Puppy Blog
Day 129: 5/17/22
I have a "New-Puppy Orientation" video I created a couple years ago. One of the common questions I am asked is "what should I do to prepare for my new puppy?" Well, here is what I would tell anyone who asks, and anyone who takes home a puppy from Dainty Acres Italian Greyhounds. I hope you enjoy a blast to the past!
Day 126: 5/14/22
We are making some progress! Since we started focusing on our Conformation Show Ring training, we started out knowing nothing, to 4 puppies who are eagerly trying to stand still and walk alongside me. In this video, the 4 puppies are one by one in the training studio practicing walking around the ring and walking into a free-stack. We are also starting them out on the Judges Examination Table for the table-stack. I just love watching the video because from my elevation, I can not see what they look like. I am walking around trying to keep my hand in-front of their face. Trying not to fall or drop bait. If you are wondering why I am all hunched-over and looking silly, well, that is because I am really tall and they are incredibly short. I want them to get in the habit of watching my hand. My hand is their communication link. My hand is giving them a hand-sign. You may notice I do that even with the adult dogs when I am training them. Since I train even when I am in the show ring, you will see me even doing it in the show ring. Once my dog gets to the "Specials" level, he knows the drill and is also listening to my verbal signs and only using my hand signs when he gets off track. If my hand is holding bait and giving hand-signs from my full upright posture, they will be looking up and throwing their whole top-line off. I use these videos to watch what the puppy looks like when I am walking, trotting and standing in my free stacks. I can learn thing from watching the video. I can see if they are watching my hand, and if I have a problem, I can see what is causing it and fix it.
Day 122: 5/10/22
The pups are 4 months old! Happy Birthday Bexar, Boerne, Brady and Blanco!!! Brady is having way too much fun here. He and I got some quality time last night. His favorite thing to do is chase the ball. He thinks he is a Golden Retriever. Brady is a happy boy, he is developing a really nice personality. I like how he can entertain himself, he would be a good only dog. He will play outside by himself chasing a toy or a stick, he is the last to come in. He likes to chase and tackle the calm nice puppies. Brady doesn't like kids though, only time I have ever seen him not want to play. These Italian Greyhounds are developing strong bones and strong muscles. They are developing and soon they will have more power than their body can handle. Meaning, if they launch off the couch (because they can!), their landing will cause stress on the tendons and bones on impact of that landing. So for the next 8 months, all us fur-mama's and papa's need to make sure they are in safe environments. It is important to puppy proof the house, and my favorite tool is the X-Pen. I can move the pen from the house to the back yard, so they have a safe area to run around. This includes separating the pup from older dogs in the family. The older dogs can get rough or run them where they shouldn't go. And once they are 2 years old, all the bones are ossified and their brains have caught up with their bodies. This is also a really good time to teach them to walk on a leash. The temptation to watch them run full speed is real, but if you want to make sure you baby develops into a strong, healthy adult, help them not make stupid choices!
Day 119: 5/7/22
We have 2 months until our next dog show and I will be making my decision on who to keep and who gets to go to new fur-families. The good news is I have 4 that are show quality. The hard part is deciding which one or ones to keep. Bexar County Kennel Club, Kennel Club of Greater Victoria and Alamo Area Toy Dog Club will be hosting a 3 day AKC Conformation Dog Show July 15, 16 and 17 so we are preparing for that. That show will give me a great idea of who wants to do it and who hates to do it. The show has a 6-9 month old puppy division that we will enter. Here in this video we are practicing the parts that we need to perfect before that show. I am making this job easy by partnering my pups with an adult dog. They naturally will do what they see their parent do, so I like to start them off this way. I want to skip that step of defiance and wriggling at the end of a tight leash. For the dog show my pups will need to follow well on a leash. They need to also stand still when we are standing in line with the other dogs. This is an opportunity to show off our "Free-Stack". They also need to stand still and let the Judge touch them during the Table Exam. I will "Hand-Stack" them on the table and they need to stay in that stack until the Judge tells us to do the "Down and Back". First things first, we are starting with the gas pedal and tolerating the flat link collar and lead! We are finishing up our second week of practice, so hopefully you can see some progress!
Day 117: 5/5/22
Day 117: Thursday 5/5/22 - We had a wonderful time relaxing, walking, snuggling, eating, playing - repeat. Usually we only use the RV for dog shows, but in an attempt to live life well, we are trying some camp spots on our bucket list with our pack of 7. As crazy as it sounds, it went really well. We got lots of attention from the neighbors, and the pups got a very special play date with some new friends. Maybe the JR. Handler seed has been planted?!
Day 116: 5/4/22
Bam. Done! Pups have completed their DHPP series and got their first Rabies vaccination. Pfew! Keeping puppies away from other dogs and safe from the Parvo virus is very challenging! All the boys have fully dropped, as it stands right now, all 4 are show quality. What I am looking for now, is who really loves showing off. These little guys will do anything I ask, so everyone is happy performing. More work to do in the training studio. All the pups are following well on the lead when I have them partnered up with an adult dog. All the pups are doing a great job at the stack, but I am only getting a few seconds of their attention. We will work on growing that and adding the "Head Straight".
