Our Blog on the 25 July confirmed the birth of a litter of Goldendoodles to broodbitch Izzy.  These gorgeous pups along with their mum joined us here at the Training Centre in Cork at three and half weeks of age and are progressing very well.  The litter's names all begin with the letter 'H' and they are as follows: Holly, Huala, Harris, Hector, Hayden, Heidi, Halle and Hogan. 

On the 27th of August, they'll be six weeks old and I am pleased to say that they are thriving.  They have all been successfully whelped, weaned and are enjoying their daily diet of Royal Canin puppy food.  Puppies generally arrive at our Training Centre at six weeks of age, so having them here a little earlier has been such a joy, especially since they're Goldendoodles.  The reason I say this is that their appearance changes quite dramatically because of their curly haired coat.  When they're born, they look a lot like a Labrador or Golden Retriever puppy as their hair is short and straight.  As the weeks progress, their hair changes, becoming more and more curly.  In this photograph, I am holding a yellow female Goldendoodle called Halle (as in Halle Berry, the famous American actress) and a female black Goldendoodle called Holly.  You'll notice that Holly is more curly than Halle at this stage of their development. 

At six weeks of age, all their senses have developed fully and they spend their days running and playing with each other amongst our age-appropriate soft toys in our Puppy Créche.  They are also groomed daily, health checked and weighed weekly to get them used to being handled and to make sure each pup is gaining the correct weight during their stay with us.  Earlier this week, they enjoyed their first morning outside.  We're not sure if it was the fresh air or their fun-and-games together, but they enjoyed themselves to the point of exhaustion and ended up sleeping for the rest of the afternoon.  Soon, the pups will be ready to join their volunteer Puppy Walkers who will collect them around the 8th of August.  By then, they'll be ready to take on their first year of socialisation and obedience training in preparation for their formal training as a guide or assistance dog.