Food, glorious food..!

Finn is living it up currently..... she so enjoys mealtimes!

For lunch today, we had a boiled egg...

And supper was laced with icky FISH!

I was pretty excited this afternoon, I felt babies moving! I cant wait to feel some more!

Treats for training

Just an interesting little tip for new puppy owners, and for those that train their pups/ dogs.... I have always believed in feeding chicken to my pups as it's very yummy and easy on their tummies... then one of my students taught me something new!


Chicken breasts, with a teeny bit of water - cook in a covered dish in the microwave until just done, remove and put on a cutting board and halve each breast lengthways (so that you have 2 thinner slabs of chicken per breast. Then, heat up a braai pan (I call it a smoke pan) and singe on there a bit, both sides. It dries the chicken out nicely and gives a braai-smell that the dogs go NUTS for!


From there it is easily shredded while training!

Fat Finn

Finn is now getting porky! Her name is FAT FINN at the moment. She is loving all the extra attention and treats! I am beginning to think that she did this on purpose on order to gain privileges!

Her breakfast ration has increased, and she is now getting a boiled egg for lunch as well. And her add-on at supper time is usually a form of chicken - today and tomorrow it is chicken hearts and rice!

She is going for a daily walk (soon to be waddle)... I can't believe that she is due in 3 weeks!

Chilled semen

My German chilled semen box has arrived! This will be particularly useful now when costs are so high to fly pets (and people). There is no longer the need to get the bitch to the male, and if you are in a bind for time, this is the way to go...


I have used this method once before, and it was 100% successful!


A breeder phoned me one Friday night to say that she had had a smear done on her girl and she would be ready the next day. There was no way I could let Tide fly there by himself, and the breeder couldn't arrange to get to PE so quickly, so we decided to try the chilled method. I got all the necessary from the vet and semen was taken early on Saturday morning, and it was at the airport (cargo) by 7am. It was flown to Cape Town and picked up by the breeder and taken to her specialist where the bitch was inseminated by 11:30am. I believe the window for chilled semen is 8 hours, so we even had a few hours to spare!


3 Weeks later I got confirmation that the bitch is indeed pregnant - with a minimum number of SIX puppies!

Now I have my own box, so don't have to rely on the vet's box to be in Port Elizabeth if I need it!

Dog runs

OK all that know me, know that my dogs are not in runs or kennels... they live in the house with me, and sleep where they want (except Mr lift-a-leg-a-lot, who sleeps in a crate, happily). Due to recent events (see last couple of posts, especially the OOPS post) it has come to my attention that one of my boys has legs (when compared to the leaping distance of the side wall) up to his armpits and beyond...


So............ bye bye beloved chicken pen, and hello new dog run (alas). Actually it will be a dual purpose area... it will double up as a lovely puppy play area when required! The boys won't be too pleased, but with 2 bitches due in season now in April, I figured it had better get done right now. The boys will only be in here during the day when I am not at home, when the girls are in season. They will sleep inside, still, alongside Mr pee-a-lot :)


The clean-up has begun! (Oh my poor lawn with all the bits of concrete and stones GRR)

The run will still be open and grassed (once they clean it up after my tirade). It is getting a slightly raised concrete platform for a mattress and bedding with a roof over this section. There is a concrete strip under the high fencing for anyone that fancies themselves as a digger (Nadine is smart, be like Nadine)... and gates will be metal for those gnawers out there....!





Finn is FAT

I was hoping that this would be a very small litter of Finn's.... given that the date of mating was so late and the fact that she got only 1 mating. I stopped the vet scanning at 3 pups so that was our minimum number from the scan (I'm still hoping it stays that way). However..... she is as fat as a hippo and she is only 5 weeks! Normally the BC's are this big at 6.5 weeks... She's even moaning in discomfort.

EISH


Her due date is 13 April.

Rush x Tesna - Johlene Lenaers Litter

Border Collie Litter expected in George (Johlene Lenaers).
This is not a Mackland litter, but Rush is the daddy :)
...some interesting colours expected!

She can be contacted on:
lencovervoer@gmail.com  072 224 8427

We have had a little accident...

....and Finn is pregnant!

This was Mackland's planned 2017 litter, but Maverick and Finn had other ideas!

Both are tested - A2-A2 hips and 0-0 elbows, and both are CEA Clear. Finn also has 2 additional tests - she is MDR1 clear and EIC clear.

Finn is a Breed Champion, and Dog Jumping Champion, and has a National DJ title.
Maverick is a young lad, just starting out in his career. He is from farm working lines, and has a superb nature! He is working VERY nicely at the moment, and will do extremely well in Agility in the future! He is not a show dog!

Puppies would be due around 13 April.

This will be a "mixed" litter (a total outcross in all respects).

Some pictures of Finn and Maverick:

FINN

MAVERICK