Lights Out

Let me tell you how smart and cooperative these puppies are. At night... or early in the morning... whenever I decide it's time to go to sleep, no matter how wound up and active the pups are... and some times they're really tearing around their area... when I turn the tv off and the lights out, that's it. Within a minute, at the most TWO minutes, everybody, even the 7-1/2 weeks old pups, are lying down and QUIET. You can hear a pin drop. I'm used to it, but every once in a while, especially when I have pups, it occurs to me again that dogs are much more accommodating than people are! Now, it doesn't work if I turn off the light and leave the tv on... the puppies just assume I'm not serious and they go on playing (and the older dogs, if they're into something, keep at it too.) Some nights I just lie there for a few minutes and enjoy the silence.

Something new happened... the pups have made each other cry. Usually that starts at 5-6 weeks, someone gets too rough or too determined. But these guys have been remarkable about wrestling nicely with each other, not chewing too hard, the bigger ones haven't pulled the smaller ones around by the tail, etc. In the last couple days, however, there have been a couple of unhappy squeals. Haven't hear any today, so they may have phased on already!

And their still Mama's pups! More so THIS week than last. Di's been spending 4-5 hours away from them... usually in the same room, but not in the pen... for about the last two weeks. Starting Friday and all this weekend, the whole gang has been getting antsy... and then whiny... after about 3 hours. I let Di back in the pen and they rush her like they're starving... and I know by the amount of kibble they are consuming, that's a lie. She nurses them for 3-4 minutes, then goes and lies down on her belly (so they can't get to her nipples) and they go back to playing with each other. Diamond is playing much more with them and she's a lot rougher than she used to be. She also seems to single one out for a romp and ignores everyone else for a long time... sort of like "ME time with Mom." It still amazes me that I used to force wean my pups at 3-4 weeks... actually remove moms to another part of the house and not let them back around their babies until they were ready to leave at 8 weeks. Puppies are no more ready to leave their moms (and littermates) at 8 weeks than children are at 10 years.

And yes, I'm getting Ost when he is 8 weeks old. BUT he'll have Di and that gang to become a part of. I'm really interested in seeing how long it takes him to make a place for himself. Another social experiment on the mountain