Weekly "Pupdates" are posted below on Fridays by 5PM The 1, 2, 3 & 4 Week Pupdates will include weights and a general litter update. At 4 Weeks, ID collars go on the pups (prior to this we avoid any sort of collar or color coding dye for their safety). The 5 & 6 Week Pupdates will include weights and brief description of each pup as their personality emerges. The 7 Week (Final) Pupdate will include weights, personality descriptions, temperament testing, and vet checkup results.
Puppy Selection Information: I apologize for not posting the puppy selection time slots until this evening. Luckily we only have to make appointments with 3 people, so please let me know if the time slot listed below works for you. Please email me your puppy selection by your selection deadline. I do have a puppy pickup appointment for Abby's litter at 11AM, but should be done by 12:30 or so. Feel free to call me if you have any questions prior to selection, #336-465-6023. If you don't get me immediately, shoot me a text or leave a message and I will get right back with you. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Puppy selections will be updated on the website as they are made, and we will email the following family immediately. We HIGHLY recommend you make a list ASAP, in the order of your 1st pick to last pick pup. This way, you will be prepared when it is time to make your selection! If you cannot select in the time frame listed below, please notify me in so we can make other arrangements.
Conte: Must know puppy selection by 10AM on Saturday 10/12 - DONE! PINK! Zurad: Must know puppy selection by 8PM on Saturday 10/12
Veterinary Exam Results: Stella's sweethearts went to the vet today. Everyone had great veterinary exams. The only pup who had any note made on his exam sheet was Mr. Green, who has a teeny scar on his eye from the eye infection he had as a 2 week old. Our vet assured me that many dogs who scratch their eye, etc. will have a scar afterwards, and that this does not impact his vision or cause any future problems (in fact, it may become completely invisible as he grows).
7th/Final Pupdate: Ms. Purple: RETAINED BY RED SPRING FARM 3lbs 9oz Ms. Yellow: This loving girl is cuddly, loving, and attentive! She is a little explorer who is able to entertain herself a bit (but she isn't standoffish, she LOVES people). 4lbs 5oz Mr. Blue: What a HAM! This handsome, hunky fella is super fun! He is clumsy, playful, and an all around happy pup. Like everyone else in this litter, he loves people! 4lbs 11oz Ms. Pink: Little Pink is the quiet, sweet sister of the bunch. She enjoys gentle playtime and has an easy going temperament. She has a serious expression, but don't let that fool you, she is also a cuddle bug. 3lbs 9oz Mr. Green: This little booger is PRECIOUS! This boy doesn't walk, he prances :) He is full of personality and makes good eye contact. He is one smart cookie, and the smallest male pup. 4lbs 6oz Mr. Red: This precious cutie has such a sweet personality. He is easy going, gentle, and gives sweet kisses when you hold him. He loves other dogs and all people. 4lbs 2oz
Temperament Testing: Using [A] for active response, [N] for neutral and [P] for passive based on:
1. Observation. Watching how she plays with other puppies, does she jump right into group activities [A], hanging in the midst of the activity [N], or submitting when approached [P]. Ms. Purple: N Ms. Yellow: N Mr. Blue: N Ms. Pink: N Mr. Green: N Mr. Red: N
2. Play. When you first take a puppy aside to play with, is he hyper [A], easy going [N] or does he just want to be petted [P]. Ms. Purple: N Ms. Yellow: N Mr. Blue: N Ms. Pink: N Mr. Green: N Mr. Red: N
3. Cradle. When cradling a puppy in your arms, does he relax [P], wiggle a bit and then relax [N] or kick like crazy [A]. Ms. Purple: N Ms. Yellow: N Mr. Blue: P Ms. Pink: P Mr. Green: N Mr. Red: P
4. Call back. Using a treat or squeak toy and calling to the puppy while backing away, does he race after you while jumping or nipping at your ankles [A], follow happily [N] or hesitate and need coaxing [P]. Ms. Purple: N Ms. Yellow: N Mr. Blue: N Ms. Pink: N Mr. Green: N Mr. Red: N
5. Tuck and pat. When kneeling/sitting on the floor, settle the puppy between your legs. Pet him in long gentle strokes as you praise him softly. Does he wriggle free as he nips [A], wriggle and then relax [N] or simply melt in your embrace [P]. Ms. Purple: N Ms. Yellow: N Mr. Blue: N Ms. Pink: P Mr. Green: N Mr. Red: P
6. Bend over. Stand up, stretch and relax, Now go to your puppy and lean over to pet him. Your doing this may seem overwhelming to the pup because you're so large and he's so small. Does he jump up at your face [A], cower in confusion [P] or just relax and let it happen [N]. Ms. Purple: N Ms. Yellow: N Mr. Blue: N Ms. Pink: N Mr. Green: N Mr. Red: N
