Tori has been bred to our handsome TR this season. Both of these dogs have great structure and biddable temperments. Breed Archive calculates COI of this litter for 7 generations at 9.82% and for those in the know - Johnsondale's Jory V Torbrook shows up 13 times in 7 generations of this pedigree. Jory is right behind the grandparents in regards to contributing blood percentage(%). Toris' sire, Tax, was a handsome Osage grandson - which is where her wonderful breed type comes down from.

Both Tori and TR are CHIC + dogs in health screenings and are proven in conformation, performance and companion sports. I am very excited to welcome these babies in November 2023. These puppies will have Jimmy Buffett songs as their registered names. We are expecting OUTSTANDING structure and temperment from this combination. These puppies will be ideal for all dog sport venues, as well as family companions. Please follow the links to read more about the sire and dam of this litter.

The puppies arrived via c-section on Thursday Nov 16, 2023l. 1 girl and 2 boys. Tori was on day 64 and had experienced her temperature drop on Tuesday night - so I felt confident she would whelp on Wednesday. Well, Wednesday came and went and she had no contractions and was in no hurry to have her babies. SO, Thursday morning - off we went to Ohio State University. Puppies were not in distress and Tori wasn't either but we made the decision to take the puppies that morning. The puppies were born at 9:30 am. Red boy was first at 11.49 oz, then green boy at 16.89 oz and finally purple girl at 17.28 oz. The first day was rough as it is Toris' first litter and she was awake when they were born AND she was recovering from anestasia. By Friday though Tori bounced back, was eating well and taking very good care of her new babies. GOOD GIRL TORI! Watch this space for updates as the babies grow.

Puppies had an eventful first week as Tori was due on Nov 15 and experienced a temp drop around midnight on Nov 14 indicating that she would whelp in the next 24 hours. Nothing occurred, no nesting, no contractions – so off we went to Ohio State University for an 8 am C-section on Thursday Nov 16th. They completed an ultrasound on the babies when we arrive to make sure they were not in distress – and all were good. They pulled blood work on her as a precaution and around 9 am – Tori went back to have the babies. Puppies were our around 9:20 am on Thursday Nov 16 and Tori walked out around 10 am. The doc handed me a ziplock baggie and said “here – it’s one of the placentas – wipe it on her and the babies and let her lick it off so that she knows they came from her”. We came home. At birth the puppies weighed:

• Purple (F) – 17.21 oz
• Red (M) – 11.49 oz
• Green (M) - 16.89 oz

The whelping box was set – so I brought the babies in, wiped them with placenta and then brought Tori in and wiped placenta on her vulva. She was still woozy from the anesthesia but did manage to clean herself and the babies up. That afternoon – she wasn’t sure about the puppies but did let them nurse without issue. By Friday, once the anesthesia wore off and she had some food in her, she was cleaning up puppy butts and starting to care for them. She has not looked back since Friday about whether she believed they were her puppies…she loves them and is being a great momma dog.

Since there are only 3 babies, they have an overabundance of milk available. The first week is pretty boring as babies are just eating, sleeping and eliminating. Not a lot else going on. I start Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) on Day 3 and will go through day 16 with that. I also add in an odor during each session. I start with the AKC Scentwork odors and alternate with farm/livestock hair/wool/feathers. Study on ENS has shown that it helps for the dogs to cope with stress as then mature and adding in an odor may help the puppies to easily identify scentwork odors as they mature. II hope the livestock trimming help the babies in herding/field work. ENS odors for this first week have been:

• Day 3 - Birch
• Day 4 - Sheep Wool
• Day 5 - Anise
• Day 6 - Peacock Feather
• Day 7 - Cypress

First nail trim occurred on Nov 21 and will continue weekly. Their nails grow fast. First Stongid worming was Nov 21st too. I do those every other week as they grow too. These puppies had a good, uneventful 1st week. They are quiet and content. Sleep, eat and eliminate is their day. Their coats are lush already. I’m not sure how this will play out, but Purple Girl has more of a wedge shaped head – not a lot of length of muzzle. Green has good length of muzzle and Red (smallest) also has more length of head than Purple Girl. All have nice long tails. They receive lots of cuddling by Grandma Sherri – I am in the box many times a day and have many interactions with the babies. Momma Tori is being an A+ mother and Daddy TR would like to come in and help but Tori has no interest in any other dogs around her babies. She is really a great mom. On Nov 23rd, the first week ended with the following weights:

• Purple (F) – 2# 1 oz
• Red (M) – 1# 10 oz
• Green (M) - 2# 1 oz

Week 2- Update 11/23/23 – 11/30/23

These puppies start their 2nd week at double their birth weights. Tori is serving Butter Cream Milk and with only 3 babies – they have ample access to eat all they want. Being double their birthweight already makes it a serious effort to get up on their little legs – but they all are pushing themselves up to move. As of 11/24 – Red boy was the first to try and climb over top of Tori after nursing. By 11/26 – both Green and Red were trying to climb over top of her. No one has had success yet that I’ve seen – they mostly just roll off and fall asleep where they land. The evening of 11/25 – Green and Purple were playing puppy bitty face. Even though their eyes aren’t open yet they are engaging with each other at this time. Green now can smell Tori and once she gets in the box, he comes over to her. Purple still sleeps through Toris’ arrival in the box and relies that Tori will wake her up by licking her. NT completed on 11/26 to help save Toris’ belly.

