Check back here often to see what is going on with our current puppies. This page is important. Follow along just to enjoy the adorableness and also to see how socialized and clever our little guys really are. These are not kennel raised little fluff balls. Follow along and see for yourself! New updates will be posted up at the top of the page.
NEW! 10-20-13 Puppies are 6 weeks old! Well, my little fluffy lovies have done a lot of growing up these past several weeks but their time here in my home is drawing to a close. At the end of this week they will be going to their new homes! I'm so excited for them to begin bonding with their people and I know (having spent so much time talking to all of you) that each puppy is going to a very special, very loving home. Nothing is more rewarding for a breeder than knowing that my pups are with the absolute best families out there and knowing that all of you are going to get so much joy, love and cuddles from the same wonderful dogs that I enjoy every single day. I'm glad I get to share that with all of you :-) So, sappiness aside our little guys are graduating early neurological stimulation and socialization school here and I am getting ready to pass the baton on to all you lovely families! The next few months will be full of chances to teach your pup all about the world, how to behave, and what experiences to enjoy (and avoid). There will be bumps along the way (aren't there always?) but it will be worth it for the 15+ long years of affection and unwavering devotion that Cockapoos bring their people-pack. This will be my last update for this litter! *sniff*
Eden's Mighty Oakley: Oak is such a funny puppy. He makes me laugh more than all the others. He has such a personality! He is a tough cookie who is determined and very clever. He is happy to do things his way and is very eager and ready to explore. He is also the one that can be found sleeping to the side, alone, while the other puppies squirm around in a big lump. He is pretty mellow but you can see the intelligence in his eyes. He relaxes and is super confident, but you can see him observing things. His little gears are turning. And then he is the puppy that figures things out the rest of the litter hasn't bothered attempting yet (how to nose open a cracked door, how to climb over very tall obstacles, etc) Oak is a big, tall strapping manly Cockapoo. And that is exactly how he acts. He also loves snuggles. I've been working with him to lay down. He is doing really well and you can see the result of one of our practice sessions here. You can see that he clearly wants to get up. But he doesn't, for the most part. He did a very good job. I'm glad to see that he is obedient despite his independence. I'm glad he is going home to a Mama that knows just how to train him so his independence doesn't get the best of his obedience too! Though Cockapoos do make great first dogs the very clever and/or independent ones are easier if you've been through the puppy stage a time or two before. ;-)
Eden's Flowering Cassia: Seriously, who can resist that face? Cassia is such a little doll. She is this tiny little girl about the size of a grapefruit but not nearly as sour. She is so sweet, she wags her tail so hard her whole body swings side-to-side. If there is a lap or a set of willing arms she is in them. She is interested in toys to an extent but she is much more interested in cuddling. She will wrestle with the other puppies here and there but the second she spots a person her attention is 100% focused on them. She is a people-lover and a people-pleaser and will be easy to train for those reasons. She has a gentle little spirit and it will not take a heavy hand to train her. Positive training methods work beautifully with all Cockapoos, especially the ultra cuddlebugs! There are a couple of little children that are going to be as equally excited to meet Cassia as she will be to have a new set of laps to curl up in!
Domino! Dom is a pretty quiet little fellow. He is charming and unobtrusive. A very polite, affable little puppy. He tends to be a bit cautious for a little while before warming up enough to frisk around, despite knowing the rooms of the house quite well by now. He has a special affinity for children and in particular babies. He can often be found near my infant daughter or my toddler son (which is strange because Dom is so cautious, yet my son is two-so certainly quite rough at times). He doesn't bark or growl or have many fake puppy fights. He doesn't prance around posturing at the other puppies. He seems like he is simply quite content, just as he is. He follows me around and politely snuggles in for lots of affection and that seems to be just great with him. He is definitely a sweetie pie.