7. Nose kiss. Cradle your puppy's face in your hands and kiss him on the nose. Does he bite you back [A], accept the smooch calmly or return the interaction with a soft bite or kiss [N] or pull back in confusion [P]. Ms. Purple: N Ms. Yellow: N Mr. Blue: N Ms. Pink: N Mr. Green: N Mr. Red: N
8. Toe squeeze. In this exercise, you're testing your puppy's reaction and sensitivity to discomfort. While petting the puppy, gently squeeze the skin between his toes. Does he attack your hand. If so, he's definitely an A type personality with high sensitivity. A neutral puppy may lick or mouth gently, whereas a passive puppy will cringe fearfully. Ms. Purple: N Ms. Yellow: N Mr. Blue: N Ms. Pink: N Mr. Green: N Mr. Red: N
9. Startle sound. Take a bunch of keys and when your prospective puppy least expects it, rattle them above his head and gauge his reaction. Does he attack the keys [A]. Does he give it a nonchalant glance [N]. A fear reaction is noted by cowering or withdrawal [P]. Ms. Purple: N Ms. Yellow: N Mr. Blue: N Ms. Pink: N Mr. Green: N Mr. Red: N
10. Crash test. Stand and wait until your puppy is no longer interested in you. Suddenly fall to the ground as if you've tripped and exclaim "Ouch" Does the puppy race over and pounce [A], come to sniff or lick your face [N] or cower and run in fear [P]. Ms. Purple: N Ms. Yellow: N Mr. Blue: N Ms. Pink: N Mr. Green: N Mr. Red: N
11. Uplift. Lift the puppy 4 inches off the floor by cradling his midsection. Hold him there for at few seconds. Does he wriggle and bite furiously [A]? Does he relax and look around [N]. Does he look fearful and constrict his body posture [P]. Ms. Purple: N Ms. Yellow: N Mr. Blue: N Ms. Pink: N Mr. Green: N Mr. Red: N
RESULTS:
All A's: This dominant puppy is bright and interactive. Raising him will take concentration, consistency and time. His favorite expression is "What's Next!"
All N's: Easy going and contained, this puppy will be pleasant and self-assured, though perhaps not terribly motivated to follow your agenda when it conflicts with his own. His favorite expression is "Is it absolutely necessary?"
All P's: This puppy has a weak self-esteem and needs your reassurance to feel safe. Without proper lessons and socialization, he'll be shy. His favorite expression: "It's been 3 minutes, do you still love me?" Mix of A and N's: This active puppy will want to be in the middle of everything but will show slightly more impulse control when stimulated. His favorite expression is: "Let's do it again"
Mix of N and P's: This self-assured puppy will be easygoing and gentle yet with a stronger sense of self than a completely passive puppy. Because he's more composed, he'll be an ideal puppy for a calm house with or without older children. Favorite expression: "Another back scratching please!"
6th Pupdate!
Stella's sweethearts are becoming active, healthy puppies! They are really wrestling and enjoying toys now- and they all had massive growth spurts this week (check out those weight gains). I think it is safe to say that they have weaned successfully onto Life's Abundance kibble and doing well on it! They are picking up on the litter pans, so we have expanded their pen by combining them with Abby's litter. They are loving the new playmates! I am so excited for you all to select your puppies next week! Your selection time slot will be allotted the day prior.
Ms. Purple: Alert, confident, and active, this gal is smart as a whip and ready to GO! Her wheels are constantly turning and she is ready to explore! 3lbs Ms. Yellow: This sweet gal has the sweetest eyes! I included an extra photo this week of her master puppy face (how cute)! This sweetheart is independent enough to venture away from her siblings to play with a toy herself, but still LOVES cuddles and kisses. 3lbs 11oz Mr. Blue: The first four pounder! Mr. Blue has blossomed into a super goofy fella! This booger is all boy!!! He acts big and tough but secretly lets his siblings take the lead when exploring new things- he lets them "test the water" before he jumps in. 4lbs Ms. Pink: This sweetie pie has a lovely middle of the road temperament. She hangs in the midst of the activity, happy to play or happy to chill out! She really enjoys her toys and tug of war with siblings! 3lbs Mr. Green: This handsome little fella has calmed down a little this week, but is still all fun and games! He has a lovely alert, happy attitude and is SMART! 3lbs 5oz Mr. Red: This sweet boy is like the little brother of the litter. He tags along behind the most adventurous of his siblings, like backup! So cute. He has a playful, goofy demeanor (he is a bit of a ham- quite entertaining). 3lbs 4oz
5th Pupdate!
