September 15, 2024

Happy 4 week birthday babies!!  Time is going to fly by now as the pups are halfway to their new homes.   It has been amazing to watch these pups grow and now racing all around.   Lots of new things this week - they are eating a mix of puppy esbilac and Royal Canin puppy starter food.     They still love the milk bar but Ella is just about done, although some how she doesn't mind they when she is standing - we'll have to try and get a picture of that.  They have also ventured outside.   They are limited to the concrete patio and this week we'll expand that.  We'll also move them from the upstairs to downstairs as they are getting so big.   Leni headed to the dog show this weekend with her Aussie and had a great weekend winning multiple Best and Reserve Best Juniors, she still found time to snuggle with pups.     As I've been having difficulty loading pics on this journal I put this weeks journal on the blog page.  Click below to see the blog page: 

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9-15-24 pictures

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September 12, 2024​

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Gosh, I've been behind with getting the latest picture book up and finally tried last night only to find out my internet was being wonky.   My apologies for that.   Week Three now has its own book and here's the best part, you'll see those beautiful eyes open in all the puppy pictures.   Please be reminded that GSP pups are born with blue eyes and they will darken over time (years in fact) to dark brown.   The pups are so feisty and I hope we get some videos soon to post.   They have started eating food.   We decided to use the Royal Canin Puppy Starter with this litter.  This food is specifically designed for puppies from 4-8 weeks.  I've had breeder friends use this with great results.   This also starts the weaning process.   We mix the food with the esbilac puppy milk, of course wait for it to soak a bit, then mash it similar to a mousse.   In fact, folks call it the Royal Canin Mousse.   We will feed this 3/4 x a day and after feeding will allow Ella to let them nurse for a bit, but she will not be happy to do so much longer as the pups baby teeth are coming in and even sharks are impressed with how sharp these teeth can be!!    To wean Ella we will decrease her water (she now drinks tons to make her milk) and also decrease her food.   I expect she'll be weaned by the end of the weekend, early next week.   At about 6-6 1/2 weeks we will start blending the RC puppy starter food with their regular food.   We feed Inukshuk marine and our dogs do great on this.   By the time they go to their homes they will be fully transitioned to Inukshuk!. 

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Below is the link to Week 3 pictures and Ella's letter to Harry: 

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https://simplebooklet.com/weekthreeandfunbeefacts#page=1

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Week 3

Oh B Daddy Harry,

To say we've been busy is an understatement!!! Poor Nikki, Leni and Harper - school, puppies, house, etc etc the list goes on and yet they still found time for week 3 pup pics. Poor Diane busy work season plus an over commitment to the gspca board, and of course trying to help raise puppies from afar. These crazy humans. And then there is me feeding 12 hungry pups and yet still finding time for my pawicure.

But alas, week 3 is finally out, our bee-utiful eyes are open and they are magnificent!!! Here we are a few days late and the puppies have already grown a ton from the weekend!!

This week's book has tons of fun facts about our honeybees. The book was written before the pups were born but somehow we held onto it and now our 3 week pics are incorporated between the facts. So fun but I hope those facts don't deter from our b-bees and check out some random pics over the last couple of weeks, oh soooo cute..

I hear this may be our last official book (we're already two over my Queen Bee trilogy) as the pups are getting bigger and the background scene already came down for pup safety. For sure though Leni and Harper will take lots more pictures and of course our hive will make guest appearances.

Oh and dear b Harry, I scored a whole steak, yup all for me. Too bad you're not closer. Luv and b stings. Ella

Today's Queen Bee Words of Wisdom

"Whisper words of wisdom .... let it bee, let it bee."

Written by the BEE-tles

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September 5, 2024 

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Pups eyes are open and beautiful!!!!!!   We love them all.    If you have FB and haven't, feel free to connect with me.   I post about the pups there as well.   One thing we've had a lot of fun with is our bee theme.   The stud dog owner, Lise and I have started a comedy letter chain between Ella and Harry - all in great fun (except the time  he called her fatty!!!).   We are so lucky to have such a fantastic partner with Lise and her kennel.   We known each other mostly as competitors for years but really didn't know each other well personally.   Having had the opportunity to have deeper conversations we have gained a great deal of respect for each others breeding program.   She has been so engaged and enjoying this litter as much as us.   

