On July 15, 2015, Lancelot x Bridget had a litter of borzoi puppies. The “Irish Airs” litter will be the subjects of a series of posts about early puppy development here at Aria. Watch them grow up and learn how you can use puppyhood experiences to help build confident, resourceful adult dogs that handle stressors well and are emotionally solid in a wide variety of situations.
Exercise for the Little Guys
When puppies are very young, their world is very small.
When you are a nursing puppy, there’s very little to your entire universe. Your mother, your littermates, a small area, possible a few toys and textures to interact with. Oh, and those magical two legged creatures called humans! Life is a cycle of eat, play, sleep and grow. And that’s just fine – all is, as it should be.
At this age, your body and brain are growing very quickly that eat-sleep-play-grow is about all you can handle. But soon, wonderful new vistas will open to you! Bigger pen, new and even more exciting toys, more humans, other dogs and even, yes… the great outdoors!
Rest up, little guys. It’ll all be waiting for you when you’re ready.
They may not look like much at this stage, but from 3-16 days old, these little jellybeans are hardwired to develop neural pathways like crazy! Exposure to the right kind of stimuli at this stage can pay off, big time, in the future.
A couple weeks ago, we did a post on the Bio-Sensor and scent exercises we do here at Aria with the young puppies. Developed by the US Army, the SuperDog program is designed to stimulate a pup’s neurological and physical development when coupled with a healthy, natural environment and loving human leadership. There’s only a small window of time in a puppy’s development -from day 3 through day 16- where these exercises are the most effective, so it’s important to plan ahead and get them on the calendar so your little guys don’t miss out. It’s amazing to see how these exercises can not only maximize their potential as performance dogs later in life, but also give you some idea of the individual temperament of each puppy early on in their life. This aids in making better placement choices, when it comes time to send them to their permanent homes. If you’d like to see a video on the process, one is availablehere.
Our article on the BioSensor and Scent exercises from a couple weeks ago is available here —> ARTICLE and back in July of 2016 we did another blog post going into detail on exactly what we were doing, and when, with the 2017 Firesongs litter. You can see that post here —> ARTICLE
For an even more detailed approach, there’s a great article in a 2015 issue of The Canine Chronicle you can find here —> ARTICLE
Zen says: “Of course, MY puppies were all Super!”
I hope this is as interesting to all of you as it was to me. It made for fascinating reading as I was looking after Zen’s litter of neonates that month, and made me rethink some of my previously held notions about how dogs absorb information.
On July 15, 2015, Lancelot x Bridget had a litter of borzoi puppies. The “Irish Airs” litter will be the subjects of a series of posts about early puppy development here at Aria. Watch them grow up and learn how you can use puppyhood experiences to help build confident, resourceful adult dogs that handle stressors well and are emotionally solid in a wide variety of situations.
The Magic of the First Month -Individualism
Little puppy Seamus has escaped the puppy pen and the mauling of his brothers and sisters, to enjoy a dignified nap with mom, Bridget.
Something magical starts happening around the first month of a puppy’s life – Individualism! Once their eyes are fully open and they’ve had a little practice moving around on purpose, suddenly, they start to realize that they are a unique entity and can affect the world around them. This is the beginning of personality, and the seeds of the dog they will become.
They learn their first lessons about touch, texture, bite inhibition and so much more while they’re bumbling about at this age, simply being adorable. It may not look like much to our eyes, but their little brains and bodies are working overtime to grow and learn.
It’s an exciting time to be a puppy! Yay for individualization!
On August 4th 2017, Seamus x Melody had a litter of borzoi puppies. Over the next few days, we’ll be doing something a little different with our “Daily Cute” and introducing the girls that aren’t spoken for. If you’ve considered adding a companion, performance or show borzoi to your life, have a look at THESE cutie pies!
Like all the dogs born here at Aria, puppies from this 2017 “Van Morrison” litter begin life with all the advantages we can give them. Intensive pedigree research, as well as temperament testing and health screenings are all crucial parts of our breeding program, and all our litters receive the “SuperDog” puppy development exercises used by the US Army. You can read about them in an upcoming blog post we have planned soon. We strive to breed borzoi that excel in their lives, whether that be in the show ring, the field, as a beloved family pet, or (as most of our dogs) some combination of all of the above!
This is Bandit.
