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Willow’s Six Week Puppies…So Cute

The puppies are six weeks old. 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. The puppies have now progressed to eating softened kibble. They enjoy wrestling, running and chasing each other during outdoor playtime. They are doing very well using their potty box inside. We still have accidents here and there, but for the most part, they are fairly consistent.

Puppies in the enclosure. We have kept it small to encourage the puppies to use the potty boxes.

We are working on teaching the puppies recall with our “puppy puppy.” They are alerted and come to me. Right now, we call when I want them to come to the entrance of the puppy enclosure to take them outside and also when it is time for their meal. Recall is an ongoing learning lesson that our forever families will continue teaching their puppies.

We also expose the puppies to grooming, which makes it easier for their forever family to continue when they go home. We brush the puppies daily, clip their nails, and clean their ears weekly.

Willow continues to be the strict mama, and her puppies listen well to her. She has been teaching individual puppies to submit.

Selection Day

There is always excitement on Selection Day. We love sharing this excitement as we introduce families to the puppies. It was great to meet Willow’s puppies’ families and help them choose their puppy.

Looking back on Week Six

LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK SEVEN

In Week Seven, we will be working on obstacles. The puppies must use their brains to figure out how to maneuver around them. The puppies will also learn how to go down steps.

  • 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 outdoor as weather permits
  • Puppies will continue learning from their mama as she disciplines them and teaches them to behave 
  • As always, puppies will continue to get lots of cuddle time.
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Five weeks old and learning so much

Five Weeks and Counting

It’s hard to believe Willow and Brinkley’s puppies are five weeks old. They have progressed to eating softened kibble, and they are doing well and getting a little chubbier now. They have had a busy week experiencing new things. The puppies moved to the main floor, where they had more space, lots to explore, and new toys.

Resting after first taste of the outdoors
Red boy found a good headrest

Introducing Crates

We said goodbye to the Whelping Box on Sunday and set up a new puppy area. At first, we must keep the space small. We want the puppies to use the potty boxes, and if the area is too large, potty training will not progress. The puppies’ enclosure has crates, potty boxes, and an elevated bed, which they love. We keep the crate doors open, and the puppies can enter when they like. We don’t want the crates to be intimidating; instead, we want them to look at crates as a comfy, safe space to sleep.

Puppies get comfortable going in and out of the crates. Many of the puppies seep in the crate with a buddy.
The new puppy area is in my front entrance for Willow’s puppies: two potty boxes, two crates, and an elevated bed.

We continue to work on teaching puppies to void in one spot—in the potty box, not just anywhere. Potty training is going well. Some puppies are better than others, but we are progressing.

A Look Back at Week Five

When our litters turn five weeks old, we begin outdoor play, weather permitting. This should have happened on Sunday; however, we had such a rainy day that we could not go outside. So, on Monday, the puppies had their first outdoor adventure. I was surprised this litter was so outgoing when we took them out. Puppies usually explore their new environment cautiously, taking their time to move around. But not this litter. They smelled around for a few minutes and then took off running, exploring and playing. Could it be because Willow is a strict mama and doesn’t baby her puppies?

After a long play session, the puppies had a long nap to recharge.

Milk Anyone?

Willow started weaning her puppies when they turned three weeks old. She still lets them have a short nurse but quickly regurgitates food for them to eat. Yesterday, when they were in the outside puppy enclosure, Maui joined in to give Willow a hand teaching. The puppies soon realized that if Mama Willow wouldn’t provide the milk, maybe Auntie Maui would.

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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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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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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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
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Our New Ultrasound Machine

Ultrasound Machine

As an ethical breeder, we are always looking for ways to improve our breeding program. Something that has been on my wishlist for a while is an ultrasound machine. We finally decided to go ahead and make the purchase. It is a big investment but I am so excited to add this tool to our mama dogs prenatal care.

Our new Ultrasound Machine

Advantages

Some of the advantages of having an ultrasound machine ….

  • Monitor our mama’s in their home throughout their pregnancy
  • Pregnancy confirmation can happen as early as day 25.
  • Rule out a singleton litter. Extra care is needed when a mother is carrying a singleton litter
  • Get an idea of the size of litter
  • Useful during whelping – We can check during whelping to make sure all the puppies have been delivered

Technology has come a long way!

It is amazing how far technology has come. Years ago, I always found it difficult to figure out “what was what” on an ultrasound picture. To demonstrate, I found this video clip on YouTube of an ultrasound picture from 1979.

