Puppies 7 weeks old!



 It never ceases to amaze me just how fast the time flies past! I swear the puppies were just little tiny babies sleeping and nursing and now all of a sudden they are running around playing, barking, and crying when we leave the puppy pen for us to come back. It doesn't seem real.

 Since the last blog post, the puppies have moved into the living room where they have been at the center of everything going on in the house. They also have started spending much of the day outside on the  covered patio and in the yard. Bille is in there with them most of the time, although she is starting to feel more and more comfortable with them being on their own. They are almost weaned now, but Bille will still nurse them so she has to wear a whole contraption so she can spend time with them without them nursing. You will see it in the pictures! 

Some of our other dogs have begun their play sessions and socialization with the puppies. One dog in particular, Bear, absolutely adores puppies, and he sits at the gate staring, wanting to come in to play with the puppies. Bille has allowed him to come in a couple of times, and he has had so much fun getting to know the little ones. In the upcoming weeks, the other dogs will be spending a lot more time with the puppies, playing with them and further socializing them. 

We already have the first puppy party on the books! I try to have at least three puppy parties so that the puppies can meet as many people and other animals as possible before they go home. I like to take them to other people's houses so that they can get acclimated to different surroundings. I have added new pictures to the individual puppies' albums. And I have also added new pictures and videos to the whole litter album!

In Puppy Culture, at this age, the puppies are exposed to novel items and surfaces and sounds. They are very curious and their "fear period" hasn't started yet, so it's the best time to introduce novel things and get them used to them. The pups have different toys every day. They have gotten crinkly, crunchy items. They have been exposed to different kinds of flooring and have been experiencing gravel, grass, and the patio this week. They have been exposed to the vacuum cleaner and the carpet shampooer. And they have been exposed to different kinds of music, especially classical. I purposely left the front door and windows open so they could hear the garbage and recycling trucks come by this week. They are also getting individual cuddle sessions and one-on-one time away from their littermates.

This week, they got their toenails clipped again and got a little hygiene clip on their bottoms and the hair in front of their eyes trimmed.

Enjoy!

Photo albums 

Jodi

Kate

Meg

Alex

Nick

The Whole litter and Bille

                             


                                

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