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Monday, June 2, 2008

June 2

How quickly Confetti has stopped cleaning up after this brood!  One meal with meat, and she is finished! I was hoping to eke out a little reprieve on being the primary caretaker for eleven growing, exploring and HUNGRY puppies, but alas! my time has come!

I took them outside this morning for their breakfast.  They dove into it without hesitation, but oh! what a mess they make now.  And Confetti is more interested in cleaning the dish when they are done than in washing their little faces.  There is a goat farm a couple blocks away, and I'll have to make a trip today as we are out of fresh goat milk. Goat milk is more nutritious for puppies than cow milk.

I picked up two puppies who were laying near the Xpen fence, and took them inside with me. I put down a fleece bed and a rug for them on the hardwood floor. One male (with the spot by his butt) went quickly to sleep with his full tummy, but his partner, the mostly white male, wasn't ready for a nap.  Instead he ran around and explored, bit and thrashed the edge of the dog bed and then wanted to snuggle abit. Now he is having vocal puppy dreams! He is the most adventuresome of the pups at the moment.

We have the play-fighting occurring and prey-kill, but no sexual behavior observed yet.  I recall that in the last litter, it was as if a switch was thrown and they ALL started doing it one day!

I think I will have to address them by some form of name so that the readers can understand who I am referring to. I have never mastered the rick-rack or ribbon collars well, and since they are quite individually marked I'll probably just pick a call name and use that for the time being.  For those buyers who have selected names, don't worry!  It doesn't mean your pup will be stuck with that name or respond to it, as I use "puppy, puppy, puppy" as a recall with the babies.

 

 

Sunday, June 1, 2008

The beginning of Week 3 album

Enjoy this collection of photos from the afternoon foray outdoors.  Add a new surface-- grass, and a new location--outdoors.

Entering Week 3

 

The pups turned 3 weeks old on Saturday. Happy Birthday to them!  They now enter the "Awareness or Identification Period (21-28 days).  According to Kathryn Lanam in "the Behavioral Development of Puppies", sight and hearing are functioning well.  A variety of noises and sights should be part of their daily life.  The exposure to sudden loud noises must happen during the 3rd week when fear has not yet developed.  The startle response should be encouraged so that the pup will startle and then return to normal on its own-- something it must be able to do throughout its life.  Puppies must now learn that they are dogs; recognizing their mother, recognizing other species-- specifically humans that are part of their social relations-- and have experiences that mean survival of the species.

The pups spent the afternoon outside, exploring grass under their paws and sleeping under overturned crate-halves that served as tiny shelters.

 

Check out the puppy who discovered the door wasn't yet closed and thought he would strike out on his own!

 

The pups celebrated their new week of life by enjoying their first non-momma meal!  It was a mixture of goat milk, esbilac, honey and raw meat. 

 

Check out the puppy who wants to control ALL the food!

Yup.  Same one.