Day 37 - More Firsts!

First Car Ride

The 2 girls and Tap came with me today when I went to the vet office to pick up more food for old Boomer (he eats only the most expensive pre-made raw patties thank you very much). They cried for about 5 minutes and then slept...

And Slept...
And Slept....

They hardly woke up when I took them inside to meet people!

This is on the way home (well, I wasn't actually driving yet, so don't worry I was not snapping pics and steering blindly at the same time).

First Fish Meal

Well it actually didn't look like this by the time I prepared it...

And it seems like #2 is like her mum in more ways than one (Tap is very fussy with fish). The bowl was clean when I went to pick it up, so not sure if #1, #3 and Hank polished it off or #2 and #4 decided it was for eating after all.

In any case, there's always dessert at the Milk Bar. Poor Tap! Look at those monsters!

#1 watching the Food Network with chef Uncle Spur munching his pig foot...

After gorging oneself, nothing beats a good nap!

Hank, #1 and #2 spilling out of the dog basket.

Pat and #2 - No I really did not pose this! (Come on, I would have removed the dirty towels first!)

#2 again - in a favorite Big Kids bed.

I promise there will be video tomorrow! The boys are going to the Nursing Home in the afternoon! (The girls will go another day. I figured 5 puppies running amok amidst wheelchairs and walkers and oxygen tanks was probably NOT a good idea!

Day 36 - Noisy House

Today we had (more) work done in our house and the nail gun, saw and compressor were going all day and was very loud! Blaze and Spur wouldn't eat they were so nervous. The puppies got used to it pretty fast. At its worst, I fed them a nice meal of tripe and duck wing. Nothing like Classical Conditioning!

No video today - it is pouring rain again and cold - we even had some wet snow. There are flood warnings and our creek has overflowed and wrecked part of my walking trail.

Spur Gets What He Wants

This evening's "Meal"...

...Was just meant to be played with, there is no way that baby teeth can get through that! They like the smell of it though...Kind of like a dirty barn. Yum.

And now for the Cute Portraits. I really need to get someone with a decent camera and some photography skills to show off the puppies - I do not do them justice!

#1 (Girl) Look at those eyes!

#2 (Girl)

#3 (boy) My camera skills are so poor - I apologize!

#4 (Boy)

Hank
(they were all playing under the wood stove today for some reason!)

Day 35 - 5 weeks old today (tonight) !

A rainy day here today, so no outdoor action. The thought of adding 5 extra sets of paws to wipe made me kind of shudder.

Mom is still spending lots of quality time with her kids, but I am letting her decide when it's enough. She is STILL cleaning up after them too, and no complaints (not much anyways) when they all pile into the Milk Bar. Mom's midday meal ceased last Tuesday, so she is down to 3 lbs a day (instead of 4) and she is lean.

The School of Hard Knocks with Uncle Spur

The puppies are getting really cheeky with the adult dogs. Pat and Tap are saintly in their patience, but Uncle Spur is less forgiving! The nice thing is, I see the puppies learning to respect their Elders. You can see them thinking a bit more now...

"Hmm, is it really such a good idea to jump on Blaze's lovely red head whilst he is sleeping so soundly?"

Cheeky #1

#4 Playing it safe (he is such a sensible dude!)

#1 getting told off by Uncle Spur

Hank making appeasing gestures to Uncle Spur (whose lip is raised ever so slightly!)

Next week (week 7 already) I'll begin restricting the milk bar to 2 or 3 times a day. The pups probably don't need the milk anymore as they are eating everything I offer them with gusto. Bones are broken up to make it easier for them to chew, but there really is not much left for Tap to clean up after they are finished. They are now getting 4 meals a day, (about 40-50% RMBs - mostly duck necks right now - and the other half muscle, organ, veggies, tripe and whatever. I am trying to keep the percentages balanced over a few days at about 15% edible bone (the ACTUAL bone), 10-15% organ meat (with half of that liver) and the rest a variety of meat and veggies. The pups seem to be in terrific health! Nice solid poops (well, really, it is nice after raising kibble fed puppies with runny goopy poos for the first few weeks of weaning!), shining coats, nice feel to their bodies (not "bloated", but lean and strong) and believe it or not, LESS mess at meal times! (N0 swimming in puppy mush :)

Hank and the Little Kids Tire Biter

#2 Looking oh so cute

#3 strutting his stuff

Day 34 - Kid Party!

Kid Party!

Not having any kids, we must be diligent in "renting" kids to help socialize our puppies. Today was their first experience with the little "aliens" :)

These kids were well behaved and after some coaching, the little girl was holding the puppies in her lap, and helped carry some back to bed after the party. The little boy was more interested in the dog toys and the dog's water bowl(s), but it was wonderful for the puppies and they were very well behaved. Yes, all the wet spots on the indoor/outdoor carpet is pee (blotted and disinfected, but pee nonetheless). Nobody seemed to care about kneeling in it! Boy am I glad I didn't use that carpet as the main floor of the puppy pen!

