Puppy Basecamp

Its a poor quality film but ardent devotees may like to see this tour of our preparations for the puppies’ arrival. I forgot to include 2 details: the white ip camera by the whelping box; the ice-cream in the freezer that will provide sugar energy …

99.9

98.9

99

99

99

100

99

98.5!!!

 

(when it is 98.0 or lower then we must start watching the clock and if she stops eating, starts panting….)

What’s the number to the RSPCA, please?

I could tell they were plotting something so i went and sat on the rug by the door so I could make a clean getaway – a woman in my condition has to give herself a head start.  Then they began to look closely at the torture device, pressing the buttons and making it go beep and saying things like, “What does L mean”  Then Mum put in under her arm and said they must be quiet, and Janet said, “There, it beeped” and Mum said,  “Try it on you and see if it beeps”, and so Janet put it under her arm.

Then they came and got me,  and they didn’t put it under my arm but it still beeped.

H E L P

Day 51; Lamaze

Mum attends an exclusive doggy Lamaze session with Nina each day – Lamaze are classes where the parents train for the birth.  Mum says “push,plop;push plop” in Nina’s ear. I don’t think the puppies’ arrival will be influenced by this strategy.

Nina’s tummy is now huge.   For 2 weeks, she hasn’t been able to curl up for long, but lying on her back seemed most relaxed  Now she only seems comfortable on her side or on her front slanted to one side with legs kicked out behind (if she tried to lie directly on her tummy she would rock backwards and forwards like a rocking horse – she is so round)

Over last week we went from: only feeling the puppies move as a quiver across a palm pressed, for sometime, in the best spot; to ripples of movement wherever you stroked her (mowed again) tummy.   But she has enjoyed her walks and eaten well. Bones have disappeared from the menu as we need to be low calcium (when on the BARF diet) at this point so the bitch’s body takes over calcium production. Raw beef heart is also recommended in these final days, and we are feeding green tripe as it is high calorie, easy to digest food.   I have pondered the question of raspberry leaf supplements and came down on the “no” side (re  http://pets.dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/-A-Wee-One/message/49158)

Today has been more slumberous and she has laid out under my bed when she wanted to rest.

We have been particularly jumpy after we spoke with Lynn; apparently Nina was early with her last litter. 😮  Lynn bred Nina, and also Nina’s first litter and is coming to stay, as back up should the whelping become difficult.  That’s great news; Nina has her own personal MIDWOOF 😉

I too have had serious word with Nina, but think my strategy – bribery- will be more successful. I have promised her that she shall have her choice of collar (handmade and from Etsy) if she waits to start until Wednesday at least  and has three boys and three girls.   That’s what I need for the buyers I really like and don’t want to disappoint (who have all checked in to see how Nina is doing)   The family has an impossibly busy week so hopefully she can hold on.   The amount of time one has to cross-off in the diary to accommodate breeding puppies is significant.

Now I just need to find the rubber sheet I bought just in case we need it sooner than we think…..

The temperature taking equipment is all ready to hand and the battery from my camera and a rechargeable light (what if there was a power cut? I bet you hadn’t thought of that?) are plugged in.

Week Eight begins

Its Day 48 and this is the last week of rest and leisure.   Nina would prefer it that no-one mentions buses, whales or elephants when standing behind her.   Actually the vet confirmed the visual check, Nina has gained 1 kilo between visits for the Canine Herpes Vaccination.  Nina stood like a good girl when the vet did the vaccination and charmed the lady with the cat in the waiting room.   We could have sold a couple of puppies there!

Selling has been so easy that the weight of the waiting buyers dogs me.  I had a strategy that included ads in a couple of doggy magazines like Dogs World, and also our local paper to tap into the non-technological market but before the KC put me on their register of breeders the pups are all spoken for even if it all boys or all girls.

I have developed a list of questions to “vet” potential buyers:

1) Do you want a boy or a girl?

2) How much do you estimate spending on dog expenses every month including food, vets and grooming?

3) What job do you do?

4) Do you live alone?  What pets do you have?

5) Do you have a garden?

6) How do you plan to toilet-train this puppy?

