My Gsp pups are 3 and 1/2 weeks old now. there are 7 solid livers, five of which are dogs and although to start with they had slightly different white splashes on the chest, as they are darkening up it is getting harder to tell them apart. I have been putting nail varnish on their toes but now they are starting to eat and are paddling in their food, the nail varnish keeps coming off. New owners are coming to choose soon so it is important to be sure i know which is which.
Any suggestions. i don't like the idea of putting things around their neck
thanks

Hi,

You could cut the hair off them - back of head, top of back and base of tail etc - it does grow again.

I was always very reluctant to put anything around puppies necks but for my last couple of litters I have crocheted (or plaited) some wool and used that. It was very successful especially as I was dna testing some of them and had to be sure who was who!

HTH

Christine

Thanks christine
is there not a risk of it getting caught up or pulled whenthe pups are playing and fighting with each other
sue

Hi Star, I use knicker elastic dipped in a different colour of food dye for little puppies. As the pups grow, the elastic is checked regularly, and replaced if it begins to get tight. The collars tend to come off, even before the play fighting stage, but as long as there is a record of the white toes/chests, they can be replaced easily enough. When the pups are bigger I change to cat collars (minus bells!) that have a little elastic insert. Some people use hospital identification bands, and I believe that something similar is made specifically for puppies, but I've never tried them for the very reason you give.

with my weim pups I had 6 girls all with not a hint of white, all identical.... I marked them with different blobs of coloured nail varnish on the inside of ears, only just on the underside mind you, and it stayed there longer than elsewhere I have tried.

Good luck

Lynn

i have allso herd this . Kath

I tried Tippex with the last litter, but you do have to keep re-doing it. I shall try inside the ears next time!

Jo and the Casblaidd Flatcoats

i use nail varnish until i can tell them apart--one on head--one on neck-shoulders-back tail etc

At work we mark the pups by using scissors and cutting some fur off there tail, by going around it and giving them marks such as no-mark, base, mid, and tip, and so on it grows back and you dont notice it.

Yes, that is what I do, but I use left hip, right hip, left shoulder, right shoulder. I usually have to renew once before I can easily tell them apart.

Joan
take the rough with the smooth

Thanks everyone
I have opted for the nail varnish just inside the ear flap.
Sue

snooze and snack sell pack of 10 different colour collars made out of paper with stickly lable ends to put togethe. a bit like nappies. i saw them at crufts about £ 1,50 a pack i think

Joan, Only trouble with weims is that the coats are sooooo short cutting fur off is not really an option.

Lynn

I wondered what you meant until I looked at the whole topic. My answer was actually to the nail varnish message not the hair cutting one. I use blobs of nail varnish on shoulder or hip.

Joan
Take the rough with the smooth

Ooops ! sorry joan, I obviously didnt read things right....

Lynn