Emma's Chinook Puppies

and then there was one....

2010-05-26T23:05:00.003-04:00

So this week marks the last puppy going off to her new home. We were lucky to have Lavender (aka Kenzie) with us for a couple extra weeks (well, Rhys was very happy to have a little playmate for a little longer!). This Tuesday, Kenzie joined her new family and will be living with her uncle Kody. She left our pack weighing in at 20 pounds!!! And Rhys wasn't too far behind at 19.5 pounds - and they're only 11 weeks old! They're nearly half their momma's size at only 11 weeks, it's mind boggling! So with only 1 pup at home, we are slowly adjusting to a smaller pack, and a little less hectic home time. Rhys is growing in leaps and bounds, and thoroughly enjoying every second of playtime with her momma and auntie - not to mention with Asher too! And of course there is the down time - as you can see below!

Hope everyone is settling in with their new families!!

...and then there were 2...

2010-05-11T21:01:00.004-04:00

Wow, what a week! Here we are, down to only 2 pups in the house... it's been so hectic, and happy for so many new families :) As everyone goes home, the weights seem to be all stabilizing and getting close to each other - all in the 12-13 pound range (except for little yellow, who just finally broke over 10 pounds!). They seem to have all gone through a strange growth spurt this week too, and seem to be all gangly legs and feet!

Down to 5 - Light Blue (aka Jackson) left our pack on Saturday. Above, Auntie Luna is trying to teach the remaining 5 how to play properly. Then Orange (aka Maya) went to join her new human pack on Sunday. Above, she's getting some last minute snuggles from her brother and sister.
On Monday the 3 remainig pups enjoyed some time outside - and perked up when they heard me (probably thought I had some chow with me!)

On Sunday, the 4 pups got some sunshine naps in before Orange headed home.

On Tuesday Yellow - who will be staying with us and be named Rhys (celtic spelling of Reece, 'cuz she looks like a peanut butter cup :) - looked like such a big dog!

And she definitely loves her boy - follows him around, licks his face, snuggles in his lap... that is when she's not playing tug with Luna!

And then there were 6...

2010-05-06T20:49:00.003-04:00

Another busy week, with lots of events for the pups! They got to meet their dad, Booker on Tuesday when Joan and Pete McMahon traveled from Ohio to meet their grandkids! The pups were excited and did a great job getting along with Booker and their half-sister, Aurora. Joan and Pete chose Mr. Black - to be named Basil - and began their new life with him Thursday.

The pups also got to meet their grandma, Ursa, and auntie Claire on Thursday, when Nancy came to bring home her own new addition - Ms. Pink - to be named Belle. The pups did wonderfully with their new family, and I am told that Belle fit right into her new pack. It was a busy and bittersweet week...

Ms. Pink (aka Belle) as she gets ready to go to her new home.
Mr. Black - aka Basil Hayden - as he gets ready to join his dad on the drive back to Ohio.

Mr. Green, chilling in the grass with a cool toy at the Stonington Fairgrounds.

Ms. Pink (I think - even I have a hard time identifying the pups from this angle!) totally zonked in Asher's lap after some fun romping around at the fairgrounds.

8 weeks - can you believe it?

2010-05-03T21:30:00.003-04:00

Can you believe we're at week 8 already? It is hard to imagine that the pups will be going to their new families in the coming week! It will feel strange around here I'm sure! This week the pups were able to go on a couple field trips after doctor's visits, and meet lots of new people. Sunday marks weigh-in times for the pups as well - and how big they truly are is astounding to me! They were so tiny once :)

Pink - 11lb Lavender - 10lb 4oz Royal - 10lb 7oz

Light Blue - 13lb Yellow - 9lb 5oz Orange - 11lb

Green - 12lb Black - 11lb 5oz

Pink and Light Blue enjoying some wrestle time in the grass.
Orange enjoying a marrow bone - very yummy!

Black striking a pose for us in the overcast day!

Lavender showing her ears on the rise this week!

A Vist to the Doctor!

