Sunday in Montana: Snow and Puppies

Happy Sunday! There is a very light snow falling here in Florence, Montana but the puppies are snug and warm, oblivious to the cold and snow. They have had a busy morning and so are all finally napping.

Kinsey learned to climb out of the whelping box yesterday. This means that the whelping box is no longer a secure place to put them without reinforcement. I use the x-pen (portable play pen for puppies) inside the whelping box now to make sure they stay put. It is a hassle because Halo has to be let in/out at night, and I only have one x-pen so I have to move it from whelping box to play area and back, but having puppies running around the house is also a hassle! I am going to get yet another x-pen the next time I am in Missoula to reduce the hassle factor.

So Kinsey is athletic and smart – she is also a very excited and happy puppy, as I have said before. Rosebud is quite precocious and just a little star – she has that “pay attention to me” quality about her. I have already shared how happy Sula is, but she is also very sweet and an escape artist. If there is a stray puppy in the Great Room, it is usually Sula. Darby is a mellow puppy – relaxed and sweet. Madison is vocal and also a more forward puppy (like Rosebud). Lolo hangs back and watches a lot, not shy but just content to stay out of the action. She does love to play and be held, but she is just not a big presence in any way.

The boys are fun and cute. Dawson is a clown – a sturdy little boy who does not seem bothered by much of anything. Ledger is a lovely boy – he is like Rosebud in that he has star quality about him.

None of the puppies are lacking in social skills or confidence – some are just a bigger presence than others. All play together and all interact very well with people. They are doing well with their solid food introduction, and I am going to start teaching them three basic behaviors: sit, down and stand. The intro to housetraining is going so well and they should be easy to completely housetrain when they go to their new homes.

I took all of today’s pictures this morning during one of the play sessions. I like the picture of Halo with her babies – it shows you how big they are getting and also what a sweet presence Halo has with them. I truly have not taught Dawson to stick out his tongue but there it is again! Kinsey and Darby are chewing together on a toy, and I have included an interesting shot of Rosebud playing tug with the camera strap! Darby and Sula are the close-ups, and there is Rosebud playing with a toy Terri made for them – it is a nice substitute for my leg. And there are two pictures that I took in succession of a wrestling match – I love the expressions on their little faces and notice that one has the lip of the other in one picture.

I hope you are having a restful Sunday!