Redwing Australian Terriers

So puppies are starting to have new experiences that will shape them as future companions.  Yesterday a friendly human visitor came and played with them, which was fun for all.  This morning while I was fixing Rocky’s bottle he had the opportunity to meet Meri.  She is the perfect age to be a big sister/babysitter, and was fascinated by him.  He was totally unafraid.  Enjoy!

You’re probably wondering how little Rocky is doing as I haven’t posted on him lately.  Well, he’s doing just great.  He now weighs 1# 6 oz, just an ounce less than his smallest sister.  He’s wiggly and strong, and looks forward to mealtimes, which are now 4 hours apart.  He’s able to go all night without feeding (hooray for sleep!).  Developmentally he’s on par with his siblings, and is playful and cute.

Ruth is spending more time away from them now, and spent her first night last night in her regular bed.  Puppies were fine this morning without her.  This prevents them from trying to climb out of the puppy pen to find a midnight snack and getting stranded.  Soon she’ll have to diet (bad 4  letter word) to lose the baby weight.  *sigh

They will be receiving their first visitor today, and will explore our living room.  I will be watching to see who’s fearless and who’s more reserved as I evaluate their temperaments.  Their personalities are starting to emerge, and it’s fun to see who they will be.

Enjoy this last sleeping puppy shot.  You can compare with earlier pix if you want to see how they’ve grown.

If you’re watching the webcam (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-bBS-x-BeE) you’ll notice that a new menu has been provided for puppies.  They’re getting a little Esbilac for dinner now, to help with Ruth’s milk production.  They are 4 weeks old today.

The potty box is da BOMB!  This morning I found two little puddle spots, not bad for 7 puppies.  They go to the box on their own, and potty quickly when I put them in there.  It’s working!  And it’s easy to clean, just rinse with a hose and let dry.  No messy pellets, WOohoo!

You’ll have noticed that the flufly bedding in the puppys’ pen has been replaced with linoleum.  This will help them distinguish between their play area, their bed and the potty box, and hopefully will improve cleanup.

Little Rocky is over a pound and continues to thrive.  I have started supplementing their turns at the milk bar with puppy milk replacer formula (Esbilac) and they are learning to lap from a bowl.  Rocky will be able to hold his own with the other puppies as they master this new skill.

Little sister had an adventure last night, falling out of the box (or being dragged out hanging on to a teat) and spending the night loose in the puppy room.  She woke me this morning crying, but was consoled and reunited with her siblings.

Those of you watching the webcam (youtube, search Redwing terriers and click the live stream) will have noticed the addition of a new item in the whelping box.  This is a potty turf box, with a pan and turf to give the puppies a designated area for pottying.  I’ve used wood pellets before but this seemed like a cleaner alternative with better footing for the little puppies.  They are 3 weeks old today, and are toddling away from where they sleep to potty, so the perfect time to introduce the box.

For those of you puppy watching on the webcam you’ll have noticed that they puppies are becoming more active when they’re awake.  They crawl farther and faster, and are pushing up on their fronts and rears.  Their eyes will be opening soon.  And if you haven’t been watching them, here’s a handy link to the webcam.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qBXk_kvJ78

For those of you for whom the photos I posted weren’t enough, here are a couple more.

Well they didn’t make it until the 4th of July like they were supposed to.  They decided to make their way into the world last night.  So Ruth is the mother of a litter of 7 (I was off by one in my count, too). They are all blue/tan, like their parents.  There are 4 boys and 3 girls.  They are all healthy and strong.

The whelping box has been set up, and Ruth has given it a lick of approval.  I have been listening to puppy heartbeats for the last week and they sound healthy and strong.  They are moving, shifting into place for their launch into our world.