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Millie’s precious babies are already two weeks old

The Transitional Period

Millie’s puppies are now two weeks old and are entering the Transitional Period from day 14 – 21. Each litter is different and enters the next period, the Critical Socialization Period, when the puppies “first startle” at a sound.

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 say that seven 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, it is expected that this milestone would be reached later than with a smaller litter. We continue to supplement the puppies with puppy formula. Great job, Millie!

Eyes Opened

Day 14
Another milestone was reached later in the week – Eyes Opening. Puppy’s eyes open between day 10 and day 14. On day 14, Today at weigh in, four puppies eyes had started to open. Seeing the puppies look back at me is always exciting – I think they look more “alive”!
Because Millie’s litter was born early, it is expected to take longer to reach this milestone.
Soon the rest of the puppies will be looking back at me too.

Daily Cleaning

As we mentioned earlier, newborn puppies are vulnerable to disease. Therefore, it is crucial to keep their area clean. We clean and disinfect their whelping box daily.

Vet Bedding

What is Vet Bedding? At first glance, you might think it is sheepskin. It is a synthetic version of sheepskin, made from artificial fibres, with two layers: first, a mesh base similar to the “skin” part of a sheepskin, and second, the comfortable, soft, springy artificial fleece attached on top. Puppies need proper grip while nursing, moving around the whelping box, and learning to walk, as this traction helps protect their developing joints. We change this bedding several times a day, which results in lots of laundry.

Time to Add a Panel

A couple of Millie’s puppies have escaped from the whelping box so, it is time to add a panel to the entrance of their whelping box to keep them safe.

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.

Looking back at week two

Looking Ahead to Week Three

  • ENS 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
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Looking back at Millie’s Puppies First Week

Millie’s one week old puppies

I’ve had a lot to deal with over the past two weeks. My husband, Tom, underwent open-heart surgery, so I had to manage visits to the hospital alongside Millie coming to our home. We brought her here on Sunday so she could settle in before her due date. Millie unexpectedly delivered early, which was a surprise. I’m grateful for our wonderful family, who helped with hospital visits and looking after things at home. Due to some post-surgical complications, Tom’s stay in the hospital was extended. I’m relieved he was finally discharged on Tuesday to continue his recovery at home. With everything happening this week, I’m late in posting our First Week Blog.

Looking back at first week

Whelping Day

I spent the day at the hospital on Monday while my daughter kept Millie company. She had reported to me that Millie had been panting off and on, spending most of the day snuggling with her on the couch. That evening, I spent watching some TV and observing Millie. I thought that her puppies would come sometime on Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest. I looked over at Millie, planning to take her out for a potty break and sleep with her in our whelping room. To my surprise, I saw her starting to push. Quickly, we moved to the whelping room, where she kept me busy delivering her litter throughout the night. 

Sometimes first-time mamas know exactly what to do, and sometimes others need help. Millie was one of those first-time mamas who needed help. For the first six puppies she delivered, it was up to me to break the sack, clamp, and cut the umbilical cord, and dry them vigorously with a clean towel. When the seventh puppy arrived, Millie’s mother instincts kicked in, and she took over. When all was over, Millie and Rocky were the proud parents of a litter of twelve puppies with an even split of six boys and six girls.

Six Girls and Six Boys

The Boys

Yellow Boy
Turquoise boy
Dark green boy
Dark blue boy
White boy
Brown boy

The Girls

Fluorescent Green girl
Black girl
Pink girl
Red girl
Purple girl
Grey girl

Looking back at whelping day

Settling into a Routine

Neonatal Period

Newborn puppies are in the Neonatal Period. During this time, they spend their days eating and sleeping.

Daily Weigh-in

Millie has a huge litter, which makes feeding all the puppies challenging. The weight gain has been slower than that of puppies in a smaller litter.


