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Seven Weeks of Growing and Learning

Echo’s puppies are now seven weeks old. They have grown so much and continue to learn new things daily. This past week, there have been many firsts for the puppies: exiting the house and reentering, learning to go up and down the steps, a car ride, a vet visit, and running in the Big Yard, to name a few. They have also graduated to eating hard kibble. Feeding time is easy now; measure and pour into their dish.

Becoming More Independent

The puppies are learning daily. They have learned to go outside and back inside independently (without my help).

This video shows their first attempt at going outside on their own. You can hear Maui barking to encourage them😂

The puppies have since become very proficient at going outside on their own.

Working on Recall

Another thing that the puppies have been working on is recall. We start this by calling “puppy, puppy” when feeding them and when it is time to gather at the puppy entrance to bring them back inside. Now that they have access to the Big Yard, we call them to gather them together to ensure all are accounted for. This video shows the puppies coming when called. I was impressed that all the puppies came to me when called!👏👏.

A Visit to the Vet

Wednesday was a big day for the puppies. It was their first car ride and a visit to the vet. It is always exciting when the puppies go to the vet, and they always have so many admirers at our vet clinic.

All the puppies had a complete wellness check, their first vaccinations, and the dreaded microchip. I am happy to report that we only had one Yelp, and all our puppies are healthy!

As usual, I was again complimented on how calm and well-behaved our puppies are. It is fulfilling to hear compliments like this, proving that all the hard work we put into the puppies really does make a difference!

Socialization

Puppy Culture states in #3 & #7 that puppies need lots of human interaction in the critical socialization stage.

#3 Habituation – familiarity with the maximum number of things (Puppy Parties, sound protocols, household noises, meeting different people, dogs, 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.

We have had many human interactions with the puppies. Many grandchildren make an instant Puppy Party and are always willing to help interact with them

Our puppies also benefit from interaction with other dogs in our household. Maui and Willow are helping Echo teach the puppies dog manners. Brinkley is a big dog and shows up occasionally as well.

Willow works with Black Collar Girl

Looking Back at Week Seven

It has been another busy week for the puppies—so many new things to experience.

Things to watch for:

  • Puppies wrestle – important to teach soft mouth and to play nice
  • Interactions with other dogs
  • Interactions with children
  • Running in the big yard
  • Willow teaching the puppy to submit-(laying on its back)
  • Green Girl is perfecting the perfect doodle sleep position😂
  • Car rides
  • Vet visit
  • Dry Kibble
  • Fresh filtered ice water always available 🙂

Looking Ahead to Week Eight

  • Puppies will continue exploring and playing together inside and outdoors as weather permits
  • The puppies will continue to run in the BIG yard where we will work on recall
  • Echo along with our other dogs will continue teaching the puppies dog manners
  • Crate training begins with the door closed for short naps
  • We will continue to encourage puppies to use the potty area 
  • Puppies will continue to get lots of cuddle time
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Willow’s Three Week Old – Such Cuties

Three Weeks Old
Newborn

Puppies grow so quickly, as you can see from the newborn photo of Willow’s puppies compared to their photo at three weeks of age. Willow has done a fantastic job caring for her babies. Feeding, cleaning and keeping the puppies warm is a full-time job.

Willow is a mama who is loving but strict. In the past, she hadn’t babied her puppies. This litter is no exception. On Sunday morning, right on cue, she showed me it was time to start weaning. After breakfast, she returned to her whelping box, and as usual, the puppies were excited to see Mama. Instead of lying down to nurse them, she regurgitated breakfast for her puppies. They were not too interested and wanted Mama’s milk, so I went into the whelping box with Willow and got her to nurse her puppies.

This is not unusual, as some dogs start weaning at three weeks. They know that those sharp baby teeth will soon be in—ouch! 😬

Puppy Culture

This week, the puppies were in the Transitional Period. We continued our ENS exercises, which introduced tiny stresses to the puppies.These stresses benefit our puppies by increasing their tolerance to disease, speeding up their adrenal system, and strengthening their heart rate and heartbeat. Sunday, Day 16, was the final day for our ENS exercises.

Critical Socialization Period (weeks 3 – 12)

The next period for Willow’s three-week-old 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 by exposing them to as many new experiences as possible to raise the best possible companion for their forever families.

Three Weeks Old

This video shows each puppy and its markings.

Note: In the video, I omitted the collar colour of some puppies and made a mistake on the Red Boy. Below, I have the collar colour of each puppy in order of appearance.

