looking mighty fine
Our Gralochs Blueberry Tart gave birth yesterday morning to 5 healthy pups, with a nice variety of colours and sexes. They are sired by Am/Cdn Apple Acres Expedition ROM/C. 
We've waited a while to do this breeding, and couldn't be happier with the outcome. Now the anxiety of watching them grow starts!
Merry Christmas Everyone! Hope SantaPaws is as good to you as he's been to us.
Meet Cocoa, growing up here. She is from our Ch Shelamo Sugar Rush x Ch Shelamo Tyme Descends litter. She was named at just 11 days old by the girl we had here on the day, 'take a kid to work '. It's stuck!
In one of my previous posts I said I'd try and get pics of puppies play fighting and learning bite inhibition. They all start to learn this as early as 2.5 wks of age, before the puppy teeth come in.
I teach dog obedience at 2 locations for the City of Ottawa. The 1st class graduated on Dec 2 at the Ron Kolbus Lakeside Gardens. It was a Level 2/3 advanced class. I had a great time teaching this class as was small, and diverse enough that we were able to do all kinds of work. With the weather being nice, some daylight still available, along with a well lit area, for the 1st 5 classes we worked outside for 1/2 hr in a very distracted environment. I think everyone accomplished more than they had expected, with some AH HA moments. The students helped each other work through some of their 'kinks' too, which showed me they'd learned how to put small steps of achievements together.
Corki's been our new addition since June ~ she's a real fun loving girl. She helped from start to finish, checking out everything. This is for the March family.
I'm tardy by 2 days in getting these pics up, but it just goes to show you how fast pups start to mature in their abilities. Tuesday was their 1st day of trying out running ... well it really wasn't running it was a hop, hop type of movement.
Pups are now 5 wks old and waking/play time has increased to about 1 hour at a time. Since their mobility has increased it was time to introduce them to the hoop, right at floor level. They were quick to investigate this new 'toy', and not an issue to go through it.
Many people don't know how puppies start out day by day in their abilities, and how it starts to escalate week by week as they mature. Hopefully I can shed some light as we follow Tyme's litter along. I'll do my best to post these changes.
Tyme's pups are almost 5 wks and their abilities to do all kinds of things are starting to ramp up. They can't run, just waddle. They are just starting to explore spaces that are a bit larger, but that can be scary, each time they are out to play they get more confident. Toys are still small as they can't do too much damage with their tiny teeth and lack of jaw power. They don't know how to carry items yet either. Small toys that make noise, like rattles for babies is good. Just like babies, everything goes into their mouths.
They are still at the point that if they are uncertain, they will drop and stop, just as if they were in the wild and a bird of prey flew over head ... get down, stay low and still ... it's in their genetic make-up.
Bite inhibition starts now too as they play fight with one another.
They are still on softened puppy food mixed with baby pablum, although the percentage of soft puppy food is being increased each day. Mom is not with them on a regular basis now, but spends on/off time with them during the day, sleeping in her crate at night.
Tyme's pups are now just over 4 wks and it was time they were moved into a large x-pen area. After exploring, playing with new toys ...
Winter is on it's way ~ whether we're going to like it or not!
I get asked many times about whether shelties need booties for walking in the winter. My general answer is no, not usually. One of the biggest keys is you need to keep the hair trimmed on the bottom of their feet. Below is a pic of one foot that's been trimmed, the other still to be done. One of the areas dogs sweat is from their paws, (did you know this?) and thus with the hair & their sweating it all leads to those big snow balls that collect between their pads. This can cause small cracks in the thinner areas between their toes. Not to mention all the sand/salt they pick up! Dog's pads are meant to be rough and able to handle most surfaces ~ just think ~ they can run through dried grass, prickly weeds, woods with who knows what on the ground, over rocks and we don't consider protecting them during this time.
So, when might booties help? If you have no choice but to walk on heavily salted streets every day, and especially when we have those minus 30C consistent days, they can help. Those icy days we get can help with traction. Or maybe you have a senior dog, arthritic dog, that needs help with traction.
There are two problems with booties - one will the dog walk with them on??? and two will they stay on? There are many kinds on the market. You need to 'train' your dog to accept them on their feet. Don't just put them on the day you need them as many will shake, pull them off or just fail to move! Train them in the house, one bootie at a time, a few good treats to distract them and make it fun. Maybe play with a toy, so they aren't thinking about them. Work up till they accept all four.
These are ones I've seen in action. I have one in my dog class, with a waxed floor, there is a Rotti that will slip on the sit. She wears these and they stay on for the full hour, no matter what she's doing.
Check out this site ... click on the pic from their home page ~ Pawzdogboots.com
Biggest question, where can you get them? I plugged in my location and found Pet Value carries them. They come different sizes ... but hey! take your dog and use it as a training/socialization situation at the same time.
Enjoy winter! and don't forget to groom those feet.
Maybe this post will help heal the pain I'm feeling.
Sassy was a major part of our life, returning for boarding many, many times. She was raised here as one of our own, but went on to her new home around 6 yrs of age.
We've confirmed by palpation that our Gralochs Blueberry Tart is pregnant! She's been bred to one Canada's Top Stud Dogs in the 21st Century ~ Am/Cdn Ch Apple Acres Expedition ROM/ROMC. This breeding can not only produce blue merles and tris, but also bi-blues and bi-blacks.
Needless to say, it made for that all important decision, our family's xmas dinner will have to be held at our place this year.
Too bad ultrasound can't yet predict colours :)
Still a warm day for early November, the sun shining at the moment, so I took Tyme's pups out in 2 groups to get some pictures of them @ 2.5 wks of age. We've now progressed from Saturday with their eyes opening then, now their ears are opening and they are able to hold their heads up better. They still can't wag their tails! I had a hard time picking which pictures to put up.
3 of the smaller girls from Tyme's litter
sun feels so good
this pup now able to hold her head up is sniffing the air ~ one of the best things they do from birth
hello pretty one
the 2 larger girls
"Cocoa" named by the "take your kid to work day"As we follow Tyme's pups as they grow, here are some updated pictures of them @ 2 weeks of age. Iif you remember, they easily fit into this red donut bed; they now fill it!
eyes and ears are still shut 
warmth, sleeping, mother's milk and huddling are their activities in life at this stage;
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