Ransomshire Shepherds
Intelligent family dogs for work and play
FIRST WEEKS
Are you my mother?
Ready for a nap
Our pups get socialized from an early age
Sweet dreams
Ellen can't resist a kiss
We weigh the puppies every day to make sure no one falls behind
Joseph enjoys puppy time
Peter knows just how to hold him
Sam makes himself a puppy bed
Puppies will cuddle anything
Newly-opened eyes
Just starting to sit up
Seeing siblings for the first time
Sleeping on her back
Grandma checking on the puppies on their first day in the covered pen outside
Newly weaned puppies love feeding time
Love me
So much to discover in the puppy pen
Can I get a drink?
Sleepy eyes
I'll keep you warm
Gigi checks on her babies
Perry shows off her litter
Proud Mama Eimear
They start so small
Proud grandmother
Nose to nose
Getting that puppy smell
Ursa was born with dipped paws
Tiny features
Enjoying a fresh blanket
The best bookmark
Early toy cuddles
A perfect handful
Tiny paw
Cuddles for Mama
A sleeping puppy is so calming
Puppy's first nail trim
Deanna says hello
Emily's choice
A kiss from Sonali
Hug me
Overflowing with puppies
You can hold a puppy just like a baby
Puppy in her intermediate space
Never too early for belly rubs
The first meal of watery yogurt and ground up puppy kibble. Yum!
Those paws are getting big
Two handfuls now
Still hungry?
There's a dog on my foot!
Calling for Mama
The pen has a crate for the puppies to use
Maybe this new space isn't so bad
It's nice to look out the fencing
Getting close to nap time
They are born loving people
The fencing around the pen will be adjusted as the puppies grow
That's all for now
We raise our pups with TLC. They get handled from birth, as they are collared with colored ribbons during whelping and then carefully tracked as they grow. We really enjoy playing with the pups and seeing that they get lots of human handling, interaction, and exposure to new environmental stimuli. This makes them noticeably calmer and easier to train when they go home with you. There are studies that suggest certain extra stimulation at this time also improves the mental capacities of the pups and their ability to handle stress. Try researching “stressing puppies” to gather more on that subject.