So many changes

The puppies are growing beautifully. Their eyes are so bright, coats soft and shiny. Now that they are up walking and playing, I can see their personalities. The firstborn, the green banded male, is the slowest developing. I think he is just more deliberate in learning. The orange female is asserting herself as the boss. The blue female, Gidget, is so playful and cuddly. The red male is bold and adventurous.

Now that they are walking the next milestone is their teeth. I certainly know how that is going since they like to chew on my fingers. I have started feeding them ‘puppy soup’. It’s their baby food that I make with softened puppy food, puppy formula and water. I start them by letting them lick it from my fingertips. Sometimes I smear some on their muzzles for them to clean off. A couple of them are actually lapping it up out of a shallow bowl. When their teeth come in I’ll add some of the soft puppy food to the soup.

I like to hold them and brush their coats. I trim their nails so that they become accustomed to having their feet handled. We had one dog that had panic attacks if her feet were touched.

They are waking from yet another nap. The orange female wakes first and is gnawing on the blanket. She even shakes it. She will get out of the bed soon to go potty. They have been learning to go on newspaper and all but my green boy are doing great. Again I think he is just a little more deliberate about his actions. The orange girl is trying to wake her siblings. She gives up and goes back to sleep when chewing on her brother foot does not rouse him. Back to being a pile of sleeping puppies.

Puppies!! Finally an update

I had forgotten how wonderful is it to have small puppies. They are so adorable. And undemanding of me at this age! Raina does everything. They are at the point where they are being to toddle. Until I became a breeder there was so much I was did not know. I knew the puppies would be born with their eyes closed, but I did not know that their ears are sealed too. They do not have teeth yet. I think Raina is grateful for that. The mother uses the eruption of the puppies teeth as the signal to begin weaning them. I certainly would not want 4 hungry critters with teeth nursing on me!

I have begun the first step in paper-training the puppies. Before Raina feeds them, I remove them from their bed and put them on the newspaper. Having their mother near seems to stimulate them to urinate. By having them on the newspaper, I begin the association of urination with newspaper. The last litter was newspaper-trained so easily. It was amazing to see 7-week old puppies seeking out newspaper before it moved its bowels. I know I'm nuts, I get thrilled over puppies peeing and pooping!

One of the pups has a name, Gidget. I did not name her! She was picked out by my daughter-in-law's young cousin. Lilly will become Gidget's new owner in April. I told Lily that I would teach Gidget her name so that when it is time for her to go to her new home, the pup would recognize it. I'm excited for Lilly. She was so gentle in holding Gidget, I wish I had gotten a picture. I'm sending pictures to Lilly's father by email so that she can watch her puppy grow and change.

Now I want Kitty Kat to come into heat so that we can breed her. I just love the new puppies.