This is an 8 week old photo of “Bandit.” Better hold on to your heart… your wallet, your keys, and ALL the toys. This little girl is quite the character with her unique markings and irresistible smile. She’s always ready for some kind of adventure. She loves a good snuggle, too. With her speed and energy, she’d love to have a go at lure coursing or another sighthound performance sport. Bandit is available to a performance or companion home. $1000
On August 4th, 2017, Seamus x Melody had a litter of borzoi puppies. Over the next few days, we’ll be doing something a little different with our “Daily Cute” and introducing the girls that aren’t spoken for. If you’ve considered adding a companion, performance or show borzoi to your life, have a look at THESE cutie pies!
Like all the dogs born here at Aria, puppies from this 2017 “Van Morrison” litter begin life with all the advantages we can give them. Intensive pedigree research, as well as temperament testing and health screenings are all crucial parts of our breeding program, and all our litters receive the “SuperDog” puppy development exercises used by the US Army. You can read about them in an upcoming blog post we have planned soon. We strive to breed borzoi that excel in their lives, whether that be in the show ring, the field, as a beloved family pet, or (as most of our dogs) some combination of all of the above!
This is Freckles.
This is an 8 week old photo of “Freckles.” See how she lives up to her name? This little girl is one constant smile factory, and we think she’s going to be a versatile bundle of energy that will do well in the show ring, coursing field, and as a loving companion. She has an agile, athletic way about her already, and she’s always up for a game of “borzoi and wolves” with her littermates! Freckles is available to a show, performance or companion home. $1000
Here is Freckle’s 8 week photo.Happy “Birth-Day” Freckles!
On August 4th 2017, Seamus x Melody had a litter of borzoi puppies. Over the next few days, we’ll be doing something a little different with our “Daily Cute” and introducing the girls that aren’t spoken for. If you’ve considered adding a companion, performance or show borzoi to your life, have a look at THESE cutie pies!
Like all the dogs born here at Aria, puppies from this 2017 “Van Morrison” litter begin life with all the advantages we can give them. Intensive pedigree research, as well as temperament testing and health screenings are all crucial parts of our breeding program, and all our litters receive the “SuperDog” puppy development exercises used by the US Army. You can read about them in an upcoming blog post we have planned soon. We strive to breed borzoi that excel in their lives, whether that be in the show ring, the field, as a beloved family pet, or (as most of our dogs) some combination of all of the above!
This is Minnie.
This is an 8 week old photo of “Minnie.” This little girl is a bundle of happy, and loves to play with her littermates and charm ALL the people. She has a scrappy attitude and is good at figuring things out. Minnie is available to a companion home. $1000
Did you know that from day 3 through day 16, there are a set of easy exercises you can do with your newborn puppies that help maximize their potential as performance dogs later in life? These Bio-Sensor exercises stimulate their neurological and physical development and were developed for the SuperDog program for the US Army. There’s only a small window of time for this program to be most effective, and keeping track on a developmental schedule will help you be sure you don’t miss this opportunity. If you’d like to see a video on the process, one is available here.
These little sniffers are ready to be exposed to new scents as early as 3 days!
You can also introduce scents during this time frame. Each day, introduce a new scent item. While each puppy takes their turn investigating the offered scent, put them on a level surface, or hold them in your lap – so long as they are safe from falling. You can choose a variety of scent items for these few days, focusing on things they might need to be familiar with in their adult life. For example, bird dogs would benefit from exposure to pheasant feathers. Law enforcement dogs could be exposed to some of the scents they might encounter on the job. Therapy dogs could sample some hospital scents, like antiseptics and cleaning products. Blankets that smell like other pets in the household, or dirty laundry from family members are good choices, too.
Hold the scent near their nose, a half inch to an inch away, and allow the puppy to interact with the scent at will for at least five seconds. If the puppy moves forward to engage with the scented item, allow them up to 30 seconds to continue smelling. Repeat the process with each pup.
You can see a video on early scent introduction here.
Keeping track and making little notes of each session may sound like a lot of work, but it’s actually pretty rewarding. As time goes on, you can learn a little bit about the personality of each pup. Who is good at self-soothing? Who is normally quiet, and who is always vocal? Who is the first one to
Little Denzel is one seriously mellow fellow! He was a great little puppy from the moment he was born. Here he is, falling asleep while being weighed. You can see my notes to the left.
explore a new scent or toy? All these things can be important later, when deciding which pup is the best fit for which home.
