FINALLY! Poor Mary, she was HUGE! So far so good, fingers crossed the next two critical weeks are uneventful.
Pups are growing, squeaking, crawling, nursing and sleeping. Mary is a good mom.
Pups are growing growing growing! Eyes just now starting to open. They are ravenous ALL the time and keeping Mary very busy. They are starting to totter around, and then tip over and fall fast asleep. Not much else going on. As you can see, they are all VERY similar and the only way I can tell them apart is by the colored cotton loops I have around their necks. For now the boys are names are Purple, White, Pink and Orange, and the girls are named Red, Blue, Light Blue and Yellow. The red and white puppy girl needs no colored collar of course!
A couple of the boys are now over a pound# and the rest are catching up fast.
WOW! All eyes open now and they are starting to play with each other. Then I'll hear the occasional "woof!" from the box when I go by. Now that they are bigger, my granddaughters have been playing with them (carefully), and they all seem to be having a lot of fun.
This next week I'll slowly start to feed them semi-solid food.
So, this week we've been starting to feed the pups semi-solid food and they are gobbling it up! They are playing more, and my granddaughters are loving them up. I've also introduced them to the litter box and so far so good. Some time this week I'll move them out to the back porch into a larger pen with more toys, as soon as they get the hang of the litter box more reliably.
When Mary's not taking care of her brood, she likes to carry around her purple chicken. Just carry it around.... "bury" it in a corner somewhere, then go "find" it and carry it around some more. You never know where it's going to end up. She's very proud of herself when she's got her chicken and makes sure she passes by often, just close enough to show it off.
These guys are having so much fun being outdoors! They are fully weaned and have their play area outside where they are really getting good at using their litter boxes! (For that I am truly grateful! lol!) They play longer now, and and have discovered how to untie shoelaces. One thing that did happen, we discovered (for certain) that two of the tri-colored girls are fluffies. They are adorable. Fluffies are actually pretty rare and I don't really get them too often. It's a coat-fault, so I can't breed or show them, but they are as robust and healthy as the rest. Although their coats are a little longer, it's a different sort of coat that actually sheds LESS. This week I'm finishing up their play mobiles with tons of toys and things to chew on.
SOOO big now! I had to enlarge their pen because they were growing so fast, so now they get to meet and greet my other three older corgis girls. Some pups have ears up, some not. The fluffs are getting even more adorable and they are all now eating puppy chow and not baby food anymore. They LOVE playing with their new toys and are wrestling with each other constantly. Next week they get their first vaccination and micro-chipped.
First vaccinations, DNA tests and micro-chipped., these guys were all champs! It's been SOOOOO hot, so they got a pool which they love. They are now playing hard and I'm hearing all sorts of yips, yelps, and other odd noises any time of the day and night.
So we named them for Country Music singers. Enjoy
The puppies are enjoying the cooler weather, esp out on the front lawn. My girls have been having a blast playing with them, and, well, puppies and kids go together like bread and butter!
The puppies are HUGE! and have just had their second vaccination the end of the week and are starting to go to their new homes. They love playing in their pool and are having so much fun exploring the yard.
(See their photos below)
Dam:
Rocky L Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, aka, "Mary," is the dam. She is five years old and this is her last litter. "Mary" earned two breed points, and is a lovely tri-colored girl who I bred here and showed as a pup and then as an adolescent. She just didn't seem to like the show ring (it happens sometimes). She'd rather be a couch potato so I kept her to breed since her pedigree and health test results are stellar and she is just beautiful. Her sire is an experienced Champion show dog, so it's a mystery why she decided it wasn't for her. She is by our own "Ch Misty Ridge Rumblestiltskin, ROMX," out of "Corwinn's Flower Petal," both of whom have produced breed Champions. "Mary" is from their third litter together and between them they have produced four Champions, one of which is a Grand Champion Specialty winner. (That means her older brothers and sisters are SUPERSTARS!) Now their grand-babies are being shown and winning too.
"Mary" is a very sweet, playful girl and gets along well with other dogs, cats, kids and people.
Sire:
GCH CH Golden Road Fly Me To The Moon, aka, "Flyer," is the sire of this litter, a three year old red and white dog who has already earned his Grand Champion title in the Breed ring. He's young, but has already proven himself as a stud dog, producing some lovely pups. He is sweet, smart, built well and a wonderful mover. He carries the "tri-colored" gene, which is why this litter has both tri-colored and red and white pups. "Flyer" lives in Auburn, CA.
SIRE: GCH CH Golden Road Fly Me To The Moon, aka, "Flyer"
Click photo for larger view [Pedigree]
Flyer's Official Health Test results
"Flyer"
"Flyer," Best of Breed, New Grand CH 2021
DAM: Rocky L Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, aka, "Mary"
Click photo for larger view [Pedigree]
Mary's Official Health test results; OFA Hips
Mary at 8 weeks old
Mary winning Best Opposite Sex
Mary hanging out at home
Health:
Both sire and dam have both been tested for DM (Degenerative Myelopathy). "Flyer" is "Clear/Normal," while "Mary" is a DM "Carrier." All that means is all their puppies will only be "Carriers" or "Clear." There is 99% NO chance their offspring will ever manifest symptoms of DM. See proof of their official health tests above.
What does this mean to you? Our dogs are tested, shown and bred
to "build a better Corgi" for show and performance competition. From a litter,
maybe one or two will reach the show ring. The rest are placed as
PETS.
