Here is one with most of the pups trying to feed. Not much room now
Dark Red Girl
Pink Girl
Green Boy
Yellow Girl
Red Girl
Orange Boy
Blue Boy
Purple Boy
Turquoise Boy
Thursday
30 July 2009
The puppies are now 10 days old. We should see signs of their eyes opening within the next few days. This morning they have all had their nails cut as they get really sharp and they have all had individual photos taken again.
Here is one with most of the pups trying to feed. Not much room now
Dark Red Girl
Pink Girl
Green Boy
Yellow Girl
Red Girl
Orange Boy
Blue Boy
Purple Boy
Turquoise Boy
Here is one with most of the pups trying to feed. Not much room now
Dark Red Girl
Pink Girl
Green Boy
Yellow Girl
Red Girl
Orange Boy
Blue Boy
Purple Boy
Turquoise Boy
Tuesday
28 July 2009
The puppies are a week old already. The time goes so quickly once they are born.
I am working this week and so I can keep an eye on the pups who are still upstairs I have set up a CCTV camera pointing at them, and I have PuppyTV on all day. This is now Saffys favourite TV channel. There is sound too and at first if the puppies squeaked all the other dogs would come running looking very confused but they are getting used to it now.
I weighed the puppies today and they have all doubled their birth weight except green who is a few grams under, I am sure he will be there tomorrow. I had to put new collars on them today as they have grown so much the other collars were getting too small. Obviously the colours are still the same.
Darcy only has a few days to go now and she is looking very fat now. She now sleeps upstairs in the maternity ward (my bedroom) with Ruby and the pups. although not in the same bed.
I am working this week and so I can keep an eye on the pups who are still upstairs I have set up a CCTV camera pointing at them, and I have PuppyTV on all day. This is now Saffys favourite TV channel. There is sound too and at first if the puppies squeaked all the other dogs would come running looking very confused but they are getting used to it now.
I weighed the puppies today and they have all doubled their birth weight except green who is a few grams under, I am sure he will be there tomorrow. I had to put new collars on them today as they have grown so much the other collars were getting too small. Obviously the colours are still the same.
Darcy only has a few days to go now and she is looking very fat now. She now sleeps upstairs in the maternity ward (my bedroom) with Ruby and the pups. although not in the same bed.
Monday
27 July 2009
Puppies Day 7
Still growing well. Puppies should double their birth weight by 8 days old and Pink, Blue, red, yellow and dark red have already done this.
Ruby still spends most of her time with them but is not quite so worried about leaving them as she was. She is still on the look out for a new nest. I found her making one in my bed this morning, but luckily she had not moved any babies into it.
These puppies get everywhere!
Getting her own back!
Still growing well. Puppies should double their birth weight by 8 days old and Pink, Blue, red, yellow and dark red have already done this.
Ruby still spends most of her time with them but is not quite so worried about leaving them as she was. She is still on the look out for a new nest. I found her making one in my bed this morning, but luckily she had not moved any babies into it.
These puppies get everywhere!
Getting her own back!
Sunday
26 July 2009
Several people have said how surprised they were that the puppies were so dark. They look more like little moles rather than Malinois . Unlike some dogs Malinois change colour quite a lot as they grow.
Here are some pictures of Ruby showing how much she changed in her first year. and it can be 2-3 years before their coat finally stops changing
New born. Very dark.
2 weeks old already much lighter in colour with her mask showing nicely
3 weeks old, not so much of a change in couour but looking much more grown up.
5 weeks old. Still going lighter
3 months old. Here her coat is changing and the black guard hairs are growing through ahead of the other colours. This can make puppies look like they are going to be very dark, but then the other colour hairs grow through and the colour changes again
5 Months. Much more like her adult colour here.
9 months, her colour has lightened again, and the overlay is not as noticeable.
Here are some pictures of Ruby showing how much she changed in her first year. and it can be 2-3 years before their coat finally stops changing
New born. Very dark.
2 weeks old already much lighter in colour with her mask showing nicely
3 weeks old, not so much of a change in couour but looking much more grown up.
5 weeks old. Still going lighter
3 months old. Here her coat is changing and the black guard hairs are growing through ahead of the other colours. This can make puppies look like they are going to be very dark, but then the other colour hairs grow through and the colour changes again
5 Months. Much more like her adult colour here.
9 months, her colour has lightened again, and the overlay is not as noticeable.
Saturday
25 July 2009
Puppies day 4
The puppies are still being weighed daily and will be until they are too big for the scales. Once again they have all gained weight, some more than others. The biggest puppy is still the dark red girl, with turquoise boy just behind. Orange boy is the smallest pup at the moment, but the smallest one born was light red girl and she is now ahead of several of the others. They should double their birth weight by day 8 and they are all well on the way to doing that.
I left Ruby in the garden when I weighed the pups and changed their bedding. She was quite happy out in the sunshine but when I came to let her back in it was obvious she had put her time outside to good use.
