Growing up

The little guys are getting more and more dog like. The best thing for me is that they mostly use the "poopy box" now. This is a plastic concrete mixing tub with a slot cut in it for easy puppy access. Sort of like a large litter box. I have papers on the bottom and have been encouraging them to go there to defecate. Yesterday afternoon and evening there was only one poop outside the box and one pup that got airlifted to the box just in time. Everyone else used the box. Mind you they still pee just about anywhere. Paper is favored but certainly not a requirement yet.

Yesterday was way too cold for them to go outside on the deck. (We have not even considered getting off the deck as our world is a mass of ice, not puppy friendly.) So we had them out in the living room for quite some time to blow off steam. Not easy on the living room. They can run now so they need sessions out where they can get going. They went outside for a bit this morning. It is bitter cold today, but not yesterday's wind. They did not last long and are now napping inside.

Song still nurses them a bit, but mostly their sustenance comes from 4 meals a day of solid food. I feed raw so they are growing up on salmon, chicken, some beef and tripe. Salmon has worked well for very young pups for me. They like it and it agrees with their systems. As they grow I move them to chicken/beef and whatever the big dogs are eating. When they hit 6 weeks I'll add a bit of kibble to their diet, eventually replacing a meal with kibble, to prepare them for whatever their future diets will be.