New Roommates

The puppies have a couple of new roommates....

They're already dressing alike and sharing each others clothes....

(Elva is paranoid about collars, but we want to be able to tell them apart so they got crayons instead)

The puppies are happy about the new additions. 

Generally, they are just plain happy.

And tired.  Tired puppies are good puppies.

In addition to their new Guard Dog duties, which they take terribly seriously, they have also been going on hikes with Elva several times each day and attempting to keep the Border Collies in line.

They love playing in the pond and a few of them have learned that, when they fall in, they can swim.

All this hard work is tiring.

It's just not easy being an alert guard dog.

Good thing they all have a lot of help.

 Including a couple new additions to the pack. 

Puppy Overdose

I told Elva today that I was going to have to start carrying around some of that Narcan stuff in case she completely overdoses on puppies.

It could happen.

The puppies have moved out into the garage/woodshed and they are enjoying their new space....

...and practicing to be big, serious guard dogs.

They are terribly ferocious.

 Practicing their attack skills....

...while mom shows them how to protect every, little thing.  Including puppy toys that need to be rescued, handled gently and guarded from marauders.

I've seen a lot of posts recently about how Livestock Guardian Dogs should not be handled by people and that they have to be locked in and isolated with their charges so that they will bond with them. 

Total hogwash.

Yes, the puppies need to be around livestock and, by the time these pups leave, they will know all about sheep, lambs, chickens, cattle, cats, other dogs, etc.  Each of these puppies is spoken for and they are all going to small farms where they will have a variety of livestock and people to look after.  They are fully capable of doing all that may be asked of them whether it is looking after a flock a milk goats, hiking with their people or guarding the sheep while they watch Border Collies learn how to do their jobs.

These dogs are intelligent, intuitive and have been born with the aptitude and skill to do all of the above while also riding happily in a car to the vet's office or distinguishing a real threat from stray child wandering in to visit the lambs.  I know most people don't want stray children wandering around in their fields, but it happens all the time and even fewer of us want the dogs to devour the small children.  I personally don't know why anyone would want a big, powerful dog that can't be handled - or a small, toothless dog for that matter.

I find it to be a baffling disservice to these dogs to expect them to live alone amongst a flock of sheep, making all the tough decisions, protecting them from all threats while simultaneously believing them to be too stupid to do anything else.  I've met a few dogs raised like that and, as much as I love dogs, I'd never want one of them around.

Fortunately for these pups, they are all going to homes where they will be able to live up to their true abilities and be loved and appreciated for all of them.

Now all we have to do is figure out how to keep Elva from going into massive puppy withdrawal at the end of May when they finally move on to their new farms.  Does Narcan work on puppy overdose?

Puppy Dreams

One week old today and the little grubs are growing fast and fat.

They are crawling around more, trying to figure out how to make their legs work. 

Puppies at this age are still blind and mostly deaf.

Their limbs are weak and uncoordinated and they mostly sleep and eat, but they also start exploring the world.

Despite their lack of sight and sound, there is a lot going on the minds of tiny puppies. 

The first 12 weeks of life are the most critical for their development and a great deal happens before their eyes ever open. 

Their sense of smell works just fine and scent brings the world to them, even in their sleep.

Their minds are active, open and they dream often.

In their searches for food, warmth and comfort, their muscles develop and they learn how to interact with their siblings.

They bark, yip, growl and stretch themselves out into the world....

Until they all find a good spot.

What do puppies who have never seen the world dream about?

 What do any of us dream about?

A Highlight

Well, Elva here, I figured you might all like to know how it is going with Bess and her new family. It is going great! 

Bess and I both had a couple of sleepless nights at the beginning, as both of us jumped anytime we heard a squealing pup, but now we are used to their little puppy noises, which are frequent and loud, considering how little they are! Last night, I only woke up when Bess got up and changed position, which caused a mighty ruckus from her children…”Hey! What is going on? Where did the milk go! What’s happening!!” I quickly jumped up and repositioned all the puppies, and soon they were once again content.

Bess is a most excellent mother. She really would rather not leave her pups at all, so my strategy for getting her outside is to wait until all the pups are done nursing and are sleeping. Then I carefully transfer them to a box with a fleece blanket and the hot water bottle. Then I plead and cajole with Bess until she finally heaves herself out of the puppy pool. She then stops for a long drink before going outside. I tried keeping a water dish in with her and the pups, but that was a minor disaster.

