Give a dog a bone

The puppies are mad for anything on the bone.  I have put down all manner of food for them, and hands-down if it is a Recreational Meaty Bone, they dive right in.  Each one pulls out their piece and they scatter around the pen to go to work.  I figure it must be enjoyable for them to eat this way, as they really do drift off into a pleasure-trance while eating!  Odd times, a growl can be heard if one of the siblings gets too close to another during this feasting.

They also like many ground, prepared meats.  This week I introduced duck, a different kind of turkey, and venison.  None of them liked the turkey, and duck was a bit of a wash as well!  They all clamored around the dishes when they were set down, and then walked away after an evaluation sniff.  Turkey=gross?!  After awhile, a couple of them drifted back for a mouthfull, but after a half hour, most of it was still in the dish.  I guess this litter would have to be pretty starving to settle for anything that gobbles or quacks.  I will try them on duck and turkey necks to see if I can put the fun back into these meats!

Dry food is going down a bit better.  If I mix it very well with canned food (Merrick's) and top it with cottage cheese or tomato juice, they will eat it.  They show very little interest if it is on its own.  In order to ensure they don't get used to any one brand, I have been mixing small portions of Merricks BG, Nature's Logic, Wellness Core, EVo in both red meat and poultry flavours, and Horizon.  These puppies are going to be as adaptable as possible if I have any say in the matter.

There are now committed homes for 3 of the puppies: Tikka, Vindaloo and Bhindi.  Mango, Bombay and Tandoori are very close too, now.  I should know more by the end of the weekend.

At the time of writing, 5 of the puppies have been out in car rides with the hopes of making it all 8 by the end of the day. 

When the pen is being cleaned, I will let them run around the main part of the house and really stretch their legs.  With 8 of them, one is often chewing on the ottoman leg, another is pulling up the carpet, there is one taking a poo, 2 fighting over a discarded bone from the adults, one trying to dump over a glass of water, remote squeaking from another room, and pitter patter as the last one is running laps.  It's mayhem, but I love it.

Lazy Saturday

The puppy inquiries are starting to heat up; we have several families on the verge of making decisions about which puppy and when they would like to come and pick up their little bundles of joy.

The pups are super-enjoying their new habitat, climbing up and down the stairs with confidence and speed after only 2 days in there. 

They have now eaten pork, turkey, elk, lamb, chicken, beef and bison as well as a couple of different kinds of chewies (dried herring and dehydrated chicken breast are their faves.)

I have given them their first dose of de-wormer with the next dose due on Dec 8th.  First set of vaccinations, tattoos and medical check-ups are due around then too.

The dryer is tumbling their most recent load of laundry and they are all having a little cat-nap, strewn round the floor and different levels of their new digs.

Thank you to Barb and Trent!

Tikka's new mom and dad have been so helpful and thoughtful towards the litter, the big dogs, and me that I had to give them a BIG SHOUT OUT!!

They have brought treats and food, a snuggle puppie for the litter to share, and yesterday Trent came down with wood and tools and reams of paper to help me set up the Taj Mahal of puppy habitats.  We spent a couple of hours making this little idea into a spectacular setting for puppy fun, rest, and potty.  They have their own little 2-storey condo now!

Thanks so much to Trent and Barb for sharing your time and energy with us.  We appreciate you more than words can say!!

Tandoori's big day

Today I reached into the pen and picked up the first dog I touched, which happened to be Tandoori.  Off we went for his first car ride, first trip into Staples, Home Depot and Tailblazers.  He rode in my little fron-loading puppy kangaroo-pouch and for the most part was very good.  Quiet, cute and good!  He did very well in the car (a total of an hour I estimate) except a little whining, which I think was something along the lines of "where are the other kids?" 

He got petted by a couple of people, but most didn't even notice him or looked and just smiled.