Ash: Little Ash is very much our boy-version of Cassia. Similar to Domino Ash differs in that he really wants to be in my arms rather than being contented just to be near me. He can ultimately be summed up with the words "gentle" and "sweet". He is such a gentle little puppy who seems to want to give near continual kisses (and my chin seems to be the preferred target) and he always wants to be up in my arms or lap. He wants to play, and likes to play, but he wants to play with a person. He wants to eat (and often sleeps in the bowl) but if people are standing near the food at feeding time he will not eat and instead will circle around, looking up, trying to find some way to encourage the nearby people to pick him up. He'd rather be in a lap then running around or wrestling. He always has his little tail going. He also has a pretty strong swimming reflex. He starts swimming before he even hits the water in the bath! His little forelegs start paddling :-) Ash is low key and doesn't seem afraid or cautious, he just doesn't have much a use for exploration when he knows exactly what he needs: affection. Ash will be going home to a warm family and a couple of kids who will be giving him all the hugs, kisses, and fetch games he can ever want!
Lincoln: What can be said about this guy other than the obvious that he is gorgeous and flashy? I'd swear he knows it, too! Lincoln is our most vocal puppy. He likes to make a wide range of interesting sounds. He doesn't cry any more than the other pups do, he just "talks" like his dad does. He also sounds like a Wookie when he growls. Lincoln likes to play "spastic puppy". He will be walking along, right as rain, then completely out of the blue he'll leap up into the air, all four legs stiff and he'll twist as he's landing, look one direction, the turn and run top speed in the other direction, only to wheel around barking, headed toward whatever human or puppy is closest to him. Then he tackles said human or puppy. Once he did this to Cassia but he bowled her completely over. They tumbled in a big furry ball just like a cartoon and when they stopped poor little Lincoln had gotten a little crinkly basket toy on his back leg and couldn't shake it off. If puppies could shrug, that would have been what he did. He just shrugged and walked around crinkling with that little toy on his leg. Oak heard the interesting sound and immediately relieved Lincoln of his toy (and would have attempted to take the leg with it too, if I hadn't distracted everyone with dinner.
Eden's American Hazel: Here is our sleek little beauty queen. Hazel has such lovely rounded features and it is seen even more clearly by her slick satiny coat. All the puppies are soft but Hazel has such a silky fineness to her coat that she is hard to resist petting constantly. She has large, round eyes and that rounded little face that make her look even more like an innocent baby than she already does (since she still is, in fact, an innocent baby). She is a clever little thing and she doesn't let her size slow her down. Other than Oak she is the only puppy that has learned to scale large objects blocking her path. She is determined and she will figure out little puzzles. If she is motivated she'll work hard. I just hope that adorable little face doesn't allow her to cause too much trouble and get away with it! (Lord knows it works for my two year old. He knows just how to turn on that irresistible baby charm). Hazel also loves kids, to include my toddler, and I know he will especially miss her. She is a gentle puppy but very active and playful. She isn't cautious or hesitant, but confident and bold, despite her diminutive size. She is another quiet puppy. In fact, as a whole, this entire litter has been more quiet than any other litter I've ever had. They do burst into a chorus of excited yelps when they see a person coming for them, though :-) That is a pleasant noise. Hazel has a very soft, high-pitched bark that is very sweet-sounding since she doesn't use it often. Here she was practicing the "down" command, she did fairly well.
10-19-13 Puppies are 5 weeks old!! These little sweethearts are growing up so very fast. They seem to change by leaps and bounds every single day. They are getting more and more confident in their play-with-a-purpose activities and they are showing their cleverness and playfulness. Puppy pick up is only a few weeks away and already I miss these little sweethearts. Enjoy the individual puppy portraits! And if I don't have everyone posted, please just be patient!