Because some Millie’s puppies’ weight was less than expected, I decided to supplement with puppy formula.

syringe used for feeding puppy formula
Millie checking in on her babies

Sleep, Sleep, Sleep

Taking care of Millie …so she can care for her babies

It is important to care for our mamas so they can care for their babies. Our mama’s get lots of TLC after their whelp. Our mamas are given daily vitamins. We make a special mother’s pudding. It is full of calcium and is usually the first thing all our mamas eat. We also feed them boiled chicken breast for the first few days. 


Socialization

Part of raising well-adjusted puppies is socialization. We handle our puppies from birth. This helps develope a well adjusted puppy. In the upcoming weeks, the puppies will have lots of socializing with young and old alike.

ENS

We usually begin our ENS exercises on day three and continue through day 16. Through ENS, we introduce little stress to the puppies, which has been proven to produce calmer puppies. It also produces greater tolerance to stress, greater resistance to disease, a faster adrenal system, and stronger heart rates and heartbeats. Because the puppies were slow to gain weight and many puppies were being supplemented with puppy formula, I didn’t want to put more stress on the litter, so I held off on starting ENS until day five. We will continue until the puppies are sixteen days old.

Looking back at first week

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 !!!
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Already Seven Week Old and Learning so Much

Nova’s puppies are now seven weeks old. She has done a wonderful job raising them. She continues to be a loving and caring mama. During grooming time, while I brush each puppy, Echo licks them, giving them a good cleaning. Such a good mama.

This week has been busy. The puppies have mastered going in and out of the house on their own, were introduced to water, and had free play in the big yard. They puppies love to chase and wrestle with their littermates. They have also transitioned to eating dry kibble.

Seven weeks old

Water Play

It has been another hot week, so we added water play to help keep the puppies cool during outdoor play. In the puppy enclosure, we placed a container filled with water for the puppies to cool off in. It is important to let the puppies explore the water independently so they do not have a negative first experience with it. Pink girl and blue boy were brave and climbed in; the rest of the puppies use it as a giant drinking bowl and sometimes put their front paws into the water.

New Puppy Area

This week we moved the puppies to a new puppy enclosure. It is close to the back sliding doors. The puppies can now go in and out on their own.

Puppies Meal Time

The puppies have now transitioned to dry kibble. No more grinding puppy food to make it into mush or waiting while the kibble soaks in hot water. Feeding is simple now because I just measure the dry kibble into the dis and watch the waiting puppies gobble up their meals.

Teaching time from Willow

Nova’s mama Willow helps with the puppies. Willow was my strict mama who demanded her puppies listen. This week, she has been helping Nova with her puppies. This video shows her in the puppy enclosure working with them.

A look back week seven

Things to look for:

  • Puppies explore the big yard
  • Nova cleaning puppy
  • Willow visits puppy enlosure
  • Water play
  • New puppy enclosure
  • New bed
  • Playing in the red tunnel


Looking Ahead to Week Eight

  • Puppies will continue exploring and playing together inside and outdoors as weather permits
  • The puppies will contunie to explor in the big yard where we will work on recall 
  • Nova along with our other dogs will continue teaching the puppies dog manners
  • Crate training with the door closed during nap time
  • We will continue to encourage puppies to use the potty area 
  • Puppies go to the vet for their wellness check, vaccinations, and microchip
  • Puppies will continue to get lots of cuddle time

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Nova’s Adorable Six Week Old Puppies

Nova’s sweet babies are now six weeks old and becoming more adorable each day. 

We’ve had another busy week caring for the puppies and introducing them to many new things. They have grown bigger, and you can see each unique personality developing. The puppies love the outdoors and enjoy running and playing together. We’ve experienced very hot weather this past week and had to limit the puppies’ outdoor playtime to mornings and early evenings. We brought them inside for their lunch, playtime, and a rest where it was cooler. The inside puppy enclosure includes crates, a potty area, and new toys. It is important to introduce the puppies to something new each day.

Puppy Selection Day

One of the highlights of the eight weeks of raising puppies is Puppy Selection Day. We love meeting the forever families and feeling the excitement. 

