Puppies

Today is allocation day for the Cinnamon Swirl Puppies from Van Isle Labradoodles. These puppies are mini, multi generation Australian Labradoodle puppies. Today is the day, at seven weeks, that we let everybody know which puppy has chosen them to be their forever family.

The most exciting dates in the litters are usually the puppy family visit day, and then allocation day, and then of course pick up day is the big day. All of the families already know which puppy is there. When you’re on our litter list, we do let you know ahead of time, but this video is for everyone who’s been following along with the Cinnamon Swirl litter to find out who is going where.

The puppy we are starting with is our little boy from the litter. If you remember, all of these puppies are chocolate phantoms. A phantom is a puppy that has these tan tips, such as you can see on this little guy. Sort of like a Yorkie, similar sort of markings, only Yorkies are black with the tan, and these puppies are chocolate with the tan. Labradoodle phantom puppies can come in black and in chocolate.

This little guy is the puppy that we refer to as Choco. Choco is now got a name, and his name is going to be Ringo. Ringo is going to go and live in Courtney, and he is living with Lucia and Martin. Lucia and Martin are both retired, and they live in a townhouse in Courtney. They’re looking for a puppy to give them lots of fun and entertainment during their retirement, one who’s going to be nice and easy to keep in a condominium or a townhouse, and also is going to get them outside and active, going on walks, and hikes, and just enjoying life all the time.

Ringo is just the perfect match for them. He is a really fun puppy, he can be very playful, he is going to just love going for the walks. I know where Lucia and Martin live, and right in front of them is a beautiful walk along the water. He is going to just think that is the most fun thing of all.

He’s also the type of puppy who’s very, very happy to come and curl up next to you, and sit, and read, or just take some time out during the day and be quiet in the condo. He’s also a puppy who doesn’t startle easily, so he will not be at all concerned about the various comings and goings, and hearing the elevator open and close, and other units doors open and close. When he’s on the deck, if he can see or hear the neighbors, that will be something he’ll be- whoops- interested in. You went off the back there. But he won’t be startled or alarmed by it, and he won’t be the type of dog who barks.

He’s a really great choice for them, and I know that they are just thrilled to bits to have little Ringo join their lives. That’s Choco’s story.

Next, we have Hilda. Now, Hilda is also, of course, a chocolate phantom, as all the puppies are. Hilda is the darker chocolate girl. Hilda has quite an adventure ahead of her. Hilda is going as a breeding girl to a UK breeder. North Bound Labradoodles and Johani are going to be the lucky recipients of this little beauty girl. She will be staying with us through till about the end of May, as there are several health requirements that she has to meet before she’s able to be transported to the UK.

It’s quite a big journey. Taylor is going to fly with her on a sea plane to Vancouver, they’ll spend the night in Vancouver, and then there is a professional pet service who will meet Taylor the next day, and they’ll take up all of the flight arrangements to get Hilda from Vancouver off to London, England. So, we’re going to start talking to her with a very posh accent. Get her ready for her new life.

Many changes in the works for this little beauty. People often ask us what makes us choose a girl or a boy to be a breeding prospect. Basically, there’s two things you want to take into consideration. Temperament , of course, is very important. You want to have a dog who is confident enough to be able to be a good mom, and nurture her puppies, and look after them really well, but you don’t want a dog who’s really lively and outgoing, as generally we want to be producing puppies that are nice, and stable, and even, and well balanced in terms of temperament. But, you also don’t want a puppy who’s too quiet and too retiring, as they may find it a bit too overwhelming to be doing their mom duties. A really, nice, well balanced temperament is important.

The other thing that’s important when we’re choosing a breeding dog is how closely the dog conforms to our breed standard. That’s what, as breeders, we refer to as confirmation. Part of that is her structure in terms of the angulation of her shoulders, her rear angulation, where her tail sits, what her overall body distribution is, what her head’s like, her ear set.

