Whirlwind Weekend and Puppy Progress

Woke up Saturday morning to cool, overcast weather (was supposed to be 80 degrees and sunny), a splitting headache, and the realization that we were supposed to meet at the lake for water work at 8:30 AM. Ugh! After spilling coffee all over Julie's car and launching the boat without the plug in (fortunately, we caught that quickly, loaded it back up, drained it and relaunched with the plug in before it sank!) the day began to improve. After the clouds burned off, the temperatures really did hit 80 and the lake was beautiful. The water was reasonably warm and I was smart enough to take Chili (who is a blast to train at the water) and Ecko (who is training on easy, baby-dog working stuff) so I had successful training sessions despite the fact that my headache would NOT go away.

Returning home from the lake around 2:00 PM, I found that Dick and Ginny had already arrived for their visit. They let themselves in and were lounging on the patio with Reef, Decker and Stoker when I walked in the door. Jan arrived a few minutes later and we all had a nice late lunch on the patio.

After lunch, Reef got his monthly haircut. Dave and Rebecca arrived with their two PWDs from the agility trial in time to watch Reef endure the final snips of his grooming torture, then we all enjoyed a relaxing evening hanging out with the dogs and chatting.

It was up early again on Sunday and out the door to the agility trial. Decker and Jan were entered and we timed our arrival just slightly too late for him to walk his Excellent Standard course. Ugh! The guys did a creditable job on the course with just a brief detour over an off-course jump. Both Deck and Jan were hot and lazy by the time Jumpers rolled around in the afternoon and missed the weaves there, although the rest of the course was smooth.

PUPPY STUFF

No pics or videos of Decker and Shasta's babies yet, unfortunately (I think Cindy and Rick have their hands full!), but here is some of what the pups would have been up to during their first week.

• 90% of time spent sleeping, 10% eating
• Susceptible to heat/cold - cannot regulate their own body temperature
  
• Instinctive reflexes: crawl, seek warmth, nurse
• They can right themselves if placed upside down
• Need stimulation for urination/defecation (Mama cleaning them does the trick.
• Rapid development of central nervous system
• Rectal temperatures 94-97 degrees Farenheit
• Pups may lose 10% of weight after birth, but should start gaining again and weight should double by end of week

The pup's eyes should begin to open during the next week.