Puppy Care

First Bath

1 Comment

We have been very busy. Friday was non-stop puppiness. First the usual in the morning…breakfast and clean-up. Then baths! With sixteen it took a while and all the puppies did great.

Georgie, Hancock and Rain were first. Here they are, semi-dry, waiting for their siblings.

Blaze getting his rubdown

Blaze might be small but he is very brave

Breeze and Boomer in the sink. I put down a terry towel in the water so the sink doesn’t feel terribly wierd.

Breeze and Boomer exploring in the sink.

Breeze and Boomer…can we come out now?

Two is actually better than one. They keep each other calm.

Dew and Sunray get their turn.

So much fun!

Potty Progress and “Summer Weather” Mug Shots

5 Comments

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.

Rain

Breezy

Dew

Flash

Lightening

Stormy

Sunray

Thunder

We Have a “New Arrangement”

6 Comments
I think that’s Boomer trying out the new potty room while others sleep.

Today the puppies reached another milestone. I have put them all in the same whelping box (since they seem to go back and forth now indiscriminately). This enables me to have a sleeping/play area separated from the potty area. In a few days, after they get this picture, I will open the far end of the whelping box as their giant play area. With a little luck (and some nudging from Mother Nature) they will remember the potty room and go there during their play sessions instead of messing where they play.

 The idea is to make potty training a much more natural segue as they mature.

Here are a few shots I took today.

Burst and Jefferson after a big meal.

Can you find the 16 puppies?

Sparky and Hancock tussle it out

Some puppies (background) prefer the kibble/goat’s milk mush and others (foreground) still like it the old fashioned way! I took this shot yesterday before the “New Arrangement.”

My How Time Flies!

3 Comments
Boomer–one of our little guys–is doing just great!

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.

Puppies using the piddle pad after lunch.

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
Thunder (on his back) playing with Breezy and Stormy

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!

Dew and Lightening sharing kisses

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.

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!