2010-04-29T22:18:00.014-04:00

Well 7 weeks marks some big adventures for these little guys! On Tuesday, we packed everyone into Nancy's van for their first car ride - to the eye doctor! The pups did a really nice job of crating for the ride. It took them about five minutes to settle in the gigantic crate we had for them. They slept for the duration or quietly chewed on a pig ear that they shared. They even slept comfortably through our stop for a lunch break but we made sure to close the car doors v-e-r-y quietly. :)

We set up an xpen for the pupsters when we got to the vet's office, where the pups were greeted by some kids and office workers who happened by - the people pleasantly surprised to find a litter of 8 Chinook pups in their midst! We were extremely pleased to find that the pups waited to potty til they were placed in their xpen - Housetraining should come easy for this puppy pack!

The pups were very social and calm for their vet visit. We had all eight pups in the exam room at the same time for about an hour's visit. All the pups had run of the room at once, and they got the chance to explore and play and they had a great first time experience in a vet exam room. They had their little eyes dilated so Dr. Abrams could check them out - no retinal eye diseases in anyone! They promptly sacked out on the floor of the vet's office - no anxiety in this bunch!

(Photo courtesy of Dr. Ken Abrams)

In addition to their first car ride and vet office visit, they got to go on their first field trip! On the way home we stopped at the Stonington Fairgrounds for some meadow play. Their reward for a job well done was a romp at the fairgrounds where there are acres and acres of fields to play in. One thing that thrilled them was to snorfle in the thick spring grasses. The pups would burrow down, legs all stretch out and on their bellies, and squirm their way forward. Very cute to watch!

Check out the ears on Yellow as she plans to tackle her brother!

And a nice natural stack by Pink, while her sibs wrestle in the background!

Green had to show off his free stack as well, as he got ready to pounce on some unsuspecting sibling!

Still the calmest in the bunch, Black decided to pose next to some neat local fauna!

Adventurous sisters - Orange and Pink climbed up a large dirt pile without hesitation!

And Thursday we did it all again - this time to the doctor's office for health checks. Everyone did wonderful, not a shy or anxious puppy in the bunch! This time on the way home we stopped at Pachaug State Forest - for some water play and trail hiking. Pictures to come soon!

New photos are also up on: http://www.intervalechinooks.net/ChinookPuppies_2010.html

Rain and Tripe and Stairs, oh my!

2010-04-25T22:31:00.003-04:00

Wow, what an amazing week! The pups look like dogs - and act like them too! We've had some wonky weather here in CT, but so far have been able to get outside with the pups every day - and some days for over 6 hours! They truly love their outside time and being able to lounge in the sun. Today we went out despite a lingering mist from the morning, and no one was bothered by the wet grass or paws! A bunch of confident adventurous pups indeed! As they are getting too big to be carried bucket-style anymore, I decided to let them have a go at the stairs today to head out. After a little prompting up the stairs, it was Orange and Black who made it to the top first, followed by a very eager Pink and Yellow, and the rest to follow shortly. Of course once they figured that part out, they wanted to do it again and again and again... Very cute!

This week they have been eating 4 times a day, and are certainly growing well! They have had the opportunity to taste all sorts of things this week - including carrots, broccoli, corn, peas, beets, spinach, pheasant, and today - tripe! (thank you Nancy!) Everything is eaten with gusto, not a picky eater in the bunch! They've even gotten to try some of the big dogs' treats - like MilkBones al fresco yesterday!

Asher was treated to a mini-dog pile yesterady - 5 pups in all curled on his lap :)
Future agility dogs? the girls were enjoying some board time outside today!

Not to be outdone, Green promptly ran up the board and to check out his surroundings.

Nancy set up a mini-tetherball for the pups to play with - and Pink was having fun chasing the ball around!

Of course, once everyone saw the tetherball match, they had to get in on it!

Asher had fun devising all sorts of things for the pups to do with the board - here Light Blue is walking the plank (but thoroughly enjoying it - his tail was wagging like crazy!)

This week also marked weigh ins for the pups - and I couldn't believe how big they got! Some serious gains were to be had this week - a testament to some good eats :)

Check out the nearly 3 pound gains on some of these beefy pups!

Pink - 9lb 6oz Lavender - 9ob 4oz Royal - 9lb 2oz

Light Blue - 10lb 20z Yellow - 9lb Orange - 9lb 4oz

Green - 10lb Black - 10lb

Auntie Luna Time!

2010-04-22T21:35:00.002-04:00

The pups got some quality Auntie Luna time this week - how hysterical to watch 8 goofy puppy chase after her outside!

