I must confess that I haven't seen pups this young… will their fur become more red as they grow up?
Newborn Basenjis are born with blackish hairs in their coats. This is most visible on red puppies but you can see it on the red/tan areas of tris and brindles too. Red pups actually look grey-brown. The black hairs steadily come out and each week the red/tan areas become richer looking. Most puppies will be free of these black hairs between 4-10 weeks of age. However, the mother of this litter is tricolor so all of the puppies will carry the tri gene. They will all retain an area of black on top of their tails for life.
How does the rest of your pack react to the pups, or don't they?
All of my litters are born in my kitchen which is open to my living room where the dogs and I hang out. All of my previous dams have been easy-going and were perfectly fine with me leaving the puppy pen door open and dogs wandering in and out of the puppy pen all day. Not Bindi. She is highly protective. Baron has always adored puppies and he is pushy about seeing them and even grooming them. She will (tensely) allow him to peek into the pen but I do not let the other dogs near the pen. As the pups age, Bindi will become somewhat more tolerant to the males. The other girls will never be allowed near the pups unless Bindi is securely confined elsewhere.
I love how the little one near Bindi's head is snoozing away, maybe waiting for his/her turn?
Her