Prim

Is this not the cutest thing you have ever seen? I'm not sure why, but the last couple of days, Prim has taken the best pictures. Here's another one from yesterday.

and another

oh, and how about a mother/daughter shot?

Life has gotten a lot busier this week. I'm working on getting the puppies to eat. They are just not very interested. They really would rather play. And I am also trying to write biographies for all the puppies and Gidget so they can get posted on PetFinder. I need to get good photos too. Hence all the shots of Prim. She is one that will wander away from me... and stay out of the shade so I guess that leads to better pictures. The others either try climbing up in my lap or go play in the shade. 

I'm asking some people to come over and play with the puppies for socialization. It's time to start that. Maybe I can get some better shots then. I'd love to get some good ones of them running towards me. They are so fast, though that I haven't been able to get anything useable.

I tried the clicker around them yesterday. It got their attention and didn't scare them. I just wanted to see if it scared them. I think I am going to charge it using Cheerios. With their disinterest in food, I was trying to come up with something they might like and thought of Cheerios. Will let you know how that goes. 

My plan was to take 1 at a time to work with the clicker. I also want them to spend more time outside. And I have to get them to eat in there as well. They sleep a great deal of the time but are staying awake a bit longer at a time. There's a lot to do while they are awake. Try to get them to go potty (where I want them to), eat, play, learn... and they will be 6 weeks old tomorrow. How time has flown. I am going to miss them SO MUCH!

The great outdoors and beyond

I got some video last night of a few of the puppies playing on the exercise pod thingy. They really love it. C'mon agility people. These guys love things moving under their feet.

This afternoon we took the babies outside without the small ex pen. I was a bit anxious but they had a ball. Just got a bit of video here to show. They are so much fun. 

More time alone

This ia a super small Kong Teddy Bear. I bought a couple of these tiny toys for the puppies thinking they would be a good size (which they are and the puppies love them). Gidget decided she likes it too. She was playing with it (remember, she is 10 years old, this was the 1st time I had seen her playing with anything). When I went to get the camera, she got up and wanted out of the pen. She took the bear and "buried" it in the blankets that are in the tub I store clean linens in (well, I did use it to store the clean linens, she has taken it over as her own nesting area). And, yes, she is a bit "chubby" these days. 

I took Prim to the living room yesterday by herself. She wasn't as adventurous as Katness or even Gael were but still sniffed around a bit. She was really drawn to underneath the stairs as were the others. As I mentioned, I think, Gidget spent a lot of time under there when the pups were 1st born so I guess they smell her there.

The weather hasa turned cool so I haven't taken them outside again. I had hoped to be able to take them to the front yard this weekend. Maybe next week.

I'm still having a challenge getting them to eat. I thought they were set when I offered them just plain dry kibble. They really seemed to like it at first but now don't have much use for it. They'd rather play. The rescue would like them to be completely on solids by 6 weeks which is 4 days from today. I don't think I am going to get there:-(

Still working on potty training. Prim went over to the paper when she got up the last time and peed. Then Gael promptly peed on the bedding on the floor. I've kept the paper in a larger area than I had wanted to hoping they would hit it. Some just don't like going in the litter pan. I tried putting litter in it the other day when I cleaned it out. I ended up having to cover it with newspaper because they were trying to eat the litter - they'll eat the litter but not the food!  I'm not cleaning it out very often hoping that it will smell for them and I am taking all bedding out as soon as they mess it so that there is a difference between the sweet smell of where they are not supposed to potty and where they are supposed to go will smell. Only having about a 50% success rate as far as the play area. They do seem to get it (I don't want to jinx it by saying this but...) in their whelping box. For the last several days, I haven't found any signs of pee in there when I change the bedding. Not sure about poop, however. Gidget is still cleaning it up although Haymitch went over to the paper to poop this morning when I was in there! Yea!!!

My husband got into the pen with them this afternoon. Only Gael showed any interest in him at all. I had Peeta sitting on my lap on the sofa for a bit. My dog wanted to stiff and nose him so badly. I was afraid he was going to be too rough so made him sit away a bit. He's a good boy but I have no idea how he'll be with the babies. I don't know if he will know to be gentle with them so I am not letting him get too near but they are getting some socialization with him.

I keep thinking I should take them to meet our cat (she lives in our bedroom) but I am even less sure of how she will act. She is old and crotchety with our dog. She was actually quite nice to Gidget when she 1st came here but Gidget, on the other hand, let her know in no uncertain terms exactly how far away from her (very) she needed to stay. Smart cat. She gives Gidget plenty of room.

