Adapting to their new homes

The Lovely Litter have been in their homes for a couple of weeks, so I thought you might like to know how they’ve been getting on. Pretty well, it seems.

“It’s like Finn has always been here. He’s generally a super laid back boy; he loves new situations and has been a pleasure to train so far! He’s very enthusiastic and really clever. He also loves a good cuddle”

“Today Rusty was quite adventurous and wanted to explore what the sound was of my son hoovering the car! Very brave!”

Getting on with the family

I’ve been surprised with how quickly they settled down with the other dogs they are living with. Initially the older girls tended to just ignore them, hoping they would go away! Lol. But they stayed, and quickly won over their older ‘siblings’, which has been so good to see.

“Miri and Pixie play all the time now. She is so friendly and a right little explorer and quick to learn – sits, down etc. She is confident on different surfaces. Loves cuddles.”

Not all great news

Gardening is the biggest problem at the moment! When I questioned why Rusty was on lead, I was told he was a bit difficult to manage.

“Bentley has also taken a fancy to our garden vegetation, especially the hebes! Sadly, they aren’t faring too well..”

We’ve had a bit of a discussion about how to manage this – with difficulty! Puppies are incredibly destructive and will do a lot of damage in seconds. Of course you can put them on the lead in the garden, so that you can stop problem behaviour and make sure they are safe.

However, they do need to be able to explore on their own. And they absolutely, definitely need to be able to come back to you! The more you practise this at this stage, the better results you’ll have when you venture out on walks.

Once they do go on walks, they MUST go off lead straight away. I have written a great deal about recall – make it exciting!

“Our recall is coming on really well with Miri, but I have a good squeaky voice!”

“Finn also likes to try and eat everything, but I just substitute for a toy and make out it’s much more exciting. Eyes in the back of my head definitely needed!”

Pouncing play

“Do any of them stalk and then pounce on their toys? Watching Bentley is like watching a David Attenborough film on the artic fox pouncing on their prey in the snow”

“Hettie definitely pounces like an artic fox when playing – on her toys, a stolen carrot! And once on Nell’s tail (didn’t go down well!)“

Still lovely

“Just loving Hettie. She is so much fun and so keen to learn. They do seem to be a truly ‘lovely litter’. “

All so great to hear! It’s so nice for the owners to be able to talk to each other, ask questions and share problems. The owners of the Sweetie Litter still talk to each other almost daily and their pups are now 11 months old!

Remember..

If you want to see more videos and photos, please go to the Dentbros Dogs Facebook page.

Please CONTACT ME if you want to know more about me and my dogs?  And feel free to COMMENT if you want to tell me what you think.  If you want to know more, why not FOLLOW ME?  Then you will receive an email when there is a new post.

Off to their new homes!

The Lovely Litter have been collected by their owners and are settling down into their new homes. Obviously, in these exceptional circumstances, with the coronavirus pandemic, I thought long and hard about the correct course of action. First and foremost, I wanted to meet the needs of the puppies.

They are now 8 weeks old and this is generally agreed to be the correct age for them to go to their new homes. Some breeds or types of dog take longer to mature than others, but at 8 weeks, Border Collies are developing really well! They are confident and resilient, if they have had a good start. These puppies can tackle new situations and find solutions to problems.

Socialisation

What is socialisation? This is the process of familiarising puppies to new and varied situations, so that they learn to cope with these and become confident, outgoing dogs. Sadly, many dogs are not exposed to new things until they are a few months old and are therefore fearful and reactive to anything and everything. People often don’t realise the importance of this process and the ongoing impact it has.

Puppies without this resilience will struggle to cope and this makes them harder to manage. Unfortunately, these are often the dogs that end up in rescue centres, as they need experienced, confident owners to handle them and help them recover. Rescuing a dog is therefore often a real challenge, because there are issues to overcome.

A good start

Happily, the Lovely Litter were born before the Lockdown. By the time the last visitor came, these puppies had been introduced to over 100 different people and had seen many of these people several times. They had met their owners and been cuddled many times.

