Isla and Soffia - diets and health

Isla - behind the crate taking a nap after eating, and her litter-sister Soffia inside the crate head leaning out, also exhausted from eating.

Although they still nurse, of course, all the puppies are also eating solid puppy kibble three times a day, around 7:00 a.m., 11:30 and 4:30 p.m., now. When they arrive at their new home, they will adjust to your feeding schedule.

To begin with I soak the kibble in water to soften it. At that point the teeth have not erupted and yet they are still ready to eat solid food.

Now their puppy teeth are "out", have erupted, and they can actually chew their food, even hard kibble. It takes them a while to do that and it must be tiring but they eat a good sized meal. When they are finished, I remove the bowl.

It is not a good idea to let puppies (or adults) "browse", i.e. eat food at will all day long.

Some history: Dogs are descended from wolves. When a pack of wolves makes a kill, the pack members gorge themselves. It may be a long time between meals, between kills. Their metabolism evolved to accommodate that feast or famine behavior. Leaving food in the bowl encourages over-eating which can lead to putting on too much weight. It can also lead to tooth problems, erosion of the gums, decay, bad breath, etc.

For puppies I encourage the new families to feed initially three times a day. After a few months, puppies usually cease being interested in the noon meal. When they do that, wean them off that feeding time. I give my adults a few carrot strips for lunch - it's good bulk and won't add weight on them. (They also like broccoli stems, cabbage leaf ribs, cauliflower stems, etc.)

Puppies should have their puppy food replaced with adult food almost as soon as they arrive in their new homes. Gradually replace the puppy food with adult food. I feed Eukanuba Lamb and Rice adult food (and puppy food). I think, however, their diets should be up to the new owners. When you switch food, do it gradually to avoid possible upset stomachs.

Scientifically controlled studies have shown that a rich diet causes rapid growth and that is not a good thing. A rich diet makes soft tissues (muscles and organs) grow fast. Hard tissue (bones) grow more slowly. The extra weight of the soft tissue puts stress on the skeleton. Those studies have shown that feeding a rich diet is more likely to cause future hip problems. (Hip problems are not a problem in Icelandic Sheepdogs - - and we'd like to keep it that way.) Switch to lower protein adult diets soon after arrival, please. The puppies may grow more slowly but they will eventually reach their genetically determined size.

In fact, our Icelandic Sheepdogs have few genetic health problems although it's always possible that some long-hidden recessive genes carried by the ancestors of both parents will surface in a particular breeding. (The same thing can happen in humans too.)

Both parents of this litter have very nice temperaments and it seems like the pups have inherited the great personalities of mom and dad. They are now beginning to play fight and have "found" a few toys and are exploring them. They all love being picked up and held and talked to. They just relax!

Reluctant Diva - Isla

Because Isla was sleeping earlier and is also camera-shy, I've tried to take some additional photos today. She really is not a Diva but it is hard to get a good photo of her. See the previous post from today for more puppy photos as well. They are all standing upright and no longer "swimming" instead of walking.


Top photo from top to bottom: Vinlands Isla, Sunna and Wodin.

Bottom photo from left to right: Vinlands Isla, Wodin and Sunna.

They are eating heartily now but still nursing.

Click to enlarge.

Icelandic Sheepdog Puppies - Friday, April 27, 2012

Icelandic Sheepdog Puppies - Friday, April 27, 2012

Here are two photos showing five of the six Icelandic Sheepdog puppies today. From left to right: Wodin, Sunna, Soffia, Isla, Thora and Saga. Although I think Isla is very beautiful, she must not want her photo taken. Is she a diva, a movie star, a politician!

Puppies start out looking like hamsters, then change to looking like guinea pigs. I think it's safe to say that they now look like puppies. I've also found that taking a photo of them around nap time is so much easier than trying to snap one while they are playing! That's impossible for me to do.

(As always, click on the photos to enlarge them.) 

