Rockin' The Babies
Big changes in these little guys over the course of the past few days. And I think the bulk of that change stems from the fact they can now hear. I first noticed a real change in their responsiveness a few days ago. Right on time... Their little ear canals are open and their senses are truly alive! Now when I enter their room they'll sometimes bark at me and at times I notice a startle reflex though fairly rare. They're pretty quick to track and follow my voice when I talk to them... They also perk up if, while scrolling through FB, I run across a video that all the sudden produces sound out of no where. Same with TV when first turned on. They look around wondering where the noise is coming from. Each day they're showing more play drive and at times demonstrate some irritation with each other. Today marked their first taste of solids. About a cup split between them of which they finished most of. With addition of water it probably totaled a couple cups. They were pretty eager to jump right in and make it their own! A good start. Tomorrow I'll feed them a meal in the morning and one in the evening and if tolerating well we'll start on the three meal a day routine which will become their norm for the next few weeks. The pups are looking great but it's time to fatten them up and take over some of Getka's responsibilities. I also started working on the individual pup pages today and hope to get the first entry for each uploaded to their pages tomorrow. The days are flying by! Almost half way there! Surprise! Green beans are back in season! A few months of them at their best are never enough for me! Sometimes I add meat. Not necessary but not something I'm opposed to. I simply tend to go for the simple. Quick and easy, Five minute dinners! Looks good though huh? Pepper all around! Regular pepper... complimented by lemon pepper. Can never have too much pepper!
Weights tomorrow. Planned them for tonight. But, well you know.... the best laid plans. Will also answer your questions tomorrow. Some really good ones! Three Weeks down! Five to go!!! And the past week has brought forth some big changes in the pups. From the photo at left you can see they've gained the ability to sit and stand with pretty decent doggie conformation. Still sleeping most times but their wakeful periods are starting to include a bit of play. Mainly batting at, gnawing on and licking each other. They're getting cuter by the day! The past week has brought forth some pretty noticeable changes in Getka too. Spending much less time with her pups and a great deal more time on my bed. She's doing a good job of staying in to feed, just much less frequently. With that, I'm gearing up to assume the responsibility of providing their nutrition which starts next week! It's pretty obvious looking at the photos... Getka has a big job at hand. The pups are absolutely running out of elbow room a the milk bar! Next week marks the beginning of my favorite time. Outdoor excursions! But for now, it all about handling, and daily bedding changes. Off time has been dedicated the other residents here and to time spent with my own pup, Shine, as we continue to work on her needed socialization and early training. Growing and building muscle! Starting to move around quite a bit.... at least while they're wake which, at this point, still remains seldom. If they aren't eating or momentarily rousted by mom, they're sleeping. I think the grey collared pup is the most mobile. If anyone is up walking when the others aren't it's typically him. He was also the first to really get up on all fours. It's proving a little difficult to get decent pics of Getka with the pups. She watches me and often when I make a move she makes a move. Missing her time outside and playtime I think. For the most part until recently I've been letting her out the back door into the small dog run for potty breaks which are frequent. In the early days, when let out the front she'd head under the gazebo. She was quick to come out when called, but not without carrying a belly loaded with dirt. Then one day I caught her digging around a plant I really don't want her near and one that until now all dogs have avoided. Wanted to break that cycle and I think it's now broken. Early on I think she was looking for alternative places to place her pups which isn't uncommon. Both Ritz and Majestic have been known to venture under the gazebo and commence to digging when their pups were a few days to a week old or so. Today I took Getka out and threw for her her favorite thing in the world... her frisbee. She's not all that eager to continue the game of fetch but loves to settle down and chew the thing. And honestly, I doubt the act of running, with bags swinging, is a very pleasurable experience. She really appreciated some time on the grass though and a half hour break from the woes of motherhood. I also took a little time to take my pup Shine out for some socialization today. Thought about it last night and realized I've been so busy I haven't really been following my own best advise. Early socialization makes all the difference in the world with these pups. With any pup actually. The more they experience the better. And the earlier the better. Some caution and common sense does need to be used when deciding where to take them due to incomplete immunity. But waiting for that last shot to get on board makes socialization hard. With each passing week, they get used to their surroundings and things outside those surroundings become scary. For the most part, 8-9 week old pups are pretty fearless. At least mine are. But that can change rapidly. I'll share with you a link that I think explains the way their brains function at various ages that I think will be helpful when it comes to socializing your pups. I've shared it with owners of past litters and have been told it's on point and was appreciated. www.drjensdogblog.com/socializing-your-puppy-why-later-is-too-late/ As far as my outing with Shine went, she actually did pretty good. Even though, according to the article and my own standards a couple weeks earlier would have