Update on Leti
Monday, August 6, 2018 at 10:33PM 
Mom and pups are doing well. The more I look, the more I believe we have a chocolate pup.
Leti is eating and drinking. Her pups have output so their body functions are working. Leti is a great mom and is always loving them up. So far they seem to find the milk source. I have only had to help the odd one here and there.
I am up late. Hoping I can get to bed by midnight. Dennis is doing night duty but he is cleaning floors and taking a shower. I am it till he is done. Then he goes to sleep at 7am till about 2 or 3. except on the days pups are going home. Then he wakes up for departures and goes back to bed after departures. Nathan is already ion bed and not sure he is going to be able top take his naps till pups are older. Life changes but I hope I get a pool break every now and then.
Reader Comments (7)
Awe so adorable. Amazing how fast it all happened.
What makes a puppy a true chocolate?
Day time puppies, how good that you don’t have to stay up all night long. They all look adorable. Out of curiosity, I don’t remember you keeping any chocolates mommies in the past. Truffle is the only chocolate you have?
Try to have a good rest tonight. It sure was a busy long weekend for the Talemakers household!
So happy all went well and rather quick. A beautiful litter and a beautiful mommy. Congratulations to all of you!
Congratulations! Beautiful puppies, Leti!
Seems like everything from temp drop to nesting, from first pup to last, was in the blink of an eye! with pups going home and new pups here, hopefully not having the crazy recovery from a long night of birthing makes things a little easier for you.
Chocolate is a dilute so I will only breed a chocolate to a non chocolate that may or may not have chocolate in their line. Both sides must have chocolate in the line to produce chocolate. Some will breed chocolate to chocolate but you lose nose pigment, hair colour, eye colour - will go yellow. I am very careful about not breeding a 1st line dilute to another dilute. So, in my lines we get the odd chocolate that won't dilute the next generation further. I have never kept a chocolate girl. I do not breed for colour. Some do the same with reds but they most likely fade out to apricots. I have apricots in my line. It is dangerous to focus on colour. By doing so you may make a decision based on colour and overlook the important things - not on purpose but the focus clouds the rest, imho. Besides this way you always get colour surprises.
What is a true chocolate? Nose pigment, pads, eye colour. It is a dilute so you get brown vs black pigment. Eye colour can be green or blue. If it is yellow it is diluted too many generations. This girl is a chocolate. She almost looks black but you hold her to the light and she is absolutely brown - no mistake. She also has tan markings.
Darlah, thank you for taking the time to educate me on the chocolates. I completely understand colour is not the main factor in choosing a puppy (their personality definitely comes first!) Now I understand why you never keep a pure chocolate mommy for breeding, it is to prevent dilution “overload”. And yes, that is also why you made many colourful puppies in a surprising ways! I love them all. If I didn’t have to work full time, I’ll take 2 more puppies from you!