Icelandic Sheepdog Puppies 4/25/'12

This rare shot of all six of the Icelandic Sheepdog puppies from Vinlands latest litter is unusual because all of the puppies are awake! They are sleeping less and less and are beginning to play with one another. They sometimes fall asleep while they are playing. Oh, to be that relaxed!! Here are their names in alphabetical order, Can you match the name with the correct puppy? Isla Saga Soffia Sunna Thora Wodin  
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Here are some hints: Isla - Tricolor (black, white, and tan), white blaze Saga - Tan, white, and black, right white split face Soffia - Tricolor (black, white, and tan), lightning blaze Sunna - Tan, white, and black, blaze Thora - Tan, white, and black, left white split face Wodin - Tricolor (black, white, and tan), right white split face

Icelandic Sheepdog Puppies today 4-25-'12

The Icelandic Sheepdog puppies do NOT pose for some candid shots on Wednesday, April 25, 2012. Can you find your puppy in one of these photos?

Breakfast Time

Our Icelandic Sheepdog puppies are spending less time "in" the dish and more time eating. How quickly they change. First they have their liquid breakfast topped off by real food.

Korpur meets the puppies face to face

After the puppies had nursed and had their solid food breakfast this morning and their box was cleaned up, I was surprised to hear the paper rustling. When I went to look, I found Korpur vising his nieces and nephew. (They are not related to him but we're all one family here so we use the honorifics.)

Now it's unusual for a mother to let other females near her pups at an early age unless she trusts them completely. Kata was there during delivery helping Totty out a bit but Kata is special; they all trust her.

However, I was surprised at Totty for letting a male near them at this tender age. Well, when Bear or Tryggur tried to get near we heard the territorial growl and they backed off. Good old Korpur, like Kata, very trustworthy and reliable. I know that. I'm still surprised that Totty allowed the visit. I had to grab the camera.

(Clicking on the photos enlarges them.)

I tell people when they get their new puppies home to change their food slowly, over a week or ten days, from puppy food to adult food. Scientifically controlled studies have shown that adult hip health scores are better when the diet is not too rich.

Think about it. Dogs are descended from wolves and still have virtually the same genes. (The next time you see some photos of wolves, take a really good look at them. Look at their ears, their tails, their legs and feet, their teeth, their eyes - especially their eyes, etc.)

When wolf pups are weaned, the adult wolves in the pack bring home food from their kills in their stomachs. The pups jump at the adults' mouths which causes the adults to regurgitate partially digested food which the pups then eat. (That's one reason why dog pups lunge at the faces of people and lick them around the mouth - something to be careful about. You want them watching your face; you just don't want them jumping at it with the inherent risks.)

The point is that wolf pups eat the same food as the adults. Dog pups should also. A lower protein diet allows for slower growth. A higher protein diet results in faster growth. Soft tissue, like muscles and organs, grows more rapidly than hard tissue like bones. If growth is too fast, that puts stress on the skeleton, perhaps resulting in compromised hips. The reasons may be speculation but the results of the studies are not. Giving puppies a rich diet results in poorer hip scores; an adult diet eventually produces the same sized dogs with better hip scores. Growth is not compromised, just slowed.

All of my dogs were switched to adult food soon after arriving here as puppies and their hips have good scores.

However, it's also necessary for the dogs to have good genes for hip health as well.

The best way to know what their possible genes are for good hips is to look at their ancestors, especially the recent ones. Breeding for a good looking dog is not enough, in my opinion. One must keep in mind a whole host of desirable and undesirable traits to be a good responsible breeder who breeds for the whole dog - looks, health, and temperament. The breeders I know breed for the whole dog.

Before people start out breeding, I suggest to them that they draw up a list of as many traits as possible using the breed standard and other sources that could be found in their dogs. Things like: temperament, tractability, intelligence, hip health (scores), eye test results, height, weight, fur color, tail structure, dew claws, fur texture, fur length, ear placement, and on and on.

Then I suggest to them that they can breed for ALL of those traits and, if they want to be a responsible breeder, they owe it to their future puppies to do so.

I also suggest that then they try to rank those traits in order of importance. That is not an easy job and each breeder may have slightly different orders of importance. What the process does though is force people to think about what their goals are for the breed and for what they want to do with their dogs.

A good friend who is an AKC judge and who has bred excellent all around Golden Retrievers has produced dogs that do well in the breed (conformation) ring and have become champions, has produced leader dogs for the blind, has produced performance and companion dogs that are all healthy. All of her dogs do well in all areas. She breeds good all around Goldens.

