8&1/2 weeks

Look what we can do !

Wrestling with Mom

Puppies play insatiably. It's one way they learn. They learn to control their strength and inhibit their bite. They also are improving their motor skills, body control and muscle development. Jinx is very gentle in her play with them. She rolls over and lets the puppies "win" when they wrestle. Here is Cocoa having fun with Mom.

Rain

Raining and cold again. Although I must admit that rain is not my favourite, there actually are advantages to occasional rainy days when raising puppies. The puppies still do go out two or three times a day. They are just going out to potty rather than to play. One thing they are learning by going outside is to become familiar with and accept wet grass. The other thing that inclement weather teaches them is to potty immediately as soon as they get outside. No lollygaggling or playing around before taking care of business. Today will be an indoor play day. The kitchen has been turned into a puppy obstacle course, with a tunnel, empty boxes, giant stuffed animals and other things for them to climb on, run through and go over and under.

wind

With all the wind and the rain, the yard has many small branches, twigs and leaves strewn about. The puppies think these are wonderful treasures to play with. Here is Onyx playing with some Maple leaves.

Over by the deck, Lace and Casper are playing "King of the Castle", or in this case "Queen" as it's Lace who was up top.

Cocoa checked out the hose to see if she could get a drink of water.

Visit

Today's puppy socializing visit was a little different. The puppies got to meet a cat. They were not quite sure what to make of it at first. The girls had a shorter visit and the boys had a longer and closer interaction. All went quite well.

Kibble ball

It's cold and wet and raining today so not a good day for outdoors. Puppies had fun running around the kitchen and sun room instead. Lace discovered the magic of the kibble ball.
Enjoy the video.

Vet visit

yesterday was our 8 week Vet visit. Puppies had their first vaccinations and got their microchips. Three were very accepting of their ordeal. Lace even had kisses and wags for the Vet afterwards. Casper was the most tolerant. Onxy took it all in stride. And then there is Cocoa, she put up quite a fuss, was not impressed with the procedure at all and made sure we all knew it. She sure has an attitude for such a little furball.

8 weeks old

How the time flies. 8 weeks old already. Here is the best photo I could get of the four of them together. It appears as though Casper and Lace are bigger but that is only because they are standing and little further forward and Cocoa and Onyx are sitting in the middle. Puppies don`t always cooperate and pose in the way you want them to.

Socializing

Puppies are busy socializing. They have met several people and gone on a few car rides. Each day, either we have someone over to visit, or the puppies go for a ride. Sometimes Mom is with them, other times not. Puppies generally go out in pairs or all four together. Lace and Onyx have gone one outing each on their own. Casper and Cocoa will in the next few days. So far, all are doing well with our assorted outings and visits. Here is Lace in the travel bag ready for her outing.

Temperament tests

Puppies have now had two different temperament tests. One at 6 weeks and one at 7 weeks. Temperment testing is not a formal science, it is simply a tool that helps assess puppy reponses and helps to identify certain potentials. Differences can be very subtle. All the puppies are sweet, curious, bright and lively. Some of the things identified are simply areas where one puppy may be more so than the others, athough all may have these qualities to varying extents. The results we got came as no surprise and are pretty close to what we have already been able to see ourselves in the puppies over the past several weeks.

Lace is sweet, gentle and loves attention. She is a lover and a cuddler. Cocoa is very sociable but also extremely curious, confident, spunky and adventurous. Casper is outgoing, friendly and easygoing. He is a lively little clown. Onyx is curious, adventurous and somewhat independent, always on the go.

7 weeks old

Here is Lace enjoying a tummy tickle. Casper who is determined that Momma's chew stick is not too big for him. Cocoa enthralled with the leafy treasure she found, and Onyx having a good chew on a stick.

Picnic

Puppies took time out from playing for an alfresco lunch.

So much fun

We just pulled out one of our agility practice tunnels for the puppies. Took no time at all for everyone to go zipping through. Casper and Cocoa in particular think this is a really fun thing to play in as they chase each other back and forth. Sorry the videos aren't great , but these little guys just move so fast. Will try to get some better ones later.

Bath day

Today was the day for puppies first bath. Oxny was the most accepting, and Cocoa the most objecting. She was quite vocal in expressing her displeasure at the whole affair. Here is Lace having her bath.

6 weeks - gardening

6 weeks old

Growing up fast. Onyx is the largest at 1014g. Lace passed Casper and is second in size at 974g. Then Casper at 950 and Cocoa still the smallest at 786g. coats are really long and thick. Pictures coming later.

Acquired taste

Living in the Slurpee capital of the world, this was bound to happen sooner or later. All the puppies loved licking the cool condensation on the outside of the cups, but some went just a little further.

Lead the way

The yard is fast becoming favourite place to play. Momma Jinx is giving Casper and Cocoa a guided tour of all her favourite spots.

Look what we can do!

This is new as of this morning. We have one single step from the yard to the deck. Its quite big, but at one spot, we have the step split into two. Puppies struggled a bit, but everyone can make it up the two half steps. enjoy the video.

5 weeks old

Seeing as it has been cold and raining, the puppies have not been able to go out and play. We took them out of the pen so they could go exploring in the kitchen. They had lots of fun exploring every nook and cranny. At 5 weeks old, Onyx is the largest at 910g , almost exactly 2 pounds. Casper is next at 878g, then Lace at 840g. Cocoa is the smallest at 726g. We started the puppies wearing small soft ribbon collars for a few hours each day so they can begin to get used to something around their necks. Onyx is green, Casper is black gingham, Lace is pink gingham and Cocoa is red.

Big wide world

With a bit of encouragement from Mom, everyone is ready to venture into the great big world of the backyard.

Teething

If you look at the dish, you can see that one side is filled with mushy cereal and the other side is plain dry kibble. Puppies are all teething. The canines have cut through already for Lace and Casper. Cocoa and Onyx are close but not yet. The other teeth may cut later this week or next week. Now it is time to move to crunchy kibble and puppy teething biscuits.

Video-playtime

Puppies are still a little wobbly on their feet but getting better all the time. They can now pounce and jump and try to run a bit. They can also pick up and carry small toys and drag larger ones. Periods awake do not last very long, but they are very lively. Two videos for you to watch. Enjoy!

Paw trimming

Puppy hair grows fast. All except Lace needed to have their pads trimmed already. Here is Casper getting his paw pads cleaned with the trimmer.