Grizz was very anxious and distressed most of the morning-was panting, whining, and howling while pacing the enclosure looking for a way out. Gave him ice cubes and water, which he lapped out of the bowl. It didn't calm him down too much. We then put water in plastic sled for him to play in. He went in water but was still whining and anxious. Lab was warm so he may have been hot. We took pups to outdoor pup pen after program. Grizz ran around and explored the pen. He went into the den and dug some dirt out. He laid in den with Nubee. Went to shared fenceline and whined to Shadow & Malik. Malik brought piece of beaver near the fence and put it down. Grizz was very tired after romping in the pup pen and was not interested in eating at noon.
Groan was chasing after Grizz when he ran away with the beaver tail. Both Grizz and Groan are improving in their running coordination.Groan was very anxious and made continued attempts to climb out of the bucket, bag, and sling, therefore could not get an accurate weight. Groan became anxious and started whining, howling, and panting. Gave her ice water, which she lapped out of the bowl, and ice cubes, which she licked. Also put a sled with water into the pen. She climbed in it and urinated in the water. She appeared to enjoy walking in it and splashing it with her paws. Groan was very anxious during program and constantly whined and climbed on gate to get out. Was not able to be distracted with stimulus items. Groan did well during most of the next program and engaged in tug-of-war with Grizz with a beaver tail. She explored pup pen and appeared relaxed and at ease. Half way through her feeding Groan got the hiccups and then quit feeding.
Today Grizz is 40 days old. He displayed very aggressive dominance of Groan, biting and shaking the scruff of her neck. Grizz and Groan had difficulty in the first program. We just started leash training and they were less than thrilled. Staff took Grizz and Groan outside of the pen on the leashes, leaving the door open for them to come back into the kennel. They eventually relaxed and finished the program After the 11 am and the 1 pm program, the pups played outside in the puppy pen. They enjoyed climbing in and out of the den hole and actively greeted Malik and Shadow. Grizz has been actively digging in the den hole. Grizz again had a stressful program. Staff put a venison porkchop on a string to drag in front of the pups to encourage them to follow on the leash. Groan and Nubee proceeded to eat the venison chop during the program. Grizz became stressed and left the enclosure on the leash, walked around the front of the exhibit for a bit, then calmed down when Groan joined him on the leash. Pups did well during program, but Grizz got a little anxious at the end. He didn't cooperate very well with walking on the leash so we carried him most of the way. We used venison chops, balsam branches and a deer leg as distractions during programs.
Today Nubee is 33 days old. She is showing more dominance attempts over both Grizz and Groan. During outside pen visit she seemed intent on seeking her littermates to display her dominance. She actively greets Malik & Shadow at the shared fenceline, sometimes growling at them. With staff, she continues to seek comfort and human touch. She also seems to be seeking out a nanny when wanting to sleep. She has also recently made attempts to howl with the older wolves when she hears them howling; her howl was punctuated with a throaty snort sound. Nubee shows signs of anxiety in the 11 a.m. programs, but does better in the afternoon programs.
Today Groan is 41 days old and it was a unique one in her life. She was officially named "Maya" to coincide with her May 5, or "Cinco De Maya," birth date. Young Maya displayed an interesting behavior in her still distant relationship with Shadow and Malik, the Center's adult Arctic wolves. During the "Morning with the Pups" program, Maya showed keen interest in the Arctics as they began to howl in recognition of the pups' presence through the glass on the floor of the Center's Auditorium where she entertained and interacted with a group of 30 visitors to the Center. After the program, she was taken to the outdoor enclosure and greeted the Arctics at the shared fenceline with a wagging tail and flat ears. As we continue to wean the pups off bottled formula, Maya's interest in the bottle continues to diminish.
Grizz is 42 days old today. Grizzer and his littermates all received their vaccinations (DHLPP-5 way). Grizz did very well during programs as he was occupied by a beaver foot throughout the duration of the programs. While Grizz was outside he played keep away from Maya and Nyssa with one their toys. Very tolerant of Nyssa's dominant behavior over him. After the morning feeding Grizz became anxious and began whining and howling, and trying to climb up to the windowsill and gate. In general Grizz shows increasing signs of wanting to go outside
Today Grizzer is 61 days old. Today he was agitated and began pacing the perimeter of the puppy pen, whenever someone wanted to aproach he ran the other way. His ears were flat and sometimes had a tucked tail. Grizzer was anxious during the filming inside the enclosure, and he wanted to go out of the pen and did not respond to stimuli.
Today Groan is 40 days old. Recently, her dominance attempts over Nubee have declined, and she has been observed in full submission with Nubee standing over her. She has been anxious during the 11 a.m. programs and is not easily distracted with stimulus items. She seems to settle down and do better in the afternoon programs. Groan shows increasing signs of wanting to be outside. She whines, howls, and makes attempts to climb up to the windowsill in the pup pen. When taken out to the outdoor pup pen, she explores and investigates the pup enclosure with vigor. She also greets Malik & Shadow at the shared fenceline with a wagging tail and flat ears. Groan is a "climber" and likes high places. She likes to climb atop logs and rocks, both in the indoor and outdoor pup pens. Groan is also exhibiting head-shaking behaviors when grabbing Grizz and Nubee.
Today is Grizz's 41st day, and he officially became "Grizzer," the name selected by nearly 3,000 votes in the 'Name the Pup Contest.' As you can see in the picture, Grizzer continues to more and more resemble an adult wolf with his lengthening muzzle and distinctive ears. He continues to be the most anxious of the three pups during the three daily "Pup 101" programs. His sense of movement and awareness of changes in noise levels appears to be more acute than either of the other pups. Even when he shows interest in play objects, his attention is quickly diverted if even one or two visitors to the Center pass nearby. Grizzer, more so than the other pups, becomes excited by the howling of the adult wolves and makes aggressive attempts to escape the temporary indoor pup enclosure to join his elder ambassador wolf-mates.
Today Grizz is 43 days old. His physical features continue to take on the wolf characteristics-elongated muzzle, long legs, etc. His eyes are also starting to lighten in color. During the pup pen cleaning early in the morning, the pups are taken into the auditorium to run around with their leashes on, in order to begin conditioning them to wearing a leash for future programs. In the auditorium, Grizz whines when he sees Shadow and Malik at the window and attempts to climb up to the windowsill to see them. He appears to be doing better during pup programs and has been chewing on stimulus items such as beaver feet and beaver tail. He shows increasing signs of wanting to be outside by trying to climb up to windowsill and pup pen gate. Pups are taken out everyday to outdoor enclosure, and Grizz enthusiastically greets Shadow & Malik at the shared fenceline. He has been exploring the den dug previously and will attempt to dig in it and lay in it with his packmates. Grizz seems to submit to Nyssa during domination attempts.
The International Wolf Center advances the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future.