Welcome to LEXX and BELLA’s litter page!

Parents

Growth Updates 0-8 Weeks

Delivery Day

Congratulations to our DKV families! Bella delivered a whopping NINE healthy babies! Bella received two ultrasounds in Europe, each confirming seven puppies. That is why we took the litter photos below a few hours after the seventh puppy was born, because we thought she was done. NOPE! A few hours later, we had nine stunning Rottweiler puppies! We could not be happier.

This week, we are just going to monitor the newborns around the clock. Angel likes to make sure they are nursing every two hours, staying very close to mama, and just remaining strong and happy. We will update everyone here in a few days. Congratulations again to all our DKV families.

Week 1 Update

Hello DKV family! So, we have a total of nine puppies y’all! Yep, six males and three females, and they are all doing great! Angel has his alarm set to every two hours to make sure they are all feeding. We have a few greedy puppies who will nurse and as soon as they are done, they try to knock another pup off and steal their serving also. LOL. That is why Angel stays there during each feeding to make sure each puppy receives their full serving. 

Bella is doing wonderful. She is actually an amazing mother! She lays down to nurse and does not move a single muscle. We have not figured out if she chooses not to move because she does not want to accidentally step on one of her babies, since there are so many, or if she is just that much of an amazing super mom. Either way, when Angel gathers up the puppies into a basket, that is when she finally moves. 

During the first two weeks of life, the puppies will sleep approximately 23 hours a day. Yep, you read that correctly. They will wake up to nurse, mama will stimulate them to go potty, and they are back to sleep within a minute. We try not to disturb mama and her puppies too much during the first two weeks. It really is an important time for mama to bond with her babies. It is also extremely important that the babies stay right next to mama at all times since they are too young to regulate their body temperature. If they wander away for too long, then can chill, and fade away. So, we allow mother nature to do what mother nature does.

That being said, I hope you all feel confident that your babies are doing well and are being monitored all day long. Angel will continue to makes sure all of the puppies are feeding every two hours, and they remain next to their mama throughout the day. This is Angel’s first priority during every DKV litter’s first week after birth. He will continue to monitor the litter closely throughout week two as well, but by then, mama and the babies will have their routines.

Week 2 Update

Hello DKV family! We are now in week two and the newborns are doing great!!! Like I stated last week, Angel and I try not to disturb the babies too much the first two weeks of life. The first two weeks are for Bella to bond with her babies and get her routine in place. Angel continues to monitor the puppies closely, but Angel is not setting his alarm every two hours any longer. Angel now wakes up only one time throughout the night (4hrs) to check on the babies. Angel is very happy to get some sleep again. LOL. When puppies are this young, they cannot regulate their own body temperature and need to remain near mama and her body heat. That is mostly what he is checking. Even though the weather may be cold outside, I can assure you the newborns are kept in a warm and toasty environment.

Besides that, the puppies continue to nurse well. They all have great appetites. Bella does also, which is wonderful since she needs a big appetite to keep her milk supply up for these nine hungry babies. 

Other than that, the puppies eyes and ears are still sealed closed. They are born with no sight or hearing. After two week, the eyes will begin to crack open and then shortly after, so will their ears. This is when we begin to interact more with the babies. Until then, we will continue to keep them comfortable and full. 

I took some photos of the babies nursing today. They move a lot when they nurse, so they are not the best photos, but I tried to get close ups of their sweet faces. By next weeks updates, we should be able to see these babies looking back at us! Click on the photos below to view the full length image. Enjoy!

Week 3 Update

Hello DKV family! We have reached week three and the babies are doing wonderful. The most exciting news to share is that all puppies have opened their eyes. I say this with every single litter, but this is my favorite part of raising puppies. There is just something so special about seeing these babies look back at you for the very first time. Besides their eyes opening, their ears have also opened. Now, they look up when they hear someone walking by. They are not brave enough to check it out just yet, they rather stay right next to mama, but they sure are nosey and curious. LOL.

The babies all have good appetites. With nine puppies, it is always a challenge to make sure mama is eating enough and producing enough milk for her large litter. So far, Bella is doing great, since she naturally has a large appetite. Usually, Angel will introduce food to larger litters a little earlier than smaller litters, only to make sure the puppies are fully satisfied in between nursing. That is not something we are planning on doing yet since they are too young, but soon.

Other than that, the babies have become experts at staying warm by mama, staying satisfied with full bellies, and getting lots of beauty sleep, sleep, sleep! They’re living the good life right now. LOL.

Week 4 Update

Hello, DKV family! Your babies turned 4 weeks old a few days ago and they are doing phenomenal. For the first three weeks of life, they all stayed glued to mama’s hip. However, this week, you can see the confidence grow in each one as they slowly explore further away. When we open the door in the whelping box, they come over to greet us and even bark sometimes. They like to be touched and don’t mind being picked up, but are happy to go back down after a few minutes. This is very typical at this age and that will change quite quickly. 

Appetites continue to be great. The babies have been introduced to Angel’s puppy milkshakes and they love it. They have actually learned when is feeding time. As soon as they hear Angel get his measuring cup and dig into the kibble, they all start to whine and yap for their food, like as if they don’t eat 10 times a day on mama. LOL. 

