piper

Superminty and Jules (or any other vic herding people?) how did you go in the Vic State Champs? I hear 1 of the rotties did super super well.

I love my barfshop hydro too. Mine is 5 years old and going strong. They often have different promos with freebies, it was the ramp when I got mine too.

That comment is so true. I thought I had an idea, and I guess I did - I knew about emergency c-sections and things like that but having this litter has been a real eye opener for me. There were so many little expenses I had not considered, there was so much more food that I ever predicted I would use. I know I was lucky - my girl free whelped a good sized litter but the costs were way more than I expected. Someone at work said to me yesterday "oh good way to make a few extra dollars" and I laughed and rattled off just a few of the costs and they were surprised at how much things were. Then there is the time - if I worked out the time I spent with them and put that to an hourly rate per puppy for their care then they would see that it really is not an easy way to make a few quick dollars. And I don't even have a breed that needs round the clock monitoring for a few weeks.

Rebanne, We went through the same issue with Jazz. She was happier to feed them after I had started weaning them than prior to that. She went through a phase of only going in there if told and then at 4 weeks once I moved them outside in the day I couldn't keep her out of their run. Go figure! I think she was also happier once they would feed from her standing up, I think it got a bit much to be laying there with 9 of them all over her. They look beautiful, I love the multi colour litter you have I couldn't really see the brindle on the blue in some of the earlier pics but I can really see it in that photo - stunning.

Great photos everyone. Love Asti's outfit and Marlo with his boots in particular I have been taking pics, just haven't gone through them and uploaded. The puppies have been going home (6 down 3 to go...) so I have been too busy to do much. Hopefully will get them up in the next few days.

I played with google translator and picked words that made me think of the breed or key words from the standard. Mostly I looked up gaelic words but tried some other languages as well. The versatility of the border collie is important to me and I have a background in obedience, agility and herding and I hope to always maintain the versatility of the breed. So I typed in versatile and got Ildanach which is gaelic for versatile, master of all, skilled at many. It was my first choice and my first litter has just been registered using it

Dasha's comment in how they are to live with would describe how it was for the person I know as well. Her yard boy barked over any activity and was a hard dog to live with. Her paddock boy had an off switch and was much quieter.

This is nothing hard and fast just an observation of someone I know that had a yard kelpie and then a paddock kelpie. Her yard kelpie in agiltiy was VERY responsive to body language and would very easily pull off of obstacles to her and was very focussed on her a lot of the time and also barked around the course on a regular basis, she had to do a lot of work with him to get any distance out of him. Her next kelpie who is a paddock line dog runs wider, smoother and quieter. But she also trained him quite differently due to the difficulties she encountered with the previous 1. So nature vs nurture come into the debate here - is it his paddock background or the difference in training that make him that way I will add that at the same time as she had her yard kelpie I had my old girl training. They were about 2 months apart in age and we did a lot of foundation type work together with them before many people believed in doing it, things like sending to targets, restrained recalls to leading hands etc and as we progressed obstacle layering. My girl always worked at a distance happily where as her boy never did. My girl would blow me off to go to obstacles of her choice, her boy was ultra sensitive to the slightest twitch from her in turning back to her away from an obstacle and he hated layering which my girl would readily do. Probably not helpful but an agility observation for you

Underfoot - keep upping her food as much as she will eat. My girl had 9 puppies and gained about 10kg but as big as she was she was still thin. In the end she was eating nearly 4 times her normal food. A suggestion that was given to me was to give her puppy milk with her food - high calorie and easy for her to consume. 11 skulls-

Running a couple of together with the stud dog owner. Will post pics when we make final decision, torn between a couple at the moment. 2 very different puppies with very different strong points. The first few start to head off on Thursday and Friday, which will be good but sad. I have loved having them and can;t believe they are nearly 8 weeks but I am also ready for life to return to some level of normal. My husband is trying to work full time and study uni externally and has found it difficult as well. I would never criticise those who have multiple litters or several litters a year, but I just couldn't do it. I am exhausted and looking forward to a bit of a break. As of Sunday there will only be 3 puppies here - 1 being picked up the following weekend, 1 that is staying for a little while (the other will go with the stud dog owner for awhile while we decide) and then I have 1 girl who has ended up available for a variety of reasons - she just doesn't suit the enquiries I have. I would love to get her in a performance home, I think she would be perfect and back in the days when agility was my first love she is exactly the puppy I would have picked.

I had the same issue as ISH - I could only get the seed to brew as a tea. I did that and added it to some goats milk a few times a day, she drank it quite happily and we ended up with mastitis in 1 very engorged teat but she did feed 9 puppies without any supplementing from me at all. I did start to wean early to help her but she didn't agree with that. They are 7 weeks old now and she is still feeding them. Interesting about the retained placentas - I didn't know about that and we did have retained placentas and a shot of oxytocin about 4 hours after the last pup, it was probably another 4 hours before she passed the last 1. I guess that is probably why her milk was slow to start coming in.

