We have approached the end of the first week of puppies! They have doubled in size already and are doing well. As is evident from the photo, their spots are starting to show through the white fur. At day 3, we took them to the vet and had their dew claws removed. There is some controversy among performance folks about the desirability of dew claws, but having dealt with ripped and torn dew claws on prior dogs, I think this will make it easier for both the dog and future owner. My vet used lidocaine and a soft dissolvable thread instead of glue this time. The thread feels like soft fur and the mom is less likely to rip it out. On the negative side, we lost the little tiny patched boy, so we have only four puppies remaining.
On day 4, I started early neurological stimulation exercises which involve such things as tickling their toes and holding them in different positions. These exercises were developed by the Military for their Super Dog Program, and should give the pups a head start in their cardio vascular performance, stress tolerance, and greater resistance to disease as they age. I did these with mom Skookum and I'd say they have had a positive impact. Few things bother Skookum. Lastly, today the pups got their first toe nail trim, done with regular human nail clippers.
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