Machines have sure have improved since I had my first child in 1981. They didn’t even give me a picture of my baby but they did point him out on the screen. It wasn’t very clear and believe me he didn’t look anything like a baby😂

CBC news clip of Ultrasound pic of baby from 1979
1979 ultrasound picture

To illustrate the improvements, compare the 1979 ultrasound pic to the 2024 ultrasound pic. If you weren’t told what the 1979 picture was of, you may have been puzzled as to what you were looking at. But, the 2024 pic is obviously easy to see that it is a baby.

FYI – This is an ultrasound pic of my grandson who is due in July. We are so excited to welcome on 13th grandchild into our growing family! My daughter and her husband are expecting their first child – such a blessing!

2024 Ultrasound picture – My handsome grandson that is due in July

Time to Learn

Learning how to use this machine is going to take practice and Maui and Willow are my “guinea pigs” 😂. Not only do I have to learn to use the machine but trying to get the video’s saved and downloaded was no easy task. Hopefully moving forward I will become more familiar with the process and things will be easier.

Even though I am a novice, I want to share a couple of video’s saved from the girls ultrasounds that we did last night. As Willow and Maui are nearing the end of their pregnancy and their puppies are getting bigger, you are not able to get a picture of the whole puppy at once. I had the depth setting further away so I could get more of the puppy on the screen. The downfall of changing the depth is that the image doesn’t appear as clear.

Even so it isn’t too bad. See if you can make it out. Look for movement from the puppy’s ribs, spine and a beating heart. Slowing the video by adjusting the speed in the settings may help.

Willow’s Ultrasound

This is a video of Willow’s ultrasound. There are two puppies close together. Look for the spine, ribs and beating heart. Toward the end of the video look for two hearts beating

Maui’s Ultrasound

Maui was a little less co-operative than Willow because she moved a couple times but I was still able to capture a video of a few of her puppies. Look for spine, ribs, beating hearts
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Already two weeks old …how they have grown!

Two Week Old Puppy Huddle

Echo is a loving and attentive mama and she continues doing an amazing job caring for her babies. We have been kept busy this week as well with many of our daily tasks. For instance, some of the tasks include ENS exercises, cleaning, laundry, watching as puppies nurse, bottle feeding, weighing, and collar checks. As a result of both Echo’s and our care, our two weeks old puppies are growing bigger and stronger with each passing day.

While watching this video, notice the small movements made while the puppies are sleeping. These movements are called “Puppy Twitches” and are signs of a healthy puppy.

Why do puppies twitch?

A quote from the Puppy Culture Program we follow while raising our puppies explains Puppy Twitches.

“This twitching actually has a functional purpose – “activated sleep” helps build muscle and form the connections that will allow the puppies to develop motor coordination. This is why twitching is a key indicator that the puppy is healthy and developing normally.”

Puppy Culture

Milestones

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

Weigh-In

The first milestone the puppies reached this week was Doubling Their Birthweight. Unquestionably, this is a milestone we pay close attention to because when puppy isn’t gaining enough weight it indicates there is a problem.

On average large breed puppies double their birthweight between day 10 and day 14. Because Echo has a large litter we justifiably would expected that the puppies might be delayed in reaching this milestone.

However this was not the case for Echo’s litter because some of Echo’s puppies reached this milestone early. Three puppies doubled their birth weight on day eight. Following close behind on day 9, one more puppy reached the milestone. Four other puppies followed suite with one puppy doubling on day 10 and three on day 11.

However two or Echo’s puppies, took a little longer to reach this milestone. Because they are our smallest puppies it is hard to compete with their larger littermates. Therefore we have been intervening to help them achieve this milestone. Firstly with a waiting box to separate the largest puppies during feeding time and secondly by supplementing with puppy formula.

Puppy Formula syringe

Finally our last two puppies reached the milestone. First of the two was Black girl on day 13 followed by Red girl today on day 14.

Eyes Opened

Another milestone was reach later in the week – Eyes Opening. Puppy’s eyes open between day 10 and day 14. While doing our ENS on day 11, I was excited to notice that two of our puppies had opened their eyes. Black girl and Purple girl, our two apricot parti puppies tied for the title “First Puppy to open their eyes”. It is always so exciting to see the puppies look back at me – I think they look more “alive”!

Soon after, and day by day the seven more puppies opened the eyes too. We are still waiting to see our Dark Blue Boy looking back at us…..maybe today he will open his eyes too.

