Last night we gave the puppies some of Alice's old baby toys to play with. 
This morning this puppy found one of his uncle Arthurs toys. First he rolled it around with his paw.

Then he tested it by mouthing it. and after a few tries decided there was only way to take hold of it.

Taking hold of it across the body of the stuffed puppy toy he experimented with lifting it.....

He lifted it and was making off with the toy, which was almost as big as he was! They truly are little workers.

The sun was shining, it was warm and so we decided to let the puppies see the big outdoors today. They loved it.
They had their breakfast then went exploring.......

Well some of them did .... This little chap made sure his plate was clean first... and his brothers plate.... and his sisters plate...
He is a good trencher man, (bet you are all hoping he doesn't keep this up)!
He did find his get up and go eventually to do a bit of exploring.

Two junior explorers find something interesting to sniff out.

The food all finished and off he goes to check out the daisies. Could they be edible?

The pups have nice new teeth coming through to try to eat everything they should and naturally everything they shouldn't!

Down among the daisies, keeping watch on Paul who was trying to sort out a length of wood for the top of the puppy pen.

This afternoon the puppies had another visitor Anne of the Lyneholme flatcoats. Anne couldn't resist having a few cuddles with the pups.

Anne bred Arthur who is Alice's half brother. They have the same sire who has appeared on the blog in the post from Chris Howe, and is pictured under the pictures of both Arthur and Alice on their main pages.

Poor Arthur has had a hard day today. First we took the puppies he keeps guarding outside and then let them run amok in the living room when Anne visited and finally left him to guard them and the house while Anne and I visited Anna Webb who is one of the Barking Blondes. Now he is happily back on the sofa next to the puppy pen keeping watch. Daft old dog! When they were tiny and in the whelping box upstairs he refused to go for a walk and would lay at the foot of the stairs on guard, then when they came into the downstairs pen he started laying in the hall way. Now they are mobile he keeps watch from the sofa.

Lots of visitors today so here are the pictures in the order they were taken.

Alice's early morning lie in.

Someone else having a lie in.... wish i was!

Sitting in the litchen waiting for breakfast. Good boys, good sit.

And at the end of the day what better than a cuddle with his mummy?

Three weeks have passed very quickly the puppies have gone from eyes and ears closed, to open, and from moving around on their bellies, to up and walking around in an amazingly short time.

So here is another before and after set of pictures.

Here he is relaxed and asleep. 

And back to sleep after a good clean up from mum. I guess he really needed it as she made a very good job of licking him clean.

So now he is ready to meet his visitors. Tomorrow we have a special friend from the USA visiting so he needs to look his best. 

Alice has an old duvet which is folded up and laid on the floor. Alice likes to be comfortable and it seems her babies think the same too as they always make straight for the duvet the moment they are let out of the pen, regardless of whether or not Alice is on the duvet.

Mummy cuddles.

Alice and pup crashed out on the Duvet.

While it is nice to have them out of the pen and around the floor, it is certainly entertaining trying to herd them back into their pen, as Paul described it, "It is like trying to herd a bunch of cats!"

Three little boys in a row, sound asleep.

Well they are certainly growing. So much so that this week we have started giving them some solid food and have today just finished the third dose of Panacur wormer.

When I say finished it is debatable who ended up with the most wormer, the puppies, me or the box as they wiped their mouths on every available surface. 

While the puppies busy at the milk bar, and I was checking emails a new post dropped in from Chris Howe who owns Alice's brother and nephew and he had owned Angus her sire. I'd asked him to write a little bit about the dogs and send some pictures for the blog. 

Chris writes, 'I have attached some pictures of Oban, Angus and Leth (son of Oban)
Angus was a fantastic dog a tireless worker and a real character he would never forget that maggot ridden rabbit or pheasant I had taken off him after what he considered a great retrieve and would climb barbed wire fences with ease up until 12 years of age to bring back to me what he thought I wanted – his trade mark was what we called "half smiles" he would greet you with  one side of his mouth curled up so much he had trouble breathing!

Oban (Alices brother) is his fathers double very very intelligent probably more so than Angus (gets it from his mother), a great escapologist, opens doors and lets himself in or out. His latest trick came about one evening after locking him out by mistake I saw a paw coming through a hole cut in a solid wooden door he was, with success, unlatching the door from the outside, again he is a good worker soft mouthed and quiet at the peg and has been very easy to train he just needs a little more experience and I will probably do his shooting dog certificate.

