Litter Diary: Emma’s Puppies Born 05/11/18

Dam: IntCH CH Shyladawn’s Hollyhock Ode To Chaminade “Emma”

[View Pedigree]   [View OFA Health Certifications]    [View Emma’s Photo Gallery]

Sire: IntCH CH Hollyhock Skywalker “Sky”

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Quincy, Jazz, Vivienne, Trinity and Magnolia — 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.


Quincy, Jazz, Vivienne, Trinity and Magnolia — Their first year at home

Settling in with their new home, new friends and forever families.


Photos sent from their new homes — Quincy, Jazz, Vivienne, Trinity and Magnolia

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 – Most of Emma’s pups are now in their new homes

Quincy (Black boy) and Jazz (Gold boy) met their new parents Scott and Diana who flew to San Diego from Montana to transport them home. Then Trinity (Rainbow girl) made the journey from San Diego to Atlanta with Deb to meet her new family Vivian and Govind. Vivienne (Orange girl) sent photos from her home in Seattle where she is already making lots of new friends. Maggie (White girl) is the only remaining puppy and now gets to enjoy the privileges of “the last puppy” at the Gibb ranch. She has very few restrictions as she roams with the big bichons and also gets used to sleeping on the bed at night. She’ll be going home in a few weeks when her family returns from a trip. 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. Deb lays out the “going home blankets” and coordinates the logistics of getting the pups off to their new homes. Only one of Emma’s pups went home this week. Vivienne (orange girl) headed home to Seattle. Quincy, Jazz and Trinity will all head home next week. Then Maggie will be the last to go a few weeks later. 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.


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. Chipper was often found getting between them if they were playing too aggressively or if he heard a strange squeal. He is going to miss them in a few weeks when they are all gone. With all the “going home” work to do, 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 opportunity to bring all 3 litters together at the Gibb Ranch. 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.


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

Weaning has begun for Emma’s puppies. They eat puppy food supplemented with goat’s milk and still nurse whenever Emma feels they need it…or when she just wants some snuggle time. Dee Dee and her puppies were moved to the Gibb house this week too, and after a few days of being in their own area next to Emma’s litter, the barrier was removed and now both litters were integrated. They play, nap and eat together and Emma and Dee Dee nurse them only occasionally now…mosting in the morning while Deb is preparing breakfast for everyone. 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. They had quite a few new human visitors this week too. Next week we begin puppy playdates with Lucie’s litter 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 all enjoy lapping up their goat’s milk and next week we will introduce them to some real food. Emma nurses them a couple of times a day…sometimes while standing up! She is leaving them alone more often but she keeps a watchful eye on them from a distance. Tom is spoiling the two boys, Black and Gold…go figure! This weekend we will bring Dee Dee and her pups to Deb’s house and begin to integrate them with Emma’s litter.


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. Emma 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 and even one poop on the pad! White girl was the first to open her eyes. The others have not yet. They are not starting to explore much yet, but they will as soon as their eyes open. Next week we should see 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.

Newborn Dreaming
Newborn Frustrated Searching For A Nipple

The birth day and first vet visit

Emma’s litter decided to arrive early, and Linda and Deb were actually happy to get these litters on the ground. What a nice surprise to have them all born on the same day! Emma made it look easy, popping out a baby about every 30 minutes with easy labor. She seemed to take the entire whelping process in stride and didn’t seem to care when Deb and Linda diverted their attention to Dee Dee when it was her turn to deliver a pup. Both girls were just a joy to watch during the entire process. First thing in the morning we took everyone in for their birth day wellness checks and they all received glowing reports. After that it was finally time for a well deserved nap! Emma and her pups went home with Deb and Dee Dee and her pups are staying with Linda. The litters will “merge” in a few weeks when its weaning time. (We are sorry there is no video of this litter’s birth. Deb and Linda were busy whelping both Dee Dee and Emma at the same time and had no time for videos.)

Listen to sounds from the birth day.

Questions? Send email to: info@hollyhockbichons.com or Call Deb Gibb: 858-531-2890