May 26, 2007: We're 4 weeks old, and we got to go outside today into the lawn and discover what that is all about. See some of those photos up above. Also, this week our "Nanny" has been making changes to the puppy play pen as we've demanded more room and activities (on Tues pm, we were so vocal that she got up and expanded our pen at midnight... she looked a little haggered, but oh well... guess we're training her well, huh?). So first off, she gave us more room so we could run behind and around the potty pool. That was cool to have an open runway. Next day, she opened up an attached bedroom that we get to use now all the time, not just when mama Jazzy comes to nurse us. Afterall, we're doing pretty darned well on our potty training.... hitting the pool on the #2's very well, and #1's are "pretty" good too (very good for our age!!!). On Friday, Nanny Anne added what she calls an "obstacle"... a TUNNEL! So now if we want to go run circles around the pool, we also need to go thru the tunnel! It's FUN and none of us were scared at all, even though the tunnel is BLACK and DARK inside! Today, she thought of something new to toss in... a "DOGRAMP"! Now we can go thru the tunnel, up the ramp, over the side into a mound of pellets in the potty pool if nature calls (or we just want to play King of the Hill)...OR back down the ramp (can't forget to TOUCH that imaginary contact on the way back down!) to the water bucket (must keep hydrated when running agility, you know..), into the crate or just have another "go 'round" of it all!!! Nanny took some photos... it's hard to capture all the activity here but suffice to say that WE HAD A BALL and are now poopered out pups... for a couple hours, anyhow!
June 2, 2007: Today the pups are five weeks old. They had their Neopar parvovirus vaccine yesterday which is to override mom's natural immunity and train their immune systems to fight the nasty stuff should we be exposed (parvo is quite bad here in C. WA). The puppies are thoroughly enjoying a visit from their human Grandma Bev who travelled in from MI for 6 days to visit. They tried hard to impress.... potty training skills are QUITE polished with very few "misses", though a few "talkers" just can't quite keep their loud voices down at this time. We've had several "puppy parties" in the middle of the night, and with the Yakima Valley Kennel Club shows over the weekend (Aunt Fuji and Mata were entered!), that was a bit trying for us all. It went as well as can be expected for us not training or sleeping much recently.. and Mata did come home with her 2nd Open obedience qualification (and 1st place), so I was happy with that! This week we've rearranged the pen, put new hop burlap down, and expanded it as far as I can. The pups are enjoying strolls out to the yard where they find neat new things every day like microsprinklers, flowers that beg to be pulled apart, spruce cones, sticks, and you name it..... they are certainly coming alive, playing alot harder, and becoming more demanding in general. Jazzy is still nursing though that will likely come to an end soon as the pups are getting a little rough at times w/ their new teeth. Oh, and they all expressed interest in bird wings when intro'd earlier in the week. We'll be doing more of that next week. Here are some photos from the week:
June 9, 2007: Six weeks old!!! The puppies are enjoying a busier life these days though one thing they are missing is their mother. Jazzy told them to "take a hike"-- she cut off the milk bar this week. It was time because some of them didn't quite understand that their teeth were sharp! She's now "blowing coat" in a big way too, so I guess I'll need to save some of her hair to prove to the visiting families that she really DID have a coat! It will come back pretty quickly though, so she shouldn't be embarassed about her nakedness too long!
This week we explored much further in the lawn, and chased some more pheasant wings. I put them up on the "table" in front of the mirror to get them used to posing for conformational evaluations. Nails were trimmed as well. So far, so good in that department! They are now eating ~1 cup of Eukanuba Large Breed puppy food a day, and average 6.2#, with the biggest boy just over 7.0# and the smallest (blue black boy) at 5.3#.
June 16, 2007: The pups are 7 weeks old today! This week I had several "security breaches" before Green boy was kind enough to show me HOW a few of them were escaping. Ends up the smaller pups could fit between the expen "gate" tucked between their large crate and Sonya's XL crate. They took a quick right tunnel behind Sonya's crate and another quick right to exit between Cousin Sonya's and Aunt Mata's crates! That was a relief-- I had been worrying myself crazy that they'd actually been climbing out or something! :) Besides playing that dirty trick on me, they have become awfully inquisitive on their outside ventures as well. Let's just say that it's a good thing they all come when I call "Puppy puppy puppy!". And I have to credit Mata and Sonya for being very good puppy herders too when needed!
Weights now range from 6# to 9.5#. A friend came to do some structural evaluations this morning and helped by taking photos of "stacked" puppies. Some are posted below of the more cooperative puppies... some were a bit over zealous w/ the cheese so didn't look quite as "mannerly" in their poses! After the evaluations, I gave everyone their 7 wk Progard 5 combination vaccine, and I'm *hoping* they may actually sleep thru the night tonite without partying at 2 am! Here are some photos highlighting the week:
Next weekend, several of the pups will leave for their new homes... always a bittersweet time for me. It's hard not to get attached to the little devils!
June 26, 2007: What an exhausting past 10 days it's been! As of this morning, 9 puppies have left for their new homes. Reports back so far have been great. One reportedly even slept thru the first night! (Note, that is just not fair!). Not only are the new proud parents, kids and the other household dogs having fun, but so are neighbor kids and friends. That's a Lab puppy for you--- magnetizing!
The final breeder's pick for me was "White" boy. For now, I'm calling him Jack... I'm thinking "WindyCanyon's Apple Jack", perhaps??? He's got the attitude and structure to do well in performance, and... well, he's awfully cute to boot! I am looking for someone to either co-own Jack with me, or if they are an experienced performance home, I will consider placing him outright. Blue boy (affectionately called Boo Boo) is also a favorite, but I'm afraid he's going to be quite small--- under standard, perhaps--- so he will go to a VERY lucky family, who hopefully will be interested in showing him off in some other way if he is small! What a doll he is!!! Yellow girl went to an obedience/agility home here locally which is a major plus for me as I'll get to see and train with her regularly, and all of the other pups went to a super group of pet homes. I just can't express how good it feels to have such high quality, caring families take on my pups. I'm looking forward to the years to come and all the fun stories from my new families!