She truly is so patient with them!
Showing the pups how to play ;)

No Pink! Don't do it! (sorry, had to post this one, it's just too funny!)

And after all the play, some much needed nap time in the shade (Orange in the back and Yellow in the front!)

I can't wait to get weights on these guys this weekend - everyone is growing so fast and getting so big - the puppy transport device is getting heavy!

Salsa!

2010-04-20T14:51:00.009-04:00

I created a new youtube slide show of the pups with photos taken between 5 1/2 and 6 weeks with them playing outside. The photos are high rez but the slide shows are blurred so if anyone has a tip on what I am doing wrong, please write me! Here are some photos at 5 1/2 weeks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DF6XedudPw&feature=channel

You can also find the slide show on my website where there are more pup photos too:

http://www.intervalechinooks.net/

6 weeks old - and getting huge!

2010-04-18T20:57:00.002-04:00

So here we are at 6 weeks - and what an amazing amount of changes the puppies are going through! They've had a busy week, getting outside to play every day and meeting lots of friends and family. Emma has also decided that she is truly done with nursing, and honestly I just can't blame her. The pups got a good 6 weeks of nursing, and are thoroughly enjoying their solid diet, so no concerns there. Not only did they enjoy some chicken wings in the beginning of the week, but had rib bones a couple of days as well! They have been enjoying ground chicken and duck with their meals, and will be trying some beef, buffalo, and pheasant this week, and maybe some fish even! This weeks also marks weigh in times - and I had to weigh them twice because I couldn't believe how big they're getting! So, this week the weights are...

Pink 6lb 6oz Lavender 7lb Royal 6lb 6oz

Light Blue 7lb 6oz Yellow 6lb 4oz Orange 7lb 4oz

Green 7lb 5oz Black 7lb

Light Blue striking a pose for the camera!
Ms. Pink checking out the kids playing...

and Yellow snuggled up with sister Lavender after a fun filled day!

Mmmm Ribs!!

2010-04-15T20:43:00.007-04:00

The pups had another go at raw meaty bones today - in the form of beef ribs! They were all excited about the treat, and settled in to work on the bones with no prompting! In the picture above, Black and Orange are sharing nicely, while Light Blue gets a short rib all to himself!

Yellow and Pink were being nice sisters sharing a long bone!
And here Light Blue and Green are being good brothers and sharing too! (not to be outdone by the girls, of course!)

And after all that hard work, Yellow passed out with her human mommy, nose down!

The pups are such a joy right now, and so very playful and curious with each other and their surroundings. And this week marks some big weight gains as well - after finally pinning them down Tuesday night for some weights, here's the breakdown: Pink is at 5lb 3oz; Lavender is at 4lb 8oz; Royal is at 5lb 5oz; Light Blue is at 5lb 3oz; Yellow is at 4lb 7oz; Orange is at 5lb 8oz; Green is at 5lb 8oz; and Black is at 5lb 3oz. So Green is no longer the heaviest pup, tying for first place with Orange, and we have a 3-way tie with Pink, Light Blue and Black for 3rd place. Overall the pups gained an average of a pound again this week!

If I were King

2010-04-13T23:07:00.003-04:00

How would you like to have eight Chinook puppies for playmates and you were only six? Check out these photos from today of Asher with Emma's pups. The puppies absolutely love to chase and six year old boys love to run - a perfect playtime match!

5 weeks old - and chicken wings for lunch!

2010-04-11T21:18:00.013-04:00

So this week marks 5 weeks old for the pups! And how much they have grown - just a week ago they barely had teeth, and now they have little razors in there! And what was gangly flopping around is now coordinated running! And they're even almost too big for their outdoor transport device :) Except that they're now too big for me to get an accurate weight - the scale I currently have only goes up to 5 pounds, and all but 2 of the pups are over that it seems. Once I am able to figure out how to get a better weight, I'll share those numbers as well!

Check out that coordination - Royal running full gallop towards his littermates! And the ears!!!

Little Yellow is still the smallest of the litter, but catching up nicely - about 1/2 pound shy of 5 pounds this week! The added protein and introduction to more solids seems to have helped her!

