Sadness and Gladness at 7 weeks old today

Here's Jack looking out of the big basket and wondering what the day will bring.

And here's Tom having a cuddle after breakfast.

Then a bit of playing as a threesome as we are expecting visitors today and one puppy may leave us.

And yes he did: Tom went to a new home in Sussex. Lucy is in a yellow collar- Jack in the blue.

Jack relaxing in the middle of the big bed: look I'm sooooo comfy!

Jack and Lucy cuddled up: Lucy is on the left and Jack on his back.

I think they were a bit sad when their litter and playmate left...so they

had a big cuddle with Big JJ.
And then, and then..... there were two.................................

Thus we were sad to see baby Tom go but also very glad that he went to such a lovely home with very friendly dog-loving people and a family with children who will adore him and play with him and train him.

Easter holiday catch up

Above is Jack having a cuddle with JJ . He has lovely ''basset-hound '' ears but apparently so did his dad at this age and then went on to be a breed standard dachshund and win prizes.

We've moved on to real cow's milk in 2 of the daily feeds and to ensure they all have a ''fair'' feed they eat in turns in the cage to stop any interference from a sibling or their mum.

Meanwhile the others indilge in some playfighting while they wait....

Jack curled up suddenly so tired he MUST sleep...

And Tom who has found Pippa's cushion in the sun for some zzzzz's

Mornings are still very very early: 6 am most days and there are also late nights as they sometimes are playing at 11.30 pm......Even after their milky readibrek.....Hence the pyamas.....

Lucy and Jack enjoy the cushion too. Jack is the one behind or on the left of Lucy.

Here's Tom again this time he's trying out mum's BIG basket.......and right in the middle too, soooooo comfy!!! There now you can see how tiny he looks in mum's basket. She has a smaller one for night times upstairs too. We have been so busy playing with them or watching, and they gallop so fast that you can't catch it on camera! The running off with a box or a shoe or any ''treasure'', some of which is actually bigger than the puppy itself is very funny but happens too quickly to capture, alas.

Then they play fetch or chase or tug of war but mostly they indulge in play-fighting as above and below.

This is Jack- see his red collar?- and Lucy on her back for just a minute.

Then she's back up and reciprocating.....

And sometimes they all 3 or just 2 play tug of war with EACH OTHER and that's soooo cute!!!

Especially with the toy Santa tug-toy....

Tried to capture it here as two were at opposing ends but as soon as the camera was ready they had come closer to each other....

Lucy and Tom climbed out of the whelping box- with the drawbridge UP!- AT 3 AM one morning and luckily decided to howl at the stairs so when I very sleepily and unsteadily descended the stairs there they were at the bottom of them: howling and wagging their tails very enthusiastically: aren't we clever????

So they now sleep in the cage too, for safety reasons. the cage gets put into the box at night to keep them off the very cold floors in our house. The box has ''feet'' to raise it off the ground, clever JJ to build it that way!

Dachshund diaries 6 weeks old TODAY

Hi there and a Happy Easter for tomorrow! It's been a very very busy week with lots of playtimes and feed times for the puppies and then a quick escape to get some things done when they fall asleep for an hour or two... As above.

Here's Jack having one of very many cuddles . This was on the 9th April at one of the 4-5 playtimes in the day.

Here he is in profile: handsome chappie isn't he? We think so and he's very easy going, happy chap. No buyers yet but then I haven't sent in the Kennel Club registration yet either: still thinking up a suitable KC name.........mmmmmmmm

Still Jack and with A's crochet- her very own and she's very adept at it!- and my rainbow blanket wools in the background. Side view to show he really is looking like a proper dachshund now!

This is Lucy top view by the sofa to show how small they still are even though they seem really big now- relativity is such a conundrum isn't it?
This is Tom of course still preferring the personal treatment at breakfast though I have today had him eat all 4 meals by himself in the puppy cage and he did it beautifully.... at last...

This is to commemorate how my dear sleepy children have been helping with the early morning ( from 6 am) puppysitting/puppywatching as I make the breakfast or clear up their messes....

After breakfast within a half hour or so of a chopped hard boiled egg Tom finds himself a quiet soft and warm spot to fall asleep: Pippa's cushion in the sun by the patio doors.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Lucy beside two of her favourite toys: a furry santa pull-toy and a shoebox- aaah so delicious to chew!!!

Having been pulling at a corner of this fleece : quite suddenly- just like human babies!!!_ the puppy dozes off......Head down, eyelids droop......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

This next bit doesn't look so good but I want to remember how hard work this puppified Easter holiday is/was!!! 4 meals a day which initially 3 of which were fresh cooked beef- fried by me - then minced in the blender and mixed with rice....

They don't like the pedigree chum dry kibble or the science plan one at all yet..... But I HAVE now - at the end of this week- found they like the pedigree chum pouches for pups and also they like readibrek made with water but with puppymilk added and with a sprinkling of tuna......YUMMY!!! What a relief- that's sooo much easier to do!

Remember remember : all that beef mince, frying, mincing, blending, washing those puppy bowls, all that rice........etc etc.

Doesn't Lucy look GOOD on it though? Glossy coat, shining eyes, cute wet black nose......

And here's TOM our second fella up for sale.......!!!! Another VERY HANDSOME chap! JJ especially adores his slim aquiline features, very lean very like his dad I think.

Playtimes are fun if it's tug of war or chasing a ball or they trot beside or after us like we're the Pied Piper: so cute and funny: 3 little black dogs with prancing paws and waggy tails.

BUT I didn't know how much fighting is just instinct! Talk about sibling rivalry: they are at it constantly! Ears get dragged, sometimes 2 against 1, paws get chewed, tails chewed or pulled at, bite bite bite until we intervene or one of them sqeals.....

I'm sure it IS all play as they roll around holding ears or a tail or paw in their mouth and sometimes they lock jaws or have a head in the mouth..... Not my scene but it's only natural.
Here's Lucy with her big Puppy-dog eyes: Is it Dinner/tea/lunchtime yet??? What do you mean I should NOT bite that?????It's only your SHOE/FINGER/ANKLE/CHIN/belt/bag/crochet throw/etc etc.....

This is Tom asleep by mum on the sofa as he was waiting for his 8 pm supper time and could not stay awake for it....Mum could not be groomed yet as the grooming parlour owner advised against it: risk of airborne virus transfer apparently. So she's still looking scruffy but she's been brushed thoroughly. Doesn't she look ''fluffy''?

EEEEK! Eeerie! Dogs can sleep with their eyes half open or just a slit showing..... I find it a bit eerie but it's fine.....

And after the 8 pm suppertime today on their 6 week ''birthday'' they are cuddled to sleep by daughters and husband while watching Robin Hood/ Britain's got Talent/ Little Miss Sunshine and then they are transferred back to their pen with some blankets.

They snuggle up together and Tom cheekily has Jack as a headrest..... This is how they are NOW as I type this on the eve of Easter Sunday....Just behind me in their pen.

Wishing you all a very HAPPY EASTER!!!!

I will write in a few days as we are visiting my mum : Pippa and all 3 puppies are having a journey by car and a new house to explore!!!!

Dachshund diaries day 37

Monday: first day ''proper'' of the holidays! Lie in? Sleep late? No chance,no way! The puppy cacophony started at 6 am and by 6.15 I was up and blearily wandering downstairs- why oh why did I stay up to 1 am reading my most excellent book: Brisingr- which I can highly recommend.

They decided it was playtime and supervision was required as well as the arms of an octopus...

By 7.30 I'm afraid I called in reinforcements from my kids as I needed to cook the breakfast for these hungry and gung ho- very energetic pups. Running all around our kitchen , hallway and living room by now, leaving little presents everywhere and exploring very happily : tails in the air and wagging furiously!!! Can't stay tired for long with such EXUBERANCE about.

Cushions and newspapers are to be tugged at, shoes bitten, chair legs licked....And they loved the new toys: a soft furry squeaky bone, a chewy toy, a large ball with holes in and a couple of cardboard boxes with holes cut in.

By 8am it was breakfast time for Pippa and her pups, Pippa eats separately and then has to be banned to the garden as otherwise she whines outside their cage and the puppies stop eating.

She's probably telling them not to eat it in hound language as she likes it so much herself.

They had milky cereal with a little scrambled egg this morning , they have tired of egg a little now as beef and rice is soooo much yummier....

As I was making the breakfast: one daughter ferried 2 pups to the cage while the other had Tom.
More playtime after breakfast, exploring the kitchen now and then by 9 am they all fell asleep.
This is Tom who had to be washed as he got food ALL over himself and then was a bit shivery so he cuddled up to get warm, when my daughter sat in Pippa's big basket with him, Pippa decided to climb in too: aaah, look don't they look sweet?


9 am- 10. 30 am Peace! We had our breakfast and we planned our day and I made many phonecalls etc, we played games but all too soon: 10.30 Puppies awake again!!!

Alas our videocamera camera battery was flat, the playtime was such fun I dearly wanted to record it! By 12 noon they had lunch: minced fried beef with white rice : all freshly cooked and served in yet 3 more clean small dishes.....
12.30 They fall asleep and we have OUR lunch.....

Household chores beckon and by 2 pm they wake up again! Such a shame they can't go into the garden: I phoned the vet about that but was told not untill after the 8 week vaccination...
It's now warm and sunny and the garden looks so very inviting! They continue to explore the house, good job all floors were cleaned well last night....

2.30 I take mum- Pippa - for a walk and come home to dozing puppies on laps.
3pm we walk into town to catch the bus for a quick trip into Oxford. All the time there we enjoy the break but I worry if the puppies are waking up and what they get up to without us?

Their fighting can get a bit more viscious and will Pippa intervene when that happens?

By 6.45 we're back home and walk in as puppies are playing happily in their pen. The cacophony starts up soon after: weee whiney weeee we want our dinner!!!!

More beef and rice and Tom still gets hand fed as he doesn't eat well in the cage- unlike Jack and Lucy who tuck in lustily as soon as a bowl of food appears.

