With Eyes Wide Open!

They are 17 days old today. Yes, they can see and hear, and they are crawling around (it is pretty wobbly), and there is even a hint of playing and ear chewing! We are very pleased with the progress of all of the puppies.

The puppies are now starting to be placed outside of their whelping box so they can start to explore the world a bit. The tile floor is kind of scary, but it is warm, so they might forget and go to sleep anyway. I think by this time next week, they will be crawling under the tables for a dark, safe place to sleep and play!

The next big milestone is the appearance of teeth. This process seems to be at times the bane of Harriet's existence. As a result, Harriet will get quite upset when the puppies nurse to rough or for too long, and she will cut the nursing period shorter and shorter. Unfortunatley for Harriet, this will last from 7-10 days until we are able to fully start the process of weaning, and the transition to normal solid food over a period of one to two weeks.