Watch the new video of Stinger's puppies learning to play!

Written by Stinger and her puppies' foster mom

Shirley and Fizz:

We've been having fun with the puppies. They are really starting to show Cairn spunk in play. They understand the squeaky sound of the gate to the living room means that we'll be at the den door shortly, and they come running to the ex pen gate with tails wagging. I took a couple of shots of them greeting us, and then after a fun play session while mom Stinger was outside to potty, we returned with her to find everyone had eaten and crashed. There were puppies sacked out all over the ex pen! Here are a few pictures we took of the fun.

Slush, one tired puppy:

Swizzle and Shirley Temple napping after play:

Fizz, too full to move:

Somebody has taken my cute, cuddly, snuggly little puppies and turned them into debil dogs! It's amazing how they change between four and five weeks old! They really mature in a burst - they'll come to the ex pen gate when they hear you coming, wagging their tails. Their motor sensories are much improved - they lunge and run, but they still aren't the best at judging distances and do quite a bit of nose/head butting when they're playing with each other and lunge at each other. They're regular - food goes in, poop comes out. We've moved the papers to where they seem to be going to do their business.

They know how to end play when they're tired and want to be left alone - I watched Swizzle being pounced on by Slush as he was settling in for a nap - he got rolled over, and Slush didn't want to let him up, so Swizzle bit his ear! They now WANT our attention, not just us picking them up and cuddling them. And the divided ex pen idea was good for about 3 days - Shirley Temple was the first to figure out how to step up on the bolster of the bed for a "leg up" to where she could climb the rest of the way onto the box. Then she took a nosedive off, so we eliminated the box as foster daddy couldn't stand to see her get hurt with her ungraceful method of getting down. To give Stinger some space of her own, we put a cream crate bottom inside a green crate bottom backwards, and she can jump in to finish her meals or take a nap without the puppies being able to get to her. We've got bed pads down so they've got something to get some traction on rather than the slick lineoleum flooring, but we now find them all misplaced, being used as tug toys.

Here's the video where Barney sat in the pen with them and became a human chew toy . I'd guess they've got half or more of their teeth.