Puppy Questions

Since posting the pictures of the "reindeer", I have received a number
of posts to my blog inquiring about them. Not only do I not allow posts
to this blog, but the sender's e-mail is not included when the comments
are forwarded to me. If you want to contact me about these puppies or
a future litter, there is a contact link on the right of this page that says:
"contact Cheryl". As with most PWD breeders, I place each puppy in the
home that I feel is most suitable and don't accept deposits on a specific
puppy because of its markings. There are so many more important
considerations in placing a puppy than the color of its coat.

I try to keep puppies in the greater Washington D.C. area and only make
exceptions if the puppy is going to a dedicated show home or the buyer
already has one of my dogs and has had the nerve to move away from the
area! I do a lot of owner mentoring and I like to see my dogs after they are
placed. If folks are more than 100 miles from me, the likelihood of my seeing
the dogs and being able to maintain good follow up on them is nil. Since
knowing the long term results is key to improving one's breeding program,
I discourage distant buyers and try to refer them to breeders closer to their
homes.
The best resource for finding a puppy is to go to the puppy listing
at www.pwdca.com All puppies listed on that site are bred by people who
have signed a six page agreement with the parent club guaranteeing that
they will do all appropriate health testing on the breeding pair and stand
behind their animals if there is a problem for the life of the dog. There are
many fine breeders who do not use the puppy listing as well. If the puppy
is not on the breeders' list, a buyer should expect to see original documents
confirming the health testing on the parents before purchasing from the
breeder. There are some people who breed just for the money and don't
care about the dogs they produce. Fortunately, the majority of the PWD
breeders are careful and conscientious. Ask the breeder to provide you
with references and then call them.

ON DANCER!

ON DASHER!

ON PRANCER!

AND VIXEN!

NOW COMET!

NOW CUPID!

NOW DONNER!

AND BLITZEN!

The Reindeer have arrived!

Eight beautiful puppies arrived on Christmas night.
There are 4 girls and 4 boys. One puppy, the first
born, is snow white with black ears. The rest are
black with tuxedo markings and one looks like the
daddy, Deuce. Robust, weighing 12 to 16 ounces, all
are vigorous and thriving. New mom Amber is calm
and attentive. Previous moms Honey Bear and Red
are curious and peeved at being excluded from the
excitement. And I am bushed after the 7 hour whelp
even though that was very efficient on Amber's part.
She is going to be a great mom.

The Whelping Box is Ready!

Amber is due to have her puppies this weekend. A visit to the
veterinarian for prewhelp X-ray shows probably 10 babies.
Because there are so many and the horns of the uterus are super-
imposed on one another in a lateral X-ray, it's hard to be exact.
But it is a large litter for a PWD. The average litter is 7 puppies.
My husband and I just assembled the whelping box this afternoon
and are awaiting the big event. Despite the holiday, wonderful
reproduction veterinarian Dr. Robert Dove will be there for me if
we run into trouble getting all the puppies out. His staff told me,
"Oh sure, we've done C-sections on Christmas before. Just call if you
need us." I am sleeping better knowing he will be there for my girl.
She comes from a line of great whelpers and great mothers so I am
optimistic that beautiful puppies will soon be lined up and
suckling on a happy mom.

Yes, we are expecting puppies.

It looks like we will be having puppies on Christmas day this year. Amber is
5 weeks post insemination and she appears to be pregnant. Most breeders
confirm pregnancy with a sonogram at about 4 weeks. It is expensive and
inaccurate to count puppies. Generally, if you wait a week, the pregnancy is
obvious. Prior to delivery I often get an abdominal film. Occasionally it is
possible to get an accurate puppy count but the main reason for doing a
film is to see if there are only a few large puppies. In that situation, an
elective C-section might be the best course. The average litter of 6 or 7
puppies weighing about 12 ounces each generally can be whelped without
major difficulties . So, now I know how I'll be spending my holidays!

CH. Blue Run's She's a Caution CGC to meet Deuce

AM/CAN/INT'L CH Driftwood's
Bacchus Dos CGC/TDI is scheduled
to sire a litter with my girl Amber
this fall.
Deuce is the handsome guy pictured
here with daughter Roxie. He
was the PWD Specialty Stud of the
year in 2008 based on the quality of
his offspring. He has many healthy
and beautiful sons and daughters and
he tends to put his stamp on them.
As Amber is also an Irish marked girl,
the puppies will probably look a lot
like the daughter in the picture.
I anticipate we will have puppies
around Christmas time and that they
will go to their new homes in February
of 2010.

The Playing Card Litter born July 23, 2009

The puppies shown above are 9 weeks old and are going to their new homes this weekend. All except one show girl has found a home. An independent evaluation was done by professional handler Jo Ann Charnik who felt that 8 of these puppies were show quality. This is probably the most exceptional litter that I have had to date. The stud, 11 year old BISS Watermark Toby's Black Jack, obviously still has what it takes to produce beautiful offspring. My girl Red did an outstanding job, too. The puppies all have marvelous temperaments and all passed their CERF examinations as well establishing that they have healthy eyes. I hope to see these lovely puppies out competing next year.

Red Litter #2 has arrived!
Today Red delivered 10 beautiful black and white wavy puppies. There
are 7 boys and 3 girls. The sire is CH BISS Watermark Toby's Black Jack.
All the puppies appear to be healthy and vigorous. Each puppy has a white
chest and white on the front paws. Keeping track of who is who is going to
be a challenge! It is always exciting to have every puppy survive the whelp
and for things to go smoothly. Red is an excellent whelper having pushed
out 10 babies in under 4 hours.
Cheryl