Play date

The puppies had their play date with "second cousin" Sunny, Don & Sue's puppy.  After some initial uncertainty the puppies had a great time playing together.  They all wore each other out!  In the first photo from top to bottom are cousin Sunny, Bella, Bertha, Padre, Regan and Peanut.

Latest activities

The puppies took their first car ride yesterday and nobody got car sick!!  They had an exciting time at Kim's house.  We connected two big x-pens and let them romp and run.  It's more space than they have ever had, and I don't think they knew what to do with it!  We put the crate inside the x-pen play area and opened the door.  The first puppy out was Peanut.  I have been calling him the investigator for the past few weeks, and he lived up to the nickname, checking out every corner of his new world.  The last puppy out of the crate was Padre.  He liked the security, and we had to help him out.  Kim took the crate out of the play area so he couldn't jump back in and go to sleep.  The puppies played while we bathed and groomed dogs.  Then we spent some one-on-one time with them.  Kim glued their ears up and we also wormed them.  Those puppies sure were tired by the end of our visit!  They slept well last night.  Today Don & Sue Mancini are coming to visit.  They are bringing a singleton puppy that was born 4 days before these guys, so it will be interesting to see how they all interact.  Rick is helping me set up our mud room as a play area for the puppies, so they will have more room to stretch their legs.

Here are some photos we took of each puppy yesterday. 

PADRE

REGAN

PEANUT

  

BELLA

  

BERTHA

 

Chow hounds!!

The puppies will turn 5 weeks old tomorrow.  They have been without Silvi since Wednesday and the only thing I have noticed is that their appetites have really increased.  They used to leave food in the puppy pan after each meal, but not anymore!  I hope my order of Honest Kitchen food gets here soon!!  I weighed Peanut last night and he was 2 lb. 2 oz.  Regan was 2 lb. 11 oz., and she is the 2nd smallest puppy.  I don't bother weighing the others anymore.  They are all very plump, healthy babies!  Tomorrow they are all going on a field trip to Kim's house.  Another new experience.

The last supper

The puppies are pretty much weaned so Silvi is going home to Kim's tonight.  Here are a couple of photos of the last family gathering.  Judging by the look on her face Silvi will be really happy to be home in Ashford, romping and playing with the other shelties, and away from 5 sets of very sharp puppy teeth!

Visitors!

The puppies are four weeks old today and they had visitors!  Margaret McKulsky, Shari King and Lynda Moore came to meet the babies.  We had a great visit, and the kids put on quite a show for the girls.  Especially Bella, who decided she had an awful lot to say.  I've never heard her be so vocal!  Peanut gave Shari a kiss the moment she picked him up.  Even though we had an idea ahead of time of which puppies Shari and Margaret were interested in, it was almost as though the puppies had figured it out first.  Bella picked Margaret and Peanut picked Shari.  It was a beautiful thing!  The other puppies had fun too, and everyone got lots of cuddles and loving.  The visit was really good for the puppies, who really seemed to show off and be at their best.  Here are some individual photos of the puppies.  You can really see how they have changed in the last week.  Also, I finally changed Fina's name.  It is now Regan.  It fits her a lot better.  She really is quite a little lady of a puppy. 

PEANUT

BIG BERTHA

 BELLA

PADRE

REGAN

The puppies started eating regular food this week.  It all started when Peanut got into Silvi's food.  He seemed to like it so much, I let them all have some.  They are still nursing, but they get several meals a day of puppy food as well.  I am feeding them the same Honest Kitchen food that Silvi is on, only I run it thru the food processor to grind it up even finer.  Not that they need it ground up.  They have teeth, much to Silvi's dislike!  Here is a picture of one of their first meals earlier this week.  This was taken early in the meal.  They do not stay this neat and tidy for long!  Clockwise from lower left to upper right are Big Bertha, Regan, Padre, Bella and Peanut.

Three weeks old

The puppies are growing in leaps and bounds.  A couple of them lost weight or didn't gain a few days this past week, but each time they gained a lot the next day, so I am not concerned.  They seemed to have loose stools early in the week, so we had a fecal test done, which came back negative for everything, including coccidia and giardia.  Most puppies end up having worms, but it is kind of early for them yet.  We'll repeat the test in the next week or two.  Bertha likes to bark, and so does Bella.  They seem pretty proud of themselves when they do.  Bella can definitely hear, and the others can too, but in varying degrees.  Padre likes to sleep and Peanut is an investigator.  They all get cuter by the day, if that is even possible.  I just LOVE to watch them learn how to play at this stage.  Everything is new and movements are in slow motion.  It is so funny when they try to 'eat' each other -- i.e. open wide and try to fit another puppy's head in their mouth!  This morning I set up a 4x4 pen for them, divided down the middle, so they have a sleeping/playing side and a pottying side.  They really aren't ready for it, but the 2x3 pen was a little snug, especially when Silvi is in there too.  They totally don't 'get' that they are supposed to pee/poop on one side and not the other, but eventually they'll learn.  Here's is a group shot.  I'll do individuals tomorrow!

