5/16 Catchup

The Pups continue to do thrive. They now weigh between 3.8 and 4.4 pounds. Yes, we have switched over to weighing them in pounds as they no longer fit on the ounce scale and we're only going to weight them every few days as they are far enough along that it is not necessary to monitor them that closely. You an view a current copy of the progress chart at the following link:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/28381043/Viper-Cougar%204-24-2012%20Litter%20Rec.pdf

On May 10th, Mark H's daughter and granddaughters visited. As you know, our philosophy is to provide lots of socialization and stimulation. The objective being to develop them mentally, physically and socially. Their future temperaments are very much predicated on the situations and people that they are exposed to during the first few months of their lives. As they grow with us, they will be exposed to large groups of children at Mark's grammar school in addition to as many people as possible at home and on outings.

The next  picture was taken on Mother's Day.  Cougar is once again doing a great job as a mother, patient with the pups and visitors alike, keeping them clean and teaching them to play. The pups are now really playing with each other, rolling and trying to escape the whelping box. They are experimenting with the various toys, wobble boards and noisemakers rotated through their box. They now respond to voices and sounds and, of course, our objective is to take them to the point where they will be comfortable with all manner of sounds and movement. All in all, they are developing at an excellent rate.  The pups are taking a break after another round of playtime.

This last picture for today was taken on Monday. The pups are beginning potty training. Mark puts sod in a window well just outside of the basement so that he can potty them by just passing them outside the basement window. This will become a regular routine several times daily. So nice that these pups were born in the spring - much easier than the previous two litters that he and Anne raised in the winter.

The pups are beginning to show personality and establish pack order. The next couple of weeks will tell us a lots about their temperaments and drive and allow us to select which pups belong in which homes. No, don't ask yet, as the process is just beginning and we're not ready to speculate.