Nyssa/Phantom Shiloh Shepherd puppies

In anticipation on Nyssa's approaching due date we were dutifully taking her twice daily temperatures to watch for that significant drop. Well, it did not happen as planned. The firstborn - our purple man - was born around 6 am on Wednesday, August 9th, 2000 on a carpet in the bedroom. His lusty hollering woke me up in a hurry! The rest of the kids were born in the whelping box. All pups were born naturally, with little to no intervention. They all started nursing well and are doing wonderful. Nyssa is doing extremely well, even though she is a first time mother. We are very pleased with her natural instincts and hope that this will be passed down to her offspring as well.

Today (August 11th) we had our first road trip. The entire family went to the vet for a check up. Nyssa was very displeased since the kids were squealing and trying to fall out of their basket. Dr. Hoffman proclaimed everyone to be healthy and pups to be very robust and hardy. She did not see any hernias, cleft palates, and did not hear any murmurs. Now we do not have to go back until 6 weeks for first vaccines.

All pups were weigh again on Sunday, August 13th. They are gaining weight at the rate of several ounces a day at a uniform rate. No one is staying back. No wonder, all they do is eat and sleep. The yellow girl is turning out to be a real feisty one (like you can tell at this age). She is squirmer and wiggler and will not stay still.

I weighed the little guys again on Tuesday, August 15th. They are huge. All of them almost doubled their weight which is ahead of schedule (normal is 10-14 days). All of them are chubby, feisty, and getting very noisy and demanding about food. It is hard to believe that these blind and deaf babies are so strong and determined. So far they are everything we expected to be - robust, hardy, with excellent appetites. They also outgrew their first set of ribbons so they got new ones - much bigger ones.

One week anniversary of birth on August 17th was spent eating and sleeping. Not a big surprise there. But I was really pleased with their progress. The girls are gaining weight faster than the boys. But that is a normal development at this age and the boys will catch up soon. I took more individual pictures and included them in their individual charts. Check out the sable boy nursing upside down below and the sleepy girl resting on momma's foot on the left. Nyssa will now occasionally nurse them while sitting up.

We checked their weights on day 10, Saturday, August 19, again. Two days seems to be a good interval between weighings. That way individual weights are more uniform and less likely to be influenced by a recent meal. They are really beginning to get ready for the next phase of growth. Their eyes will be opening in next couple of days, they are getting much better coordination by the minute, they are beginning to look like miniature dogs. And their vocal repertoire has grown as well. All the pups can now express various levels of cries and grunts. They get me running to the box once in while in response to the ruckus they are making. No big deal, generally they were sleeping in a heap and the bottom pup wanted out and disturbed everyone else.

Day 11 on Sunday August 20th brought another 3 milestones. All pups have started to open their eyes. They are still blind at this point but it is unmistakable that they will be seeing in next few days. And I saw the green boy Jumper stand up on his own and stay up for a minute or so. Up to this point the pups have been crawling. Very fast but still dragging bellies on the fleece mat. So just standing up is another sign of progress. They will often make it to their feet just to fall down and roll over. It is so neat to watch them. They also yawn and stretch, wag their tails, and are lot more coordinated in general. Wow. They are really getting ready to take off. And one of the pups pooped unaided this evening. So far mom has been helping them to eliminate and she was cleaning up after them as well. Poor Nyssa is having second thoughts, I think. Every time she walks in the whelping box, 8 little sharks make a bee line for her, screaming the whole time. She has this resigned look as she is laying down to offer them their next meal. They will jockey for position for a while and then all you can hear are the wonderful sucking noises and happy grunts of all the babies. Peace.

Wednesday, August 23 brought a second week anniversary of the puppies' birth. The momentous day was spent sleeping, eating and growing. The little ones are not so little anymore. All of the guys weight at least 3 pounds. That means that most of them tripled in size in 2 weeks. Pretty amazing. I am trying to determine whether it is due to their low inbreeding and hybrid vigor, Phantom's wonderful influence, or due to the raw diet Nyssa is eating. I think it is a combination of all. Nonetheless the results are spectacular. All the pups are fat and happy with beautiful coats and really pretty dark faces. They colors have not changed much except the dark kids are getting tan marking on their feet and around tails. That is expected. Puppies are making constant progress as far as their coordination and range of behaviors.

August 24th, day 15. Pups' amazing development continues. Some more pictures. The handsome dalmation in some of the pictures is their stepdad Bugsy.

