The C Litter is "on the ground."
On Saturday night, going into Sunday moring, Dove gave birth to six very healthy pups. Five boys and a girl. They are all pretty strikingly marked, and all very evenly matched. We've given puppy names after some great sports cars. You can see pictures below.
Congratulations Todd, Amanda and Dove on a nice looking litter!!!!
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We have one with your name on it. He says "Dan's the Man!" in little puppy squeaks.
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They are cute!
Dove looks relieved.
They don't get to keep their tails huh?
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They got to keep most of their tails (took them off Tuesday). Since we breed them for hunting and not the show ring, our tail docking is long by US standards, maybe even a little long for European standards. We leave 60% to 66% of the tail remaining. The tips of the tails get broken hunting, especially in the grouse woods. The dew claws get removed too. There's no blood and just a little discomfort at this stage. They squeal more if you give them an injection. It's a bit like if you could have your kid's appendix out at birth with just a simple procedure.
I like the longer tails for a variety of reasons. First is balance in the field; the dogs use the tail as a counter-weight. Second is swimming; the dogs use the tails as a rudder. Third is style; the dogs present a pretty picture on point and the tail is a huge part of that.
We docked the boys about 60%, but since we are keeping the girl, she might be around 70%. Barely took of anything at all.
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