No Holds Barred

The pups celebrated their seven-week birthday with a "no holds barred" romp through the dining room this evening--a rare treat.  The fun wasn't over until every pup had pooped at least once (and likely run through it) and every neat stack of newspaper, an essential piece of puppy pen equipment, was strewn around the room.   At the end of our session our goal was reached: every puppy was tired out and ready for a good night's sleep.  The pups are eating three times a day with the last meal around dinner time.  They are good sleepers overnight and then ready for their breakfast at 6am each morning.  Their primary food is kibble in increasing amounts--1/4 cup or more per pup, per meal; I mix some cottage cheese or wet dog food into the kibble and within minutes every morsel is gone.  Today the pups got some new chewing bones but shortly thereafter, I noticed that Clarence was chewing one of them.  "How do the older dogs get the puppy toys?"  This is another mystery exceeded only by the biggest puzzle of all "How do the puppies' collars become untied overnight?"  This morning Yellow Boy and Light Blue Boy needed to be sorted out.  Today all of the boys are wearing double collars.  I'm tempted to set up a web cam to learn which puppy has learned how to cleverly untie knots.  Yesterday the puppies had their "temperament" tests; it is always interesting to observe the puppies' reactions to a series of activities in the absence of their litter mates.  All of the puppies were playful, confident and sociable and one turns out to be an excellent retriever!  Several loved climbing the handler's stool and most didn't mind being in a strange room with the door shut.  The temperament tests--more art than science--provide some additional insights into how the puppies react to other people, unusual sounds and experiences, handling by a stranger and separation anxiety.