August 27

As the puppies are getting larger, I am having to make the tough
decision about how long I can keep the entire family together. Usually
I wouldn't think about separating a litter, but with nine puppies it
will become inevitable that they will have to split up before the
puppies are ready to be adopted out at the end of September. I figure
by then they will be about 25-35 pounds! I can do a lot, but having
about 250 pounds of energetic puppies in my house while their Mama is
trying to fight heart worms is not ideal.

I will keep the puppies with Annabelle until they are at least 7 weeks
old, so she can teach them as much as possible about being a dog. One
of the problems with pet store dogs and many animal adoption groups
that adopt out 6 week old pups is that they separate the pups from mom
as soon as possible so that the "cute, six week old puppy" can find a
home. The humane society I foster for understands that 5-8 weeks is an
essential time for the dogs socialization to have Mom correcting them.
Mom will teach them about bite inhibition. Mom will teach them how
dogs interact with each other - what the different types of growls,
barks, and postures mean. And Mom will tell them, with no uncertain
tones, if the puppies cross the line.

As much as Annabelle can teach them, it is important that they have
plenty of people time too. The more one on one interaction the puppies
have with a person, the better pets they will make. I try to get the
dogs familiar with my cat, but I can only do this one dog at a time so
that Selina doesn't get overwhelmed. The puppies also need to
understand not to bite on hands when someone is trying to pet them.
Learning that sitting will garner more attention than jumping all over
people is important. They will need to begin learning to walk on a
leash. Because of the size of these puppies, it will be vital that
they begin to learn basic puppy etiquette as soon as possible. While I
am good at dog training, there is no way I have the time to spend
30-45 minutes each day per dog teaching them the basics from 8-12
weeks old.

Now I am trying to figure out how best to split this litter. The other
foster home that the pups will be going to has a couple other Mama
dogs. Those Mama dogs would be happy to correct a puppy that gets too
mouthy or crosses the line so the pups will continue to get their dog
educations. Due to the large size difference between the Texan pups
and Victoria & Phoenix, by separating the big pups from the small
pups, it will allow the smaller pups to come out of their shells. By
allowing all of the dogs to come out of their shells, become more
outgoing, and better socialized the puppies will find their forever
homes quicker. The other thought is that because Austin has an
umbilical hernia and two others have small holes, that I should keep
them as my house is quieter. I am sure it will all work out, but just
another thing to think about with all of these puppies!