Venturing outside

We had a beautiful Pacific Northwest day on Saturday and decided to let the pups out in the garden. After the first few steps outside, they were old pros, checking out the bushes, garden beds and all the leaves and sticks!







Daddy Mikko decided it was safer to pick a higher perch for viewing.









Lykaon checking out the shadows . For more
pictures go to http://s195.photobucket.com/albums/z214/havadoros/Outside%20adventures/?albumview=slideshow

THREE WEEKS OLD!

Three weeks old and acting like the big kids already. Within the past week all of the puppies have started walking, have erupted teeth and now weigh in at 4 - 5 lbs. Their little personalities are starting to shine through and they even engage visitors in play. First formal evaluations this week and then placements start!

Two weeks old

Wow 2 weeks have gone by already. Puppies have grown by leaps and bounds! With the exception of Cana, the smallest of the litter, they are all over 3 lbs! All eyes are open and they are walking on all fours, though a bit wobbly. That is until I added some rubber mat flooring. Now there is no stopping them. Amazing how quickly they have developed!

Mikko continues to be an involved dad (LOL) as you can see from the picture. This is Tala, one of Mikko's favorite.

Day 12

Vukaosin (l) and Daciana (r) have opened their eyes. Oonai finally has playmates that can see her too!

Day 10

Welcome to the world Oonai! She is the first one with her eyes open. It is funny watching her navigate the whelping bed when she is the only one who can see. I love looking into their sweet little faces as they see the world for the first time!

Despite their eyes being closed, more puppies have figured out how to get out of the whelping bed and are already attempting to walk on all fours. I have added areas with different surfaces for them. I generally follow the Puppy Rules of 7 and ensure that the puppies have plenty of stimulation in their environment.

Day 7

Talk about low maintenance! Inna peacefully sleeping away, while half of the litter munches away and the other half joins her in a nap. The puppies have more than doubled their body weight since they have been born. Plenty of fortified milk and lots of good raw food for mom get some of the credit. Inna's diet has consisted of chicken, lamb, goat, tripe, beef and venison, supplemented with sardines, an herbal mix, Brewer's yeast and seasonal veggies.

Day 4

Time for a first vet check. Puppies had dew claws removed today. All did very well and the vet was impressed with the size and mobility of these little guys!

Day 3

From Day 3 - Day 16 each of the puppies is exposed to the ENS (Early Neurological Stimulation) exercises. These are five little exercises developed by the US Army as part of the Superdog program. These exercises stimulate neurological development and enhance learning. Here is one of our little guys. While some puppies squirm when put on their back, it doesn't look like he minds at all!

Day 2

Mikko waited patiently outside the door as Inna had her puppies and finally came in to take a peek. He is so devoted to her. After checking out a few of the kids with a sniff or two, he watches as Inna takes care of the puppies. I have not seen that with my Havanese, in fact sometimes the moms flat out don't want the boys around. It has been very interesting to see the two of them with the puppies.

Talk about growing puppies! Wow, every single one of them, even the smallest has gained 10 - 15% of their body weight in just one day. Growing like weeds is an understatement. Inna has pretty much been staying with her puppies, except for quick potty breaks, and gratefully accepting the food and fortified milk I provide. The puppies are surprisingly quiet with only their soft trilling in the background. I have them in my office and what a delight to peak over my desk and just watch them. Considering their age, these puppies are very, very active! Within the first day, I saw two of them standing up on shaky hind legs while nursing. I used a children's wading pool as a whelping bed and within 24 hours, one of the pups figured out a way to crawl out. Amazingly mobile! Pictures of the two day old puppies are up!

WE HAVE PUPPIES!

Conchur Tamaskans welcomed its first litter of Aatu Tamaskan puppies on 25 August 2010. Sire is Blustag Onager@ Conchur (Mikko) and dame is Alba Isen@ Conchur (Inna). We have four girls and three boys. Big girls and boys! All but one was over 1 lb. Inna did very well, the puppies were born and cleaned up quickly and as soon as they started nursing you could literally see their bellies filling up! While I have been a breeder of Havanese for many years, this is my first experience with this breed.

The Aatu Tamaskan is the American cousin of the UK Tamaskan Dog. This breed was developed as a companion dog with the size and stamina of the working group. The overall goal was a wolfy looking dog. Considered a rare and developing breed, at this time there are only two registered breeders in the US (Conchur in Oregon and Ta-Kari in Colorado) with several up and coming breeders waiting for their pups to grow up. The Tamaskan Breeders Association is the official registry for the Aatu. For more information check out the TBA website and/or those of our current and up and coming breeders.