Six Weeks Old

male - spot on head

 The puppies turned six weeks old today. They are such a fun age, they love to play and it is so fun to watch them chase after each other. Most of the time they are quick on their feet but every now and then they lose their balance and tumble over their feet. They have also discovered that they really love to chew. They chew their toys, their siblings and especially the shoes and hands of anyone who it close enough! We are trying to teach them not to chew fingers and pant legs but it is a slow process when there are ten to teach.

female - spot on shoulder



female - spot on head



male - spot on shoulder

female - no spot



female - spot on bum



they also discovered steps today.
It was fun to watch their little
game of "king of the hill"



male - spot on shoulder and female - spot on back
It was going to be a really cute picture and then little sister jumped into the shot.



female - spot on back and female - spot on ear

male - spot on head

female - spot on ear, male - spot on head

female - spot on tail

female - spot on shoulder



They are getting sleepy 

Playing in Maurie's room

male - spot on back

 

Forty Days Old

This photo reminds me of a mother duck and her ducklings

The puppies have been loving the sunny afternoons and their treks outside. They are becoming more playful every day and are figuring out how to follow my voice even when they are not able to see me. Below are a few photos from our most recent outing.

 



 

 

We also visited the veterinarian today. All the puppies did a fantastic job traveling to the office and waiting patiently for our appointment time. They all received a clean bill of health from the doctor and had their nails trimmed too.

 

I had intended to take a few pictures at the vet but I took
this one in the car and totally forgot to take any more.



Five Weeks Old

The puppies are now five weeks old. They are growing like crazy, they all gained about three pounds in last week, I even had to start using a different scale. They are still getting warm milk with their puppy food in the morning and afternoon but they are eating much more dry food throughout the day and drinking plenty of water. We are going to start weaning them off the milk gradually in the next week.

Our biggest accomplishment this week has been getting them to do most of their business on a smaller amount of newspaper in a corner of their room. We have been encouraging them to use the newspaper for several weeks and have found it very effective, they really do want to keep their sleeping areas clean. This week we made the newspaper area a bit smaller and I think that eighty percent of the time they still used the paper. They are still babies so they still have accidents but every day it gets better. I am not by any means suggesting that they are housebroken but this is one of the first steps of the process.

Their fur color has started to change a bit, their red and tan has started to move up their legs and some of their faces are getting lighter. Their baby blue eyes have begun to get darker and their ears are getting stronger.

They love to play and explore the world around them. They have started playing with their toys and love to chew and even play tug-o-war with the cloth knots. We went outside again today and they have gotten a bit braver and ventured a bit farther into the yard. They are now able to chase after their sisters but Miley and Maurie are still able to get away when they want.

My favorite time of day is after they have played and they are feeling a bit sleepy. I enjoy sitting on the floor and in a matter of seconds my lap is filled with puppies. They love to snuggle and kiss the hands and faces of anyone who gets close enough. They quickly fall asleep when they are held and petted. They are too cute when they snuggle and sleep.

Below are their five week old pictures. Enjoy!





Boy - spot on head - 9.23 lbs.



Boy - spot on shoulder - 9.14 lbs.



Boy - spot on back - 8.91 lbs.

Girl - spot on head - 7.75 lbs.



Girl - spot on shoulder - 8.12 lbs.

Girl - spot on back - 7.85 lbs.



Girl - spot on bum - 8.41 lbs.



Girl - spot on tail - 8.11 lbs.



Girl - spot on ear - 9.42 lbs.



Girl - no spot - 9.22 lbs.

Snow Days - 34 Days Old

Miley

 

Maurie

Our girls just love the snow. They love sticking their noses in the snow to look for their balls, Miley will even stick her ball in the snow, bury it with her nose and then dig it back out. They love to catch snowballs and to "help" as we shovel snow off the porch or drive way. They seem to really enjoy just sitting in the snow too and it took some convincing this morning to get them back in the house. For the past few days they have been living a dream, we got about six inches last weekend and most of it is still here.

Not sure yet about the white stuff

Today, while the sun was out and it felt almost nice, we decided to see if this love of snow had been passed on to the puppies as well. They were all a bit hesitant at first but quickly followed Maddie and the girls out onto the driveway. They walked through the snow and smelled everything but I think they were more distracted by all the new things they were encountering, it was also their first walk outside, that the snow was just one more new thing. They seemed to enjoy playing under the rose bush and smelling around the car. Here are some pictures of their playtime outside, sorry some of the pictures got a bit blurry, I have also identified the puppies I know for certain in each picture .

female (back), male (head)



female (ear)

 

female (bum) in front

male (shoulder)

female (shoulder), female (tail)

male (back)

(L) female (no spot) (R) female (back)

I think perhaps that we will take them out again tomorrow, if its not too cold, and see if they are more excited about the snow the second time.

It is getting harder to take pictures before they get up and walk away.

One benefit of a big play day outside is that they were all totally exhausted when we came back inside. Before they were all back in their room some of them had already curled up and fallen asleep. We turned the heat on high and dried their feet to make sure no one was too cold and they slept for a few hours. Although when they had some visitors this afternoon they quickly woke up and wanted to play again.