12/11/20 Pupdate

At least we had nice weather (for early/mid December anyway) for our last full day together.  We spent a lot of it practicing being ‘big dogs’.  Since they come and go through the dog door as they please (I do keep track of them but I don’t try to lock them out anymore), I let them hang out loose while I cleaned their pen; vacuumed the rubber floor; blew off the deck; and did various other tasks.  Other than getting under foot while I ran the sweeper, it went well.  I did put them in their pen while I steam mopped the floor because I didn’t want the to get close enough to be burned.  They are investigative little boys.

I gave them baths again today but this time they stood in the laundry sink and licked squirty cheese off of the walls to have them assist in the positioning.  Other than the second one wanting a turn before I finished the first, it went well.  I got some good cuddling with clean puppies wrapped in towels afterward.

They had several visitors today - 3 of whom were new to the pupsters.  Good thing they like masks!  But hand sanitizer makes them sneeze - we only ever found one kind that didn’t make Grandsire Jack sneeze and someone gave it to us so I can’t buy more ;-(

I guess tomorrow I will start putting things away for a while, that thought makes me sad.  Today, while we were outside I worked more on disassembling the puppy cube with all of the dangly items.  It’s been taking a while because the puppies insist on helping me.  Today, they grabbed the pvc bar with the pvc pieces dangling from it and ran out into the yard with it. It is larger than they are and fairly heavy comparatively but they each managed just fine. 

Nighty, nighty, nighty and puppy breath to all

1210/20 Pupdate

We had a good night for a pleasant tomorrow except that one of the pupsters was too busy wanting to go into his crate to go potty again before Nighty nighty nighty.  He fussed a little at 3something but stopped when I told him Nighty, nighty, nighty but he was really adamant at 4 something.  As soon as I let him outside, he immediately peed and pooped.  I couldn’t tell which one was initially fussing so I let both out but I could tell by their behavior then.  Both went back into their crates and right back to sleep so good puppies (and we might try going out the other door tonight.)

They continue to work of not losing their minds during food prep but I think it will be easier at their new houses because they won’t have prior knowledge of the routines.

One puppy who shall not be named (although I alread ratted him out to his new people) decided he was going over the wall (or the crate as the case may be) so I put a large box in his way in the pen and took down the mickey mouse fencing on the deck.  No point in practicing on a low height when he needs to learn to respect a gate (not that his mother does, she just sails right over)

Both continue to be absolutely adorable especially when they get the little puppy zoomies. They can get some speed up though.  Both are interested in Alexa but I think they are just looking for another person to charm.  I used to give Jack verbal cues through the baby monitor to see if he would still do the behaviors (he did) and now I kind of want to train a response to Alexa giving the cues,

Tomorrow is our last full day together before they head home with their new families.  On the up side, I get to cuddle with Trilli because she’s coming with them to pick up her new ‘brother.’  We waited for this visit in hopes that Mama Phoebe will be accepting of visiting dogs with her puppies since they aren’t tiny (and she only nurses them on the grooming table so she can horn in on their turns.)

Saturday will NOT be a happy day in this house but it shoudl be happy for their new people.  Puppy breath to all (while we still have some here) Nighty, nighty, nighty

12/09/20 Pupdate

The little boys have been overly excited about the prospect of food (as in they scream whenever I go out to where I prep the food) so I took them out to watch with the big dogs so they could practice having a little self control (as in rewarding them for trying to be patient).  I didn’t do that this morning and one of the puppies turned up to ‘help’. SInce I did not neglect to secure the pen (I went back to check), they will either be released to come help me or safely contained in a crate when I do something that exciting.

I took them out in the big yard for a little romp early this am and they enjoyed that immensely. They were faster to potty that way - they were getting too distracted by rumpusing with their parents (everyone was wound up today). They especially enjoy going that route because of the ramp.

