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Week 3 - Clicketeers!This week the puppies really blasted off! At 17 days of age, Star, was the first to get out of the whelping box. By 20 days of age, everyone had discovered how. The puppies are able to move around quite well now. They notice new things and like to chew on toys. They've found their voices and bark and growl at each other. They pounce and tackle one another, growling ferociously. They can pick up small toys and shake them vigorously making sure to "kill" them well. Their ears are open and the sound of my voice wakes them up. They then orient towards me. Taking full advantage of this, they've joined the elite group of dogs known as "clicketeers" as I am loading the clicker while they nurse. This is always lots of fun because the mama dog thinks she is being clicked for something. Which means I must be armed with treats for her even though I am clicking the puppies! Anything to form the association that a click means good things are coming and what could be more rewarding to a young puppy than mother's milk! Another interesting happenstance when I began clicking the puppies, Jacqui thought she should offer me a behavior and she offered the first behavior I shaped with her. Just by chance, that happened to be "play dead"! It worked out beautifully because she flops her head down and this enables the puppies to access the milk bar a bit more easily! Funny how that worked out! The Early Neurological stimulation exercises ended on Day 16. I now do TTouch work on their muzzles, ears and tails. I also handle their feet and individual toes daily and clip nails when needed. All puppies are gaining well and are 3 lbs or more in weight. Definitely in the butterball stage right now :)
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February 27, 2008
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