Dam: IntCH CH Hollyhock My Heart Stood Still “Lucie”
[View Pedigree] [View OFA Health Certifications] [View Lucie’s Photo Gallery]Sire: CH Belamour’s Sugardaddy “Romeo”
[View Pedigree] [View OFA Health Certifications]
Bailey, Winston, Blue, Bear, Bella Grace and Snowy – Photos from home
As their new owners share photos with us we will post them here every couple of months so you can continue to watch them grow up.
Bailey, Winston, Blue, Bear, Bella Grace and Snowy – Their first year at home
Settling in with their new home, new friends and forever families.
Photos sent from their new homes — Bailey, Winston, Blue, Bear, Bella Grace and Snow
As their new owners share photos with us we will post them here every couple of months so you can continue to watch them grow up.
12 weeks old – All the pups are now in their new homes
Blue (Blue boy) was the last pup from Lucie’s litter to travel home. He and Deb took the red-eye to Atlanta and then on to Cincinnati where he met his new parents Gail and Dave. Throughout the week we received photos from the new homes of his littermates. Everyone seems to be settling in nicely. Going forward, we will update this litter diary every month or two with photos sent in by our new puppy owners. It’s always fun to watch them grow up and to look back at when they were just babies. They will be “big dogs” before you know it!
11 weeks old – The pups start going to their new homes
It’s time to leave the nest so to speak. Lucie, Jewel and Jeff get the “going home blankets” ready and they deliver the pups to the Gibb ranch for the pups final grooming and the logistics of getting them off to their new homes. Deb and Bear (Green boy) took the red-eye flight to Boston where he met his new parents Ellen and Peter. Then Deb and Bella Grace (Pink girl) took the red-eye flight to Atlanta where she met her big sister, Abby, from last summer’s litter. Next it was Bailey’s turn (Purple boy). He is nearby in San Diego. Then Snow (Yellow girl) headed to Vancouver Washington with her new mommies that flew to San Diego to fetch her. And before the week was over, Winston (Black boy) went to his family who also lives nearby in San Diego. The last remaining pup from Lucie’s litter is Blue (Blue boy) who will go to his new family next week. We are blessed to have such wonderful bichon families. They are so happy to receive these amazing pups and so willing to accept our guidance in raising them to be the best they can be. Read the captions under the photos to learn more about their trips home and stay tuned for photos and videos we will post as we get pictures from their new owners. These videos reflect the combined litters from Lucie, Dee Dee and Emma.
The 11th week, indoors (4:33)
10 weeks old – Growing like crazy…and learning from each other
This week we started getting the pups used to a 6am to 6pm daily routine in the hope that they would start sleeping through the night and be on a schedule more accommodating to their new homes. They will start going home next week. The focus this week was to just continue their daily routines and let them have more unstructured time just learning from each other. We took fewer photos this week. The videos tell it all…growing bigger and playing harder. Almost time to go to their new homes.
9 weeks old – Puzzles and more socialization…and first puppy shots
The pups are getting more confident as we can tell by the way they explore their surroundings. We’ll see some of them take little side trips on their own, then eventually come back and join the pack. We introduced some new puzzles this week and continued the treat ball and the “chewing time” with their toothbrushes. They really love those. Playdates and grooming time meant another road trip to the Gibb Ranch, but everyone is good in the car. At the end of the week they visited the vet for their first round of puppy shots. They were stoic little babies and hardly anyone complained.
8 weeks old – Car rides, microchips and socialization with new adults and new kids
These puppies just LOVE visitors…young and old. They are getting very smart and they learned the doggie door this week, and went on a car ride several times with very litter complaining. Lucie’s litter likes to listen to classical music and DD and Emma’s kids seem to prefer Jazz instrumentals during their car rides and at nap times. Go figure. They spent more time outside but also had to spend a good amount of time inside due to the excessive heat. Their new toys included the ball pit and some new teething toys (their teeth are getting very sharp). We have started taking them outside after every meal so that they can get used to peeing and pooping mostly outside instead of in the house. They still use the pee pads indoors at night and they are not perfect at going on the pads during the day if they are inside. All the puppies have now been assigned to families and all now have a “call name” so we will start using their name instead of their color when interacting with them. The first video is just the pups at Lucie’s house. The second two videos are a mixture of the other two litters and some of Lucie’s pups when they went for playdates at the Gibb house.
7 weeks old – More play dates and socialization with kids
Other than keeping up with daily grooming and walks after meals, the new experiences this week included learning to get treats from a treat ball and learning to get used to toothbrushes. For socialization, the pups had more play dates and visitors, including pre-teens and toddlers. These puppies all seem to be drawn to humans. They are very snuggly and kissy with humans and very playful with each other. They are getting so pretty and tons of fun!
