Week 4 ~ Eat, Drink and Be Merry

This week the puppies' world expanded a bit to include much more time spent outside the whelping box, experiencing new dietary items, new toys and cozy things like crates to hang out in.  Their raw food diet began with the addition of goat's milk for starters.  They immediately knew what to do with the supplemental food. After a couple of days of that, a raw egg was added.  Then a bit of ground turkey.  Eventually the amount of ground turkey increased and the milk decreased.  Next on the menu was chopped turkey heart mixed in with the milk, egg and ground turkey mixture.  The puppies are good little eaters and devour everything I give them.

They continue with the TTouch work on the mouth, ears and tail and weekly nail trimming.

I've set up a small plastic crate with the door removed for the pups to go in and out.  They frequently choose to sleep in it of their own accord.  This is the start of crate training.  Once they are eating raw meaty bones, I will put the door back on and feed each puppy individually in the crate.  By doing these kinds of things from this young age, they will have formed positive associations with the crate to make crate training a breeze.

They continue to be "clicked" while nursing and while eating to keep loading the clicker.

Their Uncle Forrest and big brother Hamlet have met the puppies and the puppies are fascinated by the big dogs. 

February 27, 2008