I have changed out their box a couple times over the last 10 days but it’s just out of habit. Tori keeps the box pristine. The babies are clean and the main reason that I know they do eliminate is because none of them have exploded yet! They eat so much, if Tori wasn’t cleaning them frequently – I would have sick puppies. But, I have yet to see a poop.  Good Girl Tori! The first week Tori did not want to get out of the box - I literally had to drag her out of the box several times a day to go to the bathroom. She struggled last week to not get too hot so that I had to sponge her down with cool water. T his week though, Tori is spending much more time outside of the box – probably 60 % out of the box – 40% on the cool tile. That has helped 100% for her to not overheat this week. She Is still being a great dam – feeding and cleaning the babies all the time. Every time I touch them, she has to clean them too.

Second nail trim took place on Nov 26th. They are finding their voices even though they can’t hear and vocalizing much more than the first week. Climbing on Tori and moving around her after they eat. At the end of week 2, the puppies weighed in at:

• Red Boy- 3# 2 oz
• Green Boy – 3# 11 oz (biggest pup now)
• Purple Girl – 3# 8oz

On Nov 28th the babies began to have the inner corners of their eyes start to open. They were all pretty much open by Thurs Nov 30th. They still can’t hear, they do fix in on Momma Tori and will move to her as soon as she gets in the box. They look at me when I hold them and they are learning the difference between the visual momma vs grandma in addition to the scent. I did add some small plush brightly colored toys on Nov 29th to begin giving them new things to look at. This week, they really began to interact with each other as well as Tori more- chewing on each other, and making efforts to be near each other. They began wagging their tails consciously and even scratching themselves with their back feet. ENS this week:

• Day 8 – Angus X Cow Hair
• Day 9 – No ENS – all cranky
• Day 10 –Clove odor
• Day 11 - Goat Hair
• Day 12- Duck Feathers
• Day 13 –Chicken Feathers
• Day 14 – Oak Leaves

On Nov 30th – I also noticed that the puppies are beginning to urinate on their own now. I’ve observed that when the puppies wake up, they will get up and move away from where they slept and relieve themselves without Toris’ assistance. I will add pee pads into the box now. I haven’t seen any loose poop in the box as Tori is still keeping things clean.

Week 3 - Update 12/1/23 - 12/7/23

On Dec 1, I started added some soft plush toys since their eyes are open and they are engaging with each other more. Revisited Birch for ENS since that is the most important odor for them to learn. On Dec 2nd it was 50 degrees here, no wind and lots of sunshine. I picked up each puppy and carried them outside for a walk in the nice weather. Their noses were taking in all the smells that the eyes can’t process just yet. We finished up ENS today too with Sheep wool again (important). All the babies take the ENS exercises in stride now. They know what is coming and while they still do fuss a bit when they are held upside down – but for all the other exercises, they are pretty compliant. Revisited Sheep wool for final ENS exercise as that is most important for herding. ENS wrapped up with:

• Day 15 - Birch odor (again)
• Day 16 - Sheep Wool (again)

Dec 3 – tried taking cute Christmas photos… not a chance. No one cooperative. Red and Green are up on their feet well learning to walk. Purple is still pushing around on her belly more. I am repeatedly picking her up and setting her on all 4 feet.

Dec 6 – offered gruel – no takers… I am keeping the babies in their bed area unless I am here to watch them. Do not want someone to get down to the other end and not be able to get back and become stressed. They are willing to use the whole box (puppy porch has spindle – not solid walls) to look around and see the room, me and Tori outside of the box. Have music on all the time as their ears will start opening soon.

Dec 7th –had to switch from the “small puppy” collars to “Medium Puppy collars” today.... these are big babies. Babies ended their 3 week at:

• Red Boy - 4# 13 oz
• Green Boy - 5# 4 oz
• Purple Girl - 4# 15 oz

Week 4 - Update 12/8/23 - 12/14/23. Purple is up on her feet much more now.

