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Squirrelbirth weight: 15.8 oz, weight at 6 weeks: 11 lbs 2.7 oz
Squirrel continues to be Miss Playful. She loves to pounce and chew and can not get enough of those lovely girls with long hair! Sophie is a frequent victim of the hair chewing. I am not sure if it is the hair that is so fun for Squirrel or the little girl giggles! We have had 10 degree or below temps here for several days with a biting wind. Squirrel HATES to be out in the raw weather. (Who can blame her!) We carry her all the way to the farthest corner of the yard to go to the bathroom, otherwise she just scratches at the door to come in. Still, she does her business in record time and makes a bee-line for the door. She is quick as lightening and has mastered the deck stairs already. She adores tormenting Dakota by chasing him off his bed and then taking her place right in the middle of it. A very headstrong girl, but still loves the attention and affection from us. We just love watching that stubborn streak come through when she wants something.
Mudgebirth weight 15.2 oz, weight at 6 weeks: 11 lbs 1.8oz
All that fluff has apparently made Mudge immune to the elements. We joke that perhaps we should bring him a newspaper when he goes out to do his business. He takes his sweet 'ole time, sniffing all around the yard, playing with the other dogs, hiding under the deck. Just when we are about to give up, thinking, he doesn't have to go, he finds a place! Mudge
is catching up to Squirrel with his pouncing technique, though with all that fluff, he looks like the fat kid in gym class compared to her graceful leaps! He has made himself right at home in front of the glass slider leading to our back yard. There is often a pile of shoes there and he curls up between them. Sometimes he puts his muzzle right in the mouth of the shoe and falls asleep. Squirrel prefers to sleep under our coffee table. It offers the best location for a sneak attack! We are adding little "stresses" to the puppies lives to get them used to things like the vacuum cleaner, washing machine, different floor surfaces, etc. We try to expose them to as many new situations as we can. We are using Pat Schlaap's Rule of 7s technique to introduce 7 different types of food bowls, locations, floor surfaces, people, etc. These variations of exposures create a well socialized dog. So far both Squirrel and Mudge seem so even tempered. There hasn't been one situation where we felt either pup was uneasy. (Accept of course outside in this blustery wind which nearly lifts them right off the ground!)
Mudge and Squirrel - Terrific twosome goes rogue! No shoelaces are safe!
Tioga is amazing with the puppies. She is teaching them so much about playing gently and using a soft mouth. She is patient with them even though they continue to want to nurse and she clearly wants them weened. Tioga often allows them to suckle long enough to fall asleep when they are unsettled at night, and I usually find them all still sleeping together in the crate the following morning. It is a blast to watch them tearing around the living room!
Mudge and Squirrel - Terrific twosome goes rogue! No shoelaces are safe!
Tioga is amazing with the puppies. She is teaching them so much about playing gently and using a soft mouth. She is patient with them even though they continue to want to nurse and she clearly wants them weened. Tioga often allows them to suckle long enough to fall asleep when they are unsettled at night, and I usually find them all still sleeping together in the crate the following morning. It is a blast to watch them tearing around the living room!
