zenthafghanhounds

 In truth, day 14 will be this evening, but this is close enough. This is the point where you stare at your girl and she lays on her back and sleeps. Everything she does is dissected with the one frantic question being, "Is she pregnant?" I should start seeing hopeful signs this week. Day 14 is the time that the embryos, which are free floating in the uterus and starting to space out start to ebbed. There may be no signs or we may get some spotting or even mucus plug development. With implantation will come new hormones released by the embryos and nipple development may really start. By the end of the week I may be able to palpate them. This is also the phase where wide eyed and hopeful, the worry sets in. Is she? Isn't she? Hope, hope, hope. My husband was arguing that there must be some sort of change that can be detected. I told him that while I am sure there is, its so fine as to be out of reach for the average owner. A bitches season roughly behaves the same way as a...

Phoenix's ultrasound is scheduled for March 9th. That will be 30 days after breeding. This is the point where there is enough development of the embryo to make them clear. Before that, they are rounded smudges and the fetus cannot be clearly seen. I came across this site (Canine Pregnancy Scanning day by day) thanks to a group about whelping. There are several images of dogs through early pregnancy. It is very, very fascinating for those that like the technical nitty-gritty of these types of things. It shows why that 30 day mark is the first time for an ultrasound. We will not know numbers, we will know if there are some puppies in there. If things are clear, and they may be since Phoenix is so slim, we may see a few. That won't be everyone (probably). There is also a blood test that can be done at this point. It tests for a hormone called relaxin . Relaxin is only present in dogs if there is placenta. However, this can happy even if the pregnancy started and fails and reabsorb...

  The hair confuses people. There is this idea that because Afghan Hounds have such glorious hair they must not ever be allowed to be dogs. It is in fact, the reverse. The quality of their hair is an essential part to an Afghan Hound being a normal dog. The hair may be famously awesome, but it does not hold back the dog. What happens if you let your Afghan Hound into the elements? They will get dirty. Then they will dry. The dirt will dry into dust and sift out of their coat. I have to break down the dog room monthly to vacuum and mop under and around the crates because the dirt winds up on the ground around them. In the breed we often discuss silky hair. Silky hair just does not feel and look good, it is practical. The smooth hair follicle releases dirt and grim. They also tangles less. A clean Afghan Hound is an easy Afghan Hound to care for. A regular grooming schedule is the key to keeping any dog in coat. I do not mean grooming every week or every three days. I keep my dogs on...

 On February 8th, 2021, I bred Anubis and Phoenix. This will be Zenth's first litter in 13 years. The litter will be due April 12th. We will go in for pregnancy check in the middle of next month but I am hopeful that we are on the way. Why so long? Timing and life. I had a career change in 2010 and then we downsized for a few years. The downsizing did not give us the room to have and raise a litter in a proper environment. We upsized again in 2018 and now we have the space for it.  I was fortunate that Stephanie was breeding Chloe, Anubis' mother. Chloe was from a breeding I did with Stephanie. That is what makes Anubis, Daemion's grandson. This let me keep a piece of what I started with going and it is one reason why Anubis is a very special dog for me.  This will be Zenth's (my) 3rd litter. As I've started to talk to interested parties, I've had a few people ask me if I have litters regularly. The answer is no. I very much hope to continue to be a custodian of...