Week 11

Well here we are at the start of week 11 in the lives of Bruno and Maxi. I must say we have this Sunday morning thing fine tuned to perfection. 8am as opposed to 6.30am. More importantly, Sunday morning comes with ground turkey and puppy chow for the guys and hot hot black coffee with dark chocolate filled with raspberry cream for me:) A time for quiet reflection, puppy watching and bird listening. Sweet all round---unless of course Bruno pounces on Maxi just at that all important moment of doing the business we are all outside for---then that is just a nasty little mess!! Not so little I might add as these guys are growing at an unnerving speed. Bigger means bigger appetite, and bigger appetite means bigger you know what! Today is the day for the booster vaccines. Hope these little guys don't remember the last visit as a painful one-----I'll let you know later:)

Getting bigger and stronger by the day.

As you can see from the comparison photo these little guys are not so little any more. Bruno is 14lbs and Maxi 13lbs making carrying them more and more difficult. Luckily we are at the stage of house training where I can trust them to walk from their crates to the yard without mishap. As for their characters their battle strategies have changed somewhat. Not quite in the way I had expected. I was hoping for some balance between the two but instead there has been a complete role reversal. Maxi is now  the full on in your face no holds barred guy and Bruno the stalking, pouncing, biting the butt kind of guy. It is definitely necessary now to separate the two for some segments of the day, if not for their sake, for my sanity and safety dare I say---being the legs in between two sparring sets of jaws is not a favorable place to be. It has turned out to be a pleasant time all round. They nap at different times now which means good quality one on one time with each of them. Leash training is coming along nicely without one jumping on the head of the other. Puppy socialization is also much more of a calm experience with one leashed pup at a time. When they don't have to be concerned with on another they are much more aware of their environment. They pay close attention to different sights and sounds and new people. Battling it out in the back yard is one thing, battling it out on the roadway with cars passing is entirely a different story. Looking forward to our little walks today, they are so cute strutting along the street:)

Week 9 and Adventurous Pups

Welcome to week 9 in the lives of Bruno and Maxi. Well, so far we have had a sweet life with these guys--hard work sure---- but great fun. I am, however, going to have to rethink my routine with them. Their energy levels and natural curiosity have been turned up several notches these past few days. No longer are they content to sit at my feet while I prepare their food. Nope, that was a sweet time now gone. Rather, they are all over the place seeking out mischief and mayhem. Keeping them safe is becoming an increasing challenge. I've used some of these tips from AKC puppy safe ideas. They are helpful but, when all is said and done, the best way to keep them safe is constant supervision--a luxury not all can afford especially as these guys have much less nap time that a week ago:) So, play pens, stair gates and  large crates all clutter our home--for now at any rate:)  Yes creates plural, like most siblings I have found these two pups benefit from some quiet alone time where no one messes with their heads or tails for that matter. Bruno now weighs in at 13lbs-Maxi almost 12lbs. They are growing fast from the 4lb pups we brought home 5 weeks ago. We are following the dry puppy chow schedule augmented with a little wet food for added flavor. It suits them well, along with making their meals smaller and more frequent than for other breeds.  Boxers  have a tendency toward bloating which is life threatening but avoidable with care.

Sibling Rivalry

Just as their characters are emerging so too are their strategies for dealing with sibling rivalry. Bruno is the unabashed, full head on battle guy--------'no holds barred'  Not so much the Boxer as the wrestler:) Make no mistake there is nothing subtle about Bruno, Maxi sees the battle charge coming from a long way off. He heads for the hills---usually behind my legs---and hopes for the best. Bruno's chances to escape are not so easy. Maxi lies in wait for the best chance to pounce and get a strong hold on his brothers tail. Maxi also has a fierce bark so long as he  is on the outside of the crate and Bruno inside or alternatively if he is behind me:) One hopes they will balance each other out to be well rounded in their interactions with the other pups in their soon to be puppy training classes. Best ask my husband to come along two might be one too many:) 

The Wee Small Hours

No matter how much I try to explain to these guys that Sunday morning is way different to all other mornings it falls on deaf ears. 6.40 am and their internal clock yelps into action. Freezing cold, not quite fully dressed, I stand there proudly watching their performance while at the same time wondering why on earth I am so anal about training pads. Still, that was the route I chose, so next Sunday I will be prepared!! Coffee ready to switch on, flask ready to be filled and extra cosy clothes laid out by the bed. Yep, puppies have no clue that one day a week I would like a long lie in:( So, I have to make the most of it and enjoy the early morning Sunday sights I have been missing for a few years. What are they? No clue, as I said I have not been seeing any for a few years. I'll pass on wonderful sightings should I see any:) Fortunately, Valentine's day landed on a Monday this year and the love these guys give way make up for the rude awakening they gave the morning before. Tuesday was another day of new adventures this one being the introduction of the collars and leashes. Surprisingly, it was Maxi who rejected this idea whereas Bruno did not seem to notice too much---at least for a while. Hope that doesn't sound as if he is somewhat less attentive, rather he was more interested in the new surroundings of the front driveway and our neighbors from across the street. I'm planning on keeping this exercise short and sweet until they associate the new contraptions with a trip somewhere exciting and new. Can't see that I would enjoy something round my neck that kept me from doing whatever I wanted to.They start their first round of puppy training in a couple of weeks---that should be enough time--------I hope.


