GOLDSMITH BLOG

Love Litter Jazz x Duke 5 weeks old

October 6, 2014
How did we get to this point - the Love Litter has gone from little needy puppies to big beautiful pups!  What a lovely bunch of pups....they had their first outdoor adventures this week - weather and my schedule delayed that first outing...as a rule they see the outdoors at 4 weeks of age.  What a difference a week makes...at five weeks they are off and running around - exploring every leaf that moves....tearing around the yard.  At four weeks they are hesitant to leave the blanket i put on the ground.  They are confident pups...very loving and affectionate.  Mr Orange and Ms Purple are the more vocal pups...like to bark at me when I enter their room or when they're trying to get my attention...the others just sit and look up at me or nibble on a shoelace or pant leg.

These are big pups...will have to check back on Jazz's 2012 and 2013 litters and compare weights at this age..
Weights are recorded with their individual 5 week pictures....can access them from the Love Litter page...the home page, or check the GoldSmith Facebook page - it is a public page.

I love taking the outdoor pictures...especially if I can add some colorful props...to snap 500 pictures in less than half hour is starting to be the norm.

On another note, happy to say that Dion has found a new home...her caregiver gave her up and am thankful that a young woman from my community is going to be her "mom"

Dion was bred this week to Romeo...as it didn't happen in a natural way, I drove in to my repro vet in Winnipeg Monday, Wednesday and Friday...fingers crossed that there will be pups Dec 1.  This is Dion's 3rd litter and first time that Romeo has sired a litter for me...very excited to see what kind of pups they will produce.  Expecting a wonderful litter like the Love Litter.

Puppies have their 6 week vet appointment on Thursday afternoon as well as their tattooing.  I will be co-ordinating puppy selection for Thanksgiving weekend also....stay tuned.
 

Love Litter Jazz x Duke

October 2, 2014
My how they've grown!  Puppies are really thriving and developing into stunning puppies.  Their personalities are just starting to show....they are confident outgoing puppies.  Mr. Orange seems to be the most outgoing at this point.  

It's been a busy week so I haven't taken them outside...the plan is tomorrow, weather permitting.  First great outdoor adventure.  

Puppies are on a 4x a day feeding schedule...7 am, 12 noon, 5 pm and 9-10 pm...very important this schedule is followed in their new...
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Love Litter 4 weeks old

September 29, 2014
Big week for the Love Litter.  They said goodbye to their sister; their living area was expanded in a big way; and they were started on softened puppyfood.  That's  lot of change in one week.  They are loving their extra space...they are now very steady on their feet.  They loved the food the second their noses dipped in to try it..a little tentative at first but all it needed was one taste!  They aren't drinking as much water as I would like...they seem to be a bit wary of the big silver shi...
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End of the journey - Hope

September 26, 2014
This is a tough post to write....it's not the way I had envisioned for Hope.  4 weeks of nurturing around the clock and needed to make the decision today to say goodbye to Hope.  She had a 4 week assessment today and she still had no eyesight.  Highly likely she was born with no eyes.  There was also strong suspicion that she also had hydrocephalus...with all these things against her, it was obvious she would not have quality of life.  It did not make sense to keep sustaining her life with a ...
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Love Litter Almost 4 weeks old

September 25, 2014
Almost halfway there!  The Love litter is turning 4 weeks in two days. 
Puppies are very receptive to me and my favorite place in the world right now is to sit in their box and let them crawl all over me...nibble at my shoelaces, pantlegs and of course fingers.  What a nice litter of pups - very even tempered...playful...gentle.  Little Ms Blue picks her fights and is quite feisty...growl and squeals come out of her when she's trying to hold her own with her brothers and sisters.  Weight gain...
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Update on Ms Blue "Hope"

September 20, 2014
The journey of hope continues...our special girl Ms. Blue had a 3 week evaluation yesterday. She was a hit at the vet office. Two vets examined her...cleft lip/palette has grown some but was still deemed repairable.  Neurologically she checked out perfectly....the concern is her eyes that haven't opened.  The vets couldn't make a satisfactory assessment as it was hard to check the closed eyes...because she was thriving in every other way they asked me to give her another week and bring her ba...
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Love litter 3 weeks old

September 18, 2014
What changes happen in a puppy's life with each week!  A week ago puppies mainly slept, ate and pooped, not necessarily in that order!  There periods of wakefulness are longer and there is definitely some playing going on...mainly trying to fit an entire mouth or jaw in another puppy's mouth...no teeth yet but they will appear in the next few days.  They are also more vocal...cry when they think their mom should be feeding them.  They are growing steadily and all but Ms Blue have tripled thei...
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Love Litter DOB Aug 29, 2014

September 14, 2014
We're at 17 days and now the fun begins.  Eyes opened a few days ago, with the exception of Ms Blue, the cleft palette girl.  They are starting too...she needs a bit more time.  With the eyes opening, they start reacting to things they are seeing...they look up at me in puzzlement and probably wonder what planet did I come from.  They seem to be a gentle group so far...a few of them seem to play the role of protector/big brother by wrapping themselves around Ms Blue - quite tender to watch - ...
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The Love Litter 9 Days Old

September 8, 2014
We're at day 9 in the lives of the Love litter.  In some ways it seems like a long time and in other ways I blinked and now here we are.  Puppies are gaining weight steadily...some more than others...but all in all I'm happy with how things are progressing.  The eyes are becoming slits that will open soon.  They are sensitive to light...I take many pictures and they react to my camera flash.  By Wednesday I expect the eyes will be open.

