We are excited to annouce the breeding between Sarron Black Ice, BCAT, CGC, CGCU, CGCA (Icey) and RBIS, Multi-OHBIS, Multi-Group Winning/Placing GCh. Sarron International Success, CD, BN, RA, CGC, BCAT, HOF This will be Iceys' first breeding using frozen semen from our wonderful boy, Thunder. Icey is a substancial girl with very good front and rear and an easy going temperment. She has coarse, thick black coat. Icey is a UKC Champion and UKC Best in Show winner. She has both majors toward her AKC Championship, too.

Thunder was an exceptional dog that we lost too soon. Thunder had a very good front and rear, was short backed and had a wonderful, confident temperment. He was an excecptional Showdog and pet! Thunder took AKC Reserve Best in Show twice, won several AKC Groups and was a regular in the Owner Handler Best in Show lineup where ever he showed. He is the #2 dog in Owner Handler Lifetime points in the breed.

We expect confident puppies with good length of leg under them. Both Thunder and Icey are good sized dogs with good bone and sound structure. They both have sweet, biddable temperments and love people. They are focused dogs that easily pick things up during training. They want to please. We are very excited to welcome these puppies to Sarron. They puppies will be raised under the Puppy Culture Program including Early Neurological Stimulation. Please feel free to contact us for more information.

Puppies were born April 27, 2021

Week 1 - April 27 - May 3

Birth was fairly uneventful for Icey. Her temperature dropped the morning of April 26th, so I knew that we’d have puppies within about 24 hours and Icey was right on time. Phase 1 of her labor started around 9 am on Monday April 26th – she was restless but not having any major contractions yet. I slept in the recliner next to the whelping box and she was in and out of the box all night. Scratching and digging, some sleeping some too… It was not restful for either of us, but she was not in distress. About 4 am she got in the box and started having some pretty significant contractions. I figured we would have babies within an hour. At 4:30 am, Icey had another set of contractions and the first puppy came out! This is Icey’s first litter, so I was unsure how she would react to the first baby, but nature took over and she began licking and cleaning the baby, with her back to me so that I couldn’t see her baby… that was fine. She was a great mother from the start! She was pleased with the first baby, a little girl (pink) that weighed 15.3 oz. She settled in with her new baby and was very content. So much so, that she waited, and waited.. until at 5:30 am – I put a leash on her and took her out for walk to try and get her labor going again.

It was a short walk, as she began having contractions again, and at 5:33 am, the second pup was born. She pushed this one out lying down, looked back at the puppy in the placenta and returned to tending to her first born! I said “Sorry – you have to take care of ALL of them… “ so, I opened the sack up to allow air to get into the baby , shook him a little and placed him in front of her. This worked, as she took care of puppy #2 who was a male (red) weighing 14.4oz. The second puppy began nursing immediately too, which helps with labor. Puppy three was born at 5:55 am , a 15.5 oz male (green), followed at 6:25 am by puppy #4, a 15.5 oz male (orange). So, now we have 3 boys and 1 girl. She did a great job with each of the babies, cleaning them up and getting them going after being born. She took at little break after puppy 4. Puppy #5 was born at 7:43 am – again after a little walk to get her going again. That was a 14.8 oz male (purple). Followed by puppy #6 at 8:05 am. An 11.4 oz male (Blue) and finally at 8:39 am, she has an 11. 9 oz female (yellow) to finish out the 7!

During the first week, we started Early Neurological Stimulation and Scent program. This starts on day 3 and goes through 16 and is designed to stress the puppies a little each day with different positions and touching. This stimulation/stress is thought to help them to handle stress later in life better. Even at Day 3, these babies all had something to say about ENS.. and it wasn’t kind. They expressed their displeasure through wiggling around and crying as we went through most of the positions. We ALWAYS end this time with Icey getting in the box and feeding them. They all survived week 1! The scents that we used during week 1 were:

• Day 3 – Clove
• Day 4 – Sheep Wool
• Day 5 – Anise
• Day 6 – Chicken/Duck Feathers
• Day 7 – skipped

• Pink - 1# 10 oz
• Red – 1# 10 oz
• Green – 1# 10 oz
• Orange – 1# 10 oz
• Purple – 1# 9 oz
• Blue – 1# 5 oz
• Yellow – 1# 6 oz

