Our Blue Puppies

Are they not stunning. 

Catrine Canine Club

 At Lawrie and Symington, Lanark

Culseandanes Viper's Tale 

reserve in Great Dane Graduate. 

Culseandanes Brutus Blue 

1st in Great Dane Open. 

(No piccies of Leo) 

Handlers today where Debra and Colin. 

Well done everyone.

Thanks to judge Miss C Crooks for thinking so highly of our dogs. 

IRVINE & DISTRICT CANINE CLUB

At Magnum Centre

Culseandanes Loki Mischief was out today in A.V. Minor Puppy in a strong class of 6 he wasnt placed today. 

Al and Loki in JH today in a strong class of 7 they where not placed today. 

Both did exceptionally well in the showring but the pup was a bit tired towards the end of it all as it was a knackering day for all. 

He will get it soon enough the more times he is out. 

We are a week in now

Well Misty and the puppies are doing really great. So proud of the little lady and her brood. All pups have doubled in birth weight.

I watch and hover over them and mum everyday. I am the lass that sleeps in the whelping box with mum and pups every night for the first fortnight.

Shattered I am but it is so worth it when you see how trusting your dog is with you. Looking to you to give a helping hand to latch everyone on whilst she moves to sprawl out for easier access but needing that little extra help from you.

Finding a pup or 3 right beside you when you manage to power nap and the snuffly noises they make because they are so contented with full bellys of mummy milk.

Watching your girl eat her meals with relish because she knows its good for her and to sustain her whilst she is nursing the babies. Yup she may bin rake the sod to haha!!!!

We are raw feeding Misty and she is getting 6 small meals a day as she wasnt eating her 2 larger meals. On average I'd say she is getting 6-8lbs of raw variety in her diet.

She is losing that clamped in look as they get that after birth dont they. We feed her the puppy formula as well so she knows what the babies are getting when we top them up. Big litters get a wee hand sometimes so mum isnt doing all the work, but she does love to nurse them.

She wont be saying that in 3 weeks time as she will be curtailing them at that age by sitting on her boobs but saying that she didnt the last time she kept feeding till they where 7 weeks but it was only a slurp bless her.

We have also decided this is Misty's last litter as this litter was huge as in 14 pups 10 lives ones. It takes a year to 18 months to recover and she is now 4 so that is her done she given us 2 lovely litters which I am proud of I have to say. Most went to pet homes 1 is in the show ring ablately lightly but he is doing well from her first litter and her second we shall see what happens as I would love for more in the show ring. Time will tell on that score.

I shall be sad to see them go but I know I can see them again on FB or in person which I think is lovely too. I always stay in contact with my adoptees and phone or FB them every 3 months or so.

CRUFTS

Here we come this year we are showing the two older boyos.

Lads season ticket came last week and our passes came yesterday woohoo!!!!!!!!!!

Can you tell I am excited.

So peeps reading here come say hi if attending I am the little woman with red hair with a mantle and blue.

YKC and JH from Alan

This is Al for the shows I can go to that have YKC and most likely JH.

I am new to this all as I have only been out 11 times now but not just JH or YKC but in the actual big rings which can be a wee bit scary with the older folks but they have been really good and encouraging me. 

I have put the Scottish and Irish ones and two English ones we may attend. 

Caledonian Canine Society 

2nd Feb 2013

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Belfast Dog Show Society

2nd April 2013

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Dumfries and Galloway Canine Society

14th April 2013

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The SKC

17th May 2013

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Dundee Canine Club

8th June 2013

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Blackpool & District Canine Society

21st-23rd June 2013

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The SKC

24th August 2013

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Richmond Dog Show Society

7th September 2013

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Belfast Dog Show Society 

28-29th September 2013

If getting started in JH there is a video from Marina Scott that helps you out on what to do and how to handle yourself in the showring. You can't watch once but a few times as there is loads to learn on it.
I also have a great mentor that helps me when doing training called Claire she has helped me a lot over the past few months with ringcraft and obedience for Loki and myself. 

Remember dont be afaird to ask the judge to repeat herself if you havent heard her intructions. 

Always be presentable as in clean and tidy. 

(I can be clumsy so I need a change of clothes sometimes)

A lot of boys are not into handling but I have noticed that there is more and more of us now which is good for me. 

