The Whelping 'Box'

There are many different ideas on what to use as a whelping box. We have found that we like a plastic kiddie pool.  Some of our friends also use this for breeding their large breed dogs.
Why? 
It is very easy to keep clean. 
The puppies can't climb over the sides for quite a few weeks.
It is inexpensive (I got ours for $16.00)
It is light weight and will be easy to store in our barn.

We had Jinx sleeping in the pool for about 2 weeks before the puppies came. We wanted her to be comfortable in there and for it to feel familiar. 

The day after the puppies were born, Jinx was acting stressed out.
This was stressing me out.
She would go downstairs and whine at the puppies but she did not want to get inside the pool with them. 
She also tried to squeeze into small spaces like under the table and under the bed. I was afraid she would try and move the puppies. 

I did some internet research and I paid attention to some of her behaviors and suddenly the light came on! 
Her pool was too exposed. 
Even though we had the pool in a separate room, that was secluded, it wasn't enclosed enough for her. We had been leaving the light on but she wanted it dark. Typically Jinx is crated at night. That is her safe place. So the pool felt too big and exposed to her. 
We also realized that her nesting behavior took fashion in the form of digging out in the back yard. I looked at the place she had been digging and she had basically carved a den out of the hillside.
So I fashioned a sheet over top of the pool to make it feel like a cave.

Problem solved!  
Jinx immediately went in to lay with her pups and care for them. Since then she has settled down into a very good momma. She is attentive and calm. She still likes to come visit us upstairs when they are asleep sometimes. She also enjoys it when we keep her company downstairs by the 'cave'. 
I was really happy to find such a simple solution.
Happy Momma Dog.
Happy puppies.
Happy me! 

The Labradoodles are Here!!

The anticipated arrival of Jinx's first litter is finally over!
The babies have arrived safely.  
Momma Jinx did a great job for her first time.

In hind sight, she probably would have done better without us in the room. Her labor was relatively long and I really thought she was done after four pups. But a few hours later, she wanted to go outside and she birthed a stillborn. I tried a few methods to see if I could revive it, but I couldn't.  It looked perfectly fine, so I don't know if she was overly stressed and waited too long to birth it or what? Sometimes, it just happens. 
Shortly after that pup was born she birthed the last little cream boy. 

That brings our total to 5.

4 boys and 1 little girl.

It's easy to find her because she is the black one. 

Wyat has already dubbed our little chocolate boy 'Brownie'.
We will probably give all of them temporary names soon.
           

They all wiggle and squirm and are amazingly strong.

And vocal!

You wouldn't expect newborns to be so loud!

Jinx is settling into her role as Mom.

She gets a little stressed out, but with the lights out and the door closed, she settles down.

It's hard for her to be separated from the rest of her family though.

She keeps coming up to check on us.

We will be looking for homes for all of the puppies.

Jinx, the dam,  is a purebred Labrador, without papers.

She is a sweet girl with a heart to please her family.

She has been absolutely wonderful with our boys. Although she is very active outside, in the house she calms right down. As long as she can't see a ball! She is a great retriever and could play for hours. 

The sire is a purebred Standard Poodle.

You can find his information and pedigree here.

Yes, this is the same dog! When he got his spring haircut, they discovered that he changed from a chocolate, to a cafe au lait!

It is not unusual for poodles or labradoodles to change colors around this age. His name is Sidney and he is a tall nicely built boy. He had a calm personality when we visited him.

We are hoping that our pups will be good hunters and that someone who takes one home will train their pup for upland game birds.

Jinx did very well on pheasant this past fall. 

Send me a message if you are interested in adopting one of our precious pups!

We are asking $600.00 per puppy and we will begin taking deposits when they reach 2 weeks old.