Week 2 - May 10, 2021

This week has been eventful for the babies too, as they all doubled their birthweights by Day 8! That is great growth. Icey started week 2 by starting to spend a bit more time out of the box. For the first 5 days, I literally had to drag her out of the box and away from the babies. By the end of week two, she is happy to sit outside of the box and look in on her babies as they sleep. She is a very attentive mother and still enjoying her special food and feeding privileges. LOTS of goats milk yogurt, fresh chicken strips and BilJac. She still eats in her box as she is feeding the babies. Their weights this week are:

• Pink - 3 lbs
• Red – 3lbs 1 oz
• Green – 3 lbs
• Orange – 3 lbs 2 oz
• Purple – 3 lbs 2 oz
• Blue – 2 lbs 8 oz
• Yellow - 2 lbs 8 oz

This week we worked ENS still (that goes on until day 16) so we did the following scents this week:

• Day 8 – Birch
• Day 9 – Goat Hair
• Day 10 – Thyme
• Day 11 – Tree Leaves
• Day 12 – Basil
• Day 13 – Straw Bedding

The babies began pushing themselves up on their legs more this week, trying to start to walk. It will take awhile longer though before they are efficient. They are still in the staggering, and dragging their bodies mode. On Day 8 (5/5) I heard the first puppy “woof” from the box and on Day 9 (5/6), we did nails for the first time. On Day 11 (5/8) I noticed they are beginning to eliminate on their own…wow – lots of puppy poop! Icey is keeping up and still does stimulate too – but they are handling it on their own, frequently. On Day 13 (5/10) – we had our first escape from the box. Green boy made his way “over the wall” to nurse on Icey as she laid on a dog bed outside of the box. We’ll have to start putting the doors up now. Also today, I noticed that Yellow and Green are beginning to open their eyes. Just the inside corners to start, but this helps them track Icey and get inline quickly for the milk bar. The fun is JUST beginning. By next week, I will start offering some goats’ milk to them and will be introducing new toys. More to come!!!!

Week 3 - May 18, 21

This past week for the babies has been very busy. We finished up Early Neurological Stimulation on May 13. The puppies were ready for me to stop holding them upside down, placing them on a wet, cold cloth, etc… They are ready to just have cuddles and pets and not stressful interactions with their humans. 😊 I think we do that during the first two weeks so that they don’t know for sure who is torturing them… and by the time they can see and start to hear, we back off so they don’t hold grudges…LOL.. I’ve noted each of the scents that I did for each day on the activity tracker. A combination of natural/animal scents and nosework scents. I hope this helps any of the babies that go on to do scentwork, tracking, etc… On May 15th, I added the puppy porch onto the welping box. This is an additional 4 x 4 area – so the babies now have 8 x 4 area that is flat to practice walking and playing. The puppy porch provide mores area for momma and babies - as the babies are growing rapidly – and I also added in a potty box. Now, I did this switch on a weekend, as I am back in the office Mon-Friday from 8-5. So, my big changes will occur on weekends so that I have ample time to get everything situated. Adding the potty box this early is really just a dream as the babies have only recently started to potty on their own. Icey still cleans them regularly and picks up the box. She is a great mother. BUT, the fun part is that I added the potty box (which is a big hard rubber boot tray with puppy pee pads on it) just to fill the space that I planned for it – not thinking the babies would have a clue on what to do with it.. but the very first night it was in the box, they did actually use it! So SMART!!! It was just one poop and pee – but that’s OK because they really haven’t been introduced to it. I have high hopes these babies will be trained easily.

The babies had their first trip outside on May 16th. It was a lovely afternoon, so I took out a fleece for them and Icey to lay on, positioned Icey out there in the puppy pen and the babies had some lunch out in the puppy pen for the first time. It’s a great secure, covered area. There was a nice breeze and “Auntie Jules and Tori” were running around in the big yard. They stopped their game of chase long enough to come over and look at Icey and the babies. Jules has had puppies before and was a GREAT mother. She will be one of the nannys that will get to help out once I start to wean the babies from Icey. She loves puppies, loves to sit in the middle of a litter while they run around her and she will be a very good influence on the puppies. The puppy box floor is still all covered by fleece so that the babies has a soft place to play, walk and fall.. but as they grow and get more reliable on their feet, I’ll add different surfaces in box so that they experience new things daily. The fleece area will get smaller and the potty box area will get a bit bigger and we will focus during week 3 of beginning to add different sounds periodically in the puppy room. Beginning on May 12, I started playing a mixture of Classical and Spa music in the puppy room during the day. The room is quiet at night so they get used to that as well. Classical and spa music is relaxing and hopefully fosters rest and rejuvenation. Once they hit 4 weeks, I’ll start to rotate in some other sounds that will be normal to them. I’ve spent a lot of time just sitting in the box with them and Icey this week – petting, stroking and talking to them. Getting them used to hearing human voices telling them how wonderful they are. Weights this week:

• Pink: 4# 8 oz
• Red: 4# 11 oz
• Orange: 4# 9 oz
• Purple: 4# 10 oz
• Blue: 3# 10 oz
• Green: 4 # 10 oz
• Yellow: 3# 15 oz

Week 4 Update - May 26, 21

Another busy week for the babies. Their ears are open, eyes are open and they are up on their feet. I still have fleece covering their box as they still need that footing and support as they learn to maneuver around in their area. Learning to walk and run is a process. And, they fall and trip over each other a lot during this time – so soft landings are important. This week - they have been listening to SPA and classical music during the day. I added smooth jazz on one day too. Their room is quiet at night with a small night light so that Icey can see to get in and out of the box. They are in our sunroom – so LOTS of natural light during the day for them. This week I’ve had a Roomba down on their porch a couple times, and they’ve been experiencing some loud noises (dropping bowls, etc.. ) to work on their startle reflex. At the beginning of this week I started to put them in an expen at the other end of the room when I clean out their box so they are not underfoot. I typically give them a bowl of goats milk/baby rice cereal in their pen to keep them busy and they also got a new cat tunnel to play with in their pen. The cat tunnel has a little fuzzy toy at one opening and has a couple of random openings in the tunnel and every puppy will go in and play in it. At this end of this week, I’ve started to give them access to the full room to explore after I have their box cleaned up and ready for them. So, tile flooring is becoming more common for them. We went outside for another short visit on May 22, but Icey wasn’t “all in” on feeding them outside so they were not impressed with our time outside during this event. They did explore a little, but they are still young. Mainly stayed right with me and whined a bit more than the first time.

I’ve been rotating different types of toys in their box each day (I don’t leave a bunch of toys in their box because they need more space to learn to walk) and I added a cuddle bed for a day or so too. The cuddle bed is kind of tall still so they mainly crawled under it. This week they did really well with the potty box and I added an wooded frame to the rubber tray – still using the puppy pee pads on the rubber tray. Once I move them to a weaning pen, I will also add in some wood shavings to the potty box. It really amazes me that they are learning to eliminate in their potty and away from their cuddle bed, etc… don’t get me wrong, they are not housebroken but they are working on keeping their sleeping/play area dry and eliminating in their box. We’ve trimmed nails and wormed puppies this week. I fed them at least one supplemental meal each day – while leaving Icey with them all the time. They all have teeth buds coming in, so Icey is still feeding them but getting a bit more uncomfortable. As we move into week 4 and they go into their weaning pen, I will add pulverized puppy food to their goat’s milk and begin feeding them 4 times a day and let Icey visit with them but not stay with them 100% for a couple weeks. Going to the gruel (goats milk, baby rice, pulverized food) will start filling up their stomachs more and not travel through so quickly as straight milk. Puppy “Go Home” days are July 1-2 and 5th. I’ve spoken with everyone about this and we have some targets. We will firm up times in a few weeks. Please start thinking about how you’ll keep the baby safe at home. Expens are your friends as well as crates. They will have an introduction to crates, but will not be fully crate trained, so please start thinking about this. I keep my puppy crate right next to my bed at night so that I can put my fingers in with the baby if they get upset. That typically calms them down. When you can’t keep watch on the baby in the house, they need to go into an expen with some toys. And, they can not be left outside alone at this age…. You need to supervise them at all times - inside and out.

