Click here to see the Puppies' Growth Chart.  This chart will be updated as often as possible to reflect the puppies' weights.

Click on any thumbnail photo to see a larger version.

June 23 (49 days old):

I cannot believe it's been a whole week since I last updated this site.   As the puppies get older, the amount of time they require keeps increasing.   On one hand their daytime naps are longer (sometimes two hours), but that's offset by their longer active periods before crashing (sometimes two hours).   And, regardless of how late we go to bed at night, these little critters are up with the sun.

The significant changes that I've observed this past week:

Exploration
The dimensions of my back yard are approximately 70 X 70.   A week ago, most of the puppies' excursions to the far corners of the yard were in groups, about 10 feet at a time.   For example:  A threesome might gallop off along the fence, go about 10 feet and stop to play, sniff, roll in the grass and look around.   After a few minutes, they'd be off again, going another 10 feet.  

As the week progressed, the threesomes became twosomes, and the distance covered at one time increased significantly to the point we are today.   When I open the gate from the side patio to the back yard, there is a mass exodus.   Single puppies will often take off on a ditz run, stopping to explore only when they trip and fall down or run into something or see something of interest or reach their "favorite" spot.    Pairs or groups of puppies will rough and tumble their way around the yard, playing tag with tails or necks.

In one far corner of the yard there is a mound of dirt that has grown over with grass.  It's about a foot higher than the rest of the yard and the puppies have learned to play king (or usually queen) of the hill.   The more dominant puppies stand at the top of the mound and challenge the others.   This same type of dominance play happens on the patio.   There is a stoop, as well as cardboard boxes for elevation.

As their exploration comfort level has expanded, so has their disgust at being confined in their two oversized x-pens.   If they are awake and active, they let me know in no uncertain terms that they are not happy.   They bark, they jump at the x-pen, they whine and they howl.   All this action causes them to bump into their littermates, which then causes a little skirmish.    Which leads to the next significant change:

Bite Inhibition
The moderate mouthing that was easy to endure a week ago has become full-blown, clamp-down biting this week.   Not just to me, but to each other.   Once again, Mother Nature knows best.   Those sharp little puppy teeth hurt, so the pups are learning that if you bite a sibling or adult dog too hard, they will retaliate!  

The most obvious time for this learning is in the morning, when I'm still wearing sweat pants.   When I let the puppies out of their overnight x-pen, I dash to the patio with 36 little feet following behind me.   The moment I stop moving, it's a free-for-all, as each puppy grabs a piece of my pant legs, tugs and growls.   Inevitably, they bite each other (accidentally) and tell each other off.  

To demonstrate that unrewarded behavior does extinguish itself:   If I continue walking (or at least attempt to walk) with the 9 little black furballs attached to my legs, the tug-of-war and growling continues.   If I stand still for a minute or two, the excitement is gone and so are the puppies.   They head off to conquer other challenges.

I had been waiting for the puppies to begin "correcting" each other for nipping and biting before I started my "corrections."   Had I intervened before they learned this lesson from other canines, there would not have been the foundation for understanding.   

Carrying
A week ago the puppies rarely carried toys or other objects for great distances.   Not because the toys and rawhide bones were too large, and not because the objects were too large to fit in their mouths.  

This past week I've seen all the puppies carry objects -- quite purposefully.  These objects include anything in the house that's puppy level and not nailed down!   They are carrying around magazines (that they've pulled off the shelves), 2 quart stainless steel food dishes, toys, shoes, etc.   Part of their joy seems to come simply from parading around with the object in their mouth, and the other part comes when they've taken their prize far enough away from their siblings to have a solitary chew.