Maple is spending most of her time in the whelping box caring for her babies. The puppies are unable to regulate their own body temperature and are born deaf and blind. At this time, they are extremely dependent on their mother. 

Today we went on our 1st adventure; a trip to the vet for dew claw removal and tail docking.  Soon we will be back to resting and eating… 

Mitten's puppies are two weeks old. Their eyes are now open and they can hear us! They still spend a majority of their days eating and sleeping but that is soon to change. The pups are weighing about 2 pounds and are able to lift themselves on all four legs. This week they will be able to go potty on their own and our potty training program will begin. 

Here are a couple of helpful references for Puppy Parents, I will be adding to these weekly. This is a great way to learn and prepare for your upcoming Airedale as well as learn about what your breeder is interested in! Again, just for reference.  If you have any questions feel free to comment on the blog or email/call directly. 

www.TheDailyPuppy.com
"Training Your Superdog" - Author; Gwen Bailey 
Fun Games to Teach Dogs
Bringing a Second Dog into the House
Raw Food 
Natural Approach to Fleas
Essential Oil Use for Dogs
Dog Food Advisor
How to Deal with Puppy Crying and Separation Anxiety
Dog Nail Trimming the Right Way 
Trimming Your Dog's Nails
Crate Training: The Benefits for You and Your Dog
To Crate or Not to Crate? 
Using Temperament Testing to Choose the Right Dog for your Family
How to Socialize Your Puppy
AVSAB Position Statement On Puppy Socialization
Pre-Puppy Preparation- Whole Dog Journal Article 
The Misty Method- Potty Training Starts with your Breeder
How to Potty Train your Dog in 7 Days (this will take much longer for pups)

Hi everyone! I just want to let you know, it's been a very busy week around here at Aubert Den/Aubert's Airedales. We have had some basement flooding issues and now have had a restoration crew in our home since Mitten whelped her pups last Saturday. My reason for mentioning this is..my emails are pilling up and I will respond as quickly as possible. I will also be sending out emails this week notifying everyone where they are on our reservation list and as to which litter your baby will come from. If you have any immediate questions, please phone me 231-233-0269
Kindly, Ashley 

Mitten is doing great, as are her 12 beautiful babies. Everyone is weighed daily and gaining about an ounce a day. Right now, pups are weighing 1 lb to a 1.5 lbs. They are becoming more coordinated by the day and should be able to stand by our next blog posting. The pups can now hear and are beginning to make their first barking sounds. Their eyes should open over the next week.

Perch is a very proud father! He has had a great week. 

Moose has had an eventful weekend after stealing and eating the puppies' mini kongs. So today we had the pleasure of visiting our friend, the vet! After a few x-rays, we found that all is well and whatever mini kongs he did eat, he has passed. Whew! He was scheduled for a very costly surgery. 

Here are a couple of helpful references for Puppy Parents, I will be adding to these weekly. This is a great way to learn and prepare for your upcoming Airedale as well as learn about what your breeder is interested in! Again, just for reference.  If you have any questions feel free to comment on the blog or email/call directly. 

www.TheDailyPuppy.com
"Training Your Superdog" - Author; Gwen Bailey 
Fun Games to Teach Dogs
Bringing a Second Dog into the House
Raw Food 
Natural Approach to Fleas
Essential Oil Use for Dogs
Dog Food Advisor
How to Deal with Puppy Crying and Separation Anxiety
Dog Nail Trimming the Right Way 
Trimming Your Dog's Nails
Crate Training: The Benefits for You and Your Dog
To Crate or Not to Crate? 
Using Temperament Testing to Choose the Right Dog for your Family
How to Socialize Your Puppy
AVSAB Position Statement On Puppy Socialization
Pre-Puppy Preparation- Whole Dog Journal Article 

Mitten is a very proud mommy! She has settled into "mom" life and is as happy as can be, wagging that short little tail of hers. Her babies are 3 days old. They are all doing very well, eating every two hours and sleeping in between. 

Today was our FIRST big day! We went on a car ride to the veterinarian, where they removed our dew claws and docked our tails. Our tails will be quite longer than Mom's as our human parents prefer Airedales with a more "standard" tail length, not so short. If you are curious what our tails will look like when we are adults, check out photos of our friend, Mugo. 

At this time, Mitten's puppies have four primitive reflexes; burrowing, suckling, perineal and carrying. Their nervous system is still developing so in the meantime, these reflexes assist in their survival. The burrowing reflex makes the pups search for warm parts of their mother to snug up to. The suckling reflex enables the pup to drink it's mothers milk. The perineal reflex activates bodily elimination and the carrying reflex encourages the puppies to stiffen when picked up at the neck. 

The pups are unable to regulate their own body temperature and are born deaf and blind. 

Everyone is enjoying the presence of puppies in our house again! Even Bonsai, the pomeranian, is curious about the new activities and sounds coming from the master bathroom. 

Maple is in her 8th week of pregnancy. She is filling out more and more all the time. Her puppies' skeletons have now ossified, they have their fur and space is limited inside. 

Maple spends most of her time grooming herself or laying by the door to Mitten's puppy area. Once a day, Maple has the opportunity to go in and visit with her sister to check out her nieces/nephews. She waits for that moment ALL DAY! She's a very devoted Aunt and sister to Mitten. The bond between Maple and Mitten is truly something beautiful.
;-)

Mitten is just under a week away from her due date and now beginning to "nest". She spends a majority of her day resting by the fire fueling her pups. Her days are relaxing and she's becoming somewhat familiar with the whelping box (even though she doesn't care to be in it for more than 5 minutes). 

At this time, Mitten's puppies are fully developed, all have fur and are crowded inside her. They are very active as they prepare for their upcoming birth. The next blog posting should be a birth announcement! 

