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Our Adorable Five Week Old Puppies

Our adorable puppies are now five weeks old and continue to learn. Without a doubt, the most important thing that they have been working on this week is potty training. extension to our whelping box has been helpful in our effort to teach the puppies to void in one place. All the hard work is paying off because the puppies have made great progress in this area. That being said, they still have some work to do because they are not always consistent when they are given a larger area during their play time. All in all, I am very pleased at their progress!

HAPPY 65TH BIRTHDAY TOM

Our weekly post is a day late because yesterday when the puppies turned five weeks of age, we had a birthday party for my husband Tom. We had the family over for a party to celebrate with lots of food and fellowship.

As you can see from the photo it was a BIG number for him and he is now officially a senior. Although he is getting older, you would never guess it because Tom never stops. He takes after his dad who turns 90 in a couple weeks. . At almost 90, Tom’s dad never stops either. For example, if you need help with a project you can always count on Tom’s dad’s expertise as a master carpenter. On Thursday, Tom and his dad put in a full day building a workbench and shelving in our garage. I’m hoping Tom is as bless as he father with good health at 90.

Puppy Party

As I have previously mentioned, we raise our puppies using The Puppy Culture Protocols. During the Critical Socialization Stage that the puppies are currently in, here are 7 key things that will nurture the emotional intelligence of a puppy. #3 on our list is Habituation – to familiarity the puppies with the maximum number of things. For example , Puppy Parties, sound protocols, household noises , meeting other dogs, and different people different.

When raising a litter of puppies, it is important to introduce them to as many things as possibly. One way to accomplish this is raising our puppies in a home setting because the puppies become accustomed to the noises of a busy household.

Another way is to exposure the puppies to people of all ages. So, during the Birthday party, we had a built in “Puppy Party”. Throughout the evening,, the puppies interacted with people of all ages. Indeed, it was easy for lots of socialization with the 10 children all wanting to take their turn. Without doubt, every one enjoyed playing with and cuddling our puppies.

Puppy Party
*Our puppies are exposed to children of different ages. Look how gentle they are interacting with my two year old grandson.
*Listen to my other grandchildren in the background. They were so excited that one of the puppies went to the potty box.
*Did you hear the “GOOD GIRL” and then 👏👏👏clapping for the puppy’s success? What a smart puppy!

One on One Time

One on one time is a daily occurrence for our puppies. I love to sit on the couch with a coffee and cuddle with a puppy. This morning after a few minutes of cuddling, our Black Parti boy decided he didn’t want to sit on my lap anymore. He got off, walked around the couch, and decided that the pillows were a great spot for a snooze 🥰

Outdoor Adventure

One of the highlights raising our puppies is introducing them to the outdoors. This happened today when the puppies are introduced to the outdoors. So, now that they are 5 weeks old, as weather permits, they have daily outdoor exercise playing with their litter mates, exploring and learning about the world around them.

It is important to note that the next few weeks are a vital part of their learning experience. During this time they are taught social skills by their mother along with our other adult dogs and their littermates.

When I took the puppies outside I put each puppy out in the Potty Box. Even though we are outside, I still want to teach them to go in one spot. Often when the puppies have a large area, they don’t alway go to the potty box. I was impressed as I saw many of the puppies head over and go into the box 🙂

Looking Ahead to Week Six

  • Puppies awake time will continue to increase
  • Puppies will continue learning to use potty potty
  • Puppies will continue to socialize with each other through play
  • Puppies will have daily outdoor playtime as weather permits
  • Puppies will continue learning from their mama and our other dogs as she disciplines them and teaches them proper dog manners 
  • As always, puppies will continue to get lots of cuddle time.
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Willow’s Babies Turn Four Weeks Old

Willow’s babies turn four weeks old today and are growing bigger with each passing day.

The Girls

The Boys

Looking Back

A lot has happened this past week! For instance, a move, potty training, and the addition of Solids added to the food to name a few. Although the puppies still sleep much of the day, when they are awake, they love socializing with their littermates through play and welcome the company of humans.

Moving to the Main Floor

Tuesday 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.