We had a great day meeting everyone, and I know that each of our puppies has found a lovely forever home.

The puppies were exhausted after a lot of interaction with their forever families and spent the rest of the day having long naps.

A look back at week six

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 inside
  • 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 
  • As always, puppies will continue to get lots of cuddle time.
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Nova’s sweet babies are now five weeks old

Nova’s sweet babies are now five weeks old and have developed from helpless newborn puppies to the “mini dogs” they are today. The puppies are now awake for more extended periods and enjoy playing with each other, their toys, and cuddle time. We are starting to see their personalities develop.

It is important when raising puppies to socialize them, which means introducing them to as many new experiences as possible when they are young. The puppies have been introduced to different floor surfaces, new toys, our other adult dogs and Paisley, our eleven-week-old puppy. The puppies continue to get lots of interaction with humans of all ages.

Our main focus this week was teaching the puppies to go potty on the grass in their potty box and outside in the play area. They have done a great job of going in the right spot, so now it is time to remove the whelping box and add crates.

Introduction to Solids

This week, the puppies began eating puppy mush. Each meal we gradually increased the thickness.

The puppies have now advanced to softened kibble. Initially, it is very waterlogged. Over the next two weeks, we will gradually decrease the soaking time until the puppies are seven weeks old and ready for hard kibble.

And then we soak the kibble – Notice the difference in the dry and softened kibble
Kibble with boiled water
Lid on to help kibble absorb water
soften kibble

The puppies are still nursing from their mama any chance they get but, Nova limits this and makes a quick exit from the puppy area. They also get plenty of fresh water

Looking back at week five

Looking Ahead to Week Six

The puppies will begin their outdoor play. We have the puppy enclosure set up and ready to go – just add puppies!
  • Crates introduced
  • Awake time will continue to increase
  • Socialize with each other through play
  • Daily Outdoor play time as weather permits
  • Puppies will continue learning from their mama and our other adult dogs as they teach them dog manners
  • As always, puppies will get lots of cuddle time.
  • Puppies will meet their forever families in one more week ❤️
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Nova’s Puppies Are Now Four Weeks Old

It is hard to believe that Nova’s puppies are already four weeks old. They have made significant progress in such a short time.

So much has happened this past week! The puppies’ milk teeth have come in, their hind legs have grown stronger, and their awake time has slowly increased. The puppies still sleep much of the day, but when they are awake, they socialize with their littermates through play and love to sit on my lap for cuddles.

Potty Training Begins

Last Saturday, on the twenty-first day, potty training began. We divided the whelping box into two sections— a potty area with potty pads and a sleep/play zone with bolster beds. Puppies naturally tend to move away from their sleeping area when they need to go potty. It’s impressive to see the potty pads being used on the very first day of training (see red arrows).

Whelping Box Separation
Puppies went on potty pad

A Visit To The Main Floor

On Tuesday, the puppies visited the main floor, where they interacted with some of my grandchildren. It was an exciting day for humans, adult dogs, and the puppies alike. The puppies enjoyed all the cuddles.

Nova was especially excited to have her babies out of the whelping box. She remained very relaxed as our other adult dogs interacted with the puppies.

 The next day, before the puppies were moved, Nova had all the puppies out of her whelping box and walking around the whelping room with her. It was definitely time to make a move.

 

Moving To The Main Floor

On Wednesday, the puppies moved to the main floor. The puppies are in the Critical Socialization Period, where socializing them involves exposing them to as many new sounds and experiences as possible.  This is part of teaching the puppies Emotional intelligence, one of the goals of the Puppy Culture Program. 

We placed the puppies in a large container while setting up their whelping box. Nova was surprisingly calm during this move. She is ready to progress to the next stage of motherhood – disciplining her puppies.