The decision is very subjective and it is often a very slight difference
that sends one pup home as a pet and another to a show home;
it may be something as simple as color; a "mismarked" white
tip on an ear or eyes a shade too light, that determines whether
a pup misses
the
show
ring
and
is placed as a pet. The pet owners are the big winners in the long
run. Bottom line, ALL
the pups are healthy and strong, with less likelihood of any genetic
disorders or health problems later in life. Of course, there is no guarantee that some obscure thing may manifest itself, but the chances are less likely. A well-bred Corgi is usually a long-lived Corgi.
The litter is evaluated
at about seven to nine weeks, when show potential determination is made. Pets may go to their new homes at 10-12 weeks old and are sold
on a MANDATORY Spay/Neuter contract with a Limited AKC registration: once the pup is spayed or neutered the
new owner sends me the certificate and then I send the AKC registration
application to them. Neutered pets are easier to live with since they do not "mark" territory as much, are less likely to become aggressive, nor are they as obsessed with the opposite gender. In fact most neutered pets get along better with opposite sex buddies. (I'm only speaking DOG here, honest!)
Pet pups have NO restrictions - they may be shown in ANY event except conformation dog shows. There are MANY performance events which cater
to purebred dogs, regardless if they have been spayed or neutered.
Obedience, Rally, Agility (our personal favorite), Tracking, Herding,
Flyball etc. Corgis are ACES in ALL these events. It's fun too! MANY of our corgis have gone on to compete with their owners in a variety of performance events. Check out
performance events on the American
Kennel Club web site.
Of course, they are wonderful companion dogs, regardless if you EVER want to participate in competition events! :-)
Our Corgis are bred for companionship, conformation and performance - the all-around Corgi!
What you need to know about Corgis:
Corgis are a member of the Herding group. They are stout, tough and strong, And, they have no idea that they are short. THEY think they are 6 feet tall! They were bred to move livestock. They need room to get plenty of exercise. On the flip side, they are a good size (25-30 lbs; 12 inches high max.) so they do well in a smaller space, like an apartment, but MUST have a dedicated owner who will exercise them religiously. Physically, with their long back and short legs they are VERY susceptible to weight gain and it will harm their back, heart and circulatory system if they are allowed to get too heavy. This can be a challenge, as Corgis are ACES at fooling you into feeding them too much!
PLEASE don't allow your Corgi to become a fatty! You will do more harm than good!
Corgis get along well with people, other dogs, cats, livestock and they LOVE to travel because then they can make more friends! They are usually GREAT with kids, if socialized well when young. Because of their size, they are not physically intimidating to kids, but they are not so small as to be easily breakable either. (Corgis are pretty tough!) Corgis do better in pairs (at least), with another Corgi(s) or other dogs. They are active and need a buddy or else they get bored. Boredom leads to barking, digging, chewing and other unpleasant habits. Corgis are masters at being couch potatoes too, so with a Corgi you have the best of several worlds: they are great at being indoors, outdoors and because of their size, they FIT well, almost everywhere.
Corgis travel well too. Ours go EVERYWHERE with us; and are welcomed too, since they are always on their best behavior, friendly and affectionate with everyone. We have used several of them very successfully as "Therapy Dogs" at local retirement homes and boys & girls daycare facilities. Keep your Corgi company, happy and occupied and you will have a friendly, outgoing companion who is a joy to live with and take with you everywhere. Corgis are not usually the best guard dog (typically they will run up to the burglar and ask for a snack and to be petted...), but they will bark briefly when a strange person, dog or vehicle arrives. (Hello! Somebody is here! Maybe they brought dog treats!)
Corgis SHED. Be Aware. My favorite example is, "after a Corgi sheds for a week you can assemble a whole new dog." Now, it's not THAT bad. But, Corgis DO shed. Brush them weekly, and sweep the floor - often. But it only works if you DO it, regularly! (And have a good vacuum cleaner!)
Reputable Corgi breeders test their dogs for health issues (for example, vWD, eyes and hips, more recently, for DM) and do not breed any who are not clear of genetic disorders, or at the very least, are less likely to perpetuate a problem. In this way most breeders are trying to reduce the incidence of hereditary issues. If you find a Corgi "cheap," or from the pound or the paper - BEWARE. Of course, nothing is absolute. Occasionally some obscure disorder will manifest itself in a well-bred dog, or a "pound puppy" will live to the ripe old age of 17 without a single health problem. Remember the odds. These are exceptions. Good quality, well-bred Corgis usually have a minimum of health-related genetic disorders as compared to many, many other over-bred breeds, overall.
This is NOT to say you shouldn't take a RESCUE Corgi - if you have the opportunity! "Rescue" Corgis are often the best buddy you will ever make. Due to unforeseen circumstances, occasionally a nice Corgi will be abandoned or lost. The Corgi Rescue organization is RABID about finding and taking these dogs in, caring for them and placing them in exactly the right home. Rescued Corgis are the luckiest dogs! You may find one at www.goldengatecorgis.org/rescue.htm.
Our Puppies:
We raise our pups from day-one with care, affection, firmness and love. They spend their first month in the warm house; then they are weaned and moved into a large enclosure, either on the back porch or in the garage (weather dependent). They are clean and healthy; handled constantly; taken outdoors to play; exposed to our cats and horses and other dogs (when old enough). They are vaccinated, wormed and groomed regularly. No aggressive behavior is tolerated from the beginning. By the time they go home with their new owners they are brave, outgoing, healthy and strong. And FUN! HOWEVER, and I get asked this a lot: your puppy will be crate trained, but WILL NOT be leash or house trained. That training is YOUR job. But not all that hard to do as they get a little older! ;-)
We hear from our "old" puppies quite regularly and get photos and email often. In FACT, TWELVE or our Rocky L Corgis were featured in the 2012 Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America calendar! (March, June and August, as well as various candid shots throughout the calendar! How cool is THAT!