Week 5 update – June 1, 21

SUCH a busy week for the babies!! The babies started off their week by moving to an expen to help facilitate weaning… only problem is that I moved them about a week too early… these babies were not remotely ready to give up Icey eventhough they all had teeth coming through. I figured out pretty quickly that 4 weeks was too early\ and took down the expen door so that Icey could still go in and out from them easily. I did continue to supplement their feedings every day – but these smart babies STRONGLY prefer Icey to provide them a meal than my goat milk feeding. Luckily, Icey was happy to clean up 90% of their plate that that they didn’t finish at each meal before taking a nap. I did start adding in pulverized kibble this week which makes more of a thicker gruel than the goats milk and baby rice alone. Another fail at the beginning of the week (5/26) was thinking that my babies who didn’t want any part of my supplemental feedings might be ready to take treats and start some clicker training… again, 4 weeks was too young for these babies to embrace the idea of chewing… 😊 They really just wanted to still suck or slurp their food. So, I decided to wait on individual training for a few days too. Some things that we DID accomplish this week was another nail trim, weigh in and new collar fittings. These are actual collars vs. the Velcro puppy collars they stated with for the past 4 weeks. We don’t leave collars on our dogs – and I don’t recommend it. BUT, I do always recommend that you have collars with identification on your dog when you travel. So, these puppies will be used to wearing a collar when they go home. I also found a CalmPet Desensitizing soundtrack on Amazon music – so we started listening to that this week. These are 3-5 minute sound tracks of things like: Fireworks, fireworks with crowds, appliance sounds – vacuum, washing machine, barking dogs, loud cats, crying baby (which made EVERY puppy move to the far side of the pen) , thunderstorms, load cars and motorcycles, etc.. I’ll include this into their music playlist occasionally until they go home. The puppies have spent more time running around in their room and their small outside pen this week and are really getting good on running and walking. It takes lots of practice. At the beginning of the weekend, I added a couple of new foam blocks for the babies to maneuver – these have been great for improving their coordination. On May 30th – I collected DNA samples from all the puppies and sent those off to Embark on June 1st. The DNA samples will tell us about each puppies coat color and what color puppies they could produce. It will also give us some data points for all the puppies. ALL of our dogs participate in the Embark study program - as the Belgian Sheepdog Club of America works with them to collect BSD samples that can be used in research. I will share the results of each puppy with you as part of their puppy pack.

This weekend, the babies also had their first outside visitor. These were two local friends - one of which brought her 4 year old grandson. That was FABULOUS because I do not have children or grandchildren – so it was a very good experience. The little boy was very well behaved and his grandma is an elementary school teacher –so she is PERFECT at shaping good behaviors with him. He sat with the puppies, petted them, hugged them (not too tight) and served as a good exposure to kids. The puppies were a bit overwhelmed by the new people to start with, but everyone sat down and let the puppies come up to them and the babies responded really well. The big dogs were alert barking in the house because of the new people – so that was part of what scared the babies… but once the adults settled down the babies did too. I was able to start clicker training each of the babies beginning on May 30th. By the 30th, most of the puppies were willing to take small treats for their training. Yellow, blue and purple were not excited about the biljac training treats, so they got vanilla yogurt for their training. By the 31st, Yellow was willing to start out with moist treats. Blue and purple will get there… They ALL have very good sets of teeth – so it’s just a different feel in their mouth they need to get used to. I’ll continue to “clicker train” the babies and work toward them expanding their internal motivation to offer behaviors – this is part of Puppy Culture program and will hopefully lay a good foundation for all of you to build on in training. Finally, we rolled out the puppy jungle gym. This 2 ft x 2 ft x 2 ft PVC frame holds 8-9 toys on nylon cords for the babies to tug, chew and engage with… and they had a GREAT TIME!!! I’ve got soft toys, squeaky toys, hard plastic spoon, hard toys, water bottle, metal cans, - all different type of texture for them to bite on and put in their mouths safely. It’s REALLY a great engagement toy for them and helps build their confidence. As we head into week 5, the expen door will go back on and I’ll start to limit the time that Icey spends with them… She’ll see them several times a day, but won’t spend the night with them or stay extended time. Mainly, so I can convince them they need to eat the food that I GIVE THEM.. and move them away from trying to hold out for her. I’ve cut her food back and am only feeding her 2 times a day ( verses 4-5) so she’ll be cutting back on her milk production also. Babies weighed in at:

• Pink - 7# 4 oz
• Yellow – 6# 2 oz
• Orange – 8# 2 oz
• Red – 7# 5 oz
• Blue – 6#
• Purple – 7# 5 oz
• Green - 7# 7 oz

