Birth Announcement!

 

Above: Twizzle's puppies 

Born January 20, 2021

In birth order from left to right:

TwizzlePuppy1: Red Tri Male

TwizzlePuppy2: Red Tri Male

TwizzlePuppy3: Black Tri Female

TwizzlePuppy4: Red Tri Female

TwizzlePuppy5: Black Tri Female

Below: Spectacular's puppies

Born January 30, 2021

In birth order from left to right:

SpeckiePuppy1: Red Tri Female

SpeckiePuppy2: Red Tri Male

SpeckiePuppy3: Red Merle Female

SpeckiePuppy4: Red Merle Male

SpeckiePuppy5: :(

SpeckiePuppy6: Red Tri Female

SpeckiePuppy7: Red Tri Female

UPDATE

 The blog is in the process of being updated!

I'm working on updating photos of our dogs, Winchester has matured and become heavier coated.

We WILL have Australian Shepherd puppies available this year!

Twizzle had a surprise breeding with Winchester, and Spectacular surprised us by allowing a dog to breed her for the first time ever!

Twizzle's due date range is January 16- January 22

Spectacular's due date range is January 28- February 3. 

I am also editing blog tabs and will have them posted soon! 

I will also update our AHT Star's blog tab. I would like to breed her next heat cycle, expected May 2021. 

Last Post Before Puppy Pick Up Days!

Puppies were weighed and measured yesterday, which is one week after the last weights and measurements.

Kenai         10.4 pounds

Puppy2        8.4 pounds

Nova           6.4 pounds

Puppy4       7.4 pounds

Twizzle       8.6 pounds

Puppy6       8.4 pounds 


Kenai        neck 9", girth 14"

Puppy2     neck 8 1/4 ", girth 13 1/4"

Nova         neck 7 1/2", girth 12 1/2"

Puppy4     neck 8", girth 13"

Twizzle     neck 8 1/4", girth 13 1/4"

Puppy6     neck 8 1/4", girth 13 1/4"


Today, I sent the last fecal sample to the veterinary clinic and the puppies are NEGATIVE for parasites! So they go to their new homes parasite free! 

Puppies have been in crates 3 hours each afternoon (usually 1pm-4pm). They have been in crates each night 5-6 hours (usually 11pm/12am-5am). My son needed one of the crates for a new hatch of ducklings. Tonight, I'll probably leave all the puppies out of crates, with their big sis, Spec, to watch over them. I had been using three crates (two puppies per crate), but it's too crowded to now place three puppies into two crates. The puppies have grown considerably! I'll still continue today's afternoon nap in crates, three hours in A/C in crates somewhat crowded, isn't too bad. But night time is too long to be crowded. The puppies have a solid nap/sleep routine going. I believe they will transfer to housetraining in their new homes very well. I have also placed the puppies individually into crates throughout the day, for eating, or randomly, so that they are also prepared to be a lone puppy inside of a crate. 

Paxxin and Vibactra are underway, I'm giving these three times a day. The puppies hate the taste of this stuff, it's not getting any easier to give it, poor little sweeties. I'm also giving probiotic once a day, on food or directly in puppy's mouths. These puppies have been to all sorts of places, likely exposed to many pathogens. I believe it's EXTREMELY important that breeders do this with their puppies well before puppies go into new families. It's foolish to keep young puppies at the place of their birth and the first time the puppies are ever exposed to new pathogens is when those puppies are also leaving their mothers and litter mates. The best time to expose puppies to a variety of pathogens is while they are nursing their mothers. We all know mother's milk contains antibodies. The milk is also able to change according to the immediate need of the offspring. This is why Twizzle has also been on the outings, so that he body quickly supplies the correct antibodies since she was exposed too. Also, consider how helpful it is, to have puppies who have been on new adventures and are well socialized. New families must continue to socialize their puppy with many people, dogs, and new experiences. Australian Shepherds are a breed who tends to be suspicious of new people. Our adult Australian Shepherds have been incredible protection for the farm animals and for our family. But this protective nature can go overboard if the this breed is not socialized enough. So take your puppy practically everywhere you can. This will build your bond and it will help your puppy continue to grow into a confident dog! And use Paxxin, Vibactra, Silver, and Probiotic to help keep your puppy healthy with your many outings.

We look forward to the JOY expressed when the families come July 7 and 8 to take their precious puppies into their families! We will see you all soon! 

Puppy TOYS! Australian Shepherd Favorites

This post is to help families choose a variety of puppy toys. I've raised four recent litters of Australian Shepherds and can identify some most common favorites with the puppies: 


These rope tugs and these wool balls are puppy favorites. One of each of these are going into the puppy gift bags.

Notice the rope bones are made with fleece, not "string". The string type knot "bones" are dangerous, because some dogs swallow those string pieces.  

Puppies think these wool balls are fantastic. They can easily pick them up to play fetch. They also like the scent of natural animal wool. Don't leave a puppy in a crate with one of these though, they might shred it all up. :) 

I support small businesses whenever I can. The fleece ropes and the wool balls are both from Etsy shops. 

Something our puppies enjoy a lot that I haven't been able to find a small business replacement for, is "Duckworth". The past puppies have loved this and I think it would be a fantastic addition to the puppy toy collection the families are gathering. This duck is just the right size for puppies to sleep with. They like to lay their neck over the duck's neck. It feels similar to the way the puppies sleep with their necks over each other. Here is a link to "Duckworth". The larger size (13/14 inches), is the "correct" size. Duckworth on Amazon 

The puppies really like CRINKLE dog toys too. To find these, just type "crinkle dog toy" into the search engine of Amazon, eBay, or Etsy. If you are at a store, you can feel the crinkle inside of the toys. 

