Oct. 22, 2006: We're 1 week old today!!! Last week was kind of busy. We took our first car ride to a place called the "vet's" and had our dew claws removed, and Dr Matt also checked over mom (Fuji) because Nanny Anne was worried about her temperature going up the night before. Good thing we have a good nanny cuz one of mom's milk bars wasn't working right. Nanny thought she had it under control but by Friday night, mama's temp went even higher this time, so now she's on antibiotics and massages with warm moist towels several times a day.
We suppose Nanny is a nice person, but she seems to think it's fun to do this Super Puppy program with us every morning. It's supposed to toughen us up for life. But, it's one thing to get our feet tickled with a Q-tip, but several of us speak our minds when she holds us upside down, then on our backs! What does she think we are anyhow, circus animals? And then, to get us back for screaming at her, she puts us on a cold gel pack for 3 seconds! How dare she! Fortunately mama Fuji takes good care of us and gives us a warm meal right away!
We have now doubled our weight, by the way, and hear we are looking mighty robust! We've been on our feet and walking from the get go (we are told we are very precocious, whatever that means), but are slowing down now cuz Nanny Anne says we are getting FAT. What does she know about that anyhow....
Oct. 29, 2006: Two Weeks old already!!!! Four of us have already TRIPLED in weight and the other 3 are right behind. Nanny thinks we are eating too much because some of us have had loose stools this past week. She is giving us all some yummy yogurt to help with that, so not all is a bummer. Our eyes started to open yesterday, and today we were buzzing around Mama Fuji's legs so fast she could hardly find a place to lay down without landing on one of us! We are also getting LOUD, so loud that the nanny is not wanting to sleep in the same room with us anymore. Oh well, she's sure to miss out on some fun while she lays in her much more comfortable bed upstairs! Here are some new photos:
As you can see, Fuji is finally allowing Grandma Gala to help a little more. She's even let Mata (half sister/aunt) get in on some of the puppy sitting lately, though she watches Mata very carefully. Grandma Rosa and Aunt Jazzy have remained quite respectful of Fuji's space, though they sneak their peeks when she's not looking....
November 5, 2006: 3 weeks old today! Pups are now ranging from almost 3# to 3.75# lbs. I like this stage. I have a bunch of "miniature Labs" that crawl into my lap with wagging little tails and licky little tongues... very happy to snuggle a person, and individual personalities are already starting to develop. Last week we unfortunately battled loose stools, and yes, some was diarrhea. Over-eating, cutting teeth... who knows why, but fecal samples analyzed were clean. Always a worry though to the breeder even with all being happy and gaining plenty of weight daily, I kept my worries in check (as much as possible). We also had 3 families visit during the week, so it was plenty busy around here!
Today was a BIG day as I decided to take some of the burden off Fuji and offer a bit of first "gruel", puppy weaning formula mixed w/ diluted goat milk. It was a hit with all (except Fuji, who was a bit put off at first!)... and were they ever a mess afterward. This was fine with Fuji as she happily cleaned them all up (and scrounged as much off the blankies as she could too!). I also spent the afternoon setting up a puppy pen in the garage. They will need a bit more room soon as they are all getting much more active now. One stop on my list this week was to buy 3' of flexible 12" pvc tiling to serve as an "Agility tunnel" once they are in the bigger pen. I have other little fun things up my sleeve for later too! Oh, and did I mention the puppies are SO big now they can reach mom's milk bar from the ground???????
On Monday, I finished setting up the puppy pen since we've had unseasonably warm temperatures in the upper 60's here. See below for a photo of their one hour debut (basically just had lunch out there, got to see and smell the outdoors for the first time since I raised the garage door for them, and then they took a nappy). The kiddie pool is filled with wood pellets which are sold as animal bedding, perfect for potty purposes! Once wet, the pellets turn to sawdust that you just scoop out. This really keeps it smelling fresher, not to mention MUCH cleaner, than the old shavings we used to use! As the puppies get potty trained to their "pool", I will expand their pen some more. You'll see their "agility tunnel" off to the side. It should be a hit when they are bigger and bolder. They also have 2 big crates that they can crawl into and snuggle. For the rest of the week, this pen will be used just briefly each day, but by the weekend, that will be their new residence. My big girls all have crates right there that they sleep in at night too, so they'll feel right at home very soon.
Friday, Nov 10: Woohoo!!!! We're coming up on 4 wks old and averaging close to 5lbs... We are partying now... Half sister/Aunt Mata showed us how to REALLY play with toys and a few of the pups braved the TUNNEL (it's not so scary afterall and in fact, is pretty cozy!).
November 12, 2006: The puppies are getting to be big kids now, already 4 weeks old and ranging in weight from 4.8 to 6.0 lbs. I will probably only weigh weekly from here on out since they have now outgrown their baby scale and my bathroom scale won't be nearly as accurate (only to the nearest half pound). All were dosed for their 2nd time w/ pyrantel wormer today (first done at 2 wks).
I've been introducing new things daily at this point. On Saturday, I put a fluffy dog bed (protected by thick blankie) in the pen and they were immediately drawn to it as their new favorite place to crash. Yesterday, I added a piece of "show ring" rubber matting and the mirror to the floor of the pen for awhile. They will need to get used to being on the matting as I'll be standing (stacking) them in front of the mirror to evaluate structure weekly. They have decided Monterey Jack cheese is very yummy (used to lure them into a stand so I can look at structure), and were fascinated with the "other" puppies they came nose to nose with in the mirror. I banged wood pieces together as they ate this morning to simulate gun shots and got hardly even a glance, plus added a clanky brass bell to the expen near the end of the tunnel (which they are ALL doing on their own regularly now). Toys are obviously for carrying around already too, and several show more than normal interest in balls. Two at a time were allowed out of the pen to play with the big dogs this morning too, so that was fun to see how far they felt comfortable venturing from their "digs". I will have to keep a sharp eye on a few of them as nosey as they already are! Other things that I plan to add this week include a "plank" (dog walk), louder banging noises, and perhaps a frozen quail... and whatever else I find up my sleeve....
Potty training is going remarkably well at this point, and I suspect within a week or so, our piddle accidents will be minimized.
