I saw a post today that addressed all as pup-pals and liked it! So I'm stealing. Sounds much more friendly than puppy people when I'm addressing the group!
So pup-pals, I've been racing to get my grounds maintenance done prior to the pups reaching their fourth week birthday and I almost succeeded. At least I won't fear loosing them in the leaves which for the most part have been reduced to a surprisingly small pile of ash. If I couldn't burn here, I think I'd have to move. I could probably spend another whole day wrapping things up but instead of making a full day of it I'll do a little each morning while it's still too chilly for pups. The good news... the really awesome news is the forecast looks very favorable for everyday outings for the little monsters each and everyday for an extended period starting tomorrow. Tonight into the low 30's again- but warming to 70 tomorrow!!! Yeah!
I gave them another try on the mash yesterday and man what a difference a week makes... they dove right in without reserve. Will get some photos of them going after their grub tomorrow.
I also spoke with a few of you yesterday and scheduled some appointments to get the selection process started. Jason and Jordan will both be here Saturday the 24th to select their boys. Still waiting to hear back from Xavier but would like to try and have 2 or 3 more male selections complete the week of the 26th enabling us to wrap things up for the boys the week beginning April 2nd.
Gretchen will be here Saturday March 31st to select her black and rust girl and Sandy the same day to select one of the red girls. We'll fit Ellie and Blade in at a time convenient for them to come meet their girls too. I'm really looking forward to meeting each and every one of you. And... I'm really looking forward to introducing your pups to the great outdoors!
I've had a couple calls regarding food. While there's a whole slew of good foods out there I feed my dogs and pups Victor and for the sake of convenience I order through Chewy.com and have scheduled home delivery. Victor like most companies has a large variety of different formulas. For my adults as well as my pups I feed Hi-Pro Plus. It doesn't matter to me which food you select as long as it's of good quality. If you decide to feed something other than Victor I'll be more than happy to send enough kibble to allow you to wean your pup to the brand of your choosing. The one thing I will say is with Doberman pups, you have to watch protein content. Hi Pro Plus is 30% protein and my pups have done well on it. But I wouldn't go higher than that. Victor's Puppy formula is 38% and I think too high for Doberman pups. Too much protein can lead to a condition known as knuckling over. The photos below were randomly selected from the web. One is of an obviously cute pup with normal legs. The other is a pup with a severe case of knuckling over. While a vet may look at that pup and put it in braces, believe it or not changing it's food to one with less protein would likely be enough to straighten it out. It is a severe case though and didn't happen over night. Without changing the food, I doubt braces would help.
When comparing foods I like to look and compare on dogfoodadvisor.com All ingredients are shown and each product rated. They also offer a service that will send you email notifications of any recalls if you provide your email address and sign up. Regarding recalls, many Doberman owners swear by Blue Buffalo but recently they've had an abundance of recalls. Not sure what's up with them lately but until they get things figured out I think I'd stay away from the brand.
As far as toys go, the soft plush toys are fine when they're young but when they start tearing the stuffing out it's time to up your ante. Rope toys are generally good and I've had great luck with many of the JW products. Chewy carries a large selection of JW. Dobe pups, probably pups in general, are notorious for eating things they shouldn't. Many requiring surgery to remove things causing blockage. Of my pups I've been made aware of three. One caused by an orange swallowed whole... must have been pretty small but too large to pass. Another was a sock and the third was part of a leather collar with rounded metal spikes. A friend of mine has a Doberman who required surgery recently for removal of a plush toy or at least part of one. So... it does happen. Long story short, gotta watch your pups and keep things like those mentioned out of their reach. And by all means, something you would probably never think of, your cell phone chargers. The components of those, I think the ends most specifically from what I've read, can be deadly. While I know of no real life experiences of this I read and article siting that tidbit of information. I'll leave you to do your own research regarding that one... probably best to just play it safe and keep such items out of reach.