We put the puppies in a container and carried them to the main floor. Their Whelping box was set up waiting for them as well as the addition of a potty box. As you can image, change can be a little stressful. In fact, the puppies were all whining as they were checking out their new home.

Being the attentive mama, and hearing the stress of her babies, Willow quickly joined her puppies in the whelp box and reassured then that everything was fine by feeding them.

Finally, our puppies settled into their new area and began the experience of living in a home with all the noises that goes on in a busy household.

Puppies Start Solids

Although I consider all our girls great mama’s, just as human mothers different in parenting styles, the same holds true for dogs.

I have helped four of our girls raise their litters and have noticed that each mama has a little different style. Willow is my “Strict Mama“. Although she loves and cares for her babies, she certainly doesn’t baby them.

So, because Willow is the Strict Mama, it is no surprise that Willow always starts to wean her puppies early. This was apparent when I woke up Tuesday morning and went to check on the puppies. Because I saw a large area on the vet bedding had been soiled, I knew the reason why. It was apparent that Willow decided it was now time to wean her babies. She had regurgitated her food for them during the night.

Potty Training Begins

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. Willow didn’t allow me the head start though. Nevertheless, we began potty training after they had eaten their first meal of regurgitated food.

For the first few days after the puppy move to the main floor, I spend my time moving the puppies to the potty area when they wake and after they eat. It is important that puppies start learning that they cannot “go” 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.

Extension to the Whelping Box

On my wish list for the past couple years has been to have an addition to the whelping box for the purpose of a potty area. Previously we used fencing for the potty area, but it is sometime problematic.

Thursday was exciting for me because my wish came true. My husband Tom made the addition for my whelping box.

Now the puppies have an extension to their whelping box that contains their potty boxes. Finally, no more fencing and the puppies are safely contained in their new extended whelping box.

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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Willow’s Beautiful Three Weeks Old Puppies

Three Week Old Puppies

Looking Back

Willow’s beautiful three weeks old puppies have been progressing rapidly this week. Not only do they continue to gain weight and grow bigger with each passing day, but their eyes opened fully and their vision is improving. Also, the puppies’ ears have started to opened and they are beginning to hear.

The puppies are more aware of their surroundings and have begun to play with each other during their short “awake” time. During this awake time, they have become quite noisy as they practice their vocalizing. The puppies still sleep much of their day/night.

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. Sunday 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 Willow’s three week old 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. 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 new experiences for the puppies by exposing them to as many new experiences 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 from 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, if necessary, 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.

Look at Willow’s Three Week Old Puppies

In this video we show each puppy and their markings.

  • Listen for the puppies starting to vocalize with little barks and growls.
  • Notice the puppies are starting to seek out human attention by crawling on my lap.

Aware of Their Surroundings

This week the puppies have become more aware of their surroundings. The video shows them interacting with their littermates. Because of this interaction, the puppies begin learning dog manners.

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
  • Practicing walking on all fours and consequently strengthening their hind legs
  • Becoming steadier on their feet
  • Hearing will improve 
  • Puppy milk teeth will erupt
  • Puppies will be moving to the main floor towards the end of the week
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Look at Willow’s Puppies Two Week Old Puppies

Two week old puppies still spend most of the time sleeping

Two Weeks Old Today

Our puppies are now two-weeks-old and are progressing very well. We have had another busy week caring for Willow and her puppies. There is lots keep us busy while raising puppies such as ENS, cleaning, weighing, and laundry just to name a few.

Willow is a great mama because she continues to be protective and attentive as she cares for her little ones.

Willow resting on her elevated bed just outside the whelping box

Puppy Socialization

Experiencing Love 

One of our goals while raising puppies it to teach them to seek out the company of both dogs and humans as emotionally positive experiences.

This is why we handle our puppies as soon as their mamas feel comfortable along with giving them all daily cuddles. At two weeks old, our puppies have already experienced much socialization. In addition to me personally handling the puppies, on Sunday some of my grandchildren helped me cuddle he puppy. Not only did my grandchildren get their puppy fix but the puppies are also getting accustomed to different people holding them. As a result, the puppies were tired from all the interactions.

