Today I would like to talk about puppy ears.

My partner and I provide a foster home for abandoned and rescued animals. The most recent is a bear of a dog who had puppies (surprise!) the night she was rescued. So, we are presently caring for 4 pups (now around 2 weeks old). Actually, mama is doing all the caring. I’m simply providing a warm, clean home for the pups, and massive amounts of food, water and love for mama.

Until the pups are around 3 weeks old it’s important not to handle them too much. They are physically fragile and easily over stimulated. They eat, sleep, repeat, all day and night. Mama licks their tiny butts to stimulate them to pee/poop, cleaning up as she goes. All too soon they will start really pooping and she will leave the clean-up to me. I have an idea for early paper training. I’ll write about that as they get older.

For now, I’m resisting picking them up. I’m stroking them a bit and touching their tiny toes and tails to get them used to being handled. As they get older I’ll increase the attention. (Can’t wait for them to get older!) This brings us back to puppy ears.

Puppies are blind and deaf when born. I knew that it took a week or so for their eyes to open,

but the surprising thing is that their ears are also closed when they are born. Their ears look like tiny puckers of leather with no opening for sound waves to enter.

As the days go by I can see the area relaxing and getting looser. I anticipate that soon the ears will open.

Clever pups!

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