And today marks their first introduction to chicken wings - they had no problem at all figuring out what to do with them! I hadn't expected anyone to have the jaw strength to actually crack the bones, but Royal and Orange proved me wrong! They were so excited to chow down - and each went to their own little corner (see Lavender hiding in the outdoor pen below!). Of course, once Royal finished his (after I scooped up the bigger bones, of course!), he went after his littermates' delicacies. They have been getting cooked chicken added to their gruel since yesterday, and will start to get ground raw chicken and duck added during this week, eventually weaning them off of the baby cereal and entirely onto whole foods. So far so good - a very happy gaggle of puppies!!

4 weeks old!

2010-04-07T21:28:00.009-04:00

So the pups are 4 weeks old now (well, more like 4 1/2 weeks now!) and I'm finally getting around to updating their weights and pictures - well, more appropriately, they finally slowed down enough for me to take their weights and pictures! What an amazing week from 3-4 they have had! They are running around with much more coordination now, and they have TEETH! Emma has decided that she'd like to start weaning (and who can blame her, with 8 sets of sharp teeth coming at her like a pack of sharks). So starting this past Sunday, I increased their solid foods from once to three times a day. This week, in addition to the baby cereal mix they were eating last week, they are being introduced to some chicken, rice, veggies and fruits (baby-food style). So far so good, and they are eating and growing like champs!
So, without further adieu - here are the big babies :)

Green (left) weighs in at 4lb 12oz this week (though it was hard to tell, as he was almost too big for the scale!). Yellow (right) weighs in at 3lb 6oz (still the smallest, but gaining nicely)

Royal (getting kisses from Auntie Luna) weighs in at 4lb 1oz this week.

Lavender (right), working with Light Blue here to take down Luna (gracious auntie), weighs in at 3lb 8 oz this week.

Orange weighs in at 4lb 10oz this week, and is giving the boys a run for their money!

Pink weighs in at 4lb 7oz this week.

Black shows off his athletic skills, and weighs in at 4lb 5oz.

Light Blue chills out in the grass, and weighs in at 4lb 8oz.

Stay tuned for next week - when the pups will be introduced to their first chicken wing!

Pups are on YouTube!

2010-04-06T12:06:00.007-04:00

The pups are four weeks! Yesterday I visited and took photos while they enjoyed a nice spring day in their yard, eating, running, playing and sleeping. (Did I leave something out? :) They are very interested in the sounds in their neigborhood! Pink is going to make a good retriever as she was playing with a stick dropping it and picking it up again, while all the others were puppy napping.

You can see how the Riverstone pups are spending their growing up time on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpKA5Egprpc

Here's a few photos of the puppies on the move - last week they teetered around learning to use their legs, and now look at them motor!

The Outside World

2010-04-01T22:16:00.013-04:00

After the prison escape last night, we decided to erect the temporary fence in the yard for the pups to go outside and play. But just how do you transport 8 squirmy 3.5 week old pups outside? In a rubbermaid tote of course!

Little Yellow was excited to check out the new sights and smells outside - including some leaves and grass!

After making short work of adventuring, Yellow and Green (the littlest and biggest!) curled up in my lap for some snuggle time!

And Ms Orange, so far the guardian of the little pack, was front and center to let us know of another dog walking by - check out that early stack!

We have an escapee!

2010-04-01T22:09:00.003-04:00

So Wednesday night marked the first escape out of the whelping box. Ms Pink made it up and over the pig rails and into the great beyond! So I figured I would take the pig rails off and buy us another couple of days at least... but then she decided she wanted OUT and climbed up over the boards anyway, no pig rails involved! So I decided to remove the front of the whelping box and open up the room to them - they were so excited to be running all over the place! Look out world!

This picture is of my son with Orange and Black, who tackled him once we sat on the floor!

First Meal!

2010-03-29T22:09:00.015-04:00

So at the start of Week 3, all the pups were introduced to their first non-Emma meal! They got to sample some gourmet baby cereal mixed with goats milk - and with very little prompting were all eating like champs within seconds! We'll be adding basic foods such as eggs, yogurt and honey this week to their gruel. Next week they'll get to taste some fruits and veggies, and maybe even some chicken! It was hysterical watching them dunk themselves into it ther meals! Yellow got fed up with being the peanut at the end of mealtime and sat her whole body right in the dish - precious!

Week 3 also marks weigh-in for the pups, and they are all gaining very nicely.

