Today is the Seedling Litter's Day 4. Almost all the puppies are at or over one pound in weight. They are growing quickly. Lily Belle is being a good mama to the puppies and she seems very tired from the constant care she is providing them.

Yesterday was a big day for the Seedling Litter. They had their first veterinarian appointment to have their dew claws removed and their tails docked. Tail docking can be a controversial topic for some people. Some European countries even have banned it. Historically, the practice was not "cosmetic," but rather "practical." Spaniels are flushing dogs. They love to go into the thicket and chase birds. Frequently, the dogs would injure their tails, turning it into a bloody mess, or worse splitting the tail. Often once the tail is split, there is no choice but to amputate it. The amputation of the tail for an adult dog is very painful. When then tail docking is done on three day old puppies, the nerves have not fully developed in the tail. It is a much less traumatic experience for the puppies. The AKC does not require tail docking for the breed standard, and it is more common (but still rare) to see Spaniels with an undocked tail today. Lily Belle is an active dog that loves to hunt in the thicket. If her tail were not docked, we are sure she would have injured it by now.

Tomorrow, we will begin the early neurological stimulation with the puppies. This helps prepare them for stresses in life, and helps them deal with the challenges of life. We will have more posts about that in the coming days.