7/7/2018 0 Comments First week of JulySaturday (30th) it rained. Puppies had another visit to the park on Sunday; a party going on meant tons of attention for the puppies.
A pleasantly unexpected surprise showed up: Lily, a Cavalier-Cocker cross, that I obedience trained as a tiny puppy, four years ago. Plan was to socialize the pups at the park on the 4th, but we got rained out. Rey entered the first fear period on the 2nd; Padme did the same on the 5th. Puppies, except Padme, celebrated 9 weeks by getting their first big groom. (Along with yet another nail trimming and deworming.) They handled the clippers very well and were more interested in playing with the grooming tools. Weigh ins: 9 lbs Anikin 8.5 lbs Padme 8 lbs Rey 7.5 lbs Leia 7 lbs Luke Puppies finished off another 14 lbs bag of food on the 3rd. Padme is a roly poly chunky monkey. She'd be on a diet if she wasn't a puppy. (Weighs are approximate; I got a new scale but it doesn't seem to be very accurate at such small weights.) Big grooms consisted of clippering between toe pads, sides of neck, throat, insides of ears, upper part of outer ear, sides of head, and sides of face. (There is no reason to shave the backs of a cocker spaniel(or other double coated breed), further there is a 75% chance of each puppy having an easy care back coat, meaning removing the undercoat during heavy shedding with a comb, about 2 times a year, is all that will be needed.) Thinning shears were used on the sides of the neck and head(crown) for blending. Regular scissors to shape the paws and remove the heavy before the pads were shaved. Puppies squirm/want to play so it's a "chop job", but the exposure is the important part. I try to keep the adorable whiskers and eye lashes, but Rey lost her whiskers due to moving. All pups got baths on the 5th. Rey trembled the whole time. Leia trembled briefly after the bath but before the shower. Luke and Anikin objected slightly. Padme did great. Luke and Leia attacked the new hair dryer. Rey joined in to a lesser extent. Anikin was mildly interested but didn't join in. Padme hid in fear and squirmed and screamed bloody murder when it was her time to be dried. Neighborhood fireworks have offered great exposure for the puppies. With the exception of tiny Luke, puppies are starting to hold potty needs. Car rides are another story(the movement encourages potty needs.) Mom is now playing with the puppies(play mouth fighting with noises, pinning down)-- an important socialization step. Photo of Lily:
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