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.