Rolling into week 6 now! - June 8, 2021

The babies are getting the idea of clicker training. We had two more session this week, one on June 2nd and one on June 7th. The only hold out on taking the BilJac treats is purple… he still prefers yogurt. So, we will continue to work on clicker training with the babies this week too. Their training sessions take longer because I take them into a separate room and allow them to explore the room too – and then I’ll call them back over for some clicker training,,, followed by some exploring, etc.. Just spending time with them away from litter mates is a big deal. We opened up the “big puppy pen” this week too. THEY LOVE IT!!! They RUNNNNNN back and forth and can really stretch their legs and work on building up muscles. That pen is available from their small pen which is where all their toys are (because the smaller area is covered – and we’ve had a bunch of rain lately) but I’m hoping to get the puppies out in the big pen more so they get more puppy directed exercise. The babies had their first bath on June 4th and were mostly towel dried but I also did get out a human dryer and use the low setting to really pull the rest of the water out of their coats. They were also up in the kitchen (main house) for the first time. I had the door between their room and the kitchen open while I bathed them and a few took the opportunity to come up and look around the big house. They started the Roomba – and then ignored it while it played in the kitchen with them. 😊 Overall, the bath and blow dry was pretty well received - a few voiced some concerns, but they figured out quickly they would get a lot more cuddles if they didn’t smell like puppy pee! The babies had a HUGE day on June 5th – as we had puppy visit day for several of the new owners. Richard and Lucinda started our morning, followed by John and Cindy, Meagan and then Shalis and Cathie finished up our day. The puppies were really good as folks came and went from 10 am – 5 pm. Lots of fun was had by all and I’m glad that several folks were able to come meet the babies and our other dogs. We are excited about all of our new (and existing) owners coming into the Sarron family. 😊 Once each set of people sat down on the floor, the babies were interested and engaged. None of the puppies avoided people and while some took turns napping, there was usually at least one baby that was ready to play. Thanks every one for coming over! We did first table photos on June 6th – pink and green were the uncooperative puppies during that activity, but none of the puppies flattened out on the table – so that was a huge win. They will get better for pictures as they get more experience on the table. We brought in a new 6ft long tunnel – as the kitty tunnel was getting a bit tight on some of the babies this week. I also added a wobble board. I initially put this outside in the small pen on concreted, but the sound it made when the puppies stepped on it startled a couple of them, so for this first week – it’s inside on fleece so they can get used to the movement under their feet but not be startled by the sound of it hitting the ground. Next week – I’ll move it outside again. Icey spend every night away from the puppies and only visited a time or two each day. The babies are doing better on eating the food that I give them but they are still slow eaters. Going into week 6, we’ll work more on getting them to eat a bit faster. We have first vaccinations planned for the puppies on June 21st.

SOME HOMEWORK FOR NEW OWNERS: We are weaning the puppies onto FROMM PUPPY GOLD PUPPY DRY FOOD- in the pink bag. Make sure that you have some of that at your home before you pick up the new baby. Locally I buy it at Pet People, but it is available from Amazon too and other retailers. If you can find some Plain Goat’s Milk Yogurt – they LOVE that! If not, plain whole milk yogurt is fine. Time to get your puppy signed up for a PUPPY CLASS at your local training club. These babies will need group socialization. Many classes fill up quickly – so get online and get your pup registered for a class in August. Again, this is puppy socialization in a group –NOT FORMAL OBEDIENCE. Our local club has this description of Puppy Class:

• PUPPY
• Offered to puppy’s ages 3 to 6 months.
• Focus will be on getting control of the energetic puppy.
• Discussion topics may include house breaking, biting (mouthing), jumping, crate training, and other puppy related issues
• Sit, stand, down, stay, controlled walking on the leash, drop it, leave it, and wait are some of the exercises that will be taught.

• Pink – 8# 4 oz
• Red - 8# 9 oz
• Green - 9# 3 oz
• Orange – 9# 4 oz
• Purple – 9# 1 oz
• Blue – 6# 9 oz
• Yellow – 7#

