SLF

Interesting to hear the different points of view. For me the main purpose of crate training is for when we travel. We drive long distances often because of our rural location. We travel our dogs in a crate in our car. Secondly, about being able to sit quietly and calmly if I decide to compete this pup in sports like agility etc.... thankyou for the replies. :)

Thankyou Delta Charlie. yes that is my concern she is just a wee babe in the grand scheme of things.

So I'm wondering, is it too much to ask of my little pup to begin separating her during the day to socialize with us and play etc on her own. During this time introduce the crate. Which is in the lounge room and full of toys and vetbed? Treat her and spoil her inside then take her back to her "family" at meals and night times. ? will this confuse her? also when would it be ok to close her in the crate while we are here with her? also if she cries, when I do, I guess its a matter of leaving her there until she is quiet and then let her out? not while she is crying? thanks for the help

:) probably a very simple question but at what age can you start crate training? I have the litter here and they are 6wks old. I am keeping one of the pups and wish to crate train her. When can I start and for how long etc.. thanks

thanks Sandgrubber, yes the vet suggested that if all is well with the pup then poor placental attachment is very likely. It will be interesting watching her grow over the next few months.

yes they do !!! but..............I am keeping her :D :D :D

They are fine, apart from her size she blends in . If anything she is more bossy and pushy, as she really has to push through them sometimes to get feed now they are bigger etc.. She doesn't hold back that's for sure.

ok so I cant figure it out - sorry here is a link to her album on my FB page

Hoping I can get some pics for you :)

She was born approx. 190gr the other pups between 500-600grms. So she was tiny. Now at a bit over 4 weeks she is thriving. Gaining approx. 22% of her bodyweight per day, growing eating playing perfectly. Had a check up at the vet yesterday, no obvious signs of heart murmurs etc.. So fingers crossed all goes well. I will keep her and see what happens. I couldn't sell her - just in case. good excuse to keep one from the litter as I wasn't planning on it. She is just like a foxy pup born in a kelpie litter ! Im not sure how to add photos but she is super cute and doing very well. edited to add, I have not had to supplement feed her at all.

My girl whelped 8 healthy kelpie pups on the 16th No obvious health issues, all feeding sleeping wriggling as they should. The litter is 2 pups more than previous litters (each previous had 6 pups) - don't think it matters but just in case. There is a tiny female pup weighing approx. 250grm she is approx. 15cm long The other pups all weigh approx. 500grm or more (approx. 100grm ea on average more than the pups in previous litters too. So they look huge ) These pups are approx. 26cm long so there is a massive size difference. She is healthy and feeding well and apart from size does not stand out in the litter at all. She is growing however today was the first day I was able to weigh them as the dam is quite protective of them and I dint want to upset the applecart so to speak when so far so good. My question is; do you find these tiny pups catch up? If they are healthy and doing well in the litter is it worth supplement feeding or extra feeding to help increase growth rates and weight gain? edited to add - will get pup examined by vet tomorrow (Monday) to be sure no major unseen problems any other advice welcome :)

we had 8 beautiful healthy pups born on the 16th :D 3 girls and 5 boys. 8 pups in 4 hours !! after a very long 2nd stage labour we are so happy they are all here safe and sound.

LovesPoodles we are in the last week now too. My girl is the biggest she has ever been! her last litters had 6 pups each but this time I think we may find a few extras. :) She isn't coping with the heat either, apart from swims and being indoors and the like I don't think we can do much more for her. She is happy enough and eating me out of house and home! Anxiously waiting the next few days as our due date draws closer.

we are not too far off from our due date on the 12th but I must admit I am keeping a close eye on her. She is huge in the belly and often panting, barking and acting out of sorts - the 40*c heat isn't helping even though I have her inside etc.. She has been hoarding and nesting for a week now. Hopefully she settles a bit in the next few days. How is everyone else handling the heat?

:) We are expecting a litter of kelpie pups on the 12th.

I appreciate the flood of assistance I have received however I had to make the decision to have 2 of the pups euthanized. Both the pups had damage to their sight, sense of smell, touch and most likely hearing. It can be assumed the snake venom damaged the nerves from the brain that activate the senses. We knew to expect some damage to the central nervous system, we just thought it would be paralysis or something more 'obvious' for us to see. Its a hard pill to swallow when they look so perfect yet are so damaged. I will miss the little ladies Olive & Daisy. However I can not forget we still have 3 pups here that are doing all the 'normal' things and a healthy bitch that have survived against the odds as well.

I am working with the pups individually, and the enormity of what lies ahead is getting clearer. This pup though, is much happier on her own away from the litter mates. She is active and listens and 'follows' you around the room with her head. I am not sure of her sense of smell....she doesn't seem to be able to find food. Even when it is right under her nose....which is a huge concern. Some of the other pups also appear to have varying degrees of vision loss, though are confident and without looking for the signs you may miss it completely at this early stage. Yes they are still only young, the next week/2 weeks etc will be hard weeks for me to decide what is best for them. I have had some lovely experienced dog trainers and experienced dog people offer homes to the pup. However I keep reminding myself of the saying " just because you can doesn't mean you should" ... just because I can choose not to euth the puppies, bc they have hope and are so cute and lovely now doesn't mean its the best thing to do for them later when they are fully grown and looking for a forever home for the next 10+ years.

yes all the pups will be extensively examined next week. Until then I will get as much information on all the "what if's" so that I can make the most informed decision I can

Thanks for you help and post everyone. We have some serious thinking to do and it appears that at least one of the other pups may have a vision problem as well. All options will be considered before a final choice is made. If you think you may be able to help I would still love to hear from you.

On my examination of the others there is another pup with vision impairment. She is much more confident though, and otherwise seems just one of the litter. All the remaining pups will be thoroughly examined next week by my experienced vet. Between now and then there will be lots of talking to experienced people, lots of research and lots of thought going into the future of these pups. Thanks once again for you advice in this long journey.

I have a friend with those initials. However they are my stud prefix hence my username. Our business name is Surrylea Farms (SLF) I definitely own and have the puppy!

Danny's Darling, that is me, I am Bonnie Taylor the person behind SLF. I have Olive in my care. :) The vet examination showed nothing else wrong that can be found at this stage. When she is away from the litter mates she is content and quiet. She explores and looks bright. It appears she has been anxious by the excitement of the litter mates playing etc. I have changed their environment and introduced toys been taking them outdoors. She has been anxious with these changes. Yes some further assessments into how she would cope will be needed. Though I felt I had to look into finding a home before I decided to put her to sleep.

not unkind at all. My whole reasoning of posting on here is to get other perspectives as so often our own are clouded with emotion. I appreciate your replies. Yes I do know someone who is close by that can assess the pup.

Yes I am in Vic, near the SA boarder on the South West Coast. Thankyou

Yes of course Persephone, quality of life is essential and been the whole point to the extraordinary effort put into this litter from the start of this journey. However I feel that if there is someone , who is experienced to take on a blind puppy and would be willing to then at least the option of keeping this pup alive should be explored. However if not then she will be put to sleep promptly so that she is not suffering, not anxious and not being kept alive for selfish reasons. I felt though the question of possible rehoming was worth asking, to exhaust all options before euthanasia.