Day 11
Purple Girl
Black Girl

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. During this time we put the puppies in the basket.

Disinfectant
Cleaned whelping box
Echo keeping an eye on her babies in the basket

Vet Bedding

In addition to the daily cleaning, we will replace the Vet Bedding when needed sometimes two or three times a day. As you can image, this makes for a lot of laundry LOL

What is Vet Bedding? At first glance, you may think it is sheepskin. It is in fact 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.

Vet Bedding is a costly investment but when we began our breeding program without reservation it was imperative that we provide our puppies with the best. Undeniably, vet bedding provides excellent traction for our puppies and keeps them warm and dry. It is important that puppies have proper traction while nursing, moving around the whelping box, and learning to walk as this traction protects the puppies growing joints.

Clean whelp[ing box and vet bedding
DAY 9
Puppies return to a clean whelping box as mama Echo looks on. When all the puppies are back in the whelping box, Echo checks things out 😊
Day 12

Too cute not to share

I thought I would share a cute video that I caught of one of Echo’s puppies. Echo had poked her head into the whelping box making sure all was okay. While doing so, dark blue boy, whose eye’s had yet to open, could smell his mama. He then crawled over to the opening and began to climb out. LOL😂

Transitional Period

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. By doing just the right things at just the right time, we can give your puppy the best start possible.

Because every puppy and litter is different, we look for “Behavioural Markers” to identify the beginning and end of each developmental period. The transitional period begins when the puppy’s eyes open and ends when they first startle upon hearing sounds. Now that the puppies’ eyes are open they have entered the Transitional Period.

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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Look How Much Our One Week Old Puppies Have Grown

One week old already….It is hard to believe the seven days have passed since Echo’s babies arrived. We have had a busy week because raising newborn puppies is a 24/7 job. As you can see from the comparison pic below, our one week old puppies have grown so much!

See how we have grown
Picture on the left – Friday – Day 2
Picture of the right – Wednesday – Day 7

Caring for Echo

As with her last litter, Echo suffered loose stools for a couple of days. Although this is a common occurrence after whelping, we need to treat her symptoms before it affects the puppies. So, we gave Echo a diet of boiled chicken, rice, pumpkin, and added a probiotic supplement. By doing so, she recovered quickly and is now doing well on her regular diet.

Vitamins

Looking after the mama both prenatal and postnatal is an important part of producing healthy puppies. During labor we give our mamas Oral Cal Plus which is a Calcium Supplement between each puppy’s birth. This supplement helps support productive labor with 3 calcium sources.

We also give our Postnatal mamas a daily vitamin Oxy Momma to support lactation and recovery.

Mother’s Pudding

Another thing we give our mama’s to help them recover is Mother’s Pudding. The recipe comes from the Puppy Culture program. We follow many Puppy Culture protocols while raising our puppies.

Mother’s pudding helps Echo produce lots of milk because t is high in calcium and calories. It is also something every mama loves to eat!

Ingredients: goats milk, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla pudding.

Neonatal Period

ENS

The puppies are in the Neonatal Period. This period is from day 0 to approximately day 14. During this period, the puppies spend their time eating and sleeping. On Saturday, day 3, we began ENS (Early Neurological Stimulation). These exercises will be continued daily until day 16.

The ENS exercise causes tiny struggles and stresses in small doses which are a benefit to the puppies. For example some of the benefits include greater tolerance to stress, greater resistance to disease, faster adrenal system, stronger heart rate and stronger heartbeats. This is a gift that a breeder can only give their puppies during the 3 to 16-day window.

After we finished our ENS, Echo was happy to have all her babies safely back in the whelping box with her.

Feeding

Before puppies are born, they receive immunity and everything they need to grow from the placenta. But, after birth, newborn puppies do not possess immunity.

A mother’s first milk called colostrum. This first milk contains a nutritious protein-rich, balanced protective food. Colostrum provides passive immunity. This immunity can last several weeks and protect the puppies from various infections and diseases. For this reason it is vital for the puppies to nurse soon after birth and over the next twelve hours. This will help the puppies build up their passive immunity. 

Passive immunity is the short-term immunity which results from the introduction of antibodies from the puppy’s mother. Active immunity on the other hand is an immunity built by producing antibodies from the immune system that responses to the presence of an antigen.

For the first two weeks of their life newborn puppies spend their time eating and sleeping. Did you know, newborn puppies sleep for 90% of their day/night?

Puppies are born with their eyes and ears sealed shut so, they cannot see or hear. Therefore 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