Just Ordered Our Nuvet {Texas Siberian Huskies}
Hey Guys. Happy Saturday. I talked to my Nuvet Rep and I got our puppy samples ordered. Remember the samples only last 3 days,order early to have on hand if you want to continue them. You are under NO obligation to purchase and unlike other breeders I DO NOT require you to keep your puppy on them in order to receive our health guarantee. But if you are interested in a vitamin supplement we highly recommend Nuvet Plus and Nuvet Joint. I purchased extra to get Amara on them as well to help her with milk production and to recover from puppies.
CALL NOW TO ORDER 800-474-7044
Order Code: 98345
Save up to 15% on Autoship when you order here: http://www.nuvet.com/98345
*I do receive a small commission for sales.
Fury enjoying his “extras” {Texas Husky Puppies}
So this is the first time I have supplemented a puppy just to make sure he gets enough and to help momma out a bit. Fury is our runt. I’m not a fan of that term so let’s just say he’s the little guy. Born strong just half the size of his litter mates. He seems to be doing great, but because his big brothers get a bit pushy at the milk bar we are offering him a bottle and giving him one on on one with momma. 😀 I will try to get one week photos taken and uploaded this weekend.
This is the room and environment the puppies are in. It is the same room we have used for the last several years. (It is one of the rooms we have not remodeled yet.) It is upstairs so it is secluded from the pack, and right next to my master bedroom.
Day 6 weights {Texas Huskies}
Weights continue to go up. ENS and individual cuddle times are going well.
5 days old {Texas Husky Puppies}
Everyone is doing great. All are nursing well and gaining weight. “Fury” is gaining at a slightly slower rate so I will be supplementing as well as making sure he gets plenty of uninterrupted nursing time. Please check out the Available Pups page for more info on available puppies.
*We did not witness any mating and originally assumed this was a false pregnancy. The only male Amara was around was Tyrion. That does make this breeding, line breeding. A detailed explanation of the circumstance of this litter can be found in the previous posts.
Meet the Avengers {Texas Huskies}
Here is our surprise litter. 8 gorgeous babies. At this time all are doing well. It took a couple days to not only recover from the guilt but to come to terms with the situation in general. There are no words for how horrible I feel. But we can’t go back, we can only move forward and I choose to go forward with positivity and love. Our only goal at the moment is to find these sweet babies forever humans to love. Look for individual photos and info posted sometime early next week.
*We did not witness any mating and originally assumed this was a false pregnancy. The only male Amara was around was Tyrion. That does make this breeding, line breeding. A detailed explanation of the circumstance of this litter can be found in the previous posts.
When life hands you lemons (or puppies)…
To our complete surprise Amara gave birth to eight beautiful babies yesterday (April 9th). What we thought was a false pregnancy was the real deal. On Monday we noticed a rounder tummy, by Tues we felt movement. Never witnessing a tie (breeding) we could only guess as to when she was due. She seemed to be further along then the dates I had down. Which means she probably came into heat slightly before I noticed spotting. Wednesday she had full breakfast and dinner, she was acting normal, there is even a photo of her out with the pack posted that day. I checked in on her before I went to bed that night and she was panting and following me when I tried to leave. I stayed with her all night. Thursday morning I let the rest of the pack outside, fed them breakfast, came upstairs to offer Amara breakfast and the first puppy was already born. Based on her size and fetal movement, I guessed 3-4 puppies. I literally saw and felt them coming down from inside her rib cage. She had 8, (seven males,one female) several are on the small side with the smallest being 9.9oz. At this time all are nursing and appear to be doing well.
I would like to take this time to say I take breeding very seriously and this was most certainly a shock. In early January I bought plane tickets for myself, my husband and my youngest to go to California for a week long vacation at the end of May going into June. Because of this it was important for us to prevent pregnancy and skip breeding the girls on this cycle. My older two children were going to stay with the pack while we were gone and caring for puppies on top of that would be too much to ask. I was also planning on setting up puppy training and wanted to give that all my attention. So the plan was NO spring puppies. I thought I took every precaution to avoid pregnancy. My dogs are only unsupervised when I am not home and even then most of them are crated. The only male Amara was around was Tyrion. I can only assume he found a way to get to her though the crate when I was not home. That does make this breeding, line breeding (back breeding).
As you may already know I posted early on that we would be putting our fall litters on hold due to COVID19. It didn’t seem right to want to breed puppies when we are in the middle of a pandemic and economic crisis. Another reason having puppies at this time was NOT what I wanted. But as I am continually reminded nature/life really doesn’t care about our plans. Our goal now is finding these babies the best companion/pet homes possible. Because we know this can be hard during these trying times the puppies will be sold at a reduced cost and without papers. The contract will remain the same, raised with puppy culture (we put in the work to raise our puppies with the best foundation) vet checked, (fecal test,check up and vaccinations), health and genetic guarantee, spay/neuter contract, etc. As a Puppy Start Right Instructor (trainer) I can also offer you assistance with puppy training, including virtual classes (in person classes are on hold due to covid19). I will post photos and info once I am sure ALL puppies are gaining weight and thriving.
