They may be cute but...

They need to be cleaned up every hour at least! You can guarantee that as soon as you put fresh paper down after mopping and scrubbing the floor, that they will do their business straight on the clean paper! I guess it'll never be tidy in there!
Also, when mopping, they decide to try to either chew the mop, try to get into the bucket or permanently attach itself to your trouser leg! Also, they go mad dog at about 4:30pm!
However they really are gorgeous!

Still they keep growing

Well the fith weekly weigh in and the weights contine to increase:
Probably something to do with the four meals a day (from 8am to midnight)

not to mention the continuing snacks between meals
Truffle has dsicovered that the only way to avoid getting scratched during feeding is to stand up so the pups paws and claws have to stay on the ground. However it must still be painful when she walks off: Some puppies can stay attached to her for a few yards, getting dragged along while they suck as much as they can.

New Buffet Service

Truffles mother's owner kindly comes over with a new supper dish for the pups.

Very good new arrangement - with only one dish to wash after.
One small problem: Six sections & seven puppies, but they dont seem to mind.

Escape

In a week we have gone from the stage of the pups just being able to get their paws onto the top of the whelping box (above right) to them being able to get over at will into the kitchen. While they are very good about being house trained not to foul their box, of course the kitchen is not their box so it is perfectly OK to pee and poo in the kitchen. Got to get the stair gate out of the loft!


Postscript: a week later:

Prague Widower

C has gone off on a choir tour to Prague for 4 days

N left holding the baby - well seven

First task is to get them each a bowl as the plates are getting a bit messy. They tend to walk through theam or lie down

So off the Snip and buy their entire stock of cat bowls.

Make sure we take the label off before the pups see.

A great success

Not all of the pups quite get the hang of keeping all the food in the right place:

Starting on Solids

The other big change this weekend is to start the pups on solid food

Well when we say solids its chicken biscuits mixed into a pulp

Some of the pups lap it up - others walk across the plate - some just fall asleep

Puppies Move

Out of the front sitting room....

into the utility room

Whelping box goes across the door into the kitchen and it's high enough to keep the puppies in while letting Truff step over when she feeds

Loads of newspaper spread across the floor to soak up the puddles.

Visitors

We are getting half a dozen visitors each day through the weekend to see the puppies. Some choosing a puppy, others just coming to stroke!

Some piano students coming to the house are taking an extra half an hour to leave. One even said "forget about the lesson, lets just see the puppies!"

Puppies are just about over the lower edge of the whelping box

Week 2 Weigh In

Week 1 Week 2
ROCKY 770 1164
ROLO 746 1072
IZZY 650 990
FLECK 658 992
MOLLIE 708 1074
POGLE 692 1022
WOMBLE 714 1088

Flopsy has hound a home (cunningly acting all helpless and petite) and has been given a new name Izzy by the family