The life of a lucky puppy is now including a daily dose of time outside enjoying the fresh mountain air, within a penned in “mini puppy play-land” that consists of physical challenges in the form of stacked cordwood walkways and culvert pipe tunnels as well as the most popular; crate with fleece inside. We have instituted the system of waking up early (5:30-ish), grabbing the pups from their interior (aka in the living room engulfing whelping box plus) sleeping zone and then running them out to the exterior space for the morning p&p(s). This is followed by the requisite cleanup of the new and improved nastiness and the welcome addition of 3 cups of puppy food for breakfast. I will add that it may qualify as an interesting sight if one should stumble upon me in my underwear and sandals, dropping an overfull armful of puppy in the pen and then waiting bleary eyed to scoop up the morning deliveries that invariably come shortly after wake-ups. From here I adjourn to my morning routine of coffee and internet check on weather and world cup scores. Beyond this, the days for a 7+ week old puppy at Teapot Labs consist of time out of the pen exploring the surrounding landscape, visiting with visiting humans of all shapes and sizes, wrestling one another until distracted by something of interest (i.e. a leaf rolling past) to be ultimately and inevitably followed by periods of deep and restful slumber (usually in a heap within the suddenly shrinking crate).
They continue a program of visiting a new interior space, individually, once every couple of days. Here Cindy notes any and all reactions to the new environment as well as the puppy’s response to a wee bit of basic clicker training. On the exterior front, the exploration continues with field trips to the lake, forest, granite outcroppings and gardens on the grounds (from which they are now officially barred due to overzealous grazing). They are also being acclimatized to new, interesting and appropriate sounds daily. Cars coming into the driveway, garage doors going up and down, power tools at work and even some chainsaw time in the woods nearby are examples of the challenging auditory moments the pups are experiencing. So far all the pups have reacted well, noticing the sounds, perhaps a small move away but then a quick recovery (whenever possible followed by a treat of some sort to create a positive association).
Beyond all this intentional exposure and training, Cindy and I simply enjoy spending time with these pups. Again, perhaps it’s a case of short memories and higher comfort levels but we both remark that this litter has been especially nice and easy to have around. Their energy levels seem eminently manageable, their greetings of humans in most scenarios is excited but also controlled and even Stella does not shy from sitting outside among the puppies attempting to elicit play. However, even as I finish this sentence I recall that it is this 6 ½ to 8 week period when the intensity of the pups tests our patience. Their size, desire to scrap with each other and ability to poop like a big dog (at least from the aroma perspective) combine to make these last days feel a bit longer at times. It may be that when 8 weeks rolls around we will be more than happy to pass the pups off to their chosen destinations and celebrate having our house and life back again…maybe (Stella says definitely).
