The beginnings of play

The second week with the puppies was great. It's unbelievable how much they change every day. Their eyes are all open and ears are opening too. They get around pretty well… no more tummy dragging!

They still love to lay on top of each other and have a puppy heap :) They still have their daily exercises of being held in different positions, now for a little longer each time. We continue to stimulate the bottoms of their feet with q-tips and cold washcloths. New this week is sound work. They get a couple daily doses of a CD that plays many different sounds such as crying babies, door bells, cars, angry cats, barking dogs, traffic, etc. Classical music is always a regular thing too. The different tempos, low notes, high notes and instruments are excellent sound variations for new ears.

Today, I noticed the first signs of play. I love this stage! They start by mouthing each other and trying to bite each others' noses, even though they don't have teeth. The whelping box is very active and getting a little tight with 11 in there! They will move out to their new quarters this weekend.

Meanwhile, the big dogs are enjoying the last dose of snow that we just got. They can't get enough of it! Greta loves to get out of that hot whelping room and get some fresh air and lay in the snow. She doesn't like to be gone from the babes too long, so she sticks close to the house. The other two big dogs run and romp and roll in the fresh snow as much as possible.