YY Litter Enrichment Experiences, page 3

Day 7:  28 Days Old (5/6/23)  

Four weeks old today!!  Today’s first enrichment experience was toys.  My friend, Teddy, recently bought a new house and went through her boxes of collectibles before she moved.  She brought me all kinds of cute little soft toys.  She always enjoys my puppy photos with visitors and at the nursing homes and schools and said she looked forward to seeing her former collectibles in photos.  I use different toys for every session, so I can always use new toys.  Nearly all of Teddy’s toys are silent (no squeakers), which I use until the pups are 5 weeks old, so I went through them and picked out a bunch of the smallest, or ones that have “handles” easy for small puppies to grab.  I was tickled to see there were two Easter bunnies, so of course I used them today!

The puppies got to spend about an hour outside before rain forced me to bring them inside, where their second enrichment experience – the Puppy Adventure Box – greeted them.  The Puppy Adventure Box consists of a pvc pipe frame from which a variety of articles are hung.  Pieces of garden hose, paint brushes, metal paint cans, a set of keys, flowerpots, cups pieces of pvc pipe, paint brushes and other items move and make a variety of noises, inviting puppies to chase, grab, bite, push through and generally have fun with them. The idea is to stimulate the puppies, get their brains working, and desensitize them to moving things – especially things touching and bumping them, having to push things out of the way, and various noises. 

They checked out the box but showed no super interest in it, which is typical.  They were more interested in wrestling, but that was just fine since they were bumping into the hanging objects, making noise and movement that caught their attention.  I got a few photos and then left them in peace. When I took in their supper, I placed the bowls inside the box.  It’s big enough that they can’t ignore it, so it will do its job.

The enrichment experiences are finished.  Now we start playtimes in the living room when we welcome visitors.