This week, Zorka’s puppies turned four weeks old. Introducing complementary feeding is going well, we’ve introduced outdoor sleeping during the day, and they’ve started having fun playing with each other.

We ensure healthy nutrition.

First, we explain how we prepare soaked kibble for the puppies. We fill a flat, long flowerpot with kibble, pour hot water over it, cover it, and let it sit for 20 minutes so it softens into a mush. The puppies happily munch on it, and the purpose of this procedure is that, although they have teeth, it makes it easier for them to eat and digest. Alongside the kibble, we also provide a separate bowl of water so they can drink enough.

Each meal portion is 20 grams per puppy, which is served three times a day. We aim to ensure that everyone is well-fed, and we achieve this by giving slightly more in total. It’s not a problem if some is left over, as their mom, Zorka, will nibble on it. The key is to maintain a balanced body shape for the puppies, and this litter of Zorka’s is currently in good condition, and we are doing our best to keep it that way.

– said Gizella Ménesi, the puppies’ caretaker.

They are already sleeping outside in their little house

This week, the puppies are already spending 15-20 minutes a day outside in the garden. This might seem short, but it is completely fine, as they spend a lot of time sleeping at this age. After breakfast, they sleep for 3 hours in their outside house, and they do the same after lunch. However, at night, they still sleep inside the house, but when they turn five weeks old, they will be able to sleep outside at night as well.

Gizella shared that even after raising many litters, there is still a bit of bad feelings when starting to acclimate the puppies to the garden:

At the beginning, there’s sometimes a bit of whining and fake trembling, but it only lasts for about half a day until they realize how fun it is to be outside in their natural environment. What happens is that they get to make all the decisions about where they go and what they do. They climb up the small stairs into their house, and they experience all kinds of unfamiliar smells, sounds, and textures. All of this is essential for their balanced development.

said Gizella.

They are developing through play as well

At three weeks old, they started playing with each other, still a bit clumsily. There’s some ear and tail pulling, and a bit of wrestling. They also play with their mom, often nibbling on her and pulling her ears. Gizella placed some easily-grabbable toys for them, including rattling balls, which they kicked around, and the two retrievers dragged little plush toys.

Their owner placed a playpen for them with the intention of getting them used to how nice it is to rest in it. It was a funny scene when Zorka nursed them inside it, even though she barely fit, but she thought it was a good idea, so why would we stop her?

Interesting dynamics in the house

My husband made an interesting observation. The yellow male has started barking at him like a little guard dog when he goes to visit them alone. At four weeks old, the puppies can already make quite a serious barking sound if they don’t like something. Of course, they’ve gotten used to normal household noises, and it doesn’t bother them when I call them from home.

– Gizella said.

When the cats venture towards the puppies’ domain in the house, they turn away with a grimace, as they have no interest in dealing with so many dogs—even if they’re small. The family’s retired mother dog, Zina, can go out to the yard with Zorka; she doesn’t mind, but the rottweiler female, Scali, was given a nasty look, so Gizella kindly brought her inside. Zorka isn’t interested in dog company yet; she values her own space and time, constantly cleaning and knowing exactly when to feed. There’s no room for anything else. The puppies, of course, have no contact with the other family dogs yet—they can take their time to hang out together in a few weeks.

There is more good news!

Starting today, you can donate 1% of your tax to the training of guide dogs through the NAV online platform by logging into your client portal here. 

Another good news! If you provide your mailing address, we will send you our guide dog calendar for next year in the thank-you letter!

Our tax number for the 1% donation is: 18449149-1-05

Please support the training of guide dogs with 1% of your tax!

You can read more about our 1% tax information here.

We previously wrote about Zorka’s puppies here.