First study the fences, think about how you can safely get over them and escape.

Next consult with the escape committee.....

Keeping watch while fences are double checked for weaknesses.....

Double checking the potential escape route... Avoid looking up to the right where there is a weakness in the barrier. ....

Then scramble up the netting and go over the wire... the guards are so busy running around to try and catch you that you nearly make it to freedom, and they don't have any photographic evidence as they had to abandon the cameras to catch you before you completely wriggled through.

One of the guards, the one who maintains the fences. Listen very carefully and he might let it slip where the next escape might work.

In the meantime gather together anything that might help... A door stop is always useful, as a door stop and the best toy ever!

Discussing the value of ownership of a door stop...... And fooling around a bit too.

Old toys and the tunnel still hold their interest too. The diggers are busy under the clematis, the tunnel is good practice for the day the diggers finish the tunnels.

Meanwhile a bit of keep fit with the paint roller gives a distraction to the guards.

Tug of war to strengthen those climbing and scrambling through gap muscles. Part of the keep fit campaign.

Getting tired now......

And so to bed.... under the clematis which is a good place to sleep.

Waiting to go outside (not very quietly) the puppies will certainly let you know they want to be out of their pen and exploring the garden. Unfortunately today some of the local wildlife decided to attach itself to one of the pups!

Poor puppy was exploring the hedge at the bottom of the garden and was unlucky enough to get a tick attach itself to pups ear. A quick trip to the local vet soon sorted it out. I can't find my tick remover and as the vet is only a couple of hundred metres from my house it was not a problem to pop in there. Adam Masri is the kind vet who removed the nasty insect.

The pup was very good and the tick was safely removed. It is ideal conditions for ticks at the moment, so it is important to check the puppies thoroughly when ever they have been outside playing in the grass.

Ticks carry some nasty diseases, the most commonly encounted disease is lymes disease, down on the south coast the ticks are known to carry babesia, which most people think is a disease not found here in the UK. Farmers and land owners may recall the 'Red water fever' outbreak in cattle in the 1970's which was caused by ticks carrying babesia.

I had to research an article for the dog press on ticks and was very lucky to get an interview with Prof Sarah Randolph who is considered to be one of the leading experts on ticks in the world. So as we think he picked it up when exploring the top of the garden we now have a new barrier. This stops them going under the currant bush as well.

The puppies were not impressed with the new barrier, they have tried burrowing under it, scrambling over it, going through it, pulling it down and even trying to jump over it! Crazy babies.

I think they are discussing just how to get rid of the barrier, they certainly look as though they are planning some mischief.

Last night the puppies were very active during the night as they felt cooler. This morning they had a good run in the garden from 6:30 until 10 o'clock.

After that they went indoors as the heat was almost unbearable by then.

So when all the gardening was done (the small white clematis no longer exists), they gathered in the out door pen. They didn't play in their water bowl in that pen. 

The indoor pen was a different matter, the bowl was a great plaything, and in the process it was tipped over. Water everywhere!

A quick bowl refill complete and the naughty pups tipped that one over too! They had a lovely time paddling about. Tomorrow the pet shop will have a visit as I will try to find a heavier bowl.

Here are todays pictures of the pups and one of Alice who was eating yogurt and got it all over her face, silly girly.

When it was cooler this evening they followed Alice out into the garden for an hour or two of running riot. They finally came in about 10pm as it was getting too dark to see them under the bushes at the top of the garden.

At the moment they are out very early in the morning and back indoors by 10 - 11am as by then it is getting too hot. They then go out later in the day around 6:30/7pm. I keep the living room where the puppy pen is located cool during the day by keeping the curtains drawn across, have a fan if it gets too hot and putting frozen ice packs in front of the fan to cool the air as it is blown across the ice pack. 

Alice 'pied piper' impression is very useful for getting the pups in or out quickly.

Alice loves agility and was not going to let her pups have all the fun in the tunnel today, she kept poking her head in the center hole or one of the ends of the tunnel.

The pups were determined the tunnel was theirs and they took it off across the lawn. They didn't want their mum interfering in their games.

There are two puppies in the tunnel playing 'bitey face' a well known puppy game.

This evening something new appeared in the garden.....

The first puppy to check it out was Matilda, she is a bold puppy

She was very quickly followed by her little brother, who thought it was his duty to give it the chew test.

Here Matilda and he little brother approach the new toy.

I stopped on the way home from work to buy some Veni-Chews for the dogs, and asked if the garden centre did any sort of tunnels for dogs. They said they only ordered them in specially but if I didn't want a big tunnel they did have in stock a rabbit tunnel designed for all sizes of rabbit. So I thought if a big rabbit can get through it perhaps the puppies might find it a fun new toy.