Outdoors Day 2

Just 'cos I like this picture of Katness:-)

This morning, I got up to find several wet spots in the litter pan!!! That means that someone (or a few someones) went further than the padding right in front of the whelping box to go pee. I was beyond excited. The other good news is that I can't see any signs that they wet in the whelping box last night. They still pee and poop where they play but we're getting closer to not pottying where they sleep.

I took them all outside this afternoon. I had the small ex pen set up and put a blanket down since they didn't seem to like the grass last time. I also put the tunnel and some toys and then took them out. Everyone piled into the tunnel at first but soon began exploring. I had to bring my dog and Gidget into the house as Gidget started a fight with my dog for getting too close to the pen. I think the added anxiety of them being outside had her more on edge. She still doesn't want my dog near the puppies and isn't happy with many other people around them either.

I got in the pen with them and they climbed all over me. Every time I moved, there they were all over me again. I love it. I hope they find homes where the people like all the attention they like. Their little teeth are really starting to come in now and I had to yelp a few times because they were biting pretty hard on my toes. Oh, and they seemed to find the grass more to their liking this time, even to teh point of chewing on it. Just like all babies, everything goes into the mouth.

When I brought them back in, I decided to throw a handful of dry kibble on the floor to see what would happen. I have been soaking kibble and adding canned food and mushed up chicken and all kinds of stuff trying to entice them to eat. Well, they attacked the kibble and wolfed it down. I guess the hardness feels goo on their gums. I am no longer going to do anything but put down dry kibble, at least for now to see if they will continue to eat it or if it was just te novelty.

Gael's turn

This afternoon, I took Gael into the living room by himself to explore and play. I don't know whether having spent the 1st week or so of his life in that room made any difference (he couldn't see or hear when he was in there as a baby) or whether it is just a "friendlier" room or he is just becoming more confident but he seemed much more confident today than he did when I took him and Peeta into the other room last week.

He sniffed around and investigated under the stairs. Gidget spent a lot if time under there when the puppy pen was in there so I guess they are smelling her. He was hesitant to walk on the board with the non skid strips but did follow the tug toy when I played with it over the board. He also didn't try to climb over the jump bump but did crawl up onto my lap. He also tried to dig in the carpet under my leg.

All in all, I was very pleased with how well he did and cuddled with him a bit before bringing him back to the puppy pen where Gidget was very pleased to have her baby returned.

Katness' day out... almost

Today the puppies are 5 weeks old and I am starting to take them one at a time into another room to let them explore on their own and play with me by themselves. Katness went first.  I took her into the living room which has been set up with equipment for playing with my dog and teaching him basics of agility. I put out a jump bump and a ladder as well as a crate and a plywood board with strips of non slip adhesive strips that I use for teaching my god to use his back legs (he has to back up it while it is leaning against the wall so that he ends up doing a hand stand) - it was flat on the floor for this exercise so that it provided a different surface for her to walk on. Began by sniffing around and exploring. Didn't hesitate to walk on anything. Climbed over the jump bump (a 4" pvc pipe cut in half lengthwise so that it doesn't roll). I didn't get any photos as I am working by myself. Wish I could have because she was amazing. Once she had investigated under the stairs (a freestanding set (you can see them in some of the early videos when I was working with Gidget) she came over to play with me. I had brought a toy to play with and after a bit of encouragement, she moved her attack from my hand to the toy and played for a bit with it.

I ended our session on that high note and took her back to the pen (where Gidget had been having a fit because one of her babies was not there). All the others were asleep so I didn't wake anyone up. Katness was still wired though and was running around trying to find something to play with. I had put things away to change out the bedding. She found the balance pod (looks like this) so I pulled it out into the middle of the pen so she had better access to it. She climbed right on, and of course, wobbled all over. I thought she might be a bit afraid but when she got off, she got right back on. Did that several times. Fantastic!! Anyone out there looking for a small agility dog? This little lady has no fear of things moving under her feet. Teeter, here she comes.

I'll take another one out when they wake up again. Right now, I'm only shooting for having them out a total of 10 minutes this week individually. Next week it'll be 10 minutes a day (hopefully)  Time is going by so fast and they are growing up so rapidly. I am sure going to miss them when they are gone.

Everyone got wormed again today. They are so good. I had put the lid to the bottle of wormer down on the floor in the pen while I was giving the wormers to them and one of the puppies came over and licked the stuff out of it. I guess it tases good.

Someone new in the pen

My husband got into the pen with the puppies this evening. It's the first person besides me to be in there with them. He has held them before but I have handed them to him. At first they were a bit shy but before long they were all chewing on his hand. Not really playing with him or crawling all over him like they do me but still pretty friendly and inquisitive.