It's not easy to do but it is good stewardship for a breed to try and produce not just good breed standard dogs alone, but also dogs with good hips, eyes, hearts, bones, temperaments, weather resistant fur, intelligence, etc. Those things are not often specifically mentioned in a breed standard but they are important and responsible breeders know that.

Steve, Imelda - my emails are being returned.

First Meal for Our Icelandic Sheepdogs

The first meal for our Icelandic Sheepdogs was not a pretty sight but it was very interesting to watch. They ate ravenously and toothlessly. Ha! (Their baby teeth are just starting to erupt.)

Seriously, after a few aborted attempts, they all soon got the hang of this new eating solid food thing. They surprised me with their appetites.

I prepared a whole cup-full for them and put it in their "hubcap" dish. The high center of the hubcap is designed to keep the food and, therefore, the puppies, out near the rim. As you can see by the photos that didn't quite work this first time; they will eventually get the hang of eating their food while not in the dish at the same time.

They seemed to be watching one another and learning from the others "how" to do this new eating thing. Who says dog's don't learn by watching! Not me. I see this from the very earliest days after their eyes open.

I have started training them to come when called. These early days when their minds are growing rapidly and they are beginning to explore their new world are a great time to start their training. They love learning about all the things around them. I have been holding them each individually several times a day to get them used to it. The first few times, they are unsure of what is happening but now, of course, it's just kennel-dad again.

Soon I will have "strangers" over to get them used to other humans. It is EXTREMELY important that people wash their hands carefully and brush off their clothes before handling the puppies especially if they have contact with other dogs that may carry diseases that the puppies have no immunity to. I know breeders who have lost entire litters when visitors have brought in diseases like parvo which is deadly for un-vaccinated puppies. (The puppies will go in for their first puppy shots at the age of six weeks.)

As long as the puppies are nursing, some of Totty's antibodies to diseases will pass to them in her milk protecting the puppies until they can make their own antibodies.

Pila, Totty's litter-sister, nursed her puppies each time until the eighth week. Most of my mothers nurse until the sixth or seventh weeks gradually weaning the puppies on their own. I would not supersede the wisdom of mother nature with my own ignorance. She has been around a lot longer and knows best, in my opinion.

It's time to move them to the next size DuraWhelp puppy litter box. I highly recommend DuraWhelp. It's lightweight, made of corrugated plastic (corroplast) that resembles corrugated cardboard and is durable and easy to clean up. This particular pen has a white plastic rail on the inside to reduce the risk of mom accidentally trapping the puppies between her back and the walls of the box while she nurses.

If you scroll down and look at the photo of Totty nursing the pups (I know it's blurry) from April 13, you can see how the plastic bar works to keep the puppies safe.

After the pups are finished with the whelping pens, it's easy to clean and disinfect them and then fold them up and put them away until the next litter.

I bought my DuraWhelps from the manufacturer. You can also buy the corroplast at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. and make your own whelping boxes.

As always, clicking on the photos enlarges them. If you do enlarge them, you'll see evidence of their meal all over the floor. That will not happen when they are more experienced - just like human babies.

Wodin today

Tomorrow the most recent Vinlands Icelandic Sheepdog litter will be two weeks old. They are growing fast; they are much more active; their eyes are open. As you can tell, there are three tricolor (black & tan with white) puppies and three (tan & black with white) puppies.

They now have names: Isla, Soffia, and Wodin are tricolors; Saga, Thora, and Sunna are tan pups. They are just beginning to show their individual personalities.

The Milk Bar

There's just enough room for all the puppies to eat at once! Click on Photos to Enlarge Them.

The Puppies Today

At the age of eleven days the six Icelandic Sheepdog pups have opened their eyes. They are exploring their whelping box a bit and mom is spending less time with them. They love being held. Puppy breath is wonderful!

(Clicking on the photos will enlarge them.)

There are three tricolor puppies. They will be black, tan and white as adults. The tan has not started to come in yet. The other three are going be be tan, white and black. There are five girls and one boy.

