Hugo and Heidi’s Litter – Week Three

We love cuddles.

“The Pilgrimage”

She knew the odds were slim, but she had to try. Her timing had to be just right and there hadn’t been an opportunity for a dry run. It was now or never. The whelping box had just been cleaned out and there was a single slat separating the mini-pack and their “freedom”. With a few quick steps, Miss Mulberry thrust herself up and over the “wall” into the living room. But where to now? “Oh dear” she must have thought. “I may as well just wait here until somebody comes by to lift me back in again.” And so ended Miss Mulberry’s pilgrimage mere minutes later.

The highlight for Heidi’s litter is that their eyes have opened. At this stage, the puppies have hazy vision and can only differentiate between light and dark, but this will clear up very quickly over the next week or so as they begin to experience normal sight. They are able to hear quite well as soon as their ear canals have opened. No doubt they will be spending some time trying to figure out who the heck all these other “folks” are!

Thanks to Heidi’s tenacity in feeding them, the puppies are growing rapidly and it’s amazing to watch the transformation every day as they become more mobile and aspects of their personalities begin to emerge. When they’re not sleeping or eating, the gang spends time playing with one another. They are ambling around getting acquainted, greeting their siblings with a gentle head butt. With this being the beginning of a key socialization period for the puppies, they are testing each other’s limits and learning the difference between hard and soft biting. They also take turns sleeping at the top and bottom of the sibling pile. Since their hunting and chasing instincts are emerging, they practice with their siblings or their plush toys (unless mom has absconded with them).

The gang now has a new play station which will help them develop their strength, co-ordination and cognitive skills. It’s essentially a mobile that consists of hoops and rings and an assortment of colourful little figures. The only thing missing is a Rubik’s cube…..maybe next week!

That’s it for now, but be sure to join us next week for another inspiring installment of “Puppy Tales”.