Five weeks old!

The pups are five weeks old today!

In the past week they have really blossomed. They are now full-fledged, active, playful little dogs. We have shifted from the whelping box to a crate (doors open so they can come and go at will) with a pee pad nearby for business and they are being mildly successful at doing their business on the pad. (We put on a spray that encourages them to "go" there.)

 We are feeding them puppy food mash (kibble soaked in water), and a few of them are starting to get some teeth, so within a couple weeks they will graduate to dry food. While they still nurse, last night when I put the pan of food in their corner and then mama jumped in, a few of them stuck with the mash rather than rushing over to get mama-food.

We have placed the Adventure Box in their corner as well - a 30" x 30" x 24" tall frame with toys, stuffies, and other items dangling from the top, giving them things to play with, touch, and hear. As they move around these items and touch them, they are exposed to a variety of textures and noises, the idea being to familiarize them with various stimuli so they become accustomed to a variety of sounds and feelings and are more able to deal with the stress of new situations.

In addition, my kids have had various friends come over during the past week, and we've had several prospective adopting families come visit the pups, so they have had lots of interaction with people. This is always a good stimulus for them. It helps them get used to being handled by many different people and to learn to play with people. And they are always tired out and sleep well afterwards!

Four of the puppies are now reserved, leaving just two available. We have at least one family still considering it, and have had a couple more inquiries, so we are hopeful they will all find homes by the time they are ready to leave in mid-January.