Mitten is in her 7th week of pregnancy, moving towards week 8. She is still growing rounder and wider day by day. Mitten is due to whelp February 22nd. She has begun shedding the hair on her belly in preparation for the birth of her babies.  Her breasts are well developed and probably contain a bit of colostrum or "first milk". She is noticeably tired and has begun searching for a place to whelp. Time to set up the whelping box!

The puppies are well-developed, and now begin attaining size in preparation for birth. Often times, we can see and feel the puppies' movements inside of Mitten. This week the first hairs appear of the pups and their skeleton ossifies. Their coat is one of the last organs to develop, as is the skeleton which only begins to ossify in the final third of gestation.

Lawrence & I now need to play as "cops" and stop all rough play and jumping around. Mitten is moving much slower and walks about a ¼ mile an hour. All in all, she is a very happy Airedale.

Here are a couple of helpful references for Puppy Parents, I will be adding to these weekly. This is a great way to learn and prepare for your upcoming Airedale as well as learn about what your breeder is interested in! Again, just for reference.  If you have any questions feel free to comment on the blog or email/call directly. 

www.TheDailyPuppy.com
"Training Your Superdog" - Author; Gwen Bailey 
Fun Games to Teach Dogs
Bringing a Second Dog into the House
Raw Food 
Natural Approach to Fleas
Essential Oil Use for Dogs
Dog Food Advisor
How to Deal with Puppy Crying and Separation Anxiety
Dog Nail Trimming the Right Way 
Trimming Your Dog's Nails
Crate Training: The Benefits for You and Your Dog
To Crate or Not to Crate? 
Using Temperament Testing to Choose the Right Dog for your Family
How to Socialize Your Puppy
AVSAB Position Statement On Puppy Socialization



"The implication of this is that it is the human who must be trained 
The dog simply needs to be effectively communicated to;
Self-awareness and self-control, self-discipline must come from the human first and only then can such control be expected of the dog;
Too many people blame their dog, when in-fact it is the human that has created the seed of the behavior, then enables and maintains the overall environment (physical, mental) that perpetuates the situation;
Want your dog to be better behaved? You have to learn to be better behaved first – this is an example of the importance of following true and pure logic – dogs love logic much and hypocrisy not at all;"

Happy Groundhog Day!

Whoa, week 6 for Mitten! Mitten is growing rounder and wider day by day. I can feel what seems to be LOTS of puppies. One of the babies pushed back at my hand last night! At this time, the pups are developing skin pigment, they are weighing around 6 grams and their heart beats can now be heard with a stethoscope.

Other than our daily gentle exercise, Mitten has been spending most of her time on the dog bag by the fire. Mitten is working hard for her pups right now, giving them most of her energy. Both girls have claimed Moose's red dog bed and refuse to give it back. (Moose is definitely unimpressed) 

This week, Dad (Lawrence) will make Mitten a wonderful new whelping box. Maple has decided the green one is hers and she WON'T be sharing. Mitten does not mind, she would prefer to be by the fire anyway. Mitten will begin spending her nights in her whelping area to get acquainted and cozy. Mitten tends to be somewhat more reliant on humans than her sister. She does not care for change so her entry to the whelping area will be a gradual one.

Firstly, I would like to take this time (now that all our babies have claws) to express the importance of Nail Trimming for our pups. While living here at Aubert Den, your babies will have their nails trimmed 2 times weekly. They WILL be very familiar with this and actually like it! Dogs enjoy being groomed. If trained properly from the beginning, your Airedale will want it's nails trimmed. I have added a couple of references at the bottom of the page regarding Nail Trimming. 
Here are my thoughts: 
- Nails should be trimmed weekly for the entirety of our dogs life. This establishes healthy nails as well as proper movement. If nails are left too long on dogs, they will actually be walking on their nails and this will lead to joint issues. Dogs (Obviously, I know) are meant to walk on their paws. Nails should NEVER touch the ground. 
-Now, that being said, I know many people are intimidated by nail trimming. They fear they will hurt their dog. If you do not learn, this is true. But nail trimming is easy and should be done by us. 
-So, when you come to get your puppy and if you are unsure of nail trimming, I am MORE than happy to do a demo on nail trimming. 

Second, this is a kind request to send all emails and messages to AubertsAiredales@gmail.com ; please do not use Facebook messaging. I like Facebook but I would prefer to have all emails in one place. I have many puppy parents and I am finding that messages sent on FB go under the radar. Feel free to comment and message but if it's a question about the litter or pups, just send me an email. My intention is to respond as quickly as possible. Thank you! 

other than the fact that Mugo is growing….. 

Mitten has just entered her 3rd week of pregnancy. Her puppies' ears have now started to form. We still have to wait a couple of weeks for the eyelids and for the toes to separate. 

At week 5, we will begin to measure Mitten's girth in an effort to guesstimate how many puppies she will have. Lawrence & I always choose a number when our girls are bred and wait to see who is closest. (It's almost like playing "guess how many marbles are in the jar")
 
If anyone wants to join in, just post a comment on this weeks' post and we will see who is closest once the puppies are born! 

Maple has just entered her 2nd week of pregnancy. Maple is enjoying her pampering and Bonsai's share of the kibbles, just as expected. 

No one know's it yet but Mom and Dad are driving today to go pick up two new friends for us! ;-) We are sure they will post photos on Facebook later. 

Mitten & Maple & Mugo

Maple is only in her first week of pregnancy. Her appetite has not yet increased but knowing Maple, that will happen quickly. She will soon be stealing Bonsai's (the teacup Pomeranian's) kibbles whenever she turns away. Both girls are enjoying resting by the fire and napping on their dog bag.