There’s all sorts of things that are taken into consideration to conform to the breed standard that really have no bearing, whatsoever, on a companion puppy. But, we want to always be sure that we’re moving the breed forward and adhering to the strict regulation of the worldwide Australian Labradoodle association. So, we’re very particular when we pick our breeding dogs, and we take a lot of time and care to make sure only the very best of the best are chosen to be little breeding puppies. We can’t wait to see Hilda’s puppies in the UK. It’s very exciting, this our first puppy that we have going to the UK, and we’re very proud to be able to do that. That’s my girl.

Last, but certainly far from least, is this stunning little lady. This was the little girl we called Cinnamon, and Cinnamon was so named because she has the dilute brown phantom coloring. This little girl is just got to have the cutest face on the planet. I just love her little face. There is nobody, I don’t think, who could possibly not be drawn to the cutie pie expression on this little girl.

Cinnamon is going to be living in Victoria, and we are really happy about that, because we hope that means that we will get to see her at least now and then, and keep up with her growing up phase, and see her even as an adult. Cinnamon is going to Sharon and Bob and, as I said, living in Victoria. Sharon has been waiting so patiently for a puppy. This was actually her Christmas present from her husband, and she has been very patient, waiting, and waiting, and waiting to get her little puppy home. She’s been on our list for quite a while.

Bob and Sharon are both retired as well, so they are really looking forward to spending time with this little girl. This little one is going to keep them on their toes. There’s not going to be a dull moment in their household. She is full of beans, full of mischief, but also such a lovey, snuggy little girl. She really is just the most delightful temperament. She is very focused on people, she loves to be picked up, nothing makes her happier than to walk around being held by people. That just brings her all the joy that she could possibly have.

Sharon and Bob were looking for a dog that was going to be fun, easy to keep, a nice, calm puppy. Bob, in particular, told me he doesn’t want a puppy who barks. No barking, no barking. I think I saw that in his homework several times. We have yet to hear Cinnamon bark. I’m sure that she will, at some point, let us hear her little voice, but mostly all she does is come up with those beautiful eyes, wag her tail, and say, “Please, pick me up.” Because that’s what she likes more than anything is to be picked up, paid attention to, and loved.

I think that this little girl is going to be in heaven, because she is going to be the focus of Sharon and Bob’s life, and I know she’ll be the light of Sharon’s life. She is well set. That’s my little girl.

Now I’m just going to talk a little bit, briefly, just to recap some of the other things that we’ve talked about previously. The Razzle Dazzle litter went home the other day. The questions that we usually are asked after a litter goes home follow a theme. I thought it might be a good opportunity to go over a couple of things.

We do go over everything when you come to pick your puppy up. We have a pickup package, we go through each thing, and we discuss things, and everyone has lots of time to ask questions. However, it’s so exciting, and you’re waiting for your puppy, and you really just want to get that all over and done with. It’s better, I think, to maybe talk about it ahead of pickup time.

The biggest thing is feeding. Everybody worries about feeding their puppy. Everyone is always concerned that they’re not feeding their puppy enough, their puppy is not drinking enough water, their puppy isn’t eating enough food. They’re just always very, very worried, and particularly, for most people, this is the first time they’ve fed a dog a raw diet. It’s a little bit different. You don’t read the bag and go, “Half a cup, three times a day, okay, that’s easy. Put it in the bowl, and now I know if they ate it or not.”

With raw food, what you want to do with a puppy is aim for 6 to 10% of the puppy’s weight. That’s what you hope that they’re going to eat during a day. Now, Labradoodles make things very difficult for us, as they have zero food drive. Food really isn’t something that is important to Labradoodles. They’ll eat, and they do enjoy their food, but it’s not a focus. It’s not like if you have a lab who just inhales their food, or probably most of the other types of dogs that you’ve had.

I know that when I had a Cockapoo previously, or when I had my Siberian Huskies, there was absolutely no trouble getting them to eat, if anything, it was the opposite. With Labradoodles, it’s always difficult to encourage them to eat their meals. I tell everyone, our own dogs do not eat every meal. Ripple and Smoochers both frequently decide that they don’t want to eat breakfast. They may eat their breakfast at lunch, or they may only eat one time a day.

