Millie’s sweet puppies are now eight weeks old. They have grown from helpless newborns into the adorable, lively pups they are today. They love to play together, wrestle, chase each other outside, and explore.
The puppies have made great progress exiting the house. Watch them — they love to go outside!
Vet Visit
On Wednesday, the puppies headed to the vet. This was their first car ride, and the puppies did well, with only a little complaining here and there. You can really see each personality when the puppies experience something new. Some puppies were a little nervous, while a couple were very curious. All the puppies were very well behaved.
The puppies received their first vaccinations, microchip, and wellness check. All of our puppies are in good health..
Crate Training
The puppies have started crate training this week. Some puppies love their crate, while others love to protest. We give the puppies a couple of biscuits to help them settle. Some puppies settle quickly and eat their biscuits, but others complain loudly, settle for a few minutes, and then start to complain again. Yesterday was their best day yet. We will continue to give the puppies their afternoon naps in their crates, and their forever families will keep working on crate training at home.
Running in the Big Yard
Watch the puppies run in the big yard. So exciting!
Looking Ahead
This week, the puppies will be leaving for their forever homes. You have a lot of work ahead in correcting, training, and caring for your new puppy, but be patient — they are still learning. The time and effort you invest in training your puppy will pay off when you have a loving, well-behaved dog that will love you unconditionally, as only a dog can. You will be the most important person in their world.
It’s always bittersweet to say goodbye to our puppies. It has been difficult with a broken ankle, but I am thankful for my daughter and husband’s support in caring for them. While it’s sad to say farewell to Millie’s puppies, it warms our hearts to see the happy smiles of the families and to know that our puppies are going to such wonderful, loving, forever homes.
Wishing each puppy lots of adventures and a long and happy life.
Another week has passed, and Millie’s puppies are now seven weeks old. They’ve experienced many new firsts, such as discovering new toys, learning “puppy call,” and entering and exiting the house on their own. As they grow, they are becoming a bit more independent.
Puppies exit the house for the first time. Some puppies are a little more hesitant. Notice the puppies have to discover the gate entrance to the puppy play area working on their problem solving skills.
Puppies’ Mealtime
Newborn puppies get all their nourishment from their mother’s milk. When Millie started weaning her puppies, it was time to introduce them to solid food.
During weaning, the puppies gradually start eating solids. First, they eat a ground, watery puppy mush. Second, we soak kibble in hot water to make it soft and waterlogged. Lastly, the puppies transition to dry kibble. This week, the puppies have completed the transition to dry kibble.
Feeding time has become much easier now. No more grinding puppy food to turn it into mush or waiting while the kibble is soaked in hot water. We simply scoop the dry kibble into the dishes and watch the puppies eagerly devour their meals.
The puppies compete for food and eat quickly, so we decided to feed our two smaller puppies separately to give them time to finish.
Puppy Cuddles
Our puppies receive handling from birth and daily cuddles. On top of the regular handling, this week our puppies had two evenings of extra puppy cuddles. My grandchildren are a great help in this area.
Grooming
Regular grooming is part of a dogs life. This is why we introduce grooming to the puppies, making it easier for their forever families. We clip the puppies nails clipped weekly and daily brushing.
Looking Back at Week Seven
Looking Ahead to Week Eight
Puppies will continue exploring and playing together inside and outdoors as weather permits
The puppies will get to run in the BIG yard where we will work on recall
Millie along with our other dogs will continue teaching the puppies dog manners
Crate training with the door closed during nap time will begin
We will continue to encourage puppies to use the potty area
Puppies will visit the vet and have their first car ride
Well, the past few weeks have been quite eventful. During this time, the puppies have grown and experienced many new things such as potty training, eating solids, new beds, crates, and a new play area, to name just a few.
Introduction to Solids
The puppies have now advanced to softened kibble. Initially, it is very waterlogged. Over two week period, we 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 kibbleKibble with boiled waterLid on to help kibble absorb watersoften kibble
The puppies are still nursing from their mama any chance they get but,Millie limits feeding time. We have always have plenty of fresh water available.
Socalization
It is important to socialize puppies by exposing them to many new experiences while they are young. The puppies have been introduced to different floor surfaces, new toys, and our other adult dogs. The puppies continue to receive plenty of interaction with humans of all ages.
During week five, Millie’s guardian famly came for a visit. The puppies had a great time getting lots of cuddles.
Potty Training
Our main focus during weeks five and six was teaching the puppies to use their potty boxes. They have done a great job of going in the right spot. Some of our puppies are more consistent than others, but all are making progress.
New Play Area
The puppies have been enjoying their new play area this week, with lots of new toys to discover, including a crinkle tunnel, slide, crates, and wobble disc. We also have a potty box that the puppies are encouraged to use.
Puppy Selection Day
One of the highlights of the eight weeks of raising puppies is Puppy Selection Day. We enjoy meeting the forever families and sharing in their excitement.
We had a wonderful day meeting everyone, and I know that each of our puppies has found a fantastic forever home.
The puppies were exhausted after a lot of interaction with their forever families. They ate their dinner and settled in for a long sleep.
Outdoor Play
A little late, but the puppies finally had outdoor playtime. It was a bit cold and snowy, but Millie and her babies enjoyed running and playing.
Sleep, Sleep, Sleep
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 and out
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.
We are heartbroken to share that we lost one of Millie’s puppies this week—Purple Collar Girl. Losing a puppy is the hardest part of breeding, and it never gets any easier.
