A whole new world

It's a whole new world for the puppies. They love their new spot- love the room to run, love the toys to play on, and love all the food they are getting! I love it when they move out to their big pen because they really start showing us who they are. I am constantly reminding them that ears and tails are NOT chew toys! Everyone is pretty good at "dishing it out", but there are some real babies when it comes to "taking it". Some of their favorite toys are- socks in a knot and old milk jugs. Of course they love fingers too! And yes, their teeth are quite sharp now. I can't believe how fast they are growing. Today they are 5 weeks old! "Chunk" is still the biggest, but the others a gaining on him!

Enjoy "play time"

Too big for the box...

As these puppies get bigger, I end up spending more time with them...then I wonder where my day went! They all know my voice now and have learned that I am the one that brings the food to them. We have moved on from the mushy puppy food. Now, the food is soak for a few minutes to soften the outside, but the inside of the kibble is hard. If you have visited recently you can attest to how sharp their teeth are! ;-)

The pups have outgrown the whelping box and are now in their new puppy play pen. They have lots of room to roam and are much happier. While it is a bit colder then in the house, they have three heat lamps that help keep them warm. Plus Ryder is never too far from them. I don't have photo's of the new pen yet, but will do my best to get some soon!

Once all the pups gets used to the new pen, we will start our walks in the woods and through the pasture. It is great fun! Their personalities are really starting to shine through, but each of them are just wonderful, healthy, happy pups. "Chunk" outweighed his siblings by a bout a pound, but they are gaining on him. The little girl with the mark in the middle of her back is called "Spunky Brewster." She is THE happiest, tail-wagginist, in your face puppy of the group. I think she defiantly got her dad's tail wag! I love to see her...she is happy all the time! They puppies are starting to interact with their toys- carrying them around, shaking them violently, and playing tug-o-war.

Hard to believe, but each day they do get cuter! Just think...only 4 more weeks until they go to their new homes!

"Full Meal Deal"

I was playing with the puppies yesterday and discovered that their teeth are coming in- so I introduced them to "real" food. And let me tell you - they dove right in! After soaking puppy food for a few hours, I puree it in the blender and presto- puppy soup! The first time they eat is like no other. There is no doubt that they LOVE the food, it's just that they aren't really sure how to approach it. They are all eager to start in, but once the food around the edges is gone, they don't really know how to get to the middle. Some back-up in hopes they will find it, others decide that their neighbor has enough on their head and legs and help them out by licking it off . But it's the the very brave that jump, head first, onto the pan and head for the middle. Whatever the method, when it's all over, every puppy is covered- head to toe- nose to tail in puppy soup!

Then comes Ryder's favorite part- the clean up. She is very thorough, getting in all the nooks and crannies. Once clean up is over, everyone tops off with mom's milk, and then it's sweet dreams for the lot of them. Enjoy the footage-

Meal-Time Scramble

You would think that having their eyes open would help the pups locate Ryder more accurately when she is in the box...yes, one would think! Here is how it usually plays out- Ryder will stick her head in the box to check on things. One puppy will see that and go into a crazy frenzy, barking, and spinning in circles. This action wakes everyone else up, who mimic the first. Ryder will then get in the box and it is a scramble in every direction but the correct direction to get to her first. Some puppies are backing up, some are spinning in circles, at least one has it's front feet up on the pig rails braying like a donkey. Finally, one by one, they find her. It sounds like a takes a while, but this all happens in less then a minute. This is what the final product looks like:

Not even time for her to sit or lay down. I will try to get a video of it.

All the pups are growing, growing, growing! They get to come out of the box everyday to explore or just hang out. In a week they will be moved to their puppy yard so they can have more room to play.

Peek-a-boo

It seems like just overnight most of the puppies have opened their eyes and are up walking (stumbling) around. It is so fun to watch,

as now they will start to play with each other, wag their tails, and hear things. The one I like to call "Chunk" likes to bark at his sisters and brothers. There is lots of fun to come with this group!

Here is a short clip of our first "puppy play time"

"Pass the Pigs"

Have you ever heard of the game "Pass the Pigs"? It starts out with two pig figures that you toss like dice. Then, depending on how each pig lands, you get points. The first person to reach a certain amount of points wins. It is pretty fun! Well, it turns out that the puppies know how the game works! Instead of "Pass the Pigs"- we have "Pass the Pups"!

"The Sider"

"Double Sider"

"Razor Back"

"Leaning Jowler"

"Oinker"

The puppies just continue to get cuter and cuter. A few of them are starting to peek out from the corners of their eyes and have even started walking a few steps. But most of the time the main mood of getting from one spot to another is the infamous "roll over." We have another new nickname- "Chunk" (like from Goonies). He is the big male in the group (the one that slowed our labor up for four hours). Here he is trying to look like a "Shar Pei"-