Jetpoint, I went through this with 9 border collie babies 2 days ago. I used a vari kennel in the back of my vehicle ad took my show trolley. Got there and transferred all puppies to the trolley, put the crate on top. Wheeled them inside, put the crate on the ground and removed pups from trolley one at a time and placed them in the crate once done. A second crate would have helped as they were a bit crowded in the one 36" vari kennel but it was only a short trip.

We have access to 2 properties and 2 lots of stock. 1 lot get used for training more than the other because their owner does some private lessons.

I think it was a combination of fluff, camera angle and collars being on fairly firm - they sort of slid under the fluff. You could see glimpses of colour just nothing much. Hopefully this weekend the weather is better for sitting down outside with the camera.

Jazz was still getting on and off the grooming table by her own choice until around 6 weeks and getting on and off the furniture until nearly the end. I worried she would over do it but usually as I looked and thought hmmm should she be doing that she would stop herself over the next day or so.

Sway - I will make another attempt at photos. Last weekends effort you could hardly see them, might trying setting them a bit looser so they sit on top of the fluff BB - Funnily enough not long after posting that, someone went for a feed and she had a quiet growl and stepped away. I am just concerned about her condition - there is nothing left of the poor girl. ST - It is funny how things work out. Someone coming to meet red on the weekend. It is someone I have known for years but not seen for 4 or 5 years. Her son in law is a member of the same CFS brigade as my husband. Through his Facebook wall he got to know her and mentioned this lady with a border collie as her profile pic, we added each other on the weekend. She has made a few comments about how much she would love him. Thought she was joking - apparently not. So it could all work out perfectly. He is my husbands favourite so looks like he will end up somewhere nearby and still able to have contact with him and I know how well she cares for her dogs. Good luck saying goodbye tonight, I'm torn between looking forward to having a bit more time back in my day and being sad to think of them going.

I heard you can register 2 at one time when you first register, but once you have registered an associate then future registrations need to be limit or main. Is the info on the CCCQ site? Hopefully someone actually in QLD will reply and tell you how it really is.

The weekend was busy, the pups were so tired Saturday night and Sunday. I'm struggling to find a good home for red boy at the moment, I thought I would have no hassles placing him. I know if I advertised him as available on DOL he would go quickly but I don't want someone enquiring just because he is a colour. I am waiting on a reply from someone that had enquired about a boy to see if they are interested otherwise someone that I used to train at club with years ago and has recently found me on Facebook made a comment that she was interested, I thought it was a joke initially but it seems it isn't and I know she would be a good home for him. then there is 1 girl i would love in a performance home, if not I know where I can place her but just trying to sort out something where her high level of intelligence and energy will get a work out. Oh and no wonder Jazz is not drying up - I watched her this afternoon sail over the fence into the puppy pen

I am far from an expert having just had my first litter but my suggestion would be to start checking her temperature a few times a day as it will drop about 24 hours before whelping. As an example my girl had temps hovering between 37.6 and 38.1 and then before whelping it dropped to closer to 37 (might have gone below - cant remember now and can't easily find where I recorded it). The temp drop occurred on the Wednesday evening,. Her temp had been normal around 4:30ish and at 8pm it was down. She whelped her first puppy at 7:30 the next evening. Things I was told to look out for - green discharge BEFORE the first puppy is a sign of problems and after an hour of pushing without a pup call the vet. They can have periods of calm between pups but once they start pushing start timing from them. I was worried I would not see the contractions or pushing but they were very obvious once they started. Keep an eye out after each puppy for the placentas, let her eat a few but record if they are passed. Take her in after whelping has finished for a vet check and let them know if she passed all the placentas or not - if not they will give her an injection to pass them. Have somewhere warm, quiet and dry for her to have them and have a box nearby with towels and hot water bottle in - you can use it to put puppies in while she whelps the next 1. Good luck, I am sure there will be people with LOTS more experience than me that will give you heaps more info and ideas. Maybe also ask in breeders section if you haven't already?

Aww they did better than me. I tried with my border babies on the weekend but can;t seem them due to the fluff

That is a fantastic effort Janba. Those HIT from Advanced do not come easily, especially with some of the quality started runs you guys see over there.

I haven't weighed mine since 4 weeks for that reason oakeydoak, lol.

kja - yes it is normal for them to lose their coat and Jazz always does a HUGE coat drop anyway so I expect her to end up nearly naked before she starts regrowing it. Helen and gila - fantastic shots. I wish I was that creative.

Love the photo of Toby - great capture! Here is mine for the week,. Only 2 more weeks of Jazz and puppy photos then they are off to their new homes. Poor girl is sooo skinny and now loosing all her coat as well, she is going to look pretty awful for awhile. She does love to play with them now though

Well my guys are 6 weeks old now and we have a busy weekend with excited puppy buyers visiting. Why oh why does it have to rain though?? We have had the most beautiful weather all week and then overnight the rain hit My plans of cute, clean, fluffy puppies went. I bathed half of them and then gave in, there is just no point and I can't keep them inside all day as they will scream the neighbourhood down.