Week 7 - June 16, 21

Another busy week for the babies…! This week started out with more access to the big puppy pen so they can run and stretch their puppy legs. I also switched from the communal feed bowl to separate feed bowls in my litter feeder. Even though they still share around bowls, they are getting used to eating from a separate bowl from their siblings. The babies are used to eating and drinking from metal and ceramic bowls as well as metal buckets. Do not use plastic bowls as some dogs can have allergies to plastic – but mostly because at my house- plastic things get chewed on. Having your puppy dump its’ water bowl to push it across the kitchen will be no fun. So, stick with metal and /or ceramic bowls. All pups are eating well and growing fast! I’m attaching photos of exactly what I feed them to this email. I put some dry Fromm Kibble in a bowl, then I add warm water to it. Then I add a can of Royal Canin Puppy Canned food to that and mix it all up. I also add about ¼ of a wafer of the Stella and Chewy dehydrated duck patty to the food mix and top it off with a hearty teaspoon of plain yogurt. The yogurt will help cool the water down if needed. I have all this documented for you in your puppy pack – but thought I’d give you a heads up. Additional toys this week were pool noodles and a ball pit. Both of these were eventually a hit! The Pool Noodles were an immediate hit! The ball pit took a couple days for the puppies to figure out how to comfortably get in and out and to figure out how much fun it was to retrieve a ball and chase it around the pen. I also brought out the flirt pole – this is a pole with a plastic bag and toy tied to the end that you drag on the ground to get the puppies interested in chasing it.. it’s kind of how you start getting dogs interested in FastCat and/or Lure Coursing – ALL OF THE BABIES LOVE IT!!! I would have 3 and 4 puppies on the pole each time I brought it out… they love running after and tearing up the bag… so – let’s all plan for FastCats in these pups’ futures. Last but not least, I gave them an “old favorite” toy – the cardboard center of a paper towel roll. EVERY puppy loves that… I just have to pick it up before they destroyed it…

We completed 2 car rides this week. The first on June10th for 15 minutes and the second on June 15th for 30 minutes. Both rides were crappy. The first one – every puppy puked at least once and they cried the whole time. The second ride, only 4 puppies puked (don’t know who specifically ) and they cried/howled for about 20 minutes of the trip. We will continue to work on that.. But just know that you need to pack a couple of hand towels, a roll of paper towels, a trash bag or two, a couple dog beds for the trip home. The babies will still need work on car rides once they leave us. We completed clicker training #5 - they are getting better for sure. I am including an article on Manding for your review. This is the Clicker Training that I’m doing with the puppies now. I am also including homework for each of you to prepare for the babies new arrival. More below on that. Lastly, they had their first outing into the “big yard” this week. They were all very brave and wore themselves out running and exploring. Puppy determined exercise as these babies grow is SO important for them. They will run, chase and play hard for 25 minutes and then sleep where they fall. Their weigh in this week is as follows:

• Pink - 10#
• Red - 10# 5 oz
• Green - 11#
• Orange - 11# 1 oz
• Purple - 10# 3 oz
• Blue - 8 # 3 oz
• Yellow - 8# 4 oz

PUPPY OWNER HOMEWORK for this coming week!!! It’s important to remember when you bring the puppy home that it is just a baby. It is not housebroken, it is not crate trained, it will still get car sick on drives. This baby is being ripped away from its’ puppy family and will be stressed. This first week – you need to take time to bond with your puppy. Don’t load it up and drive it all over the place and put it in every person’s arms. You should stay home with your new baby and let that puppy bond to you, your immediate family and begin to get used to the new life at your home. It’s OK if friends and family want to come over and meet the baby – but stagger the visits so the puppy is not overwhelmed and make sure that your puppy has a safe place (expen) to rest and get away from the chaos of visitors as needed.

Over the next two weeks – I need ALL OF YOU to visit this website: MadCap University I need you to create a profile on this site, and shop for the “With Open Arms and a Level Head: How to Bring a Puppy into Your Life” online course. It’s FREE!!! It’s a pre-recorded webinar series that cover 1-hour talks/training exercises over 4 weeks. The first week is two classes – one for 60 minutes and one for 30 minutes, the rest are 60 min seminars and then 30 minutes of the actual folks who took the seminar and videotaped their work with their puppies. You can watch them at your own pace. Jane really provides a lot of background on canine behavior and explains things clearly. She also provide suggested training exercises to do with your puppy – just to increase your satisfaction with the puppy overall. It is best to watch these webinar BEFORE you come to get your baby and then again once the puppy is home to help remind you of the training techniques.

