Two Months Old Shih Tzu and Lessons Learned From Dogs

Just want to share the latest pictures of our puppies. Aren't they cute?
Raising puppies is like raising multiple twins or perhaps raising a household of kids.
Puppies get jealous too, if you play with one, the other will complain, you have to play with all of them. If you carry one, you have to carry them all.

The ordinal position of being youngest or eldest also holds true in puppies. The first born tend to be so bossy and a leader. The second born is always jealous of the first born, they are always quarreling. The next two are mellow and they are often bullied by the eldest and the second puppy. My favorite is the youngest because she is very sweet and dependent that makes her so appealing. She would wimp whenever she wants to be carried and she always follows me around. She already recognizes her owner.

Irwin and I shared the responsibility of caring for these puppies. He would clean the cage while I would play with them outside. Last Sunday, we washed their dirty coats, not bathe because they cannot take a bath yet. We just washed their coat with warm soapy water and Irwin would blow dry them. Funny, the eldest who we thought was the bravest and a bully is afraid of the blower.

When in comes to discipline, I realized that I am very permissive, I would let them play outside the cage. The tendency is for them to litter around the house, Irwin doesn't like it because he always cleans the floor. Irwin is the disciplinarian type I guess.

What can I do I have a merciful heart I do not want them suffering but as some parents said "spare the rod, spoil the child", this time I may be spoiling my dogs.