Leth (black) well what can I say only 12 weeks old he has been on this earth before, bold is not the word! Swimming etc and just trying to do all the things the "big boys" do which includes carrying a large stainless steel water bowl around after emptying it all over the kitchen floor by paddling in it with his two front paws!'
Chris.

Chris's boys. 

Now you have heard what Chris has had to say, you can depend on it that you will have an amazing little character.
Watch the doors, and be prepared to paddle! 
Alice also does the water bowl trick ... still! She always carries around dishes and pots she even steals them and quietly disappears! lol

One last look at the boys and girl for today.

Today was a bit of a disaster. Who ever thinks giving wormer to puppies is easy think again!
This is not helped by manufacturers making containers for the wormer who seem to think it is an easy job.

Laying here like this makes you think 'Oh how sweet and innocent..... ' If you believe that you will believe anything. He and his brothers and sister are a determined bunch at the best of times. So now add a tube of wormer in a syringe type container. The instructions said 'Remove cap, insert end of syringe in puppies mouths and dispense the appropriate dose.
To start with I couldn't get the top off, but after nearly an hour of struggling, trying pulling it off and twisting it off, it was finally open.

Now to get one puppy..... The one bitch puppy was duly selected and while in my hand suddenly turned from a cute loveale puppy into a squirmy little monster as slippery as an eel!
So after a bit of a struggle finally got the syringe end on the wormer tube into the pups mouth pressed the end and waited.... nothing happened. So I pressed harder and suddenly it gave way and puppy was not so much black any more but more black with white splodges! (Just how did the wormer get all over her and me? It was aimed at her mouth).

Nearly half a tube of wormer had come out and puppy and I were covered in it! This tube was meant to do 9 puppies one dose each. Trying to hold onto a puppy who was determined to escape and was now not only extra wriggly but had the wormer paste on it made life very tricky as she became next to impossible to hold on to! To add insult to injury she decided at that moment that to poop on my trousers was also a good idea. Next time they need worming I need volunteers to do it! Once was enough fighting the little wrigglers to get the wormer into them. Sweet and innocent they might be, but they are a determined bunch when they set their mind to it!

They're on the move well and truly!

Even attempting to escape from the box!

By tomorrow I think they will have got the 'Great Escape' sorted!

A first attempt at escape! Must have some good working lines behind him then.... lol

I spoke to Richard Beckerleg last night and asked him about Staverton Adam and Jet as well as Sarah of Shopnoller. He told he that Staverton Adam went to live in Holland and had a great reputation as a working dog there.

Richard told me that Jet was a reluctant retriever at first until one night Richard threw his bonio down the garden. Jet rushed out to get it. So Richard repeated this throwing out two bonios. Again Jet retrieved them, so he then put a few in an old sock and Jet retrieved this.

Next he threw out a canvas dummy and Jet brought that back, a week later he had Jet entered into and won his first working test, after which there was no way to stop him.
So is this young pup trying to find a way out by tunnelling under the box or just sleepy? Could he be the next Bonio monster?

Today we had some visitors. Two of my grandchildren came to see the puppies, so being a good granny they had a chance to gently hold a puppy while sitting on my lap while we were on the floor. This is Niamh who is 3 years old. She wanted to take the puppies home, and when she heard they could not go with her she decided she would like to stay here.

Here is Annabel giggling as the puppy licks her arm. Flatcoats certainly love to lick. Annabel is 6 years old and a member of the local Beaver pack. She is working for her dog lovers badge and has to find out how dogs help people.

As with all children especially little ones I won't leave them alone with puppies or dogs, so the dogs and puppies were safe from any rough handling or accidents, and the children were safe too.

Arthur would tell you it has been a long day in every sense of the word, not only is it the longest day but it felt like it too as he spent the day running around with the girls, who sprinkled him with 'fairy dust'. (Yes that is a rose petal on his head). Their 'fairy dust' was surprisingly made from rose petals, probably explains why there are no blooms left on the lovely scented rose in the back garden. Arthur is now fast asleep on the floor and snoring. lol

Puppies and Alice all settled in for the night after their young visitors had left for home.