Prancing Pony Farm Maremma Sheepdogs and Mini Dairy Goats
  • Home
    • Contact us
    • Veterinarian's Letter of Recommendation
  • MSCA Registered Maremma Sheepdogs for Sale
    • Available Maremma Puppies & Planned Litters
    • Available Juvenile & Adult Dogs
    • Maremma Buyers' Guide
    • Bringing Home Your Prancing Pony Maremma Sheepdog Puppy
    • Training Your Prancing Pony Maremma Sheepdog
    • The Prancing Pony Farm Difference - How We Raise and Train Our Maremma Puppies
      • Our Puppy Parlor
      • Maremma Testimonials
      • How Many LGD's do I Need?
      • Breeding Candidate Puppies
    • Our Maremma Sheepdogs
      • Our Breeding Maremmas
        • Simba
        • Sevro
        • Pax
        • Pegaso
        • Gianna
        • Marcella
        • Marisa
        • Celeste
        • Electra
      • Reference Maremmas and Non-Breeding Dogs
    • Maremma Litters - Past & Present
      • January 2023 Litter Gianna x Pax
      • December 2022 Litter Marisa x Sevro
      • October 2022 Litter Marcella x Sevro
      • May 2022 Litter Polar x Sevro
      • May 2022 Litter Marisa x Simba
      • February 2022 Litter Celeste x Sevro
      • December 2021 Litter Gianna x Simba
      • October 2021 Litter Marcella x Sevro
      • May 2021 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
      • February 2021 Litter Simba x Marcella
      • February 2021 Litter Sevro x Polar
      • December 2020 Litter Sevro x Gianna
      • September 2020 Litter Olaf x Carina
      • August 2020 Litter Simba x Polar
      • January 2020 Litter Olaf x Carina
      • 2019 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
      • 2018 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
      • 2017 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
    • Maremma Sheepdog Info & Care
      • Maremma Sheepdog FAQ's
      • Feeding our Maremma Sheepdogs
      • Goat Milk for Healthy Dogs and Puppies
      • Grooming Maremma Sheepdogs
      • Housing Maremmas
      • Favorite Dog Products
      • Whelping & Puppy Rearing Info & Supplies for LGD's
  • Mini Nubian & Nigerian Dwarf Goats for Sale
    • Baby Goats For Sale
    • Adult Goats for Sale
    • Breeding Plan Goats
    • Shipping Goats
    • Our Dairy Goat Herd
      • Mini Nubian Does
      • Mini Nubian Bucks
      • Reference Mini Nubian Does
      • Reference Mini Nubian Bucks
      • Standard Nubian Does
      • Nigerian Dwarf Does
      • Nigerian Dwarf Bucks
      • Reference Nigerian Dwarf Does
      • Reference Nigerian Dwarf Bucks
      • Past Kidding Seasons
        • 2022 Fall Nigerian Dwarf Kids
        • 2022 Mini Nubian Kids
        • 2022 Nigerian Dwarf Kids
        • Fall 2021 Nigerian Dwarf Kids
        • Spring 2021 Nigerian Dwarf Kids
        • Spring 2021 Mini Nubian Kids
        • 2020 Nigerian Dwarf Kids
        • 2020 Mini Nubian Kids
        • 2019 Fall Kids
        • 2019 Spring Kids
        • 2018 Fall Kids
        • 2018 Spring Kids
        • 2018 Mini Nubian kids
        • 2018 Nigerian Dwarf kids
        • 2017 Spring Kids
    • Goat Care & Info
      • Goat care articles
      • Clicker Training Goats
      • Annual Disease Testing of Goats
      • Bringing Home Your New Goat
      • Health concerns of your new goat
      • Feeding Our Mini Dairy Goats
      • Feeding Mini & Dwarf Baby Goats
      • Housing Does & Kids
      • Goat Parasites
      • Pneumonia in Goats
      • Goat Hoof Trimming
      • Milking Dairy Goats
      • Our Dairy Goat Milking Parlor
      • Disbudding Mini & Dwarf Goats
      • Nigerian Dwarf Goats
      • Mini Nubian Goats
      • Mini Nubian Ears
      • Dairy Goat FAQ's
  • Prancing Pony Farm Blog
    • Dairy Goat Blog
    • Fun Farm videos
    • Our Prancing Ponies
  • Home
    • Contact us
