Early mornings

One of the disadvantages of puppies is broken sleep in the transitory stage as the mother Miske weans the puppies and they wake up hungry in the middle of the night. Sharp puppy teeth are a big deterrent to feeding on demand so Miske feeds them intermittently. So it is up to me to provide a 3am feed of yogurt and soaked nibbles. Once sufficiently fed, they readily fall back to sleep until dawn light wakes them. Dragging myself out of bed, bleary eyed, was repaid this morning with a colourful sunrise.

The puppies are just over four weeks old now. Their vocalisations are still squeaks mainly expressing various forms of distress being lost, alone, or wanting out from wherever they are. The squeak for food is much softer.  They still rely more on their sense of smell for finding food, sniffing rather than looking for their food bowl. As Miske has been weaning them she has changed their focal point to her head, discouraging them from feeding. She is in the process of transforming their idea of her from mother/food source to a dog just like them, but the boss dog. She loves to play with them, charging up and down the verandah with a torrent of puppies in tow. The puppies have been play fighting for some time; if they get too aggro Miske intervenes and bosses both of them. However their sense of sight and sound is used fully when I call them and they come racing toward me. They are rapidly extending their boundaries, exploring, playing, chewing, then sleeping soundly in a bundle of black and white fluffiness.