Ellie continues to take wonderful care of her babies. and puppies continue to grow. They are now in the Transitional Period. The transitional period begins when the puppy’s eyes open and ends when they first startle upon hearing sounds. The puppies are becoming more aware of their littermates but still sleep most of the time. I took a little video yesterday of them nursing and then Brinkley came into the room for the first time. He is not too comfortable around puppies but, we were able to get a few cute pics. before he turned around and left the room LOL!
Puppies Get Visit From Daddy
Daddy meets his sonBrinkley knows what it’s like to be the only male amongst females. Something our Blue Collar Boy has in common with his daddy – He’s the only boy with 7 female littermates lol
Willow’s Puppies – Day 23
Three Week Old Portrait
It is always a challenge taking puppy portraits – puppies are always moving. It is even more of a challenge taking our litters three-week-old portrait. It is definitely a two-person job! I usually have my daughter help out with this project but she wasn’t available, so my husband Tom gave me a hand. It takes time and patience and lots of pics but, we were successful and got a good one!
Photo ShootWillow & Brinkley’s 3 Week Old Portrait
Our adorable puppies are now three weeks old and oh how they have grown! This week the puppies have been progressing rapidly. Their eyes are fully opened, and vision is improving. Their ears have opened, and they have now entered the “Critical Socialization Period. The puppies’ hind legs have become much stronger and they have been practicing walking on all fours. They are much more aware of their surroundings and have begun to play with each other. The puppies continue to sleep much of the time as they develop.
Willow ‘s a great first-time mama. She is doing a wonderful job feeding her babies, protecting, and keeping them clean. Willow now spends much of her time away from the whelping box and comes back to check on her puppies throughout the day. Willow insists on cleaning her puppies’ in-between feedings. She goes into the whelping box to clean sleeping puppies. The puppies wake and think it is time to eat. After Willow finishes cleaning, she heads back out and the puppies are left whining their protest. Willow’s puppies are always ready to eat but, now that they are bigger, they are fed with less frequency and their milk intake at each feeding is much greater! Not to worry, the pups are getting more than enough of mama’s milk; they are growing like weeds!
The puppies cuddle with Willow after nursing.
LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK FOUR
Puppies will still sleep most of their day as they continue to grow rapidly
Puppies will play with each other and begin developing important social skills
Puppies hind legs will continue to become stronger as they walk more
Hearing will improve
Puppy milk teeth will begin to erupt
Puppies will be moving to the main floor sometime during the week
Ellie’s Puppies – Day 15
Ellie’s puppies are becoming more mobile with that cute wobbly puppy walk as they practice walking on all fours. They have also learned to climb. We have found a couple puppies climbing our of the whelping box so, time to add a door panel to out entrance to keep Ellie’s precious babies safe.
Magenta Girl……Going…….
Going……..
Gone!
Watch the puppies walking and listen to them vocalizing
Ellie’s puppies are two weeks old today…..Oh how they’ve grown.. We have had a great week! Watching and cuddle puppies are one of my favourite ways to pass time. Puppies have gained strength in their hind legs. Ellie continues to be a loving and devoted mama. They have been gaining weight daily and now we will only weigh them weekly. With all that eating and sleeping they can’t help but grow.!
Friday Ellie’s puppies eyes began to open. Look how adorable they all look with those beautiful eyes . It is one of the most anticipated milestones that I wait for. The puppies seem to come alive!
Both litters of puppies are progressing on schedule. We continue to give all our puppies lots of cuddles and interaction every day! Cuddling puppies is one of my favourite things to do! 🐾
This week has been extra busy for us. We had an addition to “Grans’ Daycare”- my 13 month old granddaughter. My daughter-in-law’s maternity leave ended and she when back to work this week. It was an adjustment for all involved – (Mommy, Daddy, Baby, Gran, and Pappa) but, we made it through the week. The puppies were a great help – when my granddaughter was crying, I was able to distract her with puppies.
This was also a great socialization time for our puppies. It is important to socialize the puppies with people of different ages, including babies.
Ellie’s Puppies
Ellie’s puppies’ eyes are beginning to open which is always so exciting! Our yellow collar girl was the first puppy in her litter to open her eyes. Puppies are born with their eyes sealed shut to protect them while they continue to develop. We can see a few more puppies’ eyes are beginning to unseal at the inner corners. Over the next few days, all the puppies will have opened their eyes.
The winner of “The 👀 Eye Opening Contest 👀 – Our Yellow Collar Girl – isn’t she gorgeous with her deep black points (nose and lips) and dark eyes! 💕
Ellie’s Puppies – day 12 – returning, one bye one, to their whelping box
Willow’s Puppies
This morning was nail trimming day. I waited until they had nursed and then went right to the task. The puppies were calmer than I had expected, and each puppy sat on my lap quietly while I trimmed their nails. This proves to me that the ENS ((Early Neurological Stimulation) is very effective. I’m sure Willow will appreciate the trimmed nails – Ouch – they were so sharp!