Notice the new addition to the puppies’ whelping box. Now that the puppies have had time using the potty pads in their whelping box, it is time for the potty box extension. This extension is lined with a washable pad and grass on top, and we encourage the puppies to use this area when they need to go potty. It is essential to keep their sleep and play area clean. Until the puppies are consistently moving into the potty box to relieve themselves, they will remain in the whelping box most of the day. We will take them out for a little exercise and exploring.

Puppies need to learn they can’t go anywhere. We teach them that “there is an acceptable place to go potty.” Teaching this early helps prevent bad habits from forming, which can be hard to break later. This effort benefits forever families by making housebreaking easier for puppies as they transition to their forever homes.

 

Puppies at play
Sleep with littermate
Sleeping with snuggle puppy
Nova cleans her puppy
Puppies nurse in standing position

A Look Back At Week Four

Notice:

  • puppies making use of the potty area
  • toys have been introduced to the puppies
  • starting to nurse standing position

Looking Ahead to Week Five

  • Puppies will continue learning to use the potty area
  • Start on puppy food
  • Awake time will increase as the puppies socialize with each other through play 
  • Introduce different toys
  • Mama will add the invaluable teaching phase to her caring & protecting responsibilities over the next few weeks.
  • Lots of cuddles
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Three Weeks Old Already – See How Much Nova’s Babies Have Grown

Looking Back

Nova’s beautiful three-week-old puppies have been developing quickly this week. The puppies are becoming more aware of their surroundings and have started to play with each other during their brief “awake” periods.

Nova has experience assisting as a puppy nanny for one of Willow’s litters, so it’s no surprise that she is a wonderful mama. She is very attentive to her little ones’ feeding, cleaning, and care.

Since she has a smaller litter, it’s no surprise they’re getting a little chunky. Well done, Nova!

This week, the puppies were in the Transitional Period. We continued our ENS exercises, which cause tiny stresses to benefit our puppies by increasing their tolerance to stress and disease resistance, speeding up their adrenal system, and strengthening their heart rate and heartbeat. Monday was Day 16 of the puppies’ lives and the final day for our ENS and ESI exercises. This video is double speed of our last day of ENS exercises.

Puppy Culture

Critical Socialization Period (weeks 3 – 12)

The next period for Novai’s puppies is the Critical Socialization Period. We know that puppies have entered this period when they react to sounds. We raise our puppies following many of the Puppy Culture protocols. Following these protocols helps us reach our goal of “Raise Healthy, Calm, Confident, Well-Adjusted Puppies.”

Over the remaining weeks, we will be working on new experiences for the puppies, exposing them to as many new experiences 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 starting them with a great beginning is essential. With this intention, we follow seven key things to nurture a puppy’s emotional intelligence.

  1. Communication – giving a puppy his voice, i.e. Communication manding and attention/distraction protocols
  2. Emotional stability – the ability to recover quickly from fear as well as stress, i.e., startle recovery, barrier challenges, etc
  3. Habituation – familiarize the puppies with the maximum number of things during their Critical Development Period—in particular, Puppy Parties, sound protocols, household noises, and meeting different people and dogs.
  4. Enrichment—Teach the puppies that novelty and challenges are enrichment opportunities, not to be feared or avoided. For example, they can be introduced to new novelty items on an ongoing basis at an activity centre, car ride, outdoors, etc.
  5. Health – physical wellness and motor skills that will allow the puppy to develop neurologically and physically soundly. For instance, daily weight checks, grooming, proper nutrition, fecal checks, and deworming, vet health checks and vaccinations)
  6. Skills – learned behaviours that teach the puppy to function in human society, i.e., recall, manding, simple commands, potty training, crate introduction, resource guarding, bite inhibition, etc.
  7. Love – teach puppies to seek out the company of dogs and humans as emotionally positive experiences, i.e., Daily cuddles with humans and the puppy’s mom.
  8. Shaping emotional responses: happy and calm CER (Conditioned Emotional Responses). For instance, treats and encouragement during puppy training.