Half way down the tunnel there is a gap designed for a rabbit to pop his head up and look around, the pups use it as an extra exit and entrance.

They really enjoyed playing with the new tunnel, climbing over it, burrowing under it and running through it. They used the hole half way down to ponce on unwary brothers or sister as they ran past. 

Later they realised that it was so light weight they could move it around themselves and so it was dragged around the garden.

When more than one puppy was in the tunnel playing it looked like some kind of alien life form squirming across the lawn. lol

The few pounds the tunnel cost was very well spent, they have had a ball playing with it, and it gave them a new experience, which is important to develop their skills, and occupy their minds. 

So while the puppies play.... and I am not trying to capture the days antics with the camera....

I am rapidly becoming the poo picker up super star!

The tools of my new trade. A shovel a brush and bucket of disinfectant. 
Clearing up after the puppies and the two big dogs here keep me busy, once the poo is picked I usually slosh a drop of water with a disinfectant in it over the area to keep the flies away. I use Zoflora, as Dettol is not good for dogs and it is always quite a weak solution, sufficient to keep flies away. If the poo is a but runny once I have gathered most of it I pour the disinfectant over and even on the grass push the yard brush over the spot to disperse anything left. 
There are so many flies this year where did they all come from?

As soon as the puppies or big dogs finish their toilet duties, I gather up the waste so they never learn to eat poo, a very horrible habit. Some dogs like daft old Arty has very recently developed a taste for pussy poo as there is a large piece of grass on our walks which cats do favour. So I have to watch him like a hawk.

Well I promised you something dog owners talk about so that was it! lol

Now on to the newest puppy pictures.

The pups are getting more playful every day and tonight having had plenty of rough and tumble with their brothers and sister this evening, the pups decided that their mother was a good target for their attentions. It didn't last long once a couple started pulling her tail! In the first picture a pup is just picking up her tail tip. In the next she has had enough.

If these two tiny terrorists look cute and innocent then their work is done. They have successfully fooled everyone...
They have decided they do not like to wee or poo in their indoor pen and so are making enough noise to bring down the walls of the house, until we get out of bed and let them out!

Snoozing during the day when it is hot they wake up at night when it is cool. Meanwhile Paul and I wander around like zombies because of the frequent trips to take them out for a wee or poo in the middle of the night and working during the day. 

As they needed worming again I thought I'd be clever and put the wormer in a teaspoon of yogurt, but it turned out to be puppies 9 Polly 0 since I ended up with the usual battle to persuade them that the worming was for their own good. My tee-shirt is definitely wormed very throughly.... again.

The favourite toy in the garden is the new paint roller. I keep trying to get a good picture of them playing with it, but so far this is the only one I have managed to take. Every time I am in the garden with them the paint roller is played with unless I have the camera, then it is ignored as though it is the last toy on the planet they would play with.
It is nice and very light weight and similar to a training dummy in shape.

To finish todays blog here is a gallery of todays better pictures.

Today we had Jacque and her family visit. Jacque is Alice's breeder. She came over to 'inspect' the clan. 

We were unfortunate as my camera battery ran out, (I forgot to charge it! Doh!).

Tomorrow we will have some extra pictures from today to add taken on Jacques telephone camera.

Inside the barrier designed to keep puppies out! Having pulled out enough willow strips to make the barrier flimsy enough to climb through this little gardener is busy checking for weeds.... well he might be.... lol

Another little gardener caught in the act, this one was busy digging. whether that was to escape under the fence or simply trying to help by turning over the soil is anyones guess.

While this little one likes to sit and think....

His brothers and sister like to plot mischief at the end of the garden.

The puppies had less time outside this morning as it was raining, but we did manage to spend an hour in the garden and then tonight the sun was shining, so out they went for a couple of hours, (maybe the sun was thinking TGIF and decided to shine) so we got some pictures to share.


As you can see the flower pot continues to hold their interest.

Chillin' among the daisies.

Teddy is almost as big as the puppy carrying him!

Angus the pups grandfather was a great one for scrambling over fences, and it seems this little pup is following in his paw prints. Rather than go round he scrambled up and over my leg, earlier I had caught him climbing up a small fence barrier to stop him going behind the shed!

Watchiing the robin who visits the garden. Will he be a good bird dog?

There is a small hole behind this clump of grass and I do have a couple of determined gardeners (diggers) in the litter.

Two little cuties to end todays update...

Today my friend John Weller came over to visit and see the puppies. He said he thought they were a nice litter and he was tempted.... But we all know that John is a labrador man and although tempted will always have a labrador instead.

This puppy is so chilled out laying in his arms.

This little chap has a very determined look on his face as he heads towards the end of the garden for a bit of exploring or mischief or more likely both! lol

Under the flowering currant bush among the stones put there to stop their mother from digging under the fence.

A small gallery of todays pictures.