Introduction of Other Dogs

Part of our puppy raising process is to involve our other dogs in the process. This is done slowly because we must look to the mother to know when she is comfortable to let her babies have visitors.

On Thursday morning Willow allowed our dogs to have a peak at her babies while she was having some breakfast in the Whelping Room. Ellie who is Willow’s bestie, was able to come right over to the whelping box for a close up look in but Ruska, Maui and Nova had to look from afar. Eventually Willow also allowed Maui a closer look too.

MILESTONES REACHED BY TWO WEEKS OLD

During the first two weeks of a puppy’s life, it is important to look for milestones to confirm that they are doing well. So, as you can imagine, Monday was an exciting day for us because Willow’s puppies reached two milestones on the same day.

Doubling Birthweight

On Monday, some of the puppies reached their first milestone because they doubled their birthweight. Although puppies usually double their birthweight between day 10 and day 14, with a larger litter sometimes it makes it a little more challenging to reach this milestone. Everything considered, Willow is doing an amazing job feeding her babies because four of the puppies doubled their birthweight on day ten with the rest of the litter doubling over the next couple days. With all that eating and sleeping they puppies can’t help but grow.

The puppies are doing well at their daily weigh-in

Puppies Eyes Open

In addition to the weight milestone, we were excited to see one of Willow’s puppies reach another milestone on Monday. I look forward to this milestone from whelping day. Since puppy’s eyes open between day 10 and day 14, I started looking for this on Monday which was Day 10. This litter didn’t keep me waiting because when I checked each puppy out that morning, I could see our cream-coloured puppy’s eyes beginning to open. It is always so exciting when I see the puppies looking back at me!

Even though we had one puppy open their eyes on day 10, I had to wait a couple more days for some of the other puppies’ eye’s starting to open. By day 13, all the puppies’ eyes had started to open except our bigger Apricot Parti Boy. Today, Day 14, our last puppy’s eyes started to open.

Monday – Day 10
Tuesday – Day 11

Our Cream-Coloured Girl was the first puppy to open her eyes. See the difference from Monday to Tuesday.

Neonatal Period: Day 0-14 

The first 12 weeks of a puppy’s life are incredibly important. This is an almost magical time when a breeder has the power to change the outcome of a puppy’s life by what we choose to teach them. Consequently, by doing just the right things at just the right time, we can give the puppies the best start possible.

Early Neurological Stimulation

This week we continued our ENS Exercises with the puppies. As we have previously mentioned, ENS 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. The 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.

Transitional Period @ Two weeks old

Now that the puppies’ eyes have opened, they have entered the Transitional Period. Every puppy is different so “Behavioural Markers” are used to identify the beginning and end of each developmental period. These timelines are simply guidelines. The transitional period (approximately Day 14 – 21) begins when the puppy’s eyes open and ends when they first startle upon hearing sounds.

GROWING STRONGER

Becoming More Active

The puppies have gained strength in their hind legs and are moving around the whelping box faster. This was quite apparent when I went to check on the puppies and found one puppy on the floor. He had climb out of the whelping box and was now lost and crying. So, the time had come to add a panel to the entrance of the whelping box.

One of our Apricot Parti Boys crawled out of the whelping box.
A door panel was added to the entrance to keep all the puppies safe inside.

Learning to Walk on All Fours

When puppies are born, they move around the whelping box doing an army crawl because their hind legs need to gain strength before they can support their body weight.

This video shows Willow’s puppies practicing walking on all fours. As you can see, even though they are very wobbly all the puppies are making great progress.

Looking Ahead to Week Three

  • Puppies will continue to eat and sleep most of their day
  • Sight will slowly improve
  • Vision will become clearer
  • Ears will start to open and they will begin to hear 
  • Practice walking on all fours, strengthening their hind legs
  • Grow stronger and more mobile 
  • Become more aware and start to interact with their litter-mates
  • Start to vocalize
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Willow Puppies – Week One

Willow’s precious puppies are now one week old. We have had a busy week caring for Willow and helping her care for her babies.

