Puppy Blog

There were 11 pups in total with 3 bitches and 8 dogs.
They were like little black and white sausages but bit by bit a little tan started to appear on some of them, all appearing to be smooth coated although 2 were slightly longer coated than the rest.

What Judy doesn't like is the camera, with or without the flash.

From smooth coated black and white sausages the pups have all become individuals. One bitch is coloured like her mum and has a reddish brown undercoat. some are smooth coated B&W others are smooth BW&T while there are a couple of medium coated boys too. One dog has a half white face but with a black eye and Gwyn has christened him Jack Daniels while I really like a tri coloured bitch that I have called Fleece and a little BW dog I've christened Nip.

Food for thought!
It is always difficult to match a good brood bitch with a good stud dog. CEA, PRA, Hip problems and any other problems will hopefully in the near future become an issue that can be controlled with DNA testing and therefore not affect the gene pool. Leaving these out of the equation and just looking at the working ability and brains required for the breeding of a good sheepdog it reverts back to the fact that both the Dam and the Sire must have a good background to their pedigree. I understand from race horse, quarter horse, sheep and cattle and many dog breeders that the female is 65% more important than the male in the breeding programme.
Saying this, many people breed what suits themselves and as there is such a diverse handler/trainer ability so there will, I think, always be a diverse variety of dog types. . Not everyone can handle a hard dog or a very powerful dog.
Gwyn Jones, Penmachno rarely breeds pups but liked the breeding of both his dog and bitch, hoping that it would produce some good working dogs from some very good lines. Gwyn not only looked at their achievements but also to their natural abilities, quirks, listening abilities, characters, temperaments, faults, stamina, speed and anything else he could recall from the various generations back in their pedigrees. Being satisfied that something could come from this mating the mating card was duly sent off and the litter was due in the middle of May.
I had agreed to whelp Judy but things didn't turn out quite as expected as the puppy blog tells:

16/5/08
Judy was due to come to me to whelp but she started earlier than expected, perhaps because there were so many puppies?
She was extremely noisy digging her nest but then as they started to come she quietened.
She had 6 and then everything stopped and Gwyn put a covering under them now she had stopped digging. As he lifted a pup to move it over onto the covering Judy would gently take it from his hand and put it back, in control but so trusting.
A short while later the remaining 5 appeared but by this time the first 6 had suckled and were contentedly asleep and so shift feeding was established. This carried on for a week or two giving every pup a chance to feed.
It was decided to leave them where they were for the time being as everyone felt that moving them now would not do her or the pups any good.

21/5/08
The pups are almost a week old and they have had their first trip in a vehicle. They travelled well, all fast asleep without a murmur, snuggled up on a flannelette sheet in a washing basket, secured by the safety belt while mum rode in the travel crate in the back.
They arrived here none the worse for their trip and Judy settled into her new surroundings immediately...it was as if she had always been here....such an affectionate good tempered bitch!
The pups were put into a puppy box on pure new wool carpet (not from my house!) and Judy had access to an outside pen.
There were 11 pups in total, 3 bitches and 8 dogs.
They were like little black and white sausages but bit by bit a little tan started to appear on some of them, all appearing to be smooth coated although 2 were slightly longer coated than the rest. Judy had no problem with me handling the pups but was not keen on the camera, with or without the flash.

6/ 6/08
Pups are now feeding on puppy milk and porridge or ready brek to supplement Judy's feeding.
All but one are lapping and eating the food. This little one I'm afraid didn't make it and the vet agreed that we couldn't do any more than we had.
So now we are down to 10 and this is still a large number to monitor on the bitch. They feed around a large round dish but I have little control on how much each has so will now split it into smaller portions so that I can be sure that everyone is getting a fair share.
They have been wormed and so has Judy.

13/ 6/08
Pups are really responding to me talking to them and are very inquisitive and sharp. They play fight and I have now introduced a little puppy feed to their porridge.
They have water on tap...well not exactly....it is in an old frying pan with a feed bowel turned upside down in it, this is to stop them paddling in it and it works a treat. They are cleaning themselves out on the shavings and are keeping their box quite clean.
I also have to make sure that they all have a feed from the bitch with not just the stronger ones taking it all.