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Here's is today's little letter from Ella to Harry and some pictures.   By the way we have also started the "Queen Bee Words of Wisdom" which will be a fun inclusion for the pups future.   So many fun things to share!! 

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To the ultimate B dad Harry,

Our pups are growing so fast and already 2 1/2 weeks. So many adorable personalities and all the boys are as handsome as you and the girls are as bee-utiful as me. We are so lucky to have a dozen honeybees to add to our hive. Speaking of Honey, our sweet ms. honey has decided to sleep upside down, she's strangling the monkey. Is this something you do, because I only sleep with a fluffy pillow under my head. By the way I've been scoring some juice steak and pup cups from Starbucks. Life is good in the hive.

Licks and paws, Your Queen Bee Ella.



🐝🐝🐝 Today's Queen Bee Words of Wisdom 🐝🐝🐝
"It's OK to BEE different!"

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September 2, 2024

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Happy Two Week Birthday little bees!!!   Time is going by so fast.   Puppies are starting to walk (albeit still very wobbly :) , eyes are opening, and their personalities are starting to shine through!!!   

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At the two week mark we will discontinue the ENS training and start the next phase of raising pups.   This includes adding in bumper dog beds, potty area, and will introduce new things every day.   This will include items to simulate their senses.   Examples are vacuum cleaner, music, and toys.  The pups are close to regulating their body heat so we will start to turn off the heat lamp.   We already shut it off when the pups are comfortable (meaning they are not huddled together) and back on if they seem to be cold (huddled together).   We'll try to get some video and more casual fun shots.   It's been very time consuming to manage the 12 pups and Leni and Harper are doing an amazing job with them.  Everyone is growing and they've even had baths.   

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We hope you enjoy this weeks picture book: 

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https://simplebooklet.com/bustlingbeehivetwoweekpictur?fbclid=IwY2xjawFC4JVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHdteth0J-DqijQ4iVk-RMWM1lQ1_vtCYEAlMM_XbBBH1KyMwuYbmsGPX9A_aem_Z1XrnO33cC6shPWwedfLXw#page=1

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August 29, 2024

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I can't believe the pups are already 10 days old.  Time seems to fly by and we will be doing two week pictures this weekend.  Here's the best news .... puppies eyes are opening!!!   They will be able to see the world and start exploring more.   They start with little cracks and then soon the eyes are wide open.   GSP eyes start out blue and darken over time.  The darker brown the better to our standard.   The eyes can darken for several years but we'll generally know early on how dark the eyes are.   

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So we have a very naughty puppy :) Drone has decided hes a mountain climber and has already made it on top of the pig rails.   The pig rails are the rails inside the puppy box on the edge, this provides a safe place for the pups in the case a dog mom rolls on a puppy.   They will come out about 3 weeks.    So much excitement on the way.   Stay tuned, the best is yet to come!!

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August 25, 2024

Wow, it's been one whole week and the beehive is buzzing with activity.   Our Harry & Ella pups are growing and gorgeous (we're not prejudiced at all!! :)

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Please enjoy our third book in the Queen Bee Trilogy - The Bustling Beehive.   This book will introduce you to each of the puppies individually and share pictures from 8/19 and almost a week later 8/24.   We hope you enjoy this journey with us and we would love to hear from you.   

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Click below for the two week pictures. 

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bustlingbeehivetwoweekpictur

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​August 20, 2024

Wow what a crazy couple of days.    Ella had her puppies Sunday am and they are thriving!!    She and Harry brought 12 beautiful puppies into the world, 5 boys and 7 girls.   We are so proud of what a great mom Ella is.   She is attentive to their every need and very focused whenever she hears one squirm.   We also had their tails docked and dewclaws removed today.   All the pups did great.

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One thing I want to mention is that GSP puppies are born with patches and their coat is white.   The tiucketing will come in over the next few weeks.   We can already see a lot of ticking coming in on several puppies and believe many will be dark like Harry and Ella.  We also have quite a few with solid liver heads and some with smaller white blazes.

