Puppies

The puppies are here!  Shelby delivered 5 boys and 2 girls naturally (no c-section, wahoo!) and all are doing very well.  They are just adorable and Ed and I are having fun.  Shelby is a fantastic mom - these are the cleanest puppies I have ever seen.   They are all gaining weight like crazy and Shelby is back to her old happy self again.  The yellow and white collared puppies are the girls.  Check back for more updates!
Four weeks old...







Day 7-8








Day 3-4









We bred Shelby to Ch Tullamores Toblerone (http://www.tullamorelabs.com/labradorboys.html) which is a fabulous litter!  We are taking reservations for this litter now.
Shelby:                                                          Toby:

Shelby's photo by Callea Photo                        Toby's photo courtesy of Linda Bednarski



We have had several wonderful litters here at Byers Peak... please see the following:
Bella and Puppies

Coda

2007 litter all lined up

Ed and Sonny

Chester with duck
Photo by Randi Hirschmann

Marty on couch
photo by Randi Hirschmann

Shelby and Marty kissing
Photo by Randi Hirschmann

Sonny
Photo by Randi Hirschmann

Sonny
Photo by Randi Hirschmann



We firmly believe that puppies should be physically challenged, in order to build up the strength and dexterity needed as young adults.  This is our puppy "jungle gym."  We also adhere to Pat Hastings' "rule of seven."  Her concept basically says that by the age of seven weeks, the puppies should have been introduced to seven different aspects of their daily lives, constantly changing, so they are familiar with the unfamiliar.  For example, our puppies get fed out of seven different types of dishes (maybe even more) so they learn to be tractable at a very early age.  We change their environment constantly, keeping them thinking.  We introduce as many new people as possible, taking precautions against the spread of infection.


This is my nephew Cameron Hanson, our official "puppy pile administrator."


The "puppy battles" are epic!  At least, until it is....

Naptime!

On this next picture, notice the puppy litter box in the background.  It is filled with shavings.  At about 3 weeks old, I start training the puppies to use the shavings to potty.  This is a time consuming project, but it make potty training a breeze for my puppy buyers!