The puppies are now 4 weeks old and they are fairly active. They have their needle-sharp puppy teeth and have tried solid food for the first time, which they dove into. The kids love to take them out and play with them or just cuddle them and watch TV. When we take them outside they are starting to venture out and explore the world. They have been exposed to birds and noise sensitivity. The three females and one male are spoken for. There are four males available. Call us to reserve your puppy. They will be ready around the 8th of September.
The puppies are 3 weeks old today. They still sleep a fair amount, but they are getting more active playing with each other and with the kids when they climb in the whelping box with them. Notice “Yellow” in the photo batting at her sibling.
You can see by the look on his face that he's way into it! It had been a long day to this point.
Sam showing off his second place ribbon
Sam has been working with Allie all summer doing a dog 4-H project and getting ready for the State Fair. We didn’t know if Allie would be able to compete in the events just having had a litter of puppies. We decided to enter her and Sam ran her in both obedience and showmanship classes. Allie’s nipples were hanging low, especially after waiting for so long to compete during the evening. Sam did a great job with her and won two second place ribbons. Way to go Sam! When they were done, Allie was ready to get back to the pups.
The puppies are two weeks old and there eyes are just opening. The cuteness factor just ratcheted up a notch. They still spend a lot of time sleeping though.
The pups are growing. Today they are 12 days old and we expect their eyes to start opening.
Some close friends of ours offered to take care of the puppies so we could go on our previously planned family vacation for a long weekend in Yellowstone NP. When we got home Monday, we were surprised at how much the puppies had grown. We weigh each puppy every day and chart their growth, but numbers on paper are one thing, but visually see the change in size in just a few days it is amazing. Everyone is healthy and growing well. They are still spending a lot of time sleeping, piled all over each other. Eyes typically open around day 12, which is today, so we are expecting to see eyes cracking open little by little.
The puppies are here!
They’re here! Allie had her puppies this afternoon. Eight healthy puppies, and man are they cute. Three females and five males. Sam loves them and cycles through holding each one. We all have to take turns holding Rachel back from climbing in the box and grabbing them. She is sixteen months and super excited about them. All the pups are about the same size and are vigorous and nursing well. We’ll keep the updates coming.
Sam helping with the whelping box - Laying the self-stick vinyl tiles
We are getting ready for puppies. We are expecting them anytime from tonight through Friday night. The family has all placed our bets. Sam and I built a new whelping box. He was a big help this time around building it. Once we got it done and placed in the house, the first thing he did was curl up in it and say, “Dad, I could sleep here with Allie.”
This time around, rather than using contact paper for the floor, I found 12″ vinyl tiles 4 for a dollar; so $4 covered the 4′x4′ whelping box. Another change I made this time around is made the sides 24″ high rather than 18″. We’ll see how that goes. Right now, visually I prefer the shorter (18″) sides. We have 2×4 bumber rails ready once the puppies are born. Now the waiting part.
Whelping Box
Yellow Labrador Retriever
I wanted to announce an upcoming litter, expected this next week. This is the second breeding of Allie and Duke. We were very impressed with the puppies from this combination in 2009 and wanted a repeat breeding. Our focus with the breeding is size, conformation, drive, behavior and trainability. The breeding should produce medium sized (50 to 60 lbs) dogs with a smooth gait that can hunt for days in a row. Both the sire and dam have proven themselves in the field hunting wild game with drive and style. They are dogs that hard charging hunting dogs that will retrieve a score of ducks or flush big roosters, yet are calm and relaxed companion dogs at home with the kids. Both dam and sire are OFA certified for hips and elbows.
Duke, the sire (Royal Duke of Canyon View), is an AKC Master Hunter and has proven himself over the last several years with over a thousand waterfowl retrieves per year for a hunting guide. His pups carry his square head and muscular build, gentle temperament and strong bird drive.
Allie, the dam, has proven herself with her ability to find upland game and her stamina to hunt rough desert country days on end for Gamble’s Quail, Mearn’s Quail, chukars, pheasants, grouse and ducks. She is a pleasure to have in the house and around the kids. Her strong drive comes from her father,
“Nitro” Field Champion Yellowstone’s TNT Explosion.
I am excited about the breeding and am confident that it will produce dynamite puppies. The litter is expected July 22nd. Contact us to reserve your pup.
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.