Dec 9, 23 - had the full puppy box open all day. They all moved around it – from one end to the other. Slept apart, slept together – no stress with either. They are very calm and relaxed puppies. Now if I could just keep Tori from digging up the puppy porch when I leave her for more than an hour… uugggg.. I think Tori has her alarm set 1 hour before mine as she manages to go in and feed them and be ready to eat with my alarms – which are set for midnight and 4:15 am – every day. But, the nice part is that I am actually sleeping in between those alarms – which did not happen for the first 10 days or so…

Dec 10, 23 – The puppy’s ears are open now and they hear the other dogs bark, the radio and are learning “puppy, puppy, puppy…” They still want nothing to do with my puppy gruel and would hold out for Tori at all costs. I am feeding her frequently still and not limiting her time with them.. so their disinterest in puppy gruel is not a surprise. These babies really are so quiet.. if they make a peep during the night – Tori rushes to the box and checks on them and feeds them. After she feeds them, she leaves the box and typically jumps up on me in the recliner for snuggles and praise about how amazing of a mother she is. I still have not seen a poop… so she is doing a great job of keeping the box clean. They are moving over to the pee pads to urinate off of the fleece – which is going well. There are many pee spots daily so I change out pads frequently. Once they are older – I will go to defined potty boxes which focus their elimination in one area of the pen. Work really well.

Dec 11, 23 - puppies were loose in the puppy room. Starting to explore, getting used to different surfaces.. Even though they are in their box in this room - being out of the box is a completely different world. They can go behind the recliner, and go under the grooming table, around the stairs. It’s a great way to begin transitioning them to other surfaces. Getting coat in well - lots of it - all of them. Dec 13, 23 - had them loose in the puppy room at lunch and after work. Getting much better on their feet. They do engage with each other, but will take off in different directions to explore. They are very confident in their puppy room and feel comfortable going off without each other. I like that. Still not interested in my food - but have a good teeth in.

Dec 14, 23 - took the puppies for their first real car ride. 20 min in country, city and highway driving. Tori was in the crate next to them. They started out a bit whiny but settled down or else decided they weren’t going to try to sing over me. :) Upon return, I left them in the car for 10 more minutes with Tori as I took the trash down the lane. Came in, retrieved the puppies and took them back to their room. They were stressed, and slept for several hours after the trip but did manage to wake up at midnight and 4 am for their feedings. Collected their DNA for Embark while they were drowsy and cooperative- will send that off tomorrow. At the end of week 4, puppys’ weighed:

• Red Boy - 5# 11 oz
• Green Boy - 6# 10 oz (yes - that is correct...)
• Purple Girl - 6# 1 oz

Week 5 Updated (12/15/23 - 12/21/23)

Dec 15, 23 - I was getting ready for work and heard a screaming puppy - go running across the house, look in their room -Tori is laying away from the box - she lifts her head - not her! The puppies are on the porch side of the box, I ask “What’s the matter in here?” all three puppies come charging over to the sleeping side with Red boy giving me an earful. My guess is they could see Tori across the room and were telling her she needed to get over there to them ASAP… she wasn’t moving. :) It was sunny and 55 degrees at lunch so I took them out to Pen 3 for a few minutes. Picked each puppy up and introduced them to Aunts’ Gypsy, Icey and Spirit through the fence. They liked the smells outside but were unimpressed with the concrete - even though they all did GREAT with footing. Outside was a bit overwhelming today.. But they will learn to love it. Brought them back in to play in the room for a few minutes and all was forgiven. NT today - all were pretty cooperative

Dec 16, 23 - Puppies are becoming much more cuddly with me now. They are very responsive to my voice and come over to see me when I walk in the room. Sitting on the floor with them now results in all of them on my lap. They were a bit more open to soaked puppy food that had goats milk on it today -but not overly excited. They all have good teeth… and I would think that Tori is going to be less inclined to feed them every 4 hours starting this week.Started playing desensitizing sounds for the puppies today in their room. They have had music on in their room during the day (it’s quiet at night) for all their life - but this is different. It’ fireworks sounds, thunder,loud cars and street noises, barking dogs and cats, crying human babies, sirens… They were on the sleep side and I placed my phone on the porch side of the box and turned on the sounds - now granted it’s not VOLUME 11 loud - but they can hear it - they all came over the porch side of the box to see what the racket was… good pups! Keeping an eye on them - but they are currently rolling round playing listening to firecrackers…