Black weighs in at 3lb 5oz this week.

Royal weighs in at 3lb 2oz.

Green weighs in at just 1/2 ounce shy of 4 pounds!!

Light Blue weighs in at 3lb 10oz.

Lavender weighs in at 2lb 10.5 oz

Orange weighs in at 3lb 9oz

Yellow weighs in at 2lb 7.75oz

And Pink weighs in at 3lb 7.5oz.

What a wonderful, happy and healthy litter!

Barking and Playing Together!

2010-03-23T21:05:00.002-04:00

So with their eyes open, it's like this whole other world has opened up for them as well... they recognize each other, and are having a blast toddling around after each other. I just had to share about tonight though - they were absolutely hysterical! They were all toddling around the whelping box and making noises after each other - barking, growling and snorting! And then when that wasn't enough, they started to tackle each other and chew on their ears and noses - it was so cute to watch... I did get some video, but I'm technologically challenged... You'll just have to take my word for the cuteness!

Movie Night

2010-03-23T19:42:00.005-04:00

Here's a video of the 10 day Chinook puppy race finalist for the girls' team. It's Pink who took first place! Do you think maybe Emma had some influence in the outcome? Girls rule!

2 Weeks Old Already!!

2010-03-22T22:04:00.015-04:00

Wow! Can you believe they're already 2 weeks old!! It seems like they're older somehow - maybe that's just because of how big they're getting :-) Their eyes were all open by the end of the weekend, and it would seem that they're starting to notice sounds more and more. They were particularly interested in a loud bag of candy we were enjoying Sunday (snacks to observe them with of course!). And while no one has escaped from the whelping box quite yet, we definitely have a couple adventurous types - Pink and Green were quite curious about the outside world, but couldn't quite figure out how to get their back legs up and over yet. Just to be safe, though, I added an extra board to give the box some additional height - momma can get in but the babies can't get out! Well for now :)

Pictures of their 2 week photo shoot are below - you'll notice that Green and Yellow no longer wear neck bands - their colors are so distinct that I can pick them out just fine without them! Green is the red-dilute boy (and the biggest in the litter so far!) and Yellow is the dark girl (and the peanut in the bunch so far!). And the breakdown of weights is as follows (pictures match weights in descending order):

Pink is at 2lb 9.5oz, Lavender is at 2lb 1/2oz, Royal is at 2lb 8.5oz, Light Blue is at 2lb 12 oz, Yellow is at 1lb 15.7oz, Orange is at 2lb 9oz, Green is at 3lb 1/2oz, and Black is at 2lb 10.5oz.

Stay tuned for their first sled dog race - coming soon :)

The Boys at two weeks: Black, Light Blue, Royal, and Green.

The Girls' Team: Orange, Pink, Lavender, and Yellow.

Their First Race!

2010-03-18T21:59:00.006-04:00

Okay so for their 10 day mark, Nancy and I thought how cute it would be to have the boys and girls participate in their very first race. :) And yes there's video, a short clip from the races is below. From the boys team it was Royal who crossed the finish line first, with "Buddha" (green) a close second. The other two boys, black and light blue stalled out at the start and went for the big power nap instead of racing. (Priorities, priorities!)

From the girls team it was Pink who crossed the finish line first - up on all fours and moving ahead with purpose and direction! The other three girls, orange, yellow, and lavender were just abuzz at the start line, too busy talking about hair and make-up to even think about breaking a sweat on the trail. :) All in all it was a lot of fun and gave the pups a wee bit of exercise, new stimulation, and practice in getting to momma (Emma served graciously as the carrot for our festivities!).

As they near the 2 week mark, I'm noticing many little slits for eyes (yes, I had it wrong... apparently eyes AND ears open at 2 weeks... who knew :) No sign that they can hear me yet, but it is exciting to see them maturing so well. Almost everyone is over the 2 pound mark, with Yellow and Lavender still the peanuts of the litter. And big boy Green (we may call him Buddha for now!) is nearing 3 pounds headed into the weekend.

I'll keep you posted as we take pictures this weekend - hopefully with some beautiful baby eyes to gaze upon!!

Happy Spring!!!
(oh, and the pic above is my son Asher snuggling Buddha :)

Puppy Breath

2010-03-16T20:13:00.007-04:00

What is puppy breath?

