Puppy Update - 7 & 8 Weeks Old

Wow! I can't believe it's been nine days since I've posted. Needless to say the pups keep growing, and the pen's keep needing to be cleaned (the pens have been cleaned 7 times today already - one more time to go!).

So here's the update:

1. All pups have forever families! But more on that later.

2. Here are their weight checks (for seven and eight weeks -- the green weights are their current weights):

Pink: 14.0 lbs. on 10/14; then 16 lbs. 12 0z. on 10/18 (+ 2 lbs. 2 0z. in five days)
White: 13.5 lbs. on 10/14; then 16 lbs. 0 oz. on 10/18 (+ 2 lbs. 8 oz. in five days)
Pink & White: 15.0 lbs. on 10/14; then 18 lbs. 2 oz. on 10/18 (+ 3 lbs. 2 oz. in five days)
Red (Miss Scarlet): 14.0 lbs. on 10/14; then 16 lbs. 10 oz. on 10/18 (+ 2 lbs. 10 oz.)
Blue & White (Mr. PSU): 16.75 lbs. on 10/14; then 20 lbs. 2 oz. on 10/18 (+ 3 lbs. 4 oz.)
Blue: 15.25 lbs. on 10/14; then 18 lbs. 8 oz. (+ 3 lbs. 4 oz.)
Green: 16.5 lbs. on 10/14; then 19 lbs. 6 oz. (+ 2 lbs. 14 oz.)
Black: 13.25 lbs. on 10/14; then 15 lbs. 4 oz (+ 2 lbs. in five days)


3. Yup, that's right: Mr. Blue-&-White has overtaken Mr. Green as our big boy.

4. And, yup, that's right, Miss Black is now the runt of the crew.

5. They look and act like real puppies now (because they are!). We're still working on socialization, but we're also just introducing manners. :o)

6. We're also introducing them to crates (during naps and at night).

7. We've moved the outdoor pen from the grass to the deck (gigunda pen on the deck now) because dog ticks have returned. Three of the pups have come in with ticks on them in the last week (two from the grass, one from the deck). So now I'm moving them from the indoor pen (which is now in the kennel room with the big dogs -- yay, I have a kitchen again!) to the outdoor pen on the deck a couple of times a day.

8. And all are just people-lovers! :o)

They've turned out fabulously (healthy and with terrific temperaments), and we're very thankful. The do, of course have different personalities and strengths:

• Mr. Blue and Miss Pink show the best aptitude for retrieving (by far, so far).
• Mr. Blue and Miss Black seem most observant and watchful.
  
• Miss Pink, Miss Scarlet (red), Miss White, and Mr. Blue like the water best.
• Miss White is strongly people-oriented (really wants and needs people).
• All are snugglers. :o)
• Mr. Green, Mr. Blue & White, and Miss Black seem lower key than the rest.
• It's hard to tell who's most vocal, as they all have their moments, but Mr. Green has the most pathetic whine/whimper/quivery moan. :o)
• Mr. Blue and Miss Pink-and-White are probably the more dominant of the the boys and girls when playing with each other, but neither is an alpha. They just seem to end up on top more often then I see them on the bottom.
• All are very submissive with our bigger dogs, but can hold their own.
• We're still concerned about Black, though she's gaining weight still, and is acting healthy and fine, she's lagging behind the rest in weight gain. She's the only one who hasn't reached 16 pounds yet. She's staying with us (her forever family is our gang) though, so we can watch her carefully.
• ALL the pups (except Black) are ready for their forever homes (again, I'll post about that in the next blog entry). Five leave this weekend.
  

So that's the development update (as much as I can think of right now).

I've missed you all! I've been swamped with puppy-pick-up prep and paperwork, and I was in VA last weekend on a speaking engagement, then I had to teach this week, and I had work deadlines. Add that to regular puppy duty AND people coming to look at pups (we had folks here until 10 p.m. Weds. night), and, well...you get the idea.

They're growing up!

'Til next time,
Joan