Give your dog/s a bone and a paper bag and they are entertained for hours!



In the evening I had to go to school. The puppies were so much fun I had difficulty tearing myself away from them and I told my mother, who was the puppies doggy-sitter, that I could easily take one with me in my pocket… as you can see they do fit.



When the puppies run free in the lounge things are just not the same for Zanna. She sometimes has to walk around with quite a heavy load under her.
The pups are having to learn that they cant always get what they want, its time to learn what growling is. Grandma Tieka and mama Zanna are doing a great job.



The puppies got a whole bag of toys just before they were born. Since their eyes opened I introduce a new one every few days. They always love the newest one most ha, ha.

It was a busy day for the puppies today.

First the girls learnt how to make their bed.
Sweetie found out that pulling and tugging on their nice soft “vet bed” was lots of fun, and that under it all there is fun news papers that you can tear to pieces.



Then to the pups amazement they were finally aloud into the big wide world of my lounge.
I was waiting for the day that my large Esterla male would leave the lounge and go sleep upstairs. Last litter he started doing that when they got to the age of making lots of noise and wanting to go walk about. But with this litter Flecha is totally used to puppies, still not particularly liking them but not getting annoyed enough of them to leave the room.
So I warned him if he didn’t go himself he would, without complaint, have to accept the fact that the little horrors would be running freely. I kept them out of his way, but he was very much aware that they were there. In the corner of his eye he could see them and every now and then when he suspected they could come his way I heard a little grumble. That was actually quite handy as it was a very much in time warning for me to keep the puppies from heading towards him.



The pups were so excited with the fact that they could go further than their whelping box walls that they started to run around in excitement on there nice freshly made bed. After a long play in the lounge they all slept for hours….



But the day’s excitement wasn’t over yet… the next new experience was having their first “man made” meal which was chicken wing mince. Sun bear and Sweetie started with out any hesitation and really enjoyed it. Hippie and Pixie just yelled while trying to climb over the whelping box walls as they could smell their mother standing on the other side. She was glaring at the yummy chicken mix that was in the whelping box.



But finally the “silly ones” noticed the enticing chicken smell and they too ate their fill, well they were nearly full because when I finally let Zanna jump in to clean out the bowls all 4 pups still had some room left over for a “mummy made meal”… they drank themselves totally full and ended the day falling down in sleepy contentment.

The puppies are still fairly content in their whelping box, they are still too small to go walk about. But when they see their mother they get so excited and really try to climb over the sides.



This evening it was “get used to crackly paper” exercise. In Tieka’s last litter there was one pup that ran away soooo fast at the touch and sound of this stuff. I was expecting a good laugh again.(the puppy did get used to it)
But these pups all passed with flying colours and after the initial “gosh what’s that” reaction they all thought it was rather fun.
As you can see fun toys don’t have to be expensive.



Last week I met the smallest Chihuahua/dog I’d ever seen. She is about 6 months, is called Maipo and has a lot of guts!! On Sundays “her lady” takes her to a dog school that allows puppies to all run free together, the owners just stand and watch and the trainer keeps an eye on things and steps in when needed. Well one thing for sure no one will have to step in to protect Maipo, but maybe the Leon Berger pup could use some protection hahahaha.



And since today Maipo is accompanied to the same school by her new girlfriend Dotje.
Dotje is an Italian, imported by me, and is looked after by the best person any living creature could every hope to have, Siets. Siets entertains me no end with regular “Dotje’s stories” that I read with a smile from ear to ear.
Dotjes pedigree name is Isabella and she is the best! She has everything one could hope for, beauty, grace, temperament, inquisitive, fearlessness, sense of humour, a very loving character, charming..… I could go on but I’m sure you already get the picture LOL.
When things are “back to normal” Dotje will have her own segment in our home page.


Heres a wonderful close-up of her taken last week by a great Belgium girlfriend Marleen. How she did it is a mystery to me cos Dotje is never still in one place for long. She picked out Dotje for me and brought her back from Italy.
I will be eternally grateful to Marleen and Siets

Sun Bear
Birth weight: 260 grams
Week later: 557 grams
Week 2: 863 grams
Week 3: 1135 grams
Week 4: 1470 grams



Hippie
Birth weight: 302 grams
Week later: 648 grams
Week 2: 982 grams
Week 3: 1295 grams
Week 4: 1680 grams



Sweetie
Birth weight: 316 grams
Week later: 719 grams
Week 2: 1050 grams
Week 3: 1405 grams
Week 4: 1730 grams



Pixie
Birth weight: 190 grams
Week later: 474 grams
Week 2: 740 grams
Week 3: 1020 grams
Week 4: 1310 grams

Today the puppies were given chicken wings for the first time.
The pups don’t have any teeth yet, well actually I felt them start to come through yesterday. But anyway, the wings were not meant to be eaten by them, they are meant to get them used to the smell and “taste”. The pups found them really interesting, and they would love to have had teeth to have been able to tear them apart and eat them. So in stead of eating the wings they mouthed and sucked them until…..



…..until Zanna couldn’t stand it any longer. She jumped into the whelping box, took 1 wing away and ate it in her basket.
Then she jumped in again, grabbed the nest wing and was just about to jump out when I stopped her. I told her she was being greedy as she just had her own breakfast so to drop the wing…. But she didn’t (or couldn’t) and just stood, wing in mouth, 2 puppies under belly. It was very funny sight. I was planning to let her have them anyway when the pups had tired of them, that way the puppies would get their wings indirectly. After a while she ended up eating the wing standing where she was.



Not all the pups took advantage of the fact that their mother was in the whelping box. 2 were still enjoying the wings more. And when the pups tired of the last 2 wings Zanna ate those too.



