Last week passed really fast - almost too fast - and it looks like this week is heading the same way. Of course, the dominant factor in my life last week was the new litter of puppies. The first two weeks of a puppy's life can be the most time-consuming because they are most vulnerable at this age to just about anything that comes along - a chill, a cat, parasites, digestive upset, and so on. But in another way, the first two weeks are the easiest. You see, once they pass this "danger age" (which really isn't all that dangerous if you're careful) they start getting into the active age, which is synonymous for finding all the ways they can get into trouble. Once they are active and cutting teeth, they learn to do fun things like chew through electrical cords, fall out of their bed without knowing how to get back in, and try to squeeze their curious little heads through the wire sides of their run. They also begin to LOVE attention, which means that my interaction with them may take longer and become more meaningful, and once I start trying to do some preliminary training - well, the mornings start getting shorter, or so it seems. Sorry for the digression. The important items on the puppies' schedules this week were: 1: Nurse as much as possible, and 2: Sleep the rest of the time. I am trying out early neurological stimulation with this litter and interested to see if it really produces all the great effects which researchers and other breeders say it does. I am also weighing every puppy at least once per day and charting their weights so that I can keep track of their growth and spot problems before they become too big, if any arise. Below are individual pictures. Enjoy! Magnus (was Jolly) Magnus is somewhere in the middle of the litter, weight-wise, so he has a ways to go to earn his name, but he is strong, vigorous, and hard to photograph because he likes to hike all over the place, hunting for lunch (which I interrupted.) Mac (was Melchior) Mac is the second smallest pup in the litter, but that can easily change later on. The biggest/ littlest pups often switch positions, so it is too early to tell what size he will be. Mac strikes me as being fairly quiet and laid-back, but quite energetic when energy is needed. He can sure shove his way in to the milk bar! I tried to get a photo of him with Duncan, but as you can see, Duncan did not want to cooperate. Logan (was Star) "Star" is the little guy in the litter, but he has some serious energy when it comes to hunting for dinner. He was definitely the most difficult pup to photograph today because he insisted on "swimming" all over the place in an effort to find his mommy, and his lunch. Needless to say, I popped him back in the box as soon as possible. I also gave him a little homemade goat milk formula to help him catch up to his brothers in weight. I usually have to do this with one or two pups in every litter and it's not a big deal. He would probably be fine without it, but it makes me feel better to give it to him when he seems a little extra hungry. He is doing his best to catch up to his look-alike, Churchill, but it's going to take awhile. Relic (was Gaspar) As far as markings go, Relic is by far my favorite puppy in this litter. He is absolutely gorgeous. (The others are too, just I like the arrangement and color of Relic.) He is the second biggest pup, weighing in this morning at 28+ oz, and right now has a sleepy, happy-go-lucky temperament - when he's not too hungry. Dinner time is very serious, though, and he'll muscle his way over, under, through, or around his brothers to get to the milk bar. Churchill (was Balthazar) Churchill was the last puppy born, arriving at 12:20, December 3rd, so technically he has a different birthdate from his four brothers. Currently we are coming up with all kinds of nicknames for him, ranging from "Plumpy" to "Humongo-mungo," because he is so fat. Actually, I love it when puppies are fat, so I'm happy he is such a chunk. There's really not much to see about his temperament at this age; he's just fat and happy. But I know he will be a great dog! And, just for fun: Yours truly, attempting to take a father/son picture with Duncan and Mac. As you can see, the father abdicated his position and claimed protection from his son, who was left out in the cold (momentarily!)
I took video of the morning weighing/ neurological stimulation routine and am in the process of editing it. I will attempt to post it tonight or tomorrow and will add it here, to the bottom of this blog post when it is complete. But I thought y'all would probably rather get the pictures of your puppies right away. I hope you enjoyed them! As always, feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns, or comments. There is also a comment form below.
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AuthorMy name is Alayna Feldman. I have been greatly blessed and am thankful, first and foremost, to the Lord Jesus Christ, Who has saved me. I am also deeply thankful to my parents, who have raised me in a stable, safe, loving home and taught me about what is most important in life. Archives
February 2022
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