Week 8 Update - June 22, 21

his week, I expanded their worlds even more. This week they had two excursions out into the big yard for exploring, fun and play. They were all pretty bold to start with and then every puppy had a great time running as fast and as far as their little legs would carry them! They run, and tumbled and rolled and played. The first outing was about 15 minutes per set of puppies. The second outing everyone is out together for over an hour. Those puppies were BEAT at the end of that time and they all slept soundly that night. This week the puppies came up to the kitchen a couple of times. They are getting braver and looking around more. This is a new area and I provide a couple of their toys and then kind of ignore them as they are getting to know the “lay of the land” in the kitchen. I also added a hard sided (Vari Kennel) to their expen this week. No door, just the kennel with a soft bed so they can go in and out at will. We had lots of different visitors this week! “Grandma” Donna Hayes who is Iceys’ breeder came and spent time with the babies on Tuesday afternoon. Zin and Mary Stephens and Dana Barton came and spent time with the babies on Wednesday evening (which is why I could have everyone out in the big yard – I had lots of help with puppy wrangling). And then another friend came over on Sunday and spent several hours with them. They do best with new people when you come in and sit down and then let the puppies approach you in a chair or on the floor. ALWAYS have a toy to divert their little mouths as needed. They are chewers and tuggers and love to play and bite – so you need to prepare yourself with toys and good options for chewing – besides your hands! They are babies and they are teething! This week I started “leash walking practice” with each of them out in the big yard. This training all starts without a leash.. it is just conditioning the puppy to realize that staying next to your left leg is the place the “get paid! (ie .. get treats)” So they learn that is a VERY good place to be. We will continue this type of “off lead” shaping in a fenced area and then once we do attach a lead to their collars, we will continue to reward them for being at our left leg. That’s how we do it! We won’t tug on the puppy or correct them, but we WILL give them a great opportunity to get paid (with food and praise) for making the decision to be next to us. They will make leash breaking SOOOOO MUCH EASIER for all of them. But, this foundation work HAS to be put in!

New toys this week included a toddler sound mat that plays musical tunes and animal sounds as the puppys’ stand on it. They LOVED it!! It was a huge hit with all of them, so much so, I had to remove it from the floor as they were all standing and chewing on it. 😊 They are good confident babies and love this type of stimulation – but also must be watched with ANY toy that has a battery in it. I had to retire the pool noodles from last week and give them new ones this week as the older ones were beginning to shred and I don’t want any of them to ingest that stuff… but new noodled solved that trick and the puppies ran around happily. The Ball Pit is still a treat too! We had huge storms, that included hail on Friday of this past week – lots of rain, thunder and lightning that prevented us from spending much time outside on Friday. But, the babies were troopers and stayed inside to play with their toys and rough house. I had music on in their room and spend a good deal of the evening with them – none of them minded the noise and light show going on outside. And, at 10 pm – they were ready to call it a day and go to their pen for sleep. The final event of this past week was heading off to the vet on Monday, June 21 to get their first vaccination and micro chipping completed. We were gone for about 1 ½ hours. If did with hold food from noon until 3:30 pm so there was less puke going over to the vet. They were not as vocal during this trip as the earlier 2 trips – so they are getting better. We spent an hour at the vet and at first, they were unhappy and howling in the exam room. By the time all puppies were examined, vaccinated and microchipped, they had all settled down - a couple were napping and the rest were playing with toys. I did give them each a couple of mini bones at the vets office, so on the way home, there was some vomiting… ☹ I am including a VERY GOOD article on overcoming motion sickness that I need everyone to review this week. It does a nice job of explaining why some dogs get car sick and how to work through that stress. It is unlikely that I can overcome their car sickness as a group – so you’ll need to work on that once the puppy is home. If possible, bring a second person hold and/or sit with the baby during the trip home. At the very least, make sure the crate is in the middle of the car and that someone is able to get a finger into the crate the comfort the puppy. The vet listened to hearts (no murmurs), checked their bites ( no overshot or undershot bits), checked their patella’s and confirmed 2 testicles on Blue, Orange, Red and Green. Purple has one down and the other one we can feel – it’s just not seated yet. The girls got belly rubs! We gave the puppies their first DA2PP vaccination and they all had their Home Again microchips placed. I will register all of their microchips with Home Again as well as with AKC Reunite in each of your names. We do not give Lepto to our puppies at the same time as other vaccines. IF Belgians have reactions –it is typically to the leptospirosis vaccination. I encourage you to talk with your vet about vaccination protocols and determine if Lepto is common in your area. If it is – please vaccinate for that separately from the other distemper/parvo combos. I will include our recommended vaccination schedule in your puppy kit – but again, every area is different and you should consult your vet on appropriate vaccinations for your area. Weights this week are:

• Pink - 11# 3oz
• Red - 11# 11 oz
• Green - 12# 9 oz
• Orange - 12# 8 oz
• Purple - 11# 10oz
• Blue - 10#
• Yellow - 9# 8 oz