Puppy life goes so fast.

Today it was yet another big day for them for 2 reasons.

Firstly they all walked out of their whelping box for the first time. Zanna had just decide that the pups were ok, odviously Tiekas body language must of given her the ok, so I decided that since Willem and Zanna wanted to “play” together I would let them all have a run around. . They all had a wonderful time. And this nearly 4 week old babies already listen really well and came wobbling back when I called them!!! What a cuties!!!

The second new experience was that they not only got chicken necks to chew on, not consuming anything as far as I could see, but they also got chicken livers. They could chew on these and some of the pups also actually ate some. Willem ate the most, Gioia (Hertje) was very clever as she found out that putting her paw on the food was the only way to pull off pieces.

Youri (Ijsbeer) had a red head untill Tieka cleaned him up. I hope they learn to eat nicely soon LOL.

Sorry guys, I can only say that things just aren’t going as planned.

Don’t worry, all the pups are fine, but my working less and then holiday plans have all gone down the drain and I have to work quite a lot and the rest of the time I spend with the dogs and pups. So not so much time to update the diary.

But like I said, the pups are doing great. They are growing at an even pace. On Friday I saw the first teeth coming through and yesterday felt them! They run around really well and are playing their quick games before falling in sleep.

On Friday I gave them a lambs bone and a chicken leg bone just for fun. And they loved them!!! They licked and licked until they fell fast asleep next to them. I took the bones out and feed them to the hungry oldies.

Today I gave them chicken necks to start to practice their new teeth on. Again Tieka sat next to the whelping box really eager to get to the food that she knew she could have if she was patient enough. The pups spent quite a while chewing with their nearly toothless mouths and tugging at the meat. Its just for fun right now, Tieka still feeds completely so no need to hurry. But I see they need much more stimulus these days so this is a great time consumer.

Now that their eyes are open I put in all sorts of different things in the whelping box. Youri, that’s the big off white male I nicknamed “ijsbeer”, thinks its all so wonderful. He is very brave!! His brother that is just as big, Willem, is totally the opposite. I have to laugh so much at him, he is going to have to suffer an awful lot cos I just keep the weird stuff coming Hahaha. All the rest are fine with the new stuff too, but Youri is the real adventurer and I see him becoming big brave brother to them all.

Willems (Boxer) adventure to get to his food!!

So now the pups are 2 weeks and 2 days old.

All have their eyes open now. The blond girls had them open on the 11th day, Boxer’s eyes opened on the 12th, Hertje and Ijsbeer on the 13th and Muis on the 14th day. Size made no difference as to when the eyes opened, Muis was only a day later than Ijsbeer and they are the smallest and biggest of the litter.

They all started walking on the 10th day (after Hertje did the test run on the 9th).

Ijsbeer made the first attempt to escape from the whelping box on the 15th day but was pushed back by his mum’s cleaning tong. Today (the 16th day) he succeeded in falling out and being caught in “grandmas” loving hands. She just had to see if he would succeed LOL. So now the low passage way has to be heightened to keep him in. I saw an escape attempt by the girls too. They are such fast and agile little sods when they want to be. (today puppy owners came to see them and I’m sure they think I’m exaggerating as they all behaved as quiet non running puppies.)

They bark, and can growl. They can almost all reach Tieka’s nipples when Tieka is still standing and cleaning them. I hold Muis in my hands as he is still too small to reach and I find this unfair. He is very clever and makes good thankful use of this “leg up” and sucks himself to the best nipple I can find for him.

Since they can see they play. Ok, its only for a few minutes and usually only consisting of rolling around a few times and watching their paws, but this is a huge step for them as they have only just seen them for themselves! But legs of other pups are also very interesting and any other part of there brothers/sisters body is also great! Their mouths are opened ready to grab what they can get and they seem to grin at this new phenomenon.

Within a few days these pups have grown it to little dogs. How time flies!!!!!!!


