The pups are getting bigger including little Sofia who is now weighing a whopping 10 1/2 ounces. Eyes are not opened yet but I do notice them trying to use their back legs more. It’s been very cold here in Georgia but the pups are under a heat lamp, have another heater next to the whelping box, and can curl up into each other to stay warm. Not to mention that they can snuggle right in with mom. It is a sight when all of them are lined up in front of Donnie’s belly. All the pups are well and have the curious alpaca females peeking in at them daily.

Update on Sofia:  Sofia is nursing well off the bottle. When I first started feeding her she could only nurse 1/4 of an ounce of milk at each feeding. Today she can drink a little more than 1/2 an ounce. She used to be able to fit in the palm of my hand. Today she is definitely larger. I feel her belly getting bigger too. After each feeding I notice her almost rolling to one side or the other. Her belly putting her off balance. Other than Sofia’s cleft lip and her smallness she is definitely all puppy. She kneads her paws into the air as she feeds and then is off to plow into her siblings trying to squeeze into the middle of them all. Sometimes I find her underneath a pup or two and other times I see her riding away on top of her siblings heads as they are nursing off mom. Sofia is very strong willed and voices her opinion openly.

All the maremma lgd pups are available. If you have a farm or ranch and need a working dog please contact me at info@desertmtnalpacas or you can call 520-220-2778.

For more information on maremmas and the parents of  this litter, Donatella and Santino, Click Here.

I want you all to meet Sofia. She was one of 10 maremma lgd puppies born to Donatella and Vincenzo on November 29th, 2010. She and one of her sisters were the smallest of the litter. I didn’t notice anything the first day of Sofia’s life but on day 2 I noticed that she just wasn’t latching on to mom enough to get a real good drink. I tried over and over again to help her but when she kept falling off mom’s nipple after only 2 or 3 sucks. I picked Sofia up and immediately saw the issue.

Sofia was born with a congenital defect of a cleft lip. Although her pallate has a crevice in it where it wasn’t fully formed I was relieved to find it was closed off at the roof of her mouth. I double checked this by running my finger along the roof. So I know that she should be able to swallow with little problem of the milk coming back out of her nose.

Luckily I had Tom prepare puppy milk a day in advance in case I wanted to supplement the pups. Donatella had a large litter last year and so I wanted to be able to help her if needed. Of course now I would need to help little Sofia eat. I went to the house and warmed up the formula which consists of whole cow’s milk, a raw egg, yogurt, and a little karo syrup.

I have never dealt with a dog with a cleft lip. I was nervous giving this tiny, tiny (I didn’t weigh Sofia on day 1 but on day 4 she weighed 8 ounces) a baby bottle. The nipple on it looked huge and how would this tiny little creature be able to open her mouth wide enough to accept the nipple? How wrong I was to be nervous. With a little persuasion I realize that Sofia has quite a mouth and it is no problem for her to accept the nipple. She was hungry but had a hard time getting enough suction to get any milk out. The first day I had to squeeze the bottle a little at a  time to allow the milk to come out.

I brought Sofia into the house for the night. I had a shoe box with a towel inside that should have made her quite comfortable. I was so wrong to think that she would stay in it. Sofia might be small but she can sure move around and found little problem climbing out of the box. I ended up holding her against my stomach in the palm of my hand. She let me know how discontent she was being taken away from her siblings and mom. She moved around a lot and cried. Eventually she calmed down and took a nap.

Every hour and a half to two hours Sofia would begin to cry. She was hungry. The bottle took a little while to warm up but she made me feel like it was taking way too long. She cried so loudly that when I called Tom on the phone he said he couldn’t hear a word I was saying over her cries. It was like having a human baby in the house. She cried that loudly. Of course once I gave her the bottle she would quiet right down.

That night I had little to no sleep. I had her on my belly as I tried to rest but who can sleep when you are worried that you might roll on her? Not to mention that it seemed that as I finally got my eyes closed it was now time to get up for another bottle.

Day 3 in the morning after feeding Sofia I placed her back in with mom and siblings and from there I give her a bottle every 2 to 3 hours. I decided not to bring in Sofia that night. I was exhausted from the previous night and figured she needs to learn to suckle from mom.

Day 4 I was out to the barn early and Sofia was eager for her bottle. I no longer have to squeeze the milk out. Sofia can suck it out on her own. She is so small that she doesn’t even drink 1/2 an ounce at each feeding. However, she works the bottle. I wish you could hear her little feeding noises of content as she drinks and her little paws are kneading away at the air. I found my scale that weighs ounces and found that Sofia is 8 ounces. Tom wants me to bring in Sofia for the night but I said no. I think it is real important for her to stay with mom and siblings and learn to nurse more off of mom.

