The First Few Days

Suffice it to say, things have been very busy around here.   The pups are fully enjoying their play yard!    They have had two walks already.  For those who have been here,  the first walk was down toward the stream and the other almost to the rock bridge.  We did not go further because we did not want them to get wet as it was quite windy here today.   As five-plus-week-old pups, they did quite well.

Right now the pups are doing quite a bit of screaming - they are just learning that they are causing it to happen.   One pup bites another pup's ear - the one being bitten screams and the one biting has no idea s/he is causing the noise.    Ahh, the beginning of bite inhibition!

We had a few visitors this weekend who enjoyed watching the pups go through their antics.  It really is hard to believe how much time one can spend with the pups - they are just delicious!   Below is a photo of their outdoor play yard and a couple of candids.    There are hundreds of new photos up on the 6-week site.   Enjoy!! 

Miss Rainbow Grabbing Her Tail.

Unidentified Cuteness!

Mr. Blue Practicing The Bottle Return 

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The End Of A Very Long Day

Today we packed up the house, loaded the van, and headed up to Gayle and Andy's for the big move.   We took a few photos with our phones, as the cameras were packed.

For perspective, the van you are looking at is a full-size GMC Savannah.   As you can imagine, it took us a while to get on the road.   Lise drove up in the Savannah while I drove up in my van with Chex, Scoop and the pups.  I fully expected the pups to be quite noisy on the ride, but I am happy to say we had two pups cry for less than two minutes, and that was it!   

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When we got to Gayle's the pups hit the ground running.  They played in the yard for a while  while we set up the indoor area and then we just enjoyed watching all their explorations.   Corey, Dreamer and Glee were beside themselves with excitement over the new pups' arrival.   Una had a here-we-go-again look on her face.  No doubt she will come around with all the attention she will get from the visitors!

 Below is a photo of their indoor area, which you will see is back to being compact.   We are looking for success with the potty box!  But outside looks like adventureland where the pups are sure to learn many lessons over the next four weeks!

Here the pups are sacked out after their big adventure.  

After we got settled we were treated by one of Andy's great meals!  (The true hidden gift of co-breeding with Gayle!   Andy is a FABULOUS chef!!)   So the next chapter has started.  I will do my best to post to the blog as things get busier.  No new pictures, but I wanted to let you all know how things went.

Getting Ready To Say Good-Bye

... to Long Island, that is.   The van is packed except for the things we need overnight and in the morning.   Tomorrow will be the pups' first car ride.   For those of you not familiar with the New York metropolitan area, the trip is 90 miles.   It should take an hour and 45 minutes or it could take four hours.   I pray that tomorrow it is quick and uneventful.

Today I sat in the yard with the pups and had fun with my camera.   The photos are uploading to the Week 6 section - enjoy!

Mr. McCreamy Checking Out The New Toy

Mr. Yellow Heading Out Of The Tunnel

Mr. Red Checking Out The Funnel

Rainy Days and Sundays

We were expecting a lot of much-needed rain today so I reset the pen to give them more room once their late morning kitchen romp with our visitors was over.   

 As you can see, the wedge has now had three other pieces added to it and the pups loved climbing on and falling off of it!

Another first for today was marrow bones.  Can you spell L-O-V-E?  The pups loved, loved, loved the bones - and the best part was every one of the pups hit the potty box afterwards!! 

Check out the end of the Week 5 photos/video for more puppy joy!  

And Away They Go ...

And I am not just talking about the puppies.   It was an early morning as we headed to the airport to drop off Lise and Gayle who are off on one of Gayle's infamous stud dog trips.   They are down in Oklahoma meeting  NDC NMFR RockErin Red River Ruckus *** OS "Red," who is Striker's father and also the sire for Ivy's upcoming litter.   While they are there they will be visiting with Vicky Schmidt and Remy (from the Game Bird litter).

Lemme Bite Your Nose!!

Hugo Playing With Mr. Green

Ayla Holding Four Pups At Once   
(Sorry if I misspelled your name!)

Back at the ranch, so to speak, today was a day filled with visitors for the pups.   It was a beautiful day and the pups had a blast outside again.  There was one perosn missing, though, and that was Hugo and Ayla's brother Miles.  Mr. Red was wondering where his favorite admirer was!!!   Our last visitor, Mary Paulich, helped us put them back inside.  Once inside they crashed in their pen from all the fresh air and interaction.     Again, I have put up lots of photos in the Week 5 section, so enjoy!

Speaking of enjoyment, Jim and I got to have dinner with Al Lamphere, who owns Scoop's sister Peach.   He is on Long Island for an agility trial and we worked it out so that we could get together for dinner.  Good food - GREAT company!!!   When we got home we found the pups fast asleep in their pen - not an accident to be found.  What good puppies!!!

Our Noses Were Busy Today!!

It was a gorgeous day here on Long Island, and our friends Tricia and Alyssa stopped by to visit the pups so we decided to take them outside.    We brought them out, let them nurse and then explore.   Their noses were really busy checking out all the new scents.

Our First Day Outside

First We Eat

Then We Play 

Then We Sleep

I put up more photos in the Week 4 section and have added a Week 5 section also with lots of photos.   Enjoy!!

A Great Weekend!!!

