Meet the Parents
We have two Standard Poodle moms, and one Golden Retriever dad. All of the dogs live with us on our farm. They are very fit and athletic, but are also laid-back and like nothing better than curling up with us at night on the sofa in front of the fire.
Our dogs are great pack members. They are very well socialized with other dogs, as we often have our friends’ and family members’ dogs visit us here. Jax, our yellow lab, is another important member of our family. He is like an old uncle to the pups. We also have 3 cats, Simon, Bubba and Pearl who the dogs love. Our 40 goats have a healthy respect for the dogs, but the dogs are quite used to them, and don't think they are a big deal.
The Mothers
Jill, is a white Standard Poodle born in 2006. Smart, loyal and pretty -- that sums up Jill in three words.... You can't move 6 inches without Jill getting up and moving the same 6 inches to be close to you. Oh, did I forget to say, attentive and excellent mother...
Jazz is an apricot Standard Poodle born in 2008 and is larger than Jill. Three words to describe Jazz would be intelligent, sweet and athletic. Also a protective and excellent mother -- her first (and only litter to date) she delivered 9 gorgeous healthy puppies without any problems and without any stiill births! Gary exclaimed during the whelping "she is a Doodle fountain!!!!".
Below is a phot of two of our Doodle pups. The one of the left is Jill's and the one on the right is Jazz's. Joe is the father of both. There is about 18 months between them....
Below is a photo of Matisse on the left and his mom Jill. Notice how much bigger the offspring are than their parents...(also, Jill needs a face trimming!!!)
The Dad
Joe, the dad, is a 6-year-old Golden Retriever. Lately he has taken on the role of helping us with the goat herd. We can get over his natural instinct to help us herd the group into a pasture. He follows our voice commands, stopping when he should and pushing them forward when he should. He is amazing!
Joe loves, loves, loves a tennis ball. He enjoys being chased by his 'wives" once he grabs it out of mid air. Joe is a big 'mush head' - he is a cuddler and is very submissive. He loves to lie on his back for pets.
Below are some photos of them as pups and some recent photos too....
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| Joe as a pup | Joe can sleep anywhere? |
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| Jill at 4 months | Jill at 6 weeks |
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| Joe loves balls! Especially tennis balls. | Joe and Simon cuddling on the sofa-- Joe loves EVERYTHING! |
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| Jill | Joe, Jill and their daugther Maple |
Tell me a little about the Golden Retriever and Standard Poodle breeds...
Golden Retrievers:
This most glamorous of retrievers, is a symmetrical, powerful, active dog with a kind expression and possessing a personality that is eager, alert and self-confident. Mild mannered and extremely trainable has made this a dog popular with families, sportsman and as a guide dog for the blind. There are fewer rejects among Golden Retrievers than there are for any other breed in guide dog training schools.
The Golden was developed from 1835 to 1890 by crossing the wavy-coated Retriever with a yellow-colored Tweed Water Spaniel. The 4 puppies from that crossing were then bred to a red setter and sandy-colored bloodhounds. Eventually line breeding created the modern Golden. This sporting breed has a dense water repellent coat of moderate feathering which may be lighter than the rest of the coat.Their head should be broad with a good stop with a muzzle that is deeper at the stop than at the tip when view from profile. Round and compact medium sized feet with thick pads. Their trotting gait is free, smooth, powerful and well-co-ordinated.
Standard Poodle:
Until about 1930 this breed was known as the "French" Poodle. Actually the breed belongs to a family of water dogs from Russia and Germany since the early 16th century. The breed probably dates back to the late Roman period. The Poodle is an efficient retriever of waterfowl. Often associated with the circus due to its extreme trainability and sense of fun. 
The standard is one over 15 inches at the highest point of the shoulder.
Their coat can be corded (rastafarian-like) or brushed. Originally only 3 colors black, brown and white were permissible, but now a wide range of solid colors exists. Parti-colors are considered as a mismark and are disqualified from competition. The general appearance should be that of a very active, intelligent, smart, happy and elegant-looking dog. There is an air of distinction and dignity that a poodle carries with them.
The pups first 8 weeks....
Since the puppies are born in our home, they know the regular sounds of the household such as a vacuum cleaner and the phone right from the beginning. They are used to kids, cats and chaos!!!
To socialize the puppies to new sounds, feelings and people, they are gently socialized several times a day. This ensures a quiet, calm and easily adaptable household companion.
Prenatal Care & Ultrasounds
With ultrasound and with x-ray it is difficult to exactly tell how many puppy embryos there are. That being said, both methods far exceed uterine palpation. Ultrasound does not go through bowel, and if part of the uterus is lying beneath a bowel loop, it could obscure a pup. Ultrasound, can tell earlier than x-ray however, if the female is pregnant.
On August 7, calipers measuring 5.9 mm crown rump length of one puppy at 3 weeks gestation Fetal heart pulsations were seen in the fetuses.
Above, 3 week ultrasound showing 5 gestational sacs.
Within the larger black circle (gestational sac) there is a tiny white circular structurew with a black center. That is the yolk sac. Every embryo has one. The yolk sac provides nutrition to the embryo, until the placenta is mature enough to take over in a week or so.
Fetal puppy umbilical cord Doppler. The red line in the top half of the image is a colour Doppler image of the umbilical artery within the umbilical cord. It pulses at the same rate as the fetuses heart rate.
Embryo measuring crown rump length of 3.3 cm. If this was a human embryo it would be 10 weeks 1 day old. (see human calculations on bottom left of image). This puppy embryo is about 4 weeks 2 days. This dog embryo has a very similar appearance to a human embryo.
M-mode(or motion-mode) recording fetal puppy heart rate. The wavy pulsations in the middle of the tracing correspond to the heart beat.
On August 15 - 4 week old embryo; note the 4 tiny limb buds. You cannot see the tail, just the head and abdomen which almost look the same size (like a snowman).
4 weeks - double dotted white horizontal line is the spine
Puppy—4 weeks—FACE — note the two orbits and the snout looking at you.