18 DAYS OLD!

Saturday, March 25th Update:
All the puppies have their eyes open now and almost overnight, they have stopped crawling and all are walking around the box. They have had their nails cut and are being handled a little more. The pups have started growling (though it sounds a little like a squirrel chirping!) and the occasional little bark is heard. If Judy isn't nearby when they want her, a couple of them begin to howl. They are becoming little dogs. I don't have the ceramic heat lamp on anymore, but they have a microwaved heat disk called a Snuggle Safe, in a corner under their blankets. They can cuddle up there if they are cold or can move away from it if they want to cool off. We have had to put in one of the panels across the whelping box door as two of the puppies have found their way out. Judy can jump over it now, but the puppies stay put. The door has one more panel that can be used as the puppies grow.

They are really starting to be fun but we can hardly wait until the time they are 6-7 weeks old. By then they will spend part of every nice day with me out on the deck.

The pictures below were taken only four days ago, but the puppies have already changed quite a bit since then as you can see in the video above.  You can follow their development on our Critical Perieds of a Puppy's Life page.

"Is my face going to be famous?"

 
"It's pretty crowded around here!"

The puppies are weighed each day. This assures us that they are each gaining weight. As you can see, they will soon outgrow this scale. Right now, we try to weigh them right after they have been nursing and are a little sleepy. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't!

Derek and Preston try to take a walk, while Izzy is happy to take a nap....this time!

 
Alex tried to look over the edge but finally fell asleep.
George tries to jump, but I'm too fast for him!

The puppies enjoy curling up in a "donut" bed
while I change the blanket in their box.

Changes

This week the most fun change is that the puppies are starting to open their eyes. Of course, they don't see very clearly. It will be awhile before they can focus. While I know they don't really see me, I love seeing their eyes open. I feel that they are becoming more puppy-like than baby-like!

 
The pups yawn, roll over and take naps....lots of naps!

George and Izzy

 
Preston and Alex

Derek and the Whole Bunch

They are stronger now and try hard to get up and walk. They are still wobbly and take some tumbles, but it is amazing how fast they change. They also have figured out how to stand up to get a better drink from Mom.

 
Preston starting to get to his feet and Pups having lunch!

The puppies like the security of sleeping under the "pig rail" and it does protect them from a tired Mom lying on top of them. Now they are getting pretty big and barely fit. Some don't fit at all!