Gladystar Poodles

All the puppies went for a ride in the van today. Just about five miles; didn’t want to over do it. Having the whole litter together for a new and different experience gives them some comfort when things get scary. During the ride, no one made a peep and afterwards everyone seemed fine. Don’t want anyone to be carsick as an adult.

House training started last night. Everytime the puppies wake up from a nap which is always right after their tasty bowl of gruel, they go outside immediately. I have to rush because the puppies are getting fast. They get herded to the door with much encouragement and then I quickly close it before anyone tries sneaking back in. Only a couple of little messes in the play area and no messes in the whelping box.

The Puppies are exploring the Poodle Play Pen for the first time and what do you know, there’s an Agility Teeter Totter on the floor. The plank moves about two inches which is almost imperceptible. It does make a little noise but not very noticeable now. The most important thing in this lesson is the unusual surface. It has sandy grit painted on. Next time the puppies see it - ho hum - “another day in the park”. Check out the youtube video.

NO! I’m not strangling this little guy - it just looks that way. Actually, I’m very gently holding her head just enough to keep her safe from the clipper blades. The first shave is more about getting them used to the sound and feel of the clipper. I try to make it as comfortable and stress free as possible. Poodles have a lifetime of grooming and it helps to start off on the right foot. When the puppy goes to their new homes, their regular groomers will appreciate it.

The all pups got their first bath and blow dry today also. They’re so fluffy now. To help keep them clean and sanitary, the tail area was clippered. I was surprised at how much hair four week old puppies can have. In a week or so, the Puppies will have another bath and a more thorough grooming.

Patty enjoys taking a break with the puppies. They really like snuggling and will purr when they’re nestled in your arms. Although, teeth are emerging the puppies haven’t quite figured out what to do with them yet. Wait ’til next week.

The puppies are getting busy and active for longer periods of time. No more “ready” box for them! Now the real fun begins. They have to learn about everything including water. They sniff it, lick it, paw it, fall into it and walk in it. What fun! The floor has to be mopped up anyways so why not get a little head start. Before the puppies start on real food, they need to learn how to drink water. This will be a good start.

I left Orchid’s food bowl on the floor and the puppies found it. They were very interested and licked away at it. Pretty good indication that they’re ready for their first meal of gruel. A blender ground up some regular dog food real fine which was then mixed with some warm puppy formula to make a watery gruel. As the picture shows, all the pups just dove in with no extra encouragement needed.

Here are all 11 Standard Poodle Puppies sleeping in the “ready” box while their whelping box gets cleaned up and Orchid, their Dam, is outside exercising during a cold Wisconsin morning. There’s a heating pad in the bottom of the cardboard box which seems to make the pups instantly fall asleep in addition to keeping them warm and very cozy. The “ready” box is used during whelping to keep the pups warm while getting them dried off, weighed, and marked. It’s also used to transport the puppies to the Vet for dew claw removal and tail docking.

Part of the morning routine is to weigh and chart each Standard Poodle Puppy. If a Puppy doesn’t gain any weight or loses weight, those puppies will get supplemental tube fed formula. Vanilla puppy boy is over one pound already which is more than five ounces more than Merlot and Forest. So, the light-weights were supplemented even though they gained weight from the previous day. We don’t want them to get too far behind or they’ll always get out-muscled for the best feeding position.