See How We’ve Grown

June 10
June 17
June 27
Blanket covering basket to keep puppies contained

The puppies have grown so much that they’re running out of space in the basket I place them in when we clean their whelping box. They’re hard to contain, so I cover the basket to keep them inside.

Puppy Cuddles

Two of my grandchildren enjoyed holding the puppies. It is beneficial for the puppies to be handled by people of various ages. I am blessed with thirteen grandchildren ranging in age from nearly one to fourteen. 


Nova’s adorable three-week-old puppies In order of appearance:

Girls – Pink, Yellow Collars
Boys – Blue, Orange, Black Collars

Note: Blue collar is a chocolate (not chocolate merle as I mistakenly describedhis coat colour in the video)

Looking Back at Week Three

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 essential 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 training started
  • Puppies will be moving to the main floor towards the end of the week
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A Look Back At the Puppies’ Second Week

Transitional Period

Nova’s puppies are now two weeks old and have entered the Transitional Period from day 14 to 21. Each litter is different and enters the next period, the Critical Socialization Period, when the puppies “first startle” at a sound.

The first twelve weeks of a puppy’s life are incredibly important. This is an almost magical time during which a breeder has the power to influence the outcome of a puppy’s life based on what we choose to teach them. By doing the right things at the right time, we can give your puppy the best possible start.

Two weeks old – We added a panel to the entrance of the whelping box because one of the puppies escaped.

Daily Cleaning

Newborn puppies are susceptible to disease. For this reason, we need to maintain a clean environment for them. We place the puppies in the basket while we clean and disinfect their whelping box.

Milestones

When raising puppies, we watch for milestones to gauge their progress. This week, Nova’s puppies achieved two important milestones.

Weigh-In

The puppies’ first milestone this week was doubling their birth weight. We pay close attention to this milestone because when a puppy isn’t gaining enough weight, it signals a potential issue. With Nova only having five puppies to feed, her pups gained weight more quickly than our larger litters. Three puppies—yellow, orange, and black—doubled their birth weight during the day seven weigh-in, while the other two puppies—pink and blue—achieved this milestone on day eight. 

Eyes Opened

Another milestone was reached later in the week—eye-opening. The puppies’ eyes opened between Days 10 and 14. Our Pink Collar Girl was the first puppy to open her eyes on Day 10.

So exciting!

ESI

DAY EIGHT – SOIL

Watch each puppy’s reaction when they smell the soil.

Such a Dedicated Mama

The puppies still require stimulation (lick) to void. Observe as Nova cleans each puppy before settling down to nurse.

During the upcoming week, the puppies will start going potty on their own. We will set up a sleeping area and a potty area in their whelping box.

Socialization

We expose our puppies to human touch from birth. We always consider the mother’s comfort level, as we don’t want to impose unnecessary stress on her. Nova stays nearby, watching over her puppies as they interact. This week, two of my grandsons visited to interact with Nova’s puppies. Sometimes, little hands aren’t so gentle—this serves as a teaching opportunity for children to learn to be gentle and to respect animals.

Looking back at week two

Looking Ahead to Week Three

  • ENS exercises will continue until day 16
  • Puppies will continue to eat and sleep for most of their day
  • Sight will become clearer
  • Ears will open, and they will begin to hear.
  • Puppies will practice walking on all four legs, strengthening their hind legs.
  • They will become more aware of their littermates and start to interact 
  • Puppies will start to vocalize
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Nova’s Puppies’ Amazing First Week

Whelping Day

Nova arrived at our house on Sunday, June 2nd, to settle in before her puppies arrived. She has spent most of her days outside, enjoying the fresh air. Sometimes, she would go under the deck, but she always came out when I called. However, on the morning of June 7th, when Nova went outside and under the deck again, she wouldn’t come out. After much coaxing, I finally convinced her to emerge. She had been digging, which signalled that she was getting close to delivering her puppies. I would now have to keep Nova on a leash whenever we took her outside. 