Day 111: 4/30/22
Structure and Movement of our 15 week old Italian Greyhound Puppies: Big week, small steps. I just want them to do it and then I reward them with bait and praise. I will be introducing the verbal and hand triggers next, but most important, I want them to have fun. When I praise them they love it. This video is in order of 1. Bexar, 2. Boerne, 3. Brady and 4. Blanco. I started with a table stack, then went to the floor catching them in the act of a free stack. They will need to follow me on the lead, so I am introducing the "Down and Back" which we will be doing in the ring in July. Getting them to following my hand on the lead and staying on the ground are the baby steps for this week. They will learn that the direction of my palm is the hand sign for where they are to be. Right now all they care about is being with me and the bait! Oh I love these little guys <3
Day 104: 4/23/22
The pet and the show dog have lots in common. In fact, a show dog is a pet that happens to show. All dogs need to safely stand still for a bath, grooming, trimming toes and the vet. So if they learn how to do this, they can show! They also need to behave on a leash, respect you in public and listen to you when you call. A good breeder is doing all these things in the back ground never taking any credit for it. Why? Because it is the right thing to do. As a breeder, I know how to teach my dogs to do these things. The pups shouldn't be expected to know how to behave and the new family is not expected to know how to train their pup either. Since I have the pups under my roof during a very impressionable time, I will take advantage of this time and help them be as successful as possible in their new home. My favorite training technique is to catch them in the act of doing something right. If the puppy is biting and picking things up off the floor with his mouth, I say "Pick" and start teaching a service dog trigger word. Once they move past that stage, it takes longer to teach them this trigger word and hand sign. And what ever career they end up with, they can rock the show ring, the back yard and the service dog vest!
Day 102: 4/21/22
In July we will be entering the puppies in an AKC Conformation Dog show. When we enter an AKC Conformation Show, I am showing off the characteristics of my dog, good or bad. The class typically starts with all the dogs entering the ring in the order of their arm bands. The Judge is looking at the structure and movement of each dog to determine what dog will be the best of the breed based on the AKC Breed Standard. The Judge will then ask the first in the ring to present their dog on the exam table with the remaining dogs following. This is where the Judge will feel the ears, run their hands over the dog's body and feel the coat. I need these puppies to walk and trot on the lead, and that is going to include starting, slowing and stopping. Then they will also need to stand still on the exam table for the Judge to touch them. So we are starting with small baby steps. Walking on the lead and following along with the other dogs on our morning walk is our goal this month. The feel of the collar is new, the limit of the 6' lead. All those are new experiences for them, and I want them to love going for a walk. Whether it is the show ring or the neighborhood park, I want a well behaved puppy!
Day 101: 4/20/22
Can puppies have a bad hair day? Oh yes! The puppies fluffy soft downy baby hair is starting to transition out and the new adult hairs are growing in. Bexar's adult hair is growing in darker than the puppy hair, so he looks like he is molting. Bexar got to go on his first walk with the big dogs. He wore his new training lead and collar and he did really well! Each puppy will get their turn walking with the big dogs, this makes it easy for me to teach them to follow on the lead when they see the big dogs doing it right.
Day 100: 4/20/22
Every characteristic of a pure bred dog has a purpose. The Official AKC Breed Standard spells out those desired characteristics. If you are interested in showing your dog, you want to make sure you pick a dog that has the positive characteristics of the AKC Breed Standard. For the Italian Greyhound, the Breed Standard mentions a "narrow and long" head "tapering to the nose", and a "long, slender and gracefully arched" neck. The shoulder should be "long and sloping" and the body "short coupled, high at withers, back curved and drooping at hindquarters..." with a "slender and tapering" tail with a "curve end, long enough to reach the hock...". From your Italian Greyhound's tip of his nose to the tip of his tail, all those parts are important for the purpose he was bred to perform. And that purpose is: chasing prey and sleeping quietly on the laps of royalty. All the pups in this litter have the sleeping part down pat! To read more about the Italian Greyhound Breed Standard go to: https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/sports/purebred-dog-breed-standard/
Day 98: Monday 4/18/22
I want to pick back up on the structure and movement of the Italian Greyhound. I am doing lots of observing between now and July's first puppy show. I am looking for correct conformation and a shoulder that will move freely to allow for the typical Italian Greyhound free and high step. In the AKC Breed Standard it says: "Action: High stepping and free, front and hind legs to move forward in a straight line." This is all it says, so there are different types of interpretations of this. I do not want "hackney" or a "downhill" mover, I like the light front ends that have a nice locomotion in the rear. With that said, it takes months for the rear to develop, and we are still waiting for all the bones to be fully ossified. I have started working on the hand and verbal trigger signs. For the dog show we need the "brakes" and the "gas pedal". The "Come", "Easy" and "Stay" trigger words operate the brakes and gas pedal. At 14 weeks of age, they are hearing the trigger words and starting to coordinate their bodies to match the trigger words. Looks like chaos, but I see lots of potential!
Day 93: 4/13/22
Wednesday 4/13/22: Why do emergencies always happen on the weekend?! What ever it was, it made it's rounds, starting with Brady. 1:00pm Saturday we took the pups out for a walk, and I noticed Brady staggering, dehydrated and not running around with the others like he usually does. Giardia is still a risk here in Texas Hill Country because of the wet weather. Wet weather means mud, and what puppy does not like mud. As long as the dirt is wet, that Giardia parasite can flourish in the yard. I clean up the yard a couple times a day, however the wildlife, ancient feces and the dirt beneath the grass, are wonderful environments for the Giardia Cysts. What makes this incredibly challenging is that the parasite can lay dormant for up to 5 years, and the dogs can test negative for it, yet have Giardia. We started treating for it immediately with Fenbendazole, an over the counter worming medicine that works on Giardia too. The best thing for combating Giardia is sunshine and heat. As soon as it dries up we will not have to worry about it. This is another good example of why I like to keep the pups longer than 8 weeks. It is hard to tell the difference between Giardia and Parvo, and Parvo is really scary and deadly. At 8 weeks, your pup got his first Parvo vaccine. With each Parvo Vaccine, your pup can test positive for Parvo but not have Parvo. Once your pup hits 16 weeks, they are functioning on their own antibodies, getting a monthly Heartguard Plus and finally get their first Rabies vaccine. I breath a huge sigh of relief when we get past this milestone! Oh, and the pups are all healthy again and back to their old selves.