Dec 17, 23 - Julie S came over in the morning so the babies could meet a person that is not me. :) She snuggled each of the babies and got kisses from each of them. Green boy rolled over on his back in her arms and red boy just sat on her lap and stared at her face.. Like “i don’t know you but I think I love you”... Purple girl gave kisses too and sat on her lap very contently for pets. I typically have large puppy parties for the babies but since there are only 3 - I likely will just have 1 or 2 folks at a time. That way, the visitors can hold each of the babies. Julie stayed for about 30 minutes and the puppies slept for 3 hours after she left! Meeting new people takes a lot out of puppies. Then in the afternoon, I set the puppy jungle gym up. This is ALWAYS hit with every litter. These babies are no different. A fleece under it makes for good footing to tug and play and wrestle with each toy. Tried some puppy food mush.. Had no takers. These babies are going to be pretty sad next weekend when i put the expen up and their momma isn’t with them 24/7. Starting giving the babies time loose in their room a couple times a day (mainly when I am changing out the box) so they have more exercise, can explore things and get used to new areas. This will continue until they go to their homes…

Dec 18, 23 - Added a cat tunnel to the toys available for them. I lured each of them through it once - they are content to play with the little bell that is hanging from one end opening for now. In their box - I have half of each side covered by fleece and the other half pee pads. They are doing very well to go on the pee pads and NOT on the fleece. Good puppies. Once the ex Een is up - I will bring out the potty boxes and really work to focus them on relieving themselves in only one area of their pen. Too cold, blustery and snowy to go outside today - so playing inside was the answer. Had to put the last ⅓ cover over the door in the box as purple girl is working on doing “pull ups” with the cover - trying to hoist herself out of the box. Full door height it is! The boys have no interest in escaping. They are quite content to roll around with their toys and play in the box. Dec 19, 23 - finished updating the puppy jungle gym. Added a felt tug, some metal canning rings, a plastic soda bottle and a soft sqeaker toy to the other pieces. They LOVE the felt toy the best - like to swing and tug on it. Took turns singularly as well as teaming up on it. Everyone mouthed the metal - no issues. The may have taken a couple sips of plain kefir and a few nibbles of soaked puppy kibble….that’s a little progress. They are spending more time loose in their room exploring, getting better on their feet. Will likely offer them the first look into the kitchen and dining room this weekend.

Dec 20th - outside at lunch time as it’s 47 and sunny, no wind. Took them outside. I opened the door and called them out - it’s a BIG step from inside to out - and they were all cautious but took the step well. They stayed close to the door at first, but did come out in the pen more with Tori. Starting to be able to see movement. - I am pleased. Good solid rear movement - not close, not wide. Good front movement too, again, not close but not wide. Legs go straight down in the front - no “toes in” and they have space between their front legs - the legs DO NOT come out of the same hole! Good black coats on all,Green and Purple - more profuse but Red has the best straight coat. 35 minute car ride tonight - included highway, town and rural roads. Had a little puke and whining, but not much over all. The town driving was quietest - most lights and sound. Looks like we will have a few warmer days in the next week - so they can go outside then. Good substance on all puppies too. I doubt i will do this again with Tori - but these babies are looking very nice. Dec 21st- Offered hot water soaked puppy kibble and plain kefir this morning -they ate a little bit of both. They have water in their pen always. Took the babies out to the living room for a new change of scenery with Tori - thinking they will just nurse and not be concerned about their surroundings. Well - they were WAY TOO BUSY exploring every part of the living room to want to nurse. Each puppy going in a different direction. We pulled them up on the couch one by one to get a different height perspective - no worries! The babies climbed on the big ( probably 3 “ high) wolfhound bed in front of the fireplace and rolled off.. Not a problem. They just are really take everything in stride and are confident to visit on their own. NT and Weights today are:

• Red Boy - 6# 14 oz
• Green Boy - 7# 15 oz
• Purple Girl - 7# 6 oz

Week 6 Update (12/22/23 - 12/28/23)

Dec 22, 23 - Tori continues to clean up after the puppies - so much so - I really hadn’t seen puppy poop (which is just amazing) -but today I did see a soft poop and was able to grab it before she cleaned it up. Took it in to be checked to make sure there were no parasites and ended up having a conversation with the vet about the fact that I was still feeding Tori every 4 hours and she is still feeding the babies every 3 hours…She was surprised Tori was still feeding so consistently as they have all their milk teeth in. Tori is toughing out the teeth in order to take care of her babies. BUT it is now time for the puppies to be weaned. I advised that I had been offering high quality supplements since they were 3 weeks old and they would NEVER take it - then my vet said - well she feeds them every 3 hours they have never been hungry. So, the bad day has come when Tori has to be kept away from the babies so they get hungry so I can feed them. Tori is going to take a days fast and then will go back to regular feeding of only kibble - twice a day. Puppies will take a few days away from momma Tori to get used to eating puppy kibble. One they get started eating well - Tori can be back with them some. Picked up Honest Kitchen Puppy Grain - that has all the ingredients that I was looking for in a food. I feed Taste of the Wild with Ancient Grains to the adults. We’ll see how this goes.

