We’re excited to announce that our girl, Chilli (KC name: Russbaca Antique Tawny) and our boy Woody (KC name: Tyddynbrooks Lieutenant) have recently had a litter of Golden Retriever puppies born. Both parents are fully health tested with excellent results. They both each have hips scores of 7, perfect elbow scores, clear and up to date BVA eye tests and Gonioscopy grades of 0, and the puppies cannot be affected for GR_PRA1, GR_PRA2, ICT-A and ICT-A2 due to the parents DNA results.
Both parents are the working type Golden Retrievers, they have been easy to train, eager to please and so affectionate, we’re thrilled with how they’ve matured and are excited to see how this litter develops. The pups are expected to be intelligent, affectionate, and energetic. They’ll have their parents dark, soft coats and will be well socialised before leaving us.
Newborn puppies
On the 17th of October, Chilli gave birth to 8 puppies, 4 girls and 4 boys. She has taken to motherhood very well, proving herself to be an attentive, caring mother. The pups are all growing well currently.
At this point in time the only surface the pups are on is the vet fleece, we’ve chosen this as it’s warm, hygienic, and because it gives the pups great traction, helping to protect their joints from excessive slipping and straining which can lead to minor wear and tear on the developing joints.
1 Week old
So far this week we’ve handled them lots, and begun gentle stroking their paw pads to desensitize them to having their paws handled for nail trimming etc.
This little puppy fell asleep while having his nails clipped.
Week 2
Now that the pups are starting to toddle, we’ve introduced a toilet area. So far the pups seem to have a good understanding of where they should be sleeping which is a great start for pups this young.
This week their eyes and ears are starting to open, and so they’re now able to see and hear some things. We’re giving them a few days to adjust to this, and explore their pen with their newly developing senses, then we’ll start introducing new things into the pen everyday. In the meantime we have classical music and sometimes Jazz music quietly playing for about an hour each day.
Week 3
Lots happening this week! Their eyes and ears have properly opened, so they’re now able to see and hear people around their pen now. Weaning has begun, we’ve started them on Natures Menu Puppy and Skinners puppy milk which they’re tucking into really well, so much so that they’ve started to get excited when we tap on the metal feeding bowl. We’ll transition them to soaked kibble over the next week or so, but they’ll have some of the Natures menu puppy as well from time to time.
In addition to weaning we’ve also added in a water bowl for them and introduced new materials/experiences for them most days, including rabbit fur, tennis balls, a big Winnie the Pooh teddy, and they’ve had several face washes with a wet flannel. They’ve also had their first wormer (panacur).
So far the pups have greeted every new thing with confident curiosity, thoroughly exploring it with their mouths and patting it with their paws.
We’ve also had our annual Kennel Club Assured Breeders inspection this week, our whole setup, mum, dad and the pups were examined by the inspector, who was happy with our setup and the dogs level of care.
4 Weeks old
It’s been a busy week for these bundles of fluff! They’ve transitioned onto Eukanuba puppy kibble, soaked in water so it’s soft and easy for them to eat. They’re getting used to the hoover, sometimes they sit up and watch it go past but usually they go back to sleep once they’ve watched it briefly. They’re not bothered by the TV in the slightest, they’ve enjoyed several dramas, nature programs and various farm animal noises and they’ve took it all in their stride. Toilet training is going very well, we’ve only had 1 accident on their bed area this week which is absolutely fantastic for their age! We’ve changed the area slightly, we’ve found that they much prefer to toilet on newspaper than the puppy pee pads so the pen is now split into 3 areas – The vet fleece and puppy beds is the bed area, the newspaper/shredded tissue paper is the toilet area and the washable pee mats separate the two, which is proving very effective at keeping any mess off the bed area.
They’ve also had several visitors these past few days, and everyone has commented on how relaxed and confident the pups are.
Chilli is thoroughly enjoying this stage of their lives, she loves spending time grooming and playing with them.
5 Weeks old
This week the pups have been handled lots as usual, heard lots of interesting sounds via the tv and real life, and have been getting up close and personal with the hoover – a ‘quick hoover’ is no longer possible now that the pups see it a big noisy toy!
Collars have been put on the pups ready for the viewings, boys are Black, Light Blue, Dark Blue, and Green, and the girls are Orange, Red, Yellow, and Pink. All of the girls have been reserved along with Black and Light Blue, leaving just Dark Blue and Green to find suitable homes.
The pups also had their 2nd round of Panacur wormer this week.
The pups had a great time during the viewings, all were confident and happy to interact with adults and children of all ages.
6 Weeks Old
This week the pups have been spending the day in a different pen, a bigger one where they can see more comings and goings and also learn to adjust to a cooler room, though they still spend the night in their original pen. In the new pen they get to see our adult dogs, the cat, delivery drivers and the postman, so lots of new things for them to experience. In particular Woody and the pups 6 month old cousin, Nessie, were thrilled to see the pups, and the pups were happy to meet them as well.
They’ve enjoyed eating a few different foods this week, including Sprats, tripe, apple and banana. We’re firming up the pups kibble this week, so it’s only slightly softened now.
We had our routine on the spot council inspection this week, so the animal welfare officer checked out the pups, mum and dad, the whole setup and was happy with their level of care.
7 Weeks Old
This week the pups have had their vet check, microchip and 1st vaccination at our vet. All pups traveled well in crates in the back of the car with just a little verbal complaint now and then. Once at the vets, pups enjoyed a cuddle from the receptionist and vet tech. They were confident and adapted well to the new situation.
All pups passed their vet checks without any health issues at all. They’ve also had their final session of Panacur Wormer this week.
We’ve been encouraging the pups to sit or stand calmly next to us when asking for fuss, to dissuade jumping up and biting to get attention. We’ve been fussing up or giving treats to puppies that sit nicely or stand calmly next to us since about 4 weeks old, and this was the week that even the exuberant puppies started to show some restraint. Of course, they’re still young puppies so they do still jump up a lot and mouth particularly when excited, but they’re learning that there are other ways to ask for attention.
The pups have been outside this week, so they’ve experienced several different surfaces such as wet piles of leaves, mud, grass, and concrete. They’ve enjoyed their brief jaunts outside during a break in the rain and strong winds we’ve been experiencing
Their food is served to them in individual bowls all the time now, and they’ll eat it completely dry. They’ve eaten in several different places, including in front of 2 running washing machines and in a separate pen where they can’t see the other pups. They’ve spent individual time away from their litter mates running about the office floor and getting lots of fuss from us.
They’ve spent the past week sleeping in 2 groups of 4, to help get them used to being in smaller groups which will help them adjust quicker to being alone in their new homes.
8 Weeks Old!
It’s a sad and exciting week for us here, as it’s now time for these long anticipated puppies to move on to the next stage of their lives. The morning of their collection we let them have a run about outside before bathing, brushing them and clipping their claws for the final time before having a final cuddle.
Russbaca Retrievers 