   

I find its importnat to share the process of how we raise our puppies from birth and sharing some info here: ​

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Early Neurological Stimulation/Neonatal Period:

There are different techniques for raising puppies and this has evolved over time. One of the tried methods is called "puppy culture". Puppy culture is an aged based process that starts out within the first couple of days of birth with Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS). ENS is a series of exercises completed daily. Benefits of ENS have shown better handling of stress, improved cardiovascular and others. The exercises are simple and only take moments, however have been proven for long term positive effects. We aim to do these everyday, however on days where the pups are already active for other reasons I skip the formality of the exercises as the pups are already being handled.

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The exercises last no longer than 5 seconds each and it's important not to overly stimulate. The five exercises are: stimulate the paws with q tip or touch, hold puppy straight up with head to the ceiling, craddle puppy in your hands with paws up, put pup on a colder towel, and last but not least is head down position. The last one always intimidates me a little, but then I remember when I could do a yoga inversion (and wished I could do them now!!) and how healthy they were to the cardiovascular system (I'm pretty sure though I count to 5 really fast on this one).

 

I've actually added an exercise to the process, so I'll call the new process ENS+ ... after the first five exercises I add in the snuggle kiss. It's my favorite exercise of all and the pups love it!! We actually do this one a lot through the day!!

 

This neonatal period lasts until 14 days, then we move on to the Transitional period.

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Here is a link to learn more about ENS

https://breedingbetterdogs.com/article/early-neurological-stimulation

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Transitional Period:

As we move into the transitional period (14-21 days old) we will change things up. Ella will leave the box more and we will start introducing age appropriate toys. We will also start to introduce new experiences. One example is to run the vacuum cleaner.

 

Feel free to send me some recommendations on what these could be and we'll try to introduce some of them. It may be fun for you to come up with some ideas for the pups early socialization (still indoors at this age) :) Please though no ziplining for the pups - yet !!!! :)

 

Puppy Culture:

 

I'm going to end the puppy culture information on the transitional period and share some other insights that may be of interest. To learn more on this technique - visit their website at www.shoppuppyculture.com

 

Twitching:

In some of the videos you may see the sleeping puppy twitch or even bark. This is quite normal. I like to think of this as the puppy having sweet dreams of bones and toys but in reality there is a purpose - in short they are growing :) The twitching though is activated sleep and helps the puppies to develop motor coordination.

 

Whelping Box

For this litter we purchased a new whelping box.   IT's called EZ whelp and we are really happy with the set up.  We tend to change out bedding every time the pups enjoy the milk bar (approx every 3 hours for the first week) and that makes for a ton of laundry.

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Stay tuned on this blog for more updates for the next eight weeks.   We like to share pictures and videos as well. ​

Ok, that's all for now! Hopefully I'll be able to share more in the next couple of days.

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August 9, 2024​

Time is flying by and Ella is huge!!   We are so excited for this litter and to see what Harry and Ella produce in the whelping box.     Stay tuned 8/20 is just around the corner!!

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July 24, 2024 

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It's 5 weeks into Ella's pregnancy and she is starting to show.   Also as typical she has become more needy and if possible, even more loving.  She was such a great mom the first time around and we expect her to do the same this time around.   

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July 21, 2024
Harry & Ella
 

We are thrilled to share our breeding of Harry and Ella.  Harry and Ella will produce gorgeous pups with sound temperaments and beautiful type.   Harry's breeder has been phenomenal this past month and a great source of knowledge and friendship. I could not be any happier with Harry. Harry was an incredible stud dog, one that has allowed Team Ella the opportunity to snuggle up into his gorgeous head. What a fun week we had together!!
 

As with Ella’s maternal lines going back to beautiful GSPs (Jodi, Gracie, and Lina) we are expecting a whelping box full of healthy buzzing bees.   We have had much support for this breeding and thank all our friends, mentors, and support system to help make this happen.  

This breeding is for Harper and Leni, our two junior handlers and I am rolling back my clock and going to enjoy this litter from their eyes. It’s great to bee ten again!!!   Whether you are interested in a puppy or just along for a fun time, join us in this journey and enjoy the Queen Bee Trilogy books. There will be more to come.