    • Veterinarian's Letter of Recommendation
  • MSCA Registered Maremma Sheepdogs for Sale
    • Available Maremma Puppies & Planned Litters
    • Available Juvenile & Adult Dogs
    • Maremma Buyers' Guide
    • Bringing Home Your Prancing Pony Maremma Sheepdog Puppy
    • Training Your Prancing Pony Maremma Sheepdog
    • The Prancing Pony Farm Difference - How We Raise and Train Our Maremma Puppies
      • Our Puppy Parlor
      • Maremma Testimonials
      • How Many LGD's do I Need?
      • Breeding Candidate Puppies
    • Our Maremma Sheepdogs
      • Our Breeding Maremmas
        • Simba
        • Sevro
        • Pax
        • Pegaso
        • Gianna
        • Marcella
        • Marisa
        • Celeste
        • Electra
      • Reference Maremmas and Non-Breeding Dogs
    • Maremma Litters - Past & Present
      • January 2023 Litter Gianna x Pax
      • December 2022 Litter Marisa x Sevro
      • October 2022 Litter Marcella x Sevro
      • May 2022 Litter Polar x Sevro
      • May 2022 Litter Marisa x Simba
      • February 2022 Litter Celeste x Sevro
      • December 2021 Litter Gianna x Simba
      • October 2021 Litter Marcella x Sevro
      • May 2021 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
      • February 2021 Litter Simba x Marcella
      • February 2021 Litter Sevro x Polar
      • December 2020 Litter Sevro x Gianna
      • September 2020 Litter Olaf x Carina
      • August 2020 Litter Simba x Polar
      • January 2020 Litter Olaf x Carina
      • 2019 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
      • 2018 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
      • 2017 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
    • Maremma Sheepdog Info & Care
      • Maremma Sheepdog FAQ's
      • Feeding our Maremma Sheepdogs
      • Goat Milk for Healthy Dogs and Puppies
      • Grooming Maremma Sheepdogs
      • Housing Maremmas
      • Favorite Dog Products
      • Whelping & Puppy Rearing Info & Supplies for LGD's
  • Mini Nubian & Nigerian Dwarf Goats for Sale
    • Baby Goats For Sale
    • Adult Goats for Sale
    • Breeding Plan Goats
    • Shipping Goats
    • Our Dairy Goat Herd
      • Mini Nubian Does
      • Mini Nubian Bucks
      • Reference Mini Nubian Does
      • Reference Mini Nubian Bucks
      • Standard Nubian Does
      • Nigerian Dwarf Does
      • Nigerian Dwarf Bucks
      • Reference Nigerian Dwarf Does
      • Reference Nigerian Dwarf Bucks
      • Past Kidding Seasons
        • 2022 Fall Nigerian Dwarf Kids
        • 2022 Mini Nubian Kids
        • 2022 Nigerian Dwarf Kids
        • Fall 2021 Nigerian Dwarf Kids
        • Spring 2021 Nigerian Dwarf Kids
        • Spring 2021 Mini Nubian Kids
        • 2020 Nigerian Dwarf Kids
        • 2020 Mini Nubian Kids
        • 2019 Fall Kids
        • 2019 Spring Kids
        • 2018 Fall Kids
        • 2018 Spring Kids
        • 2018 Mini Nubian kids
        • 2018 Nigerian Dwarf kids
        • 2017 Spring Kids
    • Goat Care & Info
      • Goat care articles
      • Clicker Training Goats
      • Annual Disease Testing of Goats
      • Bringing Home Your New Goat
      • Health concerns of your new goat
      • Feeding Our Mini Dairy Goats
      • Feeding Mini & Dwarf Baby Goats
      • Housing Does & Kids
      • Goat Parasites
      • Pneumonia in Goats
      • Goat Hoof Trimming
      • Milking Dairy Goats
      • Our Dairy Goat Milking Parlor
      • Disbudding Mini & Dwarf Goats
      • Nigerian Dwarf Goats
      • Mini Nubian Goats
      • Mini Nubian Ears
      • Dairy Goat FAQ's
  • Prancing Pony Farm Blog
    • Dairy Goat Blog
    • Fun Farm videos
    • Our Prancing Ponies
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Whelping & Puppy Care for Livestock Guardian Dogs

