Well, I finally decided to do it…….introduce Ellie’s Puppies to Ruska’s. All sixteen puppies met in the puppy enclosure and played together. I began by first choosing four of Ruska’s puppies to introduce to Ellie’s puppies. The four puppies I chose were Gold Collar Boy, Light Blue Collar Boy, Purple Collar Girl, and of course I had to choose our tiny Black Collar Girl because she was so fascinated with them. She would sit on the other side of the fence watching them and would run back and forth barking at them. At first the puppies were a little unsure but soon started to sniff each other and then began to play.
VIDEO – Four of Ruska’s puppies meet Ellie’s puppies. They were unsure at first but, enjoyed playing with each other!
VIDEO – Ellie’s Orange Collar Girl is barking at Ruska’s Purple Collar Girl. I think she wants to play but Purple Collar Girl isn’t too sure!
VIDEO – Ruska’s Black Collar Girl finally gets to meet Ellie’s puppies without a fence separating them. She had a great time interacting!
After a short time I decided to add the rest of Ruska’s puppies to the mix. It went very well! All the puppies had a great time meeting each other and playing together! Ruska, Ellie, Brinkley and Willow were watching from the other side of the enclosure.
VIDEO – All of Ruska’s and Ellie’s puppies finally get to meet face to face. Can you hear Willow squeaking the ball? She brought it to the puppies to play with and left it outside the enclosure LOL
Tired puppies taking a rest from all that exercise
Ruska’s puppies are seven weeks old today. The saying “An active puppy is a healthy puppy” makes these puppies very healthy. They are all over the yard exploring every corner. It is a two person job to keep track of them. I put them into the puppy enclosure (as you can see in the picture above) to give them a safe place to settle down and rest. They were not too please to be confined in the outdoors but, it is a good learning experience to teach them to calm down. Puppies have now made the transition to eating dry kibble puppy food today.
Some of my grandchildren came by for a visit and photo’s with our puppies
LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK EIGHT
Puppies will continue exploring and playing together outdoor as weather permits
Puppies will continue learning from their mama Ruska, and the rest of our dogs Ellie, Brinkley, and Willow
Puppies will continue learning as the play with their litter-mates
We will continue to encourage puppies to use potty area
Puppies will visit the vet for their check-ups, immunizations and micro chips
Puppies will continue to get lots of cuddle time
Puppies will start to leave for their forever families at eight weeks.
Ellie’s Puppies
One of my favourite time in puppy breeding, is when I introduce our puppies to their forever families. We are looking forward to meeting them at Ellie’s puppy selection/visitation day this weekend. Until you meet your puppy in person, enjoy watching these adorable puppies play with Willow in the video below.
Wild dog species have an instinct to keeping their den clean so that the smell doesn’t attract predators. A mama dog also has the same instinct to keep her puppies and puppy area clean. When puppies can start to go potty without the help of their mother, they have a natural instinct to move away from the area where they sleep and eat to go potty.
After puppies are moved to the main floor around 3-1/2 weeks of age, we begin potty training. I spend most of my time during the next three days, putting each puppy in the potty area each time they wake and after they eat. This teaches them there is a “place” to go potty.
Litter Box Training
We now train using a litter box filled with pine pellets in it. This method (as opposed to potty pads) is environmentally friendly because the pine pellets are biodegradable.
Puppy area set-up
Two puppies in potty box
Consistency
These pics show how we have set up our puppy area. when we move our puppies to the main floor. Puppies have access to whelping box and potty box only. Until the puppies become more consistent, it is best not to give them too much room.
Constant Cleaning
The potty area must smell like a potty area and the whelping box must smell clean. If a puppy has an accident in the whelping box, it must be cleaned right away . We replace the Vet Bed liners multiply times a day to keep it fresh and clean. Lots of Laundry!!!
The Goal
The goal is for puppies to sleep and play in their whelping box and move to the potty box on their own, when needed.
Watch as our Green Collar Girl (Day 27) decides to use the potty area on her own… …it is truly amazing!
Larger Puppy Area
Once the puppies are more consistent we give them a larger area.
