Grooming supplies

Last week, I posted info about the book on Doodle grooming From Scruffy to Lovely. If any of you are interested in trying to do your own grooming, here is some info on what kind of equipment you will need.

The primary required tool is the clipper, which is the most expensive piece of equipment. Andis, Oster, and WAHL are the most common brands, and each seems to sell good quality equipment. Full price on a clipper will run you $150 to $200, but you can often find deals on-line that will reduce that by as much as half.

There are many different clippes available: corded, cordless, heavy duty, for small animals or large ones, with a case or just the clipper, and so on. Things to consider when choosing a blade include:

• Noise level: Some clippers are advertised as extra quiet. Since your dog might shy away from the noise a clipper makes, it may be worth looking for a super-quiet model.
• Heat: The clipper engine produces heat as you use it. Some have special features that help to reduce heat build-up. Keeping it well-oiled and functioning also helps to prevent dangerous heat build-up. Most clippers have automatic controls that will shut the clipper off if it gets too hot, but heat can still build up that may be uncomfortable for your dog. Look for a clipper with good heat-control functions.
• Motor power: There are varieties of blade drives, with different torque and power levels. If you're like me, this isn't that meaningful. For a professional groomer I'm sure this worth paying attention to, but I figure most clippers out there will be sufficient for home grooming.
• Detachable blades: These are must. Don't get a clipper where you can't exchange the blades or you'll be stuck with whatever clip length the blade gives you.
• Blade compatibility: You want to make sure that the clipper will work with the other blades you buy (and vice versa). The info on clipper will indicate that it's compatible with X and Y type of blades (such as ultraedge and ceramic).
• Corded vs cordless: This is more a matter of preference. We have a corded clipper and it works fine. If you prefer the cordless, so you're stuck to clipping close to an electrical outlet, that's fine too - you'll just have to make sure to charge the battery before you use it!

The clipper will most likely come with a single blade - usually for a very short cut (more of a shave than a cut). You will want to get one or two other blades so you can clip the hair to a more suitable length - as in not pretty much bald. We purchased the #3 and #3FC blades, which let you cut to 1/2" length - still short, but not naked. The "regular" #3 blade gives a "rough" cut, that is good for a first go-over to get through mats and tangles. The "FC" stands for "finish cut" and is what you'll use for a second go-over to get a cleaner, more tidy look. (Of  course, you can stick with just the regular blade if you like the scruffy look!)

Things to consider when purchasing blades include:

• Compatibility: As noted above, make sure the blades you're buying will fit on the clipper you've purchased.
• Blade type: The main types of blades I've seen are UltraEdge, CeramicEdge, and ShowEdge. UltraEdge are chrome plated high-carbon steel for a razor-sharp edge. Ceramic ones have a ceramic-coated high-carbon steel. The ceramic coating them to stay cooler longer, so help to prevent clip burns, while maintaining a super-sharp cutting edge. The ShowEdge blade (designated "SE" after the clipper size number, eg: #7SE) is a chrome-plated, carbon steel-edged blade designed to give the smoothest finish possible on a dog's coat. All are high quality and keep a good edge.
• Blade length: The blade that ships with a clipper kit is usually a #10, which is 1/16" long - pretty short!! The bigger the number, the shorter the cut. A #7 blade is 1/8", a #5 is 1/4", a #4 blade is 3/8", a #3¾ blade is 1/2", (and a #30 blade is 1/50"!). (Note that the ShowEdge blade seems to cut a bit shorter - the #7SE says it cuts to 3/32", which is 1/32 less than 1/8".) We use the #3¾ blade. The half-inch cut is short enough to keep away mats, but still long enough to give a bit of insulation and good looks.
• Blade style: Is it skip-tooth or finish cut? If there are no letters after the number, it's likely skip-tooth. Finish cut blades will indicate "FC" after the number (eg: #3FC). You will likely want one of each in the same blade length - the skip-tooth to do a first, rough clip, and the finish cut to give a nice, smooth, finished look to your dog's coat.

Blades will cost you between $25 and $70 each, depending on quality and whether you can get them on sale.

The clipper also comes with a variety of plastic combs that are supposed to snap on to help with combing out the hair, or to extend the length of the cut without needing a separate blade. In other words, if you use a 1/2" comb with the 1/2" blade, your final cut will be 1" long. Frankly, we've never used them, but that's more because I have yet to figure out how to get them to snap on than for any other reason.

