Box of Chocolates

Whitney is the very proud mama of six gorgeous new babies: 2 girls and 4 boys, all very considerately whelped by 11:30 PM last night. (In nature, canines often have puppies in the safety of the dark hours, so we are very appreciative of Whitney this morning--and she is looking quite pleased herself!) 

Though it is difficult to see from the lighting, the puppies are in a remarkably subtle array of  different "Chocolate" colors which we expect to evolve to Cafe, Parchment, and Lavender--all in wavy fleece. 

It is amazing how pups emerge so strong and instinctively programmed to survive --capable of dragging themselves on their bellies as far as several feet to crawl up to mama's warm belly for their first meal.

The lovely Miss Whitney is expecting her litter of puppies with Topper later this week. The expectant parents are so tender and affectionate with one another, kissing each other when they meet and snuggling up to nap, which reflects their loving natures, as well as the bonds that formed in their whirlwind romance just two months ago:   Springtime Romance

Topper and Whitney share rare original Australian-line pedigrees and demonstrate the amazing intense human focus and calm demeanor for which  original Australian Labradoodles are famous. Between Topper's amazingly laid-back temperament and desire to please, and Whitney's friendly and  fun-seeking joie-de-vivre, these puppies are going to be exceptional examples of all that an Australian Labradoodle is meant to be!  

Snapped on-the-fly with my phone (Awww....!) 

There is still availability in this litter, which is likely to be born around June 1 and will be ready to go home at the end of August.  We expect the puppies to mature to solid mediums from 30-42 lbs. (18-19 inches tall at the shoulder) in wavy fleece coats in colors of Chocolate, Cafe, and rare Lavender.

"Ready for Our Close-ups Mr. DeMille..."

Once they can keep their little eyes open long enough, the puppies make much better subjects for photos (with help from one of our gracious puppy family-members.) The puppies' eyes will remain blue for another 3-4 weeks and then will start to take on their adult colors--ranging from amber to brown.

They can spot their Mom Bibi much from much further away, and start squeaking loudly when one of them spies her and sets off the "incoming" alert.

What's For Breakfast?

Bibi's four puppies are cumulatively almost as big as she is!  She is enjoying extravagant and lavish meals of doggie delicacies such as fresh liver, raw chicken breast, and green beef tripe, which help her keep up 5-6 meals a day for her litter. 















Bibi was at first a little "miffed" that we offered a new treat to her puppies and not to her:  an eggnog of strained liver water, egg yolk, goats milk, fish oil, with a little Karo syrup and baby vitamins...yum.

These puppies were immediately enthusiastic about the addition to the menu

In fact, there was a little sibling rivalry going on

And much of the breakfast did not end up in their mouths...

..

...at least, at first!

Luckily they cooperate in clean-up

"Let's leave the dirty work for  Mom!"

(Typical!)

The pups opened their eyes over the weekend, but only now are they open long enough to catch a picture.

Their field of vision expands daily--this sweet boy has just spotted the camera lens.

Their world expands greatly when they can all of a sudden focus more than just a foot in front of them!

"So that's what you look like!"

"Super-Puppies!"

We use a program originally developed by the U.S. Military to improve the performance of dogs, called the "Bio Sensor" method, which later became known to the public as the "Super Dog" Program.  Based on years of research, the military learned that early neurological stimulation exercises could have important and lasting effects on dogs including:

Improved cardiovascular performance 

Stronger heart beats,

Stronger adrenal glands,

More tolerance to stress and

Greater resistance to disease

In tests of learning, stimulated pups were found to be more active and were more exploratory than their non-stimulated littermates, over which they were dominant in competitive situations.

The "Bio Sensor" program utilizes six exercises, which last only from 3-to-5 seconds, once a day from the age of 3 days until 16 days which include: 

1. Tactile stimulation - holding the pup the handler gently stimulates (tickles) the pup between the toes on any one foot

2. Head held erect -  the pup is held perpendicular to the ground, (straight up), so that its head is directly above its tail.

3. Head pointed down - holding the pup firmly with both hands the head is reversed and is pointed downward.

4. Supine position - holding the pup so that its back is resting in the palm of both hands with its muzzle facing the ceiling. The pup while on its back is allowed to sleep or struggle.

5. Thermal stimulation - placing the pup on a damp towel that has been cooled in a refrigerator.

We welcome your comments if you have any questions or observations about this program.

One Week Old and Still Sleepy...

At one week of age, Bibi's puppies are still gaining weight rapidly.  Bibi is becoming more protective of them and we have to wait until she goes outside to take photos of them...otherwise she curls her entire body around them and gives us "stink eye".

More Chocolate! (Who's Complaining?)

Our amazing Bibi had four simply adorable--and hefty!--little Choco-babies on Friday, May 4th.  This is Bibi's first litter and, while she has studied the behaviors of her housemate Lola, she was understandably a little confused at the outset.  But her unerring instincts set her on the right path very quickly and she is a wonderful Mom!

A multi-tasker after our own heart, Bibi takes good care of cleaning her babies at each meal

The pups are good eaters and already quite a bit bigger than their half-siblings ("The Browns") were at the same age!

Bibi is remarkable for her intense eye-contact and human focus...

...even when she is multi-tasking.

The puppies weigh over a pound each at only 5 days of age!

It was pointed out to me that these puppies were born on 5/4/2012, otherwise known as "Star Wars Day".  

"Princess Leia" and "Queen Amidala" were no-brainers for girls' names...

...but there are so many good choices for the boys:

Ewok? Chewbacca?  Luke? Anakin...?

...Wookie? Yoda...?

"Jabba the Hutt?"

May the Fourth Be With You!

(Mom doesn't care what we are called.)