Lily's Family Reunion

Lily was very excited that her permanent "human" family visited briefly this afternoon.  She had not seen them in over a month!  Lily was proud to show off her babies, but was a little conflicted between the puppies and delight at being with her entire human family as well.   The puppies, whose vision is becoming more acute, were interested in the new faces.

Puppies are starting to notice each other and have begun to play

New experiences are tiring for young puppies and are kept brief

We were concerned that Lily might want to go home with her family after their little visit, but after some loving hugs from her kids, she stood in the open door with me and watched them get into the van and drive away....and went back to her "mom" affairs.

Seeing is Tiring

Three puppies have opened their eyes now.  They have become much more confident about adventuring around the whelping bed, first crawling, then hauling themselves up onto their tottery little legs, then collapsing back again into sleep wherever they end up. Yesterday, I watched the little lightbulb switch on over a little chocolate boy's head when he discovered that he could actually "see" Mom with his eyes, instead of just having to rely on his nose to track down his dinner.

First Look!

This little chocolate boy was the first to open his eyes! They can't see very well yet, but we are making sure that human faces are among the first things the puppies see.

Their ears are opening up too, making our normal household noises, which they can already sense, a little bit louder.

Early Neurological Stimulation

We use a program originally developed by the U.S. Military to improve the performance of dogs, called the "Bio Sensor" method, which later became known to the public as the "Super Dog" Program.  Based on years of research, the military learned that early neurological stimulation exercises could have important and lasting effects on dogs including:

Improved cardio vascular performance (heart rate)

Stronger heart beats,

Stronger adrenal glands,

More tolerance to stress

Greater resistance to disease

In tests of learning, stimulated pups were found to be more active and were more exploratory than their non-stimulated littermates, over which they were dominant in competitive situations.

The "Bio Sensor" program utilizes six exercises, which last only from 3-to-5 seconds, once a day from the age of 3 days until 16 days which include: 

1. Tactile stimulation - holding the pup the handler gently stimulates (tickles) the pup between the toes on any one foot

Lola is helping out with the exercises

2. Head held erect -  the pup is held perpendicular to the ground, (straight up), so that its head is directly above its tail.

3. Head pointed down - holding the pup firmly with both hands the head is reversed and is pointed downward.

4. Supine position - holding the pup so that its back is resting in the palm of both hands with its muzzle facing the ceiling. The pup while on its back is allowed to sleep or struggle.

5. Thermal stimulation - placing the pup on a damp towel that has been cooled in a refrigerator.

We welcome your comments if you have any questions or observations about this program.

A Reason to Smile...

-- Only 5 Days old and have doubled my birth-weight!

Puppy Fat

The puppies went to their veterinarian yesterday for a check-up and were pronounced "big, fat, and happy."  We weigh each puppy daily and they have all more than doubled their birth-weights by a substantial margin, thanks to Lily and her diligent feeding schedule. She always seems astonished when we present her with heaps of doggie delectables in her puppy kibble--egg yolks, canned puppy food, chicken breast, yogurt, and a few bites of leftover steak for lunch!   With the rate these puppies are growing, Lily consumes an astonishing amount of protein and fat in her diet, as well as abundant fresh water.

(Click on the photos for larger views.)

Good Moms all know how to multi-task.

Trying to get traction to wedge herself in

Overload

Lily keeps a close watch over her pups sleeping off their recent meal, but  from outside the whelping box.  The last thing she wants to do is awaken them and have them clamoring for milk again so soon... (It was likely their moms who coined the phrase "Let sleeping dogs lie.") 

Saturday Morning Sunbath

(Click on the photos for a larger view)

The "Puppy Pile" huddle together waiting for the sun to get a little higher.

Gotta catch those rays...

...but even early in the morning Lily prefers the cool tile under the hutch.

Lola is SO proud!

Mommy's Boy