They've arrived! All black! Gywn did an amazing job of whelping ten puppies in under 8 hours, and mom and pups are doing great. The last little boy was a surprise — our last vet check before the birth showed nine pups, which was already a lot. When the tenth pup arrived at about 4 a.m., both Scott and I were so tired that we thought at first we'd just lost count.

Nine pups napping in what was supposed to be the first family photo. Red at center was the first born; light purple would show up about an hour after this picture was taken.

This litter was the strangest one we've ever had for the split of the puppies by sex — eight boys and two girls! Danté is usually very consistent about producing equal numbers of each, or sometimes one more boy. This was a surprise, though.

As we have with our previous litters, we mark the pups with collars made of colored cloth ribbon. It's important to make sure that each pup is gaining weight properly, so they need to be weighed every day. Especially with a litter this big, it's easy for smaller pups to get kicked off their mom by their bigger, stronger siblings. Without the ability to tell one black blob from the next, there's no way to properly track the pups' weight to tell who needs a little extra feeding.

To make sure that the pups will be eating well, for the first week or so, we'll be feeding them in shifts of five each. This makes it easier for them but potentially harder on Gwyn, who will need to eat a lot in order to supply enough milk for this litter. For the first few days, the pups only have enough energy to eat and sleep, so it makes it easy to get them on a schedule without interfering with their bonding with Gwyn. When they're not with Gwyn, they have a basket with sheepskin and heating pad that keeps them warm and comfortable.

Five pups nurse on Gwyn...

...while five pups with very full tummies sleep off their last meal.

Because of the extra nursing she's doing, Gwyn will also get scheduled breaks with hot compresses to keep her comfortable. Nursing ten pups is tough work, but Gwyn is up to the challenge.

Different breeders have different approaches to how best to make a mom and her pups comfortable during whelping and after. Our pups have always been born in a whelping pen we set up in our bedroom, and which Gwyn has been sleeping in for the last three weeks as her "nesting" instinct starts to kick in. Keeping the pups close to us and giving them lots of hands-on attention right from day 1 is an important part of how we raise our dogs, and we think it makes a big difference to the pups' temperament and disposition. The pups will stay here with us until they start to eat their first solid food, usually at about four weeks.

For the first few days, the pups need constant attention to make sure that they're nursing properly, gaining weight, and staying warm. Pups can't maintain their body temperature when they're first born, and a prolonged chill can be fatal. Even more tragic is that a mother who's exhausted from a long whelping can sometimes be so tired that she rolls over on a pup without knowing it. At this age, the pups are too weak to crawl away or even to cry out, and a pup can be crushed if it's not removed quickly from danger.

Just like the pups, Scott and I will be sleeping in shifts for most of this first week to make sure that that someone's always there to watch over them.

More at Week One!