Weight from birth and then per week is
Ijsbeer 340 – w1 651 gr, w2 1065gr
Spot 320 – w1 505 gr, w2 709gr
Hertje 248 – w1 429 gr, w2 633gr
Boxer 339 – w1 648 gr, w2 1100gr
Muis 119 – w1 309 gr, w2 535gr
Fotomodel 244 – w1 474 gr, w2 753gr

I had already turned my computer off yesterday when I descoverd another big step in the puppies development. Both the blond girls eyes have started to open!!!

I had rather expected that this would first happen to Ijsbeer and Boxer since they are both so big, I thought they would split out of their skin :-) . But size has nothing to do with it LOL.

I have the extremly early shift today so I havent had a chance to look how far open they are now. I guess when I get home this afternoon they sould be nearly open.

Another thing.
I have now slept in my own bed for 2 day.... oh bliss. Only one slightly negitive thing, its seems thatTieka only wants to feed the pups when Im downstairs so she comes and gets me. First night I went to bed late after making sure the pups were feed. Then at 04.30 Tieka came and woke me up and mucked around till I came down with her. I thought she must really want to go out, but this wasnt the case at all. She rushed to the pups and setteld herself down nice and comfortable while I sat sleeply next to her. Then she did the same at 06.30.

Today I had to get up at 03.30, early enought I would of thought, but no.... Tieka woke me at 03.00 that it was feeding time. Sorry for the pups but I didnt go down. I first had a shower, got dressed and let the dogs out for a walk. The pups were all sleeping soundly so they didnt suffer that I was so mean. And then finnaly Tieka got her way and she feed the pups while I made a extra special meal for her and the other 2 dogs, stayed till all pups looked 2 times fatter and then went to work. I wonder if she woke my mother for the next feeling.....

I must admit its awful cute watching them feed so this makes the early feedings not so bad. Gosh, before I know it they will be leaving to their new homes :-(

The day after Hertje walked all the pups decided they better do the same.

Tieka gives them walking excersize by no longer just going in to the whelping box and laying down for them. Now she cleans their bottoms while standing. This makes them go crazy as they want to drink while being washed, like in the “good old days”. So they rush around trying to find their mother, crying loudly, but finding only legs. Nature is pretty clever really.

And when Tieka thinks they have run around enough she drops and feeds.

I find it quite a coincidence that, yet again, Tieka has the cutes puppies LOL.

Its rather cool having different colors.

Oh, did I mention a while ago that I made colored strings to tie around the pups’ necks when they were born so I could identify them? Well yet again I didn’t use them as each puppy is totally different to the other. Only the 2 blond girls I did “tag” for the first day as when they were still wet they looked very much like each other. But not any more!

I would love to keep a blond girl…. My mother fortunately doesn’t have a computer and I will never let her read this. She nearly hit the roof when I suggested adding a “blondie” to the “pack”. Well its weeks to go so maybe she will change her mind if one of them wiggles her way into her heart. I must explain that my mother is my dog sitter and that is why she is such an important factor to deciding whether to keep a puppy or not. I didn’t think she would be so against it….

What is to happen with the last puppy……

Also a photo of proud mum.

She has another "new puppy" sitting to the right. If something is soft and makes a noise its a puppy according to Tieka, she adopts it and its taken into the whelpingbox.

4 more photos.

The biggest and the smallest male, light and dark. Quite some contrasts!!

The two blond females. It sometimes seems that the light pups and dark pups form groups, cant explain it.

5 of the six little cuties.

And here is number 6, too big and macho to waste his time with the little guys... well for the moment anyway.

Yesterday evening when I got home I witnessed the first real walk from one of the pups. It was "Hertje" that did it. It was so lovely to watch her wobble from one end of the whelping box to the other.

I havent seen the pups all day!!

I have had to work all day from 11.15 till 24.15. Poor me… but I have laughed alot today so its really not so bad.

Anyway, during the day I ring my mother as well. She is “puppy sitting”. I thought it was interesting to tell you about my mothers reaction to the pups. She thinks they look much more satisfied that the litter before, they drink and then sleep so peaceful. They are solid looking puppies. Well, I have to agree with that LOL.

Tiekas first litter was perfect, dont get me wrong, but these 6 pups are really solid. Its spoky LOL

I wonder if this has to do with Tieka being feed Barf. We will never know I guess, but what ever the reason Tieka has 6 robust babies that she loves to love.

