Dogs and things

Thursday 14th February.

This past week has been a huge learning exercise for me, as I surrendered the control I thought I had over to my dogs. I am sure some breeders would be alarmed by this statement but I am just being honest. I planned to take a litter from Kasidi and Lela using Raiza but they decided otherwise.

I thought Ruby was passed her peak, was not as vigilant as usual and before I knew It she was with Raiza in a tie position. This is not the end of the world as Ruby is an extremely fit and healthy dog.

Lela, through forces now made clear to me, (see previous entry), was never going to let Raiza near her and Kasidi decided one mating was enough and after that refused any advances Raiza attempted..On previous occasions she has been very happy to indulge in several matings. I cannot confidently predict if either bitch is pregnant so we will just have to wait and see.

Understanding how the dogs operate and trying to interpret their behaviour is an ongoing event but I now understand if I am to have success with breeding Lela and Motsi in the future, Ruby and Kasidi will have to be neutered and that is fine.

Motsi has spent the last couple of days in the constant company of her dad Brewster and It's been lovely watching them interact with one another. He is very attentive to her, cleaning her ears out regularly and generally being very loving. They have been sleeping with my son Alex while Raiza's ardour is heightened. Hopefully everything will settle down soon and we can all get back to normal. I just wish there was a pregnancy test for dogs on the market that would turn blue in an instant if pregnancy hormones were detected. Surely its possible, until such time we will have to play the waiting game.