This morning the pupsters did not wake me up. I woke up a few minutes after 7 and they were still asleep. They actually didn’t get up until almost 7:30. Yesterday, while the Aunt Grandmas had the puppies on the deck, I cleaned their pen and added on to it. One of the additions is an elevated bed and another is a crate (with the door removed so nobody can get pinched with it). Both were big hits with the pupsters. I was trying to figure out who was in the crate without waking them and I thought there were 2 in the milk crate, 1 by the stool and 4 in the crate. When they woke up and headed over to the potty area, I realized there were 5 in the crate and the ‘one’ by the stool was the spider toy from Halloween. Good puppies!
I promptly fed them breakfast which they seemed to enjoy followed by a little goat milk and rice cereal then a little water to rinse the dish. They were quite active with a lot of VERY loud interaction including some requests for human attention. They were playing and going over to potty and playing but little FOMO was not happy. He was on the elevated bed and pulling on the ex pen at that door and howling. I was starting to think he didn’t feel well when he apparently gave up on the stupid humama to understand and went over to the potty area to poop. I think he wanted to go outside. The other poops today have happened outside - and the ones outside were either in the grass or the rock areas - not even on the deck! They aren’t as good with pee (puppies never are) but they do try. Inside they’ve made it at least to the edge of the potty area all day but it’s a long way off of the deck.
I think I may as well give up on keeping them off the ramp. I’m just hoping they don’t go through the dog door for a while yet, I’ve caught more than one with their feet up on the threshhold of it trying to figure out where their Elders have gone (and how to get there.)
Midmorning, after their mama gave them a little snack and a little big of playtime; she hopped out to let them play amongst themselves and had some playtime with Deja. While they were doing some light wrestling and on their backs gatoring bitey mouth, the puppies stopped what they were doing and watched. They proceeeded to pitch a fit at being excluded. I guess they already want to do what the big dogs do.
Eventually, most of them just watched quietly and then went back to playing together but it was quite a disappointment to them. Phoebe and Deja paid no attention to them whatsoever though.
That was interesting because that puppy did not settle down and sleep when the others did. I tried taking him outside, I carried him around, he just wasn’t ready to go to sleep. I was hoping for a nap so I tried snuggling him on the ottobenbed and I was trying to loosen his collar. He was mostly staying with me but gently moving around and walked onto a section of the blanket that was bridging the gap between the ottobenbed and the couch so he gently slid down between the 2 (I could tell it was getting close so I made sure I had the blanket enough that he wouldn’t actually fall). He wasn’t scared or distressed or vocal but apparently, Phoebe was paying attention, too because she immediately came up on the ottobenbed to check where he went and supervise his ‘rescue’. She gave his face a little licking and went back to her napping on the couch across the room. They never cease to amaze me.
We had a couple of trips outside in the warmth but I didn’t want to stay out all afternoon so I brought them in after lunch and recess when they were starting to go back to sleep. Most of them went into the crate to sleep, either in spite or because of the door behind it being open. I don’t think it made that much difference because they are sleeping in it again this evening with the closed door.
They had visitors this evening but it’s people they’ve already met so we don’t get to up their numbers until tomorrow. The puppies have grown a lot in the not quite 2 weeks since they last saw them (other than pictures/video) and they’ve all gotten a lot of teeth they are trying to use on everything. I think the pupsters still met with their approval though.
I’m afraid the play gym is not going to be useful much longer. I had to put it back together on 3 separate occasions today. They are very good at playing tug with the items on it - sometimes with each other on them as well. They are getting to be quite strong little pupsters. Fortunately, we have other items for environmental enrichment when the gym is dismantled. We’ll see what tomorrow brings. For now we’re going to say nighty, nighty, nighty. Puppy breath to all!
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