A final necessity will be some cleaning oil. I believe the kit comes with a small tube, but you might want to get a small container as well. The blades should be oiled lightly before every cut, then wiped with a soft dry cloth to remove oil from the exterior surface. Spray lubricants are fine for cooling a blade if it gets too hot, but deliver insufficient oil for sufficient lubrication of the working mechanism. Blades should also be properly cleaned after use to ensure they stay clean and work well for many years.

For the clipper, two blades, and some cleaning oil, if you manage to get them all on sale the total cost will come to about $200-$250 including tax. If you only have one dog, that's equivalent to a bit less than one year's worth of grooming costs (depending on how often you get your dog groomed.) With two dogs, you'll recoup your investment within six months. Or you can get a professional groom every six months and use your clippers for touch-ups in between.

As for sources, you can buy the basic clipper sets at many pet stores - I've seen them at PetSmart. The stores may not carry as wide a selection of extra blades, however, so you might end up getting those on-line anyhow.

If you want to order everything on-line, Amazon.ca is a good source, or you can buy from stores like PetSmart, Walmart, or Canadian Tire. There are also sites dedicated to pet supplies. One such site is Ren's Pets, which is a Canadian site for a store with retail locations in the Toronto-Waterloo area. Another is GroomerStore.com, which is based in Arizona so prices are in US$. Both stores have a wide selection of grooming supplies as well as other pet supplies. Or you can order directly from the manufacturer: Andis, Oster, or WAHL (links to Canadian sites).

Happy grooming!

Book on Doodle grooming

I recently received an e-mail (actually a few e-mails) from someone who has written a book on how to groom your Doodle. The book is called From Scruffy to Lovely, and is written and sold by a Doodle-owner from the Netherlands (which has a good-sized Doodle community - one of our own pups went there as a breeder almost four years ago!)

I haven't checked out the book myself yet - because it hasn't been published yet! - but here is a bit of info from their website (slightly edited):

***********************

Have you ever thought about learning

to groom your own Doodle professionally?

It's the perfect way to relax, spend quality time with your Doodle and improve your relationship.

On top of that you save a lot of money on grooming costs, you get to be creative and most of all: you get to decide how you want your Doodle to look, keep it groomed the way you love (and fell in love with when you first saw it) AND you take the responsibility for the well being of your Doodle in to your own hands.

Learning how to do it professionally is a party! After starting my grooming workshop business for Doodle owners in the Netherlands three years ago, I received so many enthusiastic reactions from the Doodle and Waterdog community worldwide that I decided to take my business online, teaching Doodle and Poodle mix owners all over the world how to groom their Doodle themselves, in a natural fluffy way.

Happy grooming!

Love, Wanda & Joy

***************************

The website is www.fromscruffytolovely.com. It indicates that the book is expected to come out in December 2014 / January 2015, so right now they're looking for pre-orders, but they do offer a free e-preview you can download for a taste of what's in the book. I've downloaded the preview and hope to post a review of the preview soon. The cost is $45.00 (likely US$ since it's a Dutch website) and they offer free shipping world-wide, which is probably worth about $10 for shipping to Canada.

The website also has a blog component (which, when I checked, seemed to have only 2 posts, but I'm sure more will come).

At our home, we started grooming our own Doodles about a year ago. I found paying $70 per dog for two dogs every three months or so to be a bit much, so (with some advice from Galena's dad, Martin, who has been grooming Galena and Frisou themselves for some time) I purchased the clippers off Amazon.

It's actually my kids who are doing the grooming, because "she's my dog, Mommy!" and they tell me I can't do a good job, though I've never even really tried because they always seize the clippers out of my hands every time I get them out! The kids tend to do the job in "bits and pieces" - do the clipping one day, and the brushing to remove mats a few days later. And I do have to admit that the result is not as professional-looking as when the actual professionals do it, but it's pretty good, and frankly I find that, if the dog is quite matted, the "pros' often just shave the dog down and don't spend the time to take out mats so as to leave the coat a bit longer,. So all in all I'm satisfied with what the kids do. (Even if I sometimes have to get out the matting tool and do a bit extra work myself once they say they're done, just to get the coat to a point I consider "finished.") I pay them $15-$20 per dog, which is pocket money for them and a lot cheaper than $70 per dog to the pros!

