What a day

There have been many steps today. All their eyes are open and beginning to focus. Play is non stop whilst they are awake, biting each other, jumping onto one another and all the lovely things that pups do. They are even climbing out of the whelping box so it is a constant excuse to watch whilst they are awake. They have taken very well to a bit of mushed up meat with ground complete mixed in. They also really get stuck into natural yogurt. It's time for the weanafeeda tonight so watch this space to see what they make of that. Luca is still the wingeing male of the pack but he is still the biggest and strongest. He is going to take some handling me thinks. But he really is a lovely boy and we are looking forward to him developing. The girls markings are fading a bit and it looks as though Domino is the only one keeping mum's colouring. The others are quite light brown now but still very pretty. Click on each photo to find out which is which.

Todays photos

Weaning

They have all just had their first taste of solid food. None of the cheap stuff. Cesar puppy (was all my local store had) at 72p a tin!!!!!!! How do people afford to feed their dogs on this. A 10kg dog needs 6 tins a day, that's over £4.00 a day. Well the pups wont be on this for long. It is really just a taster, soft and mushy to start them off. And boy did it work. None of this from the end of your finger lark, no, put it straight on the plate. Needless to say Luca needed seconds before he would settle. I wish he'd open his eyes like the girls as he gets lost and screams the place down like a wolf howling. You know it's him alright, but Betsie also recognises his sound and tends to ignore him. She's got him well sussed out. Maybe later he'll open up but at the moment he is just being a lazy boy.

Big Day in the Life of The Lickle Delbets

A really big forward leap today. Firtly, as they are now two weeks old, it is time to give them their first worming syrup. I wasn't looking forward to doing it but the girls took it all with a bit of face washing afterwards. Luca however thought it was christmas and lapped it up like there was no tomorrow. he even licked his lips and whiskers afterwards. He now weighs in at 1250 gms, a bit more than the girls who are now round about a kilo. They have all had a good lick off my fingers of natural yoghurt which went down a treat. The big leap today has been that at last their eyes are beginning to open. Some with only the one eye and a blink with the other but Cassie has both open. Tomorrow should see even more opening. If so, there will be pictures on as soon as I can.
I am off training with Tigi now so Mike can puppy watch to his heart's content.

No eyes open yet

I had hoped to show the eyes opening today, but they are still keeping them tight closed. However it should not be long now. They have all but one, doubled their birth weight the one in particular is a right little pig. Yes it's my BOY. He is now over a kilo, can stand and walk more steadier than the girls, climbs over the crush bars and generally screams till he gets his own way. A bit of a holligan but us girls will soon sort him out. No worries what's going to turn him on to working and training. Just feed me, feed me and feed me more. Betsie is still coping very well and is very happy to leave them for quite long periods, just keeping a back glance every so oftes to make sure all is well. Feeding her is a bit of a nightmare at the moment, like every two hours and three times through the night. She is so anxious to get her food that the pups if suckling they just get thrown off very unceremonially with lots of resentful squeals. Today however, Domino did not let go and finished up on the floor still stuck on whilst Betsie carried on eating quite unconcerned. Bless Mike though, at night, he can get up, feed her and drop straight off to sleep, whereas I cannot drop off for ages and sometimes its time to feed her again. So Mike very happily does the night shift. Hope to start getting some solid gruel (is there such a thing) into them by the weekend.
Pup order of photos. Top left Poser Top right Cassie
Middle left Una Middle right Domino
Bottom left Dotty Bottom right Luca

Hopefully post tomorrow will contain eyes opening.

One week on

Well the pups are a week and a day old now, and my how they have grown and developed certain skills already. Luca and the one we have nicknames Cassie (n06 and the biggest at birth) have battle royales over the favourite nipple. It happens to be the one they both want and sometimes they push and shove like two heavywaeight wrestlers to push the other out of the way. Betsie looks on quite unconcerned letting them sort it out. Neither is suffering because of this and in fact are still the heaviest of the six. But all six are gaining in relation to their birth weight so I am well pleased. It's keeping up with Mum now that's our problem. Because the baby gate is on the outer door to give her peace from the other dogs, she can come upstairs. 4 o'clock am, yes am, nudge nudge, I'm hungery. So she gets early breakfast. 6 am, nudge nudge, I'm hungry can you feed me please? I need a pee as well. 8am is our normal up time and dog breakfast, so then she has her normal breakfast. Elevenses? Yes please, but after ten'se please. So more food. Lunch? thought you'd never ask. Afternoon tea? yes please and can I have a tadge more? Tea time? well if you insist. Supper? I'll force myself. Must have a bedtime snack to see me through till the morning!!!!!!

This is our routine for now. In between we somehow manage to exercise the other dogs, feed ourselves and have a quick tidy (cat lick really) around the house. Then there is all the bedding to wash as well as our own clothes. But, it is wonderful and we are enjoying every moment. Watching the changes that are occurring almost hour by hour is awesome. The brown is coming through stronger and stonger in the girls faces and legs. Some quite tan and other bits beigey. Luca, my boy appears at the moment to be taking his Dad's colouring rather than Betsie's. That is great by us as we would very much like him to look a bit like Del. But we shall just have to wait and see. Their eyelids are beginning to flutter so we should have eyes open soon.

Betsie is quite happy to leave her pups and go for her normal walks now. She is spending more and more time out of the whelping box at home but is ever wakeful of pup sounds, investigates, and if all well, ignores. She is continueing to be a wonderful mum.

My Babies have arrived

Thursday 29th May and what a day to have my babes. Mums first dog Kizzie had this day as her birthday so I am chuffed, honoured to have this day as another special one for my Mum.
I have had a few days of panting and restlessnes before today. Did not really know what was going on as I am very new to this sort of thing. But at ten past one, just as Mum and Dad sat down for lunch I had this urge to push and wow, I had a baby. We were so excited and Mum and Dad helped bring her, yes it was a girl, to me to see what I had produced. She was a bit of a messy thing so thought I'd better clean her up and break this thing that she was still attached to. No sooner done that when woops another push and well if it wasn't another one. I was told that this one was a boy. Cleaned him up and the mess he left behind. Gosh the pair of them are hungry. I need a bit of a rest now. In no time out popped number three, another girl and then number four. Yes another girl. Am I going to have another boy I wonder? Had a bit of a rest as I'd been at this for hour and threequarters. One more, another girl came at 3.15 and we all thought that that may be it as five had been seen on my scan. But no, one more push and this was a big one and out popped yet another girl and boy is she big. So by 3.40 I had six in all, one boy and five girls. Not bad for a first timer. I am in a bit of a mess but cleaning up as best I can and Mum doesnt seem to be cross about it. I had a bit of belated lunch and settled down to start motherhood. It was quite easy really. Ah well tomorrow will be the beginning of a new adventure for my Mum and Dad. They do seem very proud of me.