Gosh, has it really been 7 days since I last posted a pupdate? It’s been a busy week, with lots of non-puppy related activity on the farm and around the house. I try to put daily notes up on my Facebook page (feel free to ‘like’ it if you haven’t already), but the batteries also died on my camera and what’s a puppy post without pictures?
But you needn’t fear, I will make up for it here!
Puppies now have their eyes well opened and tonight showed indication of actually seeing me for the first time. They can clearly hear as well, as they all woke up when I opened the pen gate. And they’re all up and moving around, albeit still rather shakily.
Puppies have had their nails trimmed – twice – are crawling around over different surfaces, and developing quite a vocal repertoire. They’ve met a number of new people, are beginning to play and wrestle, and otherwise are starting to act like…. puppies!
Even though they still sorta look like guinea pigs.
At this age anything can change, and today’s most outgoing puppy may be next week’s couch potato. So keep in mind that what they show right now is not necessarily what they will be when they grow up. But its fun to guess!
The personalities and activity levels of the two boys have stayed very steady since birth (i.e. a whopping 20 days), and I suspect they are giving me a good idea of things to come. The girls, however – no surprise, really – are a lot harder to figure out! They each have changed a fair bit, and even vary from day to day. So I’d say it’s really anybody’s guess at this point. That said, I’m still going to give it a go.
The following is a little snapshot of what I am seeing now with each puppy, presented in birth order. I’m mostly writing this up to see how well I can predict at this age! I reserve the right to be completely and utterly wrong, and will be sure to let you know if I am.
Griffon is a going concern. He is the first to do everything, eats constantly, complains LOUDLY about EVERYTHING, beats up his brother and sisters, demands to be picked up, loves to fall asleep in my lap, and otherwise promises to be a loving but active handful! He looks to be growing a bit of coat, but the verdict is out still regarding how much.
Wee Zola is growing like a weed and holding her own without trouble despite being the smallest puppy. She’s actually only slightly smaller now, having done a lot of catching up over the past week. She’s showing herself to be active but not too busy, so far a middle-of-the-road girl. I am pretty sure she will be smooth coated, and definitely very pretty with that big wide white blaze.
Raven is a cutie! Not much bigger than Zola, she’s showing a fair bit of feist and determination. No where near as in your face as Griffon (no one is!), she’s probably the next busiest puppy at this point. She’s active and interactive and I’m guessing is going to be an athletic little go-getter.
Lark I haven’t quite figure out yet. She is the biggest puppy right now, having outgrown big brother Griffon when he slowed down to develop his vocal cords. She’s outgoing and confident, and relatively quiet. I think all her energy is going into gaining weight! And growing coat. Our little skunk is definitely going to be a fuzzy one as an adult.
Cooper has been consistently the quietest, most laid back of the bunch. Sweet, cuddly, and easy going, I think this adorable little man is going to be a lot like his father, Scout. Cooper loves to be held and cuddled and will quite happily fall asleep in my arms. But he’s still up and wrestling with the rest of them and is plenty active when it’s time to play. I think he’s going to be smooth coated.
Last but not least, Wren! Like her sister Lark, Wren is also a bit of a mystery. Quiet and thoughtful, she has an intensity I am curious to watch develop. Not as outgoing as Raven, but definitely confident and curious. Right now I’d say she’s a middle-of-the-road puppy like Zola, and is keeping her coat length a secret for now.
And if that’s not enough of a puppy fix for you for the moment, here’s a video I took a couple of days earlier…
Kynic Stockdogs 