So I' might end up buying a copy of the book to consult and see if they have tips and tricks to suggest to make the job easier and even better-looking. (If I can get the kids to read it, mind...)

Fall news: The vagaries of timing

Those of you following our website and blog over the past year may remember that we have been planning to have a winter/early spring litter, likely from Topaz, followed by a late spring/early summer litter from either Phoenix or possibly Galena.

 

We generally find spring/early summer puppies to be the easiest to place in homes. It’s generally the fall/early winter puppies that take longer to place and can end up staying with us longer than we’d like. Of course, there are other variables too, like the general economic outlook, amount of advertising we do, and so on. But that reality was behind our planning for the upcoming year.

 

Well, dogs being living creatures that don’t always behave as planned (whether purposefully or inadvertently), those plans have changed. We follow the heat cycles of our dams so we can predict roughly when they will be ready for breeding and plan the litters around the rest of our lives (or, sometimes, the rest of our lives around the litters…).

 

Topaz had been on a seven-month cycle so we were expecting her to go into heat in October, with pups born in December and ready for homes in February. While February is still winter, spring is on the horizon and by the end of the month the weather is starting to get a bit nicer, so we figured that would be good timing. As it turned out, however, Topaz came into heat in September, which would have advanced everything by one month. Given this, we decided to skip the fall mating – not so much because sending pups home in January would be difficult, but more because we have a heavy November schedule and I couldn’t see fitting November puppies into the rest of our lives – despite the fact that for the first few weeks it’s the mama who does 90% of the puppy care.

 

Phoenix was expected to come into heat after about 6½ months., in late July or early August, and then next February, so we were planning to use her next spring for the late spring/early summer litter. Instead she waited eight months and had her fall heat in September! This puts our spring prediction into question – could be March, could be May. We’ll see.

 

As for Galena, we had expected her to come into heat this past September and then next April. But instead she was a bit early, with an August heat cycle.

 

So what does this mean for spring? The current expectation is for Galena to cycle first, in February-March. Topaz could be next, sometime in March. Phoenix, depending on whether she reverts to a 6½ month cycle or sticks to 8 months, could be anywhere between mid-March and mid-May.

 

Given our plans for a major summer holiday next year beginning in late July, we need to plan to be puppy-free in advance of our departure. That means pups need to be born no later than mid-May, which in turn means breeding needs to take place no later than mid-March.

 

So which dogs will be the ones to have litters in spring? It could be any of the three, but here’s our best guess. We’re hopeful Galena will cycle first, by late February. We have a lovely black phantom stud picked out for her, which would produce pups in black and chocolate, solid or phantom. These pups would, if all goes as hoped, be born mid- to late April and ready for homes before the end of June.

 

The second spring litter is more iffy. It really depends on which dog cycles next – and whether either Phoenix or Topaz cycle no later than mid-March. We’re hoping it’s Topaz, but Phoenix is also a possibility. If it’s Topaz, we plan to breed her to a red parti male, giving us pups in shades of cream to red, either solid or parti. If it’s Phoenix, I’m not yet sure which male we’d use, but the preference would be a black or chocolate phantom to advance our ability to produce more phantom pups in the future. With this timing we would have some overlap of litters, which will make it a busy (crazy?) place through late May and June, but hopefully also fun!

Of course, there is also the possibility that both Topaz and Phoenix will cycle later, in which case we’d forego the second spring litter and aim for a winter litter instead.

 

So, best to continue to watch this space and our website for more updates as the winter progresses. Specific news is likely to start coming in February, as we see whether our current predictions pan out. As usual, if you’re interested in one of our pups, please contact us at roma@dragonramdoodles.com to express your interest and get on the reserved list! (We've already got a couple of pups on reserve, so best not to wait to get a better selection of pups.)

Upcoming Doodle Romps

October review

Thanks to brave dogs and humans who made it out to our October Doodle Romp. It was a rainy Saturday afternoon, but the skies cleared just minutes before our appointed time and we enjoyed a lovely hour-long walk through the forest and fields (aka parking lots) – all four dogs and seven people.

