyes are now open at this point but they still can't really see.  Their eyes are like a cloudy blue and vision will get better each day.  Keeping up with their nails is a task ... they grow so fast.  I cut them every few days so that they don't scratch each other or Rylee while eating. 

As far as the For Fun post, Lanalee was right .... X-Men :)
Red is Cyclops
Purple is Jean Grey (later the Phoenix)
Pink is Rogue
Yellow is Storm
Blue is Wolverine
:)

For fun

John and I were sitting in the room with the puppies last night and decided to come up with temporary names for them.  Then I think John got bored because he created a little image for each of the puppies.  They are shown below.  See if you know what the theme is and who each puppy is named after.  I will give the answers in the next post :)

Mr Red

Miss Purple

Miss Pink

Miss Yellow

Mr Blue

Two weeks old

Happy two week old birthday :) There is alot going on with these little guys.  Eyes are definitely more open.  Purple and red are basically fully open and yellow, pink and blue are halfway.  They are all trying to walk.  They can almost stand on all four but are quite wobbly.  They move more now with their hind legs instead of crawling.  They can already make it across the whelping box in no time.  I can feel the beginnings of teeth too.  And of course, they are growing :) Weights this morning were blue 3lbs 15oz (1 oz shy of 4 lbs), yellow 3lbs 14oz, red 3lb 11oz, pink and purple 3lb 8oz. 

Here is a little shot of them eating, of course, but you can see mr. red's eyes and how they are opening toward the end.  Purple and blue's are even more open but they were otherwise occupied during filming :)

Yellow demonstrates their walking skills.  This is where most of them are at, super wobbly and super cute!

Some talking and more walking from blue and red.  Rylee had just come in from a walk outside, so that's why she's panting.

Day 13

Today is day 13 (I am counting the day they were born as day 1, which it should be right, I mean, not day zero?).  Everyone is doing well with weights.  Yellow and blue stay very close, identical weights today as do pink and purple, identical as well.  Red is happy in the middle :)
Eyes are just starting to open now.  Purple seems like hers are going to open first.  Everyone else just has little slits in the corners while hers are actually slightly open all the way across. 
The super puppy exercises will be done on Monday, day 16.  That is just in time for them to be gaining use of their other senses ... a little bit anyways. 
They are just getting ready to enter what is known as the transitional period.  This is when the eyes open, ears open, teeth emerge, movement increases including actual walking instead of crawling, and they can eliminate on their own (yay!).  A lot happens during this time and it will be amazing to watch :)

Day 11

We hit 3 pounds today.  At least yellow and blue did.  They are both 3lb 2oz.  Red is 2lb 15oz, one ounce away from the 3 pound mark.  Pink and purple are 2lb 13oz.  Blue's rickrack keeps coming off.  I think he is a free spirit.  Likes feeling the wind through his fur. 
Rylee is starting to leave the box now for little periods of time.  We have a dog bed for her right outside the box and she likes to lay there and then come in when they indicate it is feeding or cleaning time.
Her appetite is in full swing now, at 6 cups a day.  She definitely needs the fuel to keep these babies full.  She was fussy about eating for a little while after the puppies were born and I made her chicken and ground beef and noodles and even then she wouldn't always eat everything.  I tried so many variations of food.  But I wouldn't feel much like eating either if I had just been in labor for 14 hours, pushed out five one pound babies, and eaten some unmentionables.  I'm just glad she is putting the chow away :) She has been great at taking care of the babes.  They are well fed, warm, healthy, and active. 
They are all eating as I type this and I love the noises they make.  The grunts, the smacking ... too cute :)
The video is from this evening.  Rylee definitely keeps her pups clean :) Blue is being groomed (while lacking his clothing) while the rest chill out. 

One week!

I can't believe it's already been one week!  This babies are doing great.  They have all gained at least a pound each this week and continue to eat like there is no tomorrow. The leader in weight shifts between days but yellow has been the frontrunner for about two days now.  This morning she was 2lb 10oz while runner up was blue at 2lb 8 oz, third was red at 2lb 7oz and tied for fourth are pink and purple at 2lb 5 oz a piece.  Speaking of eating, I have included a video of them hard at work and I think Rylee is showing off some of her mothering skills as well :)

I continue to implement the super dog techniques and will until about day 16.  Other than that, they scoot around, eat, sleep, make lots of noises ... and mom helps them with their other functions, hehe. 

Puppy noises

Day 5
Clipped nails for the first time and that was quite the adventure.  No one liked it and everyone has a very good set of lungs on them :)

Day 6
Gaining weight.  Red, blue and yellow all hit the 2lb mark and pink and purple are only 3 oz or so away from it too.  Blue is quite a mover, always scooting around the box and he likes to be vocal about it.  Red is the ever happy eater.  Mellow yellow.  And my pink and purple girls are happy to lounge about. 
I added a little video of the pups showing off some of their sounds.  They have alot of range and I will try to capture more sounds as time goes on :)

Day 4

For some reason I can't respond to comments made on the blog so I promise I am not ignoring anyone ... it says I have two profiles and google is making things complicated ... I am not the most computer savvy sometimes.  Argh. 