Eden's Mighty Oak: our big man of the litter is still tall and sturdy and suits his litter-name very well for that reason. He is a crazy little guy, playing fiercely at times and independently exploring. But he is also a gentleman puppy seeming to treat the others politely. He is the strong and silent type. It took me a lot of coaxing to get a single bark out of him. He is as clever as he is big, as well, and has already figured out just how to manipulate the people into giving him what he wants (well, I'm a sucker for smart puppies, what can I say). He figures out puzzles first, containers first, and responds quickly when he hears me coming. He is going to be a smoothie with an amazing fluffy and curly coat. The shorter coat on the smoothies mean no clippers needed. A pair of safety-tipped scissors for trimming the feathering is all that is needed along with a simple metal comb. He will not shed but be easy to keep neat and groomed. I love his little curly whiskers and he has these little black freckles on his chin and a tiny pink spot on his nose. He is adorable!
Little Ash or Little London: This little guy has a face that I just want to squish and smother with kisses. I wish black puppies weren't so darn hard to photograph because this little man melts my heart. He is a cuddle bug and likes to be in a lap pretty much most of the time. He does like to play, particularly he likes walking through our rolling tunnels and chasing a rolling pin across the kitchen floor. He gives a lot of kisses, more so than most of our pups and he can always be seen squirming himself to the bottom of the puppy pile to sleep. He has no problem letting out a bark if he wants attention and he will paw and whine when he wants to be held (which is anytime he isn't chasing a toy, sleeping, or pigging out on the puppy food and then resting in the empty food pan).
10-15-13 Puppy Housebreaking begins! Starting on Friday (the 11th) the puppies were showing signs that they were ready to begin this important step. We attached the "puppy potty" or the "Cockapoo commode" to the whelping box. This litter seems to have things backwards. Instead of using the potty area to, well, potty, they have decided to make it a puppy bedroom. They are doing their business in the main puppy box area instead, which isn't so great as that is where I feed them. I tried to get them to change their minds, but they were having none of that. So instead I am now feeding them in the Puppy University. Which is good anyway because it gives them a chance to learn to eat with random objects touching them and moving and making noise all around them. So these guys wanted a smaller, more private den space I suppose. Hey-as long as they are not pooping or peeing where they eat and sleep it is good enough for me! This gives them a really good start on housebreaking!
10-15-13 Puppy Weaning is in full swing: I practice Dam-lead puppy weaning and here little miss Fern has fully decided to have me feed her pups. How do I know? Fern actually asked me to feed her puppies for her. I do wish she could speak English sometimes because it took me a long time to figure out what she wanted. She was crying at me but wouldn't leave the nursery, yet refused to get in her box. She didn't want food or water, a trip outside or a belly rub. I was starting to get concerned because she never cries at me. The pups were all awake and crying to eat and she wasn't going in to feed them so I brought them a dish of food. And as soon as I plopped it in with the pups Fern came running to me and giving me a million sloppy dog-kisses! Then she curled up in her dog bed by our wood-burning stove and fell asleep (this was at about 2am, mind you. I happened to be up with our people-baby at the time). Clearly Fern wanted me to feed her puppies and this was how she was letting me know she was ready to wean. A more traditional way to know when the dam is ready is by watching her with her pups. She will begin to regurgitate her own meals and avoid sitting for nursing sessions with the pups. She is likely to regurgitate a soft pre-digested meal and escape from the pups as fast as she can. This means she is ready to cut nursing sessions down. Fern decided to skip the whole puking thing and just get Mom to do the work for her. Clever girl! I made a few different batches of puppy weaning food. Puppies eat way more food while weaning than you can possibly imagine!! Feeding a litter of growing puppies real-food or a high-quality commercial dog