 

November Romp

Next up: Sunday 23 November from at 3:00, meeting as usual at DragonRam HQ. The forecast for Sunday is looking pretty decent: high of 9 above, 40% chance of rain (so more likely than not there won’t be rain, especially not between 3 and 4, right?). So far we have seven dogs confirmed (in addition to our two) and their associated humans, so it promises to be a good crowd. (Were eight confirmed, but one had to bow-wow out.)

 

If you haven’t already, please rsvp to roma@dragonramdoodles.com, so we know how many canines and humanoids to expect. (But if you haven’t rsvp’d, feel free to come down anyhow!)

 

Christmas Romp - New Indoor Event!

The December Romp will be a new experiment for us. We have arranged to rent the premises of the Ottawa Canine School at 425 St Laurent Boulevard, on Sunday 21 December from 3:00 – 5:00, for a Christmas social for dogs and people alike. We will provide snacks and non-alcoholic beverages for both species, and there might even be some games and prizes. You’re welcome to drop in any time during the rental period and stay for conversation and canine challenges.

 

(Note: Owners must accompany their dogs. This is not a doggy-sitting event while you fetch those last-minute Christmas presents!)

All gone!

We are pleased to report that all our pups have now gone to their forever families!

Red Boy, Rococo, joined his cousin Hershey (from Galena's January 2013 litter), along with a human brother and parents. He went home Saturday morning, after our Doodle Romp. Hershey and family came to the Romp and were really taken with this active, friendly little guy. We are pleased he has gone to a home where he can share fun and games with brothers both canine and human!

Our black-and-white parti girl, Harmony, has gone to live with a couple in Hintonburg. She has a comfortable home with a tiny back yard that sh shares with people with big hearts. She will be well loved and looked after, and we look forward to seeing her on many a future Romp!

We now have a puppy-less house, for the first time in 11 months! Though three of those months we just had Ophelia Angel, the last little girl from Galena's fall litter who didn't find her family until May, so it wasn't as though we were swamped with pups. Still, it will be nice to have a few months' break. We'll be focusing on our two adult dogs, summer holidays, and seeing my daughter settle into Canterbury High School in fall.

Our next litters will likely arrive sometime in December. The first to arrive will most likely be a second litter from Topaz, coming perhaps mid-December. These pups will be ready to go home around mid-February - and we hope we will have families waiting for them then! If all goes well, we'll have a couple months off and then welcome a second litter from Phoenix, likely early to mid-May - though if the timing of her heat makes it look like the pups wouldn't arrive until the end of May we will have to skip this second litter for now, as we are planning a long summer vacation abroad in 2015 and need pups to go home by mid-July.

Over the next months this blog will be fairly quiet, but I will post announcements of upcoming Doodle Romps and hope to post general info about dogs, puppies, care and training, etc. etc. Plus photo updates of our pups!

Stay tuned!

Still available ...

Red Boy
Hi! I'm looking for a family I can adopt for my very own. Do you love to play tag or ball? I do! I really love to run and play hard. I'm brave too - not much can scare me, or if it does, I just go right over and show it I don't stay scared for long! I love to go on adventures and explore new places. Making friends is easy for me! The world is an amazing place, don't you think? If you can relate to that, I'd love to share the world with you.  

  Black Boy 

Hey there! I'm a pretty thoughtful, observant fellow. My brother, Red, goes crazy pretty quick, but me, I like to watch and figure things out before I run into the fray. Don't get me wrong - I love to play! But I'm not noisy and boisterous about it. I'm just as happy having a warm cuddly snuggle. I'm a pretty quiet dood. I'd love to adopt a family that's on the quiet side, too - active but not rowdy, energetic but not wild, if you know what I mean. If that sounds like you, gimme a call, how 'bout?

We hope to see you soon!

Gold boy going home soon!

Gold boy is an energetic, self-confident and people-focused pup who learns fast and is very resilient. He plays hard, gets a bit silly and then flops down for a nap - if possible, close to (or on!) his people so he can be in contact with you. He has a culry fleece coat with floppy ears and a brownish nose.

Goodbye to Piccolo!

Gota love that face!

This cutie (we call him Piccolo) received the following temperament description for the evaluators.

