In more than 25 years, this is only the second litter we have whelped on premises.  Three boys and four girls arrived on Sunday June 5, 2005.

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1 st day	1st day	1st day	2 days old	2 days old	2 days old
2 days old	3 days old	3 days old	5 days old	5 days old	6 days old
6 days old	7 days old	7 days old	7 days old	7 days old	7 days old
7 days old	7 days old	7 days old	7 days old	Green boy 1 week	Purple girl 1 week
Peach girl 1 week	Red boy 1 week	Blue boy 1 week	White (pink) girl 1 week	Yellow girl 1 week	9 days old trying to stand
15 days old	17 days old	17 days old	17 days old	17 days old	17 days old
17 days old	17 days old	17 days old	17 days old	17 days old	17 days old
17 days old	17 days old	17 days old	20 days really "into" puppy feed	20 days	20 days
20 days	20 days sack time	20 days cuddle toy	20 days da den	20 days	20 days temperature check
20 days	20 days	20 days Mom's still the best	21 days
				22 days	23 days
		24 days			28 days

     Even at birth, the puppies are active and surprisingly mobile.
    At one week, eyes and ears are still closed, but they can crawl pretty fast.
    They started to stand up at 11 days.  "Toddling" would be an understatement.  Fall down is more applicable.  Fortunately they don't have far to fall, and they seem to be made of rubber anyway.
    Eyes are opening at 12 days.  At least they can see what they are running into.  Picture quality deteriorates because we cannot use a flash until their eyes mature a bit more.  The pictures are at slow speed and blur with wiggly puppies.
    By 15 days, they are starting to recognize what they see.  They move to Blaze or people on sight.
    At 17 days their ears are opening and they are reacting to sounds.  Still can't use a flash.
    19 days and they are interacting - wrestling, etc. with each other.
    20 days marks a big event -- they move out of the whelping box in the "nursery," and into a pen in the kitchen.  Not babies anymore.
    21 days - Blaze is more stressed by the move into the kitchen than the puppies.  She liked the control she had with the whelping box in Bill's study.
    26 days - two puppies got into a real scrap.  Miska went in and said "Woof, woof" with clear meaning, and they stopped their fight and behaved.  There is nothing better than real pack socialization.  Blaze also has started to wean the pups.
    28 days - first trip outdoors.  Firecrackers concerned Miska, but the puppies were not bothered.

Copyright 2005 by William C. Mair, all rights reserved.