After the trauma of Week 2, it was lovely for Week 3 just to be full of the wonderful milestones that come with this age. Eyes and ears opened. Growling, mouthing, and tail wagging began. Which all marked the end of our ENS protocols.
Now we move into socialisation and enrichment.
Each day saw a new novelty added to the whelping box. Anyone who followed the Zuleika Bombe litter might remember 'Nanny' Eric the cat, who appeared to do more of the puppy raising than Fleur did. Well Liina hadn't been so keen to let him into the whelping box. But on Friday, while I was at work, I did a quick check on the puppies only to discover things have changed. Eric is now allowed in. So Friday's novelty wasn't the pink crocodile, it was Eric.
They began toileting themselves, so we added wee pads and a bed in order to create separate sleeping and toileting areas. This has been so successful that today we added a litter box with pine shavings. Pinto, being the superstar she is, went straight in and did her business.
At 16 days they got their first taste of goat's milk, from a saucer, to begin developing their 'lapping' skills. As the week progressed we added puppy mousse in increasing quantities. Now, as they turn three weeks old, they are completely ready for (soft) solids.
And today it was awesome to see them right up on their feet and legs, marching around the whelping box. This will also be their last week in our bedroom.
Week 3 photos (in birth order): Jelly, Pinto, Coffee, Cocoa, Cannellini, Butter
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