THE BOYS: Red, Black, and Blue collars

THE GIRLS: Yellow, Orange, Pink, Purple, Light Green, and Dark Green Collars

A Look Back At week Three

This past week, the puppies have spent most of their time eating and sleeping. They are now starting to interact with their littermates.

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
  • Solids will be introduced
  • Potty training will begin
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Maui’s Two Week Old Beauties

Two weeks old

Two weeks have passed since Maui’s puppies came into the world. They are growing like weeds and getting chunky. Maui is devoted to her babies and is a wonderful mama who cares for their every need.

The Transitional Period

Now that Maui’s puppies are two weeks old, they have entered the Transitional Period from days 14 to 21. Each litter is different, and it 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. This week, Maui’s puppies reached two milestones.

Weigh-In

The puppies’ first milestone this week was Doubling their birth weight. Maui’s puppies were packing on the weight quickly. One puppy doubled on day six, three puppies on day seven, two on day eight, and one on day ten. This is a record for our breeding program. Great job, Maui!

Eyes Opened

Day 10

Another milestone was reached during the week—eye-opening. On day ten, I was excited to notice three of our puppies had opened their eyes: yellow, brown, and green boys. The next day, day eleven, blue and grey boys and orange girls opened their eyes. One day, twelve pink girls’ eyes opened, too.

Seeing the puppies look back at me is always exciting—I think they look more “alive”!

Those Beautiful Eyes

The Boys

Green Boy
Yellow Boy
Grey Boy
Brown Boy

The Girls

Pink Girl
Orange Girl

Looking Back at Week Two

The puppies spend their time eating and sleeping.

Looking Ahead to Week Three

  • ENS exercises will continue until day 16
  • Puppies will continue to eat and sleep most of their day
  • 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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Echo’s Six Week Old Sweeties

Looking back

The puppies are six weeks old today. We have had another busy week caring for them and introducing them to many new things. They have grown bigger, and you can see each unique personality developing. Echo continues to wean her puppies, and they eat softened kibble. We continue to work on Potty training. Some puppies are more consistent than others, but we are making progress.

Crate Introduction

This week, we said goodbye to the whelping box and started crate training in a new puppy area. I start the puppies with a few crates, leaving the door open. This is the beginning of crate training. The puppies go in on their own to explore, and the door is always open.

Selection Day

This past Saturday was Selection Day. The weather was beautiful, and excitement was in the air as we met each forever family and introduced them to their new puppy! It always brings me joy to know that all our puppies are joining such amazing families and will be loved!

Outdoor Play

We’ve been having wonderful weather, and the puppies really enjoy their outdoor play time. They love running, chasing each other, playing with the activity center, and climbing the “rock wall.”

Echo, Willow, and Maui teach the puppies proper doggy manners during the outdoor play sessions.

Looking Ahead to Week 7

  • 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 box
  • Puppies will continue to socialize and learn from each other through play
  • Exploring and playing together outdoors as weather permits
  • Puppies will continue learning from their mama as she disciplines and teaches them to behave
  • As always, puppies will continue to get lots of cuddle time
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Willow’s Puppies Turn Two Weeks Old

The Transitional Period

Willow’s puppies are now two weeks old and have entered 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.

Two week old puppy huddle

Milestones

When raising puppies, we watch for Milestones to gauge the progress of our puppies. This weekWillow’s puppies reached two milestones.

Weigh-In

The first milestone the puppies reached this week was Doubling Their Birthweight. We are pleased to say that all Willow’s puppies have double their birth weight. Great job Willow!

Eyes Opened

Day 11

Another milestone was reached later in the week – Eyes Opening. Puppy’s eyes open between day 10 and day 14. On day 11, I was excited to notice that Yellow Girl had opened her eyes. Seeing the puppies look back at me is always exciting – I think they look more “alive”!

Soon after, and day by day the rest of the puppies opened their eyes too.

Daily Cleaning

As we stated before newborn puppies are susceptible to disease. For this reason, it is important to keep their area clean. We clean and disinfect their whelping box daily.

What is Vet Bedding? At first glance, you may think it is sheepskin. It is a manmade version of a sheepskin. It’s made from artificial fibres and has two sections: first, an underlying mesh, similar to the “skin” part of a sheepskin, and second, the comfy, soft, springy artificial fleece part that is attached to the mesh.

