PpDay 2- We first gave Hallie a very quick bath, we wanted to get all the icky afterbirth off her. Be very mindful of the water temperature and use very gentle soap. I used an unscented, sensitive skin baby wash. I used yarn and marked each puppy.
Yellow- 1st Born- Oliver
Green- 2nd Born- Silas
Blue- 3rd Born- Paisley
Pink- 4th Born- Londyn
Purple- 5th Born- Harlow
When the babies were 3 days old, I took them to have their tails docked and dewclaws removed. You want to have this done before 5 days old. They're still developing and the pain is supposed to be quite diminished at this age. It still broke my heart to do it, but they were all healed up by week 2. Make sure and leave mommy at home, again I only lived 5 minutes from the vet. Make this trip as quick as possible because mommy is sure to be panicking.
1 week old Harlow
2 week old Oliver on the bottom & Silas on the top
Around week 3 Hallie started losing interest in her babies and returned to mischievous behavior. She destroyed the leg of a chair that was in her whelping room. She wouldn't lay down to feed the pups, I had to lay her down and sit beside her to keep her laying down for them to feed. I would highly recommend having some milk replacement on hand from your local vet just in case your mommy dog acts similar.
Around 4 weeks you can start transitioning the pups to soft food.When making the transition to solid food, a high-quality dry puppy dog food can be soaked with warm water and milk replacement from your vet and blended to a mush.
The issues with Hallie continued she would eat all the pups food, and leave hers. I began making her her own serving of soft food but she would still eat all the food and growl at the pups if they got close to the food. I spent as much time at home as possible just to keep a watchful eye. Plus who doesn't love puppies. Believe me, it was torture ;)
Taking the pups for their first shots. Puppies have to get 3 sets of boosters.
By this point their personalities were in full bloom, We let them roam the living room, and have plenty of room to play. We also started crate training, for only 5-10 minutes based on their behaviors. They were all together and so small they didn't really notice at this point.
The pups are completely comfortable in their crates. I often find them in there with the doors open taking naps. For more information on gradual crate training, please comment below.
Silas
Oliver
Paisley
London/Londyn (Renamed Haddie by adoptive doggy parents)
Harlow (Renamed Harlie by adoptive doggy parents)
Paisley & Haddie went to their homes on the same day, Harlie's adoptive family lives in Texas so they planned a trip to visit family and drive home.
Playing outside
Unfortunately at this point in time, 6-8 weeks, Hallie was snapping at the puppies and Tucker alike. When I shared this information at school (in front of the previous owner) it was then I found out that Hallie had attacked the previous owner's new puppy, resulting in almost losing an ear and a surgery. As much as this should have scared me for the safety of the other dogs it more so pulled at my heart strings. This poor girl just wants to be heard, loved, and a "leader of the pack".
After about another month of trying to show her lots of love & individual time with us it was clear no amount of attention would help. We hoped that creating a very clear "pack order" would ease her need to be heard. Allowing light growls & teeth baring but not snaps. So on and so forth. Nothing seemed to help and she ended up spending more and more time alone to keep her from attacking the other dogs. After some time it was clear Hallie would do best in a home where she can be a single dog. We moved her to my parents house. She has been there since and is doing great.
It is still really hard for me at times, because it feels like I just used her for puppies and tossed her out like the last family did. I still pay for her health care, just because it makes me feel good to contribute. My parents did me a big favor in taking her in, I know she is in a good home, receiving lots of love. She still creates issues like destructive behavior and going potty in the house. Not every animal can be exactly what you want them to be. With her age, 3, she had become used to being to center of attention, and sharing that attention is very hard for her. My dad had recently lost his little fur companion Kia, so he has adopted Hallie as his own and that creates a big relief for me.
In order to find the best home for an animal it may take trial and error. I feel guilty about the whole situation to this day. I just wanted to take her in and have everything work perfectly and get to know her so well that all her problems would go away but it just wasn't possible and it was best to take her out of a situation that she didn't like.
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