SO MUCH CHANGE!! WEEK 3!!

So much change and growth going on around here I can hardly keep up! Week 3 started us eating mush, potty pads, outdoor adventure, new sites, sounds, smells and feels! We give a little bark now and then, can move around much less like a drunken sailor but still a little wobbly. AND WE ARE SOOOOO CUTE!!!

The pups are big enough now we have removed the "pig rail". The PVC pipe is in place to keep Mom from scooting up against the side of the box and accidentally squishing one of the babies. She would not notice so that rail gives a little space for the pup to be safe. And it turns out, it makes a great pillow!

We started eating mush so that should give Mom a bit of relief although it will still be a bit before she is finished nursing. They need both Moms milk and real food for a few weeks still.

I gave them just water the first time to get their lickers working. Then I added some Diamond Naturals large breed puppy kibble that I ground into powder along with some pumpkin powder and goats milk powder. It did not take them long to figure out this game, today we had 2 servings!

With the addition of solid food, solid poops are coming right behind them.....haha! I started adding Potty pads to the whelping pen to help get them started with the concept of using a specific spot to eliminate. And boy is it working great! They are not 100% but are definitely grasping the concept. This early indoctrination makes potty training at home soooo much easier when the time comes that these precious babes are with their families. We will move to trays with grates shortly.

Speaking of growth.....check out the growth chart! We weighed them daily for the first 2 weeks and now weekly. This is the most consistent chart ever! All are gaining at such a great rate and so even, all exactly what we love to see! They outgrew the scale tray so now have to use a bucket to contain them but it works....for now anyway.

Noise stimulation was big this week. We introduced the vacuum and the washing machine. We try really hard to expose the sights and sounds that will be part of their everyday life. Loud noise exposure in small increments will hopefully dispel the fear factor or fireworks, etc in the real world as they grow up.

This weeks biggest adventure was a cart ride in the yard. Mom was none too happy about this one but the pups did great! This was a big one and the first time they weren't being held or in their whelping pen when something new was introduced. Later this week, (in the am when it's not so hot) we will try it again and maybe venture out into front yard!!

All this growth means we had to change out the marker ribbons as they were getting too tight. Easy to do and gave me a chance to get a few cute face shots to share of the "littles". May our adventures bring smiles to your world!!!

Miss Poplar

Miss Sequoia

Mr Spruce