Puppies are now five weeks old!

[Ginny Nightingale]

I really wanted to take some cute outdoor shots today for the fifth week photos, but it rained on and off--so I got them outside briefly for head shots and some play--of course, the grass was wet and they were a mess quickly, but still cute!

I am using a new litter box system with these pups--I use a kitty litter called Yesterday's news and I sprinkle it on puppy pads (a large area of them) for the first few weeks after their eyes open--when they are using the pads consistently, I start to make the area smaller--by four or five weeks they are pretty good! Then I put a small plastic kiddie pool into their pen with about an inch of the litter and slowly  reduce the puppy pad area as they start to use the pool--now at 5 weeks and a day, they go in and out of the pool to go potty!! ( I cut an opening into one side to make it easier to enter and exit) Some of them even use their hind legs to kick up the litter and cover their messes! Amazingly smart.  If you put the litter in their box right as they open their eyes, they are so used to it that they don't play with it or eat it...and they associate it with a potty area. Then I just use a litter scoop to clean up the litter--love this! No more newspaper!

From other breeders, I have heard that when the pup goes to their new home, they whimper when they can't find the litter and then you take them right outside!

The boys will be in the comments again--too many pups!

The girls.....

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

The puppies are so cute.  I love the first little girl - she seems to have a blocky head compared to the others and that I like.  the litter idea is fantastic.