Day 88: 4/8/22
Everybody is glad to see Friday! Puppies ordered some chew toys from Amazon and they arrived! This week was really successful, the puppies are sleeping 5 hours in their own crates. This is a big deal! It means they are holding their potty, and quietly enjoying their own space. They are also letting me bathe them, trim toes and put on their collars.
Day 87: 4/7/22
Time to get these puppies out and running around! The last couple days have been sooo nice. The pups use their minnie doggie door to let themselves in and out at their own leisure when they are not sleeping, eating or playing.
Day 86: 4/6/22
Dad is recuperating from neuter surgery, the big dogs are all separated until Willie can find his place back in the pack. For some reason, after surgery, the pack has a tough time letting the poor fella back in. It could be the onesie Willie is wearing. Hmmmm.....
Day 84: 4/4/22
Happy 12 Weeks Old Lil Baby Puppies!!! Not so little any more. Pups got to visit their favorite vet for their second round of DHPP and their annual vaccine for Bordatella and Leptospirosis. Bexar is a drama queen and he let everyone in Comal County know he was not happy about getting stuck. The rest of the pack could care less about his drama or the shots. I used this morning drive to the vet as an opportunity to give the pups a trial run in their new road trip crates. They went with me to my office and then into San Antonio for a meeting with a client. They spent 2.5 hours in the car and did great! They really like riding by themselves in a crate. When the car bounces and shifts, the pups get stressed when one of their pack step on them. Separating them means they can control the environment they are in and it is less stressful. Less stress means less whining, less whining means I am less crazy!
Day 83: 4/3/22
The crate training is going great, the pups are sleeping comfortably in their personal crates for up to an hour now. I have also re-configured the truck crates so we can haul 7 dogs comfortably and safely. They are more active and wanting to run so their outdoor play area has been expanded. Another great reason to crate pups is so they learn to hold their potty. So after an hour of quiet time in their crate, I take them outside and, tadaaaaa...... they go potty! Oh that makes me soooo happy!!!
Day 78: 3/29/22
No time to rest, we had great success in Kerrville, but we have a big show 3 and a half months from now. Puppies need to know the gas pedal and the breaks. I will be working on the "stay", "come", "easy" and "head-straight" commands. I am combining the crate training with the "stay" command. In a small box I have better success, their little bodies have more moments of stillness, that I can reward them when I get one of those moments. I have a treat in my hand and I give them a small piece each moment I catch them in the act of standing still. I am only rewarding with my left hand. Eventually, in the show ring, I want my dog to look at my left hand for communication. My left hand is where my hand signs will come from. So join us this beautiful day in the Dainty Acres Training Pavilion! https://youtu.be/sYvAGQ7lLTQ
Day 77: 3/28/22
Happy 11 Weeks Old to You Sweet Puppies! It has been 2 weeks since the puppies first figured out the doggie door. They are really good at it now. I have even caught Blanco going through the big dog doggie door! Puppies who use the doggie door save me a ton of time, so we invested in a doggie door panel that we modified for our kennel. It is between their sleeping crate and the outdoor play area. I have a portable 4ft tall X-Pen area set up outside that doggie door that is just for the puppies. I can easily clean it by moving the X-Pen panels around, thus avoiding the puppy poopy dance. I also have a steel wrapped hose, it is puppy proof! I can hose down the area while they are eating breakfast. I keep the puppy area super clean, I want to raise prissy, snobby, snooty little clean freaks! The doggie door panel is removable, once the puppies are using the big dog doggie door, we can store it for later.
Day 76: 3/27/22
Sunday Funday! What a beautiful day and a great day for the pups to get out and run around the yard. Zoomies and roll-overs are all part of the day.
Day 75: 3/26/22
Puppies got their first dose of HeartGuard Plus. HeartGuard has Ivermectin in it to protect them from Heartworm, and the "Plus" part of the prescription is Pyrantel and Pyrantel protects them from Roundworm and Hookworms. All my dogs are on HeartGuard Plus to protect them from the horrors of Heartworm. It is an expensive part of our pet-care, but Heartworm is transmitted via mosquitoes, and we have those in Texas. I need to monitor their ingestion of the chew tab, each pup needs to get their own full dose. I separate each pup out from the pack and sit and feed cut up pieces of that chew-able tab so those little mouths can chew it without swallowing it whole! And I can make sure each pup eats the whole tab. I also want to monitor the pups to make sure they don't have problems with a new medication. This is another great reason to crate train you pup! There are times that your pup needs some quiet time, alone time, medical recuperation time or just supervised time in his own little space. Each pup has their own crate and they are up to about 10 minutes a day in their crate. In May we have a road trip, all the pups will need to be comfortable riding in the car for 3 hours. My goal is to get them to sleep for an hour in their crate by mid April.
10 WEEKS OLD! Day 70: 3/21/22
Closing in on the finish line! For the puppy series of worming any way. This round and the next we will use Safe-guard with fenbendazole. I want to change it up so the worms don't grow a resistance. I have to be rather tricky in feeding this one because it is granular and not very tasty.
Day 68: 3/19/22
The pups have been so good about going potty outside. The last 2 days have been really nice, and the pups wanted to do their business outside away from their bed. SUPER SUCCESS: They all get little gold stars!!! So to reward them I brought them into the training studio to watch how the big dogs do it. They were thrilled, and if the weather cooperates, we will start working on standing still and eventually turning it into a "Stack".
Puppy Blog
Day 65: 3/16/22
The pups got to play in their new indoor play area. They are 9 weeks old now and growing so fast! The pups and I needed a larger area where I can sit and socialize with them. I am working on their show stack, but their bones and bodies are underdeveloped for much more than just standing. I need to work one-on-one with each pup, they get real rambunctious when they are together as a pack. I also want them real comfortable with my human movements and careful with my face. They need to respect where my feet are, so I don't step on them. They need to respect my face, so they don't scratch my eyes out. And they need to respect my cloths, they want to chew on everything with those itchy puppy teeth. They have lots of toys, and I shut their mouth when they have a chunk of my clothing. They are starting to figure it out. Every one of these pups gets a gold star for potty training. They are doing great at going outside to potty in the grass. Now I make it easy by giving them a tiny doggie door and the weather has been warm. When it is cold and rainy, it doesn't matter how old an IG is, they are not going to go outside on their own! My goal is to have them using the adult doggie door and successfully taking themselves out by next month.