Looking Back

Whelping Day

I am always in awe when I puppies are born and to see the instincts God has give to animals. They know just what to do to birth and care for their newborns. Willow did a great job whelping her puppies.

On Thursday evening (October 19th), it was apparent that Willow was preparing to have her puppies.

Now that my daughter is married, I decided to turn her bedroom into my Puppy Room which is where we now set up the Whelping Box. My husband kept the other dogs in our bedroom for the night and I slept in the puppy room with Willow. I didn’t get much sleep that night as I woke many times to Willow digging in her whelping box. This is a sign that puppies are on their way.

When morning came Willow followed me everywhere as we went about our day waiting for puppies. By late afternoon, Willow and I went to the Family Room to relax, watch some T.V. and rest. When I knew that the puppies would soon arrive, we moved to the Whelping Box.

Whelping Begins

Labor progressed and at 7:20pm Willow’s first puppy arrived, a girl weighing 376 gram. Things moved very quickly with the last puppy, a girl arriving at 9:35 pm weighting 411 grams. Over the sort period of 135 minutes Willow delivered nine puppies; 4 boy, and 5 girls.

The next few hours, we spent cleaning Willow and the whelping box, putting fresh vet bedding in and making sure mama and babies were doing well. Willow was tired after a job well done.

CARING FOR WILLOW

It is important to care for our mama’s so that they in turn can care for their babies. It starts at Prenatal care feeding high quality food and continues postnatal care.

Mothers Pudding

We made a special treat for Willow to eat called Mothers Pudding. It is full of protein and calcium to give her energy and help her regain her strength. All our mama’s love this pudding and are willing to eat this even if they are not ready to eat anything else yet.

We also put our mama dogs on a supplement called Оху Momma which is a postnatal Vitamin that supports lactation and recovery.  High quality food and plenty of fresh water is a must to produce milk to feed her nine babies. Willow 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 mothers first milk called 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, the first twelve hours after birth it is vital for the puppies to nurse frequently and build up their passive immunity. (Passive immunity is the short-term immunity which results from the introduction of antibodies from the puppy’s mother. Compare 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 have to rely on “smell” and “touch” to find their mother. Puppies are born with a natural instinct to nurse but as the days pass, they have become more proficient at it. The puppies are now experts at nursing! As you watch the video below, listen to the cute little sounds the puppies make as they nurse – so precious !

Willow is attentive mama. She has a large litter of nine puppies and is doing an amazing job feeding her babies.

The first two week of the puppies lives, we weigh them daily and keep records to track their progress. All the puppies are doing very well and gaining weight daily. Good job Willow!

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A WEEK MAKES

See how they grown newborn on left; one week old on the right

KEEPING WARM

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

As the days past, Willow started leaving her babies for longer periods of time. Even though she now spends more time outside the whelping box, she regularly heads back in to check, clean and feed her puppies. When she is away, the puppies snuggle together with a buddy or two to help keep warm.

Willow has an evaluated bed just outside the whelping box where she can rest while still keeping an eye on her puppies.

 Neonatal Period 

The puppies are in the Neonatal Period which is from day 0 to day 14. During this period, puppies spend their time eating and sleeping. On Monday, day 3, we began ENS exercises (Early Neurological Stimulation) which will continue through until day 16. We preform ENS daily during our weigh-in time. Research shows these tiny struggles and stresses in small doses are good for puppies. Research shows that benefits from ENS 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 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. I am blessed with a large family that love to hold our puppies. 

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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Introducing Willow’s Puppies

Introducing Willow’s beautiful litter of puppies. We have five beautiful girls and four handsome boys in a variety of colours and patterns.

The Girls

Cream born @ 7:20 pm weighing 376 grams
Blue Merle Parti born @ 8:14 pm weighing 417 grams
Chocolate Abstract born @ 8:30 pm weighing 354 grams
Black Parti born @ 9:14 pm weighing 361 grams
Blue Merle Abstract born @ 9:35 pm weighing 411 grams

The Boys

Apricot Parti born @ 7:32 pm weighing 382 grams
Black Parti born @ 7:45 pm weighing 399 grams
Chocolate Merle Abstract born @ 8:05 pm weighing 393 grams
Apricot Parti born @ 8:56 pm weighing 300 grams
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Our Eight Week Old Cuties Are Learning So Much

eight weeks old

And learning so much

Ellie’s puppies are now eight weeks old. They have had another busy week and progressed so much!

