Blottie reached four weeks since her first mating with Ernest on Tuesday and four weeks from her last mating today. On palpation I am pretty confident she is pregnant. She has been ravenous for the last couple weeks and this morning she was a bit sick and has been off her food, which has been her behaviour pattern on her three previous pregnancies. Having a few days of what seems like morning sickness around the four weeks mark. 
This is Blottie's final litter, and if not for the tragedy of losing her daughter Teagol this year in an accident, she would have been spayed (was booked in to be spayed the week after Teagol died) and retired from breeding by now. This litter has been done solely for  retaining puppies from. We will hope to keep at least two from the litter, all going well.
​Blottie is now six years old, healthy and had her three previous litters easily.  This is going to be a very emotional four/five weeks for us, my main concern that Blottie gets through her final pregnancy safely.
​I told her last time, it would be the last time, so I worry when I see her vomiting (been there and done that myself several times) and no doubt I will worry as she becomes ever more uncomfortable as the pups grow. As I suspect she is carrying a good size litter again.
So please be mindful of this and give a little space. I can be prickly as I never enjoy, what can seem like a feeding frenzy when people become aware we have a litter on the way. At this time my concerns lie with Blottie not whether anyone gets a pup from her. 
Here are the links to the births of her three previous litters: 
Ernest and Blottie's ten pups  2017
Casper and Blottie nine pups 2019
Ernest and Blottie's ten pups 2020​

Season greetings from Iris's family. Iris is from Ernest and Rosie's litter of eleven pups.

Oscar update from Lynn. Oscar is from Ernest and Rosie's litter of eleven pups.

"Hello Lynn,
Thanks for the update. The way I have stopped marking indoors is to carry a tablecloth (slightly damp is better) on your shoulder and if you see him about to cock his leg flick it at his bottom and say, "No." A few times normally caught in the act and a flick up the bottom with a firm "No" normally does the trick along with giving him praise when he marks outside, so he learns where marking is okay. I have five entire male dogs that live indoors and they know not to mark indoors by this method. Males most often start this as they become adults and if/when you castrate him, it often curbs this behaviour but, if an established behaviour by the time you decide to castrate him, it may not, so it is a good idea to teach him his boundaries for marking now. Hope this helps.
Wishing you a Wonderful First Christmas with Oscar!
Love from us all at Poundlane
Jane x"

Lovely update on ​Billy, who left us in November and looks to be settled into his new home. 

"Dear Jane,
Here is a short update on Billy. He has really settled in very well and has taken the house over as his own!
At first he didn't want to go for walks, he just wanted to go in the car, but now he really enjoys his walks and meeting other people and other dogs.
A couple of weeks ago we had to take him to our vets because his operation (castration) scar had become a little inflamed. He was given a course of antibiotics and all is well now.
He is a really affectionate little dog and we are so happy to have him with us.
Attached are a few photos of him for you.
We wish you and your family (dogs included) a Joyful Christmas and a Very Happy and Healthy New Year.
Best Wishes,
Mo, Martin and Billy"

Seasonal Greeting from Helen and Hope. Hope is from Ernest and Rosie's litter of eleven pups.

"Hi Jane,
Here is a little Christmas update from Hope at nearly 8 months old.  She is such a lovely pup.  We are having a few better moments between her and Eowyn, the cat, she even let Eowyn steal her food last night and didn't try to jump on her.  However, Hope's idea of play is not quite the same as Eowyn's so we are still having to keep them separate most of the time.
She is very good with work and will settle under my desk, or in the van for a large part of the day, although she is very energetic when she wants to be as well.  I am hoping to start agility with her next year, which I think she'll excel at.
We went swimming a few weeks ago at a hydrotherapy pool near Leicester.  Considering she doesn't like walking through puddles she did very well.  She wasn't brave enough to take the plunge and step off the ramp or steps herself, but when lifted into the water she was a very fast swimmer.
She is now around 7.3kg, and I expect her to be just over 8kg when fully grown.  She is not obviously coming into season yet, although she has had a couple of boys very interested in her over the last couple of months - must just be that she's so beautiful!
I hope that all of you at Poundlane have a lovely Christmas, and that all goes well with Blottie's litter in the new year.  You do breed such wonderful dogs.
Best wishes,
Helen, Hope and Eowyn"

Seasonal Greetings from Tilly's family. Tilly Is from Ernest and Rosie's litter of eleven pups.