Day 5 I again go out early to the barn. Sofia is a little slow to start her morning feeding. It’s cold even though we have the heater and two heat lamps on them. Sofia ate a little less than normal. I’m worried and think to myself that if she hasn’t gained any weight then I probably should bring her into the house tonight. I weigh Sofia after her second feeding which went much better and find that she has gained 1/2 an ounce since yesterday. That’s progress to me and so she gets to stay another night with mom and siblings and I get to sleep again too.

I spoke to my vet and emailed her pictures of Sofia’s lip and pallate. She will review the pictures but she was thinking that all she will need is a stitch or two to get her lip as one. Other than that Sofia is nursing, breathing, and going to the bathroom just fine so there doesn’t seem to be anything else wrong with her. Sofia should grow up to be a fine lgd dog. She just needs to figure out how to eat her food to suit her mouth.

Sofia is quite the character and her cleft lip just adds to her overall personality. She has already won me over.

Sofia is for sale. Her price will be discounted due to her cleft lip, however, we don’t think it will stop her from being the ldg dog any rancher is needing. If you would like more information on Sofia please contact me (Janice) at info@desertmtnalpacas.com.

On the 28th Donatella refused to eat all day. I knew that the time of labor was upon us. At times while walking she would whimper. I sat with her for what seemed like endless hours just waiting for her to begin. After the evening chores I grabbed my laptop and some magazines. I figured I would spend the night in the barn with her. At 9pm Donatella was resting peacefully. It was cold so I decided to go into the house and would return at 11 pm. At 11 I went back to the barn to find Donatella sleeping. That’s it I was coming in for the night.

At 4:30 am I got up to go check on Donatella. Sure enough she had 4 puppies already on the ground. I had left the small heater on but it was still too cold so I went to turn on the overhead heat lamp. I sat with her helping to dry off the pups. While I sat with her she had 2 more pups. After cleaning them off I went back to the house to feed house dogs and the cat.

At 6:30 am I returned to the barn to find another pup was born. I helped Donatella clean up the pup and then proceeded to feed the alpacas and the other maremmas. Each time I did a feeding I would check on Donatella to make sure she was ok and look for the puppies to nurse. Sure enough she gave birth to another pup. My count was now seven, four girls and three boys.

By 10:30 am I was now just about done with my outside chores and Donatella was up to nine pups. I went to sit with her and give her plenty of attention for a job well done. As I did so out popped the 10th pup! This is where she finished. Vincenzo and Donatella are the proud parents to six males and four females. All of the puppies are doing well.

I am spending more time with the runt of the litter, a little female, who was born with a cleft lip. The lip doesn’t allow her to suck as well as her siblings but she is getting the hang of it. I supplement her with a bottle that she eagerly drinks. She is quite the character. I brought her into the house the 2nd night so I could feed her around the clock. I thought this would be easier but my goodness she can scream when she is hungry! I thought the bottle would never heat up. Last night I left her in with her mom and she did just fine.  The vet said that she will be fine and we can probably stitch up the lip. Today I will take pictures of her and forward them to the vet to get the final opinion.

Now all I can think about is to complete our puppy proofing of the area. With the last litter of five pups I was running around like mad. I can only imagine the nightmare it will be chasing after 10 curious pups!

All the maremma lgd pups are for sale. They are $850 each which includes the first vaccination, first deworming, microchip, and registration paperwork. Our maremmas are registered with the Maremma Sheepdog Club of America. Both parents are onsite and guard an alpaca herd of 26. Initially the pups are raised sharing a fenceline with the alpacas. Eventually they are integrated with the alpacas.

The pups will be ready to leave for their new homes by the end of January 2011. Contact Janice at info@desertmtnalpacas.com if you are interested in getting your own maremma lgd puppy. To view more info on Donatella and Vincenzo please visit my page at www.desertmtnalpacas.com/maremmas-livestock-guardian-dogs.html.

Michelle- Rose: OMG! I can’t believe what I am seeing! Those of you who follow my blog know that both myself and Michelle Rose have been battling valley fever for just under 2 years. I can remember clearly the day I called Tom telling him Michelle wasn’t going to make it until he came home. Well I’m here to tell you that miracles do happen. Got back the latest blood work and the Valley Fever test was negative…..not a low titer but negative. My vet said she called the lab to confirm and they told her that they only count titers when they appear and Michelle had none. Could this be true? I’m skeptical but very hopeful. Also her white blood cell count came back normal as well which is wonderful because at one time it was more than double. I’m thinking the move to Georgia has worked wonders for Michelle. Oh and BTW……just last week I caught Magnum breeding Michelle. I’m not sure for how long but when I looked under her tail I definitely saw evidence of breeding. Funny because Michelle was the only female in the boys area even though the gate was ajar. All the other females stayed in their portion. Was this meant to happen? This weekend we will spit check and see. Fingers are crossed.