19/ 6/08
Pups have the door to their puppy house open on nice days now with a board across the door so that Judy can escape to the pen outside for a bit of peace.
BUT it wasn't long before the barricade was breached and one little pup climbed up and tumbled over, thinking how clever he was and then more followed until the board was a futile restraint.
Another worming for both pups and Judy this week.
They are now on a good quality puppy food and puppy milk.
They are also very good at either peeing and pooing in one area inside but mostly prefer to go out in the pen to clean themselves.

3/7/08
The puppies will be 7 weeks old on Friday. They are real characters and can hear me coming a mile away!!
They have terrific appetites. My vet came for a different problem with a sheep this week and took a look at them, she found no problem and commented how bright and alert they were. They responded to my mobile phone ringing today and their heads were cocked listening to it. I let them all out in the yard yesterday but had a job keeping tabs on them all as they were everywhere. They have learnt how to untie shoe laces but not yet learnt how to re tie them.....perhaps one day?
They have been wormed again this week and Sophie and Sarah, my grand daughters have been and named them all. Sophie didn't like them jumping up at her or going after her trousers so by the end of the day they were all watching their manners! No jumping up and no chewing of laces etc. They are real time wasters. The little one, Max, is so sharp and never gets pushed out from the food and loves attention.

10/07/08
This week the puppies continued their escapology training! Gwyn came to feed the pups one day when I was away and found the pen empty.
But as he and Eirlys walked down the yard they were greeted by Jack Daniels followed by the rest of the motley crew who had been playing by the back door to the house. Gwyn did his Rawhide bit and rounded them up back into the pen.

Yesterday I decided to take them into the small paddock for a play. There was no easy way to transport 10 wriggling pups. I took 2 at a time and put them over the gate only to find them behind me coming back up the yard. Didn't take them long to find their way through a small gap by the gate. Eventually got them all in and I went over the fence rather than through the gate...no need to provide further escape opportunities!
They pounced and ran, rolled and played in the grass and then as I sat on the end of the chicken coop which houses 3 x 2month old chicks, there was one pup on the top of the coop...he had climbed up the wire mesh trying to get at the chicks...he soon found his way back down but tried again a few time more but to no avail! Two were dribbling with a football and all generally having a good time. It was then time to transport them back to their pen...two at a time.
They have grown into very solid pups and are ready to go as soon as they have been vaccinated.

I have had to tie a long obsolete banner along the fence to keep them in but they have been out all day today and run and played and slept in the sun. I have also played!!!!!! with them!.

18/7/08
The pups are nine weeks old and were taken for the first of their vaccinations. Arrangements were made out of surgery hours to take them all in. There were five in either travelling crate and between Moina (my vet) and myself we man handled each crate into the examination room. All the pups were let out and mayhem was let loose. There were pups in the waste bin, pups running off with towels, ripping paper towels.....all good fun and enjoyed mostly I think by Moina who incidentally has two Border Collies herself.
Over the next couple of weeks 6 of the pups went to their new homes in Wales, Ireland and Holland, leaving us with 4, that is two each for Gwyn and myself. I kept Fleece and Max and Gwyn kept Jack Daniels and Taff.
We took these four to sheep all at once ...BIG MISTAKE! We couldn't catch them until they tired or had the sheep trapped on the fence. One at a time next time!!
My hens have also learnt that they do not go in the paddock when the pups are out, otherwise it is the three Ps; play, pounce and pluck!

Cost of Breeding this litter of pups
Mating card.............................................................£   8.00
Puppy milk..............................................................£ 32.00
Wormer..................................................................£ 73.00
Puppy food.............................................................£ 150.00
Extra food for bitch.................................................£   20.00
Vaccinations...........................................................£ 225.00
Shavings................................................................£    12.00
Registration............................................................£ 160.00
Misc. eg. porridge, biscuits etc..............................£    20.00

                            Total without time........................£ 700.00