in a stainless feed pan I mix a little dog food with some whole milk out of a gallon jug. I add enough to cover the dog food and then I refrigerate for later...once it is soft I warm it up and might need to add a little more milk at that time...I will then feed the pups and I make sure to exaggerate me calling them...might as well train while I am at it...
once the pups are done I put the left overs in the fridge...I will freshen up the milk and feed the same dog food mixture in the evening...what doesn't get eaten on the second round I mix in with the mama dogs food...
I then mix another batch and refrigerate for the next day...this keeps it moist and soft with no delays...I do this until they can eat solid food...
I also use a few sheets of plywood that I lay up against the dog house to deflect the sun...I also take the dome vent off of the dogloo and face the entrance toward the S.E. facing the prevailing breeze...The plywood blocks the sun and the barrier between the plywood and dog house is further cooled with the slight breeze. The pups will quit crying because the lower temp. makes them comfortable...sometimes when it is real hot I spray a quick light mist of water to cool them down...this works pretty good because they quiet down and they fall asleep pretty quick...I do this until they are old enough to go in and out of the dog house...they can find their own shady spot when they are old enough...
When they are old enough to start eating I get one of my old sweaty T-Shirts and throw it in the dog house...I might wash it and wear it once more when mowing the yard just to keep it clean and also to freshen my scent...and then I throw it back in there again...I do this so the pups can always have my smell around and they look forward to seeing me...this way if I don't have much time for them they are comfortable when I come around...once they are about 5 or 6 weeks old I am done with the shirt trick...
what do some of you do to make raising pups easier???
