Today Frica has shown minimal interest in the yellow alien with the most being to rush into the bedroom when I stepped it and it let out a loud squeak. It was outside Watson’s bed on the floor and I didn’t see it when I was making my bed. Scared me half to death! Once she saw what it was, she turned around and left and has shown no desire to get in the room since.
So, something has changed, but what? Were I a better scientist, I would have attempted to control the environment to narrow the possibilities, but in this case I opted for being a better puppy steward. That meant increasing the pups’ range of experience as they matured. Saturday, granddaughter Lauren interacted with them and Sunday friends Ron and Rita stopped in. I suspect that a combination of that and reaching the eyes-open magical two-week mark triggered a new level of development. For example, today when I changed their bedding, all four of them made it quite clear that, although the box was fine for sleeping, now that they could see any waking hours not devoted to nursing would be spent trying to get out of it. Maybe it’s my imagination, but they seemed much more active today than even yesterday!
This also marks the end of Fric’s strictly care-giving role and the assumption of her teaching one which also includes a softening of her attitude toward BeeBee especially. Now that I see the difference, I realize how solitary she’s been, living in a world that revolved around the puppies. While she’s still watchful, she’s not quite so quick to jump in with them when they vocalize. She’s also started sleeping beside a covered side of the pen where they can’t see her rather than in the pen or immediately in front of it. Still close, but giving them time to figure things out for themselves, too.
I expect the changes in the pups to increase exponentially in the days ahead. The more active they become, the more inactive I expect the aliens to be…
until the day I introduce them to each other.