Here we are Christmas Eve and the puppies are growing so quickly. Now at 4 weeks of age they are fully mobile. Yesterday when I took them out of the whelping box they stormed the area in front of the feed room, the feed room itself, and the attached deck that is quite a step up. They no longer walk, but run with short hops. I told Tom remember how they say they stormed the beaches of Normandy…..well the puppies stormed the wooden floor of the feed room. All of them were exploring and loving their time out of the box.
After eating they decided to take a nap, however on the sides of the paddock everything was damp from melting snow. I decided to put them back into the warm, dry box. A little while later Tom asked me if I forgot to put a pup back in. Of course not I told him. Sure enough Tom watched as the pup climbed on the guide rail and fell out onto the feed room floor.
It is all downhill from here. The pups know who we are, so they run over to us getting in between our feet. We have to walk carefully as to not step on them. The whole time their little tails are wagging away. When you hold one they are quick to give you a little puppy kiss that will melt you instantly. Now that they can fall out who knows where we will find the little devils….I mean angels.
We have lots of interest in these puppies. If you are interested in one please don’t hesitate to contact us. All the puppies are for sale. To read more about the parents, Donatella and Vincenzo, Click Here. Both parents are on site.
The maremmas currently watch over 30 alpacas. The puppies are sharing a fenceline with them and will be introduced to them slowly over the next few weeks.
The Maremma pups are now 3 weeks old. As you can see their eyes are fully open and they are quite mobile. I know their ears are open since they wake up each time I walk into their area. Personalities are becoming apparent. The males are all pretty much laid back where the females all seem to be little trouble makers. They are vocal and launch attacks against their litter mates. Teeth are now coming in and I expect that a few yelps will come to help them learn how to curve their bite.
The pups are being given puppy gruel. A mixture of crushed up dry puppy food mixed with hot water and milk. They all like it, but it is still quite messy as they walk, sit, and fall into the pie plate that holds the cream like mixture. On a good note…most are now lapping it up from the plate versus waiting for me to feed them. Donatella, dam, waits patiently until I give her the go ahead to lick the plate and clean off the pups.
The Maremma puppies are for sale and will be ready by the end of January. Females are $850 and males are $750. Costs include first shot, worming, micro-chip, and registration paperwork. To reserve a pup we require a $100 non-refundable deposit. Contact us to reserve a pup today!
Other DMAR News:
Breached Dystocia: This past Saturday Tom and I were called to aid a fellow alpaca rancher. She had a dam in heavy labor with no progress being seen. The rancher said she went inside and couldn’t find the head.
On the drive over I played in my head how I would proceed to determine the position of the cria. I took the neo-natal wet lab twice, so my confidence level is slightly more than most.
Once there I gloved, lubed, and went in. Immediately I felt two pointy elbows and a little knob on top. No neck or head was found. I followed the leg to find it was z-shaped and knew immediately the cria was breached. I contacted the vet and advised the owner with alpaca would be on their way shortly. The vet had me warn the owner that the situation didn’t look good and to be prepared. Even though the cria is still attached at the umbilical cord once the water breaks the cria may still try to take a breath. This could lead to drowning. Knowing all this made the situation seem more dreadful as the vet is approx. 45 minutes away when driving swiftly.
It was about two hours later when I listened to my messages where the alpaca owner advised that the vet had delivered an alive, alert, female cria. The owner was thankful for my help as she was struggling trying to figure out the position of the cria. She probably would have wasted a lot more time and possibly could have lost the cria.
Kaitlyn-Rose: Kaitlyn is due next month with her fifth cria. To date she has had birthed in this order a female, male, female, male. According to her history we are hoping for a female from her. Kaitlyn is a remarkable dam and has produced all blue ribbon offspring so far. Two of them have even won reserve color championships, DMAR Athena and DMAR Magnum. DMAR Athena is currently for sale and goes with her 2009 Fall female cria, DMAR Chanel. DMAR Chanel’s sire is HRAZ Lock & Load who is out of Xanadu’s Presidio. Chanel is a white beauty with dense, beautiful crimp, and lock structure that is already apparent in her cria fleece. Chanel was born in October 2009. Click Here for more information on Athena. Click Here for more information on HRAZ Lock & Load who is available for stud.