In the foreground of the picture is Padre, sound asleep as usual.  Just behind him are Fina (left) and Bella (right) mouthing at each other.  I can't tell where Peanut and Bertha are.  Probably buried under Silvi somewhere!  As always, Silvi is the model of a mom!!

15 days old today!

Here are the photos I promised!

PEANUT:

BIG BERTHA:

BELLA:

 PADRE:

FINA:

The big move

We moved the puppies downstairs to the dog room yesterday morning.  They all have their eyes open now, and are trying to toddle around on unsteady feet.  I still have them in the small puppy pen, but will move them into the big pen next weekend.  They got their nails cut this morning and nobody complained!  I'll post more photos later.  Not feeling much up to it right now, as I fell & hit my head on the ice and am not feeling my best.  Sure hope this headache goes away by tomorrow/work.

A milestone for the girls

All three girls opened their eyes for the first time this morning!  The boys are still shut tight, but I'll bet they'll be open by tomorrow.  Now the fun begins!!

Names

I knew I'd eventually come up with names for the puppies!

#1 is now Peanut.  He was always Peanut, since the moment he was born.  Everyone keeps referring to him as the Peanut, so the name has stuck.  He has come a long way, and weighs 13 3/4 oz.
#2 is Big Bertha!  No explanation necessary.  She was the biggest at birth and still is, at 1 lb. 10 5/8 oz. this morning!
#3 is Bella.  I kept thinking she looked like a baby Beluga whale, but that's such a harsh name for a cute little puppy.  I shortened it to Bell, and my friend Carolyn suggested Bella.  It fits.  She weighs 1 lb. 6 1/2 oz.
#4 is Padre!  If you look at photos of him (lots posted on this blog!) he has a nice little white ring around his neck, and I decided it looks like a priest's collar.  He weighs 1 lb. 6 oz. today.
#5 is Fina.  I came up with the name before the puppies were born.  Not sure if it fits her though.  Maybe I'll come up with another name for her eventually, but right now I like it.  She weighs 1 lb. 3 5/8 oz.
Here are more photos.

PEANUT

 BERTHA

BELLA

PADRE

FINA

And a group shot so you can see the difference in size between the babies.  From bottom to top:  Bella, Peanut, Padre, Fina, Bertha

Gaining and gaining!

The puppies are 9 days old today and I am really happy with the way they are gaining.  Our little peanut, #1 weighed in at a whopping 10 7/8 oz. this morning, up 2 1/2 oz. in the last 2 days.  He hangs on to Silvi like a little tick now, and even his bruiser brother and sisters can't knock him off!  #2, the 'big mama' is up to 1 lb. 6 1/8 oz.  I think she needs to go on a diet!  #3, our bi blue girl, is 1 lb. 3 3/4 oz. and #4, our really cute boy is 1 lb 2 3/4 oz.  And the cute blue girl just made it to 1 lb. today.  I took a picture of them with my cell phone this morning, but it was too dark, so I'm not bothering to post it.  The only one who has changed much is the little guy.  He doesn't look as dwarfed by his siblings as he once did!

Meanwhile, Silvi is being SUCH a great Mom.  She really loves her babies and wants to be with them all the time.  I'm not sure how long that is going to last though, with her puppies growing as fast as they are.  It must feel like 5 punches in the stomach whenever they nurse!  She is a good sport though.

One Week Old!

Happy One Week Birthday to the puppies:

Our little guy is just up to 8 1/4oz.  Whenever I see him nursing he seems to be strong, but he's just not gaining much.  I will likely supplement him.

Puppy #2, the first girl, is the biggest, weighing in at 1 lb. 2 1/4 oz.

Puppy #3, blue girl, weighs 1 lb. 1 1/8 oz.

 Puppy #4, tri boy, is 1 lb. 3/4 oz.

Puppy #5, blue girl is 14 5/8 oz.

Here are a couple of "family portraits"