SoftMapleGunflint litter

Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!

SoftMaple & Gunflint

Boyerie Dese Maestro Music Please CR-CA148/24M/C-PI-ECHO CR-696G24M-PI CR-750
SoftMaple Gunflint's Beauty CR-715G28F-NOPI, CR-EL131F28-NOPI, CR-CA157/28F/P-NOPI

Week Two (Days 8-14)
DEVELOPMENT OF THE PUPPIES

+ Eyes should open around days 8-10
+ Ears should open around days 13-17
+ Temperatures should be around 97-99F

Neonatal Period Birth to 2 weeks
Puppies are born with eyes and ears closed, Their experiences are thru touch and smell. They are able to sense heat, cold, and texture. They are totally dependent upon their mother for everything, even the stimulation of bowl and bladder function.

Transitional 14 to 21 days
The puppy’s nervous system undergoes rapid development. The eyes and ears open, and baby teeth appear. He begins to stand up and by three weeks will try to explore his environment. He begins to interact with littermates and learns play behavior. By 21 days the puppies are able to lap food from a bowl, though they continue to nurse.

Day 8
1/11/2005

Starting to get up on wobbly feet

almost walking

Day 9
1/12/2005

The pups going thrugh some of the Bio Sensor stimulation exercises

Supine position

Head pointed down

Tactile stimulation

Day 10
1/13/2005

Day 11
1/14/2005

Breakfast

Beauty is spending a little more time out of the whelping box.

As a breeder, I sit and watch the pups most of the day. Wondering how they will look when they get older. If a breeding is similar (pedigree or type) to a breeding that has happened before, sometimes you can get an idea of what the combination will produce. Or if either parent has had a litter before, you can sort of see what they are strong in passing on to their kids. Neither Beauty or Maestro has had a litter before. Some breeders won't use an unproven stud. But if the majority of breeders all use the same stud, it can lead to lack of genetic diversity in a breed.

A lot of things need to be taken into consideration when choosing a Stud dog. Temperament, health, type, trainability, pedigree all have to be looked at, and the pros and cons sorted out. Every breeder has a different idea of what the ideal Curly should look like and act like. They should all be breeding with the standard in mind. Another thing that should be looked at is what is called The Popular Sire Syndrome.

There is a tendency for breeders to all breed to a top winner. Or all breed to a top field dog. Or all breed to a dog that has produced a top winner or a top field dog, or a certain breed type. Or to breed to a new import. Whatever the reason, if a large portion of breeders are breeding to a single stud dog, the gene pool will be tilted in that dogs direction and genetic diversity will be lost. I'm not suggesting that you should use a poor example of the breed, or a dog with a temperament issue just to avoid the popular sire. In a breed as small as ours, you can see the affect of the popular sire at large regional shows, or national specialties. Just looking at the catalog, and seeing that a large portion of the entry are half brothers or sisters.

In very large breeds, such as Labs, where 45,747 litters were registered in 2003, a stud can be used 50 times, and still not have that great an impact on the overall genetic picture. In a breed such as ours where there were 25 litters registered in 2003, just using a stud 5 times in one year can make a big difference. I don't try to breed to lesser dogs just to avoid a popular sire, but if a male has been used a couple of times recently, I tend to wait and see what his offspring turn out like instead of jumping in and following the trend. Now, this way of thinking can isolate a breeder. Using an unknown stud, or an unproven stud. Sometimes its easier to follow the path that others have laid for you. But then again, this isn't a popularity contest. ;-) And if I think an unknown stud is the best choice for my particular bitch, that is what I will do.

Day 12
1/15/2005

Day 13
1/16/2005

Congratulations to the Winners at the 2005 AKC/Eukanuba National Championship held in Tampa, Florida on Saturday and Sunday January 15 -16

If you got a chance to watch it on TV, the Curly Best of Breed winner who then placed in the group was Curlew. CH Riverwatch Southern Cross, owned by the Meeks and Clipperts. Curlew is Jet's half brother. Both are sired by Ch.Riverwatch DesertWind ROM. Congratulations Uncle Curlew!

Best of Opposite Sex was Desi, who is owned by Dennis Akins. Desi's mom and Beauty's mom are litter sisters. (both out of my International litter) Congratulations Aunt Desi!

Congratulations also to Rigby, Flash, Buster and PJ for Judges Awards of Merit.

For anyone interested in more about how a dog show works, check out this link: Showing Your Curly Coated Retriever

Day 14
1/17/2005

Morning clean up