Category: Maui & Gryphon 2024

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Maui & Willow’s Pups Explore the Yard Together

Busy Week

It has been a busy week and a half. There are so many puppies that need our care, vet visits, and puppy preparation for heading home. Something had to give, and it was our weekly blog. I do appoligize to those of you waiting to see the puppy updates.

Vet Visit

Maui’s puppies visited the vet. Everyone was found to be healthy! They were very well behaved during their exam and brave when they received their vaccination and dreaded microchip. We only had one puppy that gave out a small yelp. They are such brave puppies.

I was pleasantly surprised that the puppies were so quiet for their first car ride. They settled into the crate both when they went to the vet and again when they headed home.

Puppy Call

Willow’s puppies continued exploring the yard while Maui’s puppies joined them. They have had a great time running, exploring and playing together. They love to wrestle with each other, and they learn to have a soft mouth. If a puppy bites too hard, it won’t have any friends to play with. 

This is also a time when we work on recall with the “Puppy Call.” Every puppy doesn’t come every time—puppies need repetition. This is the start of their recall training, a crucial aspect of their development. It’s something that their forever families will need to build on when they go home.

Crate Training

We begin crate training when the whelping box is removed and replaced with crates in the puppy area. The door is left open, and the puppies can enter and explore if they wish. Some puppies like to sleep in the crate, while others go in to play hide and seek with a littermate and come out again. The puppies have started napping in their crate with the door closed this week. We always have a puppy or two in the litter that complain. When we close the door, I will give each puppy a biscuit to distract them. This helps the puppies associate the crate with something good.

A Look Back

The puppies have enjoyed playing and exploring in the big yard. This is when our mothers and other adult dogs teach the puppies and train them to listen and to submit.

Saying Good-Bye

This past week, some of Willow’s puppies left for their forever homes. Saying goodbye is always a bittersweet time for me, but I love to share the joy with their forever families as they welcome their new additions. We wish each puppy a long, happy life full of love and new adventures.

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Maui’s Puppies Turn Five Weeks Old

Maui’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 extended periods but still sleep most of their days and nights.

Socializing puppies is essential when raising them, which means introducing them to as many new experiences as possible when they are young. This week was packed full of new Firsts. The puppies moved to the main floor, explored outside the whelping box for playtime, walked on different floor surfaces, played with new toys, and started on solids.

The puppies love Maui’s elevated dog bed! Look for Orange Girl returning to play. When I started videoing, she was using the potty box – such a good girl!

We have been working hard on training puppies to use the potty box. This litter has been a little slower than other Willow’s litter. Some puppies are more consistent than others, but they are all progressing. When they are a little more consistent, we will remove the whelping box and replace it with crates.

Meal Time

Nursing

Maui is still nursing her puppies but limits how long and is beginning to tell them “NO” gentle growl!

Solids

The puppies are now eating soft kibble. I soak the regular kibble with boiling water and let it sit, which makes it easy for puppies to eat. Gradually, the water and soaking time decrease, working toward puppies eating dry kibble by seven weeks of age.

A look back at Week Five

Looking Ahead to Week Six

  • Awake time will continue to increase
  • Puppies will continue learning to use the potty box
  • Introduce crates to the puppy area
  • 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
  • As always, puppies will get lots of cuddle time.
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Eight Weeks Old and Time to Say Good-Bye

Echo’s Puppies

Eight Weeks Old

Eight weeks have passed since Echo’s tiny babies came into the world. Remember how small they were…..We could hold them in the palm of my hand. They have learned so much over these past eight weeks. I have enjoyed raising them to the point where they are ready to join their forever families. The puppies have spent their time outdoors, running and exploring in our yard. Echo has done a fantastic job raising and teaching her puppies. This past week, we have worked on acceptable behaviour, mainly the difference between nipping and kissing. Puppies are not always consistent but have made significant progress in this area. I love puppy kisses!!!

LOOKING AHEAD

Puppies are leaving this week for their forever homes. You have a lot of work ahead of you: correcting, training, caring for your new puppy, and learning. The time and work you put into training your puppy pays off when you have a loving, well-behaved dog that will love you as only a dog can— but be patient; they are still unconditionally. You will be the most important person in the world to them. 

It is always bittersweet to say goodbye to our puppies. I have enjoyed every minute of their care, and they have a piece of my heart. I say goodbye to my puppies with sadness, but seeing the excitement of their forever families brings me joy. Wishing you a long and happy life! ❤️

Maui’s Puppies

Maui’s puppies are growing bigger and more adorable with each passing day! This week, they started potty training; although they still sleep much of the day, when awake, they love socializing with their littermates through play and climbing on my lap for cuddles.

Puppies Start Solids

Maui has done a great job feeding her puppies; they are healthy, chubby babies. Now that the puppies have turned four weeks old, it’s time to start solids.

A look at those adorable faces

The Girls

ORANGE GIRL
PINK GIRL

The Boys

YELLOW BOY
BLUE BOY
GREEN BOY
BROWN BOY
GREY BOY

A LOOK BACK AT WEEK FOUR

Looking Ahead to Week Five

  • Move to the main floor
  • Puppies will continue learning to use the 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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Maui’s Chunky Babies are Three Weeks Old

Looking Back

Maui’s beautiful three-week-old puppies have been progressing rapidly this week. The puppies are becoming more aware of their surroundings and have begun to play with each other during their short “awake” time.

Maui has had lots of practice helping our other girls raise their babies, so it is not surprising that she is a fantastic mama. She is very attentive to her little ones’ feeding, cleaning, and care.

She has a smaller litter than our other girls, making it easier for her puppies to pack on the weight. They are very chunky, and I can feel a layer of fat on them. Great job, Maui!

Puppy Culture

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

Critical Socialization Period (weeks 3 – 12)

The next period for Maui’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, exposing them to as many new experiences as possible to raise the best possible companions for their forever families.

Emotional Intelligence

Because Goldendoodles are companion dogs, teaching emotional intelligence to young puppies and starting them with a great beginning is essential. With this intention, we follow seven key things to nurture a puppy’s emotional intelligence.

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

Maui’s adorable three-week-old puppies In order of appearance:
Boys – Blue, Brown, Yellow, Green and Grey Collars
Girls – Orange and Pink Collars

Aware of Their Surroundings

This week, the puppies have become more aware of their surroundings. The video shows them interacting with their littermates, and 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 essential 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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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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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 !!!