We Still Need Our Mommy

Many people think that since mother dogs don't want to nurse their pups much starting around five weeks that puppies can be taken from their moms by six weeks. But mom dogs do more than feed their babies they also teach them valuable lessons about how to behave. If one bites her too hard and she'll use her muzzle to push and hold him down for a minute, essentially giving him a puppy time out. If one the puppies is yelping, she runs to check to see if he's ok, which helps the puppy feel safe and learn to trust. Sometimes I'll see her correcting a puppy by pushing him down and giving him a soft bite, I don't know what the puppy has done wrong but I'm confident Connie does.

We still like Mom best!

This litter of puppies is taking their time adjusting to solid food. And if Connie is anywhere near by they ditch the food for a drink of milk. So I keep Connie away until the puppies have eaten all they're going to eat. Then I let her out to eat their leftovers - I think all moms eat their kids' leftovers.

It's very funny to see Connie try to eat what's left of the food and at the same time try to keep the puppies from nursing. She usually spins in a circle around the dish, scattering puppies as she goes. Don't think she's a neglectful mom because she doesn't want to nurse them much anymore, it's natural for a mom with puppies of this age to run from them when they try to latch on. She knows they need to adjust to life without her. She still feeds the puppies though, mainly at night when there isn't any other food for them.

Connie's Boy #1

We updated the Petfinder photos earlier this week, but the pups are sooooooo photogenic so there are lots of leftover pictures to post...

First, some of one of the little boys - his Petfinder page is here.

All Quiet in Puppy World

Not a lot going on right now with the puppies - they're just eating and growing. At this point they weigh between 4 and 5 1/2 pounds, which is great.

Their foster mom says that they're doing really well, starting to show their personalities. At this point, they are more excited to see her in the morning than they are to be fed (now that's love!).

Connie is spending more and more time inside the main part of the house with the family, really enjoying some adult time. While she's been so devoted to the pups, she clearly looking forward to when they move out on their own (and she gets her own home).

And the Boys!

And a few updated photos of the little boys as well. There are also more new photos on their Petfinder page!

The Girls...

We have some new puppy photos - these are the three little girls. Check out their Petfinder page for more updated photos! We'll post the boy photos here tomorrow.

Adventures in Dining

It's always exciting and messy introducing babies to their first solid food, and puppies are no exception. First step, soak some dry puppy food in water until it's soft and mushy. Second, pour the food in a large shallow pan. Third, add puppies. And I do mean "add the puppies" - the first time I literally put their front paws into the dish. What happens next varies. Sometimes one smart puppy figures out right away that this ushy mushy stuff is food and starts licking at it. Most of the time though the puppies just walk through the bowl getting themselves nice and messy (sometimes they crawl on top of one another in the bowl, it's a little like mud wrestling). Clean up isn't a problem though, as soon as they've had enough fun and food, I let their mom join them. She finishes off the puppy mush and then licks the puppies clean.

The little white girl puppy took to the food on the very first try and by this afternoon - the third day and the sixth meal - all of the puppies showed some interest in the food. Maybe not coincidentally, the three smallest puppies eat the most - perhaps the two fat boys are so full of mom's milk they can't be bothered with puppy mush.