CAUTIOUS, ATTENTIVE, SILLY

Piccolo is a mellow, non-confrontational pup. He is apprehensive in new situations and will look to a human for guidance. He is a people pleaser and will bond very closely to his owner(s). When frustrated or challenged, Piccolo will bark and play posture. Piccolo uses his mouth to investigate and should be provided with many chew items. He is a resilient pup who enjoys playing with humans or other dogs.

Gold boy will be going to his forever home next Sunday, July 13. He will have a mom and dad who are home all day (being retired), and get lots of visits from kids & grandkids! He gets to live on a large suburban property with lots of outdoor space to explore. Lucky guy!

Red girl has a home

This sweet, playful little girl has a very soft fleece coat with gentle waves to suit her personality. She is patient and forgiving and will do almost anything for a pat and a good word from her people. She will be around 18-22 lbs at maturity - similar to her mama in size. Her lovely red coat may lighten with time but it will remain soft as a cloud!

 This is how the temperament evaluators describe her (we call her Caprice):

RESILIANT, SENSITIVE, ADVENTURER

Caprice is a balanced pup with a sensitive, sweet demeanour and a great desire to explore. She is very food motivated and uses her nose to investigate new places and people. She is non-confrontational and will flee in the face of danger. She will become playful and excitable when with others dogs. Sheenjoys her freedom and independence, but can be affection and social with people.

Caprice went home yesterday to a family in Toronto with one 8-year-old daughter. We know she will be well-loved!

Red boy: You can't resist me!

Our impish red boy is waiting for a family that loves to play! He is an active little dood, very adventurous and inquisitive, who is keen to explore his surroundings. he is not necessarily the cuddling type, but does love to play with his people. He'll do ball, chase, tug - you name it. Red boy has a curly wool coat and is expected to mature to about 15" at the shoulder and 22-25 lbs.

8 weeks old

3 weeks old!

 Here is his temperament description, based on the evaluation done a week ago. (We call him Rococo, which was a muscial style of the mid 18th century characterized by ornamentation and light, fancy themes).

SILLY, SOCIAL, EXPLORER

Rococo is a lively and entertaining puppy. He can be playful and clown-like at times. Rococo loves to follow a human on an adventure and will investigate anything with encouragement to be brave. He is food motivated and uses his nose to explore. His high propensity for adventure can make him act independently and be easily distracted by environmental stimuli at times. Rococo does not like to be restrained so this area will require work. He gets easily frustrated when he is unable to access something he wants. Overall, Rococo is an animated and interactive puppy.

 Rococo will do great in a family with active playful kids or grownups who love to take their dog with them on outdoor adventures or play hard indoors. He is a fast learner who is attentive to people and has a lot of self-confidence. He isn't keen on being restrained, but will love it when you pet him as he sits beside you on your lap.

Balck boy: I need a home!

This gorgeous black boy is a real cutie! He has a teensy white spot at the very tip of his tail, small white toe-tips, and a larger white blaze on his chest. This guy has a distinct personality. He is rather more poodle-like in looks (body & face shape) than your average Labradoodle, but his coat is wavy fleece, not wool like the curly Poodle coat.

Here is the description of him from the temperament evaluation done last Monday. (We call him Brio.)

INDEPENDENT, DETERMINED, IMPULSIVE

Brio is an intense and intelligent pup. He is very independent and determined, but can be impulsive and nose-driven. He is non- confrontational and will flee to avoid danger. He is sensitive to environmental changes and is observant of body movement. He is highly food motivated which will be helpful for training. He loves to be held and cuddled by familiar people. He will bond closely to his owner(s) and will make a loyal companion once trust and structure are established.

 I have to say that this is the one pup where I don't quite see the same characteristics in him as the evaluators did, with the exception of the cuddling part. He definitely does LOVE his cuddles, so if you like to have a dog on your lap, this is the one for you. And yes, he is a bit independent but perhaps not quite as impulsive as they say. Anyhow, he does pretty well with solitude so if you are a working family, gone most of the day, he should do well on his own but ready to greet you and get his share of cuddles once you get home.

DragonRam Harmony: Guardian Home needed!

We are still seeking a Guardian Home for our sweet girl, Harmony. She is a lovely black-and-white parti girl. Her spots are very balanced on her white fur, so "Harmony" just seemed to suit her (we used a musical theme for this litter). I don[tusually post the names we give the puppies as people like to choose their own names. Howwever, with our breeding pups, we will continue to use the name we chose, which is their registered name, even if the the family chooses another name (as they often do). We then add the name chosen by the family to the registered name. 

