I visited Karen’s 9 day old puppies today. What a difference between 9 days and 9 weeks!! They learn so much and grow so much in a short period of time. It’s pretty amazing. This week we practiced more of the same. But they have also enjoyed some outdoor time. The wind was strong today, but that just meant they might be lucky enough to find a leaf. I noticed that the puppies are displaying more independence this week. If they were children, I would say they are testing the boundaries.
Green Boy is turning into quite a handsome lad!Gray Boy is the star of the leash training. Blue boy is gazing. I wonder what he is thinking? He is a lover.Pink Girl continues to delight with her antics. She is still the smallest but is gaining on her sister.Orange girl loves to be outside. When she finds a leaf she acts like she has a treasure.
The pups went to the vet yesterday for their first puppy shots and their physical exam. It is quite extensive, checking general appearance, eyes, ears, teeth and occlusion, heart, lungs, abdomen, musculoskeletal, skin, lymph nodes, urogenital, nervous system, patella exam. All the puppies are normal in all areas. My vet said they are a healthy bunch. I asked how they did and he said it was typical. “The boys were pansies. The girls were tough.”
Our Green boy has made great strides. He started off being timid. Now he is the first one to greet a visitor and the first one to come over and check out the big noise from the vacuumGray has been consistently the largest. He was funny today. He got in the bed by himself…then he was joined by his brothers. He scooted away, but he apparently wasn’t far enough. He kept scooting, in his sleep, until he was completely out and sleeping by himself.I admire a good pet photographer. This is probably the 20th attempt to take a good picture of Blue boy. I am still not satisfied, but gave up. Blue is quite affectionate. He wants to be picked up and he gives kisses.Pink Girl is the first to explore and she’s becoming a pretty good escape artist, too. Orange girl has been one of my favorites from birth. We’ve tried out about 10 different names for her, and still haven’t made a decision.
It seems like more of everything this week: more food, more play time, more time running through the house, more grooming (more complaining). There have been some new experiences. The pups are spending one on one time with me, I have begun leash training. So far, none of them has freaked out. Today they had their first car ride. They handled that quite well also.
Seven weeks old today:
The Green Boy gets in the corner of the xpen and tries to climb out….his Mother, Violet, did the same thing at his age and she is still a climber. We made the mistake of letting the puppies play and play, thinking it would be easier to get a picture. Our mistake: it was hard to get them to keep their eyes open. Blue Boy was ready to sleepPink girl continues to impress with her confidence and “don’t mess with me” attitude.Orange Girl Is also ready to defend her territory when one of her larger brothers picks a fight. Gray Boy is pretty agreeable and self-confident. Wake up, Gray Boy!
The pups are now eating three or four meals a day. They like their food and are gaining at a good pace.
We’re still practicing with the brush and comb. Other things to de-sensitize them for future grooming are rubbing their feet and pulling a few hairs from their ears. This should make these tasks easier for them and for their groomer.
They enjoy running around the house (with supervision). Today they “helped” me fluff up the Christmas tree.
Sometimes the Green Boy will enjoy time by himself. I’ll see him sleeping or playing away from his family.The Gray boy is still the largest and in many ways the most advanced. It was not his best day for picture taking. He looks startled.Blue boy is the climber in the bunch. This week he learned to climb stairs (only 2). The trip up was more successful than the trip back down. Pink Girl must be exhausted from all her help. She’s on the step ladder in front of the Christmas tree and she’s so tired she can’t keep her head up. Orange Girl. She needs a name. Any suggestions?
The babies are 5 weeks old today. They celebrated by getting their first bath, hairdryer, brushed, clippers, nails and pictures. Karen offered to help at exactly the right time. She came over and helped with nails and encouraged me to finish the clipping and she refined my grooming.
Green boy likes to explore. He is a bit nervous at loud noises, but he bounces back. He voiced his opinion about the hair dryer
Other firsts this week: beginning training using a litter box, wearing collars, moving to a larger play area right in the midst of the activity.
Gray Boy was good in the bath and accepted the dryer without much complaint. Lots of hair came off this guy. He likes to play.Blue would prefer to be napping instead of posing for this picture. He’s a sturdy little guy, larger in comparison than this picture shows. Pinky travels far and wide when she has time out of the xpen. She likes to greet people and wag her tail.I love this face! Her siblings have been known to attack. If I pet her and if she doesn’t realize it’s me, she’ll growl, just in case one of her siblings is sneaking up on her.
The puppies have a new sleep area and during the day they have a play area. Chandler would really like to play with them, but he has to observe from outside the xpen.
Potty training has begun. It’s surprising how many times the puppies toddle over to the puppy pad and do their business.
They have been introduced to the brush and comb. It’s never too early to start!
Hair has been cut around their eyes and other strategic places.
Playtime is not new, but it is getting more ferocious. They are FIERCE!
They have begun to teethe.
Gray Boy plays hard and sleeps hard. At 4 weeks, he is the largest and the most advanced. Brothers Blue (on left) and Green are #2 and #3 weight-wise. I love watching their personalities develop. Blue was the first to go through the tunnel, and he is the first to climb out of the sleeping box. I have to figure out a way to keep him secure with his siblings. Orange girl is on the left, Pinky on right. One of Pinky’s brothers was picking on her, and she got quite mad and told him off. Puppies learn acceptable behavior from each other.
The puppies have changed so much between weeks two and three. As you can see, their eyes are fully opened. They have begun to play together. The most surprising is the smallest male, the Green Boy. He goes right up to his bigger brothers and paws at them and tries to wrestle them to the ground. The pups are noticing toys and like to sleep next to the fluffy ones. I introduced a tunnel into their area today but so far none have gone through. I see more walking around and sometimes they even seem to get where they planned to go!
Orange Girl has a nice broad skull and muzzle. Pink Girl is still bringing up the rear, weight-wise, but she doesn’t know she is smallest. She holds her own.Blue boy looks like he is all nose in this picture. He’s quite a handsome dude.Gray Boy is still noticeably larger than his siblings. He seems to be an easy-going guy.Green Boy – small but mighty!
You’ll see big changes in the puppies this week. Their eyes are opening and nose pigment is almost all filled in.
Green Boy is still the smallest of the males. Doesn’t he look cute in this picture?!Gray Boy is the largest and strongest. It was difficult to get his picture as he was climbing all over.This is Blue boy. He and Gray passed the 1 pound weight milestone this week.Pretty in Pink…she is still the smallest puppy but she is gaining steadily.Miss Orange girl needed an orange background for her portrait. I like her a lot.
Everything is going well with Violet and her brood. She is recovering nicely from the birth and the pups are thriving. It’s fun to watch them grow and change daily. Today they completed Day 6 of 13 days of Neurological Stimulation exercises.
Green Boy likes to express himself (that’s a polite way to say he squeaks if he isn’t happy) He weighs 11.3 oz.Gray Boy leads the way in size. He weighs 14.1 oz. I call him “Jumbo Jack”.Blue Boy started life as the smallest of the males. He is steadily gaining and is a compact 12.3 oz. Pink Girl is our smallest puppy, currently weighing 9.3 oz. She is also slower to get her pigment, but it is coming in. She has a very sweet face. Maybe she’ll look like her mother.Last, but not least, is Orange Girl. She weighs 10.3 oz. She is getting prettier by the day.
On Oct. 16, 2020, Violet gave birth to 3 male and 2 female puppies. Mother and puppies are doing very well. These pictures were taken when they were four days old.
Orange Girl
Pink girl, 4 days oldGreen BoyGray boyBlue Boy