I am also fortunate enough to have the space to create an interesting and varied set of experiences for them. They are regularly around my other, older dogs. These puppies have had time to play and explore.

Therefore, they should be fine. Certainly they all coped fine on their own for the first night and are loving having somewhere new to explore! Of course the handover was a bit challenging, because we had to maintain social distance, keep the owners in a separate, clean area and with minimal touching by them. That was fine. So off they went! Kennel Club provide ongoing advice to dog businesses – an update can be found here. I decided that 5 deliveries was the same as 5 collections and easier to manage.

Keeping in touch

As with the majority of my previous litters, I know that these owners will keep in touch. Most are already known to me and I know that they will come back to me, or talk to each other if they have any concerns or queries.

I am confident that I will see most, if not all these puppies again – we had planned a reunion in May, which I know the Sweetie Litter were excited about. This will probably happen in September now.

Will you and Ounce miss them?

This is the question I am constantly being asked. See the video for proof that Ounce is not pining away at home! This was filmed yesterday. She’s been completely, absolutely fine. The very last time she fed the pups was on Monday night, but she had hardly been feeding them for a week or so.

And me? Well no. These puppies don’t belong to me, after all. I am lucky to have had owners arranged for these pups almost as soon as they were born. So I am merely their guardian. I am responsible for their care, until they are ready to go.

I consider it to be the best ‘job’ in the world – raising healthy, happy dogs who will go on to have fantastic lives, bringing (almost!) constant joy to their families. Lucky me! Plus, I already have 5 amazing, wonderful dogs of my own. And Chris of course! Happy Easter everyone, stay safe xx.

Remember..

If you want to see more videos and photos, please go to the Dentbros Dogs Facebook page.

Please CONTACT ME if you want to know more about me and my dogs?  And feel free to COMMENT if you want to tell me what you think.  If you want to know more, why not FOLLOW ME?  Then you will receive an email when there is a new post.

Time to meet you properly

I always like to leave it until close to the end of their time in the Puppy Palace to make the formal introductions. Of course I have been referring to the puppies in posts and often captioning photos with their names. But now is the time when I feel their personalities really shine through in the photos. You can see who they are.

The Lovely Litter

As you know, I decided that this would be the ‘Lovely Litter’ when they arrived on Valentine’s Day. They actually arrived whilst Chris and I were trying to eat our Valentine’s dinner! So for me it is all about love.

I applied for their Kennel Club names almost straight away and was surprised and delighted when these were all accepted without question. Normally there is a bit of jiggery-pokery as names are rejected because they are too similar to someone else’s. These names seemed so obvious to me and had such meaning, that I couldn’t believe my luck when they just came back.

Song titles

The ‘Rainbow Litter‘ were all song titles with the colour of the puppy in the name. Hence Ounce became ‘Dentbros Lilac Wine’ as a lilac and white puppy. Not ‘Purple Rain’, which I wanted – it was rejected, shame. Anyway, it seemed good to go with more song titles again. I was even more delighted to discover that Jasper, the dad of this litter, had his first litter named after song titles as well. Even better, they were all Paul McCartney and Wings song titles. So having two Beatles songs in my list seemed perfect.

The Lovely Litter:

• Dentbros It Must Be Love (Bentley)
• Dentbros One Love (Finn)
• Dentbros Love Me Do (Miri)
• Dentbros Look of Love (Rusty)
• Dentbros And I Love Her (Hettie)

Calendar Pictures?

Every year for the last six or seven years I have produced a calendar for family and friends with photos of the dogs. Initially these were from the professional photos I had had taken by Kate Everall or Bridget Davey. Then Chris bought me my first camera and I put on my big girl pants and started doing my own pictures for the calendars.

For the last couple of years, I have been offering these calendars for sale and donating all the profits I make to the charity Canine Concern. This is the charity that supports us when we volunteer in school every week.

