It was a busy day for the puppies. They had some visitors, and then they moved upstairs to the main floor where they can observe our day to day household activities. The move didn't seem to bother them at all. They were quick to explore their new home (an ex-pen complete with crate and toys). The crate and it's comfy bedding is a popular spot for sleeping. There is a board in one corner that Tally can get in and out of, but keeps the puppies contained (for now). The puppies now get to see and hear all kinds of new things, such as the dishwasher, other dogs and the television. In the evening some saxophone music came on the TV and two of the puppies started howling along! Their sire, Karo, likes to sing along when his owner plays the trumpet, so it would seem that at least some of the puppies may have inherited this trait!
Another busy day! One of the puppy's families came to visit. The pups seemed to enjoy all the extra attention and Tally also liked snuggling and cuddling with the visitors.
Later in the day, the pups got their first taste of solid food. They were starting to try to eat the newspapers and their toys, so we thought it was time to give it a try. Well, there was no hesitation at all. They dove right in (quite literally) and gobbled up the small amount of food they were offered. Their first meal was finely ground turkey necks mixed with goats milk to make a mushy consistency. They are too young for weaning, but we will gradually offer them more solid food as a supplement to Tally's milk.
As they handled the food so well yesterday, they got a bit more today - three small meals. It is very funny to watch them eating, as they get completely covered in their food (photos to come...). They step right in the food bowls and spread it everywhere! We think at least some of it is actually being eaten.
Their teeth are really coming in now. We can easily see the canines and some of the other teeth breaking through the gums. We can really feel them too, when the puppies chew on our fingers. Other new developments include panting, self-grooming and shaking (the full body shake that dogs do after they get wet).
The puppies have now mastered the art of feeding from Tally while she is standing up. They are just big enough to reach!
Their weight gain continues and they now collectively weigh 45lbs!! No wonder we are going through so much food!
As I woke up this morning I heard Andy exclaim "there are puppies all over the place!". Several of the puppies had escaped their pen (by climbing over Tally's doorway) and were busy exploring the dining room. We don't think they had been out for very long, as they had been quiet all night. Time to raise the height of the board!
The puppies now seem to be in a routine of waking up at 6am, just like our other dogs! This morning they all had a good howl when they woke up. The funny thing was that Tally joined in with them, with a very long mournful howl. It is starting to sound like we are raising a pack of wolves in the house!
The messy part of raising puppies is really kicking in now. Along with the chorus of howls, we woke up to the smell and sight of A LOT of puppy poop. They are getting pretty good at pooping only on the papered end of their pen, but there are occasional mishaps.
We have really noticed that their ears are getting longer/bigger these days. When they are feeding standing up from Tally, they look a bit like lop-eared bunnies!
The first RETRIEVE!!!! Well, it was sort of a retrieve. Inbetween feeding the puppies and putting them back in their pen, Tiger found a crumpled up paper towel and proudly marched around carrying it in his mouth! It was very cute.
Feeding time is one of the most amusing parts of the day. Let me describe how we feed the puppies... We enclose an area in our kitchen, using an ex-pen. The kitchen is only about 12 feet away from their pen in the dining room. When all 10 puppy bowls are filled with food, we put each one on a non-slip mat in the kitchen and then open the door to their pen. We call "pup pup pup pup" and get them to follow us into the kitchen where they quickly find their bowls and start to eat. While they are eating, we clean out their pen. They are getting quite good at making their way into the kitchen. The trip back is another story! We call them back and one of us sits in the puppy pen to encourage them to come in. After eating they are quite rambunctious and curious, so take the opportunity to explore a bit and play. Inevitably one or two puppies end up wandering down the hallway. They get more enthusiastic about this process every day and by this evening it felt a little bit like a stampede!
They are still getting a mix of ground turkey necks and goats milk. Tomorrow we will introduce them to some beef. Tally is still feeding them frequently, so they are still mostly relying on her for food.
The puppies seem to have turned into little hooligans overnight. After feeding them this morning (they got to try some beef - it seemed to go over well!), they went back into their pen and started pulling on their bedding and dragging the towels and fakefur pieces all over the place. They were even grabbing it and shaking it and generally having a whale of a time. Tally joined them and then nursed them for a while. Then she threw up in the pen and they got a THIRD breakfast! Actually I think Tally re-ate much of it, but the puppies got some of it. Tally had been fed sardines, vegetables and oatmeal for breakfast, so you can imagine the mess and the smell..... This is the natural way for canine mothers to introduce their puppies to solid food. Now the puppies all smell rather fishy.
