At two weeks of age, the eight puppies out of Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Carly Simon have more than doubled their weight since birth. They’ve grown from an average of .8 lbs. to an average of 1.8 lbs.
It’s been busy and exciting around our Georgia kennel lately. Within a timeframe of about 10 days, our three pregnant dams delivered a total of 24 puppies.
Jerry and I can usually predict when a dam is close to whelping. Her temperature will drop to around 98 degrees and she won’t eat.
So on Sunday evening, March 15, we knew Northwoods Carly Simon was close. Within about two hours, she had whelped eight puppies—five females and three males. All are tri-color. This litter is by Northwoods Grits.
Six days later, on Saturday, March 21, Northwoods Vixen didn’t eat her evening meal and her temperature was falling. We stayed up with her and within a couple of hours, her first puppy was born. By the time she was finished about eight hours later, she had delivered five females and four males. One male is liver and white; the rest are black and white. This litter is a frozen-semen breeding by CH Rock Acre Blackhawk.
Within hours of whelping, Northwoods Vixen had her nine puppies by CH Rock Acre Blackhawk clean and white.
Northwoods Chablis was next. On the evening of Monday, March 23, she didn’t eat and her temperature had dropped. Again we watched and finally, just after midnight, she began. After three hours, she had whelped seven puppies—three females and four males. This is Chablis’ fourth litter by Northwoods Blue Ox.
Northwoods Chablis protectively curls round her seven puppies–cleaning some and letting others nurse.
Even though 24 puppies sounds like a lot of puppies, right now there isn’t much work for Jerry and me. Jerry is doing the “super puppy” exercises with them. Otherwise the dams do it all.
The nine puppies out of CH Elhew G Force x Northwoods Vixen are now six weeks old. They eat dry food and we’ve started weaning them off Vixen. The puppies seem extremely coordinated for their age and easily scramble in and out of their dog door.
Jerry shot some video of the puppies last week. As you can see, they are very friendly and have lots of energy.
The litter out of Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice is now about 3½ weeks old and growing like weeds. After Choice feeds them each morning, we clean the nest and add fresh wood shavings—all of which seems to invigorate the puppies. Even though they’re a little wobbly on unsteady legs, the play facilitates coordination and muscle development.
Meanwhile, puppies in the adjacent run out of Ridge Creek Cody x Northwoods Chardonnay are one week older and more mature in their play. They’ve begun a bit of dominance play, including biting and standing over. But they’re all pals and, in the end, fall asleep together in one big pile.
Note: The background noises in the videos are dog doors banging as dogs go in and out.
Between about 4 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, April 21, Northwoods Vixen whelped nine puppies by CH Elhew G Force. There are two males (one liver and one orange) and seven females (four black and three orange). The birth process was about as smooth as we could hope for.
Within an hour after all were born, Jerry shot some audio and video. We’ve always liked the tiny peeping, squealing noises newborns make. The whelping process is a messing thing—with plenty of fluids and liquids—and the dam spends a lot of time licking and cleaning her puppies.
By late morning, every puppy was shiny white. And Vixen and her litter were sleeping.
The all-female litter out of CH Westfall’s Black Ice x Northwoods Prancer is now about 12 weeks old.
We’ve heard excellent reports from Mark & Janie Fouts (Timber), Chip Young (Birdie), Tony & Cheryl Follen (Lucy), Dave Sheley, Mike Stout (Jackie Daniels) and Ben Mergens.
Jerry and I kept an orange-and-white that we named Vixen. Jeff, our neighbor and friend who helps with training, and his wife, Carol, have a black-and-white. They named her Izzie after the doctor on Grey’s Anatomy.
These two couldn’t be cuter or more precocious or more fun. Vixen lives in the house with us and I love sitting on the floor with her and her chew toys. One day Jerry threw a dead pigeon for her. She ran out, picked it up (it was as big as she was) and carried it all the way back to him.
Jeff takes his group of pointers to a nearby lake to cool off on these hot summer afternoons and throws a dummy. Izzie took off after Jeff’s older pointer, Hershey, when he out for the retrieve. What to do? Jeff threw one just for Izzie…and she loved it.
The all-female litter out of CH Westfall’s Black Ice x Northwoods Prancer is now about 12 weeks old.
These two couldn’t be cuter or more precocious or more fun. Vixen lives in the house with us and I love sitting on the floor with her and her chew toys. One day Jerry threw a dead pigeon for her. She ran out, picked it up (it was as big as she was) and carried it all the way back to him.