I did introduce some toys to the litter but they did not have any interest at all. They just looked at them like I made a mess in their home. LOL. Puppies always do this at this age and it cracks me up. Eventually, one will show interest, and before you know it, they will all be flighting over one single toy, even if there are ten. It always happens. That being said, next week I will let you know how my prediction went. LOL.

I did not get photos this week but I will get new photos for their next update. I usually do photos at 1, 3, 5, and 7 weeks of age, sometimes more, depending on our schedule. If I get some photos sooner, I will be sure to email everyone and give a heads up. Otherwise, I will meet you back here next week.

Week 5 Update

Hello, DKV family! We made it to week five. The puppies are doing excellent. They are really coming out of their shells and showing some personality now. They are all pretty mid-range with energy, none seem to be too lazy or too hyper. Just are all quite playful with each other and with their toys. They are affectionate and enjoy coming up to us when we walk by. The puppies don’t mind being picked up and actually seem to enjoy individual time with us, which is wonderful.

Appetites are great. They are still nursing on mama and getting softened puppy kibble. Angel will be weaning mama off next week, so that will be a challenge. Usually, puppies won’t eat well for a few days when you take mama away, but then they come around to eating puppy food exclusively a few days later.

Other than that, we are scheduling a vet appointment next week for the litter to receive their first vaccines and to get a health exam. I will keep everyone updated on that. I went ahead and took videos this week so everyone can get a closer look at each individual puppy. If you are favoring a puppy already, please let me know by email. We will be starting our selection process soon, so it’s great to start thinking about your puppy selection. Enjoy the “Super Bowl” puppy videos! I think they are all winners!

NOTE: There are 9 individual videos below, approximately 30 seconds each, so allow time for each video to load. If you do not see the puppy videos come up after a few minutes, be sure to reload the webpage in the URL bar and this will refresh the page.

Week 6 Update

Hello, DKV family! We have made it to week six. This week, the puppies will go into the vet and get their health checks and first round of puppy vaccines. I will be sure to let everyone know how the appointment goes. At this moment, we are still waiting for a date that the vet can fit in all nine pups! That’s a lot to see at once. LOL.

Overall, the puppies are 100% wide awake now, meaning are in full puppy mode now. When they wake up and eat, they have a burst of energy. They like to chase each other, play with their toys, and squeeze in a few rounds of sibling wrestling. We let them play hard and then they crash for their afternoon naps. LOL. They are so curious and just fun pups. They do enjoy being picked up and they are very affectionate. They love to give kisses and get belly rubs. With nine puppies, you can only imagine the chaos. It’s like having nine toddlers at once. 

Bella is doing great and still watches her pups play each day. We just have to keep her separated because her babies would definitely love to chase mama all around just to nurse on her. LOL. To be honest, I think she is enjoying the break, but she still pops her head out to watch her babies.

I did not get any photos this weekend. This week I will focus on the puppies vet apt, health documents, and official paperwork. Once we have that completed, we will take our final set of individual photos and then we will begin our puppy selections. If you have not completed the “Ownership Information” email, please do so at your earliest convenience. I do need the ownership information for your paperwork. I also need to know everyone’s decision on puppy pick-up in GA or puppy delivery by DKV. Once I know what you select, I will send the final invoice for their needed travel health certificate from the vet.

That’s everything for now. Talk to you all soon!

Week 7 Update

Hello DKV family! You made it! We are in week seven and this will be your last update before you bring your baby home this weekend! How exciting. To be honest, I think we are ready for the break also. These babies sure do keep us on our toes. LOL. 

So, in the last week, these baby cubs doubled in size. They definitely went through a growth spurt this week, which all litters do at the 6-7 week mark. They are all so darn cute! I think you will be shocked by how much they changed in the past two weeks.

All of the puppies are weaned off of mama and they are eating 100% dry kibble food. You should have received all of the feeding instructions in an email earlier this week. The babies also all received their health checks and first puppy vaccine last week. The last step is to get their health certificates for travel later this week, just in time for delivery day.

I hope you are all ready because these babies are playful and will want all of your attention. These final photos took us several hours! My goodness, trying to take photos of nine puppies is no joke. They were so bored with the photos and just wanted to run and play. I know it may look like they were sitting still for me for hours, but they were more interested in the toys we were using to get their attention. They had a lot of fun and then all crashed and took a nap. I guess photos are hard work for them too. LOL.

We will begin our official puppy selections as soon as I get all of the photos posted. We will start with our first pick customer and move down the line. If you know who you want, or have any questions, don’t hesitate to email me. We are excited for everyone! Enjoy the photos! They are adorable!

PS. There are a lot of photos this week. Be sure to allow the albums a few minutes to load. If it is taking to long, refresh the page in the URL bar and allow a few minutes again. These are large files, so I want to make sure you give the albums enough time to load. Thanks!

Black Collar Male

Blue Collar Male

Green Collar Male

Turquoise Collar Male

Red Collar Male

White Collar Male

Purple Collar Female

Pink Collar Female

Orange Collar Female