Day 60: 3/11/22
Show Time! Well, for Redmond and Willie anyway. The pups didn't get to show at this one, they have to wait until July when they turn 6 months old. Temperatures dropped to the low 30's, rain, wind and even snow! Kerrville was our home away from home for 3 days. Redmond won Winners Dog, so he got the points he needed to complete his AKC championship, now he is CH Dainty's Big Red! The rest of the day we got to spend with the pack and the pups in our RV trying to stay warm! Good thing the Italian Greyhound is really good at snuggling and cuddling.
Day 59: 3/10/22
Road Trip! We show Friday morning and the puppies get to go on their first camping trip. Since they are still too young to show, we will keep them away from the fairgrounds. Dainty's Big Red and Amayla's Macchiato will be working on their last point towards their championship. Mama and the pups get to just enjoy the ride. Test drive our crate training!
Day 58: 3/9/22
Crate training! We have been working on getting these puppies use to the travel crate they will be using for visits to the doctor and travel to dog shows. They can not roam free in the car, and Italian Greyhounds like to have their back against a wall in a nice hidie hole. So for the pups, I use the plastic airline approved crates. It is easy to teach them to love going into their crate, but it is lots of work to get them loving their crate on a long car ride. It is easy to get them to go in their crate because they love going in on their own and feeling safe. During my training I remove the door panel so they get use to freely going in and out on their own. We have a dog show on Friday, so I need them to be comfortable for an hour long drive in the car. Not all dog shows are this close, so I will need them to be able to travel for hours in the crates in a car. This sounds easy, but it is not. You can force a dog into a crate, but then you are dealing with a sour loader. I want my pups to love the car ride. So I am loading the pups into the car any chance I can for a short ride.
Day 57: 3/8/22
Structure and movement of the Italian Greyhound are developed through conditioning as well as inherited by their parents. A well bred dog from a reputable breeder thinks about the inherited parts of your puppy's structure and movement. As a dog trainer, I like my well bred little pups to develop naturally. The bones, tendons, nerves, blood flow and tissues of the legs make up the mechanics, the "Structure" of the pup. If they have desire to move forward and the front end lift, then I have the movement. This is the foundation for your puppy's structure and movement. This is what makes an Italian Greyhound look good, but more importantly, this is your way of making sure your pup has a long healthy and pain free life. Hluhluwe Rhodesian Ridgebacks has a great structure and movement X-ray example of the development of a puppy. (Photo credit Hluhluwe Rodesian Ridgebacks https://www.hluhluwe.ch/articles/puppy-bones)
Puppy Blog
Day 56: 3/7/22
Happy 8 Weeks Old Birthday!!! Today the pups got their first round of Parvo, Distemper, Bordetella and Hepatitus immunizations. They also got tested for Hook worms and Round Worms. Good news, no worms! Dr Grant took a look at each pup, listened to their heart, found the boys man-hood's and counted their toes. All of them are there!
Day 55: 3/6/22
I want to share with you a puppy clean up hack. The hack is "How to pick up puppy poops before they get danced on?" I want to raise prissy, clean frieks who take their potty business as far away from their sleeping area as possible. So I create that environment for them. I keep their bed really clean. I have a pee pad down when the weather is cold or wet. I have a dog door to their outdoor potty area. As you can see in this video, I have an Xpen surrounding an area the size of a pee pad. Their crate door is always open so they can roll out of bed and head to their potty area.
Day 53: 3/4/22
I want to give a shout out to all the great breeders out there who pour their experience, love, sweat and tears into their passion of breeding pure bred dogs. I am a small time breeder, and only breed when I need a new litter of pups to consider for the show ring. My favorite place to find reputable breeders of purebred dogs is on the AKC MarketPlace. You can research the breeder, and then look them up on their social media sites. Most breeders have their website listed so you can see the foundation stock in their puppies. There are good breeders and there are scammers out there. Do your homework when you find a puppy on a listing site. If the puppy has an AKC pedigree, you can find out who the breeder is and what history the parents have. Checking out a local dog show is another good way to research the good breeders with reputable kennels. Good breeders put their reputation before money, and you don't have to spend a lot for a well bred dog. But you may have to wait. You picked the Italian Greyhound because of some of his wonderful qualities. Those qualities make the Italian Greyhound unique and I have a Breed Standard that I use when I am picking my show prospect. Each pure bred dog has what is called a "Breed Standard", a written description of that breeds characteristics and body type. Each pure bred dog has a unique skill body type. The shape of their eyes, length of their coat and shape of their feet make them special for the job they were designed to do. When I am in the ring with one of my Italian Greyhounds, the judge is looking at my dog based on the Breed Standard posted with AKC, so my dog needs to check off the boxes that the judge is looking for. To read more about the Italian Greyhound Breed Standard go to: https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/sports/purebred-dog-breed-standard/
Day 52: 3/3/22
March brought us some warm weather, so it is time to turn out the puppies in their outdoor X-pen. I want them to start using the grass to go potty on, I have moved their crate to the back door so I can open the door and let them right out. The outdoor X-pen is on the sidewalk and some grass. I like this configuration because I can move it around as the puppies get better at pottying out side. The next step is to train them on the doggie-door. But for now, as soon as they wake up, I shuttle them outside to go potty. Is it just me, or are the puppies smiling?!