Huld turned eleven in March

Huld was the first Viking Icelandic Sheepdog in Michigan (and other Great Lakes states like Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York) and turned eleven years old in March, 2012. She was the first Icelandic to earn her American Kennel Club Companion Dog (CD) title. Kata and Kria followed with their CD's soon after. She has always been the alpha dog in our home and we all know it.

She has welcomed many, many new Icelandics into our home including our most recent litter of six puppies from Totty and Laki. Sadly she didn't live long enough to see them grow up.

Isla

Meet Isla (Vinlands Isla).

Owners of the name Isla have energy, drive and ambition.

Islay is the name of an island in the Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland and is known today for birdwatching and malt whiskey. It is also the name of two rivers in Scotland.




One story suggests that the name derives from a Pictish princess called Ile, who lived around 650-700 AD.

The earliest known reference to Islay comes in the biography of the Irish saint, Columba, written in about 720 AD. St Columba visited Islay on his way north, before starting the famous monastery on the island of Iona, off the south-west tip of Mull. At that time it was called 'Ilea' and was described as an inhabited green island. In a text in 740, it is spelled 'Ili'; by 1095 it had become Yle. From then on, it is commonly Ila, Yla and Ilay. The present spelling was not widely adopted until about 1800.

Another theory about the name comes from a story about a Danish Princess called Iula who left Denmark with an apron full of stones of different sizes. As she traveled, some of the stones fell out, becoming Ireland, Rathlin and Texa. The remainder of the stones fell out and became the string of islands from Ardbeg to Kildalton. She perished in the soft sands off that coast and was taken to Seonais Hill above Loch Cnoc and buried there. In 1794 a grave there was attributed to "a daughter of one of the Kings of Denmark" and it's marked by two small standing stones about 10 m apart. Islay is said to have gotten its name from this lady, or perhaps she may have taken her name from Islay.

Isla is a tricolor (black, tan and white) female with a full collar and blaze. She has double dewclaws on both rear feet.

Saga

Here's Saga (Vinlands Saga).

Saga means "seeing one", and is charming, sociable and friendly.

The ancient sagas are stories about Scandinavian and Germanic history. They are about migrations to Iceland, early Viking voyages, the battles that took place, and of feuds between Icelandic families. They were written in the Old Norse language. "Saga" is a word originating from Old Norse and is related to the English word say. Its various meanings today are similar to 'something said' or 'a narrative', a 'story', a 'tale', or a 'history'.

Icelandic sagas take place in the period 930–1030 and are based on oral traditions. Today we believe these sagas were transmitted orally from generation to generation until scribes wrote them down between 1190 and 1320. The sagas describe a history of some of the Nordic countries, the British Isles, northern France, and North America. The tales of the voyages to America have been authenticated.

Saga is a tan shade female. We don't know what shade of tan she might eventually become and will have to wait many weeks before we know for sure. That's one of the many charms of Icelandics. You almost never know how they are going to turn out eventually. She could be any shade between light tan to dark red. She has double dewclaws and a black spot on one ear with an Odinn-split-face.

So, what is an Odinn split-face?

In the Norse religion, there are many gods in Asgard, the capital city of the gods surrounded by an incomplete wall. Odinn, the one eyed god, and his wife Frigg rule Asgard. Mimir was the wisest of all the gods in Asgard and guarded a magical well, named Mimir’s Well. Anyone who drinks the water from the well will gain the wisdom of Mimir.

Odin was willing to go to any lengths for a sip of water from Mimir’s Well. When he was offered a chance to drink water from the well in return for an eye, he didn’t hesitate. Odin sacrificed an eye and rejoiced as he drank the water of wisdom.

That is how he ended up not only being the wisest god in Asgard, but also the one-eyed god. Occasionally there are Icelandic sheepdogs born with color (black, tan, yellow, gray, brown) on one half of their face; the other half is white. They are not blind, of course, but because their face has two different colors, they are said to be Odinn-faced.

There are several spellings for the name Odinn. The oldest is Wodanaz. In Old English this became Wodan or Wodin. Odinn, Odin, Othin, etc. are also common spellings.

Soffia

This is Soffia (Vinlands Soffia).

Soffia means wisdom and skill. Those with this name are active and love to travel. They are bold, daring, persuasive, and are open to new experiences.

