1 week old

If you are following on the Facebook Infindigo Finnish Lapphunds group, or on Instagram, then you will have seen that I have been toying with the idea of changing the name of this litter from Kuume to Raita.  Well, I'm going to do it (Kennel Club permitting, as always.)

"Raita", pronounced approximately "right-ah" is the Finnish word for "stripe" and when these puppies lay themselves out in a row, as tiny puppies are wont to do, then they look like nothing more than a row of stripes in shades of cream, brown & black.  Pretty cute.

Although they don't officially turn 1 week old until tonight, I'll be switching to morning weighings and photos from here on in.  So, here are the Raita puppies on the morning of their one-week birthday.  They're looking a little bit more like puppies and a little bit less like mice now.  By next week's portraits they will have started opening their eyes.

Ella

Duke

Nina

Billie

Louis

Etta

Dizzy

growing

It's been hectic as all get-out here, and I'm on my own (apart from the 8 dogs of various sizes, that is) so the blog has been suffering from a bit of neglect.  Apologies for that.

Here's what's been happening while we've been away.

Getting crowded at the milk bar

Standing room only

Getting cute

More getting cute

Starting to play with toys

Toys also make good pillows

Playtime with Mama

More play with Mama

As well as struggling to keep up with the blog, I have also been struggling to get the puppies to eat the porridge I usually start to wean them on.  They just haven't been that interested.  Particularly Liila, who turned her nose up at it every time.  Today I hit upon a winning formula - Burns puppy kibble soaked in warm goat's milk and mashed up.  Everyone approved of that.  Later today they will have their first taste of scrambled eggs and tomorrow they will have their first raw food, and I anticipate all of that going down well. 

I'll try to keep you up-to-date, but if you want at least one photo daily, you can follow me on Instagram (@infindigo_jennifer) where I try to post at least one photo or little video a day.  It's much quicker and easier than the blog, obviously.  If you're not on Instagram, then you can still see what's going on here:  http://instagram.com/infindigo_jennifer

final week from instagram

You may have noticed it's gone a bit quiet around here.  It's not because most of the puppies went to their new homes over the weekend, although they did.  No, something far more dramatic and life-changing happened: on Friday the electric cable for my laptop died, quickly followed by my laptop, containing all my photos carefully preserved for the blog.  Zounds!  What bad luck and quite rotten timing, just as the puppies are moving into the next stage in their young lives.

Luckily the phone is still operational, so I do have a little update from Instagram on the gang as they leave for their new homes.

Fiia teddybear  -  Tito's little bear paws
Kai having a thoughtful moment  -  Tug for two: Talvi & Kai
Peeping over the gate of the pen: Tito, Fiia, Kaito, Kai

Emmi visits  -  Neka discovers watermelon
Kai in his new home (simples!)  -  Kaito in his new home
Fiia in her new home  -  Tito the only one left

And, finally, Talvi in her new outdoor pen with new big brother Usko.  Fun times ahead for them, as I hear that Usko was just a little thrilled about the new family member.

Next up:  updates on the gang in their new homes, what Tito has been up to while the only puppy here and big news as Jane and I run a very special and exciting errand tomorrow.

the week instagramly

The weekly visit to Instagram where the puppies have been busy inside and out - and so have the adults.

Obligatory howling puppy  -  pair of cuties in the pen
A family walk  -  auntie Taika & the not-so-grumpy Uncle
Kaito got his broccoli  -  Fiia got her hoof
Kai being a good puppy - twice!  But once with a wink to show he's only kidding

instagram fam

More puppy visitors today which means more hoovering, dusting and general mud management for me.  These are the busy but fun days now as the puppies are growing up, becoming a bit more demanding, and without actually realising they are asking to go out, they are starting to wish they were outside to do their poos (yes, already!).

Best of all are all the visitors.  It's an unusually hectic time in this house that is generally unaccustomed to children for most of the rest of the year.  We get to see extended family and new friends and it's all great experience for the puppies.

No one will mind if I doze off over the custard creams?

Here's a bit of what the puppies' Instagram followers have been enjoying this week.  

Little bear  -  There's always one with a wet head
Enjoying a belly scratch  -  Howler of the day
Cute snoozer  -  Another cute snoozer complete with tongue
"I will stay awake..."  -  Howler of another day

the week in instagram

The puppies have moved downstairs and I will try to do a report for the blog on the big move.  In the meantime, though, we are preparing for lots and lots of visitors over the weekend.  So we leave you with a quick report on some of what the puppies' Instagram followers have been enjoying all week.

Fiia having a pensive moment  -  Tito posing
Sox on his back (as usual)  -  Mini trying to escape
Tails are up!  -  Tito too sleepy to eat
Mini having a howl  -  Tuulen is the last one awake

insta-puppies

There have been a few little videos on Instagram in the past week.  There have also been a few cute photos.  The Pippuri gang are developing quite a following.  It's only what they deserve.

Fiia snoozing  -  Tuulen finding a comfy pillow
Fiia snoozing again  -  Sox having a morning howl
Mini chowing down  -  Sox having a rare pensive moment

Don't forget to vote for the heaviest puppy in the poll.  I'm beginning to think they're all the heaviest!  The poll will close sometime tomorrow and the result will be posted at the end of the week with the weight update.

