We had significantly overestimated, based on our previous experience with rescue dogs, how much work four puppies who are litter mates would be. While they make a little more mess during the housebreaking period they play with each other and keep each other amused most of the time.
Taking them all out for a run is not much more work if there are 2 or 4. In the house even 3 month-old puppies are generally couch potatoes. They go through quick spurts of energy and play, then settle down for a nap. Since I work from home mostly, this is easy to accommodate. They learn to relate to other dogs and people together with mom and the rest of the litter first.
Where the work almost quadruples is when it comes to socialization and training. Each puppy needs to be treated as an individual as well and learn to be away from their litter mates. I take individual time with each puppy for socializing, training and walking and expose them to new environments and situations frequently. The puppies are now making the transition from looking to their mom for help and support to looking to their human family more and more, although the other 5 adult dogs in the house also contribute in teaching the pups a lot.
Another reason for keeping 4 puppies is that if we want to breed again in the future it helps to have several females to choose from and at this age it is virtually impossible to decide who would be the the most worthy of breeding. They all are beautiful in their own way and some traits may not show up until they are adults.
Right now Maia is the smallest and fine-boned, but also the most playful and energetic of the litter. It is probably in part this combination of traits that got her into trouble about 2 weeks ago when she broke her left tibia while I was walking her in the park. All it took was her jumping up and slipping on gravel on the landing while on leash. Fortunately it looks like her fracture is healing well and if her next X-rays look good and all goes well she will be free of her cast in about 2 weeks. In the meantime we are making sure she gets just leash walks and limited activity.
Mulan is turning into a very beautiful girl in spite of the fact that her ears are standing more than they are folded back at the moment, She has a very fine coat and is the most cold-sensitive. She is also more pain-sensitive and ends up being the most submissive and the least involved in play-fighting. More than the other puppies she is paying attention to human affection, in particular touch. She also figured out first how to sleep under the covers.
Strider is the only male we kept and he is big, tough and fun-loving. He looks more and more like his mom and has inherited her temperament. He has overcome his shyness of a month ago and enjoys playing with other dogs of almost all sizes and shapes. Abby is his favorite playmate and those two hang out together all the time and engage in wrestling games.
Abby is physically tough and the biggest of the girls. She is calmer than Strider and has inherited Sky's personality and looks. She looks like she can run fast but it remains to be seen if she wants to. I can see Abby turn into a total couch potato but she could also be a great athlete.