I recognize Sosuke by looking between his eyes. His eyes look a little smaller and further apart than the others and he has a patch of particularly dark fur between them. Koji's got larger muzzle, larger ears, larger eyes. Kind of like their heads are the same size but Sosuke's features are smaller. Tika's obviously the smallest, with a more juvenile-looking face. Juno is the darkest and quite solidly built, but I mainly know it's her by process of elimination because Tika, Sosuke, and Koji have distinct faces and Juno's is the most normal-looking.
Not that I've been studying the videos or anything. Heh...
Ack the little tails! I've never seen cuter tails. They are such adorable little Kaiblobs. They kinda look like little awkward cats... My younger brother thought they were cats until he saw a video where one of them barked.
@ Brad: They all look really nice. As a comparison, have you taken measurements via wicket of your Kais?
What is the size difference between say Kumi and Haru? Both are different I know...Just curious about height. They appear to be about 1 1/2" to 2" in difference, hard to tell in a photo though.
Oh! So adorable! And since it is going to be another year before I can start PA school due to my spine hating me, it is SO hard to not succumb to puppy fever!
Interesting behavioral point - notice how Parka is sulking in the corner? Masha had just corrected him for playing to rough with Haru's pups. BTW: That's Ayu with the pups, not Haru. Haru is inside eating.
Oh I love Ayu, she is such a pretty girl who seems to be really good with the pups. Masha actually looks a little better in the last video compared to the previous ones, and it is so interesting that her mother instincts are still in effect with these pups. If you take the pups out without putting Masha with them, would she try to get to them?
@Calia - Yea, Masha's coat is coming in a little now. She is looking better - you have a good eye!
It's interesting, Masha is not stressed about these pups the way she would her own (or the way Haru is with them). It's like she just seems to understand that they are pups, and so they need to be protected.
I think it's the oxytocin positive feedback loop the mother gets from nursing that drives a mother to be with her pups. Most of the nursing females I've seen are almost manic about getting to their pups, but as the pups wean and need milk less often, the pup's assertiveness overpowers the positive feed back loop, the mother dogs wants to be with the pups less and less.
This is how it is hard to have a litter of puppies in a high-predatory-risk area like this as, with the exception of short feeding times and cleanup times, Haru actually doesn't want to be with her pups at this point.
I think people tend to say/think "oh, the mother is teaching independence" when they see this behavior, but I actually think its simply due to the fact that, since the female is nursing less, there is a reduction in oxytocin and therefore the nursing-oxytocin positive feedback loop is not as strong. With that positive feedback loop being less strong, the assertiveness of the puppies actually drives the female away (overrides the positive feedback loop).
This is the primary reason we have Masha, and one of the reasons why we bred her to Luytiy. We wanted Masha to have that "protective mother" instinct (which she may not have had w/o having pups - as an example, Ahi is protective but not of pups). And since she is not nursing these pups (she's not producing milk), these pups are not as assertive with her as they are with Haru. Therefore Masha is not driven away from them and, due to the fact she is not getting that oxytocin positive feedback loop from nursing, Masha is also not driven to them (the way she might be if she was lactating).
Please understand, Haru is still protective of these pups, but she is less interested in being with them as they are constantly trying to nurse off her and that is painful - which pushes her away from them and teaches the pups some independence.
I could probably make that puppy area a bit more productive environment for Haru by building a high platform that she could perch on without her puppies getting on it (as it would be too high for them to get up there), but the pups only spend a few hours a day in that area, and we figure its a good opportunity for them to socialize with other dogs since Haru doesn't want to be in there with them. Also, I think they may just scream at her while she's up on the platform. lol
Interestingly, once we feed the pups, and they get some milk from Haru, and go potty, they will usually fall asleep. At that point Haru will go back to be with them (because, I'm assuming, they are not very assertive when asleep). So, she does want to be with them but it's uber-uncomfortable for her.
We've seen all these same patterns with Masha - even more so with her as CO pups are VERY assertive pups (they're kinda mean). With her pups (just like we do with Masha, but with Haru's pups) we will put Naum with them - he's very gentle... but he's still a bit too big to be left alone with the little Kai pups (we think).
I'm sure a breed with a higher pain tolerance (like Masha) would be willing to be with the pups longer than Haru, but I dunno that it's better or worse for the mother to be with them (more often) at this point in age... The first litter Masha had we actually needed to separate Masha from the pups and let her produce milk before we put her with them as they were making her bleed trying to nurse off her - mean little CO pups.
@ayk - I dunno. It all depends on when her milk dries up. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if she is nursing them a little the last week they are here (8th week).
@jujee - Yea, the pups are hungry now. Last week we moved to feeding them 3 times a day since they are nursing less but they still go after each other's food so Jen started upping it today. :oT
Comments
We do need to color code the pups, and honestly, we are having a hard time telling who is who right now too - due to all the dust. Damn Taos dirt. LOL
They're getting baths today and pictures later...
BTW - The larger puppy is Akashi.
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And double yay for new pics
Not that I've been studying the videos or anything. Heh...
But I can relate, if it was my pup in the video I'd also be staring at pics and videos all day long (okay almost)!
Puppy 1:
Puppy 2:
Puppy 3:
Puppy 4:
So you know how dirty they were yesterday, here is a vid...
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And Heidi, ( @hondru ) I am not at all jealous! xD Nooooooo... okay maybe a bit :P Sosuke is gorgeous!!
What is the size difference between say Kumi and Haru? Both are different I know...Just curious about height. They appear to be about 1 1/2" to 2" in difference, hard to tell in a photo though.
Snf
Feeding time:
Socialization time:
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It's interesting, Masha is not stressed about these pups the way she would her own (or the way Haru is with them). It's like she just seems to understand that they are pups, and so they need to be protected.
I think it's the oxytocin positive feedback loop the mother gets from nursing that drives a mother to be with her pups. Most of the nursing females I've seen are almost manic about getting to their pups, but as the pups wean and need milk less often, the pup's assertiveness overpowers the positive feed back loop, the mother dogs wants to be with the pups less and less.
This is how it is hard to have a litter of puppies in a high-predatory-risk area like this as, with the exception of short feeding times and cleanup times, Haru actually doesn't want to be with her pups at this point.
I think people tend to say/think "oh, the mother is teaching independence" when they see this behavior, but I actually think its simply due to the fact that, since the female is nursing less, there is a reduction in oxytocin and therefore the nursing-oxytocin positive feedback loop is not as strong. With that positive feedback loop being less strong, the assertiveness of the puppies actually drives the female away (overrides the positive feedback loop).
This is the primary reason we have Masha, and one of the reasons why we bred her to Luytiy. We wanted Masha to have that "protective mother" instinct (which she may not have had w/o having pups - as an example, Ahi is protective but not of pups). And since she is not nursing these pups (she's not producing milk), these pups are not as assertive with her as they are with Haru. Therefore Masha is not driven away from them and, due to the fact she is not getting that oxytocin positive feedback loop from nursing, Masha is also not driven to them (the way she might be if she was lactating).
Please understand, Haru is still protective of these pups, but she is less interested in being with them as they are constantly trying to nurse off her and that is painful - which pushes her away from them and teaches the pups some independence.
I could probably make that puppy area a bit more productive environment for Haru by building a high platform that she could perch on without her puppies getting on it (as it would be too high for them to get up there), but the pups only spend a few hours a day in that area, and we figure its a good opportunity for them to socialize with other dogs since Haru doesn't want to be in there with them. Also, I think they may just scream at her while she's up on the platform. lol
Interestingly, once we feed the pups, and they get some milk from Haru, and go potty, they will usually fall asleep. At that point Haru will go back to be with them (because, I'm assuming, they are not very assertive when asleep). So, she does want to be with them but it's uber-uncomfortable for her.
We've seen all these same patterns with Masha - even more so with her as CO pups are VERY assertive pups (they're kinda mean). With her pups (just like we do with Masha, but with Haru's pups) we will put Naum with them - he's very gentle... but he's still a bit too big to be left alone with the little Kai pups (we think).
I'm sure a breed with a higher pain tolerance (like Masha) would be willing to be with the pups longer than Haru, but I dunno that it's better or worse for the mother to be with them (more often) at this point in age... The first litter Masha had we actually needed to separate Masha from the pups and let her produce milk before we put her with them as they were making her bleed trying to nurse off her - mean little CO pups.
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The pups look great. What an amazing job you are doing with getting them out. It will make all the difference in their adult lives.
Cute part in feeding video when one of the pups runs off to the other pups bowl to eat that pups food! lol
@jujee - Yea, the pups are hungry now. Last week we moved to feeding them 3 times a day since they are nursing less but they still go after each other's food so Jen started upping it today. :oT
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