Our Little Girl Schnoodle Puppies

Today our little girls are 18 days old.  It is such a lovely morning, perfect for taking pictures.  But the puppies are a little bit sleepy and they don't stay awake too long for picture taking.

We took our photos on the front porch in a little basket.

Aren't they pretty girls....Sugar, Rosie and Mia

A photo from above to see their colors.

Sugar is very sleepy...not too interested in pictures right now.

Sugar, all cuddled up and cozy.

Sugar is off in la la land...no more photos please!

Mia is pretty sleepy too.

We' decided to hold Mia for the camera

Mia likes to be cuddled in our arms.

More Boy Scnoodle Puppy Pics

Over the long weekend we had a lot of things happening for us.  Mostly it was a typical weekend but Monday was certainly not a typical Memorial day for us.  Most of the day was spent supervising the contractors as they installed a new patio door.  Then we spent the evening in the ER when our 2 1/2 year old fell off a chair and gashed his eye brow on bottom track of the newly installed sliding door.  Poor little guy!  He had to have 6 stitches!  I think it was at least as traumatic for me as it was for him.  I got up the next morning and while my little boy was sleeping peacefully my heart was still aching!   But I do count my blessings that this is our first set of stitches in the family....and no broken bones yet.  (Thanks to some very active Guardian Angels!)

So this explains why we have not had too many photos of late....so much going on.  Today I started with taking photos of the boys.  Tomorrow I will get photos of the girls.

Sleeping Schnoodle puppies 15 days old

The puppies are now learning to walk and their eyes continue to open.  They are not very good at walking yet.  The only time they are walking around is when Dixie comes into the pen to feed them.  Then they all seem to sense her presence at once and scoot, crawl and walk over to her as fast as their little puppy bodies will move.  But honestly, they still seem to spend most of their time sleeping.  When I peak in on the puppies throughout the day, this is what I see....

Sleeping Mia at 15 days old

Sleeping Bear at 15 days old

Sleeping Sugar at 15 days old

Rosie and Sugar sleeping side by side.  See how much bigger Sugar is than Rosie!

Whelping Pads...Newborn puppy bedding

I wanted to share a lovely product that is great for puppy bedding especially newborns.  They are called 'whelping pads' and they are soft and absorbent on one side and waterproof on the back side.  This is really great for us, since my puppy pen is on our carpet.  They are easily washed so I can replace the pads daily, and they come in multiple sizes so they fit our little pen perfectly.   It is super important that a breeder put the right product under the puppies.  I forgot where I had stored my whelping pads from last year, so  I tried using a plastic sheet with a blanket on top as a temporary measure, but it made me really nervous because Dixie would scratch the floor and put holes in the plastic.  If a puppy got under the plastic, it would easily lead to suffocation.  So that is really not a safe option.  I went ahead and ordered a few more pads, and then I found the old pads (LOL!)

After placing the puppy pad on the carpet, I threw a little blanket in the corner for Dixie.  This gives her something to push around and sleep on...and she doesn't scratch the floor anymore. 

This photo shows the top and bottom side of the whelping pad.  They also come in light blue.

The brown side of the pad, is absorbent, and the white side is waterproof.  We can wash them hundreds of times and they hold up well.  These also work well for puppy pea pads when puppies get older.  I like to put this under our puppy litter box, for those pups that have an accident before they get to the box.

You can buy these pads in multiple sizes at http://www.ezwhelp.com/AboutWhelpingPads.htm.   I foudn the exact same product (by the same manufacturer) on Amazon.com.  I didn't pay any extra....and I got free shipping!   This is the exact size of our pen and the edges fit under the plastic walls.

Here is another photo of our puppy pen.  I love this pen, since it is the perfect size for the corner...and for Dixie and her pups.  Dixie can actually jump in and out when she wants to.  But I like to keep the door open for Dixie ....when I am around to keep an eye on things.  The puppies are not mobile enough to climb over the 2" lip on the door frame.  

The children now understand that they can't touch the puppies without permission. ....and Dixie helps to enforce that.  She will let out a very stern bark at the kids if they go too close.  She will even jump up and push them back.  The kids take this very  seriously, since she normally is very friendly to them.

Look how quickly these puppies are growing!

 This is Dixie with a vigilant look.  My husband just drove up the drive way, and she is very concerned as to who is coming to the house.
 
We keep a full bowl of food and water outside the pen for Dixie at all times.  She eats and drinks a lot when she is nursing.  I have never noticed any extra weight gain, so I let her eat as much as she needs to.

I usually don't have the camera in hand at the right time. But it is always funny to see the various positions these puppies will eat in.

13 day old Schnoodles

Its been a few days since I've been able to take photos.  Already the puppies eyes are beginning to open!  It started just a few days ago and has been happening very gradually.

This morning I snapped a few quick photos of Buddy and Bear.   I will try to get all the puppies this weekend....but it can be tricky, when all they want to do is sleep.