Dec 23, 23 - took down the puppy box (24 “ high) and put up the puppy weaning Ex pen (42” tall) - meaning it’s too tall for Tori to jump in and out of. Also rearranged the puppy room, removed the recliner (YEAH - I can sleep in my bed again!) and put up another Expen outside so that they can go outside a bit to stretch their legs without me being concerned about the large birds in the area. The puppy pen now has a wire crate and a hardsided crate in it and once I do actually get them eating - I ‘ll bring in another one so that I can start to crate train and separate them during feeding. This will be helpful to new homes. The expen also has a dedicated potty area to teach them to use a specific area. Dec 24, 23 - warm day today - some rain but not continuous. Puppies were outside in Pen 3 with TR for probably 20 minutes and then with Justy for about 20 minutes each. Both of those dogs have been out in the big yard when the babies were in the pen so they’ve been able to smell the other dogs nose to nose. All three puppies were very respectful of the big dogs (good girl Tori) but those 2 adults are VERY good with babies. Both TR and Justy engaged with the puppies and were happy to be in with them. I am letting Tori feed them one time a day in the evening - so this evening I brought Tori and the babies up into the kitchen area for the their meal. It’s all tile and very different from their fleece covered room so they were pretty nervous. Food is a great reward though for being brave and all of them got past their fears and had some milk and explored a bit. Good puppies and Tori - she is really being a great mom.

Dec 25, 23 - more outside time in Pen 3 this morning but alone for a bit. The pen is solid and TR and Justy patrolled the outer perimeter again for me. Making sure no big birds spy the babies. Tonight the sound pad came down for a bit - that is somewhat startling to puppies typically. Green and Purple had no issue with it - jumped on it and played every song and sound it knew. Red was not a happy about that.He stayed away from the mat but did engage in the tunnel work. After I removed the sound mat - all 3 made their way over to the puppy jungle gym for a good round to chew and tug. These babies love the soft stuffies and will bit the metal can rounds too. Hard plastic - no problem. All good things for babies to have in their mouths with positive association. The babies tonight were excited to eat Stella and Chewy Duck patty crumbles with replacement milk powder and warm water. Fingers crossed I’m making headway in meal prep. Busy week ahead of scheduled visitors. Dec 26th - hosted a 2nd year vet student for a visit to meet all the Belgians and play with puppies. Good learning and lots of fun with her. Came up to the kitchen/dining room on tile for a different setting and played with Tori. They like their hard sided crate a lot and tend to sleep in it. Not as fond of the wire crate yet.

Dec 27 - came up to the kitchen and dining room to play with Tori. got a cardboard box as a new toy! IT IS THE BEST!!! Practiced stacking on grooming table. Wt check. Strongid. Poop is MUCH Better these days - but they still are not excited about the “puppy swill” that I offer and would much rather have mommas milk…. She is drying up nicely though so they are not in luck. Getting stuck in the current cat tunnel - new tunnel due tomorrow… took a 40 min car ride to Grt Grandmas’ house, played outside in the sun in her backyard for a bit, and went back in the car for 40 min home. Green puked there and back. Purple and Red were both fine - no puking. Life is good. There was some howling going over but they were quiet coming back. Highway, town and rural driving. Noticed they are spending some time playing in their wire crate today. That is good -want them to feel comfortable in hard sided as well as wire crates. All doors are open currently. Will start closing some crate doors next week with them inside. An hour of desensitizing sounds - louder this time (Car sounds, car horns, fireworks booms, people taking and shouting, sirens, loud dogs barking, loud cats meowing, babies crying… )

Dec 28, 23- Outside in the grass for the first time. Their previous outside trips are in the concrete puppy pen. First time out in cold, damp grass with soaked leaves. Followed Tori willingly and had MANY sniffs. IT was chilly but they were troopers and went through some mud too. Donna Hayes is visiting today as well as Julie S later in the day. Temperament Test set for Jan 4th by MaryAnne Vrabel - local Malinois friend. Stacking practice again today - they are doing better the more we practice. Weights at 6 weeks:

• Red Boy - 7.78 lbs
• Green Boy - 9.10 lbs
• Purple Girl - 8.66 lbs

Week 7 (12/29/23 - 1/4/24)