DMAR Magnum:

 Is this not a good looking boy? Just under 2 years of age and already starting his breeding career with Michelle Rose. Magnum is such a joy to bring into the ring. He just stands posed ready for the judge to look his way. Son to Hraz Lock & Load and Kaitlyn Rose. I just can’t wait to use him this spring in our breeding program.

DMAR Dolce:

      I have to chuckle each time I see this pictures. The photographer obviously has a sense of humor for taking them and even sending them to us. I just don’t understand what is so scary about taking pictures but for the most part even my best behaved alpacas in the show ring don’t want to stand still for a simple photo. Dolce is one of the worst we have to deal with. But her problems stem in the showring as well as the photos. I trained her the same amount that I did Dior and Dior is wonderful in the ring. Anyway I love seeing Tom’s expressions. He starts off being happy with a smile to get a photo taken with Dolce. Slowly his smile begins to fade until we great a good shot of Dolce and he is basically unamused and frustrated. Tom has no patience and the alpacas don’t help. LOL!

Bingo and Gianna:
  Isn’t Bingo adorable? 8 weeks old and weighing 23 lbs. This pup is going to be big! New owner, Driwind Alpacas, has us holding Bingo until they move to Florida from Texas. They also reserved a female out of the next litter which is due shortly between Donatella and Vincenzo. Until he leaves with Driwind Alpacas it is my mission to spoil him rotten. So far I believe I am doing a great job of it!

Donatella and Vincenzo:

 Donatella and Vincenzo are expecting their second litter together shortly. Donatella is currently on day 54. If you are needing a Maremma lgd puppy please contact us at info@desertmtnalpacas.com. This will be the last litter of the year. We are ethical breeders and only breed each breeding pair once per year. We are also part of the Maremma Sheepdog Club of America. All of our puppies are sold as working dogs only and they have gone to alpaca ranches, sheep ranches, and goat ranches.

Things are busy here at DMAR but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Where has the time gone? I cannot believe the pups are already seven weeks old.  Four of them leave me on November 9th which is only next week. They will surely be missed. They are full of life and watching them discover themselves as well as what is around them is truly amazing. Let me introduce you to them:

 This is Sadie. Sadie is going to an alpaca ranch in Texas. She is a friendly and outgoing puppy. Sadie walks around the alpacas like she owns them. She is the only puppy who will lay in the middle of the barn aisle and fall asleep without worrying that the alpacas will step on her. Sadie loves attention and is always looking to play. If any of the pups is going to get into trouble you can be sure that Sadie is leading the pack.

  This is Vita. Vita is going to a ranch in Montana where she will be guarding sheep and goats. Vita is a pure joy. She is very sweet and laid back. This doesn’t mean that she isn’t part of the puppy clan. If Sadie or another puppy is going to escape well Vita won’t be left behind. She also likes to do her part of exploring. Vita is not thrilled with being picked up.  She rather have all four feet on the ground. If you walk by Vita chances are she will lift a paw up as if to say, “hey, come pet me….I’m here.” With a quick drop to the floor she will roll on her back for a belly rub.

  This is Romeo. Romeo is going to a sheep ranch in Puerto Rico where he will meet his new mate, Julietta.  Tom calls Romeo fat boy, but it isn’t because he is the heaviest of the group but it is because he is definitely the fluffiest. He reminds me of the furry alpaca teddy bears I sell in my ranch store. Romeo has a great personality and is first to begin the playing around. Although I have to scold Romeo more than any of the others as he likes to use his mouth a lot now to grab the alpaca leads, my pants, shoelaces, etc. However, I can’t stay mad at Romeo long….could you?

  This is Aria. Aria is going to a sheep ranch in Washington. Aria has the most precious face of all the puppies. It is just so innocent looking but believe me Aria is no angel. She and her sister, Sadie, are usually the two trouble makers in the pack and when I pick Aria up to bring her back inside the perimeter she gives me her little puppy kisses that just melt my heart. At least with each escape we learned where the holes are and hopefully have now puppy proofed the area completely.

  This is Bingo. Bingo will be going to an alpaca ranch in Florida once his new owner makes the move from Texas. I used to call Bingo, Little boy but after a while I quickly changed his nickname to Big boy. He is a solid puppy weighing almost 18 lbs now. When you look at him with the others you would never guess he weighed the most out of the group. Take a good look at the picture at his left paw on Tom’s arm. That should be your hint that this boy is going to be huge.  Thankfully he seems to have his daddy’s personality of being lovable and mello.

The puppies are now showing their first signs of being livestock guardian dogs. The other day mom, Gianna, got up barking and all five pups got up and started barking too. At what? They had no idea but they were looking around trying to figure it out. Also, now when I walk into the barn the puppies start to bark and run into the barn to investigate. Once they see it is me then tails start to wag and little puppy paws are all over my legs.