It was warmer and sunny today so we spent more time outside this afternoon.  I also moved the mickey mouse fencing so they could come and go from the utility room while I did laundry.  They found that interesting as usual.  Previously, I only took one puppy at a time in to do laundry.

They were good boys for being brushed on the table and helped me rinse off things with the hose.  They finally consented that my neoprene gloves are mine and not for little puppy needle teeth although I fully expect to revisit that issue again the next time I wear them ;-). We’re working on eating separately (in the crates), too.  It’s generally been a busy day here again today.  The puppies have taken time out from their busy schedules to be cuddled, give kisses and nap but, come to think of it, that is a big part of their schedule.  We’re going to go cuddle a little more before we go out to potty and then Nighty, nighty, nighty time.  Puppy breath to all

12/08/20 Pupdate

The puppies had an eventful day.  We had a slow start to the morning because I kept going back to sleep but so did they.  (I was up by 9 which is early by my normal standards but not for puppies.). During one of our morning outings, their parents were way too rambunctious outside with them. Phoebe had the squirrel nest toy again so I had to make sure that it didn’t get left outside with some of the other toys she’s allowed to get soaking wet.  She’s more than willing to carry around a sopping wet toy but I’m not as fond of that.  I guess she thinks it’s good enough for water so it’s good enough for her.  The puppies enjoy a sopping wet toy, too but I think we currently have enough of those outside for them to enjoy.

About noon thirty, we loaded them up into the crate in the van so they could go play with Elle at Aunt Grandma Cindi’s while I went to a dr appt.  They fussed at the door openings/closings but then they were good quiet puppies.  Aunt Grandma Cindi was running late so she met us in the parking lot of the Dr’s office and we moved them into her van.  She had to go more places before going home so they rode around for a while.

Then they got to run around in the big back yard with their sister.  By the time I got there, they were in the dog room with Cindi.  I visited with their Grandma Bela a little and then went in with them.  They were having a good time with each other and seeing what they could get into up high.  They are convinced that everything UP is guaranteed to be the most interesting things ever.  Perhaps because they are used to the remote treat dispenser dropping treats from the sky.

We took another trip out into the back yard before we loaded up and headed home.  They were all nice and quiet the whole way.  I got the boys out and let them go potty in the big yard then we headed around to the gate and they came right inside.  They did attempt to greet sleeping Great GrammieSammie but I located the button to make the treats fall into their pen and they ran right into it.  We’ve had a nice evening hanging out, they played the whole time I was on our training club zoom meeting and then cuddled up for a nap.

We’re going to do a little cuddling before it’s time to go out for last potty before nighty nighty nighty.  Puppy breath to all!

12/07/20 Pupdate

Well, this is a roller coaster of a day.  3 puppies when I got up this morning.  Then Cindi brought Elle to hang with us while she went to a dr’s appt.  But then LeAnne and Laurie took little Ruba home.  After we finished dremeling the other puppies’ nails CIndi took Elle home as well.  This day required a lot of fudgesicles!

The puppies seem to have mastered crating even if they are a little impatient for me to open the door for them.  They also know to look UP because I had the cookies in through the top toward the rear (the fun part of crating doesn’t happen at the door for puppies) and proceed to stand up looking while I fumbled with closing and latching the doors then getting the cookies and dispensing them. 

We’ve played outside a few times today and we went into the ‘big yard’ too.  They really enjoy that and it’s not as difficult to keep up with just 2 and it’s slightly more likely that I won’t have a puppy under my foot when I try to put it down but only slightly since they have fewer siblings to distract them from dogging my every step.

It is easier to feed just a few puppies from individual bowls but they can still eat really fast when I don’t feed them from the puzzle toys. The squirrel nest toy is still popular - even without me hiding any food in it now.  I do have to keep gathering up the squirrels before their mama carries them outside though.  She LOVES toys.  Laurie brought a toy from her house to let Ruba get familiar but Phoebe kept taking it to parade.  Somehow, the puppies had it in their pen but when we took them outside, she went in and repossessed it.