7 WEEKS OLD! Day 49: 2/28/22
Pups are 7 weeks old!!! We have a dog show coming up, and I need to get the puppies use to traveling in the RV. I have copied the X-pen and crate set up that they are use to now. I need them to travel in a crate in the truck and be comfortable in the crate/X-pen set up I have in the trailer. Can not have puppies running around where ever they want to go! Mostly for their safety, but for my sanity as well. They are still not tall enough to bounce over my 30" X-Pens, so I can use the ones I have them in now. I have introduced the crate that I want to use in the truck, leaving the door open and inside the X-pen so they can wander in and wonder out. Brady has found his favorite spot and is ready for the trip!
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Day 46: 2/25/22
The first 40 days the pups are hydrated either from Mom's milk or the sloppy mash I feed them. I have been training them to use the Ball and Tube Waterer's. I like them because they fit in a crate and don't spill when we travel. I have been tapping the ball, it makes a noise and water drips out. Now that they are 7 weeks old, this is a really fun toy. It makes a noise and they can bite and lick it with a reward of water. I am backing off the sloppy mash, as they get this waterer figured out.
Day 45: 2/24/22
The puppies are growing so fast, which means they are eating more everyday. Monday they all weighed in at just about 3 lbs. At 3 lbs, I fed 1 oz of food per puppy every 4-6 hours with them leaving a little bit left on the plate. Today we are almost 2 oz per puppy per meal. My goal is to feed them before they are starving and always have a little extra food left on the plate. Italian Greyhounds run fast and hot, so they need fuel for their jet engines. Puppies also burn more calories when it is cold, and we have had some cold temps outside. The pups live closer to the ground than I do, and cold air sits on the floor. So even if it feels like it is warm in a room, it can be cold for the pups. I have a pet warming pad that is electric so I can regulate the floor temperature below the crate they sleep in. At least their bed is warm! I feed a couple different types of soft food and puppy chow mix. I change it up between the canned "Purina Pro Plan Classic Puppy", the refrigerated "FreshPet Puppy Formula" and a mash I make out of Chicken meat, broth, brown rice and veggies. I can add pumpkin too if needed. If I know I am going to be out of the house for more than 5 hours, I feed the Purina Pro Plan because they love it and their poops are dryer (dry **** show vs. wet **** show!). I like the Purina Pro Plan Classic Puppy because I can add purified water to it and start encouraging them to drink the sloppy diluted mash and get their water intake. I will start adding soggy puppy kibble to their daily meals to change it up and get them use to the taste. Their molars are coming in, and crunching down on hard kibble will be good for them, but the pieces are just to big for their mouths right now.
Day 44: 2/23/22
My pups are sleeping 6 hours through the night, so midnight seems to be their wake-up time. I can hear that they are up, Boerne is very whiny and lets the whole house know she is hungry. The rest of the pups follow her to stretch, pee, poo, bounce around, chew on the X-pen, lick some water and pee again. I hang around a few minutes to pick up poops, then wander to the kitchen and make up their midnight snack. The good news is, this lasts about 30 minutes and back to bed they go. And we repeat the whole process again at 6:00am!
Day 43: 2/22/22
Twooosday - These X-pens can be used for soooo many purposes like:
- keeping puppies in
- keeping puppies out
- move them around to clean-up messes
- stealth mode move to pick up a poop before it gets danced on
- lay a single panel down over the pee pad so pups don't shred it
- place a single panel on the top of the play area to keep bouncing puppies in
- separate feeding area from play area to avoid the rush
I like the kind that have removable pins that hold the panels together. I bought mine at PetSmart, but they sell similar X-pens on Amazon and other pet supply stores. This one is made by "you & me" and it is an adjustable exercise pen 30 inches tall and each panel is 24 inches wide. This box I bought has 8 panels in it. The pins are secured by a threaded nut, I just remove the nuts so the pins can easily slide out. I like to be able to re-arrange my X-pen configuration on the fly. I also like these 30 inch high panels so I can lean over to grab a puppy or clean up a mess. When the pups first wake up, they pee and poop. It is like clock-work, I can predict this! Great news is, they are easy to train at this stage and I can hang around and clean up the poops as they happen. I have a separate X-pen that I use for feeding. When I am ready to feed them, I can put the plate down and then pull the pin on the X-pen they are in and open it up to the feeding area. Then while they are eating I can clean their dirty X-pen. These X-pens come in a box of 8 panels, I break them up into 4 and 4, so one box is enough for me. I have some eye screws that I mounted on the wooden crate, and I slide the pin and the X-pen together. And big enough for me to hang out in there with them too!
6 WEEKS OLD! Day 42: 2/21/22
Day 42: 2/21/22 Puppies are 6 weeks old, and Bam! Done. They got their last dose of Pyrantel today. The last round of puppy wormer will be at week 8. But I will change it up to avoid resistance to the medicine. I used a tipless syringe to measure the exact amount, and squirted it in the doughnut hole of a pile of puppy food. They licked up every bit of it. I gave them an audience, they had to eat it by themselves with an audience of hungry pups staring at them! Yes, I use psychology and bribery. #BlastThoseNastyWormsPyrantel #ItalianGreyhoundPuppies6WeeksOld #DaintyAcresItalianGreyhounds #DaintysBexar #DaintysBoerne #DaintysBrady #DaintysBlanco
Day 41: 2/20/22
Day 41: 2/20/22 Puppy Dental Hygiene. The health and longevity of a dog is tied to good oral hygiene, so I want to start getting these pups use to opening their mouth and a human touching their teeth. This is such a great time to start this imprinting because those teeth itch and ache, so they like the pressure on their teeth. Even as an adult dog, the Italian Greyhound is difficult to get a toothbrush into their mouth, so I use my finger. Everyday I run my finger over the exterior of every tooth in my pup's and adult dog's mouth. This encourages saliva, gives me a chance to check their mouth and gets them use to their mouth being handled. Careful not to let one of those sharp little canines sink into your skin!
