My house guests have continued to enjoy the facilities. Their whelping box has been kept cozy
with a heat block underneath soft vet bedding. Mum has kept the place spotless but even so they have benefitted from fresh bedding each day. The protective bars that were in the whelping box for the first week have been removed now as the pups have gained enough bulk now to crawl out from where they may be pinned down.
Their eyes and ears are still shut but early signs of eyes opening has been spotted. They'll soon be trying to focus on the big wide world.
Mum is more content now to have her pups lifted out of the whelping box as long as they are in easy sight of her. This acceptance from mum has made it easier to undertake daily health checks and of course take advantage of a little snuggle. There is more of them to snuggle now as they have all more than doubled their birth weights.
As my house guests are destined to be trained as assistance dogs for deaf people, a couple of the charity's breeding team visited to satisfy themselves that all was well with their accommodation and their health and development. They snook a quick snuggle too! Who could blame them?
Life is still dominated by ensuring that mum is well fed so that the milk bar remains productive. She's happily feasting on double the portions she was on prior to whelping. Whilst she spends most of her time tending to the pups, cleaning, toileting and of course feeding, she is wanting time out too so when she's ready she indicates that we should have a quick play in the garden or a tug of war contest with a soft toy. It is important for mum to have attention and mental stimulation too.
Other posts in this new litter series:
Week 1
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
The eviction
The pups won
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