Today's weights:

Ms Fushia  926 grams; Ms Purple  890 gram...
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Love Litter Jazz x Duke

September 4, 2014
It's been a quick 5 days since the birth of the Love Litter.  My days are divided into 4 hour intervals...every four hours around the clock,  I hand feed Hope, our cleft lip/palette girl...it's been a bit of trial and error as to how fast/how slow I should feed her..how much is enough and how much is too much.  Have found the right formula/method.  Syringe feeding is slow but by using it I don't get formula in her nasal cavity..she is very squirmy and impatient as I have to reload the 9mml sy...
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Update on Love Litter

August 31, 2014
We;re 36 hours into the life of this litter and there's been significant improvement.  When a c section is involved, the first 24-36 hours can be tricky...mom just had surgery...wakes up and is expected to tend and nurture these squealing squirming puppies...because she did not delivery any naturally, she did not release any of those hormones that account for maternal instincts.  Left on her own, she would not have fed, cleaned or even looked at her puppies until 24 hours after.  I supervised...
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The "Love" Litter has arrived! Aug 29 2014

August 30, 2014
Well - they're here!  The Love Litter arrived in fine style - with a little bit of help with my vet. 

Friday morning it was obviou.s around 10:30 am that labor was in full swing...the panting became more intense with each hour.  By 5 pm it didn't look like things were progressing...no contractions so I packed her up and took her to get checked by my vet.  Xray confirmed 6 puppies and that their position was still high up - none had started the journey down the horn to the birth canal.  A last...
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"Love" Litter Jazz x Duke

August 24, 2014
I've been gently reminded that I have not made a blog entry about our upcoming litter.  She's right!  Have been enjoying the summer by staying off my computer and spending more time outside.

Due date is drawing near - The "Love" Litter is due Tuesday Aug 26.  This is a repeat breeding for Jazz and Duke and fully expect the puppies to be as great as the Dream Litter.

Jazz has been growing steadily - today she is 39.5" around her girth.  This compares with the last two litters were she had 9 pupp...
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E Litter

July 14, 2014
It's fairly quiet around here....with only 2 puppies around.  Ms Red, Mr. Brown, Ms Blue and Ms Orange left last weekend.
Mr Green, aka Bentley is staying until this Sunday and will head to his new home in The Pas.  Ms Pink aka Ziva may just stay with us.  The two of them have become best buds...have walked them separately with their mom but yesterday tried walking them together...what a gong show...someone should have been taking a video!  Underfoot, crossing under each other leashes, running...
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First Farewell E Litter

July 4, 2014
It's a bittersweet time for us...the time when puppies from the E litter join their new famlies.  Sad to see these little guys go but know that they are going to be a part of some great families!  Ms. Red left this morning - on her way to Regina, SK.
Mr. Brown and Ms Blue will leave Saturday morning and Ms Orange on Sunday.  We'll be able to enjoy Mr. Green for an extra two weeks and then he'll make his trip to The Pas, MB.   Little Ms Red was not so little anymore...although still a few pound...
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E stands for Easy Going

June 27, 2014
Easy going is one of the best phrases I can come up with for the E Litter...just so happens to start with an E!  I admire them for how they transition with changes...the car ride to the vet....introducing them to the outdoor puppy area....no whining..no whimpering..they take it all in and enjoy it.  Every litter is different and I must admit this is one of the easiest I've had...6 puppies in itself is more manageable than 11.

Their growth rate is very good.  A lb every 2-3 days...so those smal...
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E Litter 6 weeks Old!

June 22, 2014
Big week for the pups. They had their first car ride on Thursday afternoon - the 6 week check up - my vet is 1/2 hour away.  I believe this is the first litter that did none of the "3Ps"  No puke....no pee...no poop there or back - I'm always armed with papertowels, washcloths, towels because it always happens.  They were such a well behaved group - hardly a peep or whine to and from the vet....I also made the trip to the person who tattoos the puppies - so quite an afternoon for them....they...
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E Litter 5 weeks old

June 17, 2014
I am guilty guilt guilt of not posting any blogs.  Apologies...the time got away on me.  5 weeks old and getting livelier every day.  They're pretty sturdy on their legs and try running when they're in the back yard.  They are interested in every weed and leaf - for carrying, chewing or just swatting at.  This is the week when I have that "ah ha" moment..the moment I see that they are bigger.  This is also the week where I increased their food intake...they went from not finishing everything ...
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E litter - Messy Munchkins

June 8, 2014
4 weeks old!  This was a big week for the E litter.    On Wednesday I introduced them to puppyfood that was put through a blender and soaked in hot water to make a nice fine mush.  They loved it!  Typical feeding - noses down - the smaller ones climbing on top of the dish for a better angle...groans of being full after the frenzy...then licking the morsels off each other faces and paws.  Gloria comes in to finish off any leftovers and they seize the opportunity for a few sips of milk.  I fed ...
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E Litter 3 Weeks Old

June 3, 2014
It's amazing how much developing a puppy does in 21 days.  From blind and deaf and totally dependent on mom to seeing and hearing and responding when i walk in to walking around and play fighting.  The process amazes me every litter.
Puppies will staying in their whelping box 1 more e week  - on the weekend I will move them to a bigger room.  On Thursday I will start feeding them puppy food that has been soaked in hot water and put thru a blender...will resemble a very fine mush which t...
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GoldSmith Retrievers est 1996