Dec 29, 23 - Puppies spent 40 minutes outside in theri pen with Tori this morning - as I cleaned out their room. It was chilly they had mom, so they were happy. Practiced stacking today, all three doing better and beginning to like string cheese. They are all eating dry kibble now but I am still giving puppy porridge three times a day. That seems to be going well. Tori is only with them once a day and that’s OK too. Tim and Linda Tedrow visited today - great to have them over to meet the puppies and all the dogs. Green Boy LOVES the Mr. BIll toy and had a great time running through the kitchen and dining room with the toy keeping it away from all his littermates. Dec 30, 23 - I got up before the puppies this morning and woke them up - immediately rushed all three out to their pen for Potty Time! Every puppy pee’d and pooped outside first thing… GOOD BABIES!!! The babies started their morning with Tim and Linda again and then had Barb Dillon and Eamon and Eryn Dillon over in the afternoon. Puppies had a good fun morning with Tim and Linda then rested up over lunch time in order to welcome Barb, Eamon and Eryn this afternoon - they are troopers and made sure to visit with each of their human visitors and let them know how fun puppies are! Saturday evening, the puppies came up in the kitchen/dining area and spent some time with the sire, TR. The babies were quite respectful of him and after a bit of following him around decided they were all hungry so they headed down to their room for some hard puppy kibble!!! YEAH!!! The last 5 days have seen 6 different sets of visitors in our home .. and they greeted everyone with gusto and affection. So pleased with how these babies have handled the last several days in meeting their new owners.. Now we just have to keep our fingers crossed that all the “parts” get to where they are supposed to be and the babies can head out to their homes in January .

Dec 31 , 23 - Puppies pottied outside first thing this morning! Good puppies. They are doing well at going outside. Played outside several times- they don’t mind the 32 degree temps. Lots of coat. Much time in the kitchen too. Fire works tonight in the neighborhood. I did leave the radio on when I went to bed as the fireworks started early in the evening. The midnight celebration was loud and bright - not a word from the babies. Jan 1, 24 - out early to potty. They are starting to go to the door to ask to go outside to their pen. Today was a quiet day, the puppies were out and about pretty much all day - in the kitchen/dining room, in their room, outside in their pen. They will not be happy when I go back to work tomorrow and they are confined to their room/pen for most of the day. Pulled the babble ball back out - green still loves it, the other two are less impressed. Jan 2, 24 - Out early (like 5 am ) to potty is going well. Puppies are doing pretty good at eliminating outside first thing. Then I bring them in, offer some breakfast and play with them. They were outside at lunch time today with Tori in their big pen. The babies were ready to rock and roll at 6 pm when I let them out after work. They played hard for about two hours and then around 8 pm - made their way to their expen. I sat in the pen with them, petted and cuddled them. By 9 pm - they had all headed to the areas they like to sleep in their pen, I closed them in, turned off the music, turned out the light and closed their door. The next couple of days will be busy for them again - so today we had a nice quiet evening.

Jan 3, 24 - Puppies were out at 5 am - all pooped and pee’d outside first things. Their pee pads had ONE spot on it - and no puppy poop! GOOD BABIES! I am starting to work on creating puppy meals that will be easy for new homes. This morning, i put ½ cup of Taste of the Wild puppy food in a bowl, added 1 Stella N Chewy Duck patty (pulverized), warmed up some water in the microwave for 60 seconds and added that to the dry food to make a gravy - I let this sit for a few minutes to soften up the hard kibble. Then, I added 1 tablespoon plain, whole milk yogurt to help cool down the mix. Then serve to puppies. Tonight is a road trip to practice car rides and first baths! This will be quite a tiring day. Also plan to take up their food from their pen tonight to begin to force them to eat at specific times of the day (instead of free feed which is what I’ve done so far…) 60 min car ride - they all cried for the first 30 minutes (in town driving) and then quieted down for the last 30 min (highway). There was puke in the crate- not sure who…. All were stressed. Brought them in the house and immediately gave bath. Red was most compliant and easy. No whining - recovered well. Green was second easiest. He didn’t cry but did struggle a bit. He was fine immediately after and went to grab some kibble. Purple was the whiner. She was not happy about the bath and after I towel dried her, she swore she was still freezing. Had to sit and hold her and dry her off more. She recovered after a bit. They do not smell like puppy pee!!! YEAH!!! Weight check today:

• Red - 8.90 lbs
• Green - 10.52 lbs
• Purple 10.06 lbs

Jan 4, 24 - TEMPERMENT TEST DAY!!! Oh my goodness. Maryanne Vrabal and Nadine Kerr came over and helped us out with the Puppy Aptitude Test (PAT) and some structural evaluations. I am so thankful for their time and insight. It’s always good to have a 3rd party evaluation to help and make sure that as the breeder - you are not kennel blind to your litter - good and bad. These babies all tested out how I expected. They are each a perfect fit for their new homes. Red will be a biddable, exceptional partner for Julie as well as her first Belgian. Purple will be a brassy, exceptionally confident, specials bitch for Donna and Erin and Green is going to be a bold CH OTCH MACH UDT for Tim. These puppies are amazing and exactly the perfect fit for each home. Just a couple more weeks to go and they will be heading out into the world. Shared videos of temperament tests with owners. The puppies were again, worn out by the end of the day. I sat in their pen for about 30 minutes at the end of the evening just being with them. They rough housed a bit, but were pretty ready to settle down, grab a teething ring and get petted before fading off to sleep.