Later in the afternoon, Nova started panting intermittently—a definite sign that labour had begun. While we spent the evening watching TV, Nova alternated between lying with us on the couch and returning to her whelping box. She remained quite calm and didn’t seem anxious. I thought we would have a long night of labour before she whelped her litter. 

To my surprise, her puppies arrived quickly in the late evening. She did an amazing job delivering and caring for her five beautiful pups. 

Warning: This video has live births

Things to look for:

  • Sterilize whelping tools
  • Nova’s tail is wrapped to help keep it clean
  • Nova delivered some of her puppies on the elevated bed just outside the whelping box
  • Puppies in the warming basket while she delivers

Warning: This video has live births. 

This Video shows Nova giving birth to her final puppy. When whelping, I like to observe and let the mama handle things. I only step in if needed. Nova, a first-time mama, did a fantastic job and knew exactly what to do!

Things to look for:

  • The puppy was delivered head first in a broken sac
  • Nova severs the cord
  • I clear the airway with a Bulb Syringe Aspirator
  • Nova cleans the puppy by licking it.
  • Four puppies are waiting in the warming box

Nova’s litter of five beautiful puppies; three boys, two girls

Male Chocolate Merle Abstract
Black collar
Male Chocolate Abstract
Orange collar
MaleChocolate Abstract
Blue collar
Female Chocolate Abstract
Pink collar
Female Chocolate Merle Abstract
Yellow collar

 

Caring for Nova

It is essential to care for our mamas so that they, in turn, can care for their babies. It begins with prenatal care, which includes consuming high-quality food, and continues with postnatal care.

Special Treats
After whelping, our mamas don’t have a big appetite. We want to encourage them to eat to regain strength and care for their babies. 
Their first few meals are boiled chicken breast. We also made a special treat called Mother Pudding. It is rich in protein and calcium, providing her with energy and helping her regain her strength. All our mamas love this pudding and are willing to eat it even if they are not ready to eat anything else yet.

Оху Momma

We start our mama dogs on a supplement called Оху Momma, a postnatal Vitamin that supports lactation and recovery.  High-quality food and plenty of fresh water are a must to produce milk to feed her babies. Nova made a quick recovery and had a good appetite soon after birth. 

Caring for the puppies

Before puppies are born, they receive immunity and everything they need to grow from the placenta. After birth, newborn puppies do not possess immunity. A mother’s first milk, colostrum, is a protein-rich, nutritious, balanced, and protective food. The special milk provides passive immunity, which can last several weeks and protect them from various infections and diseases. For this reason, in the first twelve hours after birth, the puppies must nurse frequently and build up their passive immunity. (Passive immunity is short-term immunity that results from introducing antibodies from the puppy’s mother. Compare this with active immunity – the immunity which results from the production of antibodies by the immune system in response to the presence of an antigen.

Expert Nursers

Puppies are born with their eyes and ears sealed shut; they cannot see or hear. They must rely on “smell” and “touch” to find their mother. Born with a natural instinct to nurse, puppies become more proficient as the days pass. The puppies are now nursing experts! 

Nova is a dedicated mama. She has a smaller litter so she has lots of milk for her babies. All the puppies are gaining weight quickly. Good job Nova!

As you watch the video, listen to the cute little sounds the puppies make as they nurse – so precious’s

Keeping the puppies warm

Newborn puppies cannot regulate their body temperature, so they depend on their mother and littermates for warmth. For the first few days, Nova spent all her time in the whelping box, feeding and caring for her babies and keeping them warm. 

Now that the puppies are a bit older, Nova relaxes on the elevated bed outside the whelping box. She also spends some time downstairs with us or outside for a short break. It isn’t long before she wants to return to her babies.

 Neonatal Period

The puppies are in the Neonatal Period, which lasts from day 0 to day 14. During this period, puppies spend their time eating and sleeping. On Tuesday, day 3, we began ENS exercises (Early Neurological Stimulation), which will continue until day 16. We perform ENS daily during our weigh-in time. Research shows that these tiny struggles and stresses in small doses are beneficial for puppies. The advantages of ENS include greater tolerance to stress, increased resistance to disease, a faster adrenal system, and a stronger heart rate and heartbeat. This is a gift that a breeder can only provide to their puppies during the 3 to 16-day window.

