The Nature, Wildlife and Pet Photography Forum - Fine Art Landscape Photography

Puppies: A Formal Introduction

Posted By: Jim Garvie

Puppies: A Formal Introduction - 10/17/11 08:38 PM

The puppies are now 7 weeks old and we'll be doing evaluations later this week and starting to decide who is going to which home. Since this crew is probably all going to "show" homes, one of the things the pups need to learn is how to be "stacked" for examination in the Conformation Ring. We've been stacking them informally for the past 2 weeks but it's now time for them to relax while being stacked and decide what their favorite bait is: turkey hotdogs, string cheese, boiled chicken, etc. Today, we used turkey hotdogs and they seemed to like them well enough. Tomorrow, we'll try the string cheese and then the chicken. Most professional handlers use calves liver. Since you need to place the bait in your mouth when you're showing your dog, I've tended to stuff I can actually stand having in my mouth. No liver!

We've finally picked a theme for this litter: international foods. I'll let you know what the names look like after we've finalized our list.

So, without further ado, here are the puppies in birth order. BTW, this was the first time that Linda stacked the puppies while I took the photos. I think she did an incredible job! First up, here's Pink Girl. She was the first born and was 13 oz. at birth. Today, she weighs 10 lbs. even.



Next up is Lt. Blue Girl. She was 14 oz. at birth and today weighs in at a hefty 10 lbs. 3 oz.



Red boy was the third puppy down the chute and he was also the smallest of the puppies at birth at 12 oz. Today, he is the third heaviest at 11 lbs. 5 oz.



The Plumster was next out and his lungs were filled with fluid. It took us over a 1/2 hr. to get him cleaned out and breathing properly. He also weighed just a shade over 12 oz. at birth. Today, he is the chunk of the litter at 13 lbs. 3 oz., a full pound heavier than Big Blue.



And speaking of Big Blue, he was the last puppy born and the heaviest at birth at 15 oz. Today, he's behind Plummy but hardly spindly at 12 lbs. 2 oz.



So, that's the crew. We are still debating who we're going to keep. And the list of buyers has gone through some changes since we have been looking for more "show" homes i.e. homes that want the puppies as pets and family members but would be willing to show them if they turn out. We now have 4 former buyers of our puppies on our list so we know exactly how the puppies will be treated. If you have never bred a litter, you have no idea how much of a relief it is to know your buyers and to trust them as great homes.

Enjoy the kids. They won't be with us too much longer.

Jim
Posted By: DonParrot

Re: Puppies: A Formal Introduction - 10/17/11 09:23 PM

I'd keep the Plumster. He seems to have a lot of wit in his eyes.
Posted By: James Morrissey

Re: Puppies: A Formal Introduction - 10/17/11 11:34 PM

Hey Jim,

All very nice photos - but the head shots on the corner bottom of each are wonderful. Just beautiful. You are going to have one heck of a time picking which one(s) to keep...LOL, at least I would (knowing little to nothing about Rotties, except for what you share here). I particularly like Plumster and Red.

James
Posted By: FretlessD

Re: Puppies: A Formal Introduction - 10/18/11 02:41 AM

Hey Jim,
Those are some great photos. The Plumster has moved to the top of my list for males, and Light Blue Girl my favorite female. I hope you have a great week shooting the calender. I know it's been hard work, but I bet saying goodbye to that crew is gonna be tuff.

Doug
Posted By: Jim Garvie

Re: Puppies: A Formal Introduction - 10/18/11 09:34 PM

Doug,
we keep expecting that with each succeeding day, the "right one" will make him/her-self obvious. But, instead, things keep getting more complicated. Plummy has always been at the bottom of our list. For a number of reasons but mainly because he has developed more slowly and the others were so much more together physically. But over the last few days, Plummy has started to exert himself within the litter and when we stacked him, he suddenly turned himself into a show dog right before our eyes.

We've vacillated between Big Blue and Red Boy as our "pick" for ourselves. Because we really would love a nice boy. Sigh. However, both of the girls are quite nice and now all of a sudden Plummy has gotten under our skin. And, today during a play date with 5 other puppies that were born the day after ours, the owner of the stud dog for that litter picked Plummy as her favorite.

For me, it will come down to how well they move. When they trot, you can see how solid the overall structure is. You can see how well they move on their rears and fronts and how well the toplines hold up when they are trotting. All of that presupposes that they actually can trot smile and at this age, that ain't a given. The great news is, there is not a puppy I would not be delighted to have part of our family. All five of these kids are really cool dogs. Confident. Playful. Sweet and loving. I can hold each of them on their backs and they simply look confidently into my eyes and dare me to put my nose close to those teeth shocked. No, actually they love to snuggle. They use their needle-like teeth with great restraint. Yes, we love them totally irrationally smile.

I'll share our decision as soon as we make it. It is possible we'll actually hold on to a boy and a girl. Not likely but possible. Stay tuned.

Jim
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