Week 8 Update ( 1/5/24 - 1/11/24)

Jan 5, 24 - DAY 50!! The puppies will be “on their own” for the next day as I head to Cleveland today to judge dogs tomorrow. Will be home tomorrow evening. The babies will be hanging out with Daddy Mike and Momma Tori for the next day. They are fully weaned and she has been severely cut back on food so not making much milk - but she still will let them nurse and try to get a bit from her everyday. She is a very good mom! :) 20 degrees this morning and the puppies bounded out of the house to their pen to go potty and start their day. Doing well with eliminating outside first thing at 5 am. Jan 6, 24 - The puppies survived being left with Daddy Mike for a day while I went on a judging assignment. Tori did the heavy lifting by babysitting the puppies out in their pen several times over the day/night. All’s well that ends well. :)

Jan 7, 24 - This morning I slept in a bit - but the babies got a lot of kitchen time - with TR and Justy - both those dogs are good with babies too. Good for the puppies to be around adults who are tolerant but not push overs. They do have to learn to respect adults - it’s in their best interest. They played for about 2 hours this morning before putting themselves away for a nap in their room. Red boy learned a valuable lesson this morning as he was chewing on the hard sided crate, near the the slat openings and got his jaw stuck - screamed like his leg had been torn off - I ran to the rescue and dislodged his jaw… I HOPE he learns from that experience and that the others do too - but I won’t bank on it. He is fine. The puppies are getting very used to being out with us and the big dogs. I do keep the baby gate up so that they don’t go bother the other dogs - but they are used to playing in the kitchen/dining room and then they camp out under my chair. Jan 8, 2024 - Julie s came over to play with the puppies tonight. THEY had a BLAST. She brought some new toys (like they don’t have 100… :) and they LOVED showing her how fast they have gotten in 2.5 weeks since she last saw them. They come running with tales wagging to everyone they see. They love to romp and play, tug and bite and after a good solid hour, they are ready to settle down for some quiet pets.

Jan 9, 24 - I stepped on Princess Purple first thing this morning… She is AWFUL about getting under foot. She screamed and was mad at me for a minute or two. Then, not sure who it was but Mike advised late this morning about 30 min before I got home for lunch - someone was letting out a blood curdling scream in the puppy room. By the time he and Tori got to their room and threw the door open, two puppies were in the middle of the pen and one was in the open wire crate - with no screaming any where. Tori ran in and Mike opened the pen and outside door and the puppies bounded out of the inside expen to follow their momma to the outside pen - all using all legs.. 😮 I double checked everyone at lunch - they all seem fine.. Puppies can be quite the challenge.. Not sure if a leg, jaw DID get stuck and they were able to “unstuck” without human intervention or if they were just practicing their theatics… Jan 10, 24 - The Babies went on an hour and a half car ride tonight - they took Justy along to keep them company. I made sure everyone had eliminated before we went to the car - poop and pee being my primary concern. About 10 minutes in a hear the first puppy puke, then the second and then the 3rd… I thought Justy might throw up just to be part of the crowd - but she did not. After everyone vomited - they all settled down for the rest of the trip. Highway driving is the best, then rural areas. All the stops and starts intown were a bit troublesome. Made it home, cleaned up the babies and gave them access to their momma for some comforting. Then, I went out and cleaned up the crates. The babies had a late dinner, played for while and were then ready to get to bed fairy early.

Jan 11, 24 - day 56!! Vet visit day! DA2PP, thorough physical exams and microchip implants today! Green went first. He did poop and vomit in his crate over the 10 minutes that it takes us to get to the vet. He was covered in drool. Oh well… he was the biggest still today - weighing in at 12.6 lbs. His heart sounded good, patellas felt good, bite looks good and most importantly - both testicles easily found. He protested VERY LOUDLY when his microchip was put in, the vaccine was no big deal. He is sure the vet punctured his lung with the micro chip. Purple went next - she and red were in a separate crate and they DID NOT poop in their crate. Purple was 11.11 lbs today. Her heart sounded good, patellas felt good, bite looks good and her vulva is not tucked. She whimpered a bit when her microchip was implanted - but decided she would be much more stoic than green. Red was the last one - 11 lbs today. His heart sounded good, patellas felt good, bite good but his testicles are not solidly down. They are only 8 weeks - so he may get them down - but it’s a 50/50 shot at this time. Red boy didn’t say a word when he got his microchip implanted - he was SO GOOD. He gave the vet a kiss after she vaccinated him. Fecal samples were negative on the babies - their stools are nice and firm. Then we headed home, where again, I cleaned up the babies, put Tori out with them for some comfort and then cleaned up the car crates. They all did give kisses and my vet is a show breeder of Basenjis - and she commented on how nice the litter was structurally and temperament wise. We are rounding the home stretch!!

