Kyrie/Leo Pups at 2.5 Weeks!

I had too many photos to wait until three weeks for the update, so here's a bonus update at 2.5! ;)

First off...okay, I know I'm new to breeding and all, but seriously, these guys are HUGE! The photo above was taken when the pups were sixteen days old, and the one below when they were at seventeen days. At this point I can't wait to see what they weigh on their three weeks birthday Saturday!


The pups' colors are all changing just a little. Ajax is really starting to show the brown in his fur, which I expected since both Leo and Kyrie are brown sables.


Andros is staying very similar to what he's been all along, perhaps getting just a little more color around his face and chest. Today I think I spotted tiny eyebrow dots, but wasn't able to get any good photos. Maybe this weekend! His paws are still a beautiful rich tan/brown, and he still has his black "tar heels".


Astra, our princess, is starting to develop subtle golden/buff coloration on her head and neck. I took a few photos to see if I could capture it. In the last one she is being bashful. "Come on gramma, ENOUGH pictures!"




The pups are getting a lot more interesting this week, as they learn to sit up, stand, and play! Here's Andros getting mobile and playing with his brother Ajax.






This week the pups also broke out of the whelping box, with little troublemaker Ajax leading the way! I got a couple of photos before I had to keep someone from taking a header over the side!

Ajax: "Let me OUT!"


Ajax: "Fine! Cover me, Astra, I'm going over!"


This week Astra has kept up her preference for snuggling with humans. Now that she can see us, she can find our feet to climb onto and laps to climb into much easier! Here's Astra giving me her silly face. She laid her chin on my knee to look up at me.


And, yet another adorable Astra catchin' a nap photo (because you know the blog wouldn't be complete without one!):


And there was a definite Cute Attack when I got this shot of Astra snuggling with Ajax:


Andros: "Blogging is boring! Good bye for now!" :)


Tune in this weekend for the three-weeks update, everyone! Thanks for reading!

Kyrie/Leo Pups at 2 Weeks!

The pups turned two weeks on Saturday, so I spent the evening sorting through the hundred-plus photos we took over the past six days! ;) Here is your cute puppy fix for the week. Their eyes are open and they are starting to toddle around, almost walking for real! Tomorrow I will attach the Weaning Pen--a second whelping box--to the first, so they will have an additional, new "safe" area to explore when they climb out of the whelping box. Which should be soon--they are already climbing up into the laps of the people who visit them! ;)

Ajax is the smallest of our pups, yet I am continually reminded that he is quite a good size compared to pups from other litters! At two weeks he was three pounds and eleven ounces. Here is Ajax between one and a half and two weeks:






And Ajax with Andros in the background:


And Ajax still has his "racing stripes" markings on the back of his hocks!


Here is Andros at between 1.5 and 2 weeks. He is HUGE! Today, on his two-weeks birthday, he was 1 ounce short of FIVE POUNDS!






Here is lovely buff Astra at two weeks. She is such a snuggler! She will crawl into the lap of anyone who sits in the whelping box. :)






Astra and Ajax hung out together a lot this week! Some shots of them:





And finally here is Daddy Leo, watching the pups! He just loves them. He got to sniff and give kisses to them today, and was very gentle. Kyrie did not mind at all. I think that Leo will be a very good puppy dad--I look forward to seeing him play with them when they are bigger!


Thanks for checking in, everyone! This week I am hoping to get more photos of the pups trying to walk! :D Stay tuned!

Kyrie/Leo Puppies at One Week!

It's astonishing that a week in the life of our new pups has already passed us by! They are growing like crazy, and their ears and eyes will open this week. I think their ears are already starting, because last night, when one began squeaking, they all did! So maybe they are starting to hear just a little. :)

Here are our cameo shots for the week:
Astra, at 3 pounds 8 oz today:


Andros, at 3 pounds 12 oz today. You can see that his fur is developing the early classic black-and-tan color patterns now. He is starting to get color on his chest, and more on his face. I love his rich coloring.


And little Ajax, at 2 pounds 8 oz today!


We have discovered that for some reason, Astra loves socks. She will snuggle right up to a foot in a sock and go to sleep! Here she has fallen asleep on the sock-enclosed foot of our friend and morning puppy-sitter, John. :)


Astra is very photogenic. John said today that he thinks her eyes are starting to open--he could see a tiny slit of dark between the lids today, instead of them being tight closed! Here is a nice shot of her sweet face. :)


Andros and Ajax seem to hang out together quite a bit. Future brotherly love...or rivalry? It will be so interesting when they start showing their personalities!



We are wondering if Ajax will be colored like his mom. Here you can see him snuggled up, playing "camo puppy"--her side is the same color as his fur!


We have been doing the "Bio Sensor" or "Super Dog" program with our pups. These simple exercises stimulate neurological development in baby pups and give them the capability to handle stress and resist disease better later in life. You can read about the history of the program and what it does here:

Early Neurological Stimulation for Pups

This week we took some photos of our friend Kristin helping me with the pups exercises. They are wiggly, so most photos turned out blurry, but we did get a few! Ajax was our model helper and the most calm. Here is Kristin tickling Ajax between the toes with a Q-tip:


Ajax being cradled on his back (and getting a kiss from his mom!):


And Ajax being tilted gently upside-down. Note the zen-puppy calm!


All these exercises are designed to expose the pups to sensations they would not normally experience at this point in their lives. :)

Our final shot today is your "awwwww" shot: Mother and son (Kyrie with Ajax). :)


We hope you enjoyed our one week update! We'll do our next one when we see some eyes open! ;)