Starborn Mia at Bella Dulce & Bella Dulce de Nobleza
had six beautiful puppies on January 22nd, 2022.
Mia
Noble
Mia 1.5 weeks before her due date.
The litter of six the morning they were born.
The puppies the day of their birth.
Mia taking a nap with the puppies.
Mia with her puppies 4 days following their birth.
Mia & Noble had six puppies on January 22nd, 2022.
Mia is absolutely wonderful with the puppies. She is calm and relaxed with the puppies. She understands that she has to stay with the puppies and care for them all the time instead of being with the family in the main areas of the house. We spend a lot of time with her in the whelping room to keep her company during this time where the puppies have to remain in a heated whelping room.
Mia & Noble's puppies are one week old. Mia watches over the puppies and observes us as we handle them, but is completely trusting of us as we assist with the care of the puppies. She is very confident and very relaxed while we handle the puppies. She enjoys watching them when we handle them. She trusts us completely but tends to observe during the weighing process when we weigh each puppy daily and remove them from the whelping box for a few seconds. She sleeps with them, nestles them, and cleans them with much devotion. She seems to enjoy it when we help clean the puppies and arrange them to nurse.
We have chosen a 'January theme for the puppies.
The girls: Hope, January, Snowdrop, and Carnation
The boys: Jasper and Onyx
The puppies began the early neurological stimulation "Super Dog" program developed by Dr. Carmen Battaglia.
Mia is a fabulous mother and very attentive to the puppies. She enjoys staying with the puppies in the whelping box or sitting right outside the whelping box while watching them.
The puppies are 3 weeks old. Their favorite activities ... nursing and sleeping! Mia is absolutely wonderful with the puppies. She watches over them, sleeps with them, and cleans them with such devotion.
The puppies have all opened their eyes and getting more secure on their feet as they attempt to walk. Their 'toddling' is entertaining to watch as they work on learning to balance on all four legs. They are beginning to play with small toys, and also beginning to tug and nibble their siblings tail and feet, although the duration is very brief.
Many of them enjoy being 'belly up' while getting belly rubs, and some of them are learning to give puppy kisses.
The puppies have all completed the "Super Dog" program, the early neurological stimulation for newborn puppies developed by Dr. Carmen Battaglia. They are exposed to a variety of music throughout the day.
The puppies will join us in the family room next week.
Hope
January
Snowdrop
Carnation
Jasper poses briefly before he falls asleep.
Onyx
Mia and Noble's puppies are four weeks old.
Mia is being a fabulous mother to the puppies. She watches over them closely, cleans them and feeds them with much attention. Mia has been super relaxed about the entire process.
The puppies have all opened their eyes, walk like puppies, wag their tails, give puppy kisses, and play with their siblings and toys.
They have all completed the 'Super Dog' program, an early neurological stimulation program. They are progressing with potty training with the 'Ugo Dog', 'Piddle Place' imitation grass mats, and 'piddle pads'. Although our pups hear many sounds with our family and adult dogs, the puppies listen to classical music, several 'puppy sounds' tracks, children's music, and a variety of other music throughout the day.
Although we place toys in the whelping box for the puppies to explore during the early morning and evening, we have also introduced several soft semi enclosed mats and crinkle tunnels that fit inside the whelping box. Mia enjoys toys and is having to learn that she has to leave the toys with the puppies in the whelping box. She chooses her favorites and insists upon removing them from the whelping box. The puppies are introduced to new toys, objects, and mild obstacles each day. They are also given individual time daily.
Hope
January
Snowdrop
Carnation
Jasper
Onyx
The puppies are 6 weeks old. They spend the day in the family room with us and our adult dogs. The adult dogs visit the pups often and enjoy interacting with them. The puppies are all progressing nicely with using the Piddle Place, Ugo box, and piddle pads. Mia enjoys showing off the puppies and also being showered with attention. She likes hopping onto a lap, snuggling up, and watching the puppies during ‘play time’ until they attempt to nurse.
Mia is always happy to share her puppies with us. Our youngest dog Joy enjoys entering the pen and interacting with them until the puppies chase her in an attempt to nurse. Mia is very relaxed and trusting that the other adult dogs are being gentle with the puppies, but tends to watch Joy closely and intervenes if she feels that Joy is being a little too rough since she is still young.
The puppies have had their first tastes of thickened Nigerian Dwarf goats milk. They have tasted it and definitely prefer nursing, but Mia is attempting to is encourage them by decreasing nursings. Mia is always happy to participate in 'clean up' since she enjoys goats milk.
Jasper was the last one to be photographed and he was sound asleep.
Onyx
Onyx set the stage for his brother Jasper :o)
The pups are 8 weeks old. They eat well, are very reliable with the potty, and love to play with Gracie and Mia in the play room. Joy remains the most enthusiastic playmate for the puppies, but they do not take her very seriously when she attempts to reprimand them with a 'growl'. Mia continues to be a wonderful mother to the pups. She spends a lot of time with them. Each evening before bedtime the puppies play in a smaller play area and adjacent whelping room where Mia enjoys having them climb on her and chase after her for toys. Mia has just begun leaving the puppies during the night. The puppies love to play on agility equipment. They all like toys, a wading pool full of balls that we call our 'ball pit', tunnels, empty cardboard boxes, ramps, a toggle board, and several motorized cars that we can move throughout their play area.
Hope
January
Snowdrop
Carnation
Carnation gets some sniffs and kisses from our Doberman Kalysta.
Jasper
Onyx
Onyx takes a nap with Gracie after playing with the group.
The puppies are nine weeks old.
It is hard to believe that the puppies will be departing to their new homes. We have enjoyed this litter immensely. Mia fills our lives with laughter through her antics, athletic nature, ability to problem solve, intelligence, and delight in showing off her skills with obedience training. She has been a wonderful mother to her puppies, and seems to have enjoyed having Gracie assist her with her puppies.
We are blessed with our sweet boy Noble. He fills our lives each day with joy with his sweetness, unmatched ability to fetch ‘balls’, mild manner with all of our dogs, kind nature and fondness with all puppies, and wisdom. One puppy family long ago described him as a “wise old man”. He seems to know what each person or dog/puppy needs and delivers with such finesse.
Gracie and Joy have been wonderful puppy play mates. They are very good-natured girls that have been excellent role models for the puppies. Zola (our Rhodesian Ridgeback) and Kalysta (our Doberman) have enjoyed providing the puppies stimulation through nudging, big dog ‘barking’ and big dog ‘antics’.