Puppies continue to receive lots of handling to become accustomed to the human touch. Part of the “Puppy Culture Protocols” that we follow when raising our puppies is socialization.

ENS

ENS (Early Neurological Stimulation) begins on day 3 and continues through day 16.

Stresses below

  • touch each paw
  • hold upright for five seconds
  • hold with head down for five seconds
  • lay on back for five seconds
  • place on cold cloth for five seconds

Research shows that tiny struggles and stresses in small doses are beneficial to puppies and will help them grow into strong, healthy, well-adjusted adults.

Benefits include greater tolerance to stress, increased resistance to disease, a faster adrenal system, a stronger heart rate, and a stronger heartbeat.

ESI

A new addition to our program – ESI – Early Scent Introduction. Scent is how puppies perceive the world. These exercises are performed once a day from days 3 to 16. ESI exercises introduce puppies to new scents in a controlled manner. It’s important not to overdo these exercises, as they are effective because puppies of this age are highly sensitive to stimulation. Introducing natural scents early on can assist with:

  • Boosting brain development
  • Improved scenting ability in later life.
  • Boosts confidence and stability in adults.

Looking Back at week one

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 of the week – so exciting !!!

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Can You Believe Willow’s Babies are already Seven Weeks Old?

Can you believe Willow’s puppies are already seven weeks old? They have come so far in their first seven weeks of life. They’ve grown bigger and are adorable little furballs full of energy and curiosity about everything.

Dry Kibble

The puppies have now progressed to eating dry kibble, which makes feeding time easy—just measure into puppy bowls and serve.

Mama leaves…No Whinning

Willow has done an amazing job thus far raising her babies. She is a strict mama and gets respect with a growl.

Watch as Willow leaves the puppy enclosure — her puppies follow her to the fence but don’t whine. They watch her and no whining.

Willow has been working on teaching her puppies not to whine since they were two weeks old and could hear.

Outside Play

Our puppies love outdoor playtime where they chase each other and wrestle. Wrestling with their littermates helps develop a soft mouth. If a puppy bites too hard, the other puppy cries, letting them know it hurts. If the offending puppy doesn’t correct itself, no one will want to play with them.

Grooming

Puppies typically dislike being brushed, so we groom them daily to help desensitize them. When you bring your puppy home, it’s important to maintain a daily brushing routine. 

Please excuse my attire—I’m still in my P.J.’s. As I enjoy my coffee each morning, I hold and groom each puppy. 

Crates

The puppies have had access to the crates for a couple of weeks now. They can come and go as they please. The puppies are already comfortable playing in the crate, and some puppies love to go to sleep in them.

We want them to feel comfortable in their crates so that when we close the door, hopefully, they will quietly have their nap. In week eight, we will begin giving the puppies their afternoon naps in the crate and close the door. 

Enjoying the crate all to herself
sleeping buddy
Four puppies packed into one crate

Looking back at Willow’s puppies’s seventh week

The puppies had a couple of days of indoor recess due to the rain. On the second rainy day, they were able to enjoy an hour outside in the late afternoon.

LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK EIGHT

The puppies still have a lot to learn from their mama and our other dogs this week. This is always a bittersweet week for me and our puppies; knowing that it is their last week together and that it will soon be time for them to move on to their forever families.

  • Puppies will explore in  the Big Yard
  • The puppies will continue exploring and playing together inside and outdoors as weather permits.
  • Mama and the rest of our dogs will spend time teaching proper puppy manners.
  • We will continue to encourage puppies to use the potty area
  • Puppies will be introduced to the crate with the door closed
  • A visit to the vet for Puppy Wellness Checks, Immunizations and Microchips
  • Puppies will continue to get lots of cuddle time