That's #2 in the front.

#4 trying hard to give kisses!

#3 and #2

Puppy #1

And this is the "after the party" shot. That's #1 with her head hanging out. She is fast asleep.

Day 33 - Some (longish) videos...And not much else!

Big Kids Tire Biter.....Little Kids Tire Biter (and More!)



Indoor Action: various, including #4 tugging on my jeans!



Outdoor Action: Very cute to watch the puppies play hard....(Sorry - a bit long and run on-ish!)



Then crash hard! Woody (cat) took the opportunity to do a thorough inspection when they were all asleep.

Day 32: Sorry - not much today!

Spring Chores! I wonder when I will be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel...fencing, rock picking, car cleaning, dog agility equipment repair, thistle killing, sheep doctoring...Whew. So, never got the camera out today, although the puppies enjoyed another day outdoors.

They are now beginning to come when called (well, kind of to kissy noises and "pup pup pup") and are beginning to follow me a bit. Hank was the first. #1 is ALWAYS stuck to me like a burr, and #2 was boldly exploring further afield, as was #3. #4 tried to entice the cat in a game, but the cat didn't get it. #4 is also the first to tug with me - and he is quite strong! Soon we will be able to go for little walks around the yard, and next week begins the car rides and "outside" visits (to the garage that fixes my car, to the nursing home, to Home Depot, to the pet supply store, to the feed store, to the elementary school etc. etc. etc. They also need to learn how to cross our bridge (without falling into the creek), and I would like them to meet the sheep and see the lambs - but not sure if the lamb "chicken pox" is contagious to dogs! (Grace???)

Tomorrow I am away for most of the day and I DOUBT my husband will take any pictures :) So...You'll all be in puppy withdrawal by Sunday!

Day 31

Another warm day!

The Great Outdoor Games

Okay, so these are actually photos that were taken yesterday....But anyways, today the puppies met 2 new people, one of whom works at the local nursing home and is going to arrange the puppies to visit! That will be another socialization item I can check off. They also spent most of the day loose in the dog room (supervised by me, Tap, Pat, Blaze and Spur) as I worked. They had some more lessons from their Uncles and Pat and Tap both spent some time playing the mouthing games - teaching bite inhibition. Also, we were having (more, continuous, never ending) work done upstairs and the nail gun compressor and banging, saw etc. were very loud for a while! These noises send Blaze, Spur and Jess hiding for cover, but Tap, Pat and the puppies played through it all !

The Milk Bar - Drive Thru version

This is what Kap thinks of the puppies.

I heard the puppies actually crunching their little duck neck bones today (was partially mashed up with the help of my trusty mallet) and are still helping themselves to the 24 Hour Milk Bar. Tap is certainly doing an excellent job for a first timer. But when you watch Pat, you know where it comes from!

And now, for the very cute pics:

Puppy #1 (Girl)

Puppy #2 (Girl)

Puppy #3 (Boy) - sorry it's blurry...He was not about to pose for the camera!

Sweet Puppy #4 (Boy) and last but NOT least, Hank, the "man":

Day 30 Action

Day 30: Pat and Tap are beginning to really play with the puppies, teaching them the all important lessons about bite inhibition and overstepping boundaries. You'll also see Blaze performing Uncle - like duties. He is great - never bites just teeth and snapping when pups over step the line!

Today they spent an hour playing with my neighbor outdoors. We are dealing with a sick ewe and a bunch of lambs with Sore Mouth (Grace, I expect you know what I am talking about). Lots of quarantining, cleaning and disinfecting the barn today. I hope I can someday find the time to finish picking the rocks and digging up the thistles in my agility field so I can actually set up my equipment!

Video puppy action for your viewing pleasure:

1st video: "Girls Gone Wild". This is #1 and #2 having fun while their lazy brothers sleep off their overindulgence at the Milk Bar.



2nd video (a bit of a run on, sorry!) is the puppy's new play area. You can see them interacting with the wobble boards, the box and the paper tube. The Bubble Wrap had to be removed, as they were keen on dragging it around rather than running on it!



I DO have really nice puppy toys!!! But Tap (and the rest) don't share with puppies, so they have only come out when the other dogs are outside. I have introduced the talking Gorilla and Quacking Duck. The puppies found them a bit scary, except for Hank and #4, who both went after the Gorilla. I'll try to capture that tomorrow...

I took a bunch of pictures today as well, but will post them tomorrow, as I have to get up way early to deal with the sick ewe....Zzzzzz.

Day 29 - Sorry No Pics or Video today!