They fall asleep at 7.30 pm when we have our dinner.....
Then there's lots of giggling and laughing as the girls are playing and dressing up and recording some sort of play or journalistic reporting on a mobile phone device.....THAT is what holidays are for!!! Silly fun between sisters: this makes me feel very happy.

9 pm Tom and Lucy are awake and want to be out of the pen playing - again....By 9.45 I decide they can have their supper- more cooking, more washing up, more changing newspapers, more washing- then decide we should wake Jack or maybe he'll wake us in the night???

This is Tom having his supper at 10 pm tonight....
By 10.15 pm Lucy and Tom are fast asleep- after washing them as they were covered in rice- paws,neck,head you won't believe how they get it all over themselves...

Jack however is WIDE awake....Oooh help! Kids and husband have already gone to bed and here I am playing with Jack and clearing up the kitchen and putting on the 3rd wash of the day- 2 of them were for the puppies!!! Only ONE was a human clothing load....

Luckily we have a game of tug the bone or sock and a few chases and some cardbaord box play and then 23.15 he too falls asleep.

They are all bedded down in a pen with clean blankets( 3) and clean newspapers- THANK YOU JO!!!!- and fresh water and a nice red heatpad in case they get chilly later.
I'm a bit worried about the water because Pippa tends to jump into the box and drink it for them, even though she has her own bowls both in the kitchen and by her basket....

And I do the blog at 23.30 and now it has just turned into the 7th of April: 00.00 hrs says my computer.

That 's a day spent with 5.5 week old puppies..... ooooof that's tiring! 4 home cooked meals for 3 in 12 puppy bowls , lots of fleeces and blankets washed, Poos pickedup/cleared up, papers changed. Puppies groomed and washed, supervised and cuddled.

BUT BEST OF ALL : LOTS OF FUN to watch and play with!!!
An exhausting but BRILLIANT DAY!!!!!

Dachshund diaries day 36: 5 weeks and a day.

These days have been very busy as it was the last week of term and there was soooo much on!
So here is a really BIG collection of pictures to catch up on the last few days.

First we have playtime several times a day now- twice last week and from Saturday 3 to 5 times a day/ evening too.... Above they have cardboard tubes- 2 out of sight and mum's ball...










But within a few minutes they lose interest in the ball and go exploring...










Teeth are used all the time, it's non stop playbiting/ fighting for the boys and Lucy too but to a lesser degree, she chews blankets and rather ''manically'' has a go at a daughter's finger.She was much sweeter looking in real life but the flash caught a weird moment...



Then we still have 80% sleep time too, they eat and play for 30-45 minutes and then sleep again for at least 1-2 hours. Above is JACK.

Ans this is TOM

Being held is Lucy in drowsy mode.

Breakfast is served in the puppy cage which is a lovely ''safe '' area for a new puppy, this was Pippa's 3 years ago and we feed the pups in here to familiarise them with the cage so they'll like it when they go to thier new homes and have a similar cage for a few months or a year.

Tom however does not eat unless fed so here he is being spoilt again.

He just LOVES a cuddle so he's got it made: this way he gets personal attention, a cuddle AND food!

After breakfast Lucy tastes the cage: not as nice as the eggs....

The boys return to their paly-fighting while Lucy investigates an escape.

Mum also LOVES the eat egg so the cage keeps her nicely out of the way while the puppies eat or otherwise she would eat it all for them!

Back in their box they ask to come back out again and by Friday 3 April Lucy climbed out and trotted off into the hallway all by herself....The boys watched but didn't follow. We were watching and let her have a little explore before scooping her up for a cuddle.

They are all very individual now BUT sometimes the boys can still look remarkably alike.

Can you tell the difference?Above from left to right are : JACK, LUCY, TOM.

Sometimes it's easy but from other angles the boys look very alike, Lucy is very different: more ''whiskery'' and with a broader skull .
They ALL look totally adorable, especially head on when they look you straight in the eye.

LOVELY lovely charming faces- soooooo pretty!!!!! Even my husband agrees- it's not just me...

I have tried and tried but I can't get a good likeness on camera in the ''head on'' way like you get when you have a cuddle and they sit or lie on your chest.

They have a good long look at you and then usually creep up a bit closer and lick you on the nose! The books say dogs don't look you straight in the eye BUT these puppies -and Pippa too for that matter- they do! It's as if they are trying to read your mind?!

During or after playtime mummy comes to join in BUT as soon as she appears they run to feed and she lies down willingly.

Then only a few minutes later she shrugs them off and joins in with playtime, rolling around with them and playbiting too. She lets them climb all over her, hang onto her tail and bite her ears and mouth. Then she does it back to them but very very gently.

Then quite suddenly they climb onto a person or whine to be picked up and fall asleep on a lap or in some - very willing!!!- arms. Who is this then? ( on the jeans)

And this? On my hand- crocheted throw?Answers in the next post which may not be tomorrow as it's Easter holidays and therefore blogtime is almost non-existent!

On a technical note: they have been wormed at week 2 and now at week 5 and alas Jack and Tom are for sale......We will miss them I'm sure but although advertised we have no buyers yet- so my kids sing HOORAY hooray....

Will we become a 4 dog family? To be continued.......