 

This is the description of Harmony from her temperament evaluation done last Monday:

CAUTIOUS, SENSIBLE, SWEET

Harmony is a gentle and thoughtful pup. She is shy with people at first, but warms up quickly and becomes quite social. She seeks familiar humans for safety and security. Once comfortable she is very playful with humans and other dogs. She will enjoy having a “safe place” in her house where she can be alone (such as an open crate). Rushing harmony to socialize, confront or bond would be a mistake and could cause her to flee. She analyzes new people and situations and should be encouraged to be brave, but not rushed. She is highly food motivated which will be excellent for training and desensitization.

To be a Guardian, you need to live within about 30 km of Ottawa and be willing to work with us for several years while we breed this lovely girl. You provide the loving family home and cover ordinary pet costs while we handle all breeding-related appointments, arrangements and cover all those expenses. She normally comes to us to have her puppies and you are always welcome to visit her and the pups during that time. We breed her up to four times, then she is spayed and becomes your forever family pet. Because you are working with us, you pay nothing for her; your "costs" is the willingness to make her available to us and commit to working with us during her breeding career.

If this type of arrangement might interest you, please contact me at roma@dragonramdoodles.com or 613-552-3066.

Topaz puppies: 8 weeks old and ready to go!

Well, the big day has come - the pups are now 8 weekd old and ready to head to their new homes!

The temperament evaluations took place on Monday. Once again this was a very interesting experience. With Phoenix's March litter each dog reacted completely differently to the experience. This time, the differences among the puppies was more muted - there were definitely differences, but they were more subtle and not so absolutely obvious as with Phoenix's pups. I will post the results over the next couple of days.

Then on Wednesday the pups went for spay/neuter surgery. Poor little red girl was very sore and subdued all evening, and the boys were quieter too. But by yesterday they were pretty lively again, and this morning you would never guess that they had undergone surgery a mere two days ago!

This afternoon the first family comes to select their puppy. The second family will make their selection on Saturday July 5. Those are the only two pups definitely spoken for at this point. I keep getting inquiries about the others, but nothing firm yet.

And I am still in need of a Guardian for little Harmony, our beautiful black-and-white girl. Several people have expressed interest but not followed through for a variety of reasons.

HOT DAY!!!!

WE ARE HOT PUPS!!

HOT,SUN,NEED WATER!!!!!!!

☀#HOT☀#HOT☀#HOT☀#HOT



where's the swimming pool!!!!!!!!!!!!!



let it snow, let it snow it's to hot!!!!!!!! 



Topaz puppies: 7 week update

So Topaz's puppies turned seven weeks old on thursday. They are defiitely young dogs now - walking, running, playing, and we are even getting a few mini-barks out of them from time to time, in addition to the puppy squeaks and whimpers. They are pretty close to weaned - they still like to suckle, but mama is not keen as they have sharp teeth and are little monsters. She lets them suckle for about a minute (or less) and then starts to growl and try to get away. They are mostly eating solid food now, and drinking water.

We took them to the vet on Tuesday for their first vaccinations and check-up. All passed well - no major issues. Two pups have very slight underbites which shouldn't be an issue with a pet puppy. And one boy just has one testicle so far, but hopefully that will resolve itself in the next couple weeks.

We have decided to release the red female as a pet puppy ovin to her slight underbite. It's not major, but we have had bite issues with some of our pups before and so we want to really try to eiliminate bite issues from our breeding stock so as to avoid any bit issues with future pups. It's a long-term project, and sometimes we might keep pups with minor underbites if they have other attributes that we want in our progra, but for the most part we will be avoiding underbites and overbites in the pups we reatin.

That means we still have two puppies available for pets. Can't yet say for sure which ones, as the allocation won't happen until next eekend, but I think it's likely to be t black boy and either the red or gold boy. We shall see.

Watch for more pictures later today or tomorrow. I'm the "text person" on this blog, and my daughter is the photo duru. She is busy with other stuff at the moment (playing cards with her brother!) so she'll post pix later on. And again, if you wnat more regular phot updates, check out our Facebook page that she keeps pretty updated.