By teaching puppies “there is a place to go potty”, I believe it makes it easier for their forever family to house train when they go home.
Outside Potty Box
With the introduction of outside play, it is more of a challenge to teach the puppies to “go” in one spot which is the potty box. This is because when a puppy has access to a large area, they move away to “go” but not necessarily in the box. I have been correcting the puppies by taking them to the potty box.
Watch as Pink Collar Girl goes to the potty box all by herself!👏
POTTY TRAINING AT HOME
How do I continue potty training when I take my puppy home?
Take advantage of the early training that we have already started. So when you take your puppy home, you should be teaching them “the acceptable place to go potty is outside“. This means “no potty pads”. If you introduce potty pads, you are teaching your new puppy that it is “okay” to go potty inside your home.
After you bring home your new puppy home, the first thing you need to teach the pup is to walk to the door. Do not carry them. Make the puppy walk or it will not learn to alert you.
Do not use treats when potty training as it takes the dog’s focus off of the business at hand and puts it on the food. You do not want the dog’s brain to be on food when it is time to relieve itself. Keep the focus on the task at hand. Rewards for going potty should be the relief the dog feels when it empties itself and your happiness that the dog did the right thing; ie.; verbal praise, a pet and/or back scratch. Puppies/dogs can feel when humans are happy.
How long can my puppy “hold it”?
Typically to calculate how long a puppy can “hold it” is to take their age in months and add 1 (ie, 2 month old+ 1 = 3 hours.) The older the puppy, the longer they can hold it. I have found large breed puppies can hold it longer as their bladders are larger
Can my puppy “hold” it all night?
It is not likely that your puppy can go the whole night without a potty break when you first bring them home. When your puppy whines in the middle of the night, chances are, they need to go outside for a potty break. Take them to their spot and say “go potty” When they have relieved them-self, give them a short praise and return them to their crate. If you pay too much attention to them at this time, they may continue to wake you up “just for the attention” Don’t feed your puppy or let them drink water too close to bedtime in the evening.
Helpful tips
Don’t give your puppy too much room to roam your house.
If you can’t supervise puppy, put them in their crate for a nap.
Before putting your puppy in their crate, make sure that they have had a outside potty break
Take your puppy outside frequently—about every two hours
Take your puppy outside immediately after they wake up, after playing, and after eating or drinking.
Pick a potty spot outside, and always take your puppy to that spot. This helps them “smell the spot” and know it’s the place to go potty. Use a command word such as “Go Potty”
Some people like to put their puppy on a leash when going to the potty area. This helps with teaching them to go in a certain spot
Reward your puppy with verbal praise, a pat and/or back scratch every time they go potty outdoors.
Feed your puppy 3 meals a day, removing any leftover food when done. This helps you know when your puppy will need to go for a potty break outside. If they always have food available, they need to go potty more frequently which makes it harder to know when they need to go outside.
Don’t feed your puppy or let them drink water too close to bedtime in the evening.( Take food away after dinner meal, take water away three hours before bed time.)
Ruska’s puppies continue to progress. They love their outdoor playtime and are becoming more adventurous with each passing day. They have now discovered the rear of our yard and love to play in my grandchildren playground. It is getting harder to keep track of all 11 puppies so every so often I do “The Puppy Call” and they come running for some cuddles
VIDEO – The Puppy Call
Ellie’s Puppies
Ellie’s puppies are loving their outdoor play time. We have them in the fenced enclosure to keep them separated from Ruska’s puppies. They are 10 day’s younger so I didn’t want them with the older puppies yet. They do still interact and play with them but have the fence in-between. I see them barking at each other and running back and forth together.
We had a very busy day with “Double Excitement” yesterday. First, it was puppy selection day for Ruska’s Puppies! It was also the day that Ellie’s puppies turned 5 weeks old and that means…. “The Puppies First Outdoor Adventure”. Enjoy the videos below and see how well they are walking and running.
Ellie’s Puppies
VIDEO – Ellie was so happy to have her puppies outside with her. She even brought her ball for them to play. Playing fetch is Ellie’s favourite outdoor game. The puppies now have a whole new world to explore!
