Pupdate at 18 days
The A Litter is 18 days old today. The puppies are really going through a fun stage where they are becoming aware of the world around them and at the same time learning how to walk around and control their little bodies. The past few days have seen lots of “firsts”; the first eyes to open, the first reaction to sounds, the first to eliminate without the dam’s help, the first attempt at play, etc. A notable first came tonight when Miss Orange finally made it out of the whelping box. She has been contemplating it for a few days, but I don’t think she was strong enough to get over the side yet. Tonight she made it, and I am glad I was there to catch her! Thankfully, she plopped on to the top of the little box I place them in while cleaning and such, and not the full drop to the floor. I have extra rails I have now added to the sides of the box to add a few extra inches of height.
Now that the puppies are exploring more, all of them have had a little time outside of the whelping box “in the real world”. When the pups are up and active, I have taken one or two at a time and placed them on the floor. I have three small dog beds on the floor outside the box, and I would sit on the floor and place the pup in there. This way they would feel safe next to me and with the familiar scent on the bed. The raised sides of the bed offer a sense of security, but are small enough they can crawl over. The first time, most chose to explore the dog bed, and all ventured onto the carpet, but would stay close, and check back in with me.
Here are a few observations about the pups so far:
Red has been playful, but not as exploratory inside the whelping box as Orange and Charlie. He enjoys picking on the toys, and was the first to initiate play with his siblings. Red is still the smallest, but that does not stop him at all. He will push his brothers and sisters off at meal time to get to his favorite spot. Thankfully, there has been plenty of milk with only 4 babies, and no one has had to really complete for a meal. Red gave me quite a surprise his second time outside the box. He took off across the floor! The other dogs all came to check him out and he didn’t pay them any attention. He was the first to walk on all fours, and is the most coordinated when walking. He managed to make it all the way out of the office and half-way down the hall before he decided he had had enough. That was quite a trip for a baby puppy! Today he saw himself in the mirror, which made him do a double-take. In looks, Red reminds me of his father, Marcello, and I have a feeling he will take a lot after his dad as he gets older.
Miss Orange does the most exploring, she is very curious and will go in and out of the several beds I have on the floor. She will venture out to the open carpet, but doesn’t stray too far and likes to stop and return to check in with me or momma Zep, then go back out again a little farther. She has a feisty spirit and will sometimes give a little growl when I lift her out of the box. Miss Orange has reminded me of her mother, Zeppe, since the moment she was born, and she continues to take after her in many ways.
Charlie likes to explore the area in and out of the dog beds, but stays a little closer then Miss Orange. He is very comfortable being handled, and seems to enjoy it. This is the pup that would fall asleep during his Bio Sensor exercises. He is the 2nd most exploratory in nature after Orange. He has the most bone of all the pups, and has a large masculine head to complement his generous amount of white. The first nubs of milk teeth are starting to come through his gums. So far Charlie has been a nice, middle-of-the-road pup.
Miss Green has been a couple days behind her siblings developmentally. This is normal, and in any litter there will be a range of those who develop faster or slower. She is walking around on all fours now, but she is still pretty unsteady in her rear and will need more time before she is getting around like the others. On her adventures, Miss Green liked to check out the dog beds, but preferred to snuggle up to me or fall asleep rather than do much exploring just yet. She is fairly playful and likes to play and mouth my fingers quite a bit. Ironically, though she has been trailing behind her littermates in several areas, she is the first to get in most of her milk teeth. Right now Miss Green is a pretty quiet pup that still sleeps a lot. She is very sweet and not as outgoing as her siblings, but that may change in a few days as she catches up to them.