Christmas greetings from Lucy and Flora with sad news of the death of her Husband Alan. Alan and Lucy were a memorable couple, coming over as very genuine, kind and loving folk on their visits to meet Flora as a pup. I knew Flora was going to have a wonderful home with them.
​​​Flora is from Reggie and Smudge's litter of six pups born back in 2014.

​

WARNING: Just a bit of seasonal fun and a poke at the often murky history of dog breeds, made up for the best part by dog dealers to sell them.

Christmas greetings from Sidney. Sidney is from ​Ernest and Rosie's litter of eleven pups. ​

"Hello Jane,
I just wanted to wish you, My Mum and Dad and the rest of the family a happy Christmas. I am still quite a little boy as you predicted, but very happy and always on the go. I went to puppy class and learnt lots of things that I mostly do, unless there is something more fun to do like chase a pheasant or play with my best friend Alfie. He is a chocolate lab about the same age as me and I love running around with him. 
I have attached some pictures taken over the last couple of months with Uncle Hawtrey and Alfie. I am enjoying my new life in East Devon but would love to visit you all in North Devon one day in the not too distant future.
With lots of love from Sidney, Hawtrey, Pauline and Barry xxxx"

On the 11th December Teagol's siblings turned four years old. As much as it hurts and sharp focusses  the loss of Teagol this year in a tragic accident. To get such a lovely update for one of her litter siblings makes it a lot easier. Thanks Jean!
Skye is from ​Ernest and Blottie's litter of ten pups.

"Hello Jane,
so sorry to hear of horrid 2021 for you. Thought a photo of our beautiful Skye on her 4th Birthday  (wow where did that time go). 
She is an inspiration of the work you tireless put in to your breeding program to produce such beautiful, well adjusted healthy lovable dogs. 
She may bark at anything that moves especially birds but, we wouldn’t have her any other way . The joy she gives to us all from children to grandparents and any one in between.
Although of late she didn’t like us to much when we decided to have her hair cut, she was not impressed with the loss of her beautiful long ears  
Happy Birthday to all her siblings 
A very happy Christmas to all at poundlane 
And Happy and Healthy New year 
Much love 
From Jean and all the Robbins Family xx"

Lovely update for Ted and Ruby from Lynda. Ted is from ​Puddin' and Teagol's litter of seven pups. Ruby is from ​Ernest and Rosie's litter of eleven pups. 

Lovely update sent to me from Amanda for Laika, who turned one years old on the 4th December. Laika is from ​​Ernest and Blottie's litter of ten puppies again.

