First time breeder

jcmomma

New member
Hello,
I'm a first time breeder, our only female newf is likely expecting her first litter in a few weeks. She has had all health screenings as has the stud. Her breeder is my mentor, but this forum seems like a great place for support.

I have a few questions. I work 4 days a week and have the week off that she is due to whelp her pups. I understand I must be careful leaving her with the pups for fear she may accidentally lay on one. I have a person who will come to the house a few times a day to make sure everyone is happy while I am away. Do you have any tips or advice for me around timing of nursing for 1 week old pups? 2 weeks etc? Thanks and I am here to learn;) Also she will be in the house until they are old enough to destroy the house and then we will put them in the heated basement. Any suggestestions for bedding when they are older?
 

jcmomma

New member
not yet. We have a couple months before we have to have one made, so my husband will make one for when they are in the basement. We plan to use a swimming pool for a couple of weeks. Any suggestions for the whelping box from 3-8 weeks would be great.
 

Sun Valley

New member
Leaving puppies with their Mother when they are only a week old and having some one come in to check every few hours isn't a great idea. Puppies can be accidently suffocated and layed on in a matter of minutes.

I stay with my puppies 24/7 for the first 3 weeks.

Lou Ann
 

victoria1140

Active member
A lot of whelping boxes have an internal ledge so that puppies can move out of the way of mum.
Also don't forget heat sourcesas they can get cold quickly.

I would suggest getting another week off as you want to be near the pups while they are so young in case of complications.

I don't like the idea of the swimming pool as its slippy,harder to keep clean but l can understand the problem.
I would prefer a proper secure area as mums like to be comfortable with their pups and moving them around too much worries them.

Get the supplies ready of disinfectant/bleach lots of mops and buckets.
A safe area if you need to clean pups, a good pair of wellys as pups will scratch your legs as they get older.

We used cat litter trays for weaning,easy to clean and prepare as those pups are going to be hungry, lots of puppy worming fluid.

The number of the emergency vets as things do go wrong at times , lots of patience as you will get very little sleep at times.

Vet and get a contract made for their new homes, can you take the pups back if there are problems and eople can't cope.

I know you have a mentor but believe me its bloody hard work and emotionally very draining when you have pups in the house.
 
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Sound Bay Newfs

Active member
Leaving puppies with their Mother when they are only a week old and having some one come in to check every few hours isn't a great idea. Puppies can be accidently suffocated and layed on in a matter of minutes.

I stay with my puppies 24/7 for the first 3 weeks.

Lou Ann
I agree. The pups need constant monitoring the first couple of weeks to make sure they are safe from mom accidentally stepping on them and that their temperature is maintained. A whelping box should have "pig rails" (inside rails around the inside to help protect the pups). You can't have that with a pool. You are better off having a whelping box for the first 3 weeks. You can set up an x pen arrangement in the basement. I am not a big fan of basements as I think pups need sunlight and fresh air. Also you mention 3-8 wks old, but pups need to stay with mom and get heart checks from a cardiologist at 10 wks old.
 

YorkvilleNewfie

New member
not yet. We have a couple months before we have to have one made, so my husband will make one for when they are in the basement. We plan to use a swimming pool for a couple of weeks. Any suggestions for the whelping box from 3-8 weeks would be great.
I'll join the chorus and say that you need to have a proper whelping box made and ready for use before the pups arrive. And yes to the pig rails and no to leaving them unsupervised at 1 week of age. I'm really rather surprised that your breeder-mentor hasn't told you otherwise.

Will you be having their hearts cleared via cardiologist prior to placing them in their new homes? Do you have puppy parents lined up already?
 

YorkvilleNewfie

New member
Here's a good example of a whelping box with pig rails. Something like this would be fairly easy to construct:

 
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jcmomma

New member
Thank you for the help. My intention is to be home with them until they are 10 days which is the most I have off and my understanding is that I should keep them separated for a couple of hours at a time between feedings to prevent any accidents. They will be in the house for the first 3-4 weeks with heat lamp and pad and we will keep them there as long as it works. She is OFA heart clear as is the stud. Have you all had puppies with heart issues once cleared at 10 weeks? Again, I really am here to learn. I understand I may not do everything to every one elses standards, but I am asking for help and support.
 