Week 9 Update - 1/12/24 – 1/19/24

1/12/24 – crappy, icky day outside. Lots of inside play for the babies. Rainy, cold. Puppies were up in the kitchen for about 2 hours playing before bed. The winds were AWFUL and puppies could not be out long tonight 1/13/24- puppies up a 5 am, outside to potty, back inside to play and have breakfast. I played with them until about 6:30 am and then went back to bed. I was back up for the day around 8 am and the babies were ready to go back out again. Julie came to visit this morning at 10 am – they PLAYED so hard for an hour that they tired them selves out and were ready to go back to their room for a puppy nap. We took the opportunity to dermal nails for the first time. Purple was the easiest, then red with Green protesting the most.. (sorry Tim). We’ll do it again in another day or so just to practice. Julie commented on how coordinated the babies were this morning and how fast. We are also working on them not biting humans as much. It’s still a trade for a teething ring or toy but they are doing better.

1/14/24 – UP at 5 am and out to potty. Good poops and pees outside. Breakfast is ready and they play/eat for about an hour, then back to the pen for a few more hours sleep. Today I started working with them as a group to sit (no commands) in order to get treats. Purple picked it up first, then red and finally green watched the other two and figured it out. They really got it quick – no food if I jump up and try to take it out of my hands…but good treats if I sit and be patient. It is WICKED cold today (like a high of 10 BUT very sunny) and for the next 3 days but the babies are troopers and are still asking to go outside to play. So we are doing short times outside. Purple says her coat is thicker than those boys so she can stay out longer… SMH… it’s Sunday so the babies will be out underfoot as much as possible - they are very funny as they “go to their room” when they are tired and need a nap. Each of the puppies today had their first time in a noose on the grooming table too. Then I folded down the table, put in down on the floor and did a couple rounds of controlled treating on the table top. 1/15/24 - Busy day at work and bitter cold temps outside means the babies were running free in the kitchen while I made dinner, fed dogs, etc.. We did work on some Impulse control - Bil Jac frozen (thawed of course) IS THE PREFERRED training treat of this litter. They will crunch a hard biscuit, but don’t care for most other soft treats. BilJac works great! They are all highly food motivated and observe each out to pick up behaviors quickly. Started some individual walking on the left side today - no leads or collars, just some treats and praise. Played with their sound pad again today. Green and Purple both bark and jump on it - trying to figure out those sounds. Green ultimately picks it up and runs back to his tunnel to have a closer look. Red boy is still havin’ nothing to do with that - he sits behind my leg and looks at those two silly other pups barking and pouncing.

1/16/24 - day 6,942 of our bitter cold temps (that’s what it feels like - really only day 3, Impulse control practice and lots of running and playing in the dining room. Mike played with them alot tonight as I had dog class for a bit. 1/17/24 - impulse control work at lunch time. Easy game to keep them focused and engaged. Outside to play with momma Tori for quite a while today - it’s up to 28 degrees and the babies love it. Playing inside in the dining room too with Cousin Justy - lots of manding practice. a little bit of walking on my left side too. 1/18/24 - 9 weeks today!! I provided ½ cup kibble with 1 crumpled duck patty with warm water in each bowl this morning and evening - everyone approved. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day - but dinner a pretty close second ;) . Do this for Breakfast and Dinner -Lunch can be dry kibble. IF they clean their bowls - ok to give some additional dry. Tonight is our car ride night - over to TSC to pick up harnesses for the rides home and puppy kibble. Red and Greens’ ears are up well, Purple has her right ear up and is still working on the left. Will do a final wt ck tonight too. Wt CK at 9 weeks is:

• Red - 12.72 lbs
• Green - 14.58 lbs
• Purple - 13.82 lbs

1/21/24 - Green has left the building…. he got his last bath/blow dry here last night. He snuggled with his brother and sister and got up early to have a good breakfast and play for a few hours. He put his big boy harness on and wore it around the the house for about 30 minutes to get it tightened up and get used to it and when Tim clipped the lead on he knew the jig was up. :) Tim carried him through the front door and then sat him down on the porch - Green boy then strutted out to the car! I WISH i would have video’d it. He was very confident about going off with his new dad! This is such a great fit! Red and Purple are a bit out of sorts now though…Purple will leave in just a day or two and then Red (Cory) will be hangin’ with his momma and his cousin Justy so that he does not get lonely. Lots of changes for these babies over the next few weeks - but they are ready!!! Send updates and pictures!!!