Today, Groan is 25 days old. When Groan was brought out to see Malik and Shadow she was little aggressive letting out a little growl. During public programming she did not appear to be stressed from the audience. During the program she was fighting with a stuffed toy. Groan frequently directs aggressive behavior towards Nubee, her younger littermate. Following three public programs Groan along with the other two pups seemed to be exhausted from the excitement and spent most of the afternoon sleeping.
Today, Nubee is 17 days old. Nubee has been walking around the pen more and often trys to dominate Grizz. She trys to pull on his tail and grab his neck. Nubee has also been trying to engage in play behaviors with both Grizz and Groan. Groan is quickly becoming more defensive. Today, Groan came up to Nubee and bit her and Nubee barked back at her.
Today Nubee met Malik and Shadow for the first time and everything went well. Nubee's activity level continues to increase every day. Today she initiated several play bouts with both Grizz and Groan. Although she is several pounds smaller than her littermates she often holds her own. Her motor skills have also been dramatically improving. She can readily move about the pen without falling. She is also beginning to seek the attention of her handlers. During today's public programs she explored the pen for a few minutes before falling asleep.
Grizz is 26 days old today. He is becoming used to the public programs and slept through them today. After coming back from a program, he enxibited his first play-bow. He continues to be the most submissive to his handlers. He also started exhibiting digging behaviors. When a small amount of sand was placed into the puppy pen, he sniffed it and began trying to dig in it. Staff also started Grizz on weaning formula given to him in a bowl. He smelled it and consumed a small portion. He is continuing to jaw spar with his sister and has been showing more dominance over her.
Groan is 26 days old. She does not appear bothered by the public programs. She is displaying more head-shaking behaviors towards her siblings, towels, and stuffed animals. She also displayed pouncing behaviors with Grizz. She stalked him and then pounced on him when he walked near her. Groan also is showing more dominance behaviors toward Nubee than Grizz. She was jabbing her paw at Grizz and then rolled over in front of him, exposing her belly. She was given weaning formula in a bowl and ate approx. 1 oz.
Nubee is 19 days old. Nubee met Shadow & Malik again today and wanted to get closer to them. She continues to do well during the public programs. Her activity level is increasing daily and her appetite has increased. She is also gaining weight steadily and appears much more stronger than in previos days. Today she grabbed a stuffed toy and shook it. She has also been trying to dominate Grizz, who has been very gentle with her during most of their interactions. Nubee is also seeking out more contact with her siblings. Her bottom incisiors are starting to develop.
Today Grizz is 28 days old. During the Pup 101 Program, Grizz was taken out a few minutes early due to anxiety. At the 3 p.m.program, he was very calm and preoccupied with a piece of deer hide. During his noon feeding, he ate a 1/4 cup of weaning formula given in a bowl and was not interested in feeding from the bottle afterwards. The precaudal gland is evident in both Grizz and Groan. This appears as a darker, diamond-shaped patch of fur located about halfway down the tail. He continues to try to dominate both Groan and Nubee but is submissive with his handlers.
While staff has been observing some very mature dominance behavior from Grizzer, they also still see the pup tendencies in his behavior. He willingly submits to staff, and he spends time wrestling with Maya. In this week’s video, you will see Grizzer attempt to subtly take a possession from Maya. It starts by laying close by and ignoring her. But, when the opportunity is right, he rolls over and tries to lie on top of the possession. Maya’s usually quick enough to escape before she loses.
Groan has been increasing her dominance behavior over Nubee and has been increasingly interested in the pen entrance as the escape route. She has also submitted to one of the wolf care staff members. She greets the wolf care handlers very enthusiastically often getting on their laps expecting a bottle feeding. She remains a very vocal pup and expresses herself when disturbed by growling and groaning at the staff.
Today, Nubee is 17 days old. Nubee has been seeking interaction with her littermates more frequently. Although her littermates are readily able to dominate her she remains very fiesty and is often able to withstand their dominant behavior. Her feeding behavior has also began to pick up. Just days ago staff often struggled to feed little Nubee, but now she seems to readily take to the bottle.
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