Here at Lookout Danes, we take great pride in what we do. We are completely 100% hands on, beginning with the breeding process all the way through to placing our precious babies in their new forever homes. We like to keep in close contact with everyone who takes one our babies home, after all, they are now a part of the "Lookout Danes" family. Keep reading and you will see how we run things here at Lookout Danes to make sure that our babies are healthy, happy and and well socialized with other dogs, big and small, as well as small children and teenagers.
Before we plan a breeding we look into everything, the first of which is to make sure the dam is in good health and can handle the pregnancy and birth with no problems. The time of year and the climate and weather at the time as well as what the weather will be like when the puppies arrive is also an important factor. We don't want Mom to be stressed out from the heat too much or the cold. And we certainly don't want the puppies getting too hot or too cold. We have had litters all times during the year and the best time for where we live is late summer through early winter for whelping. Of course, sometimes it's not always like that. Once we pick the right time, then we find choose our sire and dam, depending on which dam is in cycle at the time.
When the dam comes in heat, she is switched from her regular dog food to puppy food until the puppies are weaned, this is recommended by our Veterinarian. This gives her everything she needs to help her and her puppies be healthy and strong when they are born. The dam is also put on restrictive exercise for the first few weeks after breeding. The dam is also kept inside the home more than usual to make sure she doesn't over do it, plus she gets lots of extra attention and love that way. Once the breeding is confirmed successful, we begin the preporation of getting everything ready for their arrival. We want her to be as healthy and comfortable as possible starting from the beginning of the heat cycle all the way through to the weaning. If needed, she is also wormed and receives a check up from our veterinarian. Beginning a week before she is due, we begin taking her temperature twice a day and record it for our records. A dog's normal temperature is 101.5, and when pregnant it tends to stay around 100. When her temperature drops to around 98.5 labor generally begins in about 24 hours. Keeping record of her temperature helps us to be better prepared for the labor process so we can keep a real close eye on her and make sure there are no complications.
Once the labor process starts, the soon to be Mom is secluded away from the rest of the house and noise in a bedroom completely set up for her. Her whelping bed is fixed and ready for her at least two weeks before she is due so she can begin to get used to resting and sleeping in it, and it helps her to know where she is to go to have the puppies. From that moment, we are right there with her until the last puppy is whelped. As soon as the first puppy is whelped the time of arrival is recorded as well as the sex of the puppy. After Mom cleans the puppy we then place a colored ID band on the puppy to help us keep track of who's who. We let Mom do everything on her own, but we do assist when needed, we don't mind getting our hands dirty at all. This process is repeated with the birth of each puppy. Once all of the puppies have been whelped and everyone is nursing on their own and Mom is doing fine, we leave the new family alone for some much needed and deserved bonding and resting time.
After the puppies and Mom have had time to rest then it's our turn to bond with the puppies. Of course, we always give Mom plenty of extra attention at this time as well. We always pay attention to the Mom first, then the puppies. This lets her know she is still very much loved and still very special, that is very important to us. We begin with getting to know each of the puppies, how they like to be held and rubbed as well as their personalities. Yes, puppies have personalities even at the very young age of a day old. We handle the puppies on a daily basis so they are well socialized and comfortable with being loved on and touched. We rub their little stomachs and backs, play with their feet and ears and of course give them lots of kisses. We massage their faces and necks as well. We help keep them clean by wiping them off with a warm washcloth once they have lost what's left of their cord. They seem to rest better after they have been wiped off and have full bellies. We also have their dew claws removed at this time by our veterinarian.
When the puppies are two weeks old they receive their first worming. This is necessary because it keeps them from losing weight or becoming sick from the possibility of having worms. A lot of people think that as long as the puppies are drinking from their Mom they wont have worms, this is not true. It is very important to worm puppies beginning at two weeks and continuing every two weeks until they are 16 weeks old. It is always best to have your veterinarian determine how much you should give the puppies. You don't want to give them too much and make them sick.