Visit to the vet

Today the pups had their first visit to the vet for their check-up and vaccinations. All went well, everyone handled the poking and prodding with aplomb, and we had barely a squeak when they got poked. A treat or two helps to distract them!!

For this first vet visit, besides the first DAP vaccinations, the pups get a thorough check-up. The vet looks at eyes, ears, and teeth, goes over their coat, checks the rear and goes over joints, spine, tail, and abdomen. We prepare a "health check certificate" on which we mark the results of this checkup (normal or abnormal) and make notes of any abnormalities. The vet then signs the certificate. This certificate is provided to the new owners when they pick up their puppy, so they can see the condition the pup was in.

Out of 51 puppies, the most common issue we've found is underbites or base narrow canines - mostly minor, but some more marked. One pup also had a heart murmur that is not uncommon with puppies and she grew out of it by 16 weeks. And we had one male with only one testicle descended. Other than that, we've been lucky to have no real health problems detected in any of the pups.

The pups were also micrchipped on Saturday, so they now have permanent identification that will help reunite them with their families should they ever get lost.

fantastic five pups!

Red girl:
Hmm, what should I do now - chase a fly or go pee?"

Mo & Blac parti girl: "I know you're not my mother - so wo=who are you? Oh, I know! Grandma!"

"So, Grandma doesn't want to play... Maybe I'll just chase my tail instead."

"I got myself up - now how do I get down?!!?"

puppy pictures

Black boy says " I love cloud gazing - look1 there's a bunny up there"

Red girl says: No, it's a squirrel! Let me go get it, quick!"

Black parti girl: "Me first! I'm on it! I'll bet all of you!"

Red girl: "Oh, who cares - I found a better chew toy!"

Gold boy: "Who cares about chew toys! I just want to smell the flowers. "

Red boy: "Who cares about squirrels or flowers?! Lying here is the best thing in the world - pina colada please!"

Black parti girl: "Those squirrels just run too fast! I'm exhausted..."

Topaz puppies: Six weeks old!

Hard to believe, but these little doods are six weeks old! They are growing well, with more and more teeth every day, and very playful and happy little tykes. They are still nursing, but we're starting to notice Topaz is not comfortable while nursing, whining a bit and moving around, and she doesn't let them nurse more than a few minutes at a time, but she is still being a dutiful mama and feeding her babes when they get noisy. They are also eating more an more "solid" food - that is, soaked kibble to make it mushy. But with their teeth being pretty well developed now, in the next week we will begin mixing dry kibble with the mush and soon enough it will be all dry kibble mixed with soft food (but not mush).

Topaz is a great mama from another perspective (great for us!) - she is still cleaning up after her babes very regularly and efficiently, meaning there is little clean up for us to do. This makes our lives a lot easier - not so much poop to deal with and not as much laundry to do with continual washing of pee pads. Not sure what it does for Topaz's diet, but hey, this is normal for mama dogs... though many of our other mamas stop being so diligient by the time the pups are that old. Isn't hat what humans are for, after all - cleaning up after us dogs?

The pups' personalities are starting to be more distinguishable as well. The white-and-black parti girl is very brave and adventurous. The black and white boy is very social and cuddly. The red girl is confident and friendly. The red and gold boys playful and independent.

A couple of them - black boy and red boy - will have quite curly coats, while red girl has a very soft, more wavy coat. As far as size goes, they are fairly similar in size - they are not huge pups, in fact a lot smaller than Phoenix's were at this age, but they're all growing well so there's no concerns in that department. Topaz is on the small side herself, so we fully expect these pups to be in the 20-lb range, give or take 3-4 lbs.

The next 2-3 weeks will mark lots of adventure and change for these wee pups. The near future holds microchipping, a vet appointment, temperament testing, neutering, and then - bye-bye mama and the hopme they've know so far and off to begin a new life with their forever families!

Strawberry Doodle Romp

The next DragonRam Doodle Romp is scheduled to take place on Saturday June 28 at 10:00 am. We're going a morning romp this time, just to see whether it makes for a nice cool time with lots of dogs.

As usual, gather at DragonRam hQ and we will romp through the fields and forest. This is the "Strawberry" romp as I expect the wild strawberries in the nearby field will be ready for the picking.