7) Would you like to show or breed from this puppy?

8) Would you mind if we came to see you as part of making a decision?

The largest litter of mini schnauzers was 11 – Pamela McLaren said it was the year of a Football World Cup and journalists came to photograph the litter – with a football – and they were named after the England squad.   I have also been told of a litter than arrived sooner than expected, and the Dam -taken on a short trip out – began popping out puppies.   They were all named after the nearest store when “popped”  Wilkinsons…..

As Nina’s pedigree name is Chocolate Chip Cookie I did suggest that the puppies could be Oreo, Bourbon, Jammy Dodger…. but that idea crumbled under scorn.

In week 8 we must be more practical, and prepare a private corner for the whelping box in my room and to put up the hanging basket bracket from which we are suspending the heat lamp (thank you Chrissie and James for the help)  And also gather together the supplies for the whelping box – most of which I hope we never have need to use.

The puppies live in muffled movement, ever growing.  In week eight fur grows starting with the tails.  They are now 3-5 inches long.   This week they will jostle for position – who will make the great journey to light first?

Inside every Thin Schnauzer is a Fat Schnauzer trying to get out

Lovingly add an extra biscuit to a schnauzer’s bowl and the next day passers-by will spontaneously stop to sing “Roll out the barrel” when you’re out on your dog walks. Nina is usually limited to 350 calories a day. Third trimester of pregnancy means I …

Nina thinks she is a celebrity

so requires our nieces to act as security when they go down our street rather than walk!  PIcture Madonna being carried along – and you have the idea 😉

Its been an intense week (This is week six) as Nina announced her pregnancy to the public.   She has been overwhelmed with the response and would like to thank everyone for taking an interest in her puppies (now I am her press secretary as well as masseur, bank and maid)

We have signed up to the Kennel Club’s Assured Breeder programme which sets standards for the breeding and selling of puppies.   It is not a perfect scheme, as it would take a police department to check all aspects.   But it is the only attempt to regulate standards of breeding so I wanted to cooperate.

As we are now official, I felt it was time to open the waiting list so placed an advert on Pets4Homes  (not the petshop, but a website with classified ads for pets) and also listed myself on the Champdogs website.   I included a link to website we set up for selling the puppies (tasteful colours of purple and blue, on white) By this morning we have had 69 visits!   AND enquiries for the waiting list.

At the same time,   I publicised this blog on the UK Schnauzer Forum and on Thursday we had 43 visitors which was unexpected.   We would like especially to say Bonjour to the french visitor, Guten Tag to the German and Good’day to the Australians!   I wanted to share our first-time breeding experiences and decisions on the blog as a research platform for others thinking of doing the same.   So its nice to have “views” that are not from doting friends and family.

More on raw food, waiting lists and 8 parcel deliveries later.

Its official…

we’re pregnant!

 

Do you think they look more like their Mum or Dad?   Nina stood up and then the “microphone” was moved underneath her with the sticky gel on her tummy.  At the moment this shot was saved for posterity you can see 4 black rings – which are the sacs of fluid and then there is a little white “jellybean”  which is the actual puppy.   We think we saw 5  black circles a bit later  in the scan!!?? 

So we know Nina is pregnant with 4+ puppies and we know that so far they are alive and well.

Now we start counting down to the 23rd – and taking the shopping seriously!

The maternal haircut

Motherhood is a messy process and it is better to trim the hair away before the whelping. As we were novices we decided to make a start before Nina’s tummy was swollen with puppies. As you see, Nina suffered greatly through the process of two …

Week 5 in Utero

Its our Embryo Prom at the end of the week when we end embryogenisis (not very good at spelling yet) and start Gestation.   We’re getting new accessories for the occasion (what is this ebay we hear so much about?) ready for the photographer that’s coming on Friday.  We’ll have new whisker buds and we will be boys or girls, and be able to wriggle our toes. This party’s going to be a riot.  We’ll be so tired that we can hardly keep our eyes open – and that’s a new concept as we haven’t had eyelids before.  We hope there’s lots of food in Gestation!   Not sure Mum’s looking forward to the photographs as she thinks she may be getting fat……