Haydain and Misty’s Litter – Week Three

So darn kissable!

“The Washroom Break”

It was a typical summer day. A warm breeze blew through the trees rustling the leaves sporadically. Off in the distance the chipmunks were communicating with their trademark chatter. Periodically a tiny indecipherable sound penetrated nature’s soundtrack. Softly at first and then again until the voice became more insistent. This required some investigation on our part. It didn’t take long to locate the source. It appeared that somehow Mr. Jelly Bean had escaped the confines of the whelping box. Without the benefit of a map or GPS, the little tyke managed to traverse a circuitous route into the ensuite bathroom. Needless to say, he was safely airlifted back to the whelping box to reunite with his sisters.

Now that their vision is established beyond simply being able to detect light, dark and movement, the puppies are becoming increasingly curious about their surroundings and each other. They are beginning to get acquainted with their littermates and can often be seen standing in a group gently colliding or rubbing their noses and heads against one another whether awake or asleep. In fact, they’re now doing this at various points in time right around the clock. This is the beginning of a key period for the puppies as they are developing rudimentary social skills. They are testing each other’s limits and learning the difference between hard and soft biting and they also take turns sleeping at the top and bottom of the sibling pile. 

To accommodate the puppies’ rapid growth, we’ve had to raise the pig rails in their box up a notch. These are rails around the inside of the whelping box that are there to help prevent mom from accidentally squishing one of her kids. At some point during the coming week, the rails can safely be removed altogether and an extension to the box will be added which will give the gang lots more room to play in. Despite a very mild bout of mastitis which she’s completely recovered from, Misty continues to be a stellar mom. She may still continually mess up the towels, but she does a great job in keeping her little minions squeaky clean.

That’s it for now but be sure to join us next week for another nail-biting instalment of “Puppy Tales”.