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(updated March 9, 2013)
Nikki's puppies, fourth week
(All puppies are reserved now, new inquiries can be only be written up for contact, in case a reservation should cancel)
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From crawling amoebas to little dogs
During the puppies' fourth week, they change from little "crawlers", only moving about in the box by crawling or staggering, to what looks like real little dogs. It seems like they overnight got their footing, and started running. Next thing, they are out of the box, running around in the pen on the floor.
Each day the puppies' vision and hearing improves. It is obvious that they at first get surprised, when we put a hand in front of them, then just to recognize it and get happy, wag the tail, lick and be excited. As the week progresses, they react the same way, just by hearing our voices, as well as Nikki's, when she cries to call them together. And they begin reacting to seeing us much sooner, and come out of the box, to meet us. They navigate their limited world rather well by a combination of smell, vision and hearing, the ability to smell still clearly being the most well developed of the three.
During the week the pen has become more and more open to the surroundings, by the sheets getting pulled aside, like a curtain revealing the rest of the kitchen to them, on the other side of the fence. And of course also the curious other adult dogs, dieing to meet the puppies through the fence. As the puppies are able to notice them, they walk right up to them with an amazing trust, and often start playing with them, even growling or barking spontaniously. As the week started they kept getting out of the box, but couldn't find their way back in. By the end of the week they have mapped out the entire play pen, and easily get out of, and back into the box.
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Nikki gets eclampsya, calcium shock
The day before the puppies turn 4 weeks old, in the very early morning, we find Nikki laying on her side on the kitchen floor in cramps, panting and completely apathic. I recognize the symptoms instantly and know she is in life threatening danger. Acute calcium deficiency occurs when a large litter of large puppies cause a female to lay down more milk, than her system has calcium for. When the calcium level in the blood becomes too low, the muscles cramp up, and the temperature rises to very high fever. The heart is a muscle, and ultimately the heart will stop. There may be 2 minutes, there may be 20 minutes or there may be 2 hours to work with. That varies a great deal. The only way the situation can become resolved, is by injection of calcium intraveniously.
Nikki was in real poor shape when we found her, and only got worse on the way to the emergency vet clinic. Thankfully I made it with her alive, and an experienced vet did what was necessary.
It was very close...
The consequense of this is, that Nikki no longer gets to choose to sleep with the puppies at night (but then she gets to sleep with me in my bed!), and that we must make sure she does not feed the puppies, when they wake up from sleeping, until we have been able to feed them puppy food, so they don't get to eat from her on an empty stomach. Being the puppies already are eating mashed puppy food with no problem, this is do-able.
Eclampsya cannot be prevented, which is why it is breeders' number one worst enemy. In this case we feel that Nikki's yielding eating at the beginning of her lactating period has set her off on the wrong track to begin with. Thankfully she is eating better now, and the puppies eat more and more puppy food, so we have reason to hope it will all work out.
The puppies did get their first car ride out of this, as I didn't know for how long we would be gone, I brought them all in a crate along with some puppy food. They slept the entire time, and never knew they went for a ride!
Socialization and potty training
The puppies start to have all sorts of visitors this week, and they really handle that well. They are a positive and fun group, and even though they sleep most of the time, they are playful and contact seeking, while awake. All of the dogs are jealous, Nikki is thrilled, she loves visitors, and we can see she is proud to show people her babies.
This is one of many steps in the puppies' socilalization. Different people, sounds, other dogs etc. are all things they need to get used to, and we are gradually exposing them to all of that and then some.
The floor around the box is covered with newspapers, as we can finally start with some early potty training. Normally we utilize much sooner, that puppies naturally will crawl away from where they sleep, to pee and poop, and we would have made one end of the crate have newspapers, and the other end puppy bedding. But Nikki's idea of making mish-mash out of the newspapers prevented that. But now the puppies will try to get out of the box to pee and poop, and that will be on newspapers. This is first step...
At the first of the week, the newspapers under the puppy bedding inside of the box is soaked and needs changing several times a day. But at the end of the week, the puppy bedding and the newspapers under the breeding inside of the box, is bone dry. They pee and poop 100% on newspapers in other words!
But we also don't give them a choice...
Status at the end of the week is, that we have sharp little teeth, the puppies play, play and play, while awake, and they have now started to pull on, and play tug with the sheets over the x-pen, as well as grabbing the newspapers and pulling on them. One has jumped out of the gate and took a tour of the kitchen and the hallway...little vandals coming right up...
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A puppy from Kennel Little Denmark
- Our puppies are by breeding approved parents (this is no longer a DKK requirement)
- The puppies have DKK pedigree, are sold on written contract, they are micro chipped, de-wormed, have first set of puppy shots, and a current health certificate from the vet.
- Our puppies are insured by Agria's "Hidden fault insurance" until they are 2 years and 3 months old (the insurance also covers puppies sold to other countries than Denmark)
- They will, just like all our previous puppies, be well socialized, be used to sounds and routines in and around a normal home, and have started house breaking. Plus of course they have learned "sit", and either learned, or have started to learn "down"
- A Kennel Little Denmark's puppy is accompanied by a "start package", including amongst other items, some puppy food to begin with
- Life long "support" is included as a given
If you are interested in learning more, you are welcome to contact us:
Kennel Little Denmark's
v/Helene Riisgaard Pedersen
Tvindelstrupvej 31
4100 Ringsted
Denmark
tlf: +4550579514
Email: Helene(at)farmdogs.net
(at)=@, this format is used to spare me from loads of automated spam and junkmail
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Has completed DKK's breeder education
Little Denmark's
Good Gamble
now weighs 1328g/2 lb 15 oz.
Little Denmark's
Great Greta
now weighs 1295g/2 lb 13oz.
Little Denmark's
Genuine Gem
now weighs 1342g/2 lb 15 oz.
Little Denmark's
Glorious Gloria
now weighs 1296g/2 lb 14 oz.
Little Denmark's
Gifted Gent
now weighs 1426g/3 lb 2oz.
Little Denmark's
Gracious Gracy
now weighs 1294g/2 lb 13 oz.
We want out!
Ok mom, feed me or else...
The puppies play and fight now
Playing for rank and power
The puppies can now jump both out and back into the box
The puppies are interacting with the other dogs through the fence
The pen has been all mapped out and is too small now
Back for a re-charge
We'll be back - check us out next week ;-)
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