Big smiles from Karli right before delivering 10 beautiful healthy labrador puppies. And it’s a much easier process for labradors than it is for humans, I have to say.
Af first I noticed that she was going into labour because she started panting continuously for hours. And this didn't stop until she started to deliver the puppies. Then as she got closer to delivering, she started pacing frequently back and forth.
Here's a shot of how big she got right before delivering. Clearly much bigger than her normal size. I know she's getting close when it literally looks like she can't possibly get any bigger.
Then finally after hours of panting and anticipation she finally delivered her first puppy at about 4pm. Then over the course of the next eight hours she delivered the rest of her puppies. She had six chocolate labs, three black labs and one gold lab.
We built a specialized bed with a heated base for the delivery and the caring of the puppies for the first few weeks. Puppies have to be kept at really warm temperatures when they are young because their bodies cannot regulate temperature yet.
I have to say looking after these pups day and night has been my closest experience to looking after a newborn baby. From constantly checking up on them and making sure they have everything they need, to waking up regularly throughout the night, and losing sleep, I think this has been an enjoyable yet strenuous taste of motherhood.
Check out my vlog about it here
The puppies are less than a week old and they haven't even opened their eyes or started walking yet. In the coming weeks I'll be telling you guys more about this process and capturing as much of it as I can.
And it was another beautiful day in the country
I'm taking suggestions for names for the gold puppy
So far someone suggested to me that I name her Floki (a name from the Vikings tv show). But I'm not sure that this is feminine enough for a girl. What do you guys think? Do you have any other suggestions?
Also if there are any aspects of my dog breeding that you'd like to hear more about or any questions that you have please let me know in the comments.
Much love,
Natasha