After a very lengthy breeding with Belle Starr and Shadow, we saw puppies on the ultrasound. Phew!! The ultrasound showed seven puppies. Her last litter as well showed seven puppies and she had eleven. So since that was quite a chore for Belle Starr and humans as well, we would be pleased with seven or eight. It doesn't matter how many, we just pray for healthy puppies. Will love whatever comes our way. Puppies become part of one's family, just like children. They each have their own personalities, faults, and looks. It has been an awesome experience to watch Belle Starr's last litter grow and become these different little dogs. They seem to all be in between the size of Belle Starr and Shadow which is quite interesting. It will be interesting to see what they are like at a year old. Fun! Fun! I'm amazed at what good parents they are and still are with the Strom Trooper. He is always laying with mom, dad, or both. They love spending time together and love on another. Belle Starr and Shadow are also very good with the little Cassiopeia (our 3 month old lab we bought for future breeder) and she is a jumper and biter. All the dogs put up with her shenigans and have excepted her to the pack. So now to get all the things done I need to get done before the little bundles of fur arrive. For I know that everything will be set aside during those first few weeks. Some Family Time at Happy Labs Kennel
A Day at the Kennel
Excellent weather and it is nice to have the dogs outside. The house stays clean for a while, go figure... It really is amazing at how much time we put into the kennel. Get them up in the morning, potty time, social time, breakfast, poop scoop, and then a little down time. I call this 'human time" or housecleaning.. Then potty breaks for the little ones and making sure everyone has outside exercise time. Before we know it, lunch time. Then again potty time, exercise time, and poop scoop. Afternoons are outside time when weather permits and training. Today the weather was outstanding and we took the pack for a long walk. Even the Cassiopeia got to go with the big dogs. Then the afternoon lent to baths. We use the camper shower for bathing the dogs and it woks so nicely. Then before dinner, everyone got brushed. Needless to say after a good hike, a bath, and then dinner, the gang is sleeping peacefully. It is poop scoop time again. And in between all of this, dog blankets washed and dried int he sun. I always feel privileged to have some computer time without interruptions. A good day at the kennel.
Phase One
I categorize breeding into 4 Phases. The first phase is the breeding. You would think that it would be the easy one. But, one has to make sure that the timing is right with ovulation. And since this can happen throughout a 7 day time period, it takes lots of testing. Then after 20 days an ultrasound to determine if we have pups growing in that little belly. The second phase is the whelping phase. This is the busy phase that turns the puppy room into what looks like a hospital room. I really think that I'm going to buy scrubs for this next litter. It's intense and exciting getting each puppy to breath and nurse before the next one arrives. It takes both of us to keep up with the pace. Then the third phase is working with the little bundles to help them learn what they need to know before they troddle off to their new homes. The fourth phase is saying good- by and with tears as they start their next chapter of life. I know that dogs have been having puppies forever and you would think it would be as easy as throwing them together and letting nature take it's course. Since we want to make sure that the pups come from the right parents and have a good start to life than we need to do our job to make sure this happens. In the end, Mother Nature has the say so. We are only guides. I'm planning on an ultra sound May 5th to determine if we have puppies or not. No Stress, No Stress... One thing about all of this is that Belle Starr is looking great and seems to be in excellent health. Go Belle Starr
Back on Board
I took a break from blogging and it's time for me to get back into the routine. So easy to get out of a routine and seems to always take time to get back into it. After a wonderful vacation in Hawaii, a couple of weeks subbing, and Easter, spring came up fast. Belle Starr came into season mid-April and we just bred her this 2nd full week of April. This is a month later than I had expected. But, mother nature knows best... On March 19th and 20th we took Storm Trooper and Bones to the International Dog Show. Storm Trooper took best puppy in all 4 shows. He also got his International and National Puppy Titles. Along with that he got his Canine Good Citizen certificate. So proud of our Trooper. He is now in weekly training and as soon as he turns 1 will hopefully get his therapy dog certification. This has been very exciting for us. The same weekend of the International Dog Show I brought home our new little Cassiopeia. We are adding her to our breeding program. She is true English and a cutie. So there is a lot of action at Happy Labs Kennel. Breeding, Training classes, potty training, etc. All is good... On the down side, our Abie the older lab is having panic attacks. His health seems good, it just that he has anxiety in his old age. His wears a calming collar that the vets gave him and that helped a lot. This past week he got worse and we started giving him calming pills and they are helping. We love our Abie and it is hard to see him this way. Giving him lots of extra love. Storm Trooper lays beside him and he really likes that. Therapy in action among the pack. Lots of action and love at Happy Labs Kennel
20 Weeks and Waiting
The pups are now 20 weeks and range in the 30 pound to 40 lb range. This is about what Belle Starr weighed in at. So it seems as if the pups are going to be between Belle Starr's and Shadow's sizes. Bones in Frenchtown is very stocky and weighs in the 40 pound range. He is very beautiful and so Mary Ellen and I became co-owners just so we could show him. All that means is that I am able to sign him up for shows and show him. We will see how he does to see where we go with him. Her son Ashton is interested in showing dogs, so I will put him in the Junior Handler class as well so he can start showing Bones too. Storm Trooper is smaller and lankier but very mellow. He is going to be a good therapy dog, but not so sure about the show ring. His face is narrower and I'm not sure where he got that. His dad never had a narrow face. Belle Starr does, but her head is more blocky. So the Storm Trooper is a mix of his mom and dad. I have him signed up for the Internation Dog Show the end of March along with Bones to see how the two boys do. It will be a great experience for Storm Trooper to be out in public for some serious socialization. So let the fun begin. My little girl from Eugene should be coming to us the end of March as well. For sure I will be showing her the end of May. She is out of some good champion lines and hoping she does well. Most of the black girls look like Belle Starr but seem to have longer legs. I haven't seen the black boys, but from reports they are blocky and very mellow boys. Last weekend some us got together for our own puppy class training. There isn't much in St. Regis for opportunities to socialize dogs. So we decided to have our own little sessions. There were 6 puppies here last Saturday and we had a good day. Five of the puppies were from Bell Starr's litter. So of course they were very happy to see each other and that made for interesting training. Today we are meeting again and planning on meeting for a few weeks until formal training starts in Missoula. Now our next thing is WAITING for Belle Starr to begin her cycle so we can breed her for the next litter. I have some anxious people waiting to hear of puppies on the way. Unfortunately mother nature is in charge of this one. My only fear is that we have rescheduled our Hawaii trip for next week and I was hoping to have her bred before we leave. But that isn't happening at this point and if she comes in this week then we will have to leave her and Shadow at the vet while we are gone for the breeding. Something I don't want to happen. Too expensive and they are a week away from home. So I'm hoping that she now waits until our return from Hawaii. But it's Belle Starr, No one ever knows about her...Love her anyway. Things are good at Happy Labs Kennel...