6 weeks old – The Merge – Puppy play dates and more visitors
What fun everyone had this week as we brought all 3 litters together at the Gibb Camp for puppy play dates and visits with “outsiders”. It was also time to introduce the tunnel, the pool, and to do their first baths and haircuts. The puppies seemed to enjoy all their new visitors, young and old, and their free time running around the yard. Now that their hair has been cut, they look like little dogs instead of fat hamsters! The videos are pretty much unedited and in date order as the week rolled along. Enjoy!
5 weeks old – Weaning and real food
The puppies are spending less time with Lucie and weaning has begun. They eat puppy food supplemented with goat’s milk and still nurse whenever Lucie feels they need it…or when she just wants some snuggle time. The other focus this week was to give them more human touches and snuggles and avoid startling or unexpected sudden noises. They were introduced to new toys and experiences each day, including more outdoor time and even some initial playing in water. Next week we begin puppy playdates with Emma and Dee Dee’s litters at the Gibb house and we may give them their first baths.
4 weeks old – Learning to walk and explore
The focus this week was on building strength and confidence. We placed obstacles in their play area long enough for them to learn how to navigate around them. They like climbing on the big toys and they are learning to put the small toys in their mouths and carry them around. They are also playing with each other more and being more vocal. They all experienced the “startle and recovery” exercise this week. Each puppy seemed to take this event in stride and with no complaints. Normal household noises didn’t seem to phase them either. At nap time we play classical music near their pen and they sleep like babies. The introduction of goat’s milk was hit and miss this week, but they all seem to have figured out how to lap it up. They still prefer nursing from mommy and Lucie knows when they are hungry. Lucie is also leaving them alone more often but she keeps a watchful eye on them from a distance. Jeff and Jewel seem to be getting very attached to blue boy so you will see more photos of him than of any of the others.
3 weeks old – Eyes and ears are open
This week the puppies began walking around more, especially after we swapped out their area for a larger one with a harder surface. They learned to look at our faces and they seemed to enjoy peering through the wires of their kennel when they were not sleeping…which they still do most of the time. Every hour or so they wake up, take a few steps out of their bed, and pee on the pee pad. Then they roam around a bit and we have a few small toys and obstacles for them to explore. Most of the time they are just practicing walking on all four legs. They get stronger and more confident each day. Each one is developing some unique personality. Read the captions under the photos to learn what we have observed so far.
This week’s exercise is to present them with some type of annoying stimulus, then reward them with a bit of cream cheese. They have all done great with that. We also began holding them more and started getting them used to being touched all over. They are starting to play with each other too.
2 weeks old – Gaining a bit of independence
This week the puppies began demonstrating a bit more independence. They nursed a bit less, but still slept most of the time. We would see them in smaller “piles” and often solo. Lucie leaves them to themselves more often too. We introduced the bolster beds so they could begin to learn to crawl out of their sleeping area if they felt the urge to pee. So, I guess potty training has begun. So far no accidents in the bed! A few of them have started to squint but no one has their eyes wide open yet. They are also starting to explore more so we put them on a harder surface from time to time to give their muscles more stability than the soft bed areas. Next week we should see both eyes and ears open, and much more active pups!
1 week old – Early Stimulation Exercises
The puppies continue to nurse and sleep most of the time. Their eyes and ears won’t open for another week. This week they had their second trip to the vet and had their dew claws removed. After a day to recover from that we began their “puppy exercises”. They are entering the “baked potato phase” where they are starting to plump up quite nicely. We are starting to see pigment fill in and we’re seeing nice coats developing. View the slideshow and read the captions to learn more. Watch the video to learn how we introduce Early Neurological Stimulation (aka puppy exercises) to give our pups an advantage that should benefit them for life.
The birth day and first vet visit
Lucie’s first litter arrived right on time and this first-time bichon mommy made it look easy. Her 4 boys and 2 girls were whelped in just over an hour. Lucie is a very attentive mommy and all the pups are nursing fine and appear to be very active crawlers, and not afraid to push each other around as they seek out a tasty nipple. We took them in for their birth day wellness exam and they all passed with flying colors. They will spend the next few days developing into little tater tots…staying warm, gaining weight and learning to find mommy’s nipples. On Monday they will have another visit to the vet to have their dew claws removed and another wellness check. Then they get another day to lounge before we begin working with each one as they experience their daily Early Neurological Stimulation puppy exercises. Lucie and her pups are at the home of Jewel and Jeff Weien who are her co-owners with Deb and Linda and who have been instrumental in helping us raise another extraordinary Hollyhock Champion so that we may continue Holly’s line.
Questions? Send email to: info@hollyhockbichons.com or Call Deb Gibb: 858-531-2890