Picnic!!

The pups have been enjoying the great outdoors. Today they had a picnic lunch!

We're getting big!!

Feather

Fawn

Fluffy

Felipe

Funston

Fergenson

Finnian

Fitz

Farina

Many thanks to Nancy Vise and Kim Brewer who captured these pictures for us--little and big!

Puppy Moving and Storage

The pups' pen gets completely cleaned at least once a day. Items are carefully placed for their use. Then "Puppy Moving and Storage" goes into action...

Before...




After...

Leader of the Pack!

The pups are having a wonderful time playing in their outdoor space. But regardless of how wonderful are the various toys and different surfaces, their favorite playmate continues to be Mom!

More new friends

The pups got a visit from new people today. Friends of our stopped by for a visit. The pups had a great time interacting with all the new people. One of the great lessons of the visit was that puppies find leather cell phone cases fasinating (and great places to try out teeth...)

Pooped!

The pups LOVE playing outside. There are lots of different surfaces and toys for them to try. One of the favorites is the bosu which moves around as they play with it. The play starts with just tipping it. As they get more confident and better "sea legs" the pups start climbing up on it. They eventually get to climbing all over it while its tipping around. Great balancing puppies!









All of the outdoor fun leads to pooped pups!

Training wheels!

The pups got their first experience of transportation today. There are cars, buses, trains, planes, boats, and many other modes in their future. It all started for them with a garden cart.

The pups outdoor play area is on the patio and their indoor area is in a guest room. The two aren't connected so we have to move the pups from inside to outside and back again. The garden cart seemed the simplest way. The pups love it--and so does Dawna who gets to supervise the whole way!

The parents are the best teachers...

We are close to finished with the weaning process but the pups still get a little "dessert". Tonight we saved dessert for outside. Dawna loved being in the outside pen with the pups. After they nursed and she cleaned, she spent time playing with them. She was very particular in demonstrating to them how much fun several of the toys could be. And then they all had a snooze.

Storming the Gates!!

The pups quickly learned that the gate to the pen was the second best source of all goodness (Dawna being the first).

We needed to make a gate because the double pen we're using for the indoors barrier doesn't come with gates or doors. The local hardware store had 18x24 inch sheets of 1/8 inch Lexan ®. Lexan ® is a very strong plastic and there is no way that the pups could break it. So we had it cut to 14 inches high and then drilled holes on either end for computer ties. Good to go! Until this morning that is...

You see, the 1/8 inch plastic is very strong... and flexible. When we went to feed the pups this morning, they were in their usual place, at the gate--some sitting but many more with paws on the top of the gate pushing forward. So the plastic flexed. And the little lemming puppies started swimming over the gate! It was very cute. We got them back in and added the other 4 inch strip at the top to provide a bit more of a barrier.


Off to the hardware store tonight. We got a 1/4 inch thick piece of plastic, cut to 15 inches high and drilled holes again. Success!! A strong enough gate to hold back the puppy storm!

Postscript -- Of course, being CCI puppies, we don't enter the pen until they've quieted down, they're not pushing frenetically and at least one or two are sitting. Good puppies!!

Pups on Parade!

The pups got another chance to play outside this morning. Here's a sample of pups on parade.

Farina

Fawn

Feather

Felipe

Ferge (Fergenson)

Finnian

Fitz

Fluffy

Funston

Happy tails happy pups!

A very full Saturday!

The weather has not been good for getting the pups outside in the evenings since Monday night. It's been very hot. So, this morning the pups got a chance to play outside. Finnian was particularly interested in the fountain and spent much of the morning talking to it!



They also got a visit from some of Karen's friends who helped with puppy socialization this afternoon.



This evening the pups got what we call "Full service doggy spas". Each had toenails clipped, ears checked, mouth checked, paws and fur cleaned up, brushed and collars cleaned. It was a very full day. What do puppies who have very full days do at the end of it?...

Are you my baby??

The pups are growing like crazy. They are about half way through the weaning process and are eating more solid food every day. This means that Dawna is only in with them for a short time after they eat. Otherwise, she's out of the pen most of the time.

A part of the pups' socialization these days is to listen to a CD from CCI of various common sounds -- a phone ringing, traffic noise, an airplane, fireworks and so forth. One of the more obnoxious sounds--even the CCI directions say you might want to be out of the house for this--is a really whiny crying baby.

Remember... Dawna is a very good mom....

The pups are handling the CD noises like champs. Usually they settle in and just sleep through it. Dawna is another matter. She stands outside the room desparately trying to figure out what baby is needing her help. She absolutely does not understand why we won't come and help her help the crying baby. She's SURE it needs her help!

My CD baby!

The Great Outdoors

The pups had their first chance to play outside today. After some initial confusion about "what happened??", they all got the spirit of adventure. Of course, Mama Dawna is still the biggest attraction!



Here's the whole gang!

Up and Down

The pups are finally discovering that the ramp in the pen is more than just an obstacle.

Up

Down