Pups are 6 Weeks Old Today
They have grown & developed so much in the past 6 weeks. Milestones thus far passed (in no particular order):
- eating solid food (okay, softened, water-soaked food, but close!)
- drinking water from a bowl
- sleeping away from mom
- pretty much giving up on nursing Mira (the gang of 13 still sometimes catches her and latches on with their sharp puppy teeth--much to Mira's dismay)
- having not 1, but 2, nannies fussing over them (that would be Nanny Kit & Nanny Ursa, who have both doted on the pups since they were born and who compete to be with them now that Mira lets the nannies visit)
- being outside and hearing all the city noises
- not being worried about all the loud and sudden city noises, including a neighbor's outdoor, live rock concert last weekend!!! Amazing pups!
- playing outside in their pup-nasium (they even have tunnels!)
- meeting and playing with children and adult strangers
- meeting and playing with the adult and teenage Chimera dogs
- meeting and playing with dogs not part of the Chimera pack (including the gorgeous & huge 11 week old Great Dane, Greta!)
- surviving having their toenails trimmed every week
- surviving getting their puppy teeth
- biting another puppy and hearing it scream
- being bitten and screaming in shock and pain (& then turning around and biting someone else ... naturally!)
- going up and down stairs
- riding in one crate in the van
- growing enough for riding in two crates in the van
- being separated from some of their siblings for a time
- 5 pups being in a crate at Brooke's office
- 5 pups playing with staff members and racing around an office
- gaming balled up paper (paper product play is a schnauzer favorite, esp. shredding paper!)
- light bathing to remove food bits and food grease and yard soil that has become wet and turned to mud
- full bathing to remove food bits and food grease and yard soil that has become wet and turned to mud
- being dried with towels
- being hand-fed tiny bits of shredded, chicken breast (pups say they will never eat kibble again--until, that is, the next meal!!!)
- being hand-fed tiny bits of shredded, beef (pups again say they will never eat kibble again--oops! puppy resolve being the fickle thing that it is, the next kibble meal came and they gobbled it up ...)
Tomorrow the pups face another couple of milestones:
- the clippers on their rears, perhaps on their ears, cheeks and necks
- & being stacked like little show dogs for photographs for their official 6 week portraits. Breeders use these stacked shots to help evaluate the whole litter and then select which pups will go to show homes. Final selections will not be made until a week or two later when the pups have grown more.
We'll see how they do with these things. I will post the stacked photos if they turn out nicely.
Also coming, more playdates this weekend!! Stay tuned!
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