What’s the big deal?
*EDIT: this post has been copied and used WITHOUT my permission. This post is written by me (Malissa Speaker) and is not to be copied, shared without my consent. It is defiantly not to be used on a website and used as if it is someone else’s personal experience!
I get several people asking what the big deal is about Puppy Culture and Puppy Start Right. The answer is simply it’s probably not a big deal to most people. Plenty of amazing puppies are bred and raised by breeders who do not use either program. What I can do is tell you why it’s a big deal to me.
Puppy Culture was my intro into puppy development and the importance of the Socialization Period. Contrary to belief Socialization is not just puppies meeting kids and babies. Puppy Culture focuses on the first 12 weeks of development. As a breeder I have them in my care during a majority of that time. Puppy Culture creates a solid foundation. It sets the stage for any and all training that comes after. Puppy Culture gives detailed instructions for breeders, trainers and owners on how to provide Puppy Culture protocols at specific developmental stages within the Socialization period. These include:
- Habituation and Conditioning
- Developmentally Appropriate Socialization and Enrichment Activities
- Take a Treat and Adding the Clicker
- Problem Solving Challenges
- Clicker Training Games
- Manding
- Potty Training and Crate Conditioning
- Resource Guarding and Exchanges
- Attention, Leash Walking and Body Handling
- Introducing Sit, Down, Recall, Heel Position, Crate Release, and more
I have personally chosen to invest in this program and several of it’s companion videos and books to broaden my knowledge and assist me with my breeding program.
You can read more about why I love Puppy Culture here!
Puppy Start Right is a course I took to not only expand my knowledge but to be able to offer puppy classes to my puppy families and to people in my community. This course again focuses on the critical Socialization Period (8 weeks-12/16 weeks) but also includes materiel on how to teach the importance of socialization and puppy training to puppy parents. Here is a quote from my website SitnStayPawsitive.com “The first 12 weeks are critical for socialization and learning. Much of what people think of as problem behaviors in adult dogs often comes down to not providing proper early socialization. The best time to provide this is during a puppy’s socialization period, typically under 12 weeks old. What your puppy learns during this important developmental stage will likely shape his behavior for the rest of his life. Proper early socialization creates the foundation for having a confident, friendly, well-adjusted companion.”
This is a certification program where my knowledge and understanding of the material was tested. Some of the material includes:
- Development and Behavior
- Developmental Periods
- Domestication vs Taming
- Social Behavior of Dogs
- Sensory Perceptions
- Body Language
- How Dogs Learn
- Learning Theory
- Innate Behavior and Learning
- Positive Socialization
- Intro to Positive Training
- Training Basics
- Clicker Basics
- Foundation Exercises (attention, sit, down, target, place, recall, bring it, leave it,etc)
- Problem Prevention and Solving (potty training, chewing, jumping, etc)
- Diseases and Vaccinations
EDIT: Since this post was written I have gone on to take a Puppy Socialization course from Avidog as well as Fundamentals of Dog Training and Behavior from VSA. Investing in my education and broadening my understanding of puppy development assists me in raising puppies. It has become so important to me that it has motivated me to pursue my professional dog trainer certification Fall 2021.
False Pregnancy
Several days ago I noticed Amara, acting moody and out of sorts. After keeping an eye on her I think she may be having a false pregnancy. This is not uncommon, and I suspected this may happen to one of the three girls since we skipped breeding this cycle. Because we had purchased plane tickets for a trip in May, we took precautions to not allow the girls near Tyrion (Ghost was kept in his yard). But as I continue to watch her, I am a bit nervous (thanks anxiety) that she may be pregnant. As I further research false pregnancy I have learned that it can in fact mimic pregnancy to even include nesting, milk production, labor symptoms and adopting toys. So we will continue to watch her and pray that this is in fact a false pregnancy.
*if things change I will let you all know. I understand that will open myself up to criticism from others but it is what it is.
Things are not always what they seem. {Texas Siberian Huskies}
Please be mindful of people who do not freely show their pack, who only show puppies but not their adults, who zoom in on puppies but not their surroundings, who do not show where puppies are whelped and raised but only stage and set up photo and video ops. Please watch for people who toss toys in a pen to imitate what they see others do but have no idea of the reasons behind it. People who refuse to invest to better themselves because it’s easier to imitate what others are doing. People who have not taken the time to educate themselves but manipulate what you see by offering up an illusion.
It matters less where dogs are raised, what matters more is the honesty and pride people have in what they are doing, from raising and caring for their own dogs to whelping litters and raising puppies. What good is experience if people have not grown or educated themselves?
The internet allows people to hide behind a screen, free to be whoever they think you want them to be…. Watch for honesty in claims being made about certifications, programs being used, pedigrees, showing, vet care, etc. ASK FOR PROOF! No one is perfect, we all make mistakes and even when we think we are doing everything right nature throws us a curve ball. Mistakes and accidents must happen for us to grow and seek out new information.
Just be careful out there…… remember all that glitters and sparkles is not gold! Sometimes it is just someone good at smoke, mirrors, manipulation, imitation, setting the stage and photoshop!!