been better. I first took her to the coin operated car wash. I secured her with a seat belt attachment to the back seat while I vacuumed the front watching her response all the while. I was pleasantly surprised to see she was unphased by the process. When done with the front I moved her up there and vacuumed the back. Next up, I power washed the exterior to do a knock down of the accumulation of the blasted love bugs. Again unphased. Then together we experienced the big brushes from the interior of the car as they came over the top and around the sides to complete the job. She watched with interest but without alarm. From there we headed down the road and took a stroll down main street of the very tame little town of Hawthorne. She started out bouncy and happy but was caught a little off guard by the traffic which was little more than an occasional car -or at most a parade of a few cars. She balked at those. I gave her some time to watch and get her bearings before demanding a little more with a tug of the leash and some encouragement. With that she eagerly came but the traffic was a little troublesome throughout our walk. Next, I noticed some older kids chatting while sitting, facing each other on the covered concrete breezeway that leads to the public library. After brief consideration I decided, with their permission, walking her between them would be a good experience. And it was. She was a little hesitant in the beginning to walk the narrow area left open between them. And actually they offered minimal interaction. Told them we were socializing. I assume they weren't exactly sure what that meant. As we walked, Shine didn't really stop for any interaction herself until she reached the last person. She stopped, must have caught a vibe, gave him sniff and then with acceptance, a lick. It was only a moment and she let loose the puppy behavior. We walked on 20 yards or so away before I decided I wanted to see her reaction to a repeat of the same path. We turned around and again weaved our way through the kids. The second pass was a breeze. She got a few more rubs and chatter and was happy to accept both. And for the most part our journey back to the car was smooth as well. We heard the whistle and saw a train rolling down the tracks a block in the distance. She watched but didn't seem particularly bothered by it... just interested. Had we been closer, I'm sure it would have been a different story. For that, I would I'm sure ended up picking her up. There are limits to what you can expect from them. But on the same token you can't give in to every little balk. I do think had I ventured there with her a couple weeks ago things would have been easier for her but it is what it is. And tomorrow is another day and another challenge. Just glad I didn't put it off for another couple weeks. There is one thing I'm certain of, and today confirmed it once again. A tired puppy is a good puppy! Have hardly heard a peep from her all evening. Progressing right along. Weights were obtained again tonight and the pups got their first taste of something other than mom's milk. The first in of series of dewormers. It went well but round two is generally a little more eagerly accepted. Weights are looking good...These pups are staying pretty consistent in the position they hold with little fluctuation. Getka's already starting to spend quite a bit of time out of the box, either on the floor next to it or on my bed. She was the same with her first litter which surprised me. Majestic stayed with her pups pretty much 24/7 doting and cleaning for nearly three weeks. Getka and Ritz are both much more inclined to take some time for themselves. Both have brought forward some gorgeous pups so I leave them to mother as they see fit. I've been lucky... all my dogs have been great moms. Attentive and loving in their dealings with their pups.
I called the office and scheduled our cropping appointments today. Fortunately all will be done on the same day with the exception of a couple pups who will reside down south. There's another great cropper down there... a little more expensive but from my understanding all aftercare, tape and post etc is included in the cropping fee. The pups I'll be delivering for crop in Georgia will be done on November 12th. Assuming all goes as expected and each receives their health certificate they will be ready for pick up on the 13th. With that I'll close for now. Had hoped to get this up much earlier but was interrupted by a lengthy phone call. Will try and get a fresh set of photos up tomorrow. We have eyes! Not that I see them open often. Still sleeping pretty much 24/7 unless busy eating. Once in a while Getka jumps in the whelp box just long enough to wake everyone and get them riled up, only to then jump back out. Seems all moms do this from time to time. I think it's their way of making sure each gets some intermittent exercise. The pups scurry around looking for her, frantic for another meal, but settle about as quickly as they awoke. Some are doing a pretty good job of getting their feet under them, but still only momentarily, and once again they find themselves on their sides. They're getting there though. A process. Has been a busy few days here... had some people here to firm up a roof estimate today, have one of my dogs in a weekly obedience classes, integrating and training Shine to the ways of the world, general home stuff and yesterday a farrier visit for my horse and a Vet visit for Galtero. Somehow or another he did a number on his left front leg. Lots of pain, an incredible amount of swelling, and nearly walking three legged by mid afternoon. Fortunately, he seems to be improving on antibiotics and pain meds. At least walking better today. I have no idea what he did. I had concern of snake bite but could find no evidence of tooth marks or other outward injury. Hoping for a speedy recovery for him. All in all, I'm in the mode of trying to stay on top of things so I have lots of free time when the pups need me most and mom less. That time is rapidly approaching. |
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