There is mama Etta — look at her with her big baby belly. With just about two and a half weeks until the Game On litter (BlazE x Etta) is due, we spent Mother's Day weekend cleaning the floors, scrubbing them again for good measure, and breaking out all of our puppy gear. There is something about setting up the whelping room that finally makes the whole thing feel real: the puppies are coming.
We thought we'd take you behind the scenes for a peek at where the puppies will spend their very first weeks of life.
The New Steel X-Pen
For Christmas this year I got a brand-new steel puppy gate, and I am so glad I did. It's heavy — even I have a hard time moving it — but it bolts together cleanly, so I can shrink the pen, expand it, or rearrange the panels depending on how big the litter is and how the puppies are growing. I even have a few extra panels still in storage for later in the weeks when they really need the space. Compared to my last setup, this one feels purpose-built: nothing wobbles, the door has a proper latch, and it is going to stand up to even the most enthusiastic puppy zoomies down the road.
The Whelping Box
At the center of the pen sits our Dura-Whelp box, all set up and ready. We've added pads underneath to keep it soft, and laid down linoleum across the area for easy clean-up — though this new pen is a little larger than my last one, so I'll need to grab another piece of linoleum before whelping day. Etta has been giving the box a tentative inspection. She's a little nervous about going inside just yet, but we never force her — she'll figure it out in her own time. That's part of how we do things at Three Doves: we let the dogs choose their pace and trust them to settle in.
Cameras and Sound
You can see we've already got several cameras up. There's one in the corner, one in the middle, and three up high that we'll be rearranging tomorrow so we can keep eyes on the puppies from the other room. There is always a little something happening in a whelping room, and being able to glance up at the monitor — at 2 a.m., or while we're making coffee — is a small luxury that makes a huge difference.
Speaking of the monitor — it isn't just for our use. Once the puppies are old enough to start hearing the world around them, we play various YouTube videos through it: sirens, fireworks, thunderstorms, vacuum cleaners, traffic. It's part of our broader sound-desensitization program, all in the service of raising puppies who are confident and unflappable. (Our long-time followers will recognize this as one piece of the Puppy Culture protocol we follow with every litter.)
The Supplies
Up on the shelf you can see our puppy basket (which I still need to bring down and clean), the scale we'll use to weigh every puppy every single day for the first two weeks, and our starter food. We've got our trusted brand of mother-and-baby food that Etta will start on next week — they begin it at about six weeks pregnant, and we've always had wonderful results with it. We also keep a little beverage station tucked nearby for those long evening watches.
Raven, the Curious Bystander
If you look closely you might catch our Labrador, Raven, peeking in. She's a little jealous — she wishes the whole setup were for her, and being a Labrador, she's mostly hoping there's food in there somewhere. (Sorry, Rave. Maybe next time.)
What's Next
In the days ahead, Etta will get to know the whelping area on her own terms. She'll have her preliminary puppy-count X-ray on May 22 at Franklin County Animal Medical Center in Washington, MO — our wonderful regular vet — and from there we'll be just five short days from her due date of May 27, 2026.
We'll keep sharing photos and short videos here and on our private Facebook buyer group as the days count down. If you're already on our reservation list, thank you again for trusting us with this litter — we cannot wait to introduce you to your puppy. If you've been thinking about applying, our litter page has all the details:
Game On Litter — BlazE x Etta https://three-doves.com/?page_id=2071
Until next time —
Dr. Albert & Terra Collver Three Doves Kennel — AKC Breeder of Merit, English Springer Spaniel 636-751-3971 (Terra) · info@three-doves.com · www.three-doves.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThreeDoves · Private buyer group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/227598322484779 · YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@threedoves