Lots of new experience for our puppies helps us reach our goal – to raise healthy, calm, confident, well-adjusted puppies.

OUR GOAL
To Raise Healthy, Calm, Confident, Well-Adjusted Puppies
Pink collar girl
Purple collar girl
Red collar boy
Orange collar boy
Yellow collar boy
Blue collar boy

It is always amazing to see what a difference a week make in young puppies’ lives. Remember last week when the puppies were learning to go outside on their own.? They were trying to get up the courage to step down.

See how far the puppies have come. Watch the puppies going outside. The first video is at normal speed and the second is in slow mode so you can see how well the puppies are moving.

Puppies exit normal speed
Puppies exit slow mode
What a difference a week makes!

LOTS TO LEARN

RUNNING IN THE BIG YARD

✓Play, Explore & Exercise ✓Learning from Mama ✓Interacting with other Adult Dogs ✓Learning to submit ✓Working on Recall

SO MUCH FUN TO RUN

This week was so exciting for the puppies. They have now experienced running in the big yard. Our yard is like a dog park with so many places to explore, lots of room to run, and our other adult dogs to interact with.

This is an important time for the puppies development. In addition to play, this is an opportunity for Ellie and our other adult dogs to teach the puppies proper dog manners.

Running With Mama

TEACHING TO SUBMIT

An important lesson for the puppies to learn is To Submit. The goal is to get the puppy to lay still on their back in the submit position. Some puppies are very quick to submit, and others don’t want to co-operate and need more work.

Maui was working with Pink Collar Girl trying to make her listen and submit. Then Willow joined in t o try and help. Pink collar girl was being stubborn and wouldn’t co-operate. She was struggling – listen to her “complaining”!

Mama Ellie took over the lesson – Pink Collar Girl finally listened to mama and settled quietly and laid still in the submit position.

Teaching puppy to submit

It may appear cruel to some but, these lessons are important. It teaches the puppy that they are not in charge. They need to listen to authority.

This will benefit Forever Families when you take your puppy home. Dogs are “pack animals” and your puppy is at the bottom of your family pack. Adults and children are above and the puppy must listen your authority.

WORKING ON RECALL

Recall is something that the forever families will continue to work on when they take their puppy home. Teaching your puppy recall is something that needs to be worked on over a long period of time. It takes lots of time, practice, and patience.

We have been working on recall for a couple weeks now. It begins when we call the puppies to go from their sleep area to their play area on their own. We have also practiced recall when it is time for the puppies to go outside on their own.

Now that the puppies are running in the big yard exploring, it is the perfect time to work on recall from a distance . While the puppies are dispersed and exploring, I use the Puppy Call to gather them to me. I call “Puppy, Puppy” and wait for them to come. Sometimes the puppies are doing something more interesting and don’t respond but at this age, they usually come running because the love the attention, praise, pats, and cuddles I reward them with when they come.

ANOTHER NEW EXPERIENCE

POOL PARTY

INTRODUCING WATER

Both Poodles and Golden Retrievers are “water retrievers” so it isn’t any surprise that Goldendoodles also love water. With this week’s hot weather, I decided to take the opportunity to introduce the puppies to water.

Water introduction is something that you don’t want to rush. You could traumatize the puppy if you force them into water. We put some water in our plastic pool. The ground that the pool was on was sloped which allowed shallow water on one side of the pool and no water on the other side.

TIME TO LET THE PUPPIES EXPLORE

I then let the puppies explore the pool on their own. All the puppies were interested in the water. We had three puppies go into the pool on their own (Purple, Yellow and Orange) and the other three puppies watched with excitement on the sidelines. Maui and Willow even got into the action.

(FYI – unlike most poodles, Mama Ellie doesn’t like water )

All the puppies had a great time!

