Old Mission Retrievers

01/08/2024

Happy tails. ☺️

01/08/2024

Early potty training starts with a perfectly clean box and taking advantage of puppy's instincts to urinate away from where they sleep. We are already having success with them finding the pad when they wake up and using it.

01/08/2024

Happy 2 weeks old baby Poets. Puppies hung out in here for a minute today while I deep cleaned the box. They also got big kid collars, a nail trim, and weights. Edgar and Walt lead the pack in size, with little Gwen bringing up the rear. Everbodys eyes are at least part way open. I'll try to get better pics of that soon. 🐾😍

31/07/2024

30/07/2024

Hello Eliot. Almost time to see the world. 🐾💜

30/07/2024

Puppies are almost walking and eyes are half open. Should be open all the way over the next 36 hours. In this video they had been sleeping then Ruby came into the room and they could sense her outside the box eating. Are they excited? Just a bit. I'm rotating them with collar breaks to avoid funny hair around their necks. I'm almost able to tell them all apart now without the colors.

28/07/2024

💜 Mary

26/07/2024

Everybody except Oliver has doubled their birthweight. He's on the laid back side and seems to be a bit less rushed to get to the food. Not worried at all, he's almost there. I like his chill vibe so far. 🧡

25/07/2024

🐾🤣 Its a common myth that you should put your hand in your dogs food to help prevent them from guarding it or to teach them that you are the boss. Is anyone willing to share a better idea in the comments to help prevent resource guarding? I have a few but I know we have some very smart trainers around...

25/07/2024

TLDR: educational info about
coat types expected in the Poets litter.

DNA kits are on the way! We will be testing puppies furnishings to see which puppies inherited 2 copies, and which one. Another factor at play is that Ruby has one copy of "weak" furnishings. The tests will also tell us which puppies got this gene.

The "furnishings" gene is the gene that causes hair to grow on a dogs face, and to grow without stopping, instead of reaching a certain length then falling out, like a golden retriever. It is a dominant gene so one copy gives the effect, but two copies are required to ensure that a dog doesn't shed at all. Some dogs with one copy shed almost none, but it can vary and it's safer to assume they will shed some.

By knowing which traits each puppy inherited, we can predict what to expect as far as shedding and help match puppies to owners preferences.

Based on parents DNA we already know all the puppies will have long hair with no genetic curl, although they will likely look slightly wavy in appearance. We also know they will all be "furnished" (inherit at least one copy)

All puppies WILL require regular haircuts to avoid matting. As we go along I'll make suggestions for tools and techniques you can use at home.

Here is a breakdown of the possibilities for coats in this litter:

F/F (two strong furnishings) :
will get fluffy early, have a thick coat, and will not shed at all.

F/f (one strong one weak): (this is Ruby's coat type and my favorite due to easier care)
May take longer to look fluffy. Coat may be slightly thinner. Will not shed at all.

f/- (one weak only) may take quite a while (several months) to look fluffy. Will likely shed but not as much as a retriever.

F/- (one strong only) (This is Valors coat type. He doesn't drop hair at all, but a bit comes out when you brush him)
Will take longer to look fluffy. Will likely shed but not as much as a retriever.

I can't wait to watch them develop and change as we go along. 🐾💜

25/07/2024

Growing FAST.

25/07/2024

Happy one week old to the Poets. 🙂 eating, sleeping and growing is still the name of the game. A few more days before things start to get more fun.

24/07/2024

Edgar is apparently a creative napper. Can you spot him?

23/07/2024

New collars 🐾💜

23/07/2024

💜🐾

23/07/2024

Noses and toes are filling in with color- they will all be black soon. Need to replace collars with bigger ones today. Starting some informal ens and I ordered an electric toothbrush from Amazon. I'm going to use it as an early into to buzzy motors before we advance to clippers and nail dremels.

22/07/2024

"Hey. I think I know that guy (the dog not the human) " ~Valor

22/07/2024

Current status: food coma

22/07/2024

Walt is becoming a standout. He's looking like a real hoss.

21/07/2024

I'll probably start weighing every other day unless I notice an issue. They are solid chunky little potatoes. Absolutely no worries at all.

21/07/2024

A note about litter themes/names. There are several reasons for this ritual.

The first is that it's a good way to create registered names for the puppies that are unique. Registration in the Companion Dog Registry is a critical part of how I run my program. Second, these unique names help my memory keep track of past puppies better. Gwen is more memorable than "green collar girl from Ruby's second litter". Third, I love the puppies and while they are with me I like to have a name to call them. Fourth, and lastly, each litter is unique and the creativity and thought I put into the theme is part of my way of honoring and enjoying the special time I have with these new little souls. This time, I've given myself an excuse to post poetry quotes, which I love. 😃

Of course new owners will change the names to a permanent one of their own choosing and I love that part too. 💜🐾

21/07/2024

Oliver 🧡

21/07/2024

Walt 🩵

21/07/2024

Eliot 🖤

21/07/2024

Henry ❤️

21/07/2024

Theo 💙

21/07/2024

Gwen 💚

21/07/2024

Edgar 💛

retrievers

21/07/2024

Mary 💜