I knew I should’ve started writing this as things happened today because I’ve forgotten the things I wanted to include.  

So far, I’ve gotten good reports on everyone at their new homes. It’s good to hear how they are doing because I really miss them!  Nighty, nighty, nighty and puppy breath (albeit much less of it since there are only 2 still here) to all

12/06/20 Pupdate

The pupsters slept all through the night in their crates again just fine.  I didn’t sleep very well and got up at 5 to go the bathtub but they didn’t fuss when they heard me moving around.  Their parents barked at something and Great Grammie Sammie started fussing before I came back downstairs but they didn’t. Good puppies!

After breakfast, the 4 of them played together and we had some cuddling time.  The little green boy had a bath after his morning brushing but the others didn’t get a shower today.  They had one yesterday and most of the mud brushes out when they dry off (plus they had a full day of frolicking in more mud planned). I got a few extra minutes of cuddling with him in a towel after his shower.  I don’t have many wet puppies wrapped in a towel cuddles left with these babies.

Phoebe took the opportunity to hop up onto the grooming table with us while he was getting brushed.  That’s not unusual for her but it’s a little odd because she will nurse the puppies while up there.  That’s about the only time she nurses them these days. Always something new.

We had some sunshine during our outside time today and then we all had a nap.  There may only be 3 of them now but they can still make plenty of noise when they are rumpusing (or waiting for me to prep their food).   They did some excited barking when we went outside for  potty time tonight.  They’ve gotten pretty good at zoomies, too.  Against all odds, they found a way to get even more adorable!

They’re going to demonstrate their adorableness going into their crates after we go out for last potties.  They’ve been being quiet as soon as I let them into a crate (they are a little noisy in their excitement while trying to get into the crates) and then go Nighty, nighty, nighty.  Puppy breath to all

12/05/20 9 Weeks Old!

I can’t believe they are 9 weeks old.   And yes, somehow they’ve managed to get even more adorable.  

They had another good night.  They are pretty noisy getting into their crates but are quiet as soon as they get inside.  The noise is them trying to get into the crate as quickly as possible and they can’t  understand while I insist on there only being 1 puppy per crate.  No pottying overnight and held it until we all got outside.  They have to say good morning to me while I open the rest of the crates to take let everyone out the door.  But there are fewer than there were yesterday morning.

It wasn’t as cold this am which just means there was still plenty of mud available but they were content to come inside for a healthy breakfast after everyone pottied and said good morning.  We had some group cuddling and then some extra cuddles from Indigo Blue Boy since he was going with his new family today.  The puppies also did some big time wrestling before their morning naps.  

Indigo Blue (now known as Belvie) went home with his new people after a little extra running amok time right before he left.  I hope he has a good night for a pleasant tomorrw.  The others that have left are living close enough for me to see more frequently.  It’s even harder when they aren’t going to be back in and out frequently.

The sun was actually shining this afternoon so we went out to play and took a little ramble in the big yard.  They are pretty fond of free ranging but good to come when called.  I generally keep moving so they don’t get too far away while looking at things.  They continue to enjoy the running up and down the ramp at high speeds when we are out in ‘the world’

As if it weren’t bad enough that I have to keep changing the number of puppies I count to lower and lower numbers, they little monsters have decided that it’s fun to burrow in UNDER the fluffy crate beds so I am ‘missing’ puupies.  They come out happily when I talk to them but it still scares me for a moment.

We all had a nice nap before their dinner time.  They’ve had a few big play sessions this evening, too.  They feel sorry for me missing their siblings so they try to make as much nouse as when there were still 7 here.  Considerate little puppies ;-)

They are also very helpful in correcting my arrangements of things.  Not only do they ‘fix’ the placement of the beds in the crates and linens, they’ve taken to moving the elevated bed, as well.  That thing is not small and often there is at least one puppy on it when someone else is dragging it.  I do make sure they aren’t moving it over to the fence edge to go over the wall ;-)

As much as they enjoy every new toy that appears, they still play with the vtech piano toy a lot.  And if I leave it on top of a crate when I clean their area, they try really hard to get it back down.  If I notice what they are after and hand it to them, they are pouncing on it before I can get it to the floor.  

