We have puppies

[Mobuck]

One of the Akbash LGD females hatched a litter sometime between midnight and 5AM. I'd been watching her pretty close but my "short nap" was 5 hours and I guess she didn't need my help anyway. Ultra-sound had indicated 3-5 but I think there's 7-8. I've been cautious about bothering her too much and causing her to either hurt one of the pups while getting up or possibly eating my face off. She's being good natured about it but since it's her first litter, I'll err on the side of caution. Maybe by evening she'll be ready for food and water so I can get a better count.
For certain someone's going to have to build a bigger enclosure before this bunch gets big enough to be outside--a 3 month old puppy is about the size of a mature dog of most breeds.

 

[Fox Mike]

Just doing some lookin' and a three week pup should be around 7 1/2 pounds. Eight of them critter's could take up a LOT of space.

 

[gramps]

Akbash are 80-140 lbs at maturity and 28-34 inches at the shoulder. Similar to my Kuvasz. They put on 10 lbs a month. At age 3 months they should weigh 25-30 lbs. Feeding that crew is going to be fun!!! Congratulations Mobuck!
gramps

 

[RSIno1]

https://www.hillspet.com/dog-care/dog-breeds/akbash-dog

 

[Mobuck]

SURPRISE!!!
She wasn't done. Final count is 14 and all seem to be OK. I'd started giving her TUMS at the count of 7. That'll test your nerve-reaching into a whelping dog's mouth all the way to your wrist to shove some TUMS down her gullet. A tribute to the man/dog relationship-she has not made a single complaint or grumble about my force feeding the TUMS, moving the pups to change the bedding, or anything else. Not something I'd suggest to just anyone. This female weighs nearly as much as I do and could fairly easily take my head in her mouth.
We're already thinking about supplemental feeding. Son's friend is a commercial dog breeder and has far more knowledge on keeping the pups healthy than myself so I have some support if/when necessary.

 

[Acorn]

OK, where's the cigars?

 

[Mobuck]

Sorry no cigars, I'm saving to buy dog food.

 

[jimd441]

Sorry no cigars, I'm saving to buy dog food. :lol: :lol:

Jim

 

[tinman]

Good luck with the new crew. Hope you have a well fenced yard and a lot of help.

 

[Mobuck]

The pups and momma will stay in an 8' kennel fence until after weaning. Not sure how many were "pre-sold" but advertising had been based on a conservative estimate of 3-5. After weaning, training will begin for those not already sold. I may keep one that I feel is truly exceptional as a homestead guard. By "truly exceptional" I'd expect something just short of signing for a UPS package since both parents are well above average in the normal dog stuff.

 

[tinman]

The pups and momma will stay in an 8' kennel fence until after weaning. Not sure how many were "pre-sold" but advertising had been based on a conservative estimate of 3-5. After weaning, training will begin for those not already sold. I may keep one that I feel is truly exceptional as a homestead guard. By "truly exceptional" I'd expect something just short of signing for a UPS package since both parents are well above average in the normal dog stuff.

From 3-5 to 14.....man! you missed that mark by a mile and a half........big dogs almost always mean big litters. The hardest part is making sure Momma gets enough nutrition and is able to feed all them (not so) little bellies. Your gonna need to stay on puppy rotation to ensure none of em get pushed off the teat any sooner that necessary to get the next "shift" fed. Good luck ! :roll:

 

[Colonialgirl]

The quetion is: With 14 pups , how many feeding stations does she have and will she ever get a feeding breaak in-between feeding shifts; also what about "potty" breaks ? Sounds like a mom about to get worn out !

 

[375hh1973]

Had to look up akbash on the interwebs.

Those are cool dogs!

 

[Mobuck]

Well, the ultra-sound technician should give us a refund. Had we been informed, we could have made a few more preparations for this number. There's a sheep and goat sale 15 miles away on Monday so we may get lucky and find a milk goat to help out.
At this point, I'm totally overwhelmed by how this can be managed. First and foremost, we have to be cautious and cognizant that this is a first time Mother that has the potential to injure either the pups or us even though we're just trying to help her. She hasn't offered any threatening behavior but I can tell by her body language that there's a limit to her tolerance of human intervention. That may slack off within a few days but at the moment, it's a very tricky spot. I hesitate to push her too hard and end up getting hurt and/or letting her find out she can cross that line.

" Had to look up akbash on the interwebs. Those are cool dogs!"
Compared to what I've seen from other guard dog breeds, these are completely different animals. Smart, trainable, controllable, and actually very receptive to human interaction. I've not seen any of ours show aggression toward humans but they are certainly very possessive of their chosen person. We have some videos of our male dog standing guard over me after I feigned falling, helping me stand up, and as odd as it may sound, holding my hand in his mouth while we're walking around the pasture.