Anyways, all pups are doing great.  Dew claws are healing nicely and all cords have fallen off by this point.  Yum, I know.  They eat, sleep, and eat some more.  And scoot around occassionally which causes Rylee to whine until I bring them back to her.  It's a cycle :)

They are all gaining nicely and we might see 2 pounds before the end of the week.  Rylee finally has her appetite back and we figured out a good combination of canned and dry food for her that works so that makes me happy. 

I will work on trying to get cute little head shots of the pups but in the meantime, I have these.

Day 3

Pups are doing well, all are gaining weight.  Right now they are in the neo-natal period where they cannot see or hear and only respond to warmth, touch and smell.  Starting today I am introducing the puppies to the "Bio Sensor" or "Super Dog" program which was developed by the U.S. Military and outlined in articles by Dr. Carmen Battaglia.  It consists of early neurological stimulation which will have important and lasting effects on puppies.  Stimulation exercises are for days 3 to 16.  For 3-5 seconds, once a day the puppies are :
1. Tickled between the toes with a Q-tip
2. Held perpendicular to the ground.
3. Held head down.
4. Held on their back in the palm of my hand.
5. Lain on a cold damp cloth. 
Today went well and nobody liked being on their back :)




Also, Miss Rylee received a gift from her gentleman, see below.  How sweet :)

Handsome daddy

Some pictures of the Super Dog stimulation program

Puppies are here!

Rylee was right on time.  Babies were born June 5th.  She went into labor Saturday night around 9:30pm and had the first pup at around 11:30am.  She was pretty consistent, about every hour for the additional four, so all five were born by 3:15pm.  She was a little nervous at first and pushed for awhile on the first puppy but got calmer as things progressed and by the end she was on a roll.  She is being a great first time mom.  She is very attentive, hates it when they crawl out of her sight, always wants to be near them, and lets them nurse without a fuss.  All puppies are quite healthy, each born over a pound. 

Born 11:30am, red male, show ridged, rear dew claws, 20.3 oz

Born 12:20 pm, purple female, show ridged, 18.6 oz

Born 1:25pm, pink female, show ridged, black masking, 16.9 oz

Born 2:30pm, yellow female, pet ridge, white left front foot, black masking, rear dew claws, 18.8 oz

Born 3:15pm, blue male, show ridge, rear dew claws, 20.9 oz

I will be posting a few pictures on here but most will go on the gallery

http://www.tifarirr.com/gallery/v/RyleeXHondo/

And then also check the webcam to watch the litter
http://tinyurl.com/66cbn8c

Dew claws were all removed today and were sutured very nicely by Angie.  They should heal up quite well. 

Day one

Day two

It's coming

Well Rylee's temperature dropped today from her regular 99.9ish to 97.7ish.  This is the drop that indicates labor will be starting within the next 12 to 24 hours.  So it looks like Ry is sticking with her due date and we should start seeing some babies tomorrow. 
She isn't showing any signs of labor yet, just the need to be a furious digger.  I had her box laid out and she shredded it.  All the papers, shredded. Puppy pads, shredded.  I guess I will wait a little on that one :) She is just nesting. 

Some of the set up

Here is the box again ... Ry has been sleeping here so for now her bedding is in there but it will all be swapped out when she goes into labor.  I have old blankets and towels and the potty training pads you use for puppies, which are great because you can just throw them right away, lickity split. 

This is the scale for the puppies and a green liner that goes at the base of the box so puppies can get traction. It's better than having just the slippery blankets overlying the plastic base of the box.  The tarp is under the entire box and around the sides just in case. 

Here are most of the blankets and towels.  I have a few more to wash and then they will go in here too.  Thank you to Goodwill for the lovely fleeces ... neon green and hot pink hearts! Also, wal-mart had some great deals on towels and blankets.  Queen sized blankets for $4 each (granted they are polyester).  And towels for less than $2.  I highly recommend going to these places for cheap bedding for puppy crates.  Investing in nice bedding in the beginning is not worthwhile because they just shred everything!

The pretty black and white box has all the actual whelping supplies in it.  We are basically ready to rock and roll. 

For Angie :)

Here she is in her box.  The other part of the door is on the floor so she can step in and out really easily right now.

I am in the process of moving things around and washing all of the blankets and towels I bought.  This pic is when we first set up the box and she was checking it out.  I am still working out a problem with the pig rails, they don't sit in the box properly and we may have to remedy it ourselves with pvc.  The company is supposed to be sending new sides but I don't know if they will make it in time. 

The last week!

Here is Miss Rylee's belly photo at day 59. Day 63 is her due date. 

She really doesn't want to do much anymore and I think is just ready to get those puppies whelped.  She can't get comfy on her dog beds and the puppies must move alot because she is frequently up at night (of course puppies on her bladder probably don't help either).  This is basically what she does:

And she still eats, four smaller meals a day, still adding up to 6 cups, but we have to add something to it or else she won't touch it.  So it's chicken or ground beef or ground turkey or cottage cheese .... she did like yogurt but stopped liking that a few days ago.  Our picky girl. 

The whelping room is all ready and I will put pictures of it up once I organize all the blankets and towels and other supplies that are scattered on the floor.  Any other photos you would like taken?