August 25, day 16 of the pups lifes brought another first one. Three of the guys climbed out of the whelping box in order to get to Nyssa for their next meal. I think we are both having second thoughts now. Just kidding. All of them can now walk, sit, yawn and stretch, and are lot more active and interactive. I added several toys, towel, bones, and a mat in the box to provide them with different experience. This will allow them to be exposed to new experiences in a positive way. That way they will grow up to be happy and confident dogs, ready to take on the world. I have also been handling every one of them individually on daily basis and subjecting them to a mild physical stress. This will prime their developing neurological systems and produce dogs that are superior when put in learning or competitive situations. According to Dr. Michael Fox, mild stress at this age will actually increase the size of the brain. This type of handling combined with the nutrition they are getting and their genetic background will produce superior pups suitable for any task. Check out this wonderful article on puppy development.

August 27, day 18. Pups are becoming much more lively. They can walk quite well, they are beginning to play, lick each other, and interact lot more. One of the kids was sucking on a soft toy I put in the whelping box. Their eyes are fully open but I do not think they see completely yet. Their continuous progress is so wonderful to watch.

Puppies are listed in order of birth. It is hard to determine their weights completely accurately because they wiggle and Nyssa keeps taking them off the scale and carrying them back to the box. Their birth weights do not necessarily predict which pup will be the biggest adult. It is a way for me to monitor their progress and to make sure that they are thriving. Also, they wary by as much as a couple of ounces depending on the size of their last meal. They are eating pretty much all the time, sometimes all at once, often in "shifts". They began wagging their tails when nursing. That is totally adorable. All of them are making 3 basic kinds of noises - contented purr, squeal when looking for food or warmth, and scream when stepped on or messed with too much. It is very calming sound to be in the same room with them and to listen.

The markings do not really mean much, they will change and fade. It just gives me yet another reason to watch the pups.

My friend Kristine's daughter named all the pups based on their pictures. Her name is Jocelyne and she is 6 years old. She already volunteered to visit and socialize the pups once they are a little older. I have added the names she selected. What a great thing to do!

Name/ Ribbon	Sex	Color	Markings	Weight in ounces/lbs	Photo
Rodeo purple	boy	sable	2 white toes on each hind foot tiny white spot on chest	birth 18 day 2 20 day 4 24 day 6 28 day 7 32 day 8 36 day 10 39 day 12 46 day 14 3.5 day 16 3.5+ day 18 4.25
Jumper green	boy	dark	2 white toes on each hind foot large white spot on chest getting tan feet	birth 20 day 2 24 day 4 ~26 day 6 32 day 7 36 day 8 39 day 10 40 day 12 48 day 14 3.5 day 16 3.5 day 18 4+
Lili pink	girl	dark	1 white toe on left font and left hind foot tiny white spot on chest	birth 18 day 2 22 day 4 25 day 6 33 day 7 37 day 8 39 day 10 44 day 12 50 day 14 3.5 day 16 3.75 day 18 4+
Lizzy red	girl	sable	2 white toes on each hind foot small white spot on chest	birth 17 day 2 20 day 4 24 day 6 ~29 day 7 ~34 day 8 38 day 10 40 day 12 46 day 14 3.25 day 16 -3.5 day 18 ~4
Crystal white	girl	dark	3 white toes on left hind foot medium white spot on chest	birth 16 day 2 19 day 4 ~25 day 6 31 day 7 33 day 8 39 day 10 ~39 day 12 48 day 14 -3.25 day 16 -3.5 day 18 3.75
Blue Jay light blue	boy	sable	white 1/2 foot on left hind, 3 white toes on right hind foot 1 larger and 1 smaller white spot on chest	birth 18 day 2 20+ day 4 24 day 6 28 day 7 30 day 8 33 day 10 36 day 12 ~40 day 14 -3 day 16 3 day 18 3.5+
Goldie yellow	girl	dark	tiny white spot on chest	birth 16 day 2 18 day 4 24 day 6 28 day 7 31 day 8 34 day 10 38 day 12 42 day 14 3 day 16 3.25 day 18 -3.75
TinTin black	boy	sable	tiny white spot on chest	birth 16 day 2 18 day 4 23 day 6 28 day 7 31 day 8 33 day 10 37 day 12 41 day 14 3+ day 16 3.25 day 18 3.62

The second set of pictures was taken on August 17th. (third for white girl). Third set of indidual pictures was taken on August 25th when the pups were 16 days old.


Amy	Tanner	Indy	Schatzie	Jake (Maryland)	Oberon	Jake (Maine)	Sully

The long expected litter has arrived!