One of the greatest joys of my life
is watching a mother interact with her puppy.
I thought you might enjoy a few photos.
In addition to interaction
with mother & littermates as a group,
at about six weeks of age,
each puppy also has individual
one on one time with the mother
as well as individual crate time
for short intervals.
It's very touching to witness the mother
nuture, play with & instruct her puppy.
It is always amazing to me
how loving, gentle,
patient, and nurturing
the mother is with each puppy.
The corrections are there as well ~
but the devotion is very obvious.
I think we can all learn from our dogs
simply by paying attention to the message.
The following photos were taken in the exact order as shown.
The mother is Jodi Apples with one of her puppies.
In the first three photos,
Apples is very patient
while the puppy urges her to play.
Notice the aloofness -
It is not playtime.
It is lesson time.
In this photo,
the puppy has gone off to explore
for about 23 seconds.
Apples is content but cautious
with this new experience for her puppy.
She stayed on the alert & observed her attentively.
Puppy returns to mother safely.
Puppy still wants to play.
Apples is very pleased & conveys that to us
by relaxing & closing her eyes.
After puppy was willing to explore on her own,
Apples is satisfied with the progress.
She lays down in a position of submission
telling puppy that all is well.
A motherly sign of affection
[This is the gesture that sometimes brings tears to my eyes.]
Puppy is learning to explore the world
with the assistance of her pack leader
and learning that it is "okay"
to exercise a little independence.
This will help her to accept & trust her new pack leader(s) - her new family.
Up & Over & Ready to learn something new.
Note ~ Apples looks a little thin & ragged -
Please understand that she has just nursed
her litter for six weeks.
I wanted to share this with you anyway.
We'd all look a little ragged after doing the job she has done.
[Thank you Apples ~ We love you]
APPLE'S WEB PAGE 
*CIDER*
Jodi Apples x Cody Bodacious
Cider is loved by the Maxwell Family
Berlin, Pa.