VIDEO -Brinkley, Willow, Ruska and her puppies are all so interested in Ellie’s puppies inside the enclosure. I don’t want the puppies to have free play with Ruska’s puppies yet; even though they look similar in size, they are 10 days younger
VIDEO – Like all our puppy litters, Ellie’s puppies love playing on the rocks. Can you hear a couple puppies crying? They want to come out to play with Ruska’s puppies
Ruska’s Puppies
One of my favourite days in puppy breeding is Selection Day. It is so exciting to meet the families and introduce the puppies to them. We enjoyed meeting everyone and watching you interact with your puppy. I am so thankful that our puppies have such wonderful loving forever families. The puppies were so tired after the excitement of the long day visiting so many people that they spent the afternoon sleeping! All too soon, our puppies will be leaving us but, until then we will love and care for them and continue to give lots of cuddles!
It is always a “mad puppy dash”when they head outside now that they’re more independent. I shot this video in “slow-motion” so you can see the puppies better. Can you find your puppy?
Ellies puppies are five weeks old today. They have developed from helpless newborn puppies to “mini dogs”. The puppies have progressed so much over the past five weeks. We have been working hard on training puppies to use the potty area. I am always amazed to watch puppies wake up or stop playing and walk over to use the potty area. Some of the puppies are more consistant than others but all are making great progress! Nursing will decrease now that they have started to eat puppy mush, and drink their water. Puppies have enjoyed interacting with people of all ages. They love playing with my grandchildren and are learning important social skills. Puppies are now awake for longer periods and enjoy playing with their toys and each other. Mama has begun teaching her pups to listen to her.
VIDEO – Puppies standing up to nurse. They are definitely ready for solid food!
VIDEO Puppies were pros eating their first meal of puppy mush and lapping up water.
Puppies go from nursing from mama to begin eating solid foods. Ellie is keeping a watchful eye on them
LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK SIX
Puppies time spent awake will continue to increase
Puppies food will become much thicker progressing toward the goal of eating dry kibble
Puppies will continue learning to use potty area
Puppies will continue to socialize with each other through play
Puppies balance will continue to improve.
Puppies will begin daily play time outside as weather permits
Puppies will continue learning from their mama as she disciplines them and teaches them to behave
Puppies will be meeting their forever families
As always, puppies will continue to get lots of cuddle time.
Ruska’s Puppies
Ruska’s puppies are enjoying their outdoor play time. It is a full time job keeping track of our 11 puppies. They are learning from their mama Ruska as well as our other dogs. I tried to snap some photos of them but didn’t get many…. puppies don’t stay still for long while awake.
Outside Play time
VIDEO – Brown girl wants to play with Willow
VIDEO – Puppies playing tug-of-war with their Stuffy
Six weeks old today. We have had another busy week caring for the puppies and introducing them to so many new things. They have grown bigger and you can see each unique personality developing. Puppies have progressed to eating softened kibble. They enjoy exploring during outside play time. Ruska is teaching them to submit. All our other dogs are giving her a hand with the discipline and keeping watch. Brinkley has become the protector !
We are looking forward to meeting all our puppies forever families.
Waiting to go outside to explore
Puppies are now eating softened kibblePuppies love to sleep in the crate
LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK SEVEN
Puppies time spent awake will continue to increase
Puppies will begin dry kibble by the end of week seven
We will continue to encourage puppies to use potty area
Puppies will continue to socialize and learn from each other through play
Puppies will continue exploring and playing together outdoor as weather permits
Puppies will continue learning from their mama as she disciplines them and teaches them to behave
Puppies will be meeting their forever families
As always, puppies will continue to get lots of cuddle time.
Ellie’s Puppies
Ellie’s puppies still sleep a lot of the timeSome of my grandchildren came for a visit today. The puppies love to play and cuddle with them
After I cleaned the floor in the puppy area, I thought I would take a video since the puppies were awake. You can see how they have progressed. They are walking well and enjoy interacting with their litter-mates. Ellie’s puppies are as loving as their mother and don’t miss a chance to to sit on our lap and shower us with kisses.
