03/18/25 Pupdate

Good morning, good morning the little dogs say.  Fortunately for me, they are also willing to potty and go back inside for a treat and a nap until we’ve had a chance to pipe in the sunshine.  It was really cold again this morning, thank goodness for the heater and the rechargeable hand warmers (thanks again Chris!)

After they found one of the dryer balls yesterday and had so much fun playing with it, I put the balls into the castle sandbox and they dove right in to them.  They are much more coordinated now and they can puncture them now, too.  The Big 3 had a lot of fun with the balls, too.  Lunch was foraged in there as well.

This afternoon, I brushed the big 3 and the puppies on the table on the patio.  I took the pupsters into the bathroom with us when I gave GrandPaw Deja his shower.  It’s a good thing he’s such a good sport (and loves puppies) because they didn’t wait until his was finished before they joined him.  It’s considerably more difficult to give a shower with more than one dog in there but I have experience.  After he was done (he still waited for his official routine of each numbered foot and his tail before shaking it off and coming out), I gave each puppy a shower.  I didn’t use shampoo because they weren’t great at staying out when it was another’s turn and I didn’t want anyone to be unrinsed and itchy but we did a full version without it.  Then we all went outside and they did wet dog zoomies before cuddling up for a nap.

Every time I went into the laundry room after that, multiple puppies crowded into the shower and I had to bribe them to come outside again afterward.  “It’s not a bug it’s a feature” (maybe that should’ve been the theme for the litter) so I did reward them in the shower and then lured them back out again.  It is awfully cute (have I mentioned how cute these puppies are? Somehow they still manage to get cuter every day). 

I tried better ex pen gating at the door to the crates.  As with everything I else I do, they are right there with me offering their assistance.  Gives a slightly different take on “look for the helpers” doesn’t it?  We’re going to see if the sandman needs any help now.  Nighty, nighty, nighty.  Puppy breath to all 

03/17/25 Pupdate

 Happy St Patrick’s Day.  I put their green linens in their castle to celebrate ;-). We didn’t find much in the way of green grass outside but they continue to enjoy the dormant bermuda in the dog yard (and on the patio and in the rubber room and everywhere else they and we track it). There are things budding out so the hillsides will be green soon.

The puppies notice the geese flying in and out of the pond.  It’s probably because GrandPaw Deja is waiting to start chasing the gander back into the pond when they start nesting.

It was cold and windy today so I had to bundle up but they had a high old time.  The wind blowing their toys around makes them extra interesting.  It also makes dried out leaves that blow out of the woods a lot of fun (but those are pretty fun anyway according to the pupsters)

We continue to train crate behavior.  But now we are working on entering crates with a little decorum and being willing to come back outside after being released.  They come out nicely in the mornings because they have to go potty but after a meal, they aren’t quite convinced that everyone is really done and coming outside. They are convinced that they could get rewarded again if they go back into the crate.  Or maybe if they go into a different crate.  Or maybe something they haven’t thought of doing with a crate yet…

At dinner time, I put the 6th bowl of food on top of the crates (there are 5 crates there) and as I was arranging the puppies in the crates, the last puppy just climbed up on top to eat there (see something new to do with a crate.). Smart puppies are a lot of fun but they are also exhausting ;-). Nighty, nighty, nighty. Puppy breath to all!