Once Bess is outside, she is happy and rolls around in the snow. She is happy to go on a hike with the border collies up until she remembers her pups, and then she whines, spins around and runs back home. Before I let her inside, I wash her off carefully with warm water, as she still has a little bit of discharge from having the pups. She is very patient with me cleaning her off and brushing her. When I finally open the door, she runs to the box containing the pups, but I explain to her that she has to get in the proper spot first. She then jumps in the pool, and I get her properly positioned in the middle of the pool, so that all the pups have plenty of room. Then I carefully transfer each pup, who then remembers that they are suddenly starving.

The pups are unbelievably beautiful! They have these funny little tails and short legs. They like to sleep on their backs, and if you scratch their chests and bellies, their legs start moving, just like a real dog!! 

They appear to have a huge vocabulary, and make all sorts of interesting noises. It is very pleasant to listen to! It reminds me of when I have a raised some chicks in the house, and just before they fall asleep in the night, they make these sweet whistling noises. The pups make noises like that, but even better.

Bess is now eating everything I give her, which makes me happy. It is more fun to cook for someone who appreciates it! Just before she had the pups, she had no appetite, and I worked hard to get her to eat anything. Now she eats four meals a day, each consisting of kibble, one soft-boiled egg, a generous hunk of raw roast beef, lots of bone broth, some organ meat, and lavish splash of raw milk. All this stuff comes from my farm, except the kibble, so I know it is good for her. She eats all her meals in the puppy pool, and she is very neat about it!

Blog reader Ninergirl04 had the excellent suggestion that I put identifying rick rack collars on the pups and then track their weight. I know she is right, but I have this collar phobia, worrying that they could get their feet stuck in each other’s collars or something. I think I will do this when they get a little bit older. Right now, whenever I put the pups in the box when Bess goes out, I carefully examine each one and then also watch how they nurse when I put them back with Bess. I really feel that all of them are doing very, very well.

Another thing I agonized over was whether the pups were warm enough. It was suggested that I use a heat lamp, but I know that Bess would hate that, so I compromised with the hot water bottle. I change this about every two hours in the day, but then take it out at night, as I am afraid it would cool off too much before I woke up. Instead, I roll a fleece or wool blanket up and place it so that they can snuggle up to it. They sleep in between Bess and this rolled-up blanket. So far, this seems to be working well. Tonight I am going to put a hunk of unwashed fleece in the pool, so that they can get used to the smell of sheep.

Well that’s about all that is going on now, but I must say that having these pups is one of the highlights of my life! It is really a special event, and both Bess and I will never forget it!

One last thing…March 16th is RB’s birthday, so Happy Birthday from all of us. Her present from me will be that she gets to see the puppies! What more could a person want for their birthday?

Blood Does Tell

All the little grubs and their mom are doing great.

There are 5 boys, 3 girls and they are all fat as sausages.

These are healthy, vigorous little grubs.  They can manage to sound like a whole pack of coyotes singing when mom takes an occasional break.

Bess has always had an affinity for babies of all species.  She even loves playing with human babies, unlike the Border Collies who generally think little humans are space aliens that either need to be herded up or chased off. 

Bess is amazingly gentle with and protective of babies, all babies.  When there are baby lambs, she quietly worms her way in amongst them to keep them safe and happy.

By the time the calves are born, the lambs are racing around and Bess moves off to look after the baby calves.

The cows and the ewes are always on high alert when the Border Collies are around, but Bess moves in slow, eyes down and the moms welcome her help in looking after their babies.

After the newborn livestock are all on their feet, Bess divides her time between them.  She makes her rounds each day, checking on lambs, calves and chicks all while keeping her human in line.

No one has ever had to teach Bess how to be a great Livestock Guardian Dog, it is just her nature.  It's what countless generations before her have been bred to do.  A really good LGD is a friend and protector of everyone on her farm.  It is no wonder she is being such a good mom to her own puppies.

Little White Grubs

Bessie started having her puppies yesterday afternoon and finished around midnight with 8 wriggly, squirmy, little white grubs.

They don't look like much at this point - newborn puppies always look a bit more like slugs than anything else - but these little grubs will grow up to be super farm guardians just like mom.

While none of us approve of indiscriminate breeding, there is a real place in the world for outstanding dogs who do very important work.  Just as Bess has proven herself to be an exceptional and invaluable farm dog, she is, of course, proving to be an exceptional mom.

These pups will grow up with sheep, cattle, chickens, pigs, tractors and a whole pack of outstanding farm dogs to teach them their jobs.  If that isn't enough, Uncle Connor will be there every day to show them how to have fun.