Smudge keeps growing and we start to count the days with Primrose

Smudge now around 7.5 weeks pregnant

Smudge is now over seven weeks pregnant and looking very big. We know from her scan she is carrying around seven pups, which is a good size litter for a Cavalier. Smudge had nine pups with her first litter and six with her second, already proving she is a very fertile bitch and also each time a brilliant mother.
It has been glorious weather here in North Devon, UK for the first half of April and the warm Spring we are experiencing at the moment finds Smudge during the day keeping herself cool by lying on the ceramic floor of our kitchen. 
Smudge can still make the jump up on to our sofas, but she has started to slow up over the last couple days, when it comes to keeping up with the rest of the pack.
Her due date is around the 26th April, so will start taking her temperature beginning of next week, as the drop in temperature ,as they start to go into labour is one of the best indicators of the birth process starting. Very excited about this litter, but as always the excitement is mixed with concern for the bitch, getting her through the birth safely. 

---

Primrose and Toby

Toby and Primrose have romanced last week away. Primrose is now far enough of heat to be back in the pack, along with Toby. Now it is just counting down the days to getting Primrose scanned, to confirm hopefully that she is pregnant and around how many pups she is carrying.
Hope to scan her around 28 days, so that will be near the 7th May.
This is Toby's first time being used as a stud dog, so let's hope he is fertile. 
This will be our first litter of pure Cavaliers since Primrose was born, as Primrose comes from the last litter of Cavaliers we bred back in 2010 from Ysobel with Charlie being their Dad. Looking forward to seeing what we get from this combination. I suspect that they may be very pretty. 
The photos of Primrose and me below, are me trying to get a nice photo with her, but Primrose just thinks it's a great opportunity to try and lick my face. 

---

Primrose

Primrose and Jessica

No 3

Primrose

Trying to get a photo with Primrose: No 1

No 4

No 2

No 5

Toby relaxing on my lap with his sister Jessica: No 1

No 2

No 3

I finish tonight's blog with a photo of Smudge's mum Millie relaxing with Reggie. The last couple days have been quite warm here, which sees the dogs in the daytime sensibly snoozing the warmest part of the day away. We have no mad dogs here.

Millie and Reggie