When the puppies are three weeks old, we slowly begin the weaning process. We mix a special milk with their dry puppy food and blend it together to make a mash for them to begin eating on. They are introduced to fruits like bananas and apples mashed up and added to their food. They are also introduced to water at this time, although most of them don't like it very much yet. We feed them the mash twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. Mom still feeds a good bit at this time so we let her do the other feedings, after all her milk is still the best for them. By this time the puppies eyes and ears are open and they are seeing everything for the first time. They are also really learning to walk and keep their balance. We do have the occasional puppy go face first into the mash, but that's what water is for, to clean them up if Mom doesn't get to them first...lol.
At the age of four weeks we are steering the puppies away from the mash and introducing them to more of the dry puppy food. We do however add some canned puppy food with their dry food as it makes this transition smoother and easier. At this point we only offer the puppies the special milk once a day, slowly weaning them from it. Of course, they still nurse from Mom some, but they are mostly dependant on us for their nutrition. At this time we are also socializing them to different areas of the house and different noises. It's interesting to see their reactions to new things and new noises. This is when you can really see each one of their individual personalities. And just so there is no confusion, no two puppies act alike. They are each very different but at the same time can have a lot of the same characteristics. The puppies receive their second worming and get their nails trimmed.
When the puppies are five weeks old, they are only being offered dry puppy food with canned mixed in from time to time. They are completely weaned from our special milk and drinking water. Of course, there are times when they still nurse from Mom, but that's ok because she will completely walk away from them when she's ready, you can't rush Mom! The puppies are spending more time throughout the house rather than in their whelping area. They are running, well attempting to run, they are playing and growling with each other and barking. They are given new toys to play with and chew on, and are only allowed to chew on their toys, no furniture, shoes, socks or body parts. We are introducing the puppies to puppy pads and beginning the house breaking and crate training. By this time you can tell which females are the "Alpha" and which ones aren't, same with the males.
At six weeks old, the puppies are given their third worming as well as their first set of vaccines. Until they have received their first vaccinations, the puppies are not touched by any visitors coming to see them, this is for their own protection. After the puppies have received their first vaccines, they are then taken one at a time to a large 30x42x6 ft. fenced in area where they can be introduced to nature. There are those rare times when there are so many puppies that they will not all fit comfortably in our big indoor kennel and they are then placed outside, just off the side of our back deck in a "pen" where they can be seen and heard at all times. Once all the puppies have been placed in the fenced area, NO ONE is allowed in the fenced in area without first having sprayed their shoes with a special spray and then placing slip covers over their shoes. This is a MUST if you want to keep your puppy protected from deadly viruses like Parvo and Distemper. Even though the puppies have been vaccinated once, they still are not completely protected until they have received at least two vaccines. The puppies are taken out to the "pen" twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. Depending on the weather conditions, the puppies may stay outside for no longer than 1-2 hours each time. The "pen" the puppies are in is completely set up with food and water, housing, shade and toys. This process helps them learn to use the bathroom outside as well as the puppy pad training inside the house. They will have the general concept of house breaking, but it's up to the new owner to see to it they follow through with it.
When the puppies are seven weeks old they are spending more time during the day outside (depending on the weather conditions) in their pen. We keep the puppies restricted to the pen because puppies like to get into things they aren't supposed to, and eat things they aren't supposed to that can make them very sick and possibly kill them. By this time the puppies are no longer nursing from Mom and are eating their dry food without canned food mixed in. While even though they are eating only dry food, we do still give them fresh fruits. The puppies are old enough now that they can receive a "real" bath. We do this very gently so they will not be scared of taking a bath in the future. If done correctly, your puppy will enjoy bath time which makes it a lot easier on you.
At the sweet age of eight weeks old the puppies receive their fourth and final worming from us, unless they are staying with us longer. At this time, most of the puppies are getting ready to go to their new forever homes and families. We take the puppy to our veterinarian for a complete check up and health examination. We have them tested for any worms and any viruses. We have the puppies weighed and do one last nail trimming and bath before they leave the only home they've ever known. For the most part all of the puppies are house broken, but there are some accidents from time to time. They know their names and they know some basic commands. By the time the puppies leave our care they are very well socialized with everything from cats to small children to rowdy teenagers, and let's not forget the most important part, they are overly spoiled and so rotten they smell...lol.
We love bringing new life into the world, and doing our part to better the breed of the Great Dane. We are learning new things all the time on how to better this breed and better ways to do things, after all, even the best of breeders will tell you that there is always something new to learn.
