Litter H
Hunter!
I decided to try something a little different with this litter, but the male I wanted to use was located in IL. In order to make it happen, a long distance Artificial Insemination was done. Everything looked good at the time of the AI, but when I took Kira in for an ultrasound to confirm the pregnancy, only one pup was visible.
Hunter (for Huntersville, NC) arrived shortly after 7 am on August 12, 2009. He weighed in at 1.05 pounds and is doing well. Hunter is already spoken for by a local family. He is a gorgeous and very symmetrically marked pup.
Parents to this litter are Amy Dorsch's Rudy and Kira. I am looking forward to watching this little guy grow and am hoping to eventually repeat this breeding, but will make a road trip next time!
Week 1 - The biggest news on this front is how much Hunter has grown! The first 5-6 days he was keeping pace with Kira's last litter & wasn't getting quite as big as Enka (single pup litter) did. By the time Hunter reached one week in age, he took off in the weight department. I usually look for the pups to double their weight by 1 week in age. His 1 week weight was 2.20 pounds and he hasn't looked back since. Also this week, the rear dewclaws were removed, and his eyes opened at 9 days old! Pictures were made on day 10, so his eyes are open, but not focused yet.
Week 2 - At 2 1/2 weeks old, Hunter has really, really grown! Weighing in at 4 1/2 pounds today, he is a strong, healthy "little" boy. Over the past couple of days, he has figured out not only how to stand, but to walk around and keep his legs under him. Hunter's ears have opened & he does react to sounds. I have gone to the side of the pen, made noise and had him walk across the pen to me. He is pretty good about being held (not spoiled in the least!). I have noticed that he also does a lot of air-scent sniffing. He seems to be very aware of his surroundings. Sharp little puppy teeth are making their way in and a few have erupted. We are doing a lot of intentional interactions with Hunter since he does not have any littermates. Kira seems to be making a point of doing this also.
Week 3 - This has been an exciting week to spend with Hunter. Not only has he gained proficiency in balance and walking, but boy can he get around now! Usually when pups first start out on the hardwood, they manage to get "stuck" with feet sliding out from under them over and over again. Not so with Hunter ... he did this a couple of times, but then learned to pull those legs back up under himself & get moving again. So, he moved from the rug to the hardwood, to the kitchen, to the hallway, to the study ... well, you get the picture. So far he has an amazing amount of confidence. Guess he has never been told that he "can't" do it, so he can. 😉 He is also playing quite a bit with Kira, us and his toys. He has not escaped from the pen yet, but was very quick to associate looking up for someone to take him out.
Week 4 - Hunter has been introduced to a number of new things this past week. He is going outside to play, he has learned to climb the steps (is working on the down aspect now), can come over the side of the pen now and has finally been introduced to his big sister, Holly, and is playing with her some as well. He is eager to play and be around the other grownup dogs also.
Week 5-6 - I have to apologize for not updating the website last week. You would think with just one pup, that you could actually get some things done ... not so. 😉 It's hard for me to believe that he is almost 7 weeks old and will only be here for a short time. Hunter is weaned at this point & is pretty much eating crunchy kibble. He knows when I call him, knows what I mean when I tell him that we are going inside or outside. When we go out, he immediately potties in the grass. This is a big step in the direction of being housebroken! Big sister Holly is a great playmate for Hunter & has learned to tone down her rough & tumble style of play for the baby. At 6 weeks of age, we made a trip to my agility trainer's house to see how he would react to new surroundings & situations. I have said in the past that this kid possesses a lot of confidence for a young pup. He didn't disappoint in this area. Most 6 week old pups will climb the puppy sized A-frame following the tidbits of food to the top, but when they see how far it is to the bottom, they will balk. Hunter got to the top and very matter of factly, followed the food down to the bottom. Then he turned around & went back up again. The tunnel didn't faze him either. We are going to go back later this week, just for fun. He is a smart boy, happy to be with you (will follow me from room to room), fairly easy to correct and shows quite a bit of patience for such a young pup.