There can be a very thin line between “good” and “great.” Going that little extra step early on can help YOUR puppies stand out as superstars later in the ring, on the field and as pets and companions.
For the people out there allergic to paperwork, keeping a birthing record and using a puppy development schedule probably seems like some kind of exciting new way to take something you love and wreck it with something boring and tedious. You might feel that way, at first, but the first time your poor, sleep-deprived brain blanks on an important piece of information that you NEED, you’ll see this in a whole new light.
The Birthing Record
There are different forms you can find pre-made for a good birthing record chart, but they should all have a few pieces of important data: Puppy, Time Born, Sex, Weight at Birth, Vigor, Conformation, Markings and a place for any other relevant notes, like what color collar they were assigned. This doesn’t have to be fancy. It doesn’t even have to be a form! It just needs to be complete, and filled out at the time each puppy is born so you have something to refer back to. If you have the presence of mind, taking a photo of the front/top and each side of each puppy can come in handy for identification later. It’s amazing how much a litter of spotted puppies can look alike the day after they’re born!
Identifying Collars
That’s quite a pile of puppies! It’s a good thing everyone has their collars on, or they’d be getting all mixed up.
In the previous paragraph, I mentioned assigning collar colors at birth to each puppy to help identify them. Affixing a collar with an identifying color to each puppy right away will help eliminate confusion later on, when you’re all muddled and sleep deprived. Trust me on this! Many people use a soft, chenille yarn that breaks easily under pressure. This has the advantage of being very inexpensive, but you have to change them often because the pups grow, and the “breaking easily” thing is an advantage, but also a detriment. If you go this route, you’re going to be replacing a lot of little yarn collars. We prefer the thin strips of self-sticking velcro. These are nice because they come in many different colors, you can use the same piece you put on them as a newborn for a couple weeks, since they can be removed and resized easily as the pup grows.
The Development Schedule
Like the Birthing Record, the Development Schedule is set up like a chart, but instead of keeping track of puppies as they are born, it’s an indispensable day-by-day guideline for what will be happening in your litter’s development at what time. This gives you time to prepare and be aware of what’s coming down the road. For example, knowing when your pups are going to start opening their eyes gives you a concrete deadline to get your black-out curtains up, set up your outdoor puppy playpen, or make other preparations.
The last couple days, we’ve been doing a series on Labor and Whelping. Today features three potential problems that may affect a nursing bitch post-delivery. Over the next few weeks, we will be doing a series of posts about early puppy care and development.
Post-Whelp Troubles
Sometimes everything can go great during delivery, but problems arise afterwards. Here are a few things to watch out for, as your bitch settles into caring for her brand new litter…
Mastitis: A condition when the bitch’s teats can become red, painful and swollen, making it difficult for her to nurse her puppies without discomfort. The symptoms can range from mild to severe, and some bitches can develop a fever and become lethargic. Warm compresses/hot packing can help alleviate the pain. The puppies should still be encouraged to nurse the affected nippes – it helps flush out the infected material and doesn’t harm them in the least.
Verdict: Not an emergency, but watch to see if it worsens. If it doesn’t clear up after a few days, or your bitch becomes lethargic, feverish, or snappish to her pups DO consult your vet.
Metritus: Usually occuring the first couple days after deliver, metritus is caused by trauma during delivery or a retained placenta. Metritus is a serious condition and should be seen by your vet sooner rather than later. Signs to watch out for include:
Listlessness
Loss of Appetite
Lack of Interest in Puppies
Foul Smelling Vaginal Discharge
Decreased Milk Production
Fever
Eclampsia: More common in small dogs and usually seen in the first three weeks of lactation, eclampsia is caused by a calcium deficiency, as the dam’s stores are depleted by the demands of nursing her litter. Oddly enough, regular calcium supplementation pre-pregnancy can predispose a bitch for this condition.
Early stages include:
Nervousness, restlessness.
Stiff gaits.
No interest in her puppies.
As the condition progresses and becomes more serious, look for:
Inability to stand
Muscle spasms
Fever
Seizures
Eclampsia is a serious medical emergency! Get your bitch to the vet immediately!
Most bitches are great mothers to their pups, and any sudden disinterest or lethargy is worth your attention. Paying attention to the dam and her needs is important to noticing an illness while it’s in it’s early stages, which can save money at the vet, not to mention lives.
