Another week has gone by, and the puppies are getting bigger everyday.
We were unsure how Ivy would be with all of this. Her new brothers and sisters are really tiny and well, she isn’t the most gentle…
But, she’s figured it out.
There has been an unsaid rule that the girls have worked out in regards to personal space. While Addie was having the puppies, Ivy knew she needed to give Addie her own area. She laid outside of the pen, just watching and waiting for whatever was going to happen next. She sat there the whole day while the puppies were being delivered.
She was really sad…seeing her mom move onto the next litter.
We knew she was going to need extra attention, so we did our best to give her treats and spend time alone with her.
Everyone was so excited to see the puppies. We found ourselves sitting by them constantly. You could tell Ivy felt left out, and was visibly upset. We often found that she had put herself to bed early, and was laying in her crate [upstairs] alone.
She was not herself.
Since they’ve arrived, she’s becoming more and more curious as to who they are and why they’re always with her mom.
She’s been slowly sneaking into the pen to see what is going on…such an Izzy thing to do.
But Addie isn’t loving it.
Somehow, in their own body language, Addie has taught Ivy that there is a boundary within the pen and she needs to respect it.
Addie will actually stand across the opening of the whelping box, and curl her body around to face Ivy…she lets her know that if she crosses into the box, then there will be repercussions for her actions.
Once Addie had the puppies, she began doing this at the entrance of the gate which leads into the whelping box. Since then, she’s given Ivy more freedom and allowed her into the gated area, but not into the box.
It’s amazing that they’ve figured out how to communicate with each other and come to a mutual understanding. Just Addie’s actions of blocking the puppies with her body has taught Ivy that she can’t play with them yet.
Slowly, Addie is letting her closer and closer to them…
Today, they are two weeks old and getting so big! You can see the difference that just a few days can make. Last week, they were crawling around…only smelling Addie to find her.
This week, they’re up and walking…and some are starting to open their eyes! Before we know it, they’ll be meeting their new families…
Today’s Lesson: communication. They say, “you can catch more bees with honey than vinegar”… although Addie and Ivy can’t “speak” to each other, they’ve figured out how to communicate what they want. Addie could’ve easily just bit Ivy to explain to her that she needs to stay away from the puppies…or shown her teeth or growled. Instead, she showed her that she was willing to put herself in the middle to protect them and that Ivy needed to respect their space for now. As if she wanted her to know those were her babies, but Ivy was still hers too.
#blog-49
