Oh, how they grow

The puppies are 3.5 weeks and getting FUZZY. They're getting better and better at walking, they love to tackle each other, and puppy zoomies are getting much more common. They paw at one another before pouncing, and gnawing on siblings and mom is a popular pastime.

I increased their food this morning as they quickly devoured what I offered them for dinner. Newspapers are being changed twice daily now... I'm so happy with how quickly they're learning that the sheet is for eating/sleeping and the papers are for potty breaks. They're still peeing on the sheet occasionally , but poop is consistently where it should be. Hopefully these little buggers will be a snap to housebreak!

Their personalities are getting more and more apparent every day. Cammie is definitely the spitfire of the group, Captain has a ton of toy drive, and Fiona is happy laying in a lap for cuddles. I'm very excited to see how their temperaments continue to develop...

Here are some cell phone shots from Tuesday:

Pistol enjoying the company of her brood


Cammie

Ellie in the "big dog" crate

Their first taste of water

Photoshoot of the 3 week olds

Here are the 3 week photos of the crew. It was their first time on grass and everyone did wonderfully. Very confident and exploratory, but they stayed close to their people. For more photos of this week, visit the photobucket album.

Andy



Alex



Spy



Captain



Mac



Ellie



Cammie



Fiona

3 weeks old... moving on up

I woke up this morning to 3 of the 8 puppies out of the pool. Ellie managed to climb out last night, but I was hoping it was a fluke. She had to stand on her brother to get high enough to grasp the edge. But alas, they're growing in size, strength, and smarts. So, today is another milestone... no more wading pool! I'll be setting the kids up in their new digs tonight after I take photos of them.

They're starting to get super feisty, and their little temperaments are becoming stronger and more pronounced. Rough and tumble play is becoming the norm, and little Fiona just takes off under her sisters and brothers, running around like a mad woman. Nothing is cuter than puppy zoomies!

Ellie and Mac

Mac-aroni man

Everyone is eating well.

Puppy pile!

Alex and Spy

First food

The babies had their first solid food today, a nice soupy gruel that they devoured. Though they wore most of it, they did really well and had a good time.

The babies are almost puppies

My little neonates are turning into a herd of puppies! They're now 2.5 weeks, walking, falling, griping at mom and each other, showing an interest in toys, urinating without help, and falling into moms food. I gave them a tennis ball yesterday and everyone took turns nosing it around the pool... until Andy got a hold of it and decided it made a nice pillow. He was NOT going to share.

Though it's probably too soon to tell, it looks like the Early Neurological Stimulation has helped in making very people oriented puppies. Whenever someone approaches their pen, they waddle to the edge of the pool and whine for some loving. Everyone gets to come and hang out on the couch for short periods, and we're still learning that being on our back is okay. Pistol counts the babies in the pool, then comes and checks on the one that's being socialized. She's very good about trusting us, but when they scream for her, she wants them back. Now that they're getting teeth, I imagine she'll start getting tired of them VERY soon.

Here are a few photos of the litter from last night:

Alex loving on Fiona


Andy and his ball


Cammie


Fiona on a bed of merle siblings

2 weeks

Here are the 2 week photos of the little ones. Bad lighting combined with a cheap-o camera didn't make for the best shots, but you get the idea.

Everyone's eyes are now fully open, and they're up and toddling. The small wading pool I have them in is no longer containing the adventure puppies, so they're graduating to the bigger pool tonight. They've been moved from my bedroom to the dining room, so they have much more room to move around. Pistol is also pleased with being back in the thick of things.

"Andy"


"Alex"


"Captain"


"Spy"


"Mac"


"Ellie"


"Cammie"


"Fiona"

Successes

Little Fiona is now past the 1 pound milestone. She gained 2 oz last night. WOOHOO

1 week pictures

Introducing the Apple Blossom litter! Boy puppies are on the blue, girls are on the red. I clipped nails and wiped down babies after the photos, so excuse the filthy pups. Everyone is doing well and gaining consistently, and a couple of the bigger puppies are up on their front legs now.

"Andy" Zahara Northern Lights. He is now the biggest puppy at just over 2 lbs.



"Alex" Zahara Emperor Alexander



"Captain" Zahara Captain Kidd



"Spy" Zahara Northern Spy



"Mac" Zahara McIntosh



"Ellie" Zahara Valstar Elstar



"Cammie" Zahara Apple Blossom Cameo



"Fiona" Zahara Beverly Hills. Still a week behind everyone else, she was a hair over 14 oz this morning (10 days).