Which photo(s) would you choose for the calendar? Please have a look through the photos for this litter and tell me which one(s) are your favourite? You can email me or message me on here or on Facebook?

Remember..

If you want to see more videos and photos, please go to the Dentbros Dogs Facebook page, or my own page. I am trying to post at least one video each day, to keep everyone entertained. Stay safe, stay in. xx

Please CONTACT ME if you want to know more about me and my dogs?  And feel free to COMMENT if you want to tell me what you think.  If you want to know more, why not FOLLOW ME?  Then you will receive an email when there is a new post.

Tuggy and chase!

I had to do an early pupdate, because this video is so much fun! I posted to social media last night, but I wanted to make sure all our audience could see what fun they are all having.

Smile please

I also wanted to share some of the photos I’ve taken over the past couple of days. Trying to photograph puppies at this age is like trying to catch a fish with your bare hands – pretty tricky! Over the years I have had a number of professional photographers come round and want to take pictures. ‘Oh let’s put them in a basket/bath/box’. Hmm. They can’t be posed, or placed, or set up.

Of course I have time on my side. I can take pictures all day every day. So you would expect my photos to be amazing, right? Well of course I am NOT a professional photographer. I’ve got better over the years, largely thanks to the tutoring and support I’ve received from my friend Kate Everall.

Still, sometimes it is better to just sit and watch them as they career around the kitchen! Sometimes you just want to enjoy the moment. And naturally, if I move to get my camera, they move and stop whatever sweet thing they were doing.

Constant growth and change

The changes the puppies are making are now slightly more subtle than in the first few weeks. They don’t double in weight, but their growth creeps up. Yesterday on the Live video I was talking about the way they have developed their ability to navigate round their world. The puppies are now much more confidently going from outside to inside and back again.

Eventually, (in a few weeks’ time), they will be able to understand that they need to go to the toilet and have sufficient control to wait until they are outside. Sadly, that is NOT a skill that they have just yet!

Patience pays off

I was reminded of the need for patience this morning when out with my dogs. When I walk my 5 dogs off lead every day, I nearly always receive a compliment on how well behaved they are. This is especially true now, as I move them to the side of the path and make them wait whilst people pass us at a safe distance.

Achieving this with my dogs is not a 5 minute exercise. I work on these activities every day. I always have treats in my pocket (currently imported from Slovenia!)

Anyway, I’m going to start teaching the puppies some basic commands. Watch this space!

Remember..

If you want to see more videos like the one in this post, please go to the Dentbros Dogs Facebook page, or my own page. I am trying to post at least one video each day, to keep everyone entertained. Stay safe, stay in. xx

Please CONTACT ME if you want to know more about me and my dogs?  And feel free to COMMENT if you want to tell me what you think.  If you want to know more, why not FOLLOW ME?  Then you will receive an email when there is a new post.

Running and jumping all day long

How is everyone? Not as happy, nor as busy as me, I’ll bet. It’s a rather unique situation we’re in, but for the puppies, the dogs and us, not much has changed. I still have to get up early to let out my 10 dogs and feed them all. I have to clean the run and reset it, while the puppies are out eating their breakfast in the sunshine (long may that last!)

Of course we have not had any visitors in the house for a week now. It really doesn’t matter, because they’ve met over 100 different people over the previous five weeks and seen quite a few of these on numerous occasions! They know that people are the best things and they will always welcome human interaction.

Staying chilled

Despite spending much longer periods awake, running and jumping around in the house and garden, the puppies do still spend long periods asleep. I was ‘talking’ with the owners of the Sweetie Litter on our WhatsApp group yesterday and they were sharing photos of their ten-month-olds all being super chilled.

When you are stuck in the house for most of every day, you do NOT need a dog that is constantly ‘on the go’. My dogs are completely used to me being around, so they spend most of the day, every day, sleeping at my feet. Of course they get up and play from time to time, but they are not restless, or anxious, or stressed.