Stella's beautiful litter is really coming to life! They are playing with their toys and each other, and they are even greeting us at the edge of the whelping box! They are eating kibble 1x a day which will slowly be increased until they are eating 3x a day. We have introduced a wee-wee pad which we will transition to a full litter pan when they are a bit larger. Photos this week were SO fun because everyone was able to keep attention on the camera (those boys were really striking poses)!
Ms. Purple: This girl is super confident and wiggly! She wants to be where the action is! 2lb 0oz Ms. Yellow: This little one is a sweetheart. When you make "kissy" noises at the litter, her tail wags nonstop, absolutely precious! 2lbs 6oz Mr. Blue: This little dood is an easy going fella who has a nice middle of the road temperament within the litter. He likes to carry around toys! 2lbs 10oz Ms. Pink: This beauty is the most easy going of all the girls, just as happy to relax and get belly rubs as she is to play! 2lbs 5oz Mr. Green: This guy is the life of the party right now! He absolutely LOVED getting his photos taken today! Between every shot we would have to put him back in place because all he wanted to do was wag his tail and give the camera kisses! So sweet :) 2lbs 4oz Mr. Red: This little fella is hilarious, EVERY time we walk by the puppy pen he lets out a little "yip" to alert everyone (and to show his excitement)! Then he greets us with a wagging tail. 2lbs 6oz
4th Pupdate!
Hello all! Thanks for your patience this week as we are posting our pupdates/photos a little later in the evening than usual! Just like Abby's litter, Stella's sweet babies are SO little that they struggled to get in and out of our smallest litter pan and to crawl up onto a baby bed, so we have delayed that step in development until this week. Their baby teeth are beginning to come in, so this week they will be introduced to puppy mush! We will make sure to capture their first meal on camera for you. Mr. Green, who had an eye infection last week, has made a full recovery, so we were able to include him in the photo line-up this week!
Ms. Purple: 1lb 15oz Ms. Yellow: 2lbs 3oz Mr. Blue: 2lbs 7oz Ms. Pink: 2lbs 3oz Mr. Green: 2lbs 2oz Mr. Red: 2lbs 3oz
3rd Pupdate!
Stella's crew is doing very well with their transition out into the larger dog room- they are taking everything in stride. These busy babies have really started to toddle about their infant pen and we have had quite a few escapees lately, so we will be removing their "crib" and introducing them to their toddler pen today. Sometime in the next 5-10 days we will introduce their first litter pan to start with litter training (which will help YOU with house training as they get older)!
**Just like human babies can get eye/ear infections, young puppies can too! Puppies are especially prone to conjunctivitis (an eye infection) when they are in the process of opening. Mr. Green has conjunctivitis in his right eye. We expect a full recovery and we are being advised treatment by our veterinarian so he will not be in the photo lineup this week... no flash photography for sensitive eyes!
Ms. Purple: 790 grams Ms. Yellow: 782 grams Mr. Blue: 888 grams Ms. Pink: 724 grams Mr. Green: 800 grams Mr. Red: 763 grams
2nd Pupdate!
Stella's little ones are beginning to get their peepers! They have been moved to our larger dog room so that they can take in the sights and smells of our busy household (the TV, dinner being made, other dogs, etc). Stella is being a great mommy, she is protective and loving with her little ones.
Ms. Purple: 607 grams Ms. Yellow: 610 grams Mr. Blue: 642 grams Ms. Pink: 645 grams Mr. Green: 591 grams Mr. Red: 599 grams
1st Pupdate!
Stella's brood is doing well! All gaining rapidly and mommy is doing a great job (as usual for lovely Stella)!
Ms. Purple: 413 grams Ms. Yellow: 402 grams Mr. Blue: 420 grams Ms. Pink: 422 grams Mr. Green: 381 grams Mr. Red: 389 grams
Happy Birthday
Stella delivered 6 beautiful babies on 8/23/19! She had 3 boys and 3 girls, all chunky and healthy! Most are primarily red/apricot in color, but a couple boys have abstract white markings. Stella was supposed to deliver in a special whelping area- but mommy Abby is right next door and she was upset by the baby sounds in the other room, so Stella is in a temporary pen in our bathroom right now :) She will be moved back to the proper area once both girls realize that all babies are not their babies!
Ms. Purple: Curly red/apricot female with a few white chest hairs. 253 grams Ms. Yellow: Curly red/apricot female with a tiny white marking on her forehead and chest. 258 grams Mr. Blue: Wavy to curly red/apricot male with abstract (white) markings on his forehead and chest. 258 grams Ms. Pink: Curly red/apricot female with a few white chest hairs. 298 grams Mr. Green: Wavy to curly red/apricot male. 241 grams Mr. Red: Curly red/apricot male with abstract (white) markings on his forehead and chest. 222 grams