Willow’s puppies are getting stronger in their hind legs and interacting more. It is cute during the day but, in the middle of the night last night, they wanted a play time. Somehow, they seem louder at night!
Notice the puppies smelling with nose in the air – they can smell me while I am at the entrance of the whelping box. The puppies are starting to sit up, showing off their white patches on their chest. We had to cut our video short because Maui, our eight month old puppy got in the way. She is so interested in these puppies – she just wants to play!
Ellie’s puppies are doing well and steadily gaining weight. They are in the Neonatal Period and spend all their time eating and sleeping. Ellie fed the puppies and then I removed them from the whelping box. When I returned them, I took a video of them. Some puppies went to sleep as soon as I transferred them…..others took a little while to settle. 🐾
Ten days old puppies still just eat and sleep.
Willow’s Puppies
All Willow’s puppies now have their eyes open, and they look adorable. They cannot see well yet, but their vision will steadily improve. Their ears will soon be opened. Willow’s babies are growing up! She is doing a great job feeding them and the puppies have been steadily gaining weight. We will now weigh them weekly.
Black Collar BoyBlue Collar BoyOrange Collar BoyRed Collar BoyMagenta Collar GirlGreen Collar GirlWillow’s Puppies Two Week Singles
The puppies are in the “Transitional Period” which lasts up to seven days. They are transitioning – Leaving Neonatal Period but not yet in the Critical Socialization Period. The puppies’ ears open during this period – the first sign of the puppies startling at sound is when the next period begins.
Willow’s puppies have started to vocalize, are now more aware of their littermates, and have begun to play. They still sleep most of the time but this morning I was able to catch them awake and interacting with each other – too cute! 💕
Our puppies are already two weeks old. It has been a great week! We have been busy providing ENS (Early Neurological Stimulation) which benefits include greater tolerance to stress, greater resistance to disease, faster adrenal system, stronger heart rate and stronger heartbeat. We have had a great time cuddling puppies – early human socialization of puppies produces calmer dispositions.
Friday was an exciting day ….. we saw our first puppy’s eyes begin to open. It was Blue Collar Boy, one of our blue merle boys. We can now see all the puppies eyes beginning to open. Their vision is not well developed just yet but it will steadily improve over the coming weeks.
Willow continues to be a loving and attentive mama and they are gaining weight daily. With all that eating and sleeping they can’t help but grow. The puppies have gained strength in their hind legs and are moving around the whelping box on all fours. Last night after dinner we came back upstairs to discover three mischievous puppies crawling out of the whelping box….time to another door-slot to the entrance.
LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK THREE
Puppies will still eat and sleep most of their day
Puppies will continue growing
Eyes will continue to open wider and sight will steadily become clearer
Ears will start to open and they will begin to hear (though not well yet)
Puppies hind legs will become stronger and they will practice walking on all fours
Puppies will become more aware of their litter-mates and begin to interact.
Ellie’s Puppies
Below are a few pics of Ellie’s sweet puppies……..They are growing so quickly!!!!
Wow, Ellie’s puppies are one week old today. Ellie is a wonderful, loving, devoted mother. She loves to care for her babies. The puppies are doing so well, gaining weight daily and when they are not eating, they are sleeping. With all that eating and sleeping, no wonder they are growing so quickly!
ONE WEEK OLD PUPPY HUDDLE
LOOKING BACK – March 21, 2022 – one week old
For the first few weeks of life, a puppy cannot regulate their own body temperature. They need a warm space, their mother and littermates to help keep them warm. Puppies are born with their eyes and ears sealed shut; they cannot see or hear. They have to rely on “smell” and “touch” to find their mother. Puppies are born with a natural instinct to nurse but as the days pass, they have become more proficient at it. The puppies are now experts at nursing; they can smell when Ellie returns to the whelping box. They wake and make a mad crawl to find her and begin their next meal.
Our little Pink-Collar Girl is trying to find a spot to nurse. Notice in the video we had a little visitor – our eight-month-old puppy Maui. All our dogs are so interested in seeing the new arrivals but, even though all the dogs are friends, when puppies are involved mama dogs are protectors and Ellie is no exception – Ellie keeps them at a distance.
Puppies fast asleep – Ellie arrives and the puppies quickly wake for breakfast
LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK TWO
Much the same as week one – Eat, Sleep, Repeat!
Puppies will continue growing
Puppies still crawl; hind legs will become stronger
Eyes should begin to open towards the end the week – so exciting !!!