This concludes Santino and Gianna’s litter. We have one more to go with Donatella and Vincenzo who are due to whelp at the end of November 2010. Contact me at info@desertmtnalpacas.com if you are needing a livestock guardian puppy.

The six wk old Maremma Lgds are quite the handful. They are getting faster and faster and unless they are tired it takes both Tom and me to get them into their whelping area for the night. They hate being closed up for the night and they are very vocal about their disapproval. In the morning they come out and spend some time with the adult females under my heavy supervision. The adult females don’t like have little puppies under their feet. In the afternoon the pups are allowed to stay with the juvenile and yearling females who are more tolerant of them being under foot. Early evening they spend time with the older females again before bed.

Personalities are now abundant. Sadie, going to TX, is an expert climber and is very adventureous. She is the most outgoing of all the pups wanting to explore new things. Then you have Romeo, going to a sheep farm in Puerto Rico, who is extra playful and loveable. He runs over to you and then is quick to roll onto his back for a quick belly rub. He is quite the looker with his curls and waves. Next we have Vita, going to a farm in Montana, who is very mellow and laid back. She likes to play but is more quiet in her ways. The last of the sisters is Aria, going to a ranch in Washington, who is surprising me more and more. She is quiet and very watchful. She has the look of innocence but this is just a disguise. She follows her sister, Sadie, over the boards and under the perimeter fence. She will walk quietly up to a sibling and then with a pounce and a growl is on top of them. Last, but definitely not least, is big boy. He is still for sale. He is so loveable that he makes you want to pick him up. However, I have to think twice as he is sold and heavy like a rock weighing over 15 lbs already. This pup takes after his powerful dad, Santino. I can see he will be very relaxed until he hears or sees something and then will jump into action barking, growling, and sounding very intimidating. He needs a new working home to go as this little male deserves the alpha dog of his own herd. Contact me if you are needing a livestock guardian dog. Both parents live onsite and care for a herd of 26 alpacas. Mom is full Italian import and dad is first generation.

Here is the young male in action:

Here are the pups. They are all walking around, growling, barking, and playing. They look like little poof balls. As soon as I walk in they are right at my feet making me watch every step I take. A few of them have even started to bite the end of my pants. No worries as the teeth haven’t come all the way out yet.

I told Tom that he needs to start preparing the puppy gruel. This will be a mixture of grounded up dry puppy food, yogurt, an egg, milk, and some canned pumpkin to help their stomachs adjust. At four weeks of age we begin to wean the pups slowly off of mom. At first they will wear more than they eat but mom will clean them up. I usually end up finger feeding them too since they are not used to lapping up the puppy milkshake.

We are currently looking at where we can move the pups to during the day. A couple of them got of their pen but they are way too young to be left directly with the alpacas. We have a round pen that is fenced up so with a few minor changes we will be able to put the puppies inside where they can play and still share the fenceline with the alpacas. This way they won’t get hurt.

If you are interested in a maremma lgd puppy please contact me at info@desertmtnalpacas.com or you can view more information on the parents by Clicking Here.

The puppies are currently 2 weeks old. The eyes are almost all completely open. Some more than others. Puppies are using their back legs more to get around and can go urinate and defecate without mom’s help.

The Maremma lgd puppies are beginning to interact with each other and me more. I have to trim their nails as they are cutting my arms like little razor blades. They are quick to suckle and just today one grabbed hold of my arm that when I pulled away it was listening to a sucktion cup disengage. I thought it was going to leave a hickie on my arm.

Gianna is being a great mom. She loves her babies but allows the alpacas to come close to the gate to look in. At first she didn’t know what to make of it and a couple of times she barked. After that she cried a little but now she doesn’t care. Basically the alpacas are more interested in the hay that is stacked up where the puppies are rather than the maremmas themselves.

Santino is stuck to Gianna’s side whenever she is away from the whelping area. Since Gianna is still discharging he thinks she is in heat. He tries to breed her only to get growled at and sometimes a quick snap of a bite to the cheek. Gianna is no way interested in breeding.

I picked up a puppy this morning and it was snuggling in my arm. Santino started to bark at me but it wasn’t an angry bark. I felt as if he was telling me to be careful with his offspring.

I have four Maremma lgd puppies for sale. 2 male and 2 female. The price includes first shot, deworming, microchip, and registration paperwork.

To read more on the parents you can visit my site by Clicking Here.

Feel free to contact me as well by emailing info@desertmtnalpacas.com or calling 520-220-2778.

All the Maremma lgd puppies will be ready by November 8, 2010.

Here is a short video of the Maremma lgd puppies from Santino and Gianna: