Moving Day

On Wednesday, I moved Phoebe and Dixie to the larger dog room. Not only does it have more floor space, it has two crates, a larger whelping box and a window. Before the move, anytime the door was open between the two rooms, Dixie would go in without hesitation and explore. Once moving day came and she saw her toys and "brother" leave the original whelping box, she wasn't so sure about leaving the familiar! She would come to the door, then run back to the box, come back out and go a little further into the new room, then run back to the old box. I let Dixie do this a few times then picked her up and put her into her new spot. She immediately went into a crate but since her mom wasn't with her, she worked up the courage to come out and start touring her new apartment. Once she found some new toys in the whelping box, she decided it was o.k.!

Exploring the new home before moving day:



Not so sure she wants to make the big move:


Phoebe checking out the view:


Dixie tries out the new digs:

C'mon, Mom, Let's Play!!

Dixie has become a playful puppy! Unfortunately, she doesn't have a companion her size to tussle with. She pestered her mom for quite a bit, and Phoebe finally relented. But, she's way too big! She ended up flipping Dixie across the whelping box, quickly ending the play session.

First Dinner

Dixie has been trying to get into Phoebe's food, a strong signal she's ready to start weaning. Here's how the first dinner went:





Too full to move!

Determined Dixie

We are constantly finding Dixie outside of the box now! No matter what size board we put up, she manages to climb over. She always makes a beeline for her mom, so poor Phoebe is finding it hard to get a break. Tomorrow's project is to start Dixie on gruel and move the girls to the other dog room, which is bigger and puppy proof.

Three Weeks Old

Dixie is getting so big! She's about three pounds, opened her eyes and ears last week and is starting to play with the toys I put in her box. She loves to snuggle with her "big brother" and has some favorite tickle spots to be scratched. Her walking skills still need some work but has no difficulty getting to mom when it's time to eat!
Dixie's had lots of visitor the last couple of week-ends. Phoebe is generally pretty good about showing off her baby, but I'm the only one who can pick Dixie up. If I don't stay by the box, Phoebe gets uncomfortable and always lets us know when she thinks her company has stayed long enough!

A Big Brother for Dixie

I found this great puppy pillow at Petco today. I thought it would be just the thing for Dixie as she's getting older and is probably noticing the absence of siblings and is missing snuggling against them. I say it's her brother as it's blue, but I'm not sure about what breed it is!

Little Traveler

This evening, David had quite a shock--Dixie was missing from the whelping box! She was across the room scooting around the dog food bins. He thought Phoebe had taken her out of the box, but when he put Dixie back in, she tried to get back over the board at the entrance. Obviously, she doesn't want to be on mom's schedule for meals but wants to find mom when she's hungry--which is almost all the time. I swapped the board for a higher one to discourage these forays--at least for another week or so--and noticed she was shaking. I picked Dixie up and she was making little whimpering sounds. She's not as brave and courageous as we thought! I cuddled her and held her close until she was quiet and fell asleep. I put her back in her warm box and watched her sleep for a bit, then gave her a good-bye pat--she was once again brave Dixie and growled at me!