On Tuesday, August 4, at 7:10 am the first of Maui’s beautiful male puppies were born. Three adorable females came next, and a final handsome male was born last at 9:50 am.
She is being an amazing Momma and all the puppies have been steadily gaining weight since their births. Based on how they were born and the positioning of the litter in the x-ray I have guesstimated which pup was which for those who were asking. Since we are the first MCPC Breeder in Canada we went with an All-Things Canadian theme. In birth order (left to right) we have Higgins, Shunda, Maple, Kateri & Horton.
Henry ~HIGGINS~ Our first of the little blessings. He was the first born at 7:10am at 7.5oz. He’s the only pup with any black on his tail. He has been doing awesome the past four days and is already 10.6oz.
We chose the name Higgins after Henry Higgins from one of our favorite Canadian shows “Murdoch Mysteries”. Here’s a link to learn more: https://murdochmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Henry_Higgins
~SHUNDA~ Our second born pup was a female. She was born at 7:20am and weighed 7.7oz. She has also been doing great and is now 10.6oz.
We named her Shunda after Shunda Mountain (Baldy) which overlooks Nordegg, Alberta; where our family first immigrated to Canada from Scotland. Her back is coated in little black spots which reminded us of the little pebbles in Shunda creek. If you’d like to learn more about this beautiful area, check out this link: https://explorecentralalberta.ca/guide/see-do/summer-outdoors/hiking/shunda-mountain-baldy-fire-lookout/
~MAPLE~ Third born was little Maple. She was born at 7:51am and was the lightest pup weighing 7.1oz. She has been growing like a weed, and now weighs 10.1oz.
Maple is the lightest colored puppy of the litter, and her red/brown colouration reminded us of the red maple leaves 🍁 during autumn, as well as the golden maple syrup we’re famous for. If you’d like to learn more about Canadian Maple Syrup, click this link: https://www5.agr.gc.ca/resources/prod/Internet-Internet/MISB-DGSIM/CB-MC/PDF/4689-eng.pdf
~KATERI~ Puppy number 4 was our third and final female. She was born at 8:31am and weighed 7.7oz. She’s currently the biggest of the litter, at 11.0oz.
We chose the name Kateri after my youngest daughter’s favorite Canadian Saint. If you’re interested in learning more about her, we’ve attached two links of information here: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Kateri-Tekakwitha https://www.canadashistory.ca/explore/first-nations,-inuit-metis/reclaiming-saint-kateri
Tim ~HORTON~ Our fifth and final puppy was another adorable male. He was born at 8:50am and also weighed 7.7oz. He now is second largest at 10.9oz.
Horton is named after Tim Horton, a famous Canadian hockey player and entrepreneur. He won four Stanley Cups with the Toronto Maple Leaves in the 60’s, and founded the restaurant franchise Tim Hortons ☕️. To learn more, check out the link below: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tim-Horton
Hard to believe a whole week has gone by already since these little blessings were born! They’ve been growing and changing almost by the hour. On day three we started their Early Neurological Stimulation. We’ll be doing this until day 16 as part of the Puppy Culture program. This protocol was developed by the USA military and used by the Breeding Better Dogs program developed by Dr. Carmen Battaglia. It has been shown to benefit the puppies by 1. improving cardiovascular performance (heart rate) 2. stronger heartbeats 3. stronger adrenal glands 4. more tolerance to stress and 5. greater resistance to disease. By doing these things with our puppies during this important time, they’ll be healthier for the rest of their lives.
The puppies have moved into the Transitional period of the puppy culture program. We have started introducing different items, experiences and socialization to their day. They are also getting lots of cuddle time and touch desensitization to help them grow into wonderful well-balanced dogs
These little cuties were busting out of their whelping pen, so they got moved into a larger area where they are being exposed to all the hustle and bustle of our home. We have introduced them to the clicker and have started doing formal challenges with them all. These learning and problem-solving activities will help the puppies be more stable, less easily stressed or frightened, with better learning and memory for the rest of their lives. These first 12 weeks are so important in a puppy’s development, we are doing everything we can to ensure their future families get the healthiest, most well-balanced pups possible. 🐶😊
Higgins~ This little pup is really stretching out and is the tallest in the litter. He is very sleek, soft, fast and independent. He loves to run circles around his littermates, then find his favorite spot to cuddle in for a snooze; preferably stretched out in someone’s arms. He weighs 3lbs 5oz now, is black & white, and his little teeth have finally poked through, so I guess I’ll need to stop calling him ‘Toothless’ of How to Train Your Dragon fame, and go back to Handsome Higgins!
Shunda~ Maui’s first daughter is very playful, adventurous, quiet and sweet. She loves to wrestle and play with her littermates, Mom and her favorite teddy bear. She weighs 3lbs 2oz, is black & white, and was the first to have her teeth come through. She is getting very good at manding; this is one of the puppy culture protocols we are working on where the puppies learn to sit when they approach people to ask for attention rather than jumping up. After playing hard Shunda loves to snuggle up against you for a well-deserved nap.
Maple~ This little girl is very playful, and people oriented; she is just as happy playing with her siblings as with anyone she meets. She is also cuddly and vocal. Maple is very much like her Daddy Hudson was at her age and will let you know if something is not ok in her world. She is a tricolor Coton and may be the lightest of the pups at 3lbs 1oz, but she is tough and can hold her own when wrestling with her littermates. Maple is cuddly and very photogenic as you can see in the close-up shots she gave to Zoe.
Kateri~ This little floof weighs 3lbs 4oz and is a tri colored Coton. She is very well balanced, playful, cuddly, gentle and so kind. She was the first of the puppies to mand and will stop playing with all of the others if there is even a chance of getting picked up and cuddled. She is also very smart and figured out how to climb out of the whelping pen first…then first again when we made it more challenging by putting the big, sweet tart toy in front of the door.
Horton~ This little pup is the heaviest of them all at 3lbs 6oz. He is a very chill, free-spirited guy who loves to eat and play hard! He is Independent and is quite content to go and sleep off on his own. He loves his nap time and gets grumpy if the others try to wake him to play if he’s not ready. He has claimed Zoe’s lap as his own and still tries to keep the other puppies off so he will get all the belly rubs which he adores. He is a black and white Coton.
9weeks! Where has the time gone?? It’s hard to believe that these little ones will be going to bless their forever family next week 😳 It’s going to be really busy until then working more on potty and crate training, resource guarding, calm emotional responses, leash training as well as exposing them to more people and experiences.
We had an amazing day. Our morning started with their first car ride, and they did AWESOME! Next, we went and had their first vet check; immunizations and microchips were done as well as their checkups. I guess the best way to describe it is…they were ROCKSTARS! If there was a best litter award, I think they would have definitely won- I was so impressed with how well they did! We also stopped at my work and Moms to show off these gorgeous sweethearts. All in all, they were awesome representatives of this amazing breed & the Puppy Culture program.
These little floofs are 10 weeks old!! They are amazing little sweethearts who have started moving out to bless their forever families. Although it is bittersweet to see them go, I know that the amazing families they are going to will love them as much as we have 🥰
