Home is where the dog is
Ellie’s babies are continuing to progress. They love to play with their littermates, toys, and interact with us. The puppies are enjoying their Puppy Mush and continue to nurse from their mama. Today I decided to let Willow go into the puppy area to socialize the puppies with another dog. Soon after, Ellie wanted in to check on her babies and nurse them.
For the past four weeks, Ellie has been feeding her eleven puppies. This is a large litter and requires extra work on both Ellie’s part and mine making sure all the puppies get their fair share of mama’s milk. Ellie has done an amazing job feeding her babies. Over the past few days, Ellie has been nursing her puppies in the standing position which is the sign that she is ready to start weaning her little ones. It is now time to introduce solids to the puppies.
Yesterday we introduced the puppies to solids. We begin the puppies on their first solids at four weeks of age. I make a watery mush from ground kibble puppy food and warm water. The mush will gradually be made thicker and progress to soften kibble and finally to dry kibble by seven weeks of age.
Ellie helps her puppies finish the leftovers. She will continue nursing her puppies and gradually wean them over the next couple of weeks.
After the puppies had finished eating, they came over to explore the water dish. They weren’t too sure if they were to drink it or wash their paws in it – LOL!
After their first solid meal all the puppies went back into their whelping box on their own and settled in for a long nap.
Wow, four weeks old already; time passes by so quickly! This past week, our puppies made the move to the main floor and are learning to use the potty area. The puppies walking has improved and they are progressing towards running. They are vocalizing more and can now bark and growl . Their milk teeth have started coming in. More of their time is spent awake socializing with each other through play. The puppies love it when we go into their area – it doesn’t take long before we have a lap full of puppies!
When we moved the puppies to the main floor, we had the whelping box and potty area only. I spent the first couple days moving them to the potty area when they woke and after they nursed. Some puppies were quick to learn but all are making progress. We have now expanded their area to include a play area and have added a few toys for the puppies to play with. When the puppies are in their new play area, we open the”potty door” giving them access to the potty area.
I thought this video would add a little sunshine to our rainy Monday.
Since birth, Ellie’s babies have spent their days and nights in our bedroom which is a warm quiet space. Now that they are 3 -1/2 week old, it is time to make the big move to the main floor. This is where the puppies can get accustom to the sounds and happenings of our busy house. As the puppies grow the puppy area will gradually get expanded to include a play area
For the next couple of days, the puppies will only have access to the whelping box and potty area which is just outside the box. It is important to begin “potty training” at this age to take advantage of the puppies natural instinct to move away from their sleeping area when they need to go. For the next few days I will spend my time moving the puppies to the potty area when they wake and after they eat. If they start learning that “there is an acceptable place to go potty” at a young age, they won’t develop bad habits that later need to be broken. This will make housebreaking easier when they go to their forever families.
Happy Saturday to everyone. Ellie’s babies are continuing to develop – they are learning to play with each other. Puppies learn so much from their littermates which is an important part of their development. Through play puppies improve their physical coordination, develop social skills, learn the inhibited bite, and learn about dominance and submission. This is why it is so important that puppies stay with their littermates for at least eight weeks of age.
Ellie’s babies continue to progress rapidly and are become harder to contain. When we do our daily whelping box cleaning, I usually put the puppies in a laundry basket. This is no longer an option as many of the puppies are able to climb out. I am now using a large tall storage container to contain them while I work.
Yesterday the puppies turned three weeks old so, after I cleaned their whelping box, we returned the puppies and got ready for the photo shoot. You can see how much energy the puppies have, it is hard to keep these puppies still.
We only have a short window to do our photo shoot though, because the puppies have a burst of energy and then quickly drop off to sleep. It is always a challenge and a two person job. My daughter Kendra is always willing to help me out with this task. She places all the puppies in a row and I quickly try to snap the pics. After a great many attempts, the puppies tire and fall asleep. We then look over the photos and try to choose the best pic. Fingers crossed that we get at least one. If I get most of the puppies looking forward and all the puppies are still (no blur), than we were successful!
How many puppies colour collars can you guess? (Answer at the bottom of post)
Three weeks old already – how quickly time passes! This week Ellie’s puppies have been progressing rapidly. They continue to gain weight and grow bigger with each passing day. Their eyes are fully opened and vision is improving. Their ears have started to open and they are beginning to hear. Their hind legs have become much stronger and they have been practicing walking on all fours. The puppies are much more aware of their surroundings and have begun to play with each other. They have become quite noisy as they practice their vocalizing. It is so cute in the daytime but not so much in the middle of the night LOL. They still continue to sleep much of their day/night
Today I decided to try something new in my puppy raising process. The puppies have just started to go potty on their own so I thought I would add a potty area right in the whelping box. Let’s see what happens. After the puppies woke up, some went over to the corner and actually used the potty area. Watch Dark Pink Girl – I am truly amazed!!!
Puppies alway put a smile on my face. I thought I would share a few pics of those adorable faces!
This week was bittersweet – it was time to say good-bye. I have loved and care for Ruska’s puppies for the past (almost) nine weeks. I saw each come into this world, made sure they were fed, and introduced them to so many new experiences – all to prepare them for their forever families. This is Ruska’s final litter which made me more emotional than usual as I said good-bye to her babies. She has been an amazing mama and taught me so much over the past four years. I know that she will continue to help our other mama’s with our coming litters for years to come. Ruska has so much love to give!
Ruska wearing her “blanket scarf”. The puppy blanket that we send home smells like their mama. The familiar scent will be a comfort to the puppy in their new home.
I have spent the past two months loving, caring and teaching our puppies. I am so thankful that our puppies have joined such amazing families and know each will be loved!
Forever Families, continue to provide new experiences each day, always include play, and never stop training your puppy. It won’t be easy because they are still young but, with patience and consistency on your part, they will grow to become well-behaved adult dogs that you will enjoy for their lifetime.
Keep in touch ….. it always makes my day when I receive an e-mail from one of our puppies families! I love hearing how they are doing and seeing pictures ! When I started breeding, I came across this poem which describes just how I feel!
Ellie’s puppies continue to grow and progress. Eleven puppies is a large litter to keep fed and clean. Ellie is an amazing mama that loves to care for her babies!
