Puppy Faces

Every day I spend more and more time with them. Yesterday, for the first time, I sit down in their pen with them. One puppy curls up right next to me and falls asleep. The others try to crawl in my lap. They treat me like I'm a warm blanket. Which is exactly what they sleep on. They need help staying warm because they are still so small. A couple weeks ago one puppy decides to find its own warm spot. 

They are not crawling anymore and actually walking around. They try to run fast but they are still coordinating their legs. It's adorable to watch. They go to the bathroom on their own. They will eat soft puppy can food 3 or 4 times a day. Cora feeds them less and cleans up after them less. We have to clean up more now. It's not as bad as the first time around, because this time we know more things. For example, being out of the house for more than a couple hours means we come home to a huge mess. So we try to stay home as much as possible although we still have to go to work to make our money. 

I cut their nails twice, because they're growing so fast! They still make cute sounds but now the sounds come with body language which makes trying to understand them even cuter! Sometimes it seems they say these things: "Feed me", "I feel alone", "I'm not sure", or "I challenge you". Here's a video of them talking about getting comfortable enough to go to sleep.

Just like human babies, it's important to talk to puppies for brain development and learning. In the video, I try timing the sound of my voice with a sleep command, right when they are about to fall asleep, in an effort to associate my voice and command with that behavior. I do that when I feed and greet them. I use the same greeting every time I enter their pen.

Each one is special in their own way, but I can't help but make comparisons to their parents and the breed in general. I am able to scratch them in the same spots their parents like and get the same responses. I scratch their chest and a leg starts thumping, identical reaction as Benny and Cora. There's even a girl, who looks like Cora, that is escaping the pen whenever there's a chance!

There she is. Cora's mini-me. She and Cora are perfect examples of the escape artist Husky character. There is another puppy that looks like Cora, but it's a boy. 

The other five look more like Benny. The first two are girls. 

These three are boys. 

I still have to weigh them all before labeling them. The PuppyFind ad is up for them anyway. There are two puppies with potential future homes. We will be letting visitors come after their first set of shots, so that will be around December 15th. Sorry for the wait everyone! Stay posted on here for now. Thanks for reading and I'll try blogging sooner than later! 

2nd Round

We're back! Second round of puppies in our own home this time! 

Benny and Cora have 7 puppies this time. As one visitor says "She outdid herself." Cora's doing really well handling an extra puppy in comparison to her last litter of 6. There are 4 boys and 3 girls. Go ahead and count the puppies in the picture. There's seven!  

Cora is aware of taking care of herself this time around. She knows when to feed her babies and when to ask for food. She knows to go to the bathroom as often as the puppies do. She's eating more this time than last time. Even though the puppies are now 13 days old, they are already growing quickly. 

Right now, the puppies are less work than in the future weeks to come. All they do is make cute sounds, eat, sleep, go to the bathroom, and move around on their legs. At first, they move like wiggly worms on their bellies but now they can actually pick themselves up and use their legs. They move slow, but surely. They can walk under and over the blankets they sleep on. Their eyes aren't open yet, but we are expecting them to open soon. Here's a video of a puppy trying to get comfortable. 

There is less stress this time around. We actually sleep more too! Everybody knows how this goes from the first experience. John and I understand when to trust Cora to help herself and when she does need our help. I can distinguish puppy sounds and react accordingly. May and Benny know to give Cora her space. Benny sometimes lets her eat more dog food when feeding time happens. The puppies even have their own room, that we call the "Puppy Room". 

The puppy room layout will change, probably every week, as the puppies grow. Them having their own room is very convenient to all of us and how we live in our home. We all definitely have our own separated and designated spaces. In addition, we have floors instead of carpet. It is so much easier to clean, especially during the whelping. The picture of the puppies in the laundry basket is when we have to sanitize all the floors in their room. Their blankets are switched and washed every day. Cleanliness is key to healthy puppies.

John and I are constantly attending to Cora, Benny, May, and the puppies so our energy is emptied every day. All our animals are worth it, but having 10 pets under one roof is a lot of work. We are buying food like every other day. They eat more food than us! However, we are doing fine, especially with family visiting and helping us. In addition, many teachers have been supplying us with newspapers for reusing. The puppies are now on puppyfind.com, but continue to stay updated by reading this blog. 

That's all the energy for blogging I have now. Thanks for reading the first post of the second round!