Angela

Super Moderator
. She is OFA heart clear as is the stud. Have you all had puppies with heart issues once cleared at 10 weeks? .
I have Nicholas who is now 9 yrs. I got him from a very good breeder at just under 10 weeks. He was cleared of heart murmurs at that time by the breeder's vet. Don't know where you live or what you know about Canada but........ there was NO board certified cardiologist 9 yrs ago from BC to Ontario where they had some.

Therefore no cardiologist saw Nicholas and the local vet missed a murmur because when I got home here on the west coast 2 days later he had a murmur.

This necessitated a long trip to Portland OR to a cardologist!!! Now there is one in Vancouver BC but not then.

So, this long story shows the importance of having a cardiologist check their hearts at 10 weeks.

Nicholas has SAS but is doing just fine, it is mild, but it was a big shock at the time.
 

Sun Valley

New member
Are the parents OFA heart certified by a cardiologist or just a regular vet?

I don't like to keep my Mothers separated from the puppies, especially the first week or two...Moms want to be with their babies.

Having a whelping box made is really the way to go, preferably with sides that can be lowered for easy in and out for Mom and then be raised higher when puppies start to get out...:) You will be amazed how quickly they can get out of a box...:) And as someone mentioned, x-pens are VERY useful at that time...:)

LA
 

Ginny

New member
Leaving puppies with their Mother when they are only a week old and having some one come in to check every few hours isn't a great idea. Puppies can be accidently suffocated and layed on in a matter of minutes.

I stay with my puppies 24/7 for the first 3 weeks.

Lou Ann
Ditto

Great both sire and dam have clear hearts, assuming they were cleared by a cardiologist after a year of age. A clear sire and dam doesn't mean the pups will be clear. That's why they need to be screened by a cardiologist at about 10 wks. before placing them in their forever homes. Some pups clear at 10 wks. and later are diagnosed with SAS...
 

Capri

New member
The importance of staying with the litter (mother and puppies) is emphasized with Newfoundland, only due to the size difference. Accidents can and do happen, but they are reduced by watching them constantly for the first few weeks. This is not to say that Newfs are any "less motherly", but that accidents can happen even to the best mums, because if she has more than two, it's difficult for her to keep an eye on where everyone is. She might accidentally step on one (or one's tail, paw etc.), "bury" one in her nest of blankets or just bum-plant one as she's laying down. You'll be surprised to see how quick the pups are to move, and they start at a few days old!

When I say staying "a few weeks", it means until at least when they are at an age when they are walking well and are of considerable size, or when they're at the age of being weaned or when they only eat every 6-8 hours (which means that you can leave the pups together to play, take the mother out, but feed them before you leave and again when you come back).

We have been lucky to have been able to always take a holiday for the whole duration (or work part-time between 3-5 weeks when they're old enough to play together, but young enough to not yet need outside the house socialization trips), but as work is at home, it's usually leaving the pups to sleep (mother taken away, she's usually happy to leave them in the other room at this stage), and check up on them every hour or so).

Be sure to keep the puppies in your living room etc. so that they get used to living with you. Only restricting them to a swimming pool (even though it would be fabulously easy to keep clean!) will only create problems for the pups in the future, because most likely you won't have the same interaction with them had they been in your living room. At that age pups won't destroy much especially if you provide them with enough activities. They still have each other to keep company.

I would advise to read our puppy blogs from our website, especially N has quite a lot of information that I think you'll find useful.

Good luck, and be sure to ask you breeder-mentor to explain how they do it all.
 

CMDRTED

New member
Just throwing in my meager knowledge, I know my breeder (who has helpers) has someone experienced with the Mom and puppers 24/7 for the first three weeks. Besides puppies getting stepped on or layed on, there are many others reasons to do this. Definately a whelping Box should be used, them lil rascals will get everywhere.
 

marylouz

New member
Excellent! Also keep in mind that you'll want to check with your cardio on how fast they book up- around here I need to schedule puppy checks for 10 weeks when the pups are 2 weeks old- once I waited until 6 weeks and the cardio was booked solid until pups were almost 14 weeks old - I had a lot of impatient puppy families!
 
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