Boxer has been given a real name, for the rest of his life he will go by the name of “Willem”! A good Ducht name ;-)

The pups are now 1 week old and doing great.

I thought a weekly update on their weight might be interesting, Ill give you their birth weight and weight of today so you can see how much they have grown.

Ijsbeer 340 – 651 grams

Spot 320 – 505 grams

Hertje 248 – 429 grams

Boxer 339 – 648 grams

Muis 119 – 309 grams

Fotomodel 244 – 474 grams

I think you will agree that even though Muis is still the smallest he has relatively gained the most. This little guy is doing great!!

Each puppy looks wonderful, very sturdy and content.

Tieka no longer spends day and night in the whelping box, but she dose time her feedings regular and lies for ages to let them all get “tanked up”. I think its so cool to she her make them do their “movements”. She just tosses them on their backs, dose a professional job of it and lets them on their way to feed.

My gorgeous Zanna still thinks the pups are scary, but gets closer to the whelping box each day, and has an awful lot of respect for Tieka.

I sleep downstairs next to the whelping box. When Muis gets a bit bigger I can finally go to my own comfortable bed. The rest of the pups are strong enough to escape from under Tieka should she lay on them, I think Muis probably can now too, but I’m not taking any chances.

Hertje and Muis have very dark markings. I wonder if they will stay darker like Zanna is. Boxer looks like he will get his mothers color, his brown markings are shades lighter than the other 2 “shimmels”.

The puppies are now 5 days old. They are growing very well, at a nice even pace, not to fast and not to slow.

I cant believe how fast they are, they rush around the whelping box, even “Muis” is quick. But I do give Muis a hand to be first, but he is usually second, to get to his mother for dinner. Ijsbeer is nearly always the quickest. Gosh, he is sooooo greedy!

Muis is now slightly heavier than this lightest sister was at birth, he is so cute. I’m sure he’s going to be fine but can’t help giving him extra attention. I will try not to spoil him rotten and make him in to a brat LOL.

Finally photos of the pups! They are showed from top to bottom in order of birth.

Mum with secret milk producing formula LOL

Then its "ijsbeertje" a boy, "Spot" a girl, "het hertje" a girl, "Boxer" a boy, "Muis" another boy and “foto model” the youngest girl

What a handsome and pretty lot eh!!

Tieka is doing very well. She only leves her babies to go to releave herself and straight back in to be close to them.

On the day of the birth Flecha came to have a look in the whelping box when the first 2 were born, I couldn’t believe my eyes. With the litter before he didn’t have a look for 3 days and even then found them very scary. Now he was so confident and though it was rather cool! He even walked into the whelping box with great confidence after seeing that Tieka didn’t mind, but she did give him a look of “don’t try anything funny”. And when all 6 were born he can and had another look, congratulated Tieka, and went back to bed ha, ha, ha.

Zanna on the other hand was most upset!!!! She thinks her mother is still a bit scary, but the first day she was down right terrified of her and the pups. It’s so weird, Tieka hasn’t been nasty to her. I think the smells have made rather an impression on Zanna. The pups she still finds very strange even after 2 days, and to make them even worst they make funny noises!!! But she is coming closer to the whelping box and I’m sure she will be ok soon. When people come to see the pups they are always people Zanna already knows and really likes so this helps her overcome her fear and she comes closer to the box so she will be patted too.

Pfff it’s a busy time already, and the pups aren’t even walking yet!! But its fun.

Gosh the puppies are so nice!! I am pleased as punch about them.

The final count is 6 puppies, 3 of each sex.

It’s such a strange litter. Different colors and sizes, it took me a day to get used to it. Now I am so in love with all the pups that I have to tell you all that they are no longer for sale and I’m keeping them all!!! Ok if it wasn’t for my mother, who is dog sitter, I would. But as it is it’s just a dream and you guys are lucky…

Tieka and pups did great during the night. They didn’t wake me up too often. Saved one pup from starvation. LOL. He was behind Tieka and yelled blue murder till I picked him up and put him on the other side. Tieka just looked as if to say that she thought he was exaggerating.

