They are still refusing to open their eyes wide open but to be fair, it has happened as late as 21 days. 99.9% it happens before this though.
What I haven't figured out is how they are finding the area under the rails to practice walking. Perhaps the slits are sufficient enough that they can see to do this.
I hold them a number of times a day. Twice is with weighing but other times, it is just to kiss them up and caress them. It is my method of madness to get them used to human touch. This way when the eyes open fully, they can say ah that was what was holding me and she looks mighty friendly. It is important to condition the dogs.
When they get to be almost 4 weeks, we will start feeding them solid food minimally and will track their bowels to know how they are handling the food. This way we know if to increase or slow down the process. Just before this and when they attempt to climb out of the whelping box, we remove the whelping box. It gives them more room and no more climb outs.
It is a fun process,
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