It is hard to believe that the pups have turned 7 wks. old and will actually turn 8 wks. old on Wednesday May 31st! Time goes so quickly. This it the hardest part about breeding. Watching the puppies leave. However, it is also exciting knowing they are going to homes where they will be loved, cherished and will hopefully bring a lot of joy, too.
The gang is pretty active these days. I am very pleased with how people-oriented they have become. They love interaction with others. We did the temperament testing on Saturday. Wasn’t the greatest day (rain again!!) so we ended up doing it inside. This was the pup’s first vehicle ride and they all managed to get sick! Thus they were not feeling the greatest when we arrived. We let them scope out the new place for a bit and then put them in a run so that they would hopefully get some rest before testing.
The first pups were quite energetic having just awakened from sleep but as the testing went on, the remaining pups had a bit of a disadvantage…they were ready for sleep again! At the end of the testing we also tattooed the pups. I hate that part! I feel so bad for them….but they all came through it with no problems and did not really seem to be too phased by it. However…..they do have green die all over them…and I had it all over me!
We did determine which 2 would be staying at Obedience Plus to become future explosive/narcotic dogs. They are orange collar girl and Yellow collar boy (more recently known as no collar boy). Reports from Janet are they settled in well and are doing great.
The remaining 5 came home with me and were quite quiet on the trip home (approx. 40 min). Thankfully…NO one was car sick on the trip back home! Once home they got their second wind and did a lot of running around. I am going to retest these pups in a few days in a new environment to see how they respond etc. Some of these were the ‘end’ pups at the testing on Saturday and thus a bit tired. The testing we use is based on the Volhard puppy test. I think this is a helpful tool to see how the puppies respond etc. However, it is not always 100% accurate. A lot can depend on the pups growth spurts, how they are feeling that day, etc. Usually the testing does help me to see or helps confirm what I have been seeing in the pups all through their growth stages. I felt all along that orange collar girl and no collar boy were the ‘best’ prospects for detection work. Outgoing (all the pups are outgoing) but these 2 were/are the highest ‘drive’ pups at this point and consistency showed that through their growth stages. Orange girl in particular was always on the move….the last to go to sleep and the first to rise in the morning! No collar boy is similar.
It would seem that perhaps the girls are a bit stronger in drive and temperament in this litter than the boys, but time will only tell or confirm this. Sometimes the boys can be more laid back as young pups and continually grow stronger. From what we saw, none of the pups will be couch potatoes or slugs! They all show good interest in toys/ball/and tug. They are very alert, watch their environment and interact with it.
Tikka is still enjoying many play times with her pups!!! She is now sleeping in my room at night but loves to get up in the morning to romp, interact and engage the pups in play! She is so much fun to watch!!! The pups love to play with her too!
I will be taking the remaining 5 pups on a couple of outings this week. I am hoping to take them Tuesday to meet the lambs! Wednesday they will come to work to meet everyone. And Thursday or Friday they will make a visit to the vet for a checkup & health certificate. Some if not all will likely go to their new homes by next weekend. We will have a VERY empty and quite house at that point!!
Click here to view Video of Tikka playing with puppies at 7 weeks
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