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| Loving the great outdoors! |
“On Your Marks, Get Set, Go, Go, Go!”
Some litters can be a little tentative during their inaugural outing. Many puppies will stand there and tremble for several moments while they take in the vastness of a new universe outside their whelping box. Not this bunch. It took mere seconds for them to take it all in and make a quick decision as to which direction to take off in. They embraced it as though they’d been playing outside their entire lives! They chased their mom around, they chased us around and they chased each other as well. They explored a great deal of this giant space known as “the puppy run”. In fact, Mr. Pilgrim dutifully followed us to the far reaches of the yard appearing very content and proud of himself. Many of the others tried their “hand” at rock climbing, wrestling with their siblings or just meandered around. When she wasn’t directly engaging with the pups, Surrey hung out nearby just to keep a watchful eye on her flock.
Since the little ones are getting more accustomed to eating solid food, their food is now prepared a bit dryer; they are drinking plenty of water to keep hydrated. Now that the food isn’t as messy, fewer clean ups are required. Of course Surrey still nurses the puppies to supplement their diet. Another change in the pups’ habitat was the addition of shredded paper to the whelping box extension which is their first step toward house training.
The dynamic in the whelping box is also changing. This is the beginning of the most influential socialization period for the puppies. They’re learning to communicate with each other and with us by wagging their tails. With the increased control over their facial muscles, they are making expressions and are beginning to reveal their personalities and communicate their opinions. They’re craving a lot of attention and affection and fortunately that’s something that’s not hard to provide. Did we mention that this bunch is just plain exceptionally cute?
That’s it for now, but be sure to join us next week for another regal installment of “Puppy Tales”.
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