Ellies puppies were getting a lesson on “sit and stay” from my granddaughter. They were so focused on her! She is a natural with the puppies and they loved all the attention from her!
The puppies continue to grow. Ellie has done a great job feeding them and since there are only five puppies, we will wait to introducing “Solid food “for another day. We have started to introduce the puppies to potty training and some have made it to the potty area on their own! Yeah, what smart puppies. The puppies are staying awake and playing with their litter-mates for longer periods of time but still need lots of sleep.
RUSKA’S PUPPIES
The countdown to puppy selection/visitation is coming quickly. I am looking forward to meeting the families in person and introduce you to our puppies.
The puppies are growing bigger every day and love to spend times outdoors running around and playing with their litter-mates. We have an fenced run in our yard for the puppies outdoor play but if I have my husband and daughter helping me, Ruska loves to have her puppies free play with her in the yard. Ellie and Brinkley help Ruska keep an eye on them too. Even our 8 month old puppy ‘Willow’ has begun to interact with them and teach them submission. Today after free play in the whole yard, our puppies found a comfy spot to fall asleep
Keeping track of 11 puppies is a full time job. Don’t sit downTime for another nap
Four week old – notice their new collars. They are growing up!
LOOKING BACK
Wow, four weeks old already; time passes by so quickly! This past week, our puppies made the move to the main floor. They are beginning to learn to use the potty area. Their walking has improved and they are progressing towards running. Puppies are vocalizing more and can now bark and growl . More of their time is spent awake socializing with each other through play. The puppies are always so excited to see us and run to our laps for a cuddle.
Last picture of puppies in their whelping box before the move. they were so ready to move to the main floorPacked into the basket, puppies are moving to the main floor
Puppies going into their new enclosure on the main floor. Potty Training now begins.
Puppies settled right in to nurse and enjoy a well deserved nap
LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK FIVE
Puppies time spent awake will increase
Puppies will continue to socialize with each other through play
Puppies balance will continue to improve and they will begin to run
Puppies will continue learning to use potty area
Puppies will start on solid foods as weaning gradually begins
Mama will now add the invaluable teaching phase to her caring & protecting responsibilities over the next weeks.
Puppies are five weeks old today. They have developed from helpless newborn puppies to “mini dogs”. They have learned so much over the past five weeks. We have been working hard on training puppies to use the potty area. It’s amazing to watch puppies wake up or stop playing and walk over to use the potty area. Some of the puppies are more consistant than others but all are making great progress! Nursing time has decreased and they can now eat puppy mush, and drink their water. Puppies have enjoyed interacting with people of all ages. They love playing with my grandchildren and are learning important social skills. Puppies are now awake for longer periods and enjoy playing with their toys and each other. Mama has begun teaching her pups to listen to her.
Puppies enjoying their first taste of the outdoors
It is always one of the highlights of raising puppies when they experience their first outdoor adventure. Ruska is always excited to have her babies outside where there is more room to roam and she can begin her teaching role. She is such a good mama!
Puppies are full of energy….it was hard to contain them in the baskets we were using to carry them out
Ready for their outdoor adventure! Ruska and the other dogs were excited too
Our gold boy playing with Willow
Puppies are enjoying exploring and playing. They always love to sit on our laps!
After all the fresh air and excitement of exploring a new world, puppies fell asleep. We put them back in the baskets to carry them into the house, transferred them to the puppy area and not one puppy woke up. LOL
LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK SIX
Puppies time spent awake will continue to increase
Puppies food will become much thicker progressing toward the goal of eating dry kibble
Puppies will continue learning to use the potty area
Puppies will continue to socialize with each other through play
Puppies balance will continue to improve.
Puppies will enjoy daily play time outside as weather permits
Puppies will continue learning from their mama as she disciplines them and teaches them to behave
As always, puppies will continue to get lots of cuddle time.
Ellie’s Puppies
Ellies puppies continue to progress. They are getting bigger and stronger with each passing day. The puppies are now awake for short periods of time and enjoy playing with their litter-mates. This week the puppies visited the main floor for a little exercise time. Tomorrow is an exciting day as we are planning to move them to their new puppy area on the main floor. Potty training will then begin.
