Willow’s beautiful three-week-old puppies have been progressing rapidly this week. The puppies are more aware of their surroundings and have begun interacting with their littermates during their short “awake” time. They have become quite noisy as they practice their vocalizing. The puppies still sleep for much of their day/night.
Puppy Culture Program
This week, the puppies were in the Transitional Period. We continued our ENS exercises, which cause tiny stresses, to benefit our puppies with greater tolerance to stress, greater resistance to disease, faster adrenal system, stronger heart rate and stronger heartbeat. Monday was Day 16 of the puppy’s life and the final day for our ENS exercises.
Critical Socialization Period (weeks 3 – 12)
The next period for Willow’s three-week-old puppies is Critical Socialization. We know that puppies have entered this period when they react to sounds. We raise our puppies following many of the Puppy Culture protocols. These protocols help us reach our goal of Raising Healthy, Calm, Confident, Well-Adjusted Puppies.
The puppies are socializated with children of all ages.
Over the remaining weeks, we will work on new experiences for the puppies, exposing them to as many as possible to raise the best possible companions for their forever families.
Emotional Intelligence
Because Goldendoodles are companion dogs, teaching emotional intelligence to young puppies and giving them a great start is essential. With this intention, we follow the following seven key things that will nurture a puppy’s emotional intelligence.
- Communication – giving a puppy his own voice i.e. Communication Trinity: power up clicker, box game, manding and attention/distraction protocols
- Emotional stability – the ability to recover easily from fear as well as stress i.e., startle recovery, barrier challenges etc
- Habituation – familiarize the puppies with the maximum number of things during their Critical Development Period. In particular, Puppy Parties, sound protocols, household noises as well as meeting different people and dogs.
- Enrichment – teach the puppies that novelty and challenges are opportunities for enrichment not things to be feared or avoided. For example, ongoing introduction of new novelty items, activity centre, car ride, outdoors, etc.
- Health – physical wellness and motor skills that will allow the puppy to develop in a neurologically and physically sound way . For instance, daily weight checks, grooming, proper nutrition, fecal checks, and deworming, if necessary, vet health checks and vaccinations)
- Skills – learned behaviors which teach the puppy to function in human society i.e. recall, manding, simple commands, potty box training, crate introduction, resource guarding, bite inhibition etc.
- Love – teach puppies to seek out the company of both dogs and humans as emotionally positive experiences: i.e., Daily cuddles with humans and puppy’s mom.
- Shaping emotional responses: happy and calm CER (Conditioned Emotional Responses). For instance, treats and encouragement during puppy training.
Door Panel Added
The puppies are becoming more mobile and exploring their whelping box. Our grey-collar boy wanted to see what was beyond the box and climbed out. Before anyone escaped, I had already added one panel to the entrance, but clearly, they needed the two panels.
Potty Training Started
Something NEW – We are trying something new in our potty training – using grass instead of potty boxes with pine pellets. On day 17, we divided our whelping box into two zones. Play/sleep area with little bolster beds for the puppies and a potty area lined with potty pads. After the puppies wake, they leave their beds for the potty pads to relieve themselves. It is incredible how quickly they caught on. When we first added the beds to the whelping box, I often found the puppies sleeping on the one bed LOL! They are now starting to spread out.
After the puppies were going potty on the pads, we added grass trays to the potty area.
Next week we will add an addition to the whelping box. Their current whelping box will be their sleep and play area, and the new box will be used for their potty area.
Day Nineteen
The puppies are nineteen days old in this video.
Things to look for:
- Hind legs are stronger as they walk upright
- Puppies in the basket during cleaning time
- Crawl on their mama and snuggle after eating
- Beginning to interact with littermates by mouthing and wrestling
- Checking out new potty grass
Three Weeks Old
In this video, we have a look at each puppy and their markings. Aren’t they so adorable!
Looking Ahead to Week Four
- Puppies will still sleep much of the day/night as they continue to grow rapidly
- Interact with littermates through play which will help develop important social skills
- Practicing walking on all fours, strengthening their hind legs
- Becoming steadier on their feet
- Hearing will improve
- Puppy milk teeth will erupt
- Potty box addition will be added to the whelping box
- Puppies will be moving to the main floor towards the end of the week