New Puppy Sleep Area

CRATE TRAINING CONTINUES

TIME TO CLOSE THE DOOR

This past week we rearrange the puppies’ sleep area. We set up six crates in the puppies sleep area. Each puppy will now have their own crate. Up until now the puppies could freely go in and out of the crate whenever they chose..All the puppies have explored the crates during play time and some puppies even choose to take a nap in the crate with a buddy or on their own.

This week we moved forward with our crate training…. time to close the door.

The new puppy sleep area – Notice we have covered the crates with a blanket and put a blanket inside their crate. So cozy!

FIRST CRATE TRAINING SESSION

We put each puppy in their own crate and give them a few small treats. Giving them treats when they go into their crates helps the puppies associate the crate as something good! They should think of the crate as their safe place.

I took these short videos during the first session of crate training with the door closed.

First video: Listen to some of the puppies complaining.

Next video: After about five minutes the puppies had settled. Some had fallen asleep, and others just sat quietly. Eventually all the puppies fell asleep.

Quiet Puppies – YEAH – Good Job!!!

I am very pleased with the progress the puppies have made. We put the puppies in their crate each afternoon for a nap. They quickly settle and sleep for about two hours. When nap time is over, I go to the puppies’ sleep area to let them out. It is amazing to see all the puppies wait quietly while I open each crate door.

Beginning crate training with the breeder helps the puppies become accustomed to their crates. This will make the transition easier on the puppies when the go to their forever homes.

A LOOK BACK

The puppies have learned so much – This video takes a look back at the past week.

Lots to experience

LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK NINE

  • Daily Outdoor play time as weather permits
  • Puppies will continue to socialize with each other through play
  • Puppies will continue to learn dog manners from Mama and other adults dogs
  • Puppies visit the vet for their wellness check-up, first shots and, micro-chip
  • Puppies start to head to the forever home
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See Ellie’s Adorable Seven Week Old Puppies

Seven Weeks Old

Ellie’s puppies are growing and learning new things with each passing day

SO ADORABLE

The puppies have had another busy week experiencing many NEW things. They continue to grow bigger and more adorable each day. The puppies are full of energy and curious about everything. They love outdoor play time where they get lots of exercise running and playing with their littermates. The puppies are still getting a milk snack from Ellie which they never turn down. Ellie is such a good mama and is slowly weaning them. The puppies have now made the transition to eating dry kibble puppy food which they get three times a day. It’s no wonder they are packing on the weight LOL!

new area for puppies to explore

INDOOR PLAY AREA

This week we set up a play area for the puppies. This area includes potty box, crates, toys, and an Activity Centre. The puppies always have fun exploring the Activity Centre. This area is separate from the puppies’ sleep area so, when the weather doesn’t co-operate, we have a change of scenery in the new play area.

LEARNING NEW THINGS

THE STEPS

The puppies are always learning. Not only do we want to build strong bodies, but we also want to build strong minds. Every day is a new opportunity to build our puppies minds by introducing something new. On Monday of last week, the puppies had the challenge of “Learning to go down the steps”. Watch to see which of our puppies mastered the challenge.

Just like children differ from their siblings, puppies also differ from their littermates. Some puppies are braver than others.

Even with lots of encouragement from me, Ellie, Maui, and his littermates, Red Collar Boy just couldn’t get up the courage to master the steps. He went back in the puppy area and cried. Oh well, there is always another day.

Over the next few days, we tried to encourage Red collar boy to master the steps but no success. On Friday, we tried again.  Can he do it? 

YES …….. that was easy!

Such an exciting day!

Puppy Selection Day

The rain held off for selection day and we were able to have puppy visits outside. As always, some puppies were tired during forever family visits but puppies at this age play hard and then crash to refuel. If your puppy was tired rest sure that they all have energy!

Tom and I had a great time on Saturday meeting all the forever families and introducing them to their puppy. It is a day that we always look forward to because we love to show off our beautiful puppies and share the in excitement of their forever families.

Our puppies are so lucky … We have the best Forever Family!!!
When the day was over, we had very tired puppies

Sunday the puppies had a quiet day catching up on their sleep. Can you find your puppy?