I think they are starting to wind down a little.  They’ve been zooming in anticipation of bedtime but they are going into the the lie around and play bitey mouth stage.  It really cute - especially when they get lazy and just lie on their backs beside one another and make the noises but don’t really bother mouthing each other.  Perhaps, they are learning not to bite so hard.  Generally, they are being more gentle with me however all bets are off when I am cleaning up poop in the yard. I can’t tell if they think they are helping; if they want attention; or if they’ve learned I’m not going to reach down and detach them when I have a poop covered glove on my hand.  Probably some combination of the above ;-)

I think we’re going to have a little cuddle before I take them out for last call.  Nighty, nighty, nighty and puppy breath to all

12/04/20 Pupdate

Another good night for the pupsters. This monring the MSU had to get up early and he wasn’t terribly quiet and turned on lights (not everyone can sneak around in the dark until time for puppies to wake) but the little ones stayed quietly asleep.  And they were quiet within seconds of the Nighty, nighty, nighty ritual last night.  Good little puppies.  During their post prandial nap this am, I assembled the puppy books (except Cindi’s which I somehow completely screwed up and she’ll have to look at and fix herself.)

I got a nice report on Carmela’s (fka the Yellow puppy) first night/day in her new home. I think she’s trying to endear herself to everyone, she’s awfully cute so it should work pretty well ;-)

It was cold and rainy again today - I knew there was a reason I don’t  generally choose this time of year to have puppies.  They were pretty happy playing out in it this morning but this afternoon, they wouldn’t cooperate with Aunt Grandma Cindi watching them and go into the playhouse to nap while I cleaned their pen (it’s a LOT easier to clean without them in there ‘helping’). They tend to have more fun than we do out in the cold rain.

Cindi brought Fudgesicles for me today to make up for taking one of my puppies home.  I’m excited for Cindi and sad for me but she’ll be in and out.  She needs to be home for a couple of weeks before Phoebe comes home so she needed to get started with that.  

Puppies are clean (until we go back outside to potty before bedtime, there’s been a lot of rain) as is the room (until the big dogs go out to potty - they can’t levitate any better than I can ;-).  We’ll enjoy it during our pre=bedtime cuddles.  Nighty, nighty, nighty.  Puppy breath to all!

12/03/20 Pupdate

The puppies had another good night.  Nice and quiet after the cermonal singing of the songs and lights out and held it all night long.  It took a couple of extra minutes to get Great Grammie Sammie outside to potty and the parents barked at something so the puppies woke up before I got to their door/crates.  It wasn’t long and they still managed to hold it until they went outside.  It is much more difficult to get the puppies outside when Deja and Phoebe come in with me though so extra points for puppies making it outside.

It was only 23 degrees so we didn’t stay outside very long after potties.  There was some playing with other puppies and some cuddling (with other puppies and me) and some napping (only the dogs). During some of the nap time, I organized more of their going home things.  After lunch, the vet came to do exams for their travel certificates.  Other than everyone wanting all of the turns on the table (they are PWDs after all), they were cooperative.

As they were leaving, Carmela’s new people arrived. We had a nice visit and then they took my puppy home.  I know she will have a great life with them and her (Great) Auntie Em but I still miss her.  I miss all of them.  I have to keep remember to start from 6 instead of 7.  Another is leaving tomorrow (Aunt Grandma Cindi delayed from today until tomorrow.). It sounds like she’s fitting right in at her new home, I hope she has a good night.

The other puppies and I have been playing and cuddling and they’ve been doing some napping.   I didn’t have any Fudgesicles so I ate some ganache I had made and frozen for hot chocolate but it’s not the same.  (Cindi is supposed to bring real Fudgesicles tomorrow to help with the other puppies leaving.)

