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MANNERHEIM'S
'MEN' OF PEACE
Am/Can Ch. Mannerheim's Don Giovanni
x Can
Ch. Montwood's Classical Jazz, NA, NAJ
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Week
5
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Red boy gets some personal time
with mum. |
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The first experience in the wild
outdoors. Pretty scary place. |
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July 10
Day 29
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The boys are 4 weeks old today
and this morning began with an early morning snack with mum
and later they enjoyed a quiet brunch at the Sidewalk Cafe.
In an effort to devour every last bite they delighted in pushing
their plastic brunch plates across the patio stone making all
kinds of racket and hullabaloo in the process. After some outdoor
play time they came in for some more play before their nap.
And all the boys except white collar took drinks from the water
bowl. Dark blue both growled and barked at the water bowl, perhaps
thinking this was some devilish plot masquerading as mum. |
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Oh my gosh, this sure is tiring
work, and they're getting big! |
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Gandhi gets some private time
with mum. |
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July 11
Day 30
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Last night was the third night
the boys have slept alone without mum and each time they've
slept through the night without complaining or crying for her...
although in the mornings there is much evidence they've been
on the prowl at night, pottying at will... but that too will
change as soon as they can climb down a step and not go head
first. Another week at most. After lunch today we all had a
romp in the backyard. Two boys, green and light blue, stood
with both front feet perched on top of mum's soccer ball...
but the interest in contact sport passed without further incident.
Instead they had a short conference on the virtues of Periwinkle...
not Ch.
Brandendorf's Periwinkle, but the plant. They batted at
the stems and managed to pull off a couple of leaves. Dark blue
was the first to wag his tail while outdoors. (A couple of days
ago one of the boys was even wagging his tail in his sleep.)
It was warm and sunny and they mouthed the grass without really
biting it. And after they'd all tired themselves out we returned
to the inner sanctum where they were lulled to sleep, as per
their parental namesakes -- Classical Jazz and Don Giovanni
-- by a gentle operatic composition on CBC classical radio.
At this stage they've yet to show any real preference for opera
vs classical. The jury's still out on that one. But late this
afternoon White collar made it official by voluntarily drinking
water out of the bowl: all the boys have now achieved independence
from mum. Not that they don't like to suck up to her. They do.
And they're sure not ready to give her up yet. She only has
to enter the room to create an instant frenzy in the nursery.
She still gives them an early morning
jump start on the day and a late night snack before they crash
for the night. And because they're not at her all day long like
they were at first, she is eager to oblige. After dinner this
evening, playtime in the backyard found the boys much more eager
to explore their surroundings. They broke away from the group
and started exploring on their own. Of course that lasted only
about 15 minutes before they exhausted themselves and fell fast
asleep, quite content to let us carry them back to the nursery. |
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Red collar, Gandhi, and light
blue collar share time with mum. |
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July 12
Day 31
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The most exciting event of the
day began after breakfast... which was served outdoors on the
patio. And after breakfast the boys trudged over to the grass,
still damp from the lawn watering system and got their feet
wet for the first time. And holding true to the their nature,
they were NOT impressed. Told me it was icky. But they pottied
anyway and were eager to come inside where they huddled up in
the crate, and took their morning nap. They much preferred the
afternoon and evening playtimes outside when the grass was drier. |
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| The boys enjoying an outdoor
picnic with mum. |
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July 13
Day 32
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Breakfast typically becomes a
bit of a frenzy when the boys realize they are about to eat.
Their little bodies quiver in anticipation and when we feed
them outside it's a bit like herding cats. They now know the
sound of clicking breakfast dishes but they aren't always sure
where to find them if we call from more than three feet away.
Each day the boys spend more time playing and exploring. Today's
major challenge was learning to go up and down stairs. They
can hoist their little bellies onto the first step and then
the challenge is to get the back legs to cooperate. Some of
them managed one step. Going down was easier, but not any more
graceful. Light blue and yellow braved the scary new footing
of the adult potty area which is layered with fresh wood chips.
In another couple of days when they mastered the steps it will
be much easier to herd them into the potty pen. Oh, yes, and
the boys had their very first taste of apples today and all
gave a 'paws up'. Next, it's raw carrots. |
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| In this fifth week, mum
takes the boys on a picnic once or twice a day. Toward
the end of the week the boys get only midday or early
evening picnics with mum. |
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July 14
Day 33
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The major accomplishment today
was that six out of seven boys pooped in the outdoor adult potty
pen. Only little white collar didn't potty in the pen. The boys
practiced their step climbing skills, improving ever so slightly. |
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Seven little samurais dining
in the great outdoors. |
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July 15
Day 34
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The boys love their play times
outside and they made huge gains today in their step climbing
skills with several successfully shimmying themselves up two
steps. A couple of falls and headfirst landings but now they
are big enough not to hurt themselves. It's funny to watch them
think through the step climbing. At times it's like their mental
synapses have made the connection to jump up but their little
bodies don't seem to have the coordination to make the muscles
do want they want: so they stand back, take a good hard look
at the target, make a leap forward and fall flat on their faces.
And all 7 boys managed at least one potty
in the adult potty area at some point during the day. Today
they graduated to individual feeding dishes and that seemed
to reduce the competitive tension around eating. Got a great
photo of 7 little butts wolfing down their food. And they got
some special treats today: pigs hooves to chomp on - instead
of each other. |
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The boys enjoy a summer evening
snack. |
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16 Day 35 |
Today at last, the boys got to
try raw carrots -- intended as a substitute for thumbs, fingers,
pant legs, shirts, toes, shoes, and just about anything else
a five-week old doberkid can get his teeth into -- and the verdict
is .... thumbs... uh... er... "28 paws up"! They are
becoming increasingly confident in their ability to navigate
the two steps down to the patio. Going up is easier... at least
a little less scary. In another 48 hours there will be no stopping
them. The fifth week is a major transitional period as the boys
move toward greater independence. |
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