Eyes wide open....

The first 14 days the puppies could only investigate the world via their senses of smell, touch and taste.  This past Thursday they opened their eyes and discovered a whole new world.  They're also starting to sit up and try and walk a bit.  I expect their walking to vastly improve over the next week.  In addition to opening their eyes, and improved mobility, the puppies grew another pound, with their weight averaging 2.8#.

   

Big changes come in small packages

The first ten days have seen big changes in these puppies young lives.  At birth the puppies had a weight of .7#, today they're weight averaged 1.7#.  During their short lives their noses, lips and toes have changed from a flesh pink color to black, thus taking after their father.  Expect some time in the next 10-14 days to see even bigger changes as their eyes and ears begin to open and the puppies start exploring more.  Below are pictures of the the five males and five females as well as the entire litter and Hailey.

    The Boys                                                                           The Girls

  

    All 10                                               Fighting for position while feeding

Hailey whelps 10 puppies!

Whew, what a long day!  Hailey started whelping, with the first male at 1:30 yesterday afternoon.  She finished with the last female being born at 3:30 this morning.  At first her deliveries were anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour apart.  As the evening grew onward the time between puppies also grew to anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half.  The last two puppies were born two hours apart.  Tomorrow we're off to the vet to have dew claws removed and have everyone checked for a clean bill of health.  I'll post pictures and give updates as the puppies progress.

The Boys                                           The Girls