I think that about enough wisdom shared for one day... cute puppy pictures tomorrow. I promise.
So pup-pals, I've been racing to get my grounds maintenance done prior to the pups reaching their fourth week birthday and I almost succeeded. At least I won't fear loosing them in the leaves which for the most part have been reduced to a surprisingly small pile of ash. If I couldn't burn here, I think I'd have to move. I could probably spend another whole day wrapping things up but instead of making a full day of it I'll do a little each morning while it's still too chilly for pups. The good news... the really awesome news is the forecast looks very favorable for everyday outings for the little monsters each and everyday for an extended period starting tomorrow. Tonight into the low 30's again- but warming to 70 tomorrow!!! Yeah!
I gave them another try on the mash yesterday and man what a difference a week makes... they dove right in without reserve. Will get some photos of them going after their grub tomorrow.
I also spoke with a few of you yesterday and scheduled some appointments to get the selection process started. Jason and Jordan will both be here Saturday the 24th to select their boys. Still waiting to hear back from Xavier but would like to try and have 2 or 3 more male selections complete the week of the 26th enabling us to wrap things up for the boys the week beginning April 2nd.
Gretchen will be here Saturday March 31st to select her black and rust girl and Sandy the same day to select one of the red girls. We'll fit Ellie and Blade in at a time convenient for them to come meet their girls too. I'm really looking forward to meeting each and every one of you. And... I'm really looking forward to introducing your pups to the great outdoors!
I've had a couple calls regarding food. While there's a whole slew of good foods out there I feed my dogs and pups Victor and for the sake of convenience I order through Chewy.com and have scheduled home delivery. Victor like most companies has a large variety of different formulas. For my adults as well as my pups I feed Hi-Pro Plus. It doesn't matter to me which food you select as long as it's of good quality. If you decide to feed something other than Victor I'll be more than happy to send enough kibble to allow you to wean your pup to the brand of your choosing. The one thing I will say is with Doberman pups, you have to watch protein content. Hi Pro Plus is 30% protein and my pups have done well on it. But I wouldn't go higher than that. Victor's Puppy formula is 38% and I think too high for Doberman pups. Too much protein can lead to a condition known as knuckling over. The photos below were randomly selected from the web. One is of an obviously cute pup with normal legs. The other is a pup with a severe case of knuckling over. While a vet may look at that pup and put it in braces, believe it or not changing it's food to one with less protein would likely be enough to straighten it out. It is a severe case though and didn't happen over night. Without changing the food, I doubt braces would help.
When comparing foods I like to look and compare on dogfoodadvisor.com All ingredients are shown and each product rated. They also offer a service that will send you email notifications of any recalls if you provide your email address and sign up. Regarding recalls, many Doberman owners swear by Blue Buffalo but recently they've had an abundance of recalls. Not sure what's up with them lately but until they get things figured out I think I'd stay away from the brand.
As far as toys go, the soft plush toys are fine when they're young but when they start tearing the stuffing out it's time to up your ante. Rope toys are generally good and I've had great luck with many of the JW products. Chewy carries a large selection of JW. Dobe pups, probably pups in general, are notorious for eating things they shouldn't. Many requiring surgery to remove things causing blockage. Of my pups I've been made aware of three. One caused by an orange swallowed whole... must have been pretty small but too large to pass. Another was a sock and the third was part of a leather collar with rounded metal spikes. A friend of mine has a Doberman who required surgery recently for removal of a plush toy or at least part of one. So... it does happen. Long story short, gotta watch your pups and keep things like those mentioned out of their reach. And by all means, something you would probably never think of, your cell phone chargers. The components of those, I think the ends most specifically from what I've read, can be deadly. While I know of no real life experiences of this I read and article siting that tidbit of information. I'll leave you to do your own research regarding that one... probably best to just play it safe and keep such items out of reach.
I think that about enough wisdom shared for one day... cute puppy pictures tomorrow. I promise.
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