RUTH's new litter is here! 9 Airedale babies!
"RUGER" Ruth x Hunter Male puppy @ 7 weeks Ruth (Rock Ranch Leah's Jewel of Erebor) - right and below 
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HUNTER - FATHER of this litter Below
(Rock Ranch Freedom Hunter) |
BIRTH DAY ! |
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Day 3 UPDATE.... Everyone is doing fantastic! Praise God.
There are a lot of sleepless nights on my part, before birth, during and
especially AFTER.
Sometimes the newborn pups are not that good at ‘finding Mom’ in the middle of the night.
I always get up with Ruth 3 times or more to nurse the babes and make sure everyone gets
a nipple.
Every day, twice a day at first, each puppy is weighed and the weights are recorded.
THAT IS WHY they have colored collars on... so we can tell if someone is not eating enough.
Also, everything about Mom is charted and recorded:
Temp. twice a day, nursing times, eating habits, bowel habits, behavior changes, physical changes.
It is the only way my sleep deprived brain can make sure we know at any given moment what is going on.
Also, should something ever go awry we have a record for the vet.
The whelping box is in MY BEDROOM.
(My husband often relocates at this time because the heat lampis on ).
The pups cannot regulate their own body temperature at this age.
They need to stay 80-85 degrees this first week.
75-80 degrees week two and so on...
Mom is 101.5 so no problems if she is in the box,but when she comes out, I put the heat on.
(Lots of getting up and down in the middle of the night).
FYI: in the wild they would all be in a den, ie: low roof cave, where heat is conserved
by the earth and the low ceiling.
Ruth is super attentive to her pups which is such a blessing!
Some Moms are not.
I don’t tend to breed those Moms again!!! as it is so labor intensive for me
to be sure everyone is getting fed and cleaned and warm enough.
Also, if I am keeping a pup as a potential future Mom, these kind of traits can carry forward.
There are a lot of sleepless nights on my part, before birth, during and
especially AFTER.
Sometimes the newborn pups are not that good at ‘finding Mom’ in the middle of the night.
I always get up with Ruth 3 times or more to nurse the babes and make sure everyone gets
a nipple.
Every day, twice a day at first, each puppy is weighed and the weights are recorded.
THAT IS WHY they have colored collars on... so we can tell if someone is not eating enough.
Also, everything about Mom is charted and recorded:
Temp. twice a day, nursing times, eating habits, bowel habits, behavior changes, physical changes.
It is the only way my sleep deprived brain can make sure we know at any given moment what is going on.
Also, should something ever go awry we have a record for the vet.
The whelping box is in MY BEDROOM.
(My husband often relocates at this time because the heat lampis on ).
The pups cannot regulate their own body temperature at this age.
They need to stay 80-85 degrees this first week.
75-80 degrees week two and so on...
Mom is 101.5 so no problems if she is in the box,but when she comes out, I put the heat on.
(Lots of getting up and down in the middle of the night).
FYI: in the wild they would all be in a den, ie: low roof cave, where heat is conserved
by the earth and the low ceiling.
Ruth is super attentive to her pups which is such a blessing!
Some Moms are not.
I don’t tend to breed those Moms again!!! as it is so labor intensive for me
to be sure everyone is getting fed and cleaned and warm enough.
Also, if I am keeping a pup as a potential future Mom, these kind of traits can carry forward.
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Wow! I can not believe a week has flown by!
These babies are shiny and getting quite the tummy on them. We call it Rolley-Polley! The babes have had their tails and dew claws done. They are all energetically greeting Mom when they SMELL her. You can hear their little noses working... it is quite comical. They do not HEAR or SEE yet. Ears and Eyes are closed until about day 14. Momma RUTH is very attentive and doing great. She eats 3 huge meals a day and home made chicken soup for a snack to keep her fluids up so she can keep up with the needs of her hungry brood. Before bed I give her water with electrolytes in it. She also receives target supplementation for lactation, stamina/energy and healing. Every day, every puppy gets and individual bath from Momma. There is no escaping it! Ruth is very thorough and methodical. 
BELOW are some photos of the RELATIVES of this litter:
FULL brother ABOVE AND BELOW.
ABOVE AND BELOW AND RIGHT ... 3 different FULL Sisters
2 weeks old
3 Weeks old!
First puppy "Mush" :-) 4 weeks
5 weeks - to the Play Pen!!!The puppies learn to potty in the hay and drink from the pail. They also learn what a 'kennel' or 'crate' is because there is one in the Play Pen!
Ruth still nurses them twice a day. 
6 weeksOnce the pups know to go potty on the hay, we add on another pen with NO hay. They hop over the board BACK INTO THE HAY when they need to potty!
I send my new families home with some hay to put in their yard so the pups instantly know 'where to potty'. 
7 weeksThe first time outside in the portable pen!
yellow collar above
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ABOVE AND BELOW... Grandma (L) and FULL Brother (RT)
And in the Outdoor Play Pen!
There is a separate potty spot with hay. 
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