Jenni, did you put coloured collars on them so you can tell them apart? I see that most breeders do this so that when they are helping the owners choose, they know better what their personality is.

I kept a log of each puppy's development progression (weight, personality, bio-sensor reactions, how they took to weaning etc). When they were born I had coloured ribbons all ready, but had to laugh when the pups came out looking so different, like they were from all different breeds.

Thanks for the update Jenni! An incredible amount of work, for sure, but watching the development of all those brand new babies, each with their own personality, must be a joy. Glad Capri is such an diligent mom too.

Can't wait to see pics as the pups grow. It is a shame you can't keep one, but it does sound like you've got more than enough to keep you busy without taking on a new "kid". I expect this won't be your only experience with a high quality breeding though - you have MANY more years ahead to mastermind the creation of a dream pup, hopefully it'll coincide with less hectic surrounding circumstances.

~Natalya

Jenni, congrats and best wishes to all. May you find the perfect homes for all of them.
PS, your dad sounds like a gem!

Thanks, ladies.

I haven't put collars on them yet; they're too little. I will put ribbon on them soon, but at this point, I don't really see a need. When I start getting enough info to decide who is going where, I will put the collars on them to keep track of personalities and also so the buyers can see which one theirs is in pics. I found 9 different color collars, not that I needed 9, but that way everyone has a collar and I can call them "red," etc. I obviously don't need help telling the sable male from the black one, or the black male from the black female...

Lynne...he's been a big help the past week. He's not super busy w/work right now (he sells jets) so he's been hanging out in the country at my place. He didn't complain about the bite. But my Mom didn't complain when my Friesian yearling took a chunk out of her arm, either (not malicious...just a mouthy baby). I guess I lucked out in the parents department that they haven't sued me!

I have been also very fortunate with the people who have inquired about puppies. Several long-time lurkers who have a pretty good idea how picky I am (am I really so transparent? LOL :grin have been interested, and I am thrilled w/the quality of homes everyone who has been seriously interested would provide. There is no one on the list at this point that I'm the slightest bit on the fence about. It's a good feeling and it will make parting with them MUCH easier!

There are a couple still available, but for the most part, they were snatched up right away. I wasn't planning on 9 initially, so I didn't take reservations or deposits for that many.

So glad to hear that everything is working out so well for you, sounds like a real super litter !!!

Thanks, Marj.

Angela, I missed something in your post before about the collars for ID. I am not "helping the owners choose." I am choosing what puppy goes where. The people can tell me what their life is like and what they are looking for, and then I will pick the right puppy for them. They can choose male or female, but if I don't have the right pup for them, they're not getting one. They won't be looking through pictures deciding which one they want b/c it has the cutest face and so on. I'm a big meanie! :-)

That's what I meant by "helping them choose", matching pups to owners. I realize helping was the wrong word, since you would have to have a good idea of each pup's temperament and know what environment it would be best in. Hence my question about keeping track of which puppy is which, so you know which pup you are going to sell each person. I figured you were going to do that but when you mentioned not being able to tell some of them apart I wondered about the coloured collars that people use.

I use the velco strips as baby collars Angela, pretty much for the reasons you posted. The last litter I whelped here was 10 and was so uniform in size and coloring that I would of been lost with them!

Raya's last litter was easier. One sable and one black and tan! Even I could keep track of those two!

Congrats! Can't wait to see photos.....

I will put the collars on them when they get a little bigger. I think 4 days is a bit premature to decide who is going where anyway, so I'll wait until they will actually fit. Right now they're personal logs would be a bit boring anyway: "Red collar pupppy- ate, got cleaned off, crawled over to siblings and slept. Woke up screaming, scrambled over to Mom, and ate again. Repeated several times." Same for blue, purple, black, green, etc. LOL.

I am starting to get an idea of who's who already...although I couldn't explain how. Capri has an easy time; she always knows who needs what at precisely the right time.

I did take some pics this morning, but w/my old camera b/c I somehow lost the memory card to my new one. Not great, but you get the general idea. They kind of look like every other GSD puppies you've ever seen.

I will post them later today when I have time to get them uploaded to Photobucket.