PUPPIES!! Who Wants Puppies?!

This post will be made by me, Kimi's Mum, Sheila.
Kimi will be making his entry in the next post where he will be sharing with you, his very first meeting with the puppies.

Here's Mr Blue.
So young, at 8 weeks of age, and already posing for the camera.

Mr Orange's close up shot. What a handsome boy he is. Who can resist this pup's charm?

Mr Red, playing in the puppy hideout.

Mr Red and Mr White

Goofy Mr Blue

Here's Roxxi, Kimi's full littermate, and she's still keen on feeding the pups even though they are now 8 weeks old, and are fully weaned. She's a great dam, very loving to her pups, and attentive too. If any of them yelps, she's there with it immediately. I've observed how Roxxi plays with her pups, and she's teaching them well, about bite inhibition and doggie manners.

While the others are having dinner, Mr Blue takes a moment from his meal to check up on me. Look at that kibble nose.

Mr White plays "I'm King of the Mountain"

Mr Blue and Mr Red bite off my flip flop and have a great time biting holes into it. Those puppy teeth are sharp!! They hurt when its the ankles especially. And when you have 7 puppies all attacking you at one go, it can feel as if you're being eaten by piranhas.

Miss Yellow and Mr Red

Puppies playing in the playhouse.
There are tonnes of toys in the backyard set up for them. They have an outdoor area as well as an indoor area. Nancy (breeder) has done a wonderful job, taking good care of them, and making sure they meet new different people and dogs to get socialized. She's also made every effort to trim their nails every few days to get them used to having paws handled and nails trimmed. As we all know, Airedales are famously known for hating their feet being touched. But Nancy is already taking steps to ensure her pups will be better behaved regarding feet. These are signs of a good breeder, when they make extra effort to ensure the health and welfare of her animals. I'm glad that she's letting me have one of her pups.

From left, Mr White, Mr Green (slightly hidden), Mr Red and Mr Orange

From left, Mr White, Mr Green (pulling on Mr White), Mr Red and Mr Orange

I am very lucky to have been invited to spend time with Nancy and care for the pups. Taking care of new puppies is really a lot of work. Other than constantly picking up poop, cleaning up pee, feeding, handling, and moving the pups in and out, there is also giving each pup individual attention. I spent a lot of time, observing the pups, trying to pick up individual quirks and personalities of each one of them. They are all extremely cute and beautiful.

Mr White pawing at Mr Green.
Mr Green loves to instigate games and he is incredibly intelligent and smart. I'd describe him as wickedly smart. He also loves to be in the middle of all the action. He doesn't hold back being vocal in his play, and just loves to ham it up with his brothers and sisters.

Mr Green, chewing on Mr White's head.

Mr Blue follows me everywhere. Some people say, the dog picks the owner. If this cliche is true, and if fate determines it, then he might be mine. He loves to stick close to me when I am in the play pen with the pups. He is the biggest of all the pups (when I last saw him) and he is goofy. He can get very active in the middle of games and does push his brothers and sisters around.

Mr Blue hams it up for my camera. He loves to chew on my camera strap, and maybe I'm doing a bad thing, letting him get away with that. But he's going to be a real handful for whoever becomes his forever human.

Mr Blue sticks himself to my legs

The indoor pen for the pups. Nancy has converted her dining room into the indoor play pen.
In the heat of the afternoon, the pups fall into sleep mode. It is a constant job, changing papers and keeping the pen as clean as possible. I observed that the pups have learned to relieve themselves in the whelping box, with the papers. Some of them forget and pee/poop elsewhere, but I've seen the majority of them make the effort of climbing into the box to pee/poop. That is really excellent because for pups as young as 8 weeks of age, they have learned the intrinsic necessary habit of keeping their den clean. This comes with keeping the pen as clean as possible and credit goes to Nancy and all those who have stayed with her to help care for the pups. This aspect of toilet training is a reflection that a lot of work has gone into this litter.

While the rest of the litter sleeps, Miss Yellow decides to get into some mischief, by playing with the drinking bowl. She loves the water apparently. She swooshes all the water all over the floor, wetting some of her littermates.

Nancy watching over Roxxi and the pups. Miss Pink is under Nancy's legs, and she's a beautiful girl indeed. I would guess that Miss Pink is the boss of the litter. She has very high energy and is very sure of herself. She is very self-confident and she loves to play games.

Me, Roxxi and some of her pups.

Mr Blue and I

Roxxi and Mr Blue.

All the puppies on a grooming table

Another frontal group shot

Mr Orange lounges like a self assured dog that he is.

He is very mellow and lovey dovey. Loves to give kisses and is one of the most structurally beautiful dogs in the litter.

Mr Red.
I would suggest that Mr Red is the most beautiful male in this litter, he has a perfect head, and a good square body. His body is very proportionate and his energy is positively good. He is also very self-confident and outgoing.

All the puppies are very well balanced and adorable. Temperament wise, they are all excellent puppies. I have noticed that they play very well together, and have developed good bite inhibition. When one yelps, the biter lets go immediately and withdraws rough play. I have also seen them groom one another by licking each other. They love new people, and are positively curious about new dogs. I am very thrilled that one of these pups will join my pack soon.

Sheila Wagner