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| At the top are Dew, Flash and Jefferson. Burst is on the right. Georgie and Rain on the bottom. |
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| Georgie using the potty. |
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| Flash is ready for a nap. |
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| Believe it or not, all sixteen will sometimes sleep in the crate. |
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| Lightening and Thunder are good pals. |
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| Lightening is winning here. |
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| Jefferson |
The puppies are really getting the hang of this new arrangement. Only a couple accidents yesterday in the sleep area. I am so excited. It also appears they pretty much slept through the night. I am forever trying new tacks with my puppies. Trust me, I’ve been through probably a dozen different potty-training strategies. This is the first time I’ve tried this set-up but already I think I am going to like it.
My personal challenge today is “cozying up” the sleep area so that when I open up the big playground they will still go to the bedroom to sleep. Maybe some kind of enclosure. We’ll see what I can find in the basement!
Meanwhile, here are the sweet faces of Phoebe’s puppies.
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| Rain |
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| Breezy |
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| Dew |
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| Flash |
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| Lightening |
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| Stormy |
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| Sunray |
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| Thunder |
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| Hancock |
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| Blaze |
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| Burst |
Okay, some of these pups look a bit terrified but I wanted to get close-ups of their sweet faces. Hopefully the next batch in a week or so will look a little more relaxed. These are Maxi’s pups.
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| Boomer |
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| Jefferson |
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| Sparky |
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| Franklin |
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| Georgie |
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| Boomer–one of our little guys–is doing just great! |
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| Don’t you just love Thunder’s markings! |
Maxi’s puppies are growing by leaps and bounds, especially since starting them on the puppy kibble and goat’s milk mush. They love it. A few days ago I started both litters on a very discreet potty training, building on their natural instincts to potty in a different place than where they sleep. We now have a soft terry cloth towel to encourage their nesting at one end of their box and a piddle pad at the other. It is so important to build into this natural instinct that dogs have to keep themselves clean. Here is a shot (slightly graphic–my apologies) of the puppies in their “latrine” after lunch.
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| Puppies using the piddle pad after lunch. |
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| Breezy and Sunray |
What else is new? Well, Phoebe’s pups have their eyes fully opened. Georgie loves to climb over the whelping box barrier and sleep with his cousins. Funny, this morning when I brought out the puppy’s mush Georgie was all protests from Phoebe’s side of the box. He didn’t want to miss out on breakfast! Never mind he got himself over to Phoebe’s side in the first place.  |
| Georgie and Hancock playing |
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| Thunder (on his back) playing with Breezy and Stormy |
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| Dew and Flash |
Marli also has a preference for Phoebe’s puppies and I often find her snuggled up inside taking her nap with them.
Maxi is still nursing and will for a couple more weeks, just not as often. It is nice to see her filling back out again. Even with four meals a day she had trouble keeping up with the demand!
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| Dew and Lightening sharing kisses |
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| Georgie waiting for Phoebe and Maxi to come out and play. I crate them during their meals so I am sure they are both getting the right amount of food. |
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| Georgie over at “Flash’s House” trying to get him to play. These guys are getting so strong. Soon they’ll all be sharing the same box. Then the fun really starts! |
Phoebe’s pups will get their first pedicure today and will start on their “stress-reducing” exercises in a few days. Meanwhile, enjoy the pix!
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| Sparky LOVED the mush |
I started Maxi’s pups on mush yesterday. Puppy kibble soaked in water, then mushed up and mixed with goat’s milk for a very creamy consistency…more milk right now than mush…warmed up to about 95 degrees F. Yummy!
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| Actually, so did Blaze |
It is interesting to observe the logistics in all this. Of course the puppies have no clue what this bowl set in their midst might contain. I am sure they can detect the milk but it is not their mother’s milk nor is it our vet’s formula that some have been fed. With a gentle nudge of muzzles to mush they slowly get it. Why? Because it tastes good.
Still there are problems as there are with any new experience. They have to learn to keep their noses clear of the substance or they sneeze. They have to learn to balance themselves or their front end drops into the dish of mush. They have to learn to lap at the food instead of sucking it. And they have to learn to keep their feet clear of the mushy stuff because it feels funny. At least it did to some of them. A couple had no problem diving right in and remaining there.
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| It took Boomer a few minutes to get the program |
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| And Georgie just wanted to play |
Today Maxi’s pups got their second nail trim. This time I did front and back toes for a total of 64. It took a while. I also spent a few moments gently laying each puppy on my lap…on its back. This is a very strange sensation and one of complete submission which some pups (and adult dogs) have difficulty with. This exercise teaches them trust. It also teaches them to better handle stress.
In time they will have other exercises as well. The U.S. Military was actually instrumental in developing these “Early Neurological Stimulation” exercises to improve the dogs’ performance for military purposes. Of course, some puppies can handle this stress better than others and it is important to appreciate the difference so as to not “freak out” the puppy. With tiny, gentle stimulations they will become better adjusted pets…each at its own pace.
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| But ten minutes in…they were all interested and chowing down |
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| Then there was the ceremonial cleansing of feet |
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| And, here is Phoebe with her babies…all growing nicely |
I’ll talk about the four other kinds of stimulation later.