If you want to help your dog to settle and relax, the best thing to do is to be around them as much as possible, especially when they are little. Naturally my dogs are used to me going out (normally!) but they don’t worry.

Another thing you could do is spend time training them. I recommend visiting the completely excellent Adam Delderfield’s site Delders Dogs for this. He’s running a series of challenges for people at the moment.

Adapting to the changes

Another impact of these strange times is that I have had my two vet appointments for next week cancelled. It is a legal requirement for breeders to have puppies microchipped BEFORE they go off to their new homes.

“All dog breeders are responsible for ensuring puppies are microchipped before selling them. Puppies cannot be sold until they are eight-weeks-old and must be microchipped at the point of sale. If you’re buying a puppy make sure it’s microchipped before taking them home.”

From the Kennel Club information

However, all non-emergency appointments have been cancelled, so on this occasion they puppies will have to be microchipped along with their first vaccination. The Kennel Club have said that it not a requirement for breeders to vaccinate and I don’t do this anyway.

With regards the eye testing, I have told the owners that this will not be done at this time. The parents are of course fully tested. I will pay for a test at a later date, if required.

Puppy training

As you can see in the video, I am already trying to instil some training into the puppies. They know to come when I call! Recall is the most important thing you can teach your dog and the better it is, the more you can relax and have fun with your dogs.

There are many posts and videos on this website about recall, particularly when I was writing about Ounce’s Adventures, including me talking about being stupidly exciting, like I am in the video above. I’m always conscious of trying to make the puppies as good as I can get them.

Remember..

If you want to see more videos like the one in this post, please go to the Dentbros Dogs Facebook page, or my own page. I am trying to post at least one video each day, to keep everyone entertained. Stay safe, stay in. xx

Please CONTACT ME if you want to know more about me and my dogs?  And feel free to COMMENT if you want to tell me what you think.  If you want to know more, why not FOLLOW ME?  Then you will receive an email when there is a new post.

Out and about

This is how we start the day! As you can see, the puppies are now running about, going in and out, out and in. They wake up and given the chance, will rush outside to toilet. I offer them some food and Ounce may have already fed them. She and I try to take it in turns, but some days are more successful than others.

Playing with others

Today was another first, as Busy was engaging with one of the puppies! She came into the run and was really interacting with the puppy. Normally the other dogs are pretty grumpy with the puppies, because they are constantly looking for food from any dog they meet. I am so delighted that this litter are already learning that big dogs mean more than just food.

Having said that, I was thinking this morning how miserable it must be for dogs in puppy farms, being left shut in with their puppies all the time. If they have access to her, these puppies will constantly try to feed from Ounce, which can get rather annoying.

Come rain or shine

Now the puppies have ‘fluffed up’, I prefer them to have access to outside as much possible. They are not able to wait to toilet, but like to go out. Border Collies have a double coat, with a thick, fluffy undercoat to keep them warm and a silky, waterproof top coat. That’s why they don’t need to go to the groomers, they don’t get smelly and they are immaculately clean ten minutes after getting home from a walk. I don’t feel they should normally wear coats – they are designed to live with our weather :).

Children are friendly

With the imminent closure of schools this week, I suddenly realised we needed to do our ‘school visit’ straight away and I was very fortunate that Heronsgate Junior School were able to see us! I took the puppies, Ounce and Busy into school. We met around 50 children and 15 staff during our hour-long visit. The children behaved so well and really loved interacting with the puppies. Nobody was dropped or lost and there were lots of questions.

Quiet time?

Now that the world has closed its doors, we are not expecting too many visitors. However, I don’t really think we will mind too much – all the more cuddling time for us! It’s a hard life!

Remember..

Please CONTACT ME if you want to know more about me and my dogs?  And feel free to COMMENT if you want to tell me what you think.  If you want to know more, why not FOLLOW ME?  Then you will receive an email when there is a new post.

