Busy puppies

The pups have been very busy.  Monday afternoon, they figured out how to climb over the tall 1/2 gate and escape from the pen (fortunately while Nancy was over at the house for the midday feeding and playtime).  So I closed up the ex-pen, and Juliette can no longer get in.  The first night, the pups were a bit fussy, but now are fine with the new routine.  This will also help Juliette decrease her milk production.  The pups' appetites are starting to pick up.  They are now very keen about their canned food and soaked kibble.  I am still attempting to limit feed and keep their growth rate reasonable.  Now that they are more food motivated, I introduced them to a clicker and we are starting to so some simple clicker training exercises.  Behaviors I was working on the other night were sit, look up at my face, and circle right/left.  We also have implemented the four feet on the ground/sit for attention rules.  As the pups are becoming more adventureous, they have finally met the resident house cats.  Although the pups are the same size as the cats, the cats were not impressed by this latest bunch of fuzzballs.  These softies were easily intimidated by the felines who just calmly sat and stared down the pups.  I am continuing to look for new experiences for the pups.  Yesterday, I introduced them to the hair dryer on low and cool.  This morning, they hesitantly approached while I was drying my hair at full power.  Afterwards, I turned the hair dryer to low and cool, and fluffed the puppies' coats.  They weren't sure yet of that new sensation.  This evening, I brought in two small plastic crates for them to play in and will feed some of their meals in the crates.