Here are some basic tips for whelping and puppy care, as well as some of our favorite products for whelping and caring for moms and pups after the birth. Click on the photos or hyperlinks to order!
Quick Whelp Extra Large Whelping Box from Etsy
We have four whelping boxes but this is by far our favorite. It's very sturdy and is huge and stands up well to rough use outdoors for LGD's. We have the extra large size, which is 6' x 5' and is perfect for giant breeds with large litters. Unfortunately when we built our Puppy Parlor this box was too big to fit in the stalls so we no longer use it. We now use our MagnaBox or EZ Whelp boxes, because they are smaller and easier to disassemble for storage.
Whelping Pads and Alternative Whelping Box
Whelping Pads and Alternative Whelping Box
Whelping Kit Supplies

Calcium Supplementation Before and After Labor

One of the most life changing things we've ever done as far as whelping and puppy rearing goes is to begin supplementing with calcium before and after labor. Our dogs used to take HOURS and even DAYS to deliver their puppies, usually more than 24 hours from the first puppy to the last. What's more they usually got what I call the "Post Partum Crazies" after birth. With PPC the mama dog gets very restless and stressed and keeps trying to move the puppies out of the box. They would even try to dig holes and bury the pups. If was very dangerous and stressful and was a constant battle to try to keep the pups alive until they settled down.

One of our moms was diagnosed with low blood calcium after delivery so the vet put her on a calcium supplement. That made me decide to do some research to see if I should be supplementing all my moms.  And that's when I came across a fantastic article by Midwoofery.com that discussed calcium supplementation. Low and behold the article stated that both long, stalled labors and "Post Partum Crazies" are caused by low calcium during labor and after!

The article discussed the pros and cons of all the different calcium supplements out there, as well as how much of each a dog would need by weight. We decided to try the Breeder's Edge Oral Cal Plus Fast Absorbing Gel during delivery. For after delivery we used Bulk Calcium Citrate Powder from Amazon mixed into goat milk twice a day, as per the instructions in the Midwoofery Article. Gianna's December 2020 litter was the first one we used calcium supplementation on and it worked! Her labor went quickly and smoothly and no more PPC's! Now we use both products on every mom and would never go back to not using them. They have truly been a game changer! 

To Learn more see the link below to the articles below:
  • Got Milk? A Guide to Calcium During and After Whelping by Midwoofery
  • How to Use Calcium at Whelping
  • Calcium Related in Dogs After Whelping
Calcium and Other Supplements for After Birth

Newborn Puppy Care & Feeding

Hopefully you won't need any of the items below but you should have them on hand just in case. Sometimes we have large litters of ten or more puppies. When this happens we weigh the puppies daily and supplement any that are not gaining. Usually they just need a bottle or two a day for the first few weeks, until they are eating solid food. We start out with The Miracle Nipple from Revival Animal Health (it really is a miracle!) and later switch to a human baby bottle. Fortunately we have never had to completely bottle feed our pups (though we have raised orphaned kittens) but if you find yourself in that position you may find the links below helpful.  
  • Feeding Orphaned Pups
  • Caring for Newborn Orphaned Puppies
Supplemental Puppy Feeding Supplies
Important Books for Breeding and Puppy Rearing

