Today Nyssa is 43 days old. Like her littermates, Nyssa was very tired and sleepy after playing inthe outdoor pen. She was also rather calm throughout today's programs. When she and her littermates were outside, they stopped by a thawed deer carcass and proceded to chew and gnaw on it. This seemed to trigger their appetite, as they consumed down their weaning formula in a matter of minutes. Nyssa was very aggressive around her littermates and defended the carcass from Maya with ferocity. While Nyssa was in the outside puppy pen, she became very excited when Malik and Shadow were fed deer bones.
This morning Nyssa greeted staff and then went to howl with Shadow next to the puppy fence, she did a nice "grown up" howl. Nyssa very relaxed and submissive towards staff member's two male dogs. A good sign that she may be relaxed and submissive towards Malik and Shadow when they are introduced.
Nyssa and Grizzer had a dominance display with a lot of jaw sparring. Afterwards, they began grooming each other. Nyssa did most of the grooming and Grizzer seemed to lose interest. He even got up and left once but came back. Nyssa left at the end to go chew on a tree root which was more attentive than Grizzer.
Nyssa is 86 days old today. Her food consumption seems to be better than the other pups. She frequently eats 3 cups of food per meal, twice a day. Her daily meals combined with extra venison from deer legs during programs translated into 3 – 4 lbs of food per day. Not bad for a wolf that only weighs a little under 35 lbs.
Today Nyssa is 64 days old. She did well through the programs, sleeping through most of them. She didn't want to leave after the five o'clock program and growled mildly at the handler. She was the most active of the three pups during feeding and ate continuously without distraction.
Today Nyssa is 36 days old. Nyssa is becoming more vocal everyday. Nyssa is very assertive when Grizz and/or Maya try to take things, such as toys, away from her. She is attempting to dominate Grizz and Maya more, and is less tolerant of their domination attempts. When in outdoor pup pen, she greets Shadow & Malik and also shows an interest in the retired pack. Today Nyssa appeared anxious and uncomfortable in the the Pup 101 program. She whined a lot and made relatively aggressive efforts to escape the pen. Staff have been trying new and creative stimulus items to distract her, Grizz, and Maya. Nyssa is gaining weight steadily and is being weighed in an International Wolf Center tote bag, having outgrown the bucket.
Nyssa did well during program. She played with the pig ear and tried to join in taking beaver tail from Maya. Nyssa did very well in the outside pup pen. She explored, greeted the artics and played with Maya and Grizzer. She responded with whines whenever the retired pack whined at the pups. She seemed very interested in the retired pack and paced back and forth by the fence near them. It is getting progressively harder to weigh Nyssa. She recognizes the bucket and the bag and squirms when being held.
Today Nyssa is 57 days old. Nyssa continues to be very gentle and submissive toward her handlers, but has also continued domination attempts with Maya and Grizzer. Nyssa has become more exploratory, constantly finding her way into new and unexpected places.
Today Nyssa is 58 days old. Nyssa was was being very aggressive with a deer hide and wsa able to get it away from Grizzer and Maya several times. Nyssa has been showing her dominance over both Grizzer and Maya more often. Due to the heat, Nyssa has been relaxing under a wet blanket that had been frozen.
Nubee is 34 days old today. Voters in the 'Name the Pup' contest recognized this little package of love, dominance, and strength of spirit for what she is…a "Mischievious Elf," the Scandinavian translation of "Nyssa" which is Nubee's official name. She continues to dominate the other pups despite her small size and she generally is unphased by the crowds and the noise of "Pups 101." She typically is the crowd favorite due in part to her small size and a sense of confidence that shines through chain link fence and into the hearts of visitors to the Center. Nyssa is showing more interest in the blended pup food as she is slowly weaned from liquid formula.
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.