Most of our Australian Shepherd puppies/dogs do not like squeaker toys. Our terrier goes happy/crazy for squeaker toys, but most of the Aussies do not like them. Some do not like the noise and won't play, others try to put an end to the noise by destroying the toy.

Most of our puppies really enjoy DOG DISC. Here is a link to a 9" soft disc to start "rolls" with puppies. Then these are also used for catches when the puppy is older. Hyper Pet Flippy Flopper There are also many colors available on eBay. You NEED to have at least two discs. Disc dogs do not give you the "frisbee" back. When your dog returns to you with the disc, you need to be ready to throw the next disc. Your readiness and throw, causes the dog to release it's current disc and go for the next. This is how you don't get a tug-of-war going or a run-away-with-the-disc going. 

Do not allow a puppy or dog to chew the discs. Discs should be put away until the person is ready to play. 

The cutie below, got ahold of a disc after the big dogs were done. But these are not chew toys, chewing on them will not encourage good disc catching habits. 

After soft discs, when your puppy becomes an adult, you can upgrade to hard discs. Don't use discs that are not made for dogs. Some discs will crack or shatter when the dog snaps down on the disc. This is an excellent brand made for dogs. Hyperflite JAWZ Hyperflex I have much more to learn about Dog Disc "stuff". It can be worth your time and investment to join a Dog Disc club, or pay a trainer to get some tips. Most dog failures to catch, are the handler's fault. These Aussie dogs are so much fun, let's keep them feeling successful! 

Weights and Measurements

Based upon my weighing of the puppies, I do not believe the vet weights at 5w,5d was accurate. I was surprised by some of the puppy weights, especially when I could clearly see and feel the size differences of the puppies. I weighed one puppy myself, and got a completely different weight. 

These weights below are absolutely accurate. Puppies were weighed today. Today puppies are 7weeks, 4days

Puppy1:    8.6 pounds

Puppy2:    7.4 pounds

Nova:        5.4 pounds

Puppy4:    6.4 pounds

TwizzleJr: 7.0 pounds

Puppy6:    7.4 pounds

Below are the girth and neck measurements so that you are able to estimate harness and/or collar size. These measurements may be slightly inaccurate, but should be within 1/4 to 1/2 an inch of accuracy. It is difficult to measure wiggly, fluffy puppies. :) . Puppies are growing rapidly! Keep this in mind. 

Puppy1: Girth, 14 1/2 inches. Neck, 8 1/2 inches.

Puppy2: Girth 12 3/4 inches. Neck, 7 3/4 inches.

Nova: Girth 12 inches. Neck, 7 1/2 inches.

Puppy4: Girth 12 3/4 inches. Neck 7 3/4 inches.

TwizzleJr.: Girth 13 inches. Neck 7 3/4 inches.

Puppy6: Girth 13 inches. Neck 8 inches. 

ALL PUPPIES ARE MATCHED TO THEIR WONDERFUL FAMILIES

Puppy Families chose their puppies and get to bring them into their families in two weeks, two days!
We truly enjoyed meeting and talking on the phone to get to know the families these lovely puppies are going to!

American Stock Dog Registry has accepted my kennel name request, so the prefix on the puppies' registered names will be, "LittleBear". If you are new to registry, this is how it works:
The breeder registers the litter. 
Then the new owner registers the puppy individually. 

The new owner will name their puppy and send in the registration form, along with $20 and one photo. 
The puppy's name will include the prefix LittleBear, like this: LittleBear Twizzle, or LittleBear Spectacular, or LittleBear Marvelous. 

All puppies are sold with full registration. This means you ARE ALLOWED to breed your dog, if desired. All puppies are completely clear on their genetic health panel. Therefore they will  not pass on the common Aussie health issues to their offspring. I am available to consult about the pros and cons of breeding and how to select a mate for your dog. And of course, how to raise the puppies.

I encourage delayed spay/neuter, at around 18 months, after dogs are done growing. You may choose a different age to do so, based upon your own research and desires. Or you may choose to leave your dog intact. I am available to discuss these things too. 

We are new to showing, but enjoy it! We think it would be a blast to have some dog show friends join us! We are currently showing conformation, but later plan to do some competing in Rally and Agility and maybe some others. We have found dog shows to be enjoyable, not stressful. I'll let you all know when we choose a show to attend, and you're welcome to come watch or compete. :) 

I still need to post 6 week photos. I'll get 'em done in the next couple of days and then I'll get the 7 week photos up too!

Next, I'll put up a tab to cover all the health "stuff" I use for my puppies and dogs. This will give you time to order the same products if you like what you read about them. Two excellent products to have on hand for puppies are: Vibactra and Paxxin. These are formulated to help puppies heal quickly and successfully from Parvo and other viruses. I'll be posting the data about these products. I expose our puppies to all sorts of places before they go to your home. I'm very confident that the way these puppies are fed, plus the back up of herbals, will fight off anything the puppies can pick up. I expose the puppies to pathogens while they will live here, so that I can treat them here if needed. And more importantly, so that their exposure to pathogens are nothing new when they leave our home. Their bodies will already have strong stimulated immunity to a variety of bacteria and viruses. I don't believe it benefits puppies at all to stay home for nine weeks. Our puppies have been and will be where other dogs are and have been. This helps them so they can continue to be socialized without the worry of illness.

If you name your puppy before Puppy Pick Up Day, July 7, let me know and we will start calling the puppy by the name of your choice.  

Winchester age 1 1/2. Twizzle age 6.