04/30/18 Pupdate

You’d think the puppies would be tired out from yesterday but they wake up raring to go.  They really enjoy playing outside and almost always go running out into the grass or rocks to potty - such smart puppies!
This afternoon they added more new people to their list.  3 adults and 3 youngters.  As is often the case, children are more interested in playing with all of the toys we have out for the puppies longer than the actual puppies.  That’s just as well because I really just want the puppies to be exposed to children.  The playhouse and the ball pit were of high interest but they were very helpful in making noise when requested.  Singing, clapping, hollering, cheering, stomping feet; I think we covered the gamut ;-). It was naptime for the puppies so they eventually sacked back out all over the deck.  The big girls were VERY interested in watching them eat the string cheese.  (I divided an extra stick up amongst the girls for behaviors so they didn’t ‘share’ the ones belonging to the humans.
The water bucket is a great item as far as the puppies are concerned.  Nanny McPhoebe is almost obsessed with their bucket outside.  I fill it and she drinks half of it (the big dogs have a BIG stainless bucket inside and she has a coop cup in ‘her’ crate but she usually knocks it off).  Granted it is a much smaller bucket so half isn’t THAT much but 9 puppies need to drink it, too.  Since they are inevitably spilling it,  maybe she is trying to minimize cleanup.  The puppies seem to think that mopping it up with their hair is the perfect solution, good thing it was warm and sunny this afternoon.
We had a new milestone this evening.  I fed them a little less for dinner (well first they each got a ball of meat with the latest dose of pyrantel/praziquantel in it) and then as they finished up, I sprinkled some dry kibble (they’ve only had it soaked in goat milk/kefir/yogurt/etc until now and they make it pretty cleara they aren’t any too impressed with it) into the dish and they actually ate it!  I added more several times and they kept eating it.  So I filled up a few of the kong type toys (one of them is a pyramid that was their Daddy’s when he was a wee one) with kibble and when I brought them into the pen, I made them sprinkle into the dish.  They ate that with interest and then knocked some out on their own.  That means I’ll be able to put the Treat N Train in the pen and reward them remotely (as a group).  It’s especially handy for getting puppies to go into the pen on their own because I can just press the button and they’ll run over there to eat it.  The trick is keeping the big girls  from running it as well but we’ll work something out ;-)
I’ve been doing puppy laundry a lot today (swims took 9 fluffy towels, plus 4 big crate pads followed by baths which took at least 12 plus the MaterGator got to go for a swim so she needed a shower.  And that’s on top of all of the normal puppy linens.  (I’m glad we got the BIG washing machine but still a lot of litters).   I don’t bounce back as fast as the puppies (nor do I sleep as much or as soundly as they do) so I think I’m going to try to take a nap before it is time for their midnight snack.   Tomorrow is supposed to be even prettier (80 and sunny) so we may go to the pond again and let the puppies (in small groups) play on their own.  Good thing I got all of that laundry done ;-). Puppy breath to all, Nighty Nighty Nighty