Our last blog post was just as Nellie delivered her second litter of 11 healthy pups. What an amazing mum (of 22 now) she is! She patiently and quietly lay through 3 weeks of managed feeds (11 pups had to share 8 teats!) She chose to brave the mob of puppy claws and teeth for a further 5 weeks, despite the pups being successfully weened. Her natural instinct to manage the reduction in milk production over time, preventing complications, was amazing to bare witness to.
It was a much smoother rearing for this litter, the lack of mastitis made a huge difference, as did the ability to utilise all the knowledge we have accumulated. Undoubtedly, there is much more to learn, but that is one of the joys of this amazing journey.
Our having an established waiting list this time, also contributed to easing the pressure. As I have said before in a previous blog, we feel a huge responsibility to ensure the future lives of the puppies is safe and happy by finding them the right homes. With a list of potential owners already to hand, selecting the right ones with our questionnaire process was so much easier.
Our understanding of Nellie's natural cycle and a desire not to over breed her, (she is a family dog after all) means it will be 18 months between litters. This will give her the chance to have a natural cycle without mating, as well as giving her body time to fully recover. Seeing her now though, you wouldn't think she had ever had puppies! Her Irish Terrier shape has returned and she is just as cheeky and full of energy as she was as a 1 year old!
Hard to believe she has just turned 5!
We feel very flattered to have been asked our advice in recent months by Irish Terrier owners who are new to breeding and now look forward to hearing about new litters in the coming months. We very much want to be contributing to the continued growth in the lines of this amazing breed and diversifying gene pools to improve the overall health and quality of the Irish Terrier.