"Dear Jane
 Laika turned one on Sunday, and I just wanted to send you an update on her, and a few photos. She has really matured of late, and blossomed into a very easy and adaptable little dog who will walk for miles when we’re out, but is calm and well-behaved at home, and a loving companion on the sofa in the evening.  She has her little routine: she accompanies me on the school run in the morning (where she is very popular among the children at my daughter’s school!), followed by an hour’s walk on the common near our house.  Her recall is super and, although she loves to chase squirrels, mice and crows, she generally sticks quite close to me and I rarely need to put her on the lead except when we’re near livestock or a road.  When we get home, she announces her return by running around the garden and barking (but only for a few seconds), before coming in to roll on an old sheepskin rug that my sister gave her.  Then she has a crazy few minutes where she streaks along the sofa and around the coffee table several times in great excitement, before settling down for a snooze.
 She gets another walk in the evening which, now that that the nights are drawing in, generally takes place after dark, and she seems to love being out at night!  On her morning walk, she is like my shadow (apart from when she plays with other dogs or chases squirrels etc), but after dark we find that her behaviour changes and she ranges further away, zig-zagging across the grass (luckily with her white coat, she is easy to see at night!).  I’m not sure if there’s a more interesting range of smells at night or whether the darkness seems to awaken some ancient wolfy instincts int her that are usually buried under layers of domestication, but it’s as if she’s a different dog.  Her recall is still very good, even at night.
 Once she’s home from her evening walk, she turns into a heat-seeking missile and is straight onto the sofa and curling up next to whoever is there.  If the sofa is unoccupied, she is most disappointed and comes looking for somebody to join her!
 Laika had her first season in October.  She was fine and kept herself very clean, and we didn’t notice any major behavioural changes.  We tried to walk her away from other dogs, in fields where I could see other dogs when they were still some distance away and avoid them, but some male dogs did manage to approach her and I think she found their attentions a little overwhelming at times.  Although she was very good, I hadn’t appreciated how difficult it can be to keep a determined male dog away if his owner isn’t around and there were a few tricky moments.  I don’t think either of us want to go through that again, so she is booked in to be spayed in January!
 She is still a bit scared of water and especially of having a bath, but she will let me shower her.  Having said that, I only ever need to if she’s rolled in something unmentionable – she seems to have a kind of Teflon coat so, although she’s often muddy after a walk, I find that once she’s been towelled down, rolled on her sheepskin and air-dried on the sofa, she is mysteriously all clean again!
 She is quite petite at about 7kg, but almost twice the weight of our cat, Bluebell.  Nevertheless, the cat definitely has the upper paw and Laika is quite timid around her. Sometimes Bluebell will block her way by sitting in a doorway and staring at Laika, who doesn’t dare pass her at such close quarters and will cry for one of us to rescue her.  However, Laika gets her own back when Bluebell is stalking something in the garden – she races over to “help” Bluebell catch it and her unsubtle approach alerts the bird or mouse, which is gone in a flash, and Bluebell is thwarted.  Funnily enough, Laika also likes to use a stalking technique when she sees large birds on her walks and will approach slowly and unobtrusively at first, and then uses a sudden burst of speed at the last moment. She has yet to catch anything though.
 She’s such a darling and we all love her so much!  Thank you for breeding her, Jane.
 I hope you and your family are all well and have a wonderful Christmas and a better 2022.
 With love from Amanda and family, and Laika x"

What does it say about your breeding standards, when you insure dogs not bred to them for considerably less money?
Copied (below) from CRUFFA ​

Interesting research to take a look at. First a study about the amount of times a dog is fed each day. Feeding pet dogs just once a day might keep them healthier as they age.

'Dogs fed once a day are less likely to be diagnosed with age-related conditions than dogs fed more often, according to an analysis of surveys completed by 24,000 owners of pet dogs.
For now, dog owners should stick with their current regime, says Matt Kaeberlein at the University of Washington in Seattle. “Based on this study, we are not recommending that people make a change in the way they are feeding their dogs.”
In 2019, Kaeberlein helped establish the Dog Aging Project to study the genetic and environmental causes of ageing in dogs and other animals, including people. Any dog owner in the US can take part by filling in a survey once a year.
There is some evidence that intermittent fasting can slow ageing in some animals, such as mice. Kaeberlein analysed the project data to see if dogs fed once a day were more or less likely to be diagnosed with various categories of age-related conditions, from cancers to the canine equivalent of dementia, than those fed more often.
In most cases, dogs fed once per day were significantly less likely to have had such a diagnosis. “In my view, it’s pretty compelling correlative evidence,” says Kaeberlein.
However, the study hasn’t established causation, he says. The total amount that a dog eats, rather than how often it eats, might explain the correlation. Dogs fed twice a day or more might be more likely to be obese, for instance.'
Read more: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2298623-feeding-pet-dogs-just-once-a-day-might-keep-them-healthier-as-they-age/#ixzz7EZaZtlpv

Secondly research into the effect of inbreeding in dogs comes to the conclusion that Cavaliers' inbreeding value is nearly twice that of breeding littermates, a UC-Davis study finds.

Bumble asleep on the back of the sofa. She is six years old, Mum to Lottie and litter sibling to Blottie.

Puddin' and Teagol's daughter Polly at sixteen months old. Her maternal Grandfather is Ernest.