The night Tay had her puppies, I knew she was in labor because she dug up the blanket in her crate, and didn't want the other dogs near her. She panted and quivered. I got all my equipment together, and waited. And waited. I diddled around on the computer with Vesna in her 500 crate (the size for a golden retriever) behind me. Finally, the first puppy came out, in its sack and with the umbilical cord attached. With Vesna's help, I got the puppy out of the sack, and clamped and cut the cord. The other six puppies came about a half hour apart, all fat, healthy, and strong. When Vesna was done, I changed her blanket, took her out for a bathroom break, and gave her a quick back-end bath.

The puppies had their tails and dewclaws done when they were three days old. I used to take them to the vet for this, but after years of being sent home with bleeding puppies, I finally got up the nerve to do it myself. The way I do it is fast and there's no bleeding.

When the puppies were 2 1/2 weeks old, and had their eyes open, I moved them and Tay into a 48" open wire crate in the puppy room. Since her babies were still young and creeping around, I continued to keep them on a blanket. At 4 weeks, I started their first de-worming regimen with Safegard. When they were 4 1/2 weeks old, I moved them into a pvc pipe and wire pen roughly 4.6'x5', 2' high. Tay could jump in and out, and the puppies had lots of room. This helped them get started with housebreaking as they eventually all went to the bathroom on one side of the pen. When they started trying to eat Vesna's food, I gave them Pedigree canned puppy food. As their teeth came in, I discontinued the canned food, and just fed them dry puppy food.

I vaccinated them at 6 and 8 weeks of age. They got their second de-worming with Safegard starting at 7 weeks. At 8 weeks, I took them to the vet for a very thorough physical examination and fecal check. I have my own microscope and am also able to do fecal checks at home.

From the time puppies are born, I handle them often. I put my face near them so they'll be familiar with my scent. When they're old enough to hear, I talk and sing to them. Weather permitting, I start taking them outside at six weeks to follow me around and explore. My husband holds them, and when we have company, they hold the puppies, too. This results in confident, friendly puppies who adjust quickly to their new homes.