I am sure most of you are perfectly aware of the wonders of vinegar but thought I'd pass this on any way. I have used it for many things myself but find it especially useful when cleaning crates and puppy messes in general. I especially like it as it is non toxic and safe to use around these little guys. I put some in a spray bottle and use liberally to clean anywhere there may have been a little mishap or just for refreshing the play pen area etc. A little caution, make sure the pups are not too close while doing this it makes them sneeze. Learned this to Bruno's expense--he was fine after a minute:)

Characters now showing.

So as you can see I finally got the memory card which magically reminded me to close the crate gate these past two nights! Success, two dry clean nights. The pups are doing well getting bigger and smarter by the day.  These little guys are polar opposites in the way they experience the world. Bruno I have to say is showing tendencies toward the stubborn. Liver treats come to the rescue when encouraging the stubborn puppy to follow requests. I have yet to encounter the puppy who won't respond to positive reinforcement (this also works well with husbands) complemented by liver treats(does not work so well with husbands). He is coming along nicely but has a very independent spirit which causes him to get into some tricky situations.Luckily he knows how to yelp loud enough to get the help he needs:) Maxi on the other hand is the obedient follower who just wants to please, he is very very sweet and learns very quickly. Of course he requires the liver treats 'just because". Now being the carer of such adorable little guys also has a downside:(
I have to admit to being somewhat nervous as we took the 'boys' for their first vaccines the other day. I was dreading the 'look', and yes, I did get it just as the doc jabbed their little necks. The 'look' that says without a doubt "how could you"? It passed quickly though and they coped well with no reaction A great relief. Both had a report of excellent health. What about the look after neutering?? That might well require huge amounts of liver. Be wary of this though, too much liver will undo all the hard work that went into the house training stuff!! Might as well give them a dose of laxatives. Look out for a video coming up soon.

Another day in the lives of Bruno and Max

Beginning of week 8. I was hoping to get a great photo shoot today as I got my new camera--the old one was behaving badly:) Wanted to share the utmost cutest moments possible. However, a word of advice, one should really check whether or not the package you have just bought actually contains a memory card--duh! Guess who didn't? This might not seem like such a big deal unless you consider the amount of times I change in and out of my "puppy friendly" smelly old sweats into acceptable going to the store apparel! Juggling changing clothes, catching toilet issues before a mess ends up on  the floor, and carting two now 10lb puppies out to their potty area makes that extra trip to the store tedious mistake. So too, forgetting to close the crate door last thing last night. Yes, you guessed,that wonderful potty training regime I thought I was managing well took a turn for the worse. My bad!!  One needs a good sense of humor when house training very young puppies---a little hard to find at the crack of dawn---but worth searching for. I wouldn't mind the poop, after all they are still very small at this stage, it is their habit of stepping backwards into it I'm not that keen on. Will attempt to get some good pics uploaded tomorrow.

Sad beginings toward happy endings.

Today is the seventh week in the lives of Warrior King Bruno aka Bruno and Warior King Maximillian aka Maxi. Maxi is on the right of the picture as you see it he has a black mask. Bruno is on left he also has a black mask but has white markings also. They were born Christmas eve 2010. Sadly their mother died giving birth leaving 14 orphan pups. They already have had an unusual start to their lives which I hope will be extraordinary ones full of joy and fulfillment. As a result of their start we were fortunate enough to get these little guys home at the tender age of four weeks. Very soon into the bottle feeding regime their characters emerged. They would not feed from anyone other than myself. They merely played at feeding with my husband or anyone else. Flattering to have that fabulous bond but also a little difficult as they wanted to feed at the same time--a tricky feat to balance both and ensure they did not over gulp as was their habit. Many a spit up followed until I got the right technique going--holding them tight into my stomach their backs to me, hands under their chins and thumbs on their little squishy snouts. Week seven now and all bottles long gone--sad but good. They have a voracious appetite wolfing down 3 fairly large bowls of food a day with a bowl of milk for a snack mid morning. This week serious house training began now that the snow has thankfully melted. A  huge success though I say it myself. It was an ardous few days but they quickly caught on and have been clean and dry for two days now. I used my tried and tested method I've used over the years which really does work. Their little paws never get to reach the floor until they have been carried outside from their crate to the designated area in the back yard. Once they have performed to the cue "be good" they were carried back inside to play for a short time until nap time in their bed. Every time they wake the same thing---before and after eating---hard work and effort for a few days but worth it for a lifetime of house trained dogs. Great little guys with big personalities stay with us and you'll see their lives unfold on their way to being all they can be.