Alpha Carina: Carina too is due next month with her 3rd cria. To date she has given us a male and a female. We are excited to find out what it will be this time. Carina’s first offspring, DMAR Armani, is a 2x reserve color champion. We are currently looking for a partner in taking 1/2 interest of Armani. Click Here for more information on Armani.
Christmas at Desert Mountain Alpaca Ranch: Is this Saturday, Dec. 19th from 9 am to 4 pm. We hope you can come out and visit with us. Take a self guided tour of the alpacas and crias. View our Maremma livestock guardian dogs and the 4 week old litter of pups. You will be sure to fall in love with all the creatures of our ranch. Afterwards go into the DMAR Store where you can sip on eggnog and munch on cookies while you shop, view spinning and needle felting demos, or meet with the vendor Premier Designs and their line of beautiful, high fashion jewelry.
Can’t make it out to our Christmas celebration? Don’t fret. You can shop online at www.dmarstore.desertmtnalpacas.com. Hurry as time is running out to receive gifts in time for the holidays.
We hope you can all make it out. We have new crias, puppies, and hand crafted items made by BJ Powers from Power Ranch. Also we will have the vendor Premier Designs where they offer beautiful, high fashion jewelry at an affordable price. Drink some egg nog and have some cookies while you shop for your holiday gifts.
Tom will be available to answer any questions you may have about the alpacas or the maremma livestock guardian dogs.
If you can’t make it don’t fret. Shop online at www.dmarstore.desertmtnalpacas.com.
Above is a short movie on the pups that was taken just a couple of days ago. The puppies eyes are now open and all are walking on all four legs. They are very vocal and are starting to pay attention more to each other and to me.
These LGD’s need no training in how to guard. It is instinct. They begin guarding at approximately 4 to 5 months of age. They can live anywhere in the US. They do have an undercoat, but that sheds in the spring. In the summer they need shade and water. In the winter they need shelter to get them out of the biting wind as well as fresh water that isn’t frozen.
Maremma dogs are known for not being incessant barkers. Meaning they only bark when something out of the ordinary is apparent. Maremmas are loyal and love their family which includes the livestock they are guarding.
Females will be sold for $850 and males for $750. A non-refundable $100 deposit is necessary to reserve a puppy. We will be attending TXoLAN in Feb. 2010, so transport to the show will be free of charge. Please remember that the older the pup gets the heavier it will be, therefore making flying reservations will be cheaper the younger the pup is.
Click Here for more information on the parents, Donatella and Vincenzo. They are both guarding over 30 alpacas.
Please contact us with any reservations or questions you may have.
The maremma pups are now a week old. I weighed them yesterday and the average weight was 2.5 lbs. They are now quite fat and happy.
Almost all of the noses have turned black and most of the pads on the feet have turned black as well. There are a few pups who are now using their back legs to walk around. Not sure if you know, but when pups are born they mostly drag their back legs around. Eyes are just beginning to open slightly in the corner closest to their nose. I suspect in the next week or so they will have their eyes and ears completely open. Yes, puppies are born blind and deaf as their eyes and ears are closed.
I only have a few more days of the maremma pups being helpless. Soon they will be climbing on each other trying to get out of the box. Yikes! That means pups between my feet as I walk and having them run and grab my pants with their mouth as they play.
Donatella, the mom, is doing well. She is a great mom and has plenty of milk for her pups. I couldn’t be happier with her.
Sidenote: We did lose one female puppy due to Donatella’s inexperience. She accidentally layed on top of her. It was sad, but after watching Donatella carefully we decided it must have been a fluke since she is very careful with the other pups.
If you are needing or wanting a maremma livestock guardian dog, please contact us to reserve one of these pups. Females are $850 and males are $750. Click Here for more information on the parents and about maremmas in general. Pups will be ready to go to new home by the end of January.
*****Transport Special: We will be going to TxOLAN Alpaca Spectacular in February 2010. We can and will transport pups to the show at no charge. *****