The kids will have finished school the day before, so this will be the first day of the summer holidays! Hurray!

Please rsvp to roma@dragonramdoodles.com so we know whom to expect.

Topaz puppies: One month old!!

So these little pupsters turned one month old on Sunday! They are starting to get some real teeth by now - the canines are poking out and the incisors are on the verge of emerging too. We have started feeding them puppy kibble, softened with water or broth until they get more teeth, to help supplement the milk they get from Mama and make it easier for her to keep the hungry beasts satisfied.

On Sunday these babes had their first real outdoor experience. We took them to the field and let them run around. As we were taking them there, a worker from the old folks home next door saw my son carrying a big bag and came out to see the pups - she knew what he must be carrying, as she's seen us out there with puppies before! She spent a good 15 minutes playing with the pups and taking some photos.

As usual, some of the pups were a bit more adventurous than others, but all of them didn't have any qualms about this new experiences, enjoying the texture of the grass under their feet and sniffing all the diffierent things around. It was a hot day, so we all ended up napping in the shade for a bit, humans and pups alike.

Topaz puppies - photos

What, it's not Monday still? How did that happen?!?!

Okay, so I'm late again. As usual. But here are the photos of Topaz's pups at 3 weeks of age. Of course, they're now almost 4 weeks old... so I'll try to get even more up-to-date ones up by the weekend.

I do recommend checking out our Facebooks page every so often, as you're more olikely to get updated pix there than here (these days at least) since my daughter makes it her job to post there. (Thank goodness!) (In fact, I have to confess these photos are simply reposts of what she put on Facebook last week. Shh, don't tell anyone!) But for those of you not yet into Facebook (is there any such person out there besides me?), here they are!

DragonRam Pot o' Gold Juniper (Marley)

The last pup from Phoenix's litter did actually go home on the May long weekend, too. In fact the family came Saturday to see him - came again with Uncle Vet an hour or so later - and took him home that very evening. He is to be the special friend of Mikayla, a university student, though will be well-loved by the whole family.

Here is Juniper's temperemant evaluation:

SENSITIVE, CAUTIOUS, SMART
Juniper is a gentle and non-confrontational puppy. He becomes very nervous in new situations and will attempt to remove himself and seek a ‘safe’ place to hide. He will bond strongly to his humans, learn to trust them and look to them for guidance. It will be import an to encourage his confidence and not reward his insecurities. Juniper is excellent at reading body language and will need a soft approach to training. He is intelligent and food motivated making him easily trainable, Juniper will vocalize his emotions, be it excited and happy or uncertain and frustrated. Building his confidence and providing reliable rules and structure will help minimize his emotional extremes. Provide chew articles and encourage chewing as an outlet. Juniper will do well in a family setting as long as he is provided with regular rest periods and spacial respect.

His new name will be Marley. Good luck to you, Marley & Mikayla!

Good-bye Ophelia Angel!

Ophelia Angel, that last puppy from Galena's August 2013 litter, finally found her forever family home over the May long weekend. A wonderful family with 2 kids was looking to get a dog, had been taking care of a friend's Labradoodle and fallen in lvoe with the breed, but didn't think they wanted to handle the more intense needs of a young puppy. The answer? Ophelia, aged 9 months!!

She went home to them this Thursday evening, May 29 - her 9-month-iversary. We wish her a happy and fun-filled life and hope to see her again at our future Doodle Romps. I will miss her most, I think, as she was my bed-warmer and personal toe-licker, but the kids will be happy not to have to pay so much attention to putting shoes away to avoid chewing...

Good-bye Opheilia Angel, we love you! See you soon, we hope!

Topaz puppies - 3 weeks old!

So the puppies turned 3 weeks old on Thursday! It’s quite amazing the changes they go though at this young age. A week ago their eyes and ears were just opening and they still were crawling around like little crocodiles. Now their eyes and ears are fully open, they are toddling on their four legs – and getting etter at it daily! Though the vinyl floor can be challenging when they’re out of the whelping box – and even emitting the odd little high-pitched bark, as opposed to squeaks and squeals.

For up-to-date pix, check out our Facebook page. My daughter posted some photos there a day ot two ago. I’ll aim to get some on this blog on Monday, once my son’t soccer tournmanet is done with and I can focus on puppies again.