Puppy Play

I thought it would be fun taking a video of our puppies playing from afar. I stood on our deck unnoticed by the puppies and captured five minutes of our puppies’ lives. After a slow morning of lots of sleep our puppies had recharged.

A LOOK BACK

In this video we look back at the past week. It is amazing how much a puppy learns in one week. We explored a new play area, new toys introduced, interaction with adult dogs, playtime with littermates both indoors and outside, and learned to go up and down steps and met lots of different people during selection day. No wonder we have tired puppies!

Lots to experience

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 
  • Ellie along with our other dogs will continue teaching the puppies dog manners
  • Crate training begins
  • We will continue to encourage puppies to use potty area 
  • Puppies will continue to get lots of cuddle time
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HAVE A LOOK AT OUR SIX WEEK OLD CUTIES

six weeks old

Can these puppies get any cuter?

Ellie and Brinkley’s puppies are now six weeks old. We have had another busy week caring for the puppies and introducing them to so many new things. They have grown bigger, and you can see each unique personality developing.

Ellie continues to wean her puppies and they are doing well eating the softened kibble puppy food. The puppies are still working on potty training. They enjoy running and chasing each other during outside play time. 

the girls

Pink Collar Girl – Flatcoat Goldendoodle
Purple Collar Girl – Flatcoat Goldendoodle

the boys

Blue Collar Boy- Flatcoat Goldendoodle
Red Collar Boy – Flatcoat Goldendoodle
Orange Collar Boy – TeddyBear Goldendoodle
Yellow Collar Boy – TeddyBear Goldendoodle

Puppies First Taste of the Outdoors

Another first for our Puppies – On Monday we took them outside for the first time. The puppies spent their first few minutes slowly walking around and smelling as they went.

Tom set up fencing to enclose a large outdoor area for the puppies to explore and play. There is a tree for shade, rocks to climb, slopes for the puppies to practice walking on uneven ground and lots of room to run.

Progress being made

Potty training continues

This week we are continuing to encourage the puppies to use the potty boxes while they are in their puppy enclosure. As with each litter, some puppies are more consistent than others but all the puppies are making progress

introducing CRATES

Crate Training Begins

We start crate training by exposing puppies to the crates with the doors opened. It is important for the puppies to explore the crates on their own, choose when to enter and if they wish take a nap in them. They should think of the crate as their “safe place”. I put a blanket over the crate to make it feel safe and cozy much like a wild dog den.

On Thursday when the puppies were outside, I spent some time giving the puppy area a thorough clean, set up two crates on one side and put a Snuggle Puppy into each crate. When I brought the puppies inside after their outdoor playtime, they were curious about the new addition to the puppy area. They walked in, smell around, and some puppies even decided to take a nap in the crate.

A new toy

Puppies Play With Their New Water Bottle Toy

Saturday was raining so it wasn’t the best weather to have outdoor play. I decided the puppies needed something new to investigate. I made them a water bottle toy.

This is something that I do for all our litters. It is made from an empty water bottle and an odd sock from my sock bin. (Where do those sock matches go LOL!) I insert the water bottle into the sock and tie a knot in the end. and there you have it – A new FREE toy!

The puppies always love the water bottle toy because it makes a “crinkling sound”.

Watch the puppies enjoying their new toy
such fun!

A LOOK BACK AT

THE PAST WEEK

SWEET DREAMS PUPPIES

Lots to experience

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 box
  • Puppies will continue to socialize and learn from each other through play
  • Puppies will continue exploring and playing together outdoors 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
  • Puppies will meet their forever families
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Look At Ellie’s Adorable Five Week Old Puppies

Five Weeks Old

And So Adorable

Ellie’s puppies are now five weeks old. They have developed from the helpless newborn puppies that fit into the palm of my hand to the “mini dogs” they are today. The puppies are now awake for longer periods and enjoy playing with their toys, littermates, Nanny Maui, and cuddle time. We are seeing their personalities starting to develop. 

Solid Food

Introducing solids to puppies begins with a “Puppy Smoothie” I grind puppy kibble in my blender to a powder and then add water that is filtered, boiled and cooled. The consistency of it is very watery at first making it easy for the puppies to lap up. With each passing day I gradually reduce the water and the food becomes thicker. 