Day 40: 2/19/22
While these pups are charming me with their good looks and funny moves, I have been busy teaching them some of the basic home, service and show trigger words. Everybody wants a dog that goes potty where they are supposed to. So, I take that skill very seriously! I have trigger words I use that will help me communicate with them and help you with the transition into your home.
- Potty goes outside
- Puddin
- Come
- Touch
You will notice that "stay" is not on this list yet. I only want words that they are naturally going to do, then when I catch them in the act of doing it, I say the trigger word. For example, when they are peeing where I want them to, I say "potty goes outside". Even though we are not outside, there will be a step down the road where I move them outside. Puddin is their name, I need a corporate name for the pups, so they know I am talking to them. They are mastering the walk right now, so I am introducing "Walk" and they are curious about everything so when they grab something with their mouth, I am introducing one of the first service dog trigger words, "Touch". Touch is a trigger word I use a lot in the training studio when I am working with a show dog. Fit paw, discs, tables, I will say "touch". These guys are too young to take into the training studio for serious work, but I am going to work with them in their play area when they are enjoying some “awake” time playing with toys.
puppy blog
Day 39: 2/18/22
A puppy's desire for a clean bed and play area starts now. I want them to be fussy about their environment and be a prissy clean freak. I hate that smell of animal pee when I walk into a house. There are a couple things I do here in my house/kennel. Since my house is attached to the kennel, I must find sound ways to keep my kennel clean and protect my house too! Puppies always need to pee after they wake up. Puppies always need to go after eating. Puppies usually poop first thing in the morning. Puppies always pee during play time. So, knowing these facts can help me be successful with the "potty goes outside". First thing in the morning, they roll themselves out of bed and go potty on a pee pad I have taped to the floor. (Puppies are in the very curious stage, so pee pads are a blast to play with, I guess?) I have that pee pad fenced with an X-pen so I can contain them! I also use that X-pen to move to the poop, so I can pick it up outside of dancing puppy feet. I am fast, but no one is faster than a puppy and a juicy one. Puppies will sleep for hours, I have my crate and potty area set up together so they can wake up, roll out of bed and pee. Then they can climb back in that warm nest of pups to finish sleeping. You Italian Greyhound puppy will grow up to do exactly the same thing! They excel at sleeping and snuggling. They will want to do just that with you all day, that is why they are not a good dog for someone who goes to work and leaves a dog home all day. They are thin skinned, light haired, fragile, and very social. They want to be with the pack, banishing to a crate all day is punishment and rejection. Italian Greyhounds want to sleep in the bed with you. If you can’t have a dog in the bed, then they at least want to be in a crate right next to you when you sleep. The goal with all the pups, is that they will learn the "potty goes outside" command, and when I call the pups outside, I can get them to hold it until we are outside. Right now, they cannot hold it. They are going to go wherever they are, but teaching them the trigger word is real easy right now.
Day 38: 2/17/22
We are counting down the days for the pups to be weaned and off Mom's milk. This is a balance of making sure Mama is comfortable, encouraging her milk production to back off and making sure the puppies are getting enough to eat. Right now they are getting both, they are nursing and Mama is letting them and they are getting 3 meals a day. I keep increasing the amount of real food and just added a loaf product called Fresh Pet. It has a wonderful puppy blend that my pups really like. The good news is we are right on track. Mama is sleeping the whole night in the bed with me and not wanting to nurse at night. I would like to have the pups completely weaned by next Monday.
Day 37: 2/16/22
Earlier I talked about trimming toes. Toe nail trimming is important in the health, quality of life and longevity of a dog. So I start teaching the pups early to get use to me handling their paws. I have been using puppy toe nail trimmers because their toe nails are sooo tiny and need a special tool to make the experience successful and pleasant. My goal is that your puppy will know how to get his nails trimmed, and cooperate with you. In a few months I will transition to an electric Dremmel with a sanding barrel attachment. It is a weekly routine here at Dainty Acres for our adult dogs. Toe nail trimming is something we take really serious here, and it is easy to do. If you start by touching and holding your puppy's toes, you can work your way up to holding the trimming tool and touching the toes with it. Take your time, and don't trim the toes until you have a cooperative pup who lays in your arms willingly. You and your pup want to end the session happy and successful, even if all you did was count puppy toes! If you choose to do it or you hire a groomer, either way, you puppy is prepared for a successful experience on Spa Day!
Day 35: 2/14/22
Day 35: 2/14/22 Victory! As a breeder I pay attention to the little things. Like when I introduced the pups to real food, I track their meal times so I can be awake for their poop time. Sleeping through this can be quite the **** show! Introducing real food can cause diarrhea or the opposite. We went 2+ days with no poop, so I introduced mashed pumpkin yesterday to encourage the track. Funny, pumpkin works for diarrhea and constipation! So my Valentine's Day wish was for the 4 pups to poop! All day we celebrated as one more pup would lay mud. All is good, pumpkin did the trick, we will keep an eye out for a repeat of this problem, and change up their food. Lesson learned: keep a can of organic mashed pumpkin for a rainy day.
Day 32: 2/11/22
We didn't stay in the playpen for long, Brady and his mom thought it was fun to tear up the pee pads. So I moved the pups this morning to the wooden crate. I can better control the pee pads, and tape the tempting edges down. I have 2 of these wooden crates, one medium size and another large size. It has a wooden trunk lid, so I can shut them up to keep the crate warm. I modified the crate and pen to keep the (soon-to-be) bouncing babies in at night. They need a lid or they bounce out. Using the medium size crate it is a little tight for 4 and Mama, but at night they are just sleeping and not moving around much, and the small X-pen area serves as a place to pee if they get up at night to do that. And this pack has already figured it out! I like this crate once the pups start moving around and get rambunctious. It has a tray I can tape the pads to. Here, Brady is waking up from an afternoon nap. And making me so happy to see him pee on the pee pad! Can't believe they are almost 5 weeks old!