I’m going to go soak up puppy breath from the remaining little ones before it’s time to go Nighty, nighty, nighty.  Puppy breath to all (but mostly to me)

12/02/20 Pupdate

Another good night for the pupsters in their crates overnight.  I woke them up and took them outside again as well.  I did wait longer to put them into the crates last night since they’d had such a long day of ride, ride, ride.  They had a little zooming and then we went out to potty and crates for Nighty, nighty, nighty time.

No accidents overnight either.   Some of the puppies are sleeping with their new people’s scented items and the Mama and GreatGrammieSammie are scenting the baby blankets.  Phoebe prefers them piled on the grooming table so she can do her imitation of the Princess and the Pea so I keep putting several up there.  And in their crates for cuddling.  All of the snow we got yesterday is metling today so I’m having to choose when I put them in to limit muddiness.

The babies have been getting really wet when they go outside and although we had some sunshine today, the high was in the 40s (not even the high 40s) so we didn’t stay outside in that for more than half an hour at a time. I don’t care if the puppies are comfortable; they got me wet so I was cold and that was long enough for me.  Maybe it’ll be a little dryer tomorrow.  At least when we go out for last call, it’s frozen so not as muddy and wet.

At one point today (it was daytime), I gave them lamb ear chewies again.  It’s still funny the ones who immediately go chew and the ones who are more social about it.  It doesn’t seem to be consistent though.  They are ALL still jealous when their Mama and Daddy play without them though.

During nap times today, I worked on baby books and other going to new home details.  2 of them are leaving tomorrow (but they are local) afternoon and 2 more over the weekend.  Fudgesicles will be consumed!  Nighty, nighty, nighty.  Puppy breath to all!

12/01/20 Pupdate

The puppies saw some snow falling last night as I took them out to potty and then go into their crates for the night.  3 slept alone, 2 with a buddy.  The ones with buddies fussed a few minutes so maybe they all want their own rooms now ;-). There is enough staggering between when they leave that I’m not moving the larger crates around to let each of them sleep alone though.  Something was either being attacked or killed or trying to find a mate at 2something AM.  It woke me and the parent dogs (but not Great Grammie Sammie who apparently didn’t hear it). I thought it was something wrong with a puppy so I turned on the lights and checked on them but they were asleep and stayed asleep (or at least didn’t make a peep).  I thought as soon as I got out of bed to go check that it wasn’t coming from the right direction but, at that point, it was easier to check than lie awake worrying.  The pupsters stayed quiet.  The big dogs went outside to bark at whatever it was, they slept.  Good puppies!  They were asleep when I woke them and took them outside to potty (no accidents in the night again, YAY!)

There was slushy snow on the ground when they went outside this am.  Their first priority was to potty and then they tasted a little of the snow and ran around as usual.  We didn’t have a lot of time between daylight and leaving for the day of ride, ride, ride.  The puppies fussed a little but were quiet pretty quickly and they were remarkably good for the 4 hours there.  2 puppies did get carsick as we parked - one in each crate but I don’t know who they were.  Since it was all over one puppy’s head, I know it wasn’t that one.  There were no potty accidents but they all seemed happy to potty in the ex pen.

We planned to wait until after the eye drops to put them back in the vehicle but we were COLD and even the puppies were getting cold (it’s not like they could run around to stay warm) so we put them back to wait.  Eventually, eyes were dilated, then examined (all clear - not even puppy spots) and we headed back home.  Puppies were VERY good on the way home - no puking, no accidents and quiet.  When we let them out of the van in the front yard, they demonstrated the synchronized potty they do in the marnings, too.  It was already dark by then (thank goodness I left the outside lights on just in case) but they enjoyed running around the side of the house to come into their pen.

Much as I expected, they’ve played all evening.  I hope they wind down by bedtime.  Nighty, nighty, nighty.  Puppy breath to all!