She had excavated another den under one of my bushes and was obviously trying it for size. The wire fence is supposed to keep the dogs off the plants, but Ruby treats the flower beds as her own personal space.
The puppies are still being weighed daily and will be until they are too big for the scales. Once again they have all gained weight, some more than others. The biggest puppy is still the dark red girl, with turquoise boy just behind. Orange boy is the smallest pup at the moment, but the smallest one born was light red girl and she is now ahead of several of the others. They should double their birth weight by day 8 and they are all well on the way to doing that.
I left Ruby in the garden when I weighed the pups and changed their bedding. She was quite happy out in the sunshine but when I came to let her back in it was obvious she had put her time outside to good use.
She had excavated another den under one of my bushes and was obviously trying it for size. The wire fence is supposed to keep the dogs off the plants, but Ruby treats the flower beds as her own personal space.
Friday
24/07/09
Puppies Day 3
Yellow girl
Dark Red Girl
Pink Girl
Red Girl
Blue Boy
Green Boy
Purple Boy
Turquoise Boy
Orange Boy
Yellow girl
Dark Red Girl
Pink Girl
Red Girl
Blue Boy
Green Boy
Purple Boy
Turquoise Boy
Orange Boy
Thursday
21 July 2009
Puppies Day 2
We weighed all the puppies today and put collars on them so we can keep track of their weight gain.
It was a little bit complicated to work out which pup was which as I hadn't put collars on them from the word go, just noted down their weight and distinguishing features. They have all put on weight, The smallest born , red collar,a bitch has put on 70 grams. The biggest born was the last dog pup and he has also put on 70 grams. He is quite noticeable as he is slightly lighter than the others and he has a white toe like his great uncle BJ.
In the picture red girl is determined to suckle upside down. She doesn't look very comfortable at all. Ruby has a sore nose as when I let her in the garden earlier she jumped over the fence and started frantically digging in one of her nests. I am sure she would like to move them outside still, but she will need to get through two babygates and the bedroom door so hopefully that will stop her!
We weighed all the puppies today and put collars on them so we can keep track of their weight gain.
It was a little bit complicated to work out which pup was which as I hadn't put collars on them from the word go, just noted down their weight and distinguishing features. They have all put on weight, The smallest born , red collar,a bitch has put on 70 grams. The biggest born was the last dog pup and he has also put on 70 grams. He is quite noticeable as he is slightly lighter than the others and he has a white toe like his great uncle BJ.
In the picture red girl is determined to suckle upside down. She doesn't look very comfortable at all. Ruby has a sore nose as when I let her in the garden earlier she jumped over the fence and started frantically digging in one of her nests. I am sure she would like to move them outside still, but she will need to get through two babygates and the bedroom door so hopefully that will stop her!
Wednesday
22 July 2009
Puppies Day 1
Ruby is being an excellent mother. She does not like to leave the pups at all, I really have to insist she goes into the garden, and as soon as she has finished she dashes straight back upstairs to her babies.
I even have to feed her and give her water while she stays in the box as she won't leave them to eat.
I weighed some of the puppies this morning and they have all put on an ounce or two, It is much harder to identify the puppies this time as there are so many of them, I will have a go at putting coloured collars on them tomorrow .
The first picture shows Ruby last night once it was all over.
next, washing the big dog pup. He was the last
dog born and is a bit lighter than the others and has a very defined mask.
I didn't sleep much last night. I was woken quite frequently by puppies squealing, looking for mum having wandered away. It obviously worried Ruby but she couldn't do anything about it as she would disturb the others so I gathered up the stray each time and put it back with mum. It is amazing how mobile they all are, and very determined to burrow in to find a teat.
Ruby is being an excellent mother. She does not like to leave the pups at all, I really have to insist she goes into the garden, and as soon as she has finished she dashes straight back upstairs to her babies.
I even have to feed her and give her water while she stays in the box as she won't leave them to eat.
I weighed some of the puppies this morning and they have all put on an ounce or two, It is much harder to identify the puppies this time as there are so many of them, I will have a go at putting coloured collars on them tomorrow .
The first picture shows Ruby last night once it was all over.
next, washing the big dog pup. He was the lastdog born and is a bit lighter than the others and has a very defined mask.
I didn't sleep much last night. I was woken quite frequently by puppies squealing, looking for mum having wandered away. It obviously worried Ruby but she couldn't do anything about it as she would disturb the others so I gathered up the stray each time and put it back with mum. It is amazing how mobile they all are, and very determined to burrow in to find a teat.
Tuesday
21 July 2009
WE HAVE PUPPIES.
Ruby had a restless night She flatly refused to go into the whelping box. She wanted a dark cave to hide in so I put up the soft crate, and once she found that I had blocked up the compost heap again she did consent to using the crate. She woke up several times to go out in the night and looked longingly at her den in the garden but I insisted she come back inside.