Willow’s Puppies
Willows’ puppies are becoming more mobile as their hind legs are getting stronger. It is quite a commotion when Willow comes back to the whelping box to check on her babies. They wake up and want to eat. Willow isn’t ready to nurse right away, she must clean her puppies first. When puppies are born, they don’t have the ability to go potty on their own. The mama dog “cleans” them with stimulates them to go. The mama dog “cleans” her puppies before feeding them so that they will eat more. She will even lie on her tummy so the puppies can’t have access. When she is satisfied that puppies are cleaned, she then settles down to fed her babies. I am always amazed at the instinct God has instilled in animals. After the puppies have a full tummy, it is time for a nap.
Our days are busy looking after mama’s and puppies. Lots to do – cleaning, weighting, feeding, collar checks and, holding puppies (my favourite) Although the puppies don’t do too much yet, I thought I would put together a couple videos of puppies sleeping and eating. Who doesn’t love to watch puppies?💕
Ellies’ Puppies – Day 5
Ellies’ puppies are five days old and continue to do what newborns do best….eat and sleep.
Ellie’s Puppies just waking up Saturday morning – day 5
Willows’ Puppies – Day 11
Willow’s puppies grow bigger with each passing day. They are still in that eating and sleeping stage but when they wake and it is time to eat, they are now using their hind legs to move – watch the video as they practice walking on all fours. They are very wobbly – so cute!
Look at those eyes!!! 👀
Friday was an exciting day – our first puppy’s eyes started to open! Eyes opening always makes the puppies seem more alive! Over the next few days all Willows’ puppies’ eyes will open.
Our Blue-Collar Boy was the first puppy to open his eyes. It is hard to see with all his merle markings but, if you look closely, you can see his left eye open
Ellie continues to care for her babies with such love and devotion. The puppies are nursing well and steadily gaining weight! Ellie still spends most of her time in the whelping box but, today she joined our other dogs in the yard for a bit of fresh air and exercise.
It is always challenging trying to take pictures of puppies. Newborn puppies just eat and sleep but, they also like to wriggle and squirm. After many attempts (200 pictures) I was able to capture Ellie’s beautiful babies!
Willows’ babies are doing very well. Healthy puppies should double their birthweight by 10 – 14 days. I am happy to say her puppies had 4 double their weight yesterday (day 8) and the other two puppies doubled their weight today (day 9) Great Job Willow!
Willow is now spending more time away from the whelping box and interacting with our other dogs outside. She has even become a little less protective and let our other dogs come in the room to see her puppies for a short visit.
Puppies in the “Neonatal Period” (day 0 – 14) spend 90% of the time sleeping and the other 10% of their time eating. Beginning on day 3 of the puppy’s life, we do ENS (Early Neurological Stimulation) and continue through day 16. Research shows that tiny struggles and stresses in small doses are good for puppies and will help them grow into strong, healthy well-adjusted adults. Benefits include greater tolerance to stress, greater resistance to disease, faster adrenal system, stronger heart rate and stronger heartbeat.
Pics of Willows’ sweet babies
Notice the new collars. Yesterday we made new collars from parachute cord. Usually, our litters are very similar, and we need the collars on from birth so we can track each puppy’s weight. But, because I can distinguish the puppies, I didn’t need them to keep track of their weight. Below are pics of Willows’ babies – sleeping!.
Willows’ precious puppies are one week old today. We have had a busy week! For the first few weeks of life, a puppy cannot regulate their own body temperature. They need a warm space, their mother, and littermates to help keep them warm. This is a winter litter and it makes it more of a challenge than our summer litters to keep our room warm. We have added an electric heater to our room to help keep the temperature at a warm 27 degrees C and a heating pad to our whelping box under our vet bed.
Willow is a great first time mama. For the first three days of the puppies lives she spent all her time in the whelping box with the babies, keeping them warm, clean and making sure they nursed often. She had a good appetite and drank plenty of water from the start which is important for making good milk for her puppies. For the last few days Willow has been spending short periods of time away from her puppies, getting fresh air and exercise in the yard. But as soon as she comes in the house again, Willow runs back upstairs to check on her babies. The puppies are now experts at nursing; they can smell when Willow returns to the whelping box and quickly crawl to find her and begin their next meal.
Willows’ puppies one week old
LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK TWO
Much the same as week one – Eat, Sleep, Repeat!
Puppies will continue growing
Puppies still crawl; hind legs will become stronger
Eyes should begin to open towards the end the week – so exciting !!!
Ellies’ Puppies
DAY ONE
Ellie is an experienced mama with a great love for her babies. She spends all her time in her whelping box protecting, feeding, cleaning, and keeping her puppies warm. Puppies are born with their eyes and ears sealed shut; they cannot see or hear. They must rely on “smell” and “touch” to crawl and find their mother.
Puppies are born with a natural instinct to nurse and Ellies’ puppies are doing great . In the first 24 hours, newborn puppies may lose up to ten percent of their birth weight. Ellies’ puppies are doing so well; they all gained weight at their first weigh-in this morning. Great job Ellie!!!
