The puppies are SO BIG and such little DOGS. It amazes us every time. They are smart, active, devious, insistent and CUTE. They keep all of us busy, and they are ready to meet their families!

The puppies are up to about a cup of food a meal (boys a bit more, girls a bit less), which is right on target for about 3+ cups per day when they go home. They know their routines! They are impatient for kitchen and outside time. We think they can tell time! Their microchips were injected this past Saturday, and these will be registered to the families on go home day.

Now is the time to make sure you have everything you need for when the puppies come home. We will send them home with a collar and microchip ID tag, bully stick, puppy blanket, dino toy and heart worm and flea starter chewables. In addition, we will send a Trupanion certificate and code so that you can have their gap coverage activated. There is absolutely no obligation for this, and if you choose not to use Trupanion, it will expire after a few days.

Today we have a video of each puppy learning to mand and develop eye contact. You can see a little bit of each puppy's personality, and examples of behavior to reward. This will help you when you train using the clicker at home. Notice that each puppy only needs a minute or two of work. This is plenty of time, twice a day sessions.

The puppies are now eating dry kibble, about 1/2 cup each per meal, along with some wet kibble. Soon we will wean them completely off of soaked kibble.

Play play play! The puppies live for play right now. They have all been engaging in the Box Game, and they have all passed this milestone with flying colors. They are now ready to learn manding. We expect this to go quickly.

They are ramping up their eating… a typical meal is 5 cups soaked kibble (which corresponds to 2 cups dry), with yogurt, cottage cheese, or tripe with it. They loveLoveLOVE the tripe! If they are a little slow to eat their meals, a bit of tripe works wonders (just a tablespoon scattered in the dish)!

Emmie plays with them a lot, keeping them at bay with growling and teeth, but never too mean. The girls in the house have a range of playing/enforcement levels, from Jackie (mostly play with little "enforcement" of rules) to Emmie, to Frankie (who tends to mostly correct). This is really good for the puppies. In addition, the puppies are mesmerized by the adult dogs zooming and barking in the yard.

BUSY little puppies! Here are two videos. First, the puppies start to enjoy the ball pit. The balls don't stay in the pool/pit very long!

Second, we let the puppies run around the kitchen and family room every morning as we start out day. Here is a puppy's eye view.

Well as you might guess, the puppies are keeping us busy. It has been a little while since an update, and the puppies are QUITE busy. Every day they grow a little in mind and body and it is amazing to watch. The puppies are in a fairly regular schedule now:

• 6:00 AM: Breakfast (right now more than 1 cup of pre-soaked Royal Canin Medium Puppy kibble + 1/4 of goat yogurt or cottage cheese, followed by 2 cups of goat milk)
• 6:30 AM: Run around the kitchen to stretch legs for 30 minutes or so. The puppies must dodge the Roomba, and all kinds of noisy kitcheny things like sheet pans and such
• 7:00 AM: Nap time. The big dogs in the house get exercise and attention during this time.
• 12:00 noon: Lunch on the patio! Pretty much the same as breakfast. They are eating a lot right now! Other add-ins include hamburger.
• 12:30 PM: outside patio time for an hour. The weather has been wonderful, so the puppies can spend lots of time outside.
• Mid-afternoon: the puppies get bully sticks or meaty bones to work on for a while. This is also a good time to work with them. Right now we are "powering up" the clicker. We should start the Box Game by the weekend.
• 2:00 PM: Nap time!
• 5:30 PM: Back outside for play and dinner. We have been getting them outside in the dark (dark in the yard, anyway), so they get used to night sights and sounds.
• 8:00 PM: Evening weighing and play. We spend some time in their puppy pen and play with them. It is getting tough with their barracuda teeth!
• 12:00 AM: Midnight "snack". This has been the same as the other meals. This means over 2 cups of puppy kibble per day, and 4-6 cups of goat milk, plus yogurt. They also get a BabyBel or two for training during the day.
• 2:00 - 4:00 AM: Wild crazy overnight play. At least once during the night, the puppies wake up and play noisily with each other.

How much do they weigh? The boys are all about 9 pounds, and the girls are around 8 pounds.

We are trying to introduce them to all kinds of objects and experiences. Today for example, we will put a bicycle in their patio play area, and Mike will cut the grass nearby. If there are any common objects (scooters? sports equipment? clothing?) that the puppy will be exposed to at home, let us know and we will try to introduce them here.

Outside play begins. We will let them play outside in the big space on the patio a couple times a day, weather permitting. They are getting better and better with their food (leaving less and less, much to Emmie's chagrin), and pooping consistently in their potty grass. Puppy fistfights have broken out as they push each other's buttons and test limits.

Five weeks old means new portraits! Five weeks is the sweet spot to get group shots. By next week the puppies will be so confident and independent the moment will have passed.

Lots of fun things happening now. Yogurt eating (and wearing), baths and blow outs, play in the kitchen, and learning to use the potty area.

The puppies are getting better at eating wet kibble, yogurt and hamburger mash. Emmie is still feeding them but the end is in sight. When the puppies are reliably taking food from hand real training can begin! The first step is the barrier challenge as described in Puppy Culture.

We have been preparing the puppies outside play area. Of course the next few days will be the coldest in a month!, so it's hard to find a good first time to venture outside.

The puppies are getting to meet the other dogs, and Jackie for one is very excited to meet all her new cousins. They are very friendly and outgoing, and they love to get attention from people. This is a good thing as family visits begin this week, and we are excited to meet families this weekend!

The first teeth have appeared! This changes the stakes a lot, as nursing can become uncomfortable for Emmie, and ankle biting will soon commence. On the eating front, hamburger milkshakes are starting (recipe: 1 cup warm goats milk with 1-2 oz mashed raw hamburger). When the puppies start eating such "real" food, they can go longer between feedings and weaning begins.

First baths were last night, so we have some clean, shiny puppies (at least for a few hours). Today will probably include their first nail grinding with the Dremel.

We have full on puppies! The puppies are fully aware of each other and are becoming more and more aware of their surroundings. They are paying attention to the people in the room, and are starting to solicit attention from us. They are listening to music (Mozart and 70s soul, mostly), and are trying to escape the whelping box.

Here are the puppies' three week portaits.

In the past few days, everyone's eyes have fully opened. Puppy ears are starting to open and so the puppies can hear. We have begun playing classical music for them as background noise. They are noticing each other, mouthing and starting to play. Walking is heading from "drunken sailor" to toddling. Lots of vocalization!

Here are the puppies at two weeks old.

Here are the puppies at one week old.

The puppies were born Jan. 18, 2022. Three males, three females. One brown wavy female. Two black curly females. Here are their newborn pictures: