The puppies are now three weeks old and have just started on solid food, so under normal circumstances I would be inviting their new owners to come and meet them, but sadly this will not be possible because of the corona virus lockdown now in force; all bar one of these people has met my dogs and seen puppies from previous litters, so at least they can be confident as to what they will get from me.
I have given the puppies a separate newspaper toilet area in the whelping box and they started to use it immediately, which makes keeping them clean a piece of cake. All I need to do every morning is wash the vet bed and wipe down all the surfaces, then I can replace the newspaper as and when they soil it throughout the day.
When my husband and I settle down to watch the telly of an evening we each pick up a puppy and sit it on our laps, so that they get used to being taken away from their litter mates for something nice from an early age, well that’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it! Their mother Riska went to a neighbour’s New Year’s Eve party aged 4 weeks, albeit a brief 30 minute outing safely tucked in my jacket.
Their balance and coordination are improving rapidly and they enjoy scrambling over my legs when I sit in the whelping box with them. Their teeth are just starting to come through, so they are mouthing everything and are very comical when they have little play fights.
