Day 23 (1-13-12)
The puppies are already starting to potty train themselves. They are so smart! I put puppy pee pads in one area of the play pen and most have learned to go potty there. Labs are so easy to train. They are the best dogs!
I clipped their nails again today. They were all very good, especially white female. I clipped green male’s nails while he was sleeping. He didn’t even wake up!
I plan to take them outside sometime this weekend, but a cold front came through. Hopefully it will warm up on Sunday.
Seven Puppies! (12-21-11)
Labor Begins (12-20-11)
Aggie started showing signs of labor this morning. It is 10:45 p.m. and there are no puppies yet. We’ll see if they come overnight. The whelping room is ready, so now we just wait. Wish us luck!
Aggie’s Check Up (12-16-11)
I took Aggie to the vet today and she weighs 87 lbs. The vet said she is in good weight for her litter size. They did an x-ray to determine the litter size and they said they saw 7 puppies. There might have been one hiding, so there might be 8 puppies. We’ll have to wait and see. At least we know that we should expect 7 or 8 puppies. If she stops pushing after 3, then I will know I need to take her to the vet. The puppies should arrive on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday (12/21, 12/22 or 12/23). We are keeping our fingers crossed for a smooth delivery!
Ultrasound Results (11-17-11)
The Waiting Game (11-3-11)
So we bred Aggie twice and we have been waiting to see if the breeding was successful. Now we definitely think she is pregnant. She has a little saggy belly and her teats are enlarged. We are going to the vet to do an ultrasound on 11/17/11.
Aggie’s Second Breeding (10-24-11)
Aggie’s second breeding was on 10/24/11. The vet said Axle’s sperm looked great and she did another vaginal artificial insemination. It is painless for Aggie. She was in and out of the vet’s office in 15 minutes. She was such a good girl! Let’s hope that we have a healthy litter of chocolate puppies on 12/21/11!
Aggie’s First Breeding (10-22-11)
We are just leaving the vet. There was sperm agglutination, which means that the sperm were sticking together in groups or clusters. This impairs sperm motility and prevents the sperm from swimming up to through the cervix towards the eggs. She decided to do vaginal artificial insemination today. We hope she conceives because if she doesn’t get pregnant, we have to wait another six months to breed her during her next cycle. Plus, we would have to go through all of the progesterone tests again, pay for the overnight shipping, etc. We are keeping our fingers crossed that the sperm made it to the eggs!
Progesterone Testing (10-21-11)
Aggie’s progesterone was 0.4 ng/ml on day #5 of her heat cycle. On day #7 it was 0.3 ng/ml. On day #10 it crept up to 1.9 ng/ml. Finally, on day #12 it shot up to 5.3 ng/ml.
Since her progesterone levels have reached 5 ng/ml, she is now ready to be bred. So we are going to breed her on Saturday (day #14) and Monday (day #16). I asked Sarah Fischer, Axle’s owner, to ship the first box of semen overnight for a Saturday delivery and the second box for a Monday delivery.
Breeding Time! (10-9-11)
I am going to take her to the vet later this week. I am using Dr. Brimacomb in Lakeland, FL. She is going to do progesterone testing to determine the optimal time to breed Aggie. We want her progesterone to reach 5.0 ng/ml before we breed her.
We are going to do artificial insemination since Axle lives on the other side of the country. I mailed two semen shipping kits to Axle’s owner in Washington. She will use my two kits to overnight two separate semen shipments to my vet in Florida.
Axle Retrieving
Here is a video of Axle retrieving at one of the club’s retriever training days. Take a look at how far out his retrieve was from! Axle and Aggie both love to retrieve and their puppies do too!
Selecting a Stud Dog (9-30-11)
After countless hours of research, we have selected a stud dog for Aggie. His name is Am. Ch. Skyfire’s Oughta Be Haulin, CGC, WC, “Axle”. He is located in Washington and is owned by Sarah Fischer. Click on the following link to visit Axle’s webpage: http://www.tynderlabs.com/axle.htm
DNA Tests (9-25-11)
Aggie’s DNA test results were finally posted today. She is EIC clear, which is awesome news. She is a carrier for PRA, which is okay as long as we don’t breed her to another PRA carrier.
Our Girl Has Excellent Hips! (9-25-11)
Aggie’s hip, elbow and heart results were posted on the OFA website today. Hips excellent! Elbows normal! Heart normal! We couldn’t have asked for better results! Thanks to Dr. McBride and her staff in Wildwood, Florida for making the x-ray process such a great experience!
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