4 week-old puppies at play

I’m amazed I get anything done, to be honest. These puppies! They really are lovely and I LOVE spending time with them. I often say to people that I get to know their temperaments because I spend so many hours with my puppies. With this litter I just think – they are all lovely 🙂

Meeting the family

This week I have seen all the families who are having the puppies and they know which puppy they are having. It has been pretty straightforward this time, as four of the homes are people I know and trust.

It can be very challenging assessing the suitability of a new home, as you are sending off one of the family into the unknown. I feel a bit like the Grand Inquisitor, grilling people on their lifestyle! But sometimes people think they know what they want (it’s cute and fluffy!) and that isn’t the best fit for their family. It’s super when it comes together and you know it’s a perfect match.

Playing and learning

The puppies are now awake for longer periods and they are really interacting with one another! It is pretty magical to watch, as they tumble about, jumping on top of one another and chewing each other’s ears.

As with everything else, Ounce is pretty special when it comes to play. More than any of my other mums, she is engaging with her puppies and really playing with them. So sweet.

Teeth – all the better to chew you

The puppies continue to change in lots of ways. They can hear now of course, so they know as soon as we enter the room. When I get into the run they come over and start to engage with me. This normally means chewing my feet or trousers. Their teeth are only just emerging, but it won’t be long before I am really having to dodge round them.

What’s next?

I have been opening the outside door to give the pups some fresh air. The outside run is now set up and ready to go. It’s still cold and windy though, so when one came out this morning she just wanted to go straight back in. Fingers crossed the weather improves and they can have space to run about and explore.

Don’t forget to book up if you want to visit (friends and family only). Shutdowns due to the virus notwithstanding, the next few weeks are likely to be busy, especially the final week as the schools are on holiday. Week 6 is booked up already..

Remember..

Please CONTACT ME if you want to know more about me and my dogs?  And feel free to COMMENT if you want to tell me what you think.  If you want to know more, why not FOLLOW ME?  Then you will receive an email when there is a new post.

Party on!

We’ve been very busy here in the Puppy Palace, with masses of visitors, all family and friends, helping to celebrate a special wedding anniversary.

There is a definite pattern to the puppies’ feeds now, as they feed every 3-4 hours. Ounce goes in and within moment there is a terrific noise of suckling, as they guzzle the milk greedily.

You can see that they all pile in, not caring if they are squashing each other, as they fight for a place. There are plenty of spare nipples available guys! They move around every few minutes to ensure that all the milk is drunk.

Help from Granny

I have always known that my dogs get on really well, but I have seen this taken to a new level with this litter. When we arrived home after a couple of days away, I sat in with Ounce while she was feeding. Busy then joined us in the run, lying behind her daughter.

Once the pups had finished feeding, Busy waited for them to come over, then cleaned them, making sure they went to the toilet. The puppies were totally relaxed around their grandmother, happy to engage with her, knowing she did not have any milk.

I’ve found this fascinating – truly supportive parenting! Of course in the wild the pack does all help to raise a litter of pups, but I never thought it would happen in my home!

Introducing solid food

Today, as the puppies are almost three weeks old, I have introduced a bit of soggy puppy food, soaked in goat’s milk. They loved it!

They had no trouble at all eating it – most of them have teeth already! They just tucked right in, then went back to Ounce for a bit more milk. So I will continue to provide some additional food over the next few weeks, until they are having 5-6 meals per day.

Eating is hard work

The inevitable conclusion to the first meal – one tired puppy!

They do potter about playing and exploring, but only for a few minutes, then it’s back to sleep. They are real cuddle monsters already.

Endless entertainment

Do you think I should charge an entry fee? Their owners will have all been to see them in the next few days, and they will hopefully get to know their puppy a little before he or she arrives in their new home.

Remember..

Please CONTACT ME if you want to know more about me and my dogs?  And feel free to COMMENT if you want to tell me what you think.  If you want to know more, why not FOLLOW ME?  Then you will receive an email when there is a new post.