Chubby Tummies

Lola's boys are a little taken aback when they first come out to the breakfast nook for their AM dose of morning sunshine.  

Even though they are a week behind Lily's and just opening their eyes, they are almost the same size as they older litter. This is partly due to the "easy livin' " with no competition for food.  But also, given that Lola's brother Cosmo admits to weighing 45 lbs., (although we privately suspect he may at times drift up to 49 1/2 lbs.), these guys may just be legitimately big!

Even the gentle early AM sun is hard on baby eyes

Someone likes their supper!

Live Action Puppies Gone Wild

A video of the naughty little monkeys....

(Click the You Tube icon on the screen to watch in larger format)

(We are working on early-potty training on "pee-pads" so please excuse the "mess"!)

Adventures in Slow Motion

Now that all of the puppies have opened their eyes, they have all become significantly more daring!  Instead of scooting around on their bellies like fat seal pups, they are haltingly stumbling around. They still have to haul themselves over obstacles like their siblings or the bolster on their bed, and sometimes end up tumbling over when they lose their balance.  They are often surprised by things they can suddenly see as their eyesight improves (a sister's tail, a pattern on the bedding, or Mom peering into the bed).  They have also begun to play-wrestle, but in very slow-motion.

(Don't forget to click on the photos for larger views.)

Kotah, Bibi, and Cosmo wonder what all the fuss is about in there.

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.