Zanna had a good day today, lots and lots of food!!!!!!!!!

Are you hungry puppies?



Standing at the bar having a drink……



Concentration….



Boy that was GOOOOOD!!!



Often Sweetie is still wide awake when the others fall asleep. I can see she is bored, she looks around, walks around and tries to see if any one is awake…. or “awakeable”. She gets very excited if I call her and comes to me. So I pick her up and we cuddle and kiss. When she is close to my face and I talk to her she wags her little tail in excitement. Very cute. She seems to be a day or two ahead of her brothers and sister in everything.

Sun Bear
Birth weight: 260 grams
Week later: 557 grams
Week 2: 863 grams
Week 3: 1135 grams



Hippie
Birth weight: 302 grams
Week later: 648 grams
Week 2: 982 grams
Week 3: 1295 grams



Sweetie
Birth weight: 316 grams
Week later: 719 grams
Week 2: 1050 grams
Week 3 1405 grams



Pixie
Birth weight: 190 grams
Week later: 474 grams
Week 2: 740 grams
Week 3: 1020 grams

Yesterday I was sitting in my comfy chair typing some emails when I was surprised by movement of a small body walking under my legs…. It was Sweetie!!!! She had “escaped” from the whelping box and was have a great walk out.
You can see on the photo how she came up with this idea. It all started because Zanna sometimes only half enters the whelping box to check things out and the pups try to get to there food even though its on the outside of the whelping box. This gave Sweetie the information she needed for her great escape and used it when I wasn’t watching.
Now when I am not around I make sure the easy entry/exit is closed. Zanna has to jump in. Not such a problem, she is a good jumper.



As you can see the family is growing really well. Today I got the compliment that the pups looked very happy and sturdy. This from a breeder that breeds huge dogs like Leonbergers and Estrela mountain dogs LOL.
Oh, if you look carefully you can see how Zanna lays her leg on top of Pixie so she cant make a get-away while Zanna rigorously cleans her bottom.



I put the pups in the dogs basket while cleaning the whelping box…. Zanna was eating a bone. As you can see the pups are already showing interest in healthy raw food besides their mothers milk.



And to my surprise Zanna later placed this bone in the whelping box where Sweetie spent a lot of time licking and “chewing” it…. then Zanna couldn’t help herself and took it away and ate it herself.

A quick note before I go to bed.
The puppies passed a huge mile stone this evening. They started drinking while Zanna was still standing!!!!!!
These little dogs that are only 18 days old are really quick in doing everything! Gose to show how much fight Lagotti have.

Whos the pritty girl then?



“YEAAAAA I’M I CUTE OR AM I CUTE?????”



Mum carries on cleaning the pups standing up and the pups look longingly at their food supply that is still to high to reach. But I’m sure in a few days they will get there……. In the mean time they have to wait till Zanna is finished and lays down for them.

When the pups turned 13 days Zanna decided it was time they had to work for their meal. Now when she goes into the whelping box she stays standing while cleaning them. The puppies get so excited when they smell their mother and race around trying to find her warm body but all they find are her legs.
In a few days they will be able to drink from their mom while she is standing.
But in the mean time they have to wait till mum is finished with cleaning them and then lays down to feed them.
These are good “have patience” lessons




Sweetie looking like she is saying “you see how mean our mother is?”



Sun Bear showing everyone how its done…. “look at me mum!!”

The girls are quicker than the boys when it comes to the eyes opening. Yesterday the girls eyes were quite far open. The first 2 photos were made yesterday







And today the boys eyes were open, but still not as far as the girls. Photos made today







Looking in the whelping box I see Sweetie rolling around after drinking herself full. She no longer drinks and sleeps. Its now drink, wriggle and roll around in amazement that she can roll and see light… and then drops of to sleep…….. and while I write this the next pup, and the next pup stops drinking and dose exactly the same.

It’s the next stage of life for these babies, in a few days they’ll be little dogs.

When I’m alone and want to make photos of the pups I sometimes have to be a little inventive, this is how I did the boys eyes close-up today. Looking at the photo makes me laugh because perhaps you don’t realize how relaxed the puppies are even though it likes like they are being tortured LOL.



At the moment this is how I’m sitting behind my computer writing this. Two puppies with a full belly….. can life get any nicer? Cute huh!

Just a quickie for the end of the day die hards...

Hippie looks like his eyes are going to open first, theres an ever so small begining of an opening but he wouldnt pose for a photo to show you... He would rather sleep... or eat :-)

So here are the famous 4, going against the clock. Hippie, Pixie, Sun Bear and Sweetie.

Yesterday I promised you I would show you the puppies handsome daddy Allegro.

I have already posted today, but I’m feeling guilty I haven’t given you what I promised. So before I go to bed early I’d love to show off Allegro.




I of coarse didn’t go to the show with a dog of my own. But the show was very close to my home so it was great just to go and visit (and spend money shopping ;-) )
We tried to get all the Lagotti that were at the show in the photo. But 2 Lagotti are missing as they were shopping with their owners.



Allegro with 2 of his daughters. The daughter on the left was BOS, so it was a great day for the family. Hope Zanna’s puppies will turn out nice too!!! I’m sure they will.



And to end the day on a sunny note….

This is Sun Bear laying on his grandmothers (Tieka) back, who is laying on me.


Tieka loves the pups and everyday she goes into the whelping box a few times to nudge them and say hi.
I’m not sure if you can see Sun Bears ear, but if you can you will see it is closed. All puppies are born blind and deaf, eyes and ears completely closed. In a few day they should start opening up.
Now I remember I have a good "ear photo" of Sweetie.. When I first saw puppie ears 3 years ago I thought it amazing.