As adults, I don’t worry about that. If it continued for days, I would be concerned. But if they miss a meal, that’s fine. Dogs will not starve themselves. What the puppies are doing is reacting to the fact that they’re somewhere new, their routine has changed, you’re different, the bowl’s different, the house smells different, everything’s different. They naturally are a little bit reticent about things, so that tends to translate into a slightly diminished appetite quite regularly.

They also, as you probably know already, Labradoodles are very intelligent, and sometimes we don’t give them enough credit for how intelligent they are. They’re training you. Those puppies are training you as soon as you walk out our front door. They are always trying to get everything to work just a little bit more in their favor, and food is one of the things they’re going to work on. So, when you present them with their regular meal, they’re going to be, “Hm, I know you have treats.” Because you’ve probably already given them some on the ride home. “Hm, I wonder if I just don’t eat this, maybe I’ll just get treats.” They’re very, very adept and skillful at making you feel, “The puppy isn’t eating, what are we going to do?” And so they they get their treats.

Just relax, don’t worry. As I’ve said, the puppy is not going to starve themselves. You do, of course, want to be sure that they are eating. You don’t want them to go for more than one full day without eating a regular meal. What I mean by a regular meal is if you have a mini, such as the cinnamon swirl Labradoodle puppies, then you want them to be eating at least four ounces of their raw food during the day. As long as you’ve got that going into their stomachs, then it’s okay, don’t worry. Preferably, they’re going to eat more than that, but that’s what you’re going to start with.

You may find that you have to actually sit on the floor with your puppy, and you may have to feed them by hand the first couple of little bites to get them going. They just need time to settle. But, don’t fuss too much. Give it to them on the floor, let them have a go at it. If after five, six minutes they’ve just walked away and they don’t appear to be interested, call them over, sit down, be all cheerful and say, “Hey, Pablo, everything’s going okay.” Take a very small amount out of the dish and hand it to them on your hand, and let them lick it off. Do that a couple of times, then put them down and let them go out it. If they just choose to walk away, that’s okay. Pick it up, put it back in the fridge, try again in a couple of hours.

You probably will find that if you start doing this, that they are going to expect you to offer the food by hand for the first few days. But I wouldn’t worry about that. They’ll get tired of that, and they’ll get settled in, and they’ll eat properly.

Now, another trick is, one thing you may want to stock up on is the Nutrients Sub-Zero canned food. You can buy that at any PetSmart retail outlet. The other thing you can buy is Hills Diet ID food, that’s a canned food as well, and that you can buy only from your vet clinic. That’s just a small can and that’s used for urgent care. It has an odor about it that is so strong, and so delicious to dogs, that none of them ever say no. No matter what, they will usually eat that. That particular food is usually used from recovering from surgery, so when the puppies have their ESN surgeries, that’s what they’re fed at the vet clinic. Or, if we have a pregnant girl, for instance, who’s just really feeling fussy and doesn’t want to eat anything, we’ll give her some of this urgent care to get those calories in her.

If you just take just a tablespoon and mix that in with the raw, that will be enough to encourage them to start eating, but I would start with a can of the Nutrient Sub-Zero, rather than the Hills, just because the Nutrient is actually healthier for them than the Hills. But, if they’re still being difficult with you, then resort to the Hills and do one tablespoon.

You may have a puppy that needs to have some canned food stirred in every now and then to keep them encouraged to eat. You can vary this. You can use some of the urgent care, some of the Nutrients, you can also take some of the dehydrated liver treats, put those at the bottom. You can use chicken heart, and put that in the middle, and make them work for that. Or, you can even have little bits of, if you, say, had chicken for dinner, cut up a few bits of that and just sprinkle it through the food. Anything to get them going, because once they get going, then they’re fine. It’s just the getting them started is sometimes difficult.

Now, the other question we have a lot is water. A lot of people worry that their puppies aren’t drinking very much water. Again, these are usually people who are accustomed to feeding a Kibble diet. Dogs need an enormous amount of water to process kibble. They don’t need that with the raw food. And, also, there’s quite a bit of moisture in raw food. When you can see when you’re thawing it out, they’ll be quite a bit of juice left in the pan after you’ve thawed it out, if you let it thaw the whole way.

