The puppies are already two weeks old–how time flies! We have plenty to keep us busy while raising them, including ENS, ESI, cleaning, weighing, and laundry, to name a few.
Puppy Culture
We raise our puppies using many of the protocols from the Puppy Culture program.
Neonatal Period: Day 0-14
The first 12 weeks of a puppy’s life are incredibly important. This is an almost magical time when a breeder has the power to shape a puppy’s future by what we choose to teach them. Consequently, by doing the right things at the right time, we can give puppies the best start possible.
Transitional Period
The puppies enter the transitional period when they open their eyes. Because every puppy is different, we use “Behavioural Markers” to identify the beginning and end of each developmental period. These timelines are simply guidelines. The transitional period (approximately Day 14–21) begins when the puppy’s eyes open and ends when they first startle at sounds.
Milestones
When raising puppies, we watch for Milestones to gauge their progress.
Weigh-In
The first milestone the puppies reached this week was doubling their birth weight. We are pleased to report that nine of Millie’s puppies have doubled their birth weight, and the rest are expected to reach this milestone within a day or two. Given the size of such a large litter, this milestone is expected to be reached later than with a smaller litter. Great job, Millie!
Eyes Opened
At birth, the puppies’ eyes are sealed shut because they are still developing—the retina, cornea, and optic nerve pathways are still actively forming behind the eyelids.
Another milestone we look forward to is when the puppies open their eyes, usually between days 10 and 14. Yellow Boy was the first to open his eyes, on day 13, and a few more followed the next day. The rest of the litter should open their eyes over the next day or two.
ENS
ENS (Early Neurological Stimulation) begins on day 3 and continues 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. This is a gift that a breeder can only give their puppies during the 3 – 16 day window.
ESI
ESI (Early Scent Introduction) is a daily training program for newborn puppies (performed from days 3 to 16 of life) that introduces new, natural scents for about 5 seconds at a time to stimulate neurological development and improve adult scenting capability. The puppies are introduced to a new scent each day, and we record each puppy’s response as positive (moving toward or actively sniffing), neutral (uninterested), or negative (pulling away).
With each passing day, Millie spends more time away from her puppies. When she returns, she cleans them before settling into feed.
A LOOK BACK AT WEEK TWO
Looking Ahead to Week Three
- ENS and ESI exercises will continue until day 16
- Puppies will continue to eat and sleep most of their day
- The rest of the puppies eyes will open and sight will become clearer
- Ears will open and they will begin to hear.
- Puppies will practice walking on all fours, strengthening their hind legs
- They will become more aware of their littermates and start to interact
- Puppies will start to vocalize