Four weeks old already
The puppies have developed so much in a short period. This week, their milk teeth have come in, their hind legs have grown stronger, and their wakeful periods have gradually increased. The puppies still sleep most of the day, but when they are awake, they enjoy socialising with their littermates through play.
Starting to Wean
Now that the puppies’ milk teeth have come through, it’s time to start weaning and introduce solids. Millie began nursing while standing. It’s so adorable watching the puppies try to balance on their hind legs to nurse.
The puppies have started eating puppy mush and happily lapped up the soupy food.
The puppies are enjoying their first puppy mush. When they finished, we had very dirty puppies.
Moving to the main floor
On Saturday, the puppies moved to the main floor, and we expanded their whelping box with the potty box extension. Puppies need to learn that they cannot “go” anywhere. We teach them that “there is an acceptable place to go potty.” Teaching them this early will prevent the development of bad habits that later need fixing. This effort will benefit forever families by making housebreaking easier when they go to their forever homes.
Checking Things Out
The puppies were eager to explore the new area.
Adorable Faces
Millie’s puppies are exploring toys and their new play area. The puppies still sleep a lot of the time, and it wasn’t long before they fell asleep again.
My next task — puppy pictures.
Keep an eye out on our website for the puppies four-week pictures.
Looking Ahead to Week Five
Puppies will continue learning to use the potty area
Puppy mush will get thicker and the puppies will start eating softened kibble
Awake time will increase as the puppies socialize with each other through play
Introduce new toys
Mama will add the invaluable teaching phase to her caring & protecting responsibilities over the next weeks.
Millies’ adorable puppies are now three weeks old and have progressed rapidly this week. They have gain weight and grow bigger with each passing day,thanks to Millie’s dedication and me helping her out with puppy formula feedings. Although later than most of our litters, their eyes have finally opened, and their vision is improving. Also, the puppies’ ears have opened and are beginning to hear and react to sound.
Three weeks old
Puppy Culture
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. Thursday was Day 16 of the puppies life and the final day for our ENS exercises.
Critical Socialization Period (weeks 3 – 12)
The next period for Piper’s puppies is the Critical Socialization Period. We know that puppies have entered into this period when the react to sounds. We raise our puppies following many of the Puppy Culture protocols. These protocols helps us reach our goal “To Raise Healthy, Calm, Confident, Well-Adjusted Puppies“.
Over the remaining weeks we will be working on new experiences for the puppies by exposing them to as many new experiences as possiblein order to raise the best possible companion for their forever families.
Emotional Intelligence
Because Goldendoodles are companion dogs, it is important to teach emotional intelligence from young puppies and start them on a great beginning. With this intention we follow 7 key things that will nurture the emotional intelligence of a puppy.
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.
Eyes Opened
All litters reach milestones at different times, and Millie’s litter was slow to open their eyes. It wasn’t until Saturday (day 18) that all the puppies had their eyes open. Delivering early may contribute to the delay. It is always a highlight when the puppies look back at me!
Socialization
As I have said many times, we are blessed with a big family. We have thirteen grandchildren, with two more on the way. They are always eager to help me with puppy cuddles. It is very important to socialize the puppies at this early stage.
Interacting and Vocalizing
The puppies are more aware of their surroundings and have begun to play with each other during their short “awake” periods. During this time, they become quite noisy as they practice vocalizing.
However, they still sleep much of the day and night
Too cute not to share The puppies are always excited when their mama enters the puppy room. Watch Dark Blue boy climb out of the whelping box to reach his mama LOL.
Changes to the Whepping Box
Another door panel was added to the entrance to keep the puppies inside.
Pig rails removed—puppies are too big to fit under, so it gives a little more space for them.
The whelping box has been divided into a sleep/play area and a potty area.
We have added bolster beds and potty pads.
Millie’s Three Week Old Puppies
Most of the litter, like all Goldendoodles, will experience clearing (lightning) as they mature.
Please check theFAQ tab on our website. The clearing process is explained there, along with pictures showing the progression of the puppy’s clearing from birth to adulthood.
Dark Blue Boy – Cream Abstract – brown points – curly Dark Green Boy – Dark Apricot Abstract- brown points – wavy to loose curls White Boy – Blue Merle Abstract – black points – looser curls Turquoise Blue Boy – Blue Merle Abstract – black points – looser curls Brown boy – Cream – black points – curly Yellow Boy – Chocolate – brown points – wavy to looser curls Red Girl – Apricot Abstract – brown points – wavy – looser curls Black Girl – Apricot Abstract – black points – looser curls Grey Girl – Apricot – brown points – curly Fluorescent Green – Blue Merle Abstract – black points – looser curls Purple Girl – Cream Abstract – black points – looser curls Pink Girl -Cream Abstract – black points – looser curls
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
Whelping box will expand with the addition of the litter box attachment
Becoming steadier on their feet
Practicing walking on all fours strengthens their hind legs
Hearing will improve
Puppy milk teeth will erupt
Puppies will be moving to the main floor towards the end of the week
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
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 BoyTurquoise boyDark green boyDark blue boyWhite boyBrown boy
The Girls
Fluorescent Green girlBlack girlPink girlRed girlPurple girlGrey 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 !!!
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
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.
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 kibbleKibble with boiled waterLid on to help kibble absorb watersoften 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 ❤️
