They are starting to get more interesting now. We get up in the morning and you see their wee faces peeping out the box looking at you - cute. They are sitting up now, and learning to walk just like a toddler. Backwards seems to be easiest for them lol. And occasionally they let out a wee bark, or a growl - mega cute. And they are just starting to lap some puppy milk with farex in it - a very messy business, but their mum loves to clean them up, that way she can get some too.
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I can't believe that they are 3 weeks old already. It's a busy time, and the time has just flown by. Their eyes are open, and they can hear now. They sit up, and bite each other. And, of course, they are mega cute. I will get pictures up asap. In the meantime some of you have asked about their parents. You can see Taylor (the mother) on the Puppy Pages.
Below is a photo of the father:- He is CH Zamu Freddy Starfighter from Southbull Kennels. Three beautiful puppies, born on Anzac Day. All day Taylor was popping in and out to a hole she had dug in the back garden. (Never mind that we have a lovely warm box for her to have her the pups in.) She seemed absolutely determined to have them in the garden, however in the end the box (and I) prevailed. Two girls and a boy, all brindle in colour with a patch of white on their chest. The boy has a spot of white between his shoulders, and one of the girls has a flash of white between her shoulders. All wee rolly polies. I stay at home with them making sure everyone is warm and gets a feed. It is 24/7 care they get.
Taylor is a great Mum. She won't leave them for a minute, except when I can coax her out for something to eat, and to go to the toilet. I will put some pics up in the next few days. Taylor is pregnant with just one week to go before the big day. Actually it is usually a big night. She is still her usual playful self, the belly doesn't seem to slow her down at all.
Well, it is always kinda sad when they leave, and go to their new homes. However, I know that I have chosen good homes for them. And I love getting emails about how they are progressing, and the photos.
Of course, they all bite at the moment because they are teething, and their gums are sore. Growl at her for biting the wrong thing, and make sure she has a selection of chew toys that she can bite on. When it comes to toilet training your puppy, it is really a matter of remembering to give her the opportunity to do the right thing outside. She will need to toilet each time she wakes up, and after every meal. Also watch for when they head for the corners. You quickly get to learn the signs, just pop them outside to do their business. And praising her when she does, and using a word command, I use the word "toilet", that way they can decide what they want to do. Good luck, and enjoy your baby. Today they are going for the first visit to the vet. It is quite a milestone in their wee lives. They will be vet checked, vaccinated, and micro-chipped. All the staff will come and have a wee cuddle with them. Always a very proud moment :)
I get up at 6.00 in the morning and go downstairs. The puppies all come tumbling out of their box, yawning, and in some cases barking, as if to say "who goes there". Then, of course, they do what puppies do best, and leave several deposits on the newspaper. Meanwhile I let the big girls outside.
I warm their milk, and mash up their biscuits, sometimes I put a small amount of meat into their biscuits and put that in the pen with them, and it is heads down, bum up. Next I feed the big dogs. Then when the pups have finished I let them out of their pen and they run around, especially around my feet (which I have bare for two reasons: 1, because I would hate to stand on one of them and hurt them, and 2, because they dribble milk and slobber all over any footwear I had on anyway). And they like to explore the kitchen, chew the table legs, pull on the curtains, gather around doorways when the family comes through, and generally wreak havoc around the place. It is such fun. Nothing is safe, and I am constantly picking someone up and putting them on the newspaper for their deposits. I don't always catch them so I have a good supply of toilet paper on hand. Then, after about 45 minutes they hop back into their box for a sleep. I shut them in their pen - it is important to keep them in a safe environment so that they can't harm themselves when you are not with them. Leave them with plenty of toys, a drink of milk, a drink of water, and some biscuits, that always gets them through. Then we go through the whole routine again at lunchtime. When I get home at lunchtime I usually move them into the conservatory, good to have a change of scenery. Of course, if it is too hot I won't move them through there, they just have another play in the kitchen. And after work, we take the pups out and have them on the deck with us while we catch up on the day. I always have a bed or two for them to hop into when they are tired, somewhere for them to retreat to and be warm in the sun. Then back to the kitchen where they get under my feet while I cook dinner, into their pen for their own dinner, and out again for a major play in the evening. This is our typical day, it keeps me busy, and we get hours of entertainment watching them. Wonderful wee darlings. I had a few days respite from the quake zone, and it was wonderful. And what a difference I noticed in the pups when I returned! Big, roly poly puppies, chewing everything they can ( which includes my toes!) and playing and fighting with each other.
They are eating four meals a day now:- breakfast, lunch, dinner (around 5pm) and supper. We feed them Eukunuba Small breed puppy biscuits (available from most vets or pet stores) and I soften them in boiling water, although they will be able to chew them easily enough now. I also give them a little bit of steak mince (they prefer the meat however the biscuits should be the main part of their diet until they are at least 12 months old). And they are drinking Vitapet Puppy milk, warmed slightly in the microwave. When you get your new puppy you will need to puppy-proof their environment - they especially love to chew electric cords, and shoes After re-grouping at the end of the day our conversation goes like this:-
"I had a hot shower today" I said "Well I used a flushing toilet" said my husband These are things to be talked about now, as they are luxuries. Then comes the conversation about who is missing, everyone knows someone that didn't get home. Puppies are fine, and are a welcome distraction. No matter what Mother Nature does to us, life does still go on, albeit slightly differently to what it was a week ago. And puppies keep on eating, sleeping, growing, playing with toys, learning about their environment. Just as they should. They are not too bothered by the shaking, just so long as they are kept warm, fed, watered, and clean. For us, the pups are a welcome distraction to what is going on outside in our city. We are saddened, like the rest of New Zealand, about the dead, and the missing. But life does go on, and there is no greater joy than having a puppy lick your face. Christchurch will rise again, it is just going to take some time.
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