The little male is eating his way to being the biggest. He’s a cleaver little sod. Doesn’t let anyone boss him away and stays fixed to “his nipple”. I call him “muis”. Dutch for mouse as he looks like a mouse compared to the other big brothers and sisters.

The white male looks like having such a nice character, as in being very calm and obliging. He is such a nice hand full being so nice and plump. I call him “Ijsbeertje” which is polar bear in Dutch, not only cos he’s white but he is so big and cuddly.

Two cream and honey color females are “the domme blondjes” being silly blond females LOL. One I call “spot” as she has a honey colored spot on her head, the other I call “fotomodeleitje”, Dutch for photo model, as she stays really still while Saskia, she takes all the great photos, and I are busy taking putting them in the best positions LOL.

The big white with brown markings male I call “boxer” as I thought he has a round head at the moment and that made me think of a boxer LOL. Others don’t agree with me, but I don’t care. He is a handsome fellow, quite a heart throb.

The white and brown female has the body markings of Zanna and the head of Dolce. She is small compared to the 3 bigger siblings but normal if I look at the birth weights of the previous litter. I call her “het hertje” which means a deer as that’s what she reminds me of. I’m not normal I know…

I guess I have a vivid imagination when it comes to looking at puppies ROFL. I’m also really good at seeing the people and animals that hide in the clouds above too Hahaha. I wonder how I would do in one of those tests that show you a blob and you have to say the first think that comes up in you mind?

So I have introduced you to all the pups. They are really lovely. I’m very proud of Tieka and Caio.

I should of posted this ages ago but this story has taken me more than half a day!!! It has been so busy with emails, phone calls, visitors and in between each, taking the dogs out for walks, feeding the dogs and somewhat more often feeding and “watering” Tieka as she gets “room service” because she wont leave her pups except to go to the toilet. Each was not so much, but together very time consuming. In between each I wrote a little more of this introduction. It has been a wonderful day! So nice to share my dogs with everyone.

I’m sorry this took so long, and hope you have found the video that is now on the home page of the puppies.

I have lots of wonderful photos from Joop and Saskia but I just haven’t the energy anymore. It takes me ages to command my computer to do the things I want it to do… so I will do them tomorrow.

With these remarks I must thank Joop, Bemy and Saskia for being so quick today with taking videos, photos and updating the home page. You guys are great!!

Good bye for today from a very happy person!

1850 and another white with honey markings. ITS A GIRL!!!!! Im over the moon!!!! 244grams and ready to go.

1736 its another boy, real small, 119 grams, but the smartest of the lot!! the only one to find the milk suply right away!!!! Im sure he will do fine

1615 still born little girl. Only 98 grams. Very sad but its what happens I guess. 25% of litters die, but its never nice. I have burried her in the garden in a nice spot.

1531 its a boy! like the little sister he is white brown, but I think they will be schimmels. He weighed 339 grams and is also a loud mouth!!

1509 small girl compaired to the 2 "monters" before LOL. 248 grams and a real fighter. She gona be the boss of the lot I recon.

1414 2nd pup, girl 320grams, white with toffie markings.

The male was 340grans

1305 first puppy, white male, big boy!

1200 and Tieka is doing her very best to deliver her babies. I hope with in the next hour to see her first baby.

Another update?

Yep thats right, its looking like Tieka is going to give birth in about 12 hours. Why do I say this? Well she is doing very much the same as nearly 2 years ago and then the pups started to arrive at 06.15 in the morning, with the night before being long and sleepless, for me that is, Tieka sleept great inbetween going out to pee and panting.

Wish us luck!!

1) The usual belly photo so you can compair. Its now 9 weeks so time to come out puppies!!!

2) Pretty cute eh!

3) Tieka wanted to sit outside with us so I put a basket outside for her, well she is preggy!!! Ok I may spoil her but shes worth it.

4) Zanna's bottom, shes spying into Tieka's hide out. "what ya doing ma?"

5) I think I'll have my pups here so Im not coming out!!!

Dont worry, Tieka likes luxery too much and came out quick.

6) Finnaly Zanna got to lay in the basket!!! Oh joy!!!