kibble is very expensive, but it is worth the cost. Puppies are growing at a very fast rate and they need the right nutrients and whole foods in the right balance with their mother's milk to grow properly. Premature weaning as well as improper diet of the Dam and/or the pups will lead to growth problems. Healthy fats are crucial to brain and eye growth and proper neurological function. We now know that joint problems like hip dysplasia are not genetic but related to diet and nutrition while puppies are growing. I get your puppy off to a wonderful start and then I leave it in your hands to feed your baby right. *Note* I tried using quinoa with the puppies. I happened to have some of this very healthy stuff to sprout and feed to my budgies (often semi-incorrectly called parakeets in the US). There are very few good Cockapoo breeders in the US. I happened to be on one of the rare good one's website and saw she recommends quinoa. Great recommendation since quinoa is a really healthy food! But you know, it is a bit odd. Dogs are not seed eaters. But then again dogs don't eat sardines either and I feed those to them to fill in the nutritional gaps left by being unable to feed them all the organs and parts of prey animals that they would eat if allowed to feed naturally. So I gave it a shot. (Some people mistake quinoa for a grain. But it is actually a seed. It is the seed of the Chenopodium plant. Yes, it acts like a grain, but it isn't actually a grain. Well, that's your random fact for the day.) Anyhow, I learned that dogs do not digest quinoa. Duh. I really should have figured that beforehand since I know they won't digest flax seeds unless they are milled (ground up into a powder) and frankly dogs don't digest a whole lot of anything other than animal products or the partially digested contents of their prey. (You know, cuz of that whole carnivore thing). So yes, Quinoa goes in and right out of the dogs and not a tiny bit of it is digested. This is an expensive item, so don't waste your money unless you plan on grinding it up before feeding. You can grind it up in a coffee mill or spice mill if you like. Yes, I did cook them first. Overcooking any food ruins the content for dogs especially. Also if you use quinoa for dogs you should soak and rinse them beforehand to remove the bitter coating from the seeds, the same as you would for human consumption. It would be very easy to miss the whole quinoa seeds passing through a dog if the amount isn't a huge portion of the food (which it wouldn't be in a properly balanced diet). Since I used it as the main carb in the puppy food I was fortunately able to notice the seeds being passed whole! Well, you live and you learn (and sometimes you spend time cleaning pooped seeds out of whelping boxes) :-) Quinoa is super nutritious. Grind it up and add it in for an awesome dog food addition!!
10-13-13 The puppies are four weeks old! These little guys grow up so fast! Isn't that what all we parents say? Both babies and puppies grow in leaps and bounds! We had our puppy-parent visiting day and several wonderful families were able to meet me in person and snuggle their lovely little poofs. Some puppy parents were unable to visit, whether due to distance or sick children :-( So here are some nice close up photos of their puppies so they can have a virtual visit. Don't worry puppy-parents, two more weeks and these guys will be in your arms and kissing your chins for good!
EDEN'S FLOWERING CASSIA
EDEN'S AMERICAN HAZEL
EDEN'S MIGHTY OAK
All puppies!! Here are all of them enjoying our "Puppy University" which the visitors saw yesterday. It is basically a big cube filled with objects that stimulate puppy thought, growth, development and confidence.
10-6-13: The puppies are three weeks old! It is amazing how fast these little guys grow up. They change dramatically every day and I enjoy watching them grow. They have experimented with puppy mush and here is the second time that they ate mush. Hello weaning means good bye clean little baby dogs! They really walk through their food and splatter it all over one another. And they tend to sleep in the bowl after they are all finished. This time we ate outside on the grass. The sunshine and warm weather was too delicious to stay cooped up in the nursery! After the puppies finished their meal they piled on top of one another and fell fast asleep. And the way the puppies were sleeping was too adorable to resist!! I just had to snap photos of them, the little cuties! Enjoy!
10-3-13 The puppies went outside again a few days later to enjoy the sunshine. On this trip I left the pups in a little clump on the warm grass and took a few steps away from them. I left Fern where she could observe but not be seen by the pups. I squatted down in the grass and clapped my hands. Immediately, tails up and wagging the puppies began making their way toward me. After they got fairly close I stood and walked a few paces away. The puppies began to follow me. I stepped away again, this time double the previous distances. I didn't squat down or encourage the pups verbally or use any gestures and in fact I did not look down at the pups or make any visual contact. Within a minute or two there were little tongues on my ankles and lots of warm bodies scrambling onto my feet. I looked down and like a little flock of ducklings the puppies had followed me over and were piling themselves on my feet. Are Cockapoos people oriented? Why yes, yes they are :-) After my few short walk-aways from the puppies I spent a little time patting and scratching them and just enjoying watching them explore. Then I had my children come out one at a time, oldest to youngest, and do their own little walk-aways with the pups. My toddler does sit-aways. He sits a few feet away from the puppies and soon they pile into his lap (much to his delight). I am there with him or my husband is if I’m taking photos since he is too little to be near such little animals by himself (he might accidentally injure them)
Enjoy the photos below! You can see the same couple puppies starting wrestling matches, but they all have their moments being the instigator! I hope there aren’t too many photos below, although whenever I’m choosing the best photos to share I have such a hard time deciding and I don’t want to put too many up… but then I think: is there really such a thing as “too many” when it comes to cute Cockapoo puppy pictures?
The Puppies went outside for the very first timeat 2.5 weeks of age. The sun was warm and shining bright and all the puppies have their eyes and ears open and they are fairly steady on their legs and walking abilities now. This was a great chance to get a great idea of puppy temperament and individual personality. The puppies were placed on the lawn tucked safely in a bundle together in a basket. Who would attempt to climb out of the basket? Anyone? Their Mama was allowed to watch the puppies from a distance where they could not see her or be encouraged by her. So Fern felt comfortable, and she trusts us with her babies, so she enjoyed a nice chew treat in the meantime. If you think placement in the basket will have any influence on who climbs out, though, you'd be surprised. An eager and curious, confident puppy will wriggle his way to the top to peer out. It isn't an influencing factor most of the time. In this case we had several puppies peering over the edge, but no one except the little merle Lincoln made an effort to evacuate their warm bed to explore the great unknown. Lincoln put two paws in the grass and then looked at me and stayed there. The other puppies had similar attitudes. As Fern was not around to reassure them or lead them these guys looked to me to let them know what to do. That is a good sign and a good way to begin training these little guys to trust human leadership. Lincoln and Oak are forever wrestling as well, as you can see below. :-) They were rewarded for looking to me for assistance with praise and a gentle lift out onto the grass.
The puppies had their very first bath ever. They were gently introduced to water at 2 weeks of age and I did not wash their little heads this time. The puppies were allowed to play in the bathtub with a small amount of standing water. It is like watching a toddler splash in puddles after a summer rain. I use a gentle baby shampoo and gently massage each puppy. This helps them learn early on to accept baths as pleasant and regular occurrences. After the bath (and taking these photos-the little wet pups are in the whelping box-I used a blow dryer to carefully dry each little puppy. This prevents them from getting too cold. It also gets them accustomed to noise and the sensation of being blown dry. This will help with future grooming endeavors by their future families. After a nice blow out the puppies each had their nails clipped (this is actually the third time I've clipped nails) and their paws and toes are handled and manipulated for a decent amount of time. This helps to get the puppies accustomed to having their feet touched, which dogs typically do not appreciate. If this is continued on a regular basis after the puppies leave here they will never have a problem with nail trims or grooming or health inspections of feet and paw pads. Last the puppies had their ears gently dried with cotton balls. They weren't terribly wet but again this is a good way to get the little guys accustomed to regular grooming practices. Keep scrolling down!
Can you tell these puppies apart? When the pups are very young we make soft yarn collars from safe baby yarn and regularly change these out to keep them clean and safely loose. After a week and a half or so we can easily tell the pups apart, however, by their individual looks and personalities. Can you tell the difference? Test yourself! Play along. Click through the slideshow and make your guesses. Which puppy is yours? And, well, London's family does have it a bit easy ;-) The pups are: London (blue merle male) Domino (Bay-black male)Ash (black male) Apsen (black male) Oak (black male) Calla (curly black female and Cassia (flat-coated black female). Look at the document below to see the answers :-)
