Cocoa's 2016 Puppies - Week 5

This is my favorite week to photograph puppies.  They are beginning to be very aware of their surroundings, but they think all the noises I make to get them to look at me are very interesting.  In a week or so, they will find my noises old and boring and the world around them full of excitement and adventure just waiting to be discovered!  (Which translates into no sitting for pictures!)
The most significant event for the puppies this week was the introduction of milk into their diets.  Up until now, the only nutrition they received was from Mama.  This week, we began offering them warm, fresh goat milk once a day.  This is to teach them to lap.  In the next week, we will begin soaking their puppy chow in milk to teach them to eat.  We use goat milk because it is very gentle on their digestive systems and very readily available from our goats.  Below are some pictures of lapping milk for the first time.  At first, they seem to prefer licking it from their siblings' faces.

Lastly, just two extras from my photo shoot today - Jake showing his enthusiasm for photos with a yawn & a glimpse of my assistant.