Puppies must have proper traction while nursing, moving around the whelping box, and learning to walk as this traction protects the puppy’s growing joints.

Time to Add a Panel

While cleaning in the whelping room Willow was resting on the elevated bed. I looked over to see some of her puppies had climbed out of their box and were nursing.

It is time to add a panel to the entrance

Looking Back at Week Two

The puppies spend their time eating and sleeping.

DAY 14
Puppies return to a clean whelping box. Notice how the puppies are starting to use their hind legs.

Those Beautiful Eyes

The Boys

Red Boy
Blue Boy
Black Girl

The Girls

Dark Green Girl
Orange Girl
Yellow Girl
Pink Girl
Purple Girl
Light Green Girl

Looking Ahead to Week Three

  • ENS exercises will continue until day 16
  • Puppies will continue to eat and sleep most of their day
  • 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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Maui’s Sweet Babies Turn One Week Old

It is hard to believe that Maui’s puppies are already one week old. Maui and her babies are doing well and growing quickly. Maui is an amazing mama and takes wonderful care of her puppies. She spent the first few days in the whelping box and only left for potty breaks. After a few days, she started taking longer breaks away and even reprised her role as puppy nanny to Echo’s puppies when they started their outdoor playtime.

It was a long time coming. This will be the litter that I will remember for waiting and exercising my patience, Not only did we spend time, eleven months, waiting for Maui to go into heat but she also kept us waiting for her puppies to arrive. Now that it is over, this lovely litter of puppies was worth the wait!

Whelping Day

It is always a day that is full of anticipation and awe. Even though we had two whelps in less than a week, I never tire of the miracle of birth and the instincts God has given animals.

Maui’s labour started early Friday morning, May 9th. She was very clingy and spent her day by our side both inside and out trying to get comfortable and rest.. While I was tending our other two litters, Maui spent the evening with Tom resting on the couch. He informed me that he was sure she would have a puppy any minute because she was panting so much.

Time is Near

Tail Wrapped

When the time gets close for delivery, I wrap the mama’s tail with a compression wrap. This helps to keep her tail clean during whelping. 

We took Maui to the whelping box just after 11 pm when it was apparent that her time was getting close. She was very restless and nervous going in and out of the whelping box. I sat inside the whelping box with Maui while Tom sat outside the entrance. We tried to keep Maui calm and reassure her. After about 30 minutes of pushing, Maui’s first puppy arrived at midnight. It was a lovely red male weighing 325 grams.

Maui settled into caring for her new arrival and her labour continued more calmly. Over the next 90 minutes, Maui delivered four more puppies. She now had three boys and two girls.

Because I was only able to see five puppies on her last ultrasound, I was guessing that her labour was finished. So I told Tom to go to bed and I would stay up to care for Maui. As can happen in whelps, her labour took an hour’s pause as she relaxed and concentrated on caring for her babies. Then to my surprise, Maui delivered two more male puppies. One arrived at 2:37 and the last puppy arrived at 3:11.

First Time Mama

Maui being a first-time mama, was nervous just before delivering her first puppy. But, after the first puppy arrived, she relaxed and settled into care for him and things continued to go smoothly.

When all was said and done, she had seven puppies in four and a half hours. Well done Maui!

Clean Up Time

Next was cleaning time because as you can imagine, whelping is a messy job. I cleaned everything up and sanitized the whelping box. Now that everything was clean, it was time to take pictures before Mama and the babies settled back in the whelping box to nurse and sleep.

This was an early morning whelp so, as you can imagine, by the next evening we were all tired from lack of sleep.

Maui has had lots of practice in raising puppies because she helped our other girls with their puppies. She is already doing a great job with her babies. We are looking forward to watching Maui raise her puppies and seeing them grow!

Settling into a Routine

Neonatal Period

Newborn puppies are in the Neonatal Period. During this time, they spend their days eating and sleeping. Willow has done an amazing job caring for her new babies. I have been pleased at our daily weigh-in and I’m happy to say that they have all been gaining weight steadily. 

ENS

On Monday, day three we began our ENS exercises. These exercises are done daily from day 3 – day 16. Through ENS, we introduce little stresses to the puppies which has been proven to produce calmer puppies. It also produces greater tolerance to stress, greater disease resistance, a faster adrenal system, a stronger heart rate and stronger heartbeats. 

Socialization

We handle our puppies from birth for daily cuddles in addition to ENS. This is to make them comfortable with the human touch early in their life.

Puppies Returning to Whelping Box

Looking Back at Week One

Sleep, eat, and more sleep. Did you know that newborn puppies sleep more than 22 hours a day?

LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK TWO

  • Much the same as week one – Eat, Sleep, Repeat!
  • Puppies will continue growing rapidly 
  • Puppies still crawl; hind legs will become stronger
  • Contunie ENS
  • Eyes should begin to open towards the end of the week – so exciting !!!

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Echo’s sweet babies are now five weeks old

Echo’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 longer periods and enjoy playing with each other, and their toys, and cuddle time. We can now see their personalities starting to 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. For instance, the puppies have been introduced to this week are different floor surfaces, new toys, the outside, and our other adult dogs.

Potty Training

We have been working hard on training puppies to use the potty box. Some of the puppies are more consistent than others but, all the puppies are making great progress. It’s amazing to watch puppies wake up or stop playing and go over to use their potty box.

Meal Time

The puppies are always excited when they smell the food being prepared.

Now the puppies are eating three meals a day of soggy kibble.

The puppies are still nursing from their mama any chance they get but Echo limits this and is beginning to tell them “NO” with a stern growl! They also get plenty of fresh filtered water

Puppy Parties

Family gatherings are one of the many things I love about our large family . This past Mother’s Day weekend was a busy one; to help me out with puppy cuddles, we built a Puppy Party to socialize the puppies with different people. The puppies were held, cuddled and played with by both young and old. They especially love playing with my grandchildren and interacting with them. As you can imagine, after all the handling, the puppies were tired out and slept well

Outside Adventure

The puppies had their first taste of the outdoors yesterday. During this time, it is always and exciting time to watch how they explore. Our mama dogs love to have their puppies outside because it give them a larger area to teach them.

Echo spent time with her puppies making sure they felt save.

Looking Ahead to Week Six

  • Awake time will continue to increase
  • Puppies will continue learning to use potty box both indoor and outdoors
  • Socialize with each other through play
  • As they walk on uneven ground, their balance will continue to improve
  • 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
  • Puppies will meet their forever families ❤️
  • As always, puppies will get lots of cuddle time.

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Willow’s Puppies Turn One Week Old

I am a day late getting Willow’s puppies weekly post out because we were extra busy this weekend celebrating Mother’s Day. The week passes by quickly when raising puppies but, this last week was even more so because we not only had to look after newborn puppies but also had another whelp (Maui’s) on Friday!

Week One

One-week old puppy huddle

Whelping Day

It is a day that is full of anticipation and awe. I never tire of the miracle of birth and the instincts God has given animals. Willow started the day refusing to eat breakfast which is a sign that she is going into labour. As the rest of the day progressed it was apparent this was the day her puppies would arrive. She slept both inside and out and followed me everywhere. Early afternoon Willow became more restless so we decided to take her upstairs and spend time in the whelping room.

Tail Wrapped

When time gets close for delivery, I wrap the mama’s tail with compression wrap. This helps to keep her tail clean during whelping.

Finally, at 3:57 pm, Willow’s first puppy arrived into the world. It was a cream female and she quickly tended to her new baby. Following, over the next two and a half hours she delivered five more puppies at regular intervals. These puppies were also all girls. Wow, six girls in a row; were we going to get any boys? Forty-Five minutes later, Willow delivered her first boy followed by another boy just eleven minutes apart.

Willow then settled in to care for her eight newborns. Then, after a hour whelping pause, she deliveried her last puppy, a beautiful black male.

Next was cleaning time because as you can image, whelping is a messy job. I washed Willow with a warm wet cloth, then cleaned and sanitized the whelping box. Now that everything was clean, it was time to take a few pictures before Mama and babies settled back in the whelping box to nurse and sleep. I was thankful that we had an afternoon whelp because it makes it easier to function when you don’t lose a nights sleep😂

Willow had a smooth whelp, delivering nine puppies in four and a half hours. Well done Willow!

Congratulations Willow and Brinkley on another gorgeous litter of puppies with a variety of colours of cream, apricot and black abstracts and stunning Blue and Chocolate Merles!

They produce amazing puppies because of Willow’s strict puppy rearing skills and Brinkley’s wonderful, calm, laidback disposition.

We are looking forward to seeing these puppies grow!

A gorgeous litter with a variety of colours and patterns

Settling into a Routine

Neonatal Period

Newborn puppies are in the Neonatal Period. During this time, they spend their days eating and sleeping. Willow has done an amazing job caring for her new babies. I have been pleased at our daily weigh-in’s and I’m happy to say that they have all been gaining weight steadily.