The pups had a great weekend, with lots of new toys added to their pen.  They all love to interact with each other and the new toys.   Just like new babies, they put everything in their mouths, including their littermates' mouths, legs, tails, etc.   Their teeth have come in, though not fully.   We enlarged the potty box because when they have to go it is usually all around the same time and there was not enough room in the other box.  We got about 80% success today with the box - good puppies!!!!   Truly amazing to watch pups in the middle of play or nursing walk away, get in the box, do their business and then get back to the group.    All it takes is setting the box up in a way to get the behavior.

As you can see, the pups were not the only cute things in the box this weekend!

This is my friend's granddaughter Emily holding Miss Pink.    

Here is Miss Black checking out the new rotating flower!

Tomorrow if it is nice enough we will take them outside for their first experience.  Check out the Country Music-Heart - Week 4 for new photos and video.

A New Day - New Digs!

Yesterday we moved the pups from the two whelping boxes into an x-pen.   All the pups were quite mobile and it was time to introduce the potty area.  As you can see from the below photo of the girls in one whelping box, both girls are happy nursing the pups in the same area, and they do not care whose pups they are nursing.

This is what the x-pen looks like, with the potty area on the right.  As you can see, there is a bench for the dams to get in and out at will.  You will see there is quite a bit of space, but that is only when we are in the box with them.  Otherwise we keep it really tight to get success with the potty box.

After the last two days we can say that the pups have been exposed to kids!   Visiting were Michelle's grandkids Zack and Alexa (notice the "heart" shirt that Alexa was wearing!) my friend Tricia's daughters Abby and Emma, my friend Barbara with her granddaughter Sydney; my friend Keri with her mom and three kids, Connie, Maria and Rosie; my friend Mary with her sister-in-law and her two older boys and daughter Sophia.

Michelle, Zack and Alexa

Abby

Emma

The whole gang including Sydney, Sophia, Maria, Connie and Rosie!!

Chex and Scoop have been wonderful with all the visitors and the pups are getting lots of socialization!!   I have taken lots of pictures and video and am in the process of uploading them now.   All pictures and video from now on will be in the section entitled "Country Music and Heart Litters."   The newest batch will be under "Photos/Video - Week 4"  

Now that the media will be of all the pups, here is a reminder of which pups are from which litters:  

Country Music - Yellow, Blue, Brown, Purple, Red and Green

Heart - Pink, Black, Cream (formerly Rust), Rainbow, Plum, Teal and Olive

Enjoy!

Bio-Sensor - Check!!

Today was the last day of Bio-Sensor for the litters.   The novel scents we used were tennis ball, banana, vanilla, pineapple, evergreen, lemon, parmesean cheese, wool, metal article, coconut oil, pheasant, vibernum, duck, roast chicken, leather and coffee grinds.  Clearly a wide variety of scents with as equally wide variety of reactions.  There is no reason that we pick a certain scent, except of course, the bird scent.   The whole idea is to grow the brain!

All the pups are well over 3 pounds with a few over four pounds.   They are playing more and more, and really learning to walk well.  Of course, pictures and video are worth more than a thousand words.   I have uploaded more to the 3-week sites.   Rather than create a week-four site for each litter I will be merging them together, as it is hard to keep them straight! 

BAZINGA!!!!

If the pups could talk, I think each of them would have said "Bazinga" tonight during biosensor. Duck was the scent du jour.   Nothing warms my heart more than watching the genes turn on when presented with the scent of gamebirds.   Each of the pups took deep breaths of the mallard.  When I started to pull the bird away they followed with their noses.  So cool!!

Today was a great day filled with lots of visitors.   There is an agility trial about 20 minutes from here, so Phoebe, Helen, Stephanie and Sandy stopped by on the way to the trial.  My friends Lisa and Tricia also stopped by.   I had to check Tricia's pockets before she left to be sure that Mr. Teal did not accidentally fall in.   Cindy stopped by and Chex and Scoop were so excited to see her!!!   After spending a week with her while we were in Utah, she clearly has become one of their favorites.

I have uploaded lots of photos and video from the last two days.  They are really starting to become little dogs, starting to initiate play with each other and barking.   The next week will be one of watching them start to take the world in now that they can see and hear.  We will be adding age-appropriate things to their boxes for them to explore.   It is one of my favorite times!   Enjoy the video and pictures.

The pups' new boxes!

The pups are growing like weeds - many are over 3 pounds.   All their eyes are open and their ears are starting to open.  We have graduated from the small whelping box into two larger boxes.  The dams are enjoying the boxes since there is a bit more room and it is cooler for them.   We have had quite a few visitors.  Today my friend Tricia and her daughter Alyssa stopped by and were simply mesmerized by all of the pups.   It is amazing how much time can be spent watching, holding and loving them.    Chex and Scoop have gotten in each others' boxes, but they do not clean or nurse each others' pups.   It is really interesting.   They are also allowing all the other dogs into the room, so life is a bit more normal for them.

It has been really hectic here and my computer has been having issues, so I apologize for not getting photos from the last three days up.   The darker more blurry photos were taken with no flash, so I apologize.   i thought something was better than nothing.   I am uploading them now, so enjoy!

What a great day!!

Today was a day filled with visitors.  Gayle had a found day and came down to meet both litters in person.  We also had lots of adults and kids of all ages visiting throughout the day.   Chex and Scoop were thrilled - after all, they think they are coming to visit them!!

About half of the Country Music pups' eyes are open and I expect that some of the Heart pups' eyes may open tomorrow.   I have posted a few more photos in each week 2 folder, but warn you they are dark (as will the photos over the next few days), since we are not using flash photography.  All of the visitor photos are in the Country Music folder.   Enjoy!