Happy Easter Everyone!

Since we will be visiting with family tomorrow, I decided to update the pups today for weights and to celebrate the Easter cheer. :+)

Stripe Boy weighed in at 8 1/2 lbs. this week. He is curious about the little rabbit.















Okay...no more Cadbury Eggs for Green Boy. He weighs 12 lbs. this week!















At 8 3/4 lbs., Blue Boy is contemplating whether he should eat any Easter treats.















Teal Girl is staying trim at 7 1/2 lbs.















'What do you mean - no chocolate? I only weigh 6 1/2 lbs.!' Yellow argues. :+)















'Wanna be friends?' asks Black Boy. He is the second largest at 9 lbs.

Expanding our horizons!

Today was a nice day and so I opened up the second pen so that the pups would have more room to run and play. In my second pen is a colorful children's gym set. I had been wanting to take a 'body' shot of the pups but trying to protect them from falling, taking a picture and keeping them occupied all at the same time was extremely difficult. Then I thought if I put some peanut butter on one of the sides of the play gym - I just might get them to stay still long enough to get a shot - it worked! So here they are. A bit too much sun for really nice pics but I am very happy to have been able to pull it off. :+)

As you can see, I had to move the peanut butter mark much lower for Yellow Girl.















Then I had to move it much higher for Green Boy! Oi!















Stripe Boy didn't move a muscle while licking.















Ummmmm....Black Boy kept wanting more.















Blue Boy started from the bottom and worked his tongue up and up!















'Where is that yummy stuff?' asks Teal Girl!

Our 8 weeks pics and weights.

Since they are now 8 weeks, I am hoping I will be able to get them to understand what that dogie door REALLLY is for - POTTY OUTSIDE! :+) They use it to go an play without a problem and SOMETIMES they use it for pottying. It is my goal this week to help them connect outside with pottying as well as fun!

For this week's pics I used a bit of 'soft' focus around some of the pics just for a change. :+)


This is our champion shrimp - Yellow Girl at 6 lbs. 3 ozs.




















Green Boy aka 'Hummer' flattens out the scale at 11 lbs. 4 ozs.




















Holding true to the medium size are the 3 muskateers with Blue Boy at 8 lbs. 4 ozs.




















Black Boy at 8 lbs. 4 ozs.




















and Stripe Boy at 8 lbs. even.




















Teal Girl is holding her own petite size at 7 lbs. 4 ozs.

We are such social butterflies!

We had visitors today and didn't the pups enjoy all the attention. :+) Aside from trying to chew their shoelaces, fingers, pant legs, medical booties, sweatshirts and various other articles deemed 'delicious', all survived without mishap.

At this stage, the pups are full of curiosity and teeth with a strong need to discover the world and all its exciting parts - which include 'tasting' people and what they are wearing!

Dad and Krista are being attacked by puppy gremlins! Which to pat first???















Stripe Boy has decided to take a short break with Krista.















Mom enjoys being the object of both Teal Girl and Green Boy's attention.



















Stripe in hand and Black Boy waiting his turn.




















Here Krista is enjoying the company of Teal Girl on the left, Black Boy in her lap and Stripe coming out of the crate.



















I really think Krista likes Strip Boy. :+)



















Ali is not really sure Strip and Teal are going to 'go' in the right place.














Mom carefully shows Krista the correct way to place a Green Boy down. Good job!




















Although her eyes are bright and wide open, it is just minutes later that Yellow Girl found a spot and was soundly asleep from all this attention.



















Thanks bunches Mom, Dad, Ali and Krista! The puppies had a wonderful nap after your visit and while they napped, I switched over their room so they now have direct access to the dogie door. Let's hope they begin using it in earnest!

Our first Temperament Test.

Hi all!

Today, my trainer came in to do the first set of temperament tests on the pups. A few of them were a bit whiny as they were in a strange room with a strange person and felt a bit uncertain. Black boy, in particular, sat at the gate and cried pretty much the whole time. Both my trainer and I were perplexed about this until she told me that he had heard me preparing their lunch and wanted nothing to do with testing once his nose got a whiff! Oh dear! He did do great when he went outside for a part of the test, so we do know he is fine. :+) The next time she comes (2 weeks), we changed the time so that they will all be fed prior to the visit. As I figured, the girls have more spunk than the boys.

Today is a lovely day and they were outside early.

Once they got down the ramp, they were all very interested in sniffing the 'new space'.















I put one of the little tubs out there for pottying, and it appears one of them figured out really quickly why it was there. :+)















I placed the little tunnel between the aisle and the new pen space for entertainment.















It appears Blue Boy prefers the outdoor plumbing to the indoor plumbing.















After running and playing in their new area, they are pooped! Lunch will be served soon and it will begin all over. What a life. Sigh.

Our new experiences during week 6.

First of all these pics are the result of all the puppies going through the dogie door, so each pup is quite pleased with themselves for accomplishing this. They were allowed outdoors into what you see below as the 'aisle' which connects my puppy room to the outside playpens.

Olive is always trying to mingle with the pups and they consider her the 'Pied Piper' and follow her everywhere.















If she goes in, so do they. If Olive goes out, they follow. It is rather cute to watch.















Here, Yellow Girl is waiting for Olive to approach.















Another first is their experience with eating chicken necks and wings. Initially, they are only able to use their teeth to scrape off the meat. Today, when I gave them some, there was very little left. They are consuming the cartilage and bones.















Teal Girl is watching to see who will come out of the tunnel. She is getting ready to pounce on them when they do.















There is a group gathering near the potty tub.















They truly enjoy the added space and activity of this area and will be very anxious to utilize the added pen as soon as the snow melts and I can shut the gate. :+)