The usual circuit is T, L and Triangle or reverse of these. 

I have to add you must know your breed you are showing/handling.

ie what breed is it, how many teeth they have,  what was it used for in the past or now. They mainly do this at champ shows so be aware they may ask and a dog has 42 teeth by the way. 

GOLDEN RULE

NEVER COME INBETWEEN YOUR DOG AND THE JUDGE. 

I am hoping to do agilitity with Loki in the future as there is only one other Great Dane that does it that mum knows. I think it'll be fun for us. 

Good luck Alan 

Misty's labour

We had already set up the whelping box for her on the 12th thinking plenty of time as she isn't due till the weekend between the 16th and 18th she usually waits till bang on or the day after. Well she caught us on the hop a little bit. 

We settled her for the night in her bed and we went to ours but I kept checking her every hour as I normally do. I hover a lot over them when due or nearly due. 

Well she was getting restless about 3am me thinking she needs the toilet I let her out and I supervise as a just in case never ever do I leave her unattended. 

She then settles back into her bed but seems out of sorts me thinks but I assume its because she is so big and cant get comfy. 

She soon settles and of we all go to bed again. Well at 5am I shoot out of bed thinking there is a kitten in my kitchen and Misty does not do cats at all, fearing the worst and still sleepy and not thinking straight as in how can a kitten get in sort of thing and I discover a puppy mum is busy cleaning it giving me the stink eye as in where the hell where you then. 

So I am in for the long haul now and stay with Misty. 

She is now panting again and we give 20 minutes hard pushing and 4 hours if nothing is happening between pups.

So we have our first born and I get him to latch on to boobs and he goes at  brilliantly. 

Order of pups 

5am, boy blue with large blaze on chest 

690g

6.48am girl with small blaze of white of chest 

680g

7.56am girl white on chest 

700g

8.45am boy blaze on chest 

690g

11.46am boy white on chest 

800g

3pm boy but sadly stillborn couldn't revive him at all. 

3.20pm boy with white on chest 

725g

We feel that Misty is taking to long in pushing in between pups and decide on a shot oxytocin to help her along.

17.37pm boy with white on chest 

750g

17.57pm girl white on chest 

725g

18.33pm boy with white on chest 

800g

18.37pm girl white on chest 

700g

We are 11 now and think Misty is finished and she gets out for the loo but is still supervised as she will be weak and unsteady so supervised she is, but Misty has other ideas and

 at 9.30am the next day she births another pup sadly she is dead,

we allow her to lick and clean her and to know its no longer with us she nudges her out and looks at us with sad eyes but we give her one of the lives pups to nurse and she does. We have the vet in at 11am to vet check the pups and remove the dew claws, plus to check over Misty and he cant feel anymore pups

but she then gives birth again to another stillborn a boy this time she is allowed to clean him and again she nudges him out this is at 7pm.

I check her over and feel everywhere and I cant feel anymore. Misty is eating and drinking fine and we assume she is too.
She then proceeds to frighten the crap out of us as the next day on the 15th she births another pup and he was very smelly we don't allow her to clean this one and when she births the placenta we wrap everything away and she lets us no problem.  This is 7pm at night.

We don't hesitate and take her straight to the vet in case there is more in her as after two days the likelihood of lives ones are slim to none. Her temp was up and she need an IV in and anti inflammatories to bring down her temp as it was high. She has to stay at the vet for the night so I am on puppy duties overnight for bottle feeding which I don't mind at all.

So in total Misty had 14 puppies sadly lost 4, but she has 10 very healthy puppies so we are relived at that and the fact Misty is still here. 

My puppy formula is 

410ml can of evaporated milk

same of water tepid not boiling

2 eggs

3 tablespoons of natural yoghurt not the diet stuff mind full fat
A little veg oil.
Whisk together and pour into bottles give at room temperature 

This time its baby bottles for all as they are a fair size already and all get about 3-4 oz every 2-3 hours. 

I know Misty is in the safety of the vets as we love them and our dogs love them too. They are 100% trusted with our Danes. 

Misty is released the next day and is a fine fettle of a dog once again but it was scary thinking she could be in danger of needed surgery or worse dieing on us. 

Not all whelps are text book and this isn't my first one either so expect the unexpected in every whelp you do. From mums birthing early or even aborting the pups.