Yesterday we featured the first part of Labor and Whelping, covering how to predict when labor will occur based on body temperature, the first stage of labor, a list of things to worry about during delivery that probably require veterinary attention, and another list of things that can seem troubling but are NOT emergencies. To visit that post, click HERE. Over the next few weeks, we will be doing a series of posts about early puppy care and development.
Zen takes a break as between puppies to catch her breath and ask for some ice cream.
Stage 2 Labor = Hard Labor
When most people think of “labor” this is what they are thinking of. Heavy contractions, and the regular expulsion of puppies. For those who are new to the process, the expectation is puppy, placenta, puppy, placenta, etc. in regular intervals until the litter is entirely birthed. But it doesn’t always work out that way, and that’s ok.
Stage 2 Labor is when a puppy is being birthed, and Stage 3 is when a placenta is being expelled. They don’t always come in that order, or one after another. As we mentioned yesterday, sometimes a couple of puppies can come, then a couple of placentas and that’s fine.
Her water may have broken at some point before, but if it hasn’t, it will. Sometimes it can pass unnoticed. Start the clock with your bitch’s first hard contraction. Unlike the internal contractions in Stage 1 Labor, you’ll be able to see her abdominal and flank muscles ripple and she may let out a grunt. If hard contractions persist. If she’s having regular hard contractions, less than 5 minutes apart, and she hasn’t produced a puppy in an hour, call your vet. If she’s been having frequent hard contractions and still hasn’t produced a puppy after two hours, she should go in for an exam right away.
Most labor and deliveries go smoothly. Each puppy will be born one at a time, wrapped in a membrane. Some of these sacs may be intact, some will already be torn and open, but don’t worry too much. A puppy can live for a few minutes in his membrane before his mother has time to open it up and tend to him.
Encourage her to investigate her puppy and placenta. Her licking is rough, and it’s goal is to start the bonding process and distress the puppy enough that it starts protesting. It’s cries put those brand new lungs to good use! If she doesn’t tear the membrane and clean the puppy herself, you’ll have to. A rough towel and firm rubbing is a good substitute for her tongue bath and nosing around. Hold the pup head down to dry them off, listen to be sure their squalling is free of any raspiness and their lungs sound clear.
If the dam eats the placentas, it pushes the umbilical cord blood up into the puppy. – so let her, if she wants to, even though she might vomit them back up or have diarrhea from them later on. She may chew through the umbilical cord, or you can tear it yourself, clamping it off with a hemostat for a few minutes or tying with clean dental floss about a half inch away from the puppy to prevent bleeding.
Be watchful… this is a painful and occasionally confusing process, especially for a maiden bitch. Be sure she doesn’t bite you, or her newborn puppy, as she’s trying to figure out how to be a mother.
Later Arrivals
Other pups will come, usually within an hour and after 10-30 minutes of hard contractions for each. Some can come very close together. As long as your bitch is calm and not in distress, everything is probably just fine. Feel free to offer calcium-rich refreshments, like vanilla ice cream (which they usually love, AND it provides glucose for easy energy), Tums, cottage cheese, and yoghurt, as well as keeping water on hand. Without getting too technical, calcium aids her body with contractions. She can have up to 1000 mg of calcium between each puppy, and an additional 500-1000mg if she goes more than a half hour between puppies while still having contractions. Although your bitch might prefer the ice cream, the Tums are a handy way of keeping track of exactly how much she’s getting.
It’s not uncommon for a bitch to take a pause during the delivery of her litter to rest up and care for the pups she’s already had. This can be up to 4 hours with no ill effects.
Ideally, puppies should be nursing within 30 minutes of being born. You can continue to handle and rub weak or limp puppies with a towel, and when you set them down, put them down near a ready nipple. You can’t force them to nurse, but you can make a tunnel with their hand and kind of guide them along.
Milk Quality and Quantity
You may be surprised at first at how little milk your bitch seems to produce for her newborns, but don’t be. A brand new litter doesn’t require a lot in quantity, but what they ARE getting is crucial to their survival. Their mother’s first milk contains colostrum, which contains all her antibodies and sets their immune system up for success for the first few weeks of their lives. As more time passes and the puppies begin to grow, their dam’s milk quality will increase in richness, and her diet will need to reflect the extra demands milk production makes on her system. But, for the moment, the puppies will get what they need.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s article on the aftercare of your new mother and potential problems for bitches, post-whelp.
The Borzoi Blog 