Don’t worry about them not drinking very much water. They need, probably, I’m going to say, conservatively about a third as much as you would probably be accustomed to seeing your dog drink. Again, don’t worry. If there’s water available, they’ll drink it when they’re thirsty. That’s not something that they deprive themselves of.

And, don’t forget those bones. Really important to include the bones in the diet so that the puppies are getting the extra calcium that they need as they’re growing and their own bones are developing. You can also still feed them a little bit of the goat’s milk, if you wish.

Those are the main questions we’re always asked. It almost always seems to revolve around food, because that’s what everybody worries about. They want to do the best for their puppy. Don’t worry, relax, take it easy. If nothing’s working then, of course, email me and I will help you with whatever problems you’re having and give you some more suggestions to get things to work a little better for you.

Oh, and one other thing people ask us as well, oftentimes they’re taking their puppies out, of course, to do their socialization, and that may include, perhaps, a day trip to family or friends, and they’re wondering, “What do we do in terms of the raw food?” A couple of options for that, one of them is you take the food, and it’s frozen, just put it in a dish or a Tupperware container, and cover it. By the time it’s the right time to feed your puppy, it will have thawed out enough that your puppy will enjoy eating it.

Don’t be surprised, again, if they don’t eat it, because you’re in a different location. And don’t worry if they miss that one meal. If they eat it, they eat it. If they don’t, don’t even being to get down on the floor and hand feed them if you’re somewhere else. Offer it, if they decline, that’s good. You can give them a couple of extra treats while you’re wherever you are, and that will tide them over.

The other thing that’s really good is dehydrated or freeze dried raw. Now, in the past, we’ve always told everybody to use Primal, and that is a US made product. It’s a great product, but it is American. I finally found a Canadian one. We’re so excited that we are able to partner with a Canadian company who’s offering a really high quality dehydrated raw food. We’ve made our first order, and that is being shipped to us now, and we hope to have that here in the next week or 10 days.

I’ve ordered enough to try with our dogs so that I get an idea of what does and doesn’t work. The Shake It Up puppies will still be here, and we’ll try some with them, and see how they take to it, what works well for them. Now, this product comes, and it’s very light, and it’s very concentrated protein. You just need a very small amount, and it’s easy, it’s dry, it’s light. It’s really easy to transport. Perfect for traveling. If you’re camping, if you’re on a sailboat or a powerboat, it will only take up a small amount of room. No big piles of Kibble, or cans, or trying to figure out what to do with raw food if you happen to be on a boat or a camping trip.

We’re really excited and hoping that it’s going to work out well for everybody. You just take a small amount, and you can feed it to the dogs just like kibble. It’s in a very small, crunch format. Or, you can rehydrate it. That’s why I wanted to test it out on the puppies and see if they’re content with chewing it without it being rehydrated, or if they prefer it hydrated, so that I can let you know what our experience is with it.

We’re going to have that available for everybody shortly, and you’ll be able to order that from us, and then we can ship it right out to you. It shouldn’t cost too much for shipping, because it is nice and concentrated, so very light.

I hope that helps you with some tips for feeding your puppies at home. It’s a big day for everybody, there’s so much for think about, and lots for your puppy to get used to. Just remember, it’s a whole new work for your puppy. They need to have lots of time to get accustomed to you, your new home, the smell, everything that’s going on, and an entirely different routine.

It’s a lot for them just to get used to being handled more and being the focus of your lives. Here, when they’re here, they’re handled, of course, and they’re out, and they’re with us, but they’re one of many puppies, so the individual one on one attention is something new to them. That can be overwhelming and quite tiring for them. And, of course, you have your friends, and your family, and everybody’s “Ooh, ooh, look at the cute puppy.” Which is great and of course they love it, but just remember it is a lot for them to process, they are just babies still.

I hope that’s been helpful. I’m really excited for our two families and for Hilda going to the UK. When she does go to the UK we will update everybody on her journey and how that goes. We just couldn’t be happier for all our families.

Thanks for watching, and we’ll see you again next time.