Once you smell this distinct, clean, sweet smell, you'll never ask again! :) No puppy breath is yet detected on Emma's puppies but we are marking the days!

A web search to define puppy breath found only a few hits, maybe because the puppy breath phenomenon is, (in a good way), simply indescribable.

Here are a few comments from the web:

Vet, consultant and author Thomas Catanzaro has been famously quoted as saying, "Of all the things I miss from veterinary practice, puppy breath is one of the most fond memories."

There are passionate devotees of this odor who practically snort a little pooch's muzzle every chance they get. (Which is certainly better than smelling what comes out the other end.)

Puppy breath is perfectly healthy and -- unfortunately -- a little like new-car smell in that it disappears in a few months. They grow up so fast!

Catanzaro and other vets guess that puppy breath is a result of their healthy, mild diet of mother's milk and puppy food, and the enzymes that break these things down.

Some vets learn in school that puppy breath is caused by a still-developing esophagus leaking gas from the stomach.

Send in your comments: thumbs up or thumbs down for puppy breath!

One Week Old!

2010-03-14T21:54:00.013-04:00

Wow can you believe the pups are already a week old? I can't :) They're moving around better now, and even starting to use their back legs to practice walking a bit. And yesterday I swear Orange actually barked at me! It was sooo cute!! It's such a joy to watch them grow up... everyone, including momma, are doing very well... eating well and gaining :) here are some pics from their 1 week photo shoot. As far as weights, here's how they're doing: Black is at 1lb 11oz; Green is at 1lb 15.5oz (almost 2 pounds!!); Orange is at 1lb 11.5oz; Yellow is at 1lb 6.5oz; Light Blue is at 1lb 10oz; Royal is at 1lb 13oz; Lavender is at 1lb 5.5oz (the peanut of the litter so far!); and Pink is at 1lb 13oz.

Boys v/s Girls

2010-03-13T11:12:00.014-05:00

Meet the the boys' team!

Royal Blue - Light Blue Green - Black
Weights at 3 days in the order above:
1lb 2 5/8 oz - 1lb 1 1/4 oz
1lb 3/4 oz - 1lb 1 3/4 oz

And introducing

the girls' team!

Pink - Lavender
Yellow - Orange
Weights at 3 days:

1lb 1 1/2 oz - 1lb 3 3/8 oz

15 oz - 1lb 1 1/4 oz

Emma

2010-03-13T10:34:00.009-05:00

Friends have been asking how Emma is doing and how her big sis Luna is taking to being an auntie. Both are doing great! These are a few photos of Emma doing what she does very well - being a loving mom to her 8 Chinook pups.

Sister Luna is getting special runs at the park for some personal attention and Luna is slowly having more interaction with her lil' nieces and nephews. Emma is going to need Luna's help in a few weeks! I remember Emma's mom Ursa's litter - at about two-three weeks Ursa turned to her sis Crystal and said: "They're yours now!" :)

www.intervalechinooks.net/Chinookpuppies_2010.html

They're Heeeere!

2010-03-08T17:11:00.007-05:00

Congratulations Emma and Booker!

Over the eve of March 6 and 7,

Emma whelped a beautiful litter

of 4 male and 4 female Chinook pups!

Game Time!

2010-03-08T16:49:00.006-05:00

The time from a breeding until an ultrasound to determine if there are pups is only a few weeks, though it seems like a lifetime! At 28 days, Emma's ultrasound showed 7 pups. Fresh chilled really does work! :)

A week before Emma's due date, Whelpwise, a canine perinatal monitoring service, shipped a fetal contraction monitor and fetal doppler to help keep tabs on the condition of Emma and her pups. Checking for heart beats and heart rates, the doppler found an 8th puppy! The contraction monitor picked up the beginning of labor on the morning of March 6th.

Pre-Game Review

2010-03-08T12:13:00.001-05:00

Chinook dogs Emma and Booker (Intervale Brown Eyed Girl and Lighthouse Point Sur) were bred the day after New Year's using progesterone testing to pinpoint timing for the breeding, then fresh chilled semen (fondly referred to as Booker in a Box :) which was shipped overnight from Ohio to Connecticut. The whelping date aka the date the pups are due, was determined by both Emma's reproductive vet and her WhelpWise crew to be March 6, 2010.