The above picture is of a litter of pups at about seven weeks of age. They are ready to head off to their new homes at around eight to ten weeks. We believe that a pup that is less than eight weeks of age has not learnt all the lessons that their mum needs to teach them before that age. Pups that need to undertake a long journey to join you will not normally come to you until 10 weeks of age. This gives us time to observe the pups to ensure that they have not had an adverse reaction to vaccinations and have not picked up any diseases whilst at the Vets. The extra two weeks also means that they are a little more robust and that they cope with the journey and new home environment somewhat more readily as at this stage they are really into exploring and are quite confident.

Bedlington terrier pups are born approximately 63 days after mating. During the early stages of pregnancy it is quite difficult to determine if the mating has been successful but there are subtle changes in behaviour and physique that can indicate to the breeder that the hoped for litter is on the way. We have found that at about four weeks we are quite sure one way or another but can still have doubts right up to seven weeks. The first litter Sorcha whelped we were quite sure that she was pregnant but when we took her to the Vets at six weeks the Vet said that she would be very surprised if there were any pups. An ultra-sound at seven weeks confirmed the presence of pups but it took about twenty minutes to find them.

When they are born Bedlington pups are either black (blue), dark purple brown (liver), or dark yellow brown (sandy). They may also have tan markings. On a blue pup the only way of telling if the pup is a bi-colour at birth is a light patch (may be tan or white) under the tail, with liver or sandy pups the tan marking will be evident on the legs, feet and face at birth. At about four to five days after the birth the tan markings on the legs and face of the blue and tan Bedlington will start to become evident as gold flecks in the coat which gradually develop into clearly defined tan markings.

As our pups grow we try to ensure that they have a broad range of experiences. They move from being confined to the whelping box, which we usually line with old towels, at between two and a half and three weeks of age. At this time the eyes have been open for a few days and are capable of focusing, they are becoming quite mobile (if somewhat unsteady) and are ready to begin exploring. They also start to climb out of the whelping box. We move them into a puppy pen during the day in which there are a number of soft sleeping baskets, toys and fresh water. We put doonas on the floor to give them some protection from cold and provide traction and a bit of give when they fall down. Teeth are also starting to appear during the third week.

At around four weeks of age they are ready for their first outdoor adventure which they undertake with their mother and ourselves supervising. Here they experience a wide range of surfaces for walking on, tiles, carpet, concrete, gravel, grass, wood chips in the garden, mulch and so on. This is also the age where we start to introduce solid foods. This normally consists of minced chicken carcasses with warm water added, and a commercial puppy food which is again mixed with water to provide warmth.

From about five weeks of age pups become very active and compete with each other for food, affection and company. There is a lot of play fighting happening during this time as they work out their pack order. We feel it is important to allow pups to determine their position within the "puppy pack" as they learn a number of necessary physical communication (body language), behaviours during this time. There are a range of behaviours which dogs use to communicate pack position to other dogs. The body language of the alpha dog or bitch is significantly different to that of a dog which has a lower position within the pack. A pup needs to be able to determine who is "alpha" and demonstrate correct responses to successfully fit into a pack. This is the primary reason for not allowing a pup to go to a new home at less than eight weeks of age.

During the next three to five weeks our pups are busy learning, exploring, eating and developing their own individual personalities. Some of the pups are quite assertive in their demands both of us and their siblings. Others are much quieter and relaxed. We spend a lot of time during this phase observing which of the pups are more outgoing and demanding and which seem to need more support and affection. We try to provide each of the pups with lots of hands on experiences so that they develop confidence and show little or no fear even in difficult positions. This is very important to a pup as a pup or dog that is fearful will tend to resort to using their teeth when in trouble. It is much easier to avoid this problem by exposing pups to a range of experiences so that they are unlikely to encounter something entirely new. Our pups are introduced to the family cat during this phase and we allow her to teach them the lessons they need to know about cats. Many of our pups are living very happily with cats and other animals. Mind you, Misty has a bit of an advantage over other cats in that she was raised by a Bedlington mum.

When your Wurroit Bedlington Terrier puppy arrives he will have been raised in a very caring home environment. It is highly likely that he will have been introduced to a number of strangers including children who have all had an opportunity to play with and cuddle the pups. The personality of the pup will have been evaluated so that we can try to get a best fit between pups and prospective owners. This may mean that at times we may have pups but some of the pups may not necessarily be suitable to your situation. We don't think it would be fair to the pup or the owners to send a very active pup to a quiet home, nor would we send a quiet pup to a physically demanding home  For these reasons we like to know a bit of information about your situation so that we know how much room the pup has to play/exercise in. The people that he will be interacting with, ie, young children, teenagers, adults or older people. It is important to know how much time you can spend caring for the pup also as the Bedlington has quite a high grooming requirement.

A Wurroit Bedlington puppy's parents have been DNA tested for the disease Copper Toxicosis and have returned normal results. The pup also comes with a six week complimentary health insurance policy. They have been given a thorough Veterinary examination and the results of that examination are provided to you. They will have been registered with the Australian National Kennel Council through the North Australian Canine Association (DogsNT), micro-chipped and, where possible, registered directly into your name.