The next big adventure will be the move from the relative cosiness of the whelping box upstairs to the big wide world as represented by the pen in the living room.  Exciting times!

the week in instagram

Here are a few snapshots from Instagram world during the puppies' second week.  You can find us there @infindigo_jennifer or on Twitter @infindigo.

Tito & Fiia napping buddies  -  Sleepy Tuulen
Sleepy Tito  -   Mini & Fiia cuddled up
Fiia eyes open, tongue out  -  Mini walking

milestone

The puppies are just about to reach the first milestone of their young lives.  Once they hit the one-week mark they are pretty much out of the woods in terms of the mysterious, often fatal, conditions that new puppies can develop.  I can relax a little bit more now knowing that not only are they all eating well and growing as they should, but that Tuuli is less likely to plunk herself down on top of one and smother him.

Were you wondering why I don't get much sleep during the first week?  One reason is the frequent wail of a puppy at the receiving end of mum's big rear end when she doesn't look where she's sitting.  This is a bigger problem for the first couple of days when mum is particularly tired and careless and, as in Tuuli's case, inexperienced.  With her litter of 9, Neka became remarkably adept at lying down while simultaneously scooping the whole litter into her belly and not squishing anyone.  Now that they are bigger and stronger, the Pippuri puppies can usually wriggle their way out before they are completely squashed.

The primary and loudest cause of puppy vocal complaint is when someone finds themselves on the wrong side of the body from the milk bar.  Woe is the puppy who is lost in the hinterland behind mum's back when she lies down to nurse the family.  The puppies can motor around the box surprisingly quickly, but asking them to navigate all the way around to the other side of a reclining mum is expecting a bit much, apparently. 

So in addition to Tuuli's frequent loo trips, there are many instances through the night for the first week when the humans come rocketing up out of bed to the sound of a puppy in dire distress.  By day 4 or 5 you're on your feet and halfway to the puppy room before you are even awake.

By day 7 the puppies in distress are pretty much on their own as it takes a truly life-or-death situation to actually wake you up.

If you would like a few more day-to-day photos of the puppies, you can join us on Instagram (@infindigo_jennifer) or Twitter (@infindigo).  If you are not so inclined, here are a few examples of what's been going on over there during the puppies' first week.

Brand new babies  -  Gentle new mum with Socks

Tiny new Tuulen  -  Tiny new Tito

Tiny new Mini  -  Clever Tuuli making a comfy pillow

naturally

Nature is a funny thing.  Somehow it intervenes from time to time and takes necessary action that we, as puny humans, may fight and rail against in the hope of gaining our own selfish desires.  But nature will have its own way, and I find it's usually right and therefore pointless to struggle against it.

Take, for example, Keksi's last litter.  One puppy was born much later than the others and was unable to suck.  Keksi just didn't want him.  I kept him warm and kept trying to get him to feed, but Keksi would just push him away with her nose.  In the end I gave up trying and accepted what nature & Keksi somehow knew.  I cuddled him up next to his brothers and sisters so that at least he had some comfort but I didn't try to save him.  He only lived for a couple of hours and Keksi obviously knew that he was not a viable puppy.  Perhaps if I had tried harder he would have survived, but who knew what problems he might have had as an adult.  Keksi knew and nature knew so I left it to their better judgement.

And now I think nature is playing similar tricks with Tuuli and her elusive season.  (In case you are wondering, no, she STILL has not come into season.  Sigh.)  This is my logic:  if Tuuli's season had started on time, or even a week or so late, then the puppies would have been born approximately now or a week ago.  And in case you don't live in the UK, I will point out that we are smack in the middle of an official heatwave.  30°C in the daytime and not much cooler than that in the bedrooms at night.  It's tough stuff for we unaccustomed humans, and it's even tougher for Lapphunds who, let's face it, would prefer it to be minus 30°C.  

I find that Lappies struggle with being too warm when they have puppies anyway, regardless of the weather.  Neither Keksi nor her mother Neka enjoyed lying down to nurse their puppies because they just got too hot.  And the blog archives are full of photos of puppies spread out as far apart from each other as they can get in an effort to keep cool.  So if Tuuli had had her season on time, and her puppies on time, then it would not have been much fun at all for her or for the puppies.  Or me, frankly.  Nature strikes again.  

But I would just like to point out to nature and Tuuli that if her season were to start, say, tomorrow, then the puppies would be born in late September and I'm fairly certain that the weather would be just about perfect for puppies.

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On a completely different note, what do you think about kennel Facebook pages?  Many kennels have their own pages where breeders and owners alike can post photos of their dogs and keep up-to-date with what's going on.  I haven't yet done this.  Is it something you would like to see?  Particularly for the owners of Infindigo puppies - would you like me to set up a page?

In the meantime, there are other ways you can follow what's going on (or what's not going on, in the case of Tuuli's season) apart from on the blog.  There is the website and it's news page, of course there is also Twitter, and you can also follow on Instagram where you will see not only pics of the dogs, but also other frilling fings like food, flowers and fashion.  You can find me here: @infindigo_jennifer

Here are a few recent shots from Instagram.

Neka squished into the corner for a snooze

Tuuli looking gorgeous

Tuuli looking like an insane cartoon dog

Tuuli (right) visiting Emmi & Miika

Keskiyo, Maija & Tuuli all want the funny-shaped stick

Funny Keskiyo with no ears