Day 30: 2/9/22
Last night the wiggley, curious and walking tall pups proved that the bassinet was not going to suit them for much longer. Up til now I have had the pups in the bassinet attachment of my playpen. Hard to believe 4 weeks has flown by. Mama is getting to take longer breaks since the pups are sleeping longer and nursing less often. They are walking around and getting better coordination in all they do. They are holding their head steady to lick the puppy mash off the plate. They are wanting to eat more and when they smell Mama's food come into the pen, they all come running. They would like to eat more but I want them to slowly increase solid food and slowly decrease the nursing. So far Mama is still letting them nurse, but their teeth are sharp and they are trying Mama's nerves!
4 WEEKS OLD! Day 29: 2/8/22
Bam. Another round of worming meds done! The pups are 4 weeks old and they got their second dose of Pyrantel. Weights are up, as expected, definitely some healthy pups!!! They started growling at each other, it is the funniest sound! Dainty's Boerne is quite the whiner and has been since she was born. Not hard to know what she is thinking! The pups are very active when they are awake, pawing at each other, rolling on their backs and biting anything that sticks out. They have two speeds; On and Off. Here is a photo of the pups re-charging.
Dainty's Bexar #1 2lb 5.9 oz
Dainty's Boerne #2 2lb 5.9 oz
Dainty's Brady #3 2lb 9 oz
Dainty's Blanco #4 2lb 10.9 oz
Day 27: 2/6/22
Another really good reason to initiate the weaning process is because the puppies teeth are coming in! Exciting for them, but challenging for Mama. Their teeth itch, hurt and get in the way of the tongue. All new feelings for the puppies to experience. They will bite my fingers and Moms body. As they get more coordinated she and I will be gnawed on by 4 hungry beavers. The sooner I can get them gnawing on food the better!
Day 26: 2/5/22
We are 2 days shy of the puppies being 4 weeks old. They are controlling themselves better, looking, sniffing and going in the direction they want. They are wandering around the pen, wanting to eat dog food, peeing in the potty area and getting silly and curious. Mom has been eating puppy chow and puppy mix through out her pregnancy and nursing. I feed her soggy puppy chow in a shallow bowl in the playpen, so for the last 5 days the puppies have been curious about it and learning how to lick the edge of the bowl. I use a shallow salad bowl that has a 1 inch thick rim. They lick the sides of the bowl, so I take this opportunity to dab some of the wet broth on the rim to entice them to want more and to lick more. Today I dabbed a thicker version of the wet broth they have been licking. Since their mouth and throats are really small, I don't want them to choke or get turned off by a bad experience. So I have pulverized the puppy chow (using a hammer and cutting board) then soaked and mashed the mix. I lined Mama's bowl with this mash, so as Mama eats her food, the puppies explore this delicious mash. All 4 of them got a really good taste of it. Boerne and Brady were exceptionally interested in it and came back for seconds and thirds. Getting the puppies to take real food will help them sleep longer and help mama with the weaning process that is 2 weeks away. With the introduction of puppy food means an introduction for Mama and I to solid puppy poop. If you can believe it, up until today Mama was eating it. Now that I have introduced puppy chow, it will be important for me to pay attention so Mama doesn't have to do that!
Day 24: 2/3/22
2/3/22 - Puppies are easy to potty train because they naturally want to do their potty business away from their sleeping area. Typically when a puppy wakes up, they do a wake up routine that includes wandering. I have their area set up for a convenient wake up to wandering transition. I use gravity to help them, their sleeping pad is thicker than their potty area so they roll out onto it. They wake up in their nice cozy bed, stand up, stretch and gravity takes those wobbly legs to the potty area. They find themselves on this nice sturdy flat pee pad and naturally relieve themselves. On a day like today when it is freezing cold and freezing wind, these IG's do not want to go outside. So the adult dogs have a pee pad set up too. Mama has a pee tray, and the boys have a pee stand. I clip a pee pad on an X-pen panel and they know to go there. Since I trained them as small pups to use the pee pad, I can clip a pee pad anywhere and they know that is the place to go. This is helpful when we are traveling, showing or staying in hotels.
Day 23: 2/2/22
2/2/22 - Got to enjoy a little warmth in the sun room before the big storm arrives. Today they all adopted their big boy and big girl names, so I am getting use to calling them by their new names. Show dogs have a kennel or breeder that has spent lots of time, money, energy and most importantly, lots of love on these little super stars. We get really attached to these little guys emotionally and when we get a winner we want our kennel name to be part of their identity so our legacy can continue. So you will see the first word in the show name "Dainty", which is our kennel name. When we home these pups, the new moms and dads may want to change their call name, but this litter will be registered with "Dainty's B..." at the American Kennel Club. This litter is my "B" litter, I name them after a Texas county or city. #DaintysBexar
#DaintysBoerne
#DaintysBrady
#DaintysBlanco
22 Days Old: 2/1/22
2/1/22 - Nail trimming day! Actually, I have been working on their toe nails for a week now. It is not a sprint, it is a marathon. I want this first experience with their toes to be a really good one, so for the rest of their life they will be easy to give a mani/pedi to. Puppy toe nails are different than adult dog toe nails. I have a special pair of scissor nail trimmers that are for puppy toes. I only want to nip the end of the toe nail off, not worrying about length, just leveling the surface so they don't scratch mom while nursing. So I am nipping maybe one or two toe nails each time I am handling them. Sable Boy #3, Dainty's Brady, is making this really easy for me, he is such a great natured pup. He is always happy and enjoys spending time on my lap with me.
20 Days Old - 1/30/22
20 Days Old: 1/30/22 Today I set up the pen that they puppies will go into when they outgrow their playpen. They are still in the bassinet, but it will not be long! I have a comfy pad with a quilted pad that I can throw in the wash after a busy day of nursing and pooping. That is really all they do except for a few minutes of looking around and trying to make a few steps.