Today the puppies transitioned to softened kibble. By eight weeks of age, the puppies will have transitioned to eating dry kibble.

Loving Mama Ellie

Ellie is a loving mama that adores her sweet babies. She has a kind gentle disposition and is very patient with her puppies. With the introduction of solids and sharp puppy teeth, some mamas would end their nursing obligation but not Ellie. She still allows the puppies to nurse a few times a day. In addition to this, Ellie will regurgitate her food to feed the puppies. (Something wild dog mothers do to feed their young)

Ellie loves to share with her puppies. Yesterday all our dogs got a treat – a prime rib bone. As this is not a regular occurrence, when each dog received their bone they trotted off in the yard to enjoy their bone in their own spot. Ellie on the other hand went to the door and wanted back into our house. When we let her in, she proceeded into the puppy area and gave her bone to the puppies to chew on which they enjoyed. Such a sweet mama!

Ellie cuddling with her puppies while they sleep
Grooming

We handle our puppies from birth, touching their ears, mouth and paws and give them lots of cuddles. We want them comfortable with the human touch. Another thing we introduce at a young age is grooming. We brush our puppies daily so they will be accustomed to this when they go to their forever homes. Brushing helps keep mats from forming and removes dirt from their coat helping keep the puppy clean.

We also trim the puppies’ nails when needed. The puppies’ nails grow quickly so it is important to trim them. This not only protects our mama’s from getting scratched while the puppies nurse, but it also gets them familiar to having the paws touched and nails trimmed.

Potty Training

✓ Lots of practice and correction

✓ Accidents ✓ Cleaning and laundry ✓Becoming more consistent

Progress is being made

This week has been a busy one. The focus of the week has been on potty training. It always seems like a long week when we begin potty training. I put the puppies into the potty box when they wake and after they eat and hope that things will click. Some puppies are quick learners, but others take longer. It can be frustrating when you put a puppy into the potty box, but they climb back out. You put them back in and out they come again. Next thing you notice they walk away and have an accident. I wonder, will they ever get it?

Potty Training begins with the puppies in the whelping box with the potty box at the entrance. In a few days, most of my puppies “get it” so I then remove the whelping box and enlarge the puppy area.

This litter was more challenging than others. The puppies were just not catching on. I check on the puppies only to discover one, two or more puppies using it as their own personal sleeping area. How will the other puppies use it if puppies are sleeping in it? So, I decided to remove the whelping box and give them a larger puppy area. When puppies have too big of an area there’s a larger chance that they will have accidents. This was the case with this litter. It was a week of constant cleaning, laundry and, lots of correction! 

Finally on Saturday I knew we were making progress. The puppies were going into the potty box on their own. We will still have accidents and some puppies will be more consistent than others but, progress is defiantly being made!

Producing gentle loving puppies

Puppy Partys

✓Building a connection with people ✓Socializing with young and old ✓Socializing with other adult dogs

It is important when raising puppies to socialize them which means introducing them to as many new experiences as possible when they are young. Some of the new things that the puppies have been introduced to this week are music, various household sounds, new toys, access to a raised dog bed, our other adult dogs, solid food, and water. 

We are blessed with a large family so, when we have get-togethers, it is built-in puppy parties. Tom’s cousin was over from Finland for a visit so Saturday we had a large gathering of over 30 people for a BBQ. The puppies had lots of interaction with people both young and old. Everyone wanted to see and hold Ellie’s babies. This is great socializing for the puppies building a connection with people and in turn producing gentle puppies that will become loving companion dogs for their forever families.

Throughout the day there we many children in playing with the puppies. When the day was over, we had very tired puppies. LOL

This video takes a look back at the past week. The puppies have grown so much and have graduated to new collars. Hopefully this makes it is a little easier to distinguish our blond puppies from each other.

Lots to experience

LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK SIX

  • Awake time will continue to increase
  • Puppies will continue learning to use potty box
  • Socialize with each other through play
  • Balance will continue to improve.
  • Puppies will be introduced to the outdoors
  • 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.