Neonatal Period of Development- 1-13 days

When puppies are first born they live in a silent dark world.  Their ears and eyes are closed shut.  This called the Neonatal Stage of development and lasts from day 1-13. But even with just a few senses to direct them, the pups show amazing survival abilities.  Their little noses direct them to the two things they need most for survival....food and warmth.  They scoot across the floor seeking out their mothers milk. They already know that that smell is what they need.  And when Dixie is not present, their little noses direct them to their litter mates, where they find a warm and cuddly place to sleep. 

   For our puppies, we also recognize that the human touch and smell that they get as newborns is an important part of socialization.  Even though Dixie takes care of all the puppies needs for the first month, we make an effort to have some kind of human contact with each puppy every day.   By imprinting with people very early in their development, it sets the stage for a lifetime relationship with humans....and eases the transition from litter to family life.  But this is just the beginning....remember socialization is something that needs to be made a priority for every family, even after they take their puppy home. 

              For the first few weeks of life, all of the puppies time is spent sleeping and eating.  But they are still very much aware of their surroundings and they really do not like to be alone. It was actually rather tricky for me to get individual photos of the puppies yesterday.  When I picked up one of the puppies and put it on a blanket alone, it would squirm and cry.   On the other hand, when I picked up a puppy and cradled it between two warm hands, he went to sleep right away.  It is wonderful how nature has given these pups alove for companionship even at an early age.   

                                                

     That is what I notice as I observe this litter from the outside.  But what is happening inside?  Inside this is the time for significant development in  brains, ears and eye. And in just one more week  these puppies will emerge from their world of darkness and begin to open up to the world around them.   Significant as this next stage of sight and sound will be for the puppies, it is an interesting fact that with the canine world, smell is always the most predominant of the senses.

Birth Order

I don't know whether this is significant to anyone....but in case you are wondering, here is the puppy birth order with their names listed.

1. Teddy -  Light apricot BOY  -- 2:17pm

2.  Bear  -  Med.apricot BOY  --- 4:00pm 
3. Sugar - Med apricot GIRL   --- 4:10 pm
4.  Buddy-  Light apricot BOY --- 4:25 pm
5.  Rosie - Dark Red GIRL    --- 4:55 pm
6.  Mia   - Med apricot GIRL--  5:45 pm
7.  Copper - Dark Red BOY      ---6:05 pm

First Weight measurement.

Today I weighed the puppies for the first time.  The two smallest pups in the litter are the lightest boys, and the darkest girl.  I will weigh all the puppies again on Sunday afternoon.  When the pups reach  1 week of age, their weight will be a little more meaningful to chart.   It will be important for us to keep track of the weight at least in the smallest pups because we can compare these numbers to those on the Toy Poodle Growth charts.  Then we can make a good prediction to see if they will likely grow to a Toy size.   If any of the people waiting for a Schnoodle have a preference for the toy dog that would be good for me to know.

TOY SCHNOODLE
Height at the shoulder: 20-30 cm (8-12 in)
Weight: 3-6 kg (6-13 lb)

MINIATURE SCHNOODLE
Height at the shoulder: 30-40 cm (12-16 in)
Weight: 6-12 kg (13-26 lb)

Our Girls --- 5 days old

Here are our sweet little girls, all soft and cuddly.  We give our puppies simple names to help us identify them, but please feel free to change the name when you pick your puppy. 

As you look through the photos you will notice that puppies at this age do look very much the same....but rest assured, in several weeks their subtle differences like their build, their coat, their faces and their size will give them more individual looks

    

Sugar weighs 13 oz this morning

Mia weighs 11.5 oz this morning

Rosie weighs 10 oz this morning.  The smallest of the litter, she looks like she may be a Toy Schnoodle.

Our Boys - 5 days old

Look at our sweet little boy puppies all in a bunch.   This overhead view helps you see the variations in color from one to the other. We can even see that some of the coats will be curlier than others.

Teddy, our first born, weighs 10.6 oz today.

Buddy weighs 13 oz today

Bear weighs 13.7 oz today, he and Copper are our big puppies.

Copper weighs 13.7 oz today, he and Bear are our big puppies

Removing Dew Claws at 4 days old

Today I took the puppies to have their dew claws removed.  Because they are so young, I didn't want a long road trip that would stress the puppies, so I chose the closest veterinary clinic to my house. (not my usual vet)

If you do not know what a dew claw is, its a claw that on the upper side of the paw, and tends to get caught in things like carpets.  When that happens it can tear the claw for a really painful injury.  Since they serve no particular advantage to the dog, most breeders choose to remove them.  This has to be done between 3-5 days while there is still no bone in the toe.

Maybe I will grow up to look like Mama.

Look how tiny our little puppies are!  They look like hampsters.

 The veterinary puts an anesthetic on the claw before he amputates it.  The puppies do cry a little, but then they go right back to sleep.

Dixie shakes with excitement as she wonders why we have come to this strange place.

Dixie looks pretty in pink...a new polka dot collar and leash!

Dixie has a hard time with these visits because strange people touch her puppies and then take them away for several minutes.  So we try to distract her by taking her outside while the procedure is being done.

Look!  Dixie's waste line is back!  Lucky girl!