Related words: "philosophy" - means a love and pursuit of wisdom, "sophisticated" - means full of wisdom.

Soffia was a feminine figure that represented an aspect of God in early Gnostic Christianity. The Pistis Sophia, Gnostic texts, translates into faith of Sophia or faith of wisdom. There is also an asteroid belt named 215 Sophia.

Soffia is a tricolor (black, tan and white) female puppy with a lightning blaze and double dewclaws on both rear feet.

Thora

Here's Thora (Vinlands Thora).

Thora = patient, reserved, poised.

In the Norse religion Thora was the wife of Ragnar Loðbrók and the daughter of Herrauðr, the earl of Götaland.

Thora is the feminine form of Thor [Þor], the hammer wielding god of thunder [Þunraz]. Thor is the red haired and bearded son of Odinn and Frigg. Thor's wife is golden haired Sif. We get the name Thursday from Thor's day.

Thora's father gave her a small lindworm that grew into a serpent and encircled her bower. He promised Thora to the man who could slay the serpent. Ragnar Loðbrók arrived, killed the serpent and married Thora. Ragnar famously wore the hairy breeches whereby he gained his nickname, Loðbrók means hairy breeches. Ragnar went to west Götland and dressed himself in shaggy clothes treated with tar and sand. With his spear he found the serpent which blew poison at him. Ragnar protected himself with his clothes and stuck the spear through the serpent's heart. He then cut off the its head, and married Thora. They had two sons Eiríkr and Agnar.

Thora is a tan shade puppy with double dewclaws on both rear feet. She has a partial Odinn-split-face.

So, what is an Odinn split-face?

In the Norse religion, there are many gods in Asgard, the capital city of the gods surrounded by an incomplete wall. Odinn, the one eyed god, and his wife Frigg rule Asgard. Mimir was the wisest of all the gods in Asgard and guarded a magical well, named Mimir’s Well. Anyone who drinks the water from the well will gain the wisdom of Mimir.

Odin was willing to go to any lengths for a sip of water from Mimir’s Well. When he was offered a chance to drink water from the well in return for an eye, he didn’t hesitate. Odin sacrificed an eye and rejoiced as he drank the water of wisdom.

That is how he ended up not only being the wisest god in Asgard, but also the one-eyed god. Occasionally there are Icelandic sheepdogs born with color (black, tan, yellow, gray, brown) on one half of their face; the other half is white. They are not blind, of course, but because their face has two different colors, they are said to be Odinn-faced.

There are several spellings for the name Odinn. The oldest is Wodanaz. In Old English this became Wodan, Woden or Wodin. (We get the name Wednesday - Wodan's day from Wodan.) Odinn, Odin, Othin, etc. are also common spellings.

Sunna

Meet Sunna (Vinlands Sunna).

Sunna is from old high German and is the Sun personified in Germanic mythology.

She is described sunny, bright, patient and is the sister of the moon, Máni. Archaeological finds from the Nordic Bronze Age include rock carvings and a sun chariot in which the sun was pulled across the sky by horses.

Sunna is a tan, white and black female. We won't know what shade of tan she's going to be for many weeks. (She could be anything from light tan to deep red but will most likely be somewhere in between.) She has a full blaze and double dewclaws on both rear feet.

Wodin

Meet Wodin (Vinlands Wodin).

He was our surprise puppy. He arrived long after his five sisters.

Wodanaz is the old Proto-Germanic pagan name for Odinn of Norse mythology. In English it is Wodin (Wodan) which hopefully will be his call name, at least for now. He is the god of poets and seers, a healer, a shape-changer and a bringer of victory.

Wodin is a tricolor (black, tan and white) puppy with a typical "Odinn-face". He has double dews on both rear feet.

What do we mean by an Odinn split-face?

In the Norse religion, there are many gods in Asgard, the capital city of the gods surrounded by an incomplete wall. The wall is similar to the walls that almost completely surrounded (encircled) the English "Henges" - like Stonehenge. There were also wood henges. Some henges, like Stonehenge, celebrated the passing of life into Valhalla. They were lined up so that on the longest day of the year (June 21) the sun rose through one "door". On the shortest day of the year (December 21) the sun set through the opposite "door".

