Kanzi x Higgins Litter born March 24, 2018
IntCH WindyCanyon's Kanzi BN CDX RE JH
Bar-M's Land To Sea Higgins SH
We met Higgins and his owner, Lili Lobingier, at the hunt tests last spring in W. WA. I had been looking for a nice male to breed Kanzi with and Lili approached me complimenting my dogs. She remembered me from a Lab National years ago, in the obedience ring at the time with our now older dogs, so it was a bit of a reunion. When we started to talk about our youngsters, it was quickly apparent that they were related through the one set of grandparents and not only that, but were very similar in temperament (sweet) and trainability (very biddable, easy). I came home and ran a "test breeding" on K9data.com, sent it out to other long time breeders for review, and it was unanimous.... all agreed it'd be a wonderful breeding! So to echo Paul Harvey "THAT is the REST of the story!". Or at least a start.... Since then, Higgins has been training hard for Senior Hunter, and ran / passed his first SH test a couple weeks ago (he finished SH title on May 12!). The next day he played "show dog" at the IABCA dog shows and earned his first 2 V-1 ratings toward his IntCH title. I have confidence that he will finish that easily at an upcoming show.
March 24, 2018: Welcome to the world little puppies!!! And little they WERE (8.4 to 12.6 oz), especially as compared to the litters that Kanzi and her mother were born in (mostly over a pound)! All were vigorous and eager to get to the dairy bar however! In total, there were 8: 1 Black male, 3 Black females, 3 Yellow males, and 1 Yellow female. Here is the tired but happy family at less than 12 hrs old:
March 27, 2018: The pups took their first car ride to the vet today for dew claw removal via laser. We returned home within an hour, and all immediately latched back on mama Kanzi. Pups have already gained 2-3 oz or more.
March 28, 2018: I started the Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) program today and will be doing this daily thru 16 days as I have w/ all my litters for ~20 yrs now.
April 1, 2018: One week old and pup weights already began to double as of yesterday! They may be little but have healthy appetites.
April 3, 2018: The last of the pups (Blue boy) doubled in weight today at day 9. He was one of the biggest at birth, so had more to gain after all! Pups are getting a probiotic twice a day now, morning and evening.
April 6, 2018: Pups are 12 days old now and I started to see some "peepers" in a couple this morning as I weighed them! Weights are starting to triple also-- not surprising really as Mama Kanzi hardly leaves the box even yet. NummNummNummm...... what a life!
April 8, 2018: We're 2 weeks old now! The pups are definitely finding their "wheels" (and perhaps their voices too). Weight are great, ranging from 1.61# to 2.57#. First de-worming was done today and will be done every 2 wks.
April 12, 2018: 2.5 wks old, and the handwriting is on the wall... my job is about to get even busier here very soon! Won't be long before I step in and help w/ the potty training and feeding routines. For now, I am continuing to weigh and handle each pup daily and am enjoying them crawling up on me to snuggle. No teeth yet but I'm feeling the buds there! Weight gains are averaging 2oz or more per day now.
April 14, 2018: Almost 3 wks old! The pups got their first human prepped meal yesterday afternoon (Esbilac w/ some ground puppy kibble) and dove right in! They will get 1 supplemental meal per day for a few days, then frequency will increase. Potty training will start this weekend too! Hard to believe they are already 4x their birthweights (5x in one case!).
April 22, 2018: Pups are 4 weeks old and potty training is now well under way. They are also eating 3 nanny prepared meals / day to take a little more pressure off of Kanzi (who is going to be naked soon at the rate she's shedding!!!), so my days just got a lot busier. They love the added human interaction (ie crawling up on my lap when I sit in the box), and are playing a lot more w/ one another and their stuffed toys. All had their 4 wk de-worming today and are on track to get their first parvo vaccine within the next 5-6 days.
April 28, 2018: Pups received their first parvo (Neopar) vaccine yesterday morning. Up until now, their outdoor visits have been limited to the back patio area, but now I'll feel more comfortable in allowing them in other areas. I moved them all to their new digs in the garage this morning after they ate a hearty breakfast. They seem to be enjoying their first exposure to a dog crate etc.. We'll go explore a little bit out front this afternoon after they nap a bit more. The pups should be ready for visitors by mid week!
May 7, 2018: 6 weeks old!!! Wow time is flying as pups are really keeping me hopping!!! Pups now range in weight from 6 - 9#, and are wanting to play outside as much as 4 times a day. We've had several visitors this past week, pups got a new tunnel in their pen, discovered duck wings, and even got to chase a live pigeon yesterday (they did fantastic!). Mama Kanzi has decided just in the past 2 days that it's time they just eat their solid food, and stop pestering her so much, so she's been enjoying more time out in the tall hay field hunting "critters" with the others. I'm hoping to have it cut soon so puppies can also explore further but right now, they still have an acre or so of yard to play in. In my spare time, I got my veggie garden mostly planted-- Don't worry, it's puppy proofed behind fencing! Which begs me to ask, how puppy proof is your yards and house??? For those getting puppies, you have just 2 more weeks to get that done!
May 13, 2018: 7 weeks old and our busiest week has now begun. They took their first car ride earlier last week, and we had several visitors once again. We've been practicing "show dog" on the table in front of the mirror so we can hopefully get some good evaluation photos here in a few days. All of the pups got to chase the pigeons this morning before it got too warm (supposed to hit 90F here today!) and other than eating a few feathers, they did very well. Once they were sufficiently worn out, each pup was microchipped. They had also gotten their first combination (DHPPv) vaccine on Friday, so they've had their shares of "pokes" the past few days! On Tues they will have a long car ride to Pasco for their eye exams, and on Thursday they will have their vet well checks done. With any luck, I will have some placements figured out by Friday pm! Oh, and we received the great news last night that Papa Higgins is now an AKC Senior Hunter after going 4 for 4 in his tests this spring!!!!!
May 18, 2018: We're on the homestretch!! All did super at the eye appointments on Tuesday and vet well checks on Thursday. First pups will leave starting Saturday!
May 26, 2018: All are placed in their homes!!!! Miss HoneyCrisp (yellow girl) is staying here. This will be an adventure of sorts as their first Great ++++ ylw granny came here 26 yrs ago!
