Here you can follow the training, showing and every day antics of our beloved golden retrievers.
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Monday, November 30, 2009

Perfect Morning

Here I sit in the new puppy play pen with Siena, her pups, my lap top and a nice hot cup of coffee.
I will never forget this feeling :-)



Sunday, November 29, 2009

Happy 3 Week Birthday!

Three Weeks old....WOW! The puppies have been up playing on and off since 6 am and Siena looks ready for a nap :)
Busy day ahead. We are fixing up the puppy room with a big play area! Just cleaned the whelping box and changed the fleece. I had the big dogs out running around while I picked up the yard (they were so helpful with stick duty). Lots of small limbs and sticks fell from all that wind yesterday. We lost power for about 3 hours yesterday morning. Off to do puppy laundry and to train Zap and Truly at a nearby park. Then Bob is headed to Albany to help Jamie load the moving truck.

I'm hoping to get pictures of the puppies in their new play area later today.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Week 3 Happenings...

Development of the puppies week 3 (days 15-21)

~Teeth begin to erupt
~Puppies stand up and start walking
~Begin to lap liquids
~Defecate/urinate with out stimulation
~Start becoming aware of environment
~Start playing with litter mates

Puppies are changing daily! They still sleep a lot; however, when they are awake they are exploring their environment more and playing with each other (which is the cutest thing in the world to watch ;) Erik and Jamie were home for Thanksgiving and we had fun holding, watching and playing with the pups when were weren't eating! Erik brought an early Christmas present for me and the puppies. He surprised us with a mini tunnel and it's been fun to watch the puppies interact with it. I love it!
With all of this increase in activity we will be setting up the big play area within the next few days.
Green and Red boys with BUG

Mr.Red is usually the first one to explore new things

We turned the LR into a big play area Sat. afternoon ;-)
Mr. Green in ON the tunnel

First game of bitey face
Cadie in the tunnel


Monday, November 23, 2009

Can it really be 2 weeks already?

The puppies turned 2 weeks old yesterday! It amazes me how much they have changed in such a short amount of time. Zap had his first puppy "awwww" moment last night. While I was holding purple girl he jumped up on the couch and quietly settled in next to me at the same time resting his nose ever so carefully on my leg next to her! For all of his adolescent gusto and energy to witness such a tender moment from him was very special.

Miss Purple is now officially know as Cadence (Cadie for short ;). Her registered name is TruHeart's U Can't Stop The Beat: http://k9data.com/pedigree.asp?ID=356493

Hairspray-You Can't Stop The Beat Lyrics (partial ;)
You can't stop an avalanche as it races down the hill
You can try to stop the seasons, girl, but you know you never will
And you can try to stop my dancin' feet, but I just cannot stand still!
'Cause you can't stop the motion of the ocean or the sun in the sky
You can wonder if you wanna, but I'll never ask why
And if you try to hold me down, I'm gonna spit in your eye and say
That You Can't Stop the Beat!!!

So the beat goes on with Cadie added to our family. This is a high note for sure compared to this time last year. Time (& goldens) heals....

Cadie pup

Green boy
Red boy



















Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Week 2 Happenings

Development of the puppies Week 2 (Days 8-14)

~Eyes should open around days 8-10
~Ears should open around days 13-17
~ Body temperature should be around 97-99 degrees

In anticipation of their eyes opening this week I've stopped all flash photography and I'm also keeping the lights dim in the puppy room. I've kept a weight chart since day 1 and will go from weighing them daily to bi weekly. Here is their weight gain from birth date (Sun. 11/8) to last night:
Purple girl: 15.7oz to 44.8 oz
Lime Green boy: 17.5 oz to 50.2 0z
Red boy: 14 oz to 42.8 oz

Siena is spending a little more time out of the whelping box and is getting some playtime outside, which is good for her and the pups since they are gaining more than enough weight :-)

Early neurological stimulation is going well and each pup gets lots of cuddle time afterwards. I just love holding each one of them this whole experience is amazing!

Max, Truly and Zap have adjusted beautifully to all of this. I am impressed with Zap's maturity and patience and can't wait till they can all play with the puppies. Apollo is staying with Kara for a few weeks since he was at a dog show the weekend the puppies were born. I'm hyper paranoid about exposing the puppies to bad dog show germs. We miss him!!

Pinch me...I'm dreaming! I can't believe we have 3 beautiful Siena x Apollo puppies!

Sunday, November 15, 2009

ONE WEEK OLD!

This first week with the puppies flew by! They have more than doubled their birth weight. I spent a lot of time holding them, watching them and doing laundry! Bob clipped their nails today and we had a week one photo shoot. We love our little "Broadway" Stars. Siena is such a wonderful mom and is looking and feeling great.

These will be their last pictures for awhile since their eyes will opening this week.


Red Boy (our snuggle bug)


Lime Green Boy (Moose the Mushy puppy :)


Purple Princess Girl :)




Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Interesting Reading

Came across an old article I received from a field trainer I use to take lessons from. It breaks down the development of puppies week by week.