Puppies are very keen on food - so introduced some chicken backs today, as well as a meat/veggie mix. So far, so good in terms of digestion. They are having no troubles! Still that strange running commentary as they eat...I never had that with any of my previous (kibble weaned) litters! Saw some very adult like "swallow whole then barf up and eat it a second time" behavior. They are also discovering that food is better the second time around :)

They spent some time outdoors loose with the other dogs...They did not venture far from the door / patio area but #4 was really wanting to play with the Big Kids' ball. He is a real toy boy, that one! #3 was very quiet and preferred to stay in my lap, as did #1. Hank found a shady spot and took a nap, and #2 was a bit wary at first, but soon explored a bit of the (dead) flowerbed and grass (also dead). I never thought I would say it, but we NEED RAIN! Then everything would turn green!

Tomorrow - pictures I promise!

Day 28 - New Experiences

So, the puppies are 4 weeks old today! Wow! Time flies and all that.

New People: Today the puppies met the painters who were doing a second coat in our (ALMOST finished kitchen).

New Food: Along with their duck, I gave them another bit of raw liver, which turned them into werewolves. Poor #4 and Hank were left with the small pieces while piggy #1, #2 and #3 ate the biggest chunks - doing that strange running commentary that is very new to me! For dinner they got a bit of tripe, which they also dove into with gusto.

And of course, The Milk Bar is always open - Tap is still full of milk and doesn't seem to mind their teeth - or maybe the pups are getting their "chewing" satisfaction from their RMBs and don't find the need to also chew on mum!
Please excuse my filthy, ungroomed dog. It is record warm for this time of year and between the mud and the pond, well...That's my excuse!

New Toys: They are really playing now - I mean - like real dogs! Grabbing and tugging and dragging stuff all over the place. I only caught #4 on camera today. He wanted NOTHING to do with the "baby" Tire Biter toy, but went straight for Blaze's BIG Tire Biter toy. Blaze was not put out. He grabbed a log from the pile beside the woodstove instead :)

New Lessons: Lots of learning going on being brought up in the pack, so hopefully this will make them pros in terms of reading doggy language when they all go to their new homes. I do believe it makes a difference. #3 has REALLY settled into being a nice boy now - he has turned over a new leaf and has become polite after Jessie's scolding yesterday! He is the new favorite with John (my husband), who held him in his arms as he cheered (is cheering) on the Montreal Canadiens in game 7 against Boston...I am no hockey fan, so I left.

The pups still prefer to go into their crate for naps and are hitting the (large) area of newspapers most of the time....Except #1 - she goes where she stands! Although Tap is still (amazingly) happy to clean up after them, their pen needs 2x daily scrubbing now with disinfectant to keep it nice and clean (smelling). I use "Benefect" disinfectant, approved by Health Canada, and is the ONLY non-toxic, biodegradable disinfectant that kills 99 percent of bacteria and viruses, yet is less toxic than baking soda, and recommeded for use on baby toys and food surfaces. It has an oil of thyme base so it smells nice too! I don't think you can get it in the USA - sorry folks!!!

Day 27

Another busy day for the puppies! Today they spent their outdoor time in a new location - where they could hear the tractor, chainsaw, and all the Hell's Angels riding by on their Harley's (yes, you read that correctly - there is a chapter in the next town). They met 3 new people today and I really noticed the change in them in the last 2 days - they are very, very curious now, tasting everything, playing with the toys (and whatever else) and really attempting to interact with all the big dogs...

As expected, #3 got his rude awakening...He was a bit to cocky for Jess and got it pretty hard. He was a bit put off playing for about 15 minutes, then bounced back when lunch arrived! The big kids had a full day of hiking in the morning, then ball /hanging out while we did lots of outdoor chores, so after their 9 hour extravaganza, they were pretty beat. Not even Pat had patience for puppy antics tonight and the puppies are learning about "Do Not Disturb". Blaze and Pat are the best, giving all the right signals (teeth, grumbling..) yet don't take it to "phase 2" - they just get up and walk away. They leave Phase 2 to Jess (who often skips Phase 1 and rarely warns when she's feeling crabby) Spur kept trying to go into the puppy pen and steal the baby Tire Biter toy. Kap kept the hell away from those little vermin, and Boomer was in La La land (He is getting pretty senile at 15 years old!)

Today's video action: Indoor Play and Eating Exercise.

Day 26

Today my brother in law came to visit. He is not a dog person, but found the puppies adorable (who wouldn't?) This is Hank gazing adoringly upwards.

Today all the pups had more playtime outdoors, they heard the tractor and they heard /saw the sheep as I was working Tap and Pat. They have reached almost the complete dog room in their exploration now and I am making them follow me for the last few steps to the outdoor Xpen.

Puppy #1: Weight today 4 lbs

Puppy #2: Weight today 3 lbs, 8 oz.

Puppy #3: Weight today 3 lbs, 13 oz.

Puppy #4: Weight today 3 lbs, 15 oz.

Hank "Gimme that Guiness" Weight today:4 lbs 2 oz.