ENS

On Wednesday, day three we began our ENS exercises. These exercises are done daily from day 3 – day 16. Through ENS, we introduce little stresses to the puppies which has been proven to produce calmer puppies. It also produces greater tolerance to stress, greater resistance to disease, faster adrenal system, stronger heart rate and stronger heartbeats.

Socialization

Part of raising well-adjusted puppies is socialization. We handle our puppies from birth. When our mama’s are comfortable, we start to let others cuddle the puppies too. Having a large family with 12 grandchildren makes for a built in Puppy Party. Willow was tolerant with people holding her puppies so, they received lots of socialization this weekend. This is because my grandchildren are always excited and willing to help cuddle the puppies🥰.

Looking Back at Week One

`Sleep, eat, and more sleep. Newborn puppies sleep more than 22 hours a day!

Puppies Returning to Whelping Box

After the daily whelping box cleaning and disinfecting, we returned the puppies to their clean whelping box. Turn the sound up to hear their adorable puppy noises❤️ (6 girls returned first followed by 3 boys)

LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK TWO

  • Much the same as week one – Eat, Sleep, Repeat!
  • Puppies will continue growing rapidly 
  • Puppies still crawl; hind legs will become stronger
  • Contunie ENS
  • Eyes should begin to open towards the end of the week – so exciting !!!
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Four Weeks Has Passed So Quickly! 🐾

Four weeks has passed so quickly! It always amazes me how quickly the puppies go from the helpless newborns that crawl, can’t see or hear to the active four-week-old puppies they are today. Echo’s puppies have grown so much and are experiencing and learning each day. It has been another busy week for sure!

Potty Training Started

The puppies are now able to void without the help of their mother, so it is important to begin potty training. Because puppies have a natural instinct to move away from their sleeping area when they need to go, I want the puppies to begin learning “where to go” before they start on solids.

 It is important that puppies start learning that they cannot “go” just anywhere. So, we teach them “there is an acceptable place to go potty”. Teaching them this at a young age will prevent them from developing bad habits that later need to be broken. This effort on our part will benefit forever families by making housebreaking easier for them when they go to their forever homes.

New Whelping Box

Recently we purchased a New Whelping box from PetTech Solutions . This was another big investment but well worth the money. The Whelping box is made in Canada with extremely durable and safe HDPE 2 food-grade plastic. HDPE 2 is a durable, non-toxic material that is commonly used for food preparation items, such as cutting boards and food storage containers.

What I loved about this whelping box was the ability to enlarge it with an extension box.

On Thursday we set up the extension box. Then we added the potty boxes with pine pellets to the extension which now becomes the puppies potty training area.

Next it was time to remove the door that separates the two areas. Soon after, Echo’s puppies were curious and one by one checked things out.

.

The puppies are doing well with their potty training. When they are kept in a small area (their whelping box) their success rate is higher because they don’t want to soil the area they play and sleep. This will be the same when they go to their forever homes. Too much room to roam equals more accidents.

Moving to the Main Floor

Saturday was a big day for our puppies because they left their warm quiet room where they have been since birth and moved to the main floor.

When we moved the puppies, we put the puppies into a Laundry Basket and made three trips to the main floor where their whelping box was set up waiting.

This move was a less stressful for Echo’s litter than my other litters. This is because the puppies had already been using the potty box extension for a few days. But unfortunately not for Echo as she was the one that was a little stressed. Soon Echo’s puppies settled into their new area and started experiencing living in a home with all the noises that go on in a busy household.

Puppies Start Solids

The puppies started solids on Monday. We usually start our litters on solids. when they are four weeks old but, with such a large litter it can take its toll on Echo. I gave her a hand by supplementing formula the last of couple days, Saturday and Sunday. The puppies did a great job and lapped it up eagerly.

On Monday I added ground kibble to their puppy formula. They ate it up but not before putting their paws in it. When they were done, we had very dirty puppies with full tummy’s.

Oops….not Willow

Oops, Credit goes to Echo, not Willow as I mistakenly said in the video. Sorry Echo, you have done an amazing job and deserve all the credit!!! I was tired and I had Willow on my mind after whelping her litter – 😂

Exploring Outside the Whelping Box

The puppies experience new things daily which helps build their confidence. I always find it interesting to watch how the puppies approach new things. When you observe you see some puppies are more outgoing and dive in while others stay back and need extra encouragement.