I was worried she would refuse to have the puppies in the house but eventually at 5:20 produced her first puppy, a dog, then 30 minutes later a bitch. she proceeded to have a pup every 30 minutes or so until she had 6 and then had a break for nearly 3 hours, during which time I moved the crate and transferred the puppies to the whelping box. It was getting rather too crowded in the crate.
Ruby seemed to be fairly settled and I wondered if the scan was wrong and she was only having 6 pups. After a couple of hours I decided to take Saffy and Dasiy for a walk as they were getting rather bored, so I left Robin in charge of Ruby and went out in the rain. I had only just got up the road when Robin called to say she had had another puppy.
All was quiet for another couple of hours, then out popped another dog pup. That was eight so I presumed she had finished. Then the plumber arrived to fix the radiator that had decided to start leaking, and once he had gone I went back to Ruby. She was standing up looking at the pups. I thought one looked rather damp so did a head count and found we now had 9. Ruby had produced another girl. the final (?) count is 9 puppies, 5 dogs and 4 bitches.
Ruby had a restless night She flatly refused to go into the whelping box. She wanted a dark cave to hide in so I put up the soft crate, and once she found that I had blocked up the compost heap again she did consent to using the crate. She woke up several times to go out in the night and looked longingly at her den in the garden but I insisted she come back inside.
I was worried she would refuse to have the puppies in the house but eventually at 5:20 produced her first puppy, a dog, then 30 minutes later a bitch. she proceeded to have a pup every 30 minutes or so until she had 6 and then had a break for nearly 3 hours, during which time I moved the crate and transferred the puppies to the whelping box. It was getting rather too crowded in the crate.
Ruby seemed to be fairly settled and I wondered if the scan was wrong and she was only having 6 pups. After a couple of hours I decided to take Saffy and Dasiy for a walk as they were getting rather bored, so I left Robin in charge of Ruby and went out in the rain. I had only just got up the road when Robin called to say she had had another puppy.
All was quiet for another couple of hours, then out popped another dog pup. That was eight so I presumed she had finished. Then the plumber arrived to fix the radiator that had decided to start leaking, and once he had gone I went back to Ruby. She was standing up looking at the pups. I thought one looked rather damp so did a head count and found we now had 9. Ruby had produced another girl. the final (?) count is 9 puppies, 5 dogs and 4 bitches.
Monday
20 July 2009
Day 61 of Ruby's pregnancy. Her temparature is dropping it has been 37.6 over the weekend but this morning is 37.2. Her stomach seems to have dropped too, it is much lower and her waist is coming back. She has some milk in her teats too. We went for a walk this morning as there is no way she would be left behind. I don't take her as far but she still runs about and chased a squrrel some rabbits and a pigeon. She is obviously still feeling fine.
I have blocked off her nest in the garden as she seemed determined to stay out there the other night, but this morning I noticed she has dug another pit behind one of he big conifers.
Sunday
Saturday
11 July 2009
Ruby is now 7.5 weeks pregnant and getting bigger. We haven't been to any shows recently as she is obviously not doing agility at the moment, although she still jumps the fence in the garden when ever she wants. If I get the weaves out for Saffy she will do those too but more slowly than normal and will jump too so I make sure she is inside before I do any training. 
I am still doing some training with her but we are doing tricks that she can do from a stationary position and don't ask for anything active. She still chases rabbits and squirrels while we are on walks though.
Ruby is really hungry now and is eating much more than normal. When she feels a bit peckish she comes up to me and woofs and then leads me to the cupboard where I keep the food. She used to do this when she wanted to play but these days she mostly asks for food.
She still has her stick obsession though and found a lovely one on the golf course this morning. I let her play with it for a while but was very mean and wouldn't help her get it home. I eventually had to put her on the lead to get her to leave it there as she was determined to try to bring it with her.
What do the other dogs do while Ruby is playing with her stick? Well Casey rolls around in the dew, and Darcy stands about under the trees staring up into them to see if she can see any squirrels. She usually keeps up with us but sometimes she gets stuck under a tree watching for squirrels and we have to go back and find her. She goes completely deaf when she finds one. Ruby is starting to understand the question "where's Darcy?" and now helps me find her.
I am still doing some training with her but we are doing tricks that she can do from a stationary position and don't ask for anything active. She still chases rabbits and squirrels while we are on walks though.
Ruby is really hungry now and is eating much more than normal. When she feels a bit peckish she comes up to me and woofs and then leads me to the cupboard where I keep the food. She used to do this when she wanted to play but these days she mostly asks for food.
She still has her stick obsession though and found a lovely one on the golf course this morning. I let her play with it for a while but was very mean and wouldn't help her get it home. I eventually had to put her on the lead to get her to leave it there as she was determined to try to bring it with her.
What do the other dogs do while Ruby is playing with her stick? Well Casey rolls around in the dew, and Darcy stands about under the trees staring up into them to see if she can see any squirrels. She usually keeps up with us but sometimes she gets stuck under a tree watching for squirrels and we have to go back and find her. She goes completely deaf when she finds one. Ruby is starting to understand the question "where's Darcy?" and now helps me find her.
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