We have gotten word back from almost all the new puppy owners that the pups are doing well. They seem to have real drive to retrieve and are excellent swimmers. They are also proving to be hard charging on birds, but great around the family. We love hearing back about our puppies.

The puppies are now six weeks old. It is amazing to watch how fast they have grown. Over the last week we can really see how they have developed both physically and socially. They spend a lot more time playing and wrestling with each other, they interact well with other dogs we have and love to romp after the kids in the back yard. They all show interest in birds, pouncing on them with their front feet and dragging them around the yard by a wing. We got their first round of shots and wormer and the vet game them a clean bill of health. One of the things I have been really pleased with is that none of the puppies seems to be either very dominant nor very reclusive or too independent. They all seem to have very stable temperaments and a good interest in birds. That makes picking puppies tough; they all look good.

The pups are five weeks old today. They still sleep a fair amount, but when they are awake, they want to romp and play with each other. The other dogs, like this brittany like to play with them as well. The pups are curious and will paw at the bigger dogs; all of the older dogs are gentle with the pups. The pups are on solid moistened food now. Allie allows them to nurse only for short periods now and then. I can see why when I look at their needle sharp teeth. We are working to give the pups lots of human and canine socialization, neurological stimulation, and novel experiences.

Monday the puppies were four weeks old and they are getting much more active. They still sleep quite a bit, but when they are awake they want to play. They have discovered each other for more than just snuggling. They are pawing, mouthing and mildly wrestling with each other. Outside they are exploratory and will follow the kids around. Their teeth are showing and I’m guessing nursing is getting uncomfortable. We have introduced solid food (puppy mush) and expect them to start the weaning process over then next several weeks. They are at a fun stage and the kids and all the neighbors love to come play with them since it is a good mix between snuggle and play. All of the puppies are spoken for, and we are excited about the quality of homes and families they are going to.

Puppies spend a lot of time sleeping. Nevertheless, the puppies eyes have all opened and they are starting to get more active. They are now 16 days old, they are wobbly on their feet, but are starting to walk around a bit. It’s cute to see them walk a few steps, sit down and look around like they are checking out the world. 

Allie is a very attentive mother, keeping the pups well fed, clean and cared for. The pups are still in the whelping box in the living room so they are getting lots of interaction with us and the kids (including all the neighbor kids that want to come hold them).

We are providing a lot of early neurological stimulation (see link), and lots of socialization. We have also been softly playing the Master’s Voice noise desensitization CDs to accustom them to gunfire. As they are getting a little more mobile their personalities are coming out more.

Have you ever thought about the term dog pile? There’s a reason. Puppies love the comfort of a pile of siblings. The puppies are all doing well, growing rapidly. We are expecting eyes to start opening anytime now (day 10 – 15). A few of the pups are starting to lift up on their front legs and bear weight. Though they still look like prairie dogs dragging themselves around.

The pups are doing great. We are mapping their daily growth and weight gain and everyone is happy and healthy. We are really pleased with Allie’s mothering instincts. She is taking good care of them. They are a pleasure to watch. The kids love to sit in the box with Allie and hold them. They are starting to see some individual characteristics. Last night Sarah was petting Yellow and she started kicking her back leg in response, just like her mom does. We have an even number of males and females. We are looking for quailty hunting homes for these pups.

They’re here! I’ll post more later when we can catch our breath. Puppies keep you hopping. Allie delivered 8 puppies, 4 females and 4 males. They are all healthy and happy. We’ll put up more photos and info as we go.

Sam, our 7 year old is so excited about the upcoming litter of Labrador retrievers. We told him that the puppies would be coming this weekend and he couldn’t stop asking questions and pestering us as to when it would happen. We all put in our guess as to how many pups there were. Then this morning when we got up we found Sam sleeping with Allie in the whelping box. It was so cute.

Here is the whelping box I put together for our litter of Labs. It cost around $30 and took about an hour to put together. It requires the following:

(1) Sheet of good quality 1/2″ plywood
(1) 4′ x 2′ additional piece of 1/2″ plywood
(2) 2″ x 4″ x 8′ for bumper rail
(2) 2″ x 2″ x 8′ for supports
(1) Roll of contact paper

We cut the plywood in half and formed the floor, then we cut the remaining half into thirds (3 pieces at 16″ less the saw kerf). Next cut the 4′ x 2′ piece of plywood to the same 16″ width and save both sides. Next cover the inside of each piece with contact paper. Contact paper is relatively cheap and makes messes easy to clean up. It is easiest to cover before it is put together and the pieces are flat. Next, cut the 2″ – 2″s to go around the outside of the floor base and up the insides of the box (see photo) and assemble with screws from the backside of the plywood. Next, stand three of the 16″ walls around the inside of the floor and screw them down. For the front of the box, while the pups are small use the 8″ piece of the plywood so the dam can more easily step into the box. When the pups are a little older and more adventuresome we will replace the front with the 16″ side. Finally cut the 2 x 4s and notch for the 2 x 2 edges and screw in at the level of the dam’s backbone when she is laying on her side (for my lab it is 4″ from the bottom). I use several rubber backed bathmats for the flooring, when they are damp or soiled, just toss in the washing machine.

The design is fairly light and can be moved when and where needed. The dog took to it right away. The small size seemed to be just the right next she was looking for. Because it is screwed together I can take it apart into a few stackable pieces when we are done with the litter and save storage space.