Development of Puppies Week One (Days 1-7)

-90% of time spent sleeping
-10% eating
-Susceptible to heat/cold
-Instinctive reflexes: crawl, seek warmth, nurse
-They can right themselves if placed upside down
-Needs stimulation for urination/defecation
-Rapid development of central nervous system
-Needs constant care from bitch
-Rectal temperature 94-97 degrees F
-Weight should double by end of first week

Started Early Neurological Stimulation today.
http://www.breedingbetterdogs.com/articles/early_neurological_stimulation_en.html

It's interesting to see the different reactions between the individual pups. Mr. Red does not hold still for any of the positions! However, after a quick sponge bath (just his butt ;) he cuddled in my arms for a good 10 minutes. Silly boy!

Got some playtime and a couple of short training sessions in with Zap and Truly today. It felt good to reconnect with them and do some of our normal routine. Puppy raising is very time consuming.




Mr. Lime Green taking over the bed last night




Tuesday, November 10, 2009

48 Hours....Feeling Very Thankful

The puppies were exactly 48 hours old this morning! Of course I had to get out my camera to take a few pictures ;-) As many have told me the first 24 hours were quite an adjustment, and I have a new found respect for all breeders who put their ALL into the litters they care for. I've gone from worry, to joyful excitement to mourning all within the first few hours. The huge responsibility I feel for these 3 new lives is at times overwhelming. I worry about everything; however, I am blessed to have a very calm, loving husband and the support/guidance of a very good friend. This special friend drove 2 hours, VERY early Sunday morning, to help us whelp our first litter. She guided us through the whole process and tried so hard to get Peter (puppy boy #3) to breathe. She sat with Siena and the pups in the whelping box LATE into the night that first night so I could get some rest. At that point Siena was still a little freaked out by the squeaking/squealing and the odd bobbing head movements of her new charges. Kara has gone above and beyond to help us and I will never be able to thank her enough!

Feeling thankful today.



(L-R) Mr. Green, Miss Purple and Mr. Red at the end of the bed.

Close up of Poppin' Purple Girl

Close up of Mr. Lime Green

Mr. Red marches to the beat of his own drum!

Siena settling into motherhood





































Sunday, November 8, 2009

The Broadway Litter has arrived!

Two boys and one girl. Miss Poppin' Purple was first and weighed in at 15.7 oz. She is beautiful and looks a lot like her mom. An hour later Mr. Lime Green (a.k.a. Apollo Jr.) was born weighing 17.5 oz. Sadly the next boy was stillborn. We named him Peter (my dad's middle name). I'm sure my dad welcomed him in heaven where they can look down on us and smile. Next came another boy, Mr. Red, he weighed 14 oz. and is always on the GO! Siena was a little unsure of the pups, but has settled in and everyone is nursing happily right now. I'm exhausted but thrilled. Kara is staying the night to help me through the first 24 hours....Thank You Kara!!


2 Puppies So Far!!

Girl and a Boy!! Kara is here...thankfully! Siena is working on #3.

Water Broke!

Lots of contractions! Kara is on her way!!

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Puppies Tonight or Tomorrow!!??

Siena didn't eat her dinner tonight. She is nesting, panting and looking a little uncomfortable. No contractions yet. Her last temperature reading was 98.9. I plan on sleeping in the whelping room with her. This could be the night! Wish I could stop biting my nails ;)

Going to try to get some sleep soon in case things start happening in the middle of the night.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Temperatures and Puppy Dreams

Siena's temperature is staying low. Yesterday morning she was at 99.4. Her night time temp was 99.8. This morning she is 99.7. She still has a great appetite and is resting comfortably. Bob is keeping a close eye on her while I go to my classes with Zap and Truly.

After agility classes today I'm going to concentrate on getting everyone groomed. I finished up Zap yesterday and he looks really good! Still not proficient at ears but I'm getting better and better at feet ;-)

I'm having a lot of puppy dreams lately. The other night there was a male pup in my dreams that looked EXACTLY like Apollo (this is a reoccurring dream). That might be Jamie's puppy!

Count down continues....

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

ACTIVE PUPPIES!!

I felt the puppies move for the first time this morning! And I mean MOVE! I think there might be some future agility stars working out in Siena's belly ;-)) All is going well. Siena is feeling great and the only difference I notice in her (other than the increasing circumference of her tummy) is she takes more naps and has started nesting at night. We have a chart set up to record her temperature daily. Towels, blankets, and papers are folded and ready, scale is set up. All my whelping supplies have arrived; well almost all...one of my orders is missing an item...blah! Stocked up on coffee and snacks. We have an air mattress for the whelping room since I will be sleeping in there. I anticipate at least one DD run though (Ice coffee for Kara ;) Trying not to bite my nails too much....this is so exciting!

Counting the days.