Other Helpful Information on Whelping & Puppy Care

  • The Right Way to Raise and Train LGD Puppies
  • How to Raise and Train Outstanding LGD's, Marcella's Puppies Arrive
  • Puppy Curriculum
  • Dam care - Don't Forget Mom!
  • The Neonatal Period in Puppies - the First Two Weeks
  • The Transitional Period in Puppies - 14-21 days
  • Important Things You Should be Doing With 4-5 week Old Puppies
  • Vaccine and Parasite Prevention in Puppies
  • How to Integrate LGD Puppies with Livestock​
  • Hip Dysplasia and its Impact on Breeding Dogs 
  • Critical Learning Periods in Puppies and why they Matter
  • Where to Whelp and Raise LGD Puppies - Our Choice
  • Early Socialization and Bonding with Livestock
  • Training Your LGD Puppy
  • Puppy Aptitude Testing
  • How to Easily Tell Your Puppies Apart if They are all One Color​
  • Veterinarians' Recommendations on Training Puppies
  • ​Veterinarians Agree That Reward Based Training is Best for Your Dog
  • Bringing Home Your New Puppy
  • Goat Milk for Puppies and Moms
  • Grooming Your Maremma
  • The Prancing Pony Farm Difference: How We Raise and Train Our Maremma Puppies
  • Our Puppy Parlor
  • How Many LGD's Do I Need?
  • The Importance of Early Socialization with Livestock in LGD Puppies
  • The Puppy Call
  • How to Bond Your New Maremma Puppy to Livestock
  • ​Debunking "The Shepherd Way" Myth of LGD Training​
  • Manding and Dealing with Biting in Puppies
  • ​Finding Their Bark
  • Failed Dogs or Failing Our Dogs
  • ​A Merry Chase! Emergency Recall When Your Maremma Makes a Great Escape! 
Maremma Reservations
Click the links below for information on our dairy goats or Maremma Sheepdogs.
​We are located in Lemoore, California.
Reserve Your Goat!
Reserve Your Maremma!
Click the link below to download a free digital copy of our Maremma Sheepdog Training Manual. Print copies are included with each puppy purchase. 
Free Maremma Sheepdog Training Manual
  • Home
    • Contact us
    • Veterinarian's Letter of Recommendation
  • MSCA Registered Maremma Sheepdogs for Sale
    • Available Maremma Puppies & Planned Litters
    • Available Juvenile & Adult Dogs
    • Maremma Buyers' Guide
    • Bringing Home Your Prancing Pony Maremma Sheepdog Puppy
    • Training Your Prancing Pony Maremma Sheepdog
    • The Prancing Pony Farm Difference - How We Raise and Train Our Maremma Puppies
      • Our Puppy Parlor
      • Maremma Testimonials
      • How Many LGD's do I Need?
      • Breeding Candidate Puppies
    • Our Maremma Sheepdogs
      • Our Breeding Maremmas
        • Simba
        • Sevro
        • Pax
        • Pegaso
        • Gianna
        • Marcella
        • Marisa
        • Celeste
        • Electra
      • Reference Maremmas and Non-Breeding Dogs
    • Maremma Litters - Past & Present
      • January 2023 Litter Gianna x Pax
      • December 2022 Litter Marisa x Sevro
      • October 2022 Litter Marcella x Sevro
      • May 2022 Litter Polar x Sevro
      • May 2022 Litter Marisa x Simba
      • February 2022 Litter Celeste x Sevro
      • December 2021 Litter Gianna x Simba
      • October 2021 Litter Marcella x Sevro
      • May 2021 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
      • February 2021 Litter Simba x Marcella
      • February 2021 Litter Sevro x Polar
      • December 2020 Litter Sevro x Gianna
      • September 2020 Litter Olaf x Carina
      • August 2020 Litter Simba x Polar
      • January 2020 Litter Olaf x Carina
      • 2019 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
      • 2018 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
      • 2017 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
    • Maremma Sheepdog Info & Care
      • Maremma Sheepdog FAQ's
      • Feeding our Maremma Sheepdogs
      • Goat Milk for Healthy Dogs and Puppies
      • Grooming Maremma Sheepdogs
      • Housing Maremmas
      • Favorite Dog Products
      • Whelping & Puppy Rearing Info & Supplies for LGD's
  • Mini Nubian & Nigerian Dwarf Goats for Sale
    • Baby Goats For Sale
    • Adult Goats for Sale
    • Breeding Plan Goats
    • Shipping Goats
    • Our Dairy Goat Herd
      • Mini Nubian Does
      • Mini Nubian Bucks
      • Reference Mini Nubian Does
      • Reference Mini Nubian Bucks
      • Standard Nubian Does
      • Nigerian Dwarf Does
      • Nigerian Dwarf Bucks
      • Reference Nigerian Dwarf Does
      • Reference Nigerian Dwarf Bucks
      • Past Kidding Seasons
        • 2022 Fall Nigerian Dwarf Kids
        • 2022 Mini Nubian Kids
        • 2022 Nigerian Dwarf Kids
        • Fall 2021 Nigerian Dwarf Kids
        • Spring 2021 Nigerian Dwarf Kids
        • Spring 2021 Mini Nubian Kids
        • 2020 Nigerian Dwarf Kids
        • 2020 Mini Nubian Kids
        • 2019 Fall Kids
        • 2019 Spring Kids
        • 2018 Fall Kids
        • 2018 Spring Kids
        • 2018 Mini Nubian kids
        • 2018 Nigerian Dwarf kids
        • 2017 Spring Kids
    • Goat Care & Info
      • Goat care articles
      • Clicker Training Goats
      • Annual Disease Testing of Goats
      • Bringing Home Your New Goat
      • Health concerns of your new goat
      • Feeding Our Mini Dairy Goats
      • Feeding Mini & Dwarf Baby Goats
      • Housing Does & Kids
      • Goat Parasites
      • Pneumonia in Goats
      • Goat Hoof Trimming
      • Milking Dairy Goats
      • Our Dairy Goat Milking Parlor
      • Disbudding Mini & Dwarf Goats
      • Nigerian Dwarf Goats
      • Mini Nubian Goats
      • Mini Nubian Ears
      • Dairy Goat FAQ's
  • Prancing Pony Farm Blog
    • Dairy Goat Blog
    • Fun Farm videos
    • Our Prancing Ponies