15 Days Old - 1/25/22
15 Days Old: 1/25/22 Been holding the puppies for 30 seconds at a time, to get them use to being held. They feel my heartbeat and bob their noses around to find my scent. They know who I am and are comfortable sleeping in my arms. I don't want to stress mom or the pups, so I only do it for a short time. I am handling their feet and toes, touching their mouth, feeling their ears and rubbing their bellies. I want them to be use to a human touch and get them use to the grooming process. All of the pups have started to open their eyes, Fawn boy is straining to make them work. So cute!
2 WEEKS OLD! 14 Days Old - 1/24/22
Bam. Done! Today the puppies got their first dose of Pyrantel. This is an every 2 week puppy worming program that we started today. We will worm them at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks. I weighed each pup, and we have a puppy dose based on their weight. The pups have tripled their weight in 2 weeks! I use a tip-less syringe to administer this first dose. The other dogs in our pack easily eat it up when I deliver it in a nice juicy glob of canned puppy food. Would be like hiding a pill in a Whataburger for us. I am giving the adult dogs a dose as well, I want everyone be on the same day of worming even though they are on a monthly routine with Heartguard Plus. The Heartguard Plus includes a dose of Pyrantel, so they are getting wormed against heartworm, hookworms and roundworms when I feed them a Heartguard Plus chewable.
12 Days Old - 1/21/22
Puppies are looking really good, still sleeping and nursing. Mama is doing a great job taking care of them. She keeps that playpen spotless. The next thing we have to worry about are worms. Yuck! Gross but a real threat to puppies in their first 30 days of life. Mama is on Heartguard, that helps her, but it also helps her pups. During pregnancy, if a mama has worms, the worms can pass through the placenta. Now that the pups are nursing, if a Mama has worms, the worms can pass through the milk. So we treat Mama monthly so she doesn't have worms to pass on. This is why you don't want to mess around with puppy mills! We also want to do preventative treatment for worms on the puppies as well. We start them on worm medication at 2 weeks of age.
9 Days Old - 1/19/22
Being over a week old is a big deal! Tails are wagging, the little ones are stretching and yawning and sleep seems to be more regular. They are moving around more, finding their way onto their backs and wiggling their way back to their tummy. They are doing a great job nursing, getting plenty to eat as we found out on the scales. Everyone got weighed today: #1 Blue Boy = 1 lb 1.7 oz, #2 Seal Girl = 1 lb 1.2 oz, #3 Sable Boy 1 lb .03 oz, and #4 Fawn Boy 1 lb 3.4 oz. Mom got a bit of a rest as the litter of pups took a nice long nap in the sun room. Good thing they did, winter is coming tomorrow!
9 Days Old - Video
Just a little something to make you smile!
8 Days Old - 1/18/22
Puppies are born navigating via their sense of smell and touch. The sense of touch and the sense of smell are the only 2 senses that work at birth. So to find Mama and to nurse, they have what is called "Jacobson's organ", a milk detector. When the pup becomes an adult, that "Jacobson's organ" is used to sniff out pheromones of other dogs. Right now these adorable fur balls are nudging around and bobbing their heads following their Jacob's organ to land on the mother-load of sweet cream.
Eyes and hearing are developing, those senses are functional around 3 - 4 weeks. Per AKC.org, your puppy can smell way better than we can. I can see that when one puppy has found a flowing milk nozzle, the others will wiggle over and try to nudge their way to that source.
6 Days Old - 011622
Forgive me! I just love this rapid growth window of puppies. I just can't watch them enough. I blink and they are another ounce. Lucy is starting to leave them to come visit us for a little break. I am feeding her when she tells me, that is about every 4 hours. Much better than the every 1.5 hours! The pups are sleeping longer, nursing better and moving around when they want the lunch wagon.
Day 5: CH Infiniti's Cashmere Litter of Italian Greyhound Puppies
Definitely the best day yet! The responsibility as a midwife to my precious baby girl is nerve wracking, considering I hold her life and the life of all the pups in my hands. Lucy had a rough delivery, rough whelping and still navigating some girl issues. The Italian Greyhound breed is already a very co-dependent breed, but add the pain and drama of birthing, and O-M-GOSH! God is amazing how He holds me and my sweet girl up as she goes through labor hell and all the other challenges. God gives me wisdom and people to help just when I need them. And praise Jesus for the healing, her little body is doing great, producing milk, cleaning her babies and taking her business outside even in these 50 MPH winds. God bless this girl and her babies!!! Oh and God bless my husband who is so wonderful at running in and out as we need something. And our IG boys are saying, "What the heck is all the fuss about!" Wait til they find out....
Day 3: Dog Piles, Dew Claws and Doctor Visit
3 Days Old 011322- The pack made a trip into town for some well-puppy visits. Puppies got their dew claws removed and mama got to see her OBGYN. Everyone is in great shape, but pooped!
Day 2: Woof! Wow! What a night!
Lucy's puppies were born Monday afternoon and into the evening of 011022. Day 2, a perfect day to soak up some warmth in the sun room! Mom is still struggling with nursing and she is very uncomfortable. Taking her in to the vet to ultra-sound. Want to see if we have a placenta still needing to pass. Having to feed her every 2 hours, her blood sugar levels are up and down. This is typical with the IG's, eclampsia is also a concern I want to watch out for.
CH Infiniti Cashmere's Litter due 1/10/22
1/3/22 - Lucy is hungry all the time! I have been feeding her every 3 hours to keep her blood sugar balanced and feed her healthy food I make from the kitchen. She loves boiled carrots, chicken and bone broth mixed over some rice. Adding some canned puppy food for increased fat. I am balancing her protein, fat and carbohydrates to keep her blood sugar stable. Last litter we struggled for the first 24 hours with eclampsia. So I am hyper attentive to her behavior.