There were also henges that celebrated the beginning of life, fertility and birth. Their "doors" were lined up in the opposite direction. The henges seem to have been built in tandem.

Odinn, the one eyed god, and his wife Frigg rule Asgard. Mimir was the wisest of all the gods in Asgard and guarded a magical well, named Mimir’s Well. Anyone who drinks the water from the well will gain the wisdom of Mimir.

Odin was willing to go to any lengths for a sip of water from Mimir’s Well. When he was offered a chance to drink water from the well in return for an eye, he didn’t hesitate. Odin sacrificed an eye and rejoiced as he drank the water of wisdom.

That is how he ended up not only being the wisest god in Asgard, but also the one-eyed god. Occasionally there are Icelandic sheepdogs born with color (black, tan, yellow, gray, brown) on one half of their face; the other half is white. They are not blind, of course, but because their face has two different colors, they are said to be Odinn-faced.

There are several spellings for the name Odinn. The oldest is Wodanaz. In Old English this became Wodan, Woden or Wodin. (We get the name Wednesday - Wodan's day from Wodan.) Odinn, Odin, Othin, etc. are also common spellings.

Puppies!

Foothills Laki and Vinlands Totty had their Icelandic Sheepdog puppies today, Monday, April 2, 2012.

Thank you Colleen for letting me use Laki with Totty. The match was perfect! He's a handsome guy!

Yesterday was the 63rd day after the first ties between Laki & Totty. Early today, April 2nd, five healthy girls were delivered. Contractions started around 6:30. The first girl came at 8:01 a.m. and the fifth girl came at 8:45. As you can imagine, we were very busy. Five puppies in 45 minutes!!

Totty, who has always been a bit of a Tom boy, was quite surprised, especially with the first one, but, although she allowed me to hover, she instinctively knew exactly what to do and did it all by herself.

It's still early, they're still wet, but it looks like there are two tricolors and three tan shades which some people are calling "sable", I believe.

It will be many weeks before we can tell what "shade" of tan each one of the trio will be. I'm hoping that at least one girl will be a shade of tan similar to dad's shade. Laki is a nice red shade. However, any shade will be just fine as long as they are all healthy.

Laki has long fur and Totty has short fur but she carries one recessive gene for long. So, it's way, way too early to know but hopefully, there will be a variety and some will have long fur and some short.

(There are photos of Laki and Totty on previous posts. Laki is stunning, a real head turner. Don't you agree?)

Genetically, the tricolor girls are atat Bb which means they have two recessive at-genes for black and tan and one recessive b-gene for chocolate-brown.

The tan shade girls are Ayat Bb which simply means they carry one recessive at-gene for black and tan and one recessive b-gene for chocolate-brown.

These puppies are going to be excellent pets and companion dogs. Totty is extremely smart and people oriented. They are also going to be great in the performance ring excelling in agility, obedience, rally, etc. Of course Laki is now an AKC champion Icelandic Sheepdog with a winning temperament so they should also do OK in the conformation or breed ring.

I had picked out some really nice names for males! Wouldn't you know!! I'll get busy on the names for the girls. I'm open to suggestions. Please email me if you have a name for consideration - - jaimehansen1@comcast.net

None of the puppies are spoken for. I don't reserve puppies until they are born. I'm not exactly superstitious but - - - - - .

If you'd like a copy of the pedigree for these pups, drop me an email. I would love to send one to you. The pedigrees include important information like hip and eye test results and ancestry.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Oops! While I was writing and posting this, Totty delivered a sixth puppy, this time it's a tricolored male. I don't know "when" he arrived. He was still wet and a little bloody but is also healthy. They are all fairly close in weight and they all have good looking double dewclaws on both rear feet.

The first two photos were taken after the fifth puppy was born. They came so fast that they were still wet.

The third photo was taken after the surprise puppy. I had cleaned up the whelping box after the fifth one was born and cleaned by mom! Maybe his name should be Houdini? Call name "Hoodie"? Hmm. I wonder how smart that would be.

Can you tell the tan shade pups from the tricolor ones? They are not in birth order.

(AS ALWAYS, CLICKING ON THE PHOTOS ENLARGES THEM.)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
from left to right - tan, tri, tan, tri, tri, tan