When it was time for the puppies to go to the play area I removed the door and let the puppies come out on their own. Notice in the video two of the puppies took longer to come out and explore. Without a doubt, Dark Blue Boy and Dark Green Boy were less adventurous. It took them awhile before they joined their littermates outside the whelping box.

The puppies had a great first adventure and Echo loved interacting with her babies! When play time was over, we had some tire puppies so, back to the whelping box for a nap.

Nothing puts a smile on your face easier than a lap full of puppies 😃
Puppies first adventure outside the whelping box.

Puppy Monitor

Now that the puppies have left the upstairs where we have cameras on the Whelping Box, we have a monitor set up to keep an eye on the puppies when we go outside.

We enjoy our morning coffee on the front porch with our puppy monitor

Looking Ahead to Week Five

  • Puppies will continue learning to use potty area
  • Awake time will increase
  • The puppies will continue to socialize with each other through play 
  • Toys will be added to our whelping box for puppies to explore
  • Enlarging the puppy area, giving puppies room to play and explore
  • Mama will now add the invaluable teaching phase to her caring & protecting responsibilities over the next weeks.
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Echo ‘s Adorable Three Week Old Babies

Three Weeks Old

Looking Back

Echo’s babies are now three weeks old. This week the puppies have been progressing rapidly. Their vision is improving, their ears are now opened and they are beginning to hear and react to sounds. The puppies are now walking on all fours with a cute wobbly gait.

Door Added

The puppies are more aware of their surroundings and have begun to play with each other during their short “awake” time. During this time, they have become quite noisy as they practice their vocalizing. Echo’s puppies are becoming more adventurous indeed as they attempt to climb out of the whelping box. So, to keep everybody safe inside, we added a second panel the entrance.

Growing Daily

Echo has done a great job caring for her puppies. Ten puppies is a large litter and I’m amazed at how quickly these sweet babies have grown. Because they have done so well, we are now weighing them weekly.

Our Red Girl is still our smallest puppy and we have continued to supplement her nursing with puppy formula. I still weigh her daily to chart her progress. This sweet girl has become so accustom to me feeding her. Whenever I pick her up she thinks it is time for her bottle.

Dedicated Mama

This week while Echo was in the whelping box feeding her puppies, I was working at the desk in our Puppy Room . As usually, I had two puppies in the waiting basket just outside the whelping box.

When I looked over to check on things, I got a surprise!. I don’t know if I took too long to put the waiting puppies back into the whelping box but Echo didn’t want her babies left out. She had gone into the Waiting Basket to feed the two puppies. 😂 Now that is one dedicated mama!

Puppy Culture

This week the puppies were in the Transitional Period. We continued our ENS exercises which cause tiny stresses in order to benefit our puppies with greater tolerance to stress, greater resistance to disease, faster adrenal system, stronger heart rate and stronger heartbeat. Friday 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 Echo’s puppies is the Critical Socialization Period. We know that puppies have entered into this period because they now react to sounds. We raise our puppies following many of the Puppy Culture protocols. Following these protocols helps us reach our goal “To Raise Healthy, Calm, Confident, Well-Adjusted Puppies“.

Over the remaining weeks we will be working on lots of new experiences for the puppies by exposing them to as many different things as possible in 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 to young puppies and start them on a great beginning. With this intention we follow the following 7 key things that will nurture the emotional intelligence of a puppy.

  1. Communication – giving a puppy his own voice i.e. Communication Trinity: power up clicker, box game, manding and attention/distraction protocols
  2. Emotional stability – the ability to recover easily 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 as well as meeting different people and dogs.
  4. 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.
  5. 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, vet health checks and vaccinations)
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. Shaping emotional responses: happy and calm CER (Conditioned Emotional Responses). For instance, treats and encouragement during puppy training.

Aware of Their Surroundings

This week the puppies have become more aware of their surroundings. The video shows them eating, sleeping and now interacting with their littermates. Through these interactions, the puppies begin learning dog manners. These interactions are short as the puppies still spend most of their time eating and sleeping.

Looking Ahead to Week Four

  • Puppies will still sleep much of the day/night as they continue to grow rapidly
  • Interacting with littermates through play which will help develop important social skills
  • Practicing walking on all fours and consequently strengthening their hind legs and steadier on their feet
  • Puppy milk teeth will erupt
  • Puppies will be moving to the main floor towards the end of the week