The puppies have now developed distinct personalities, and the pleasure I get from watching their antics more than makes up for the hard work of looking after them, but having said this, they are very good indoors, and are clean overnight if I creep downstairs in the morning before they wake up, and get them outside quickly, so any disadvantage of having a litter in winter is offset by no mess to clear up, and they are also pretty civilised during the day.
Up until this week they hadn’t been outside much, because they chill so quickly, but they are much more hardy now and enjoy racing round the garden together, and it keeps me on my toes trying to keep tabs on the whole tribe, as well as giving me a chance to observe them with a view to picking the one that I will keep.
Shona kept active up until whelping and was happy to come for a walk while she was rearing her pups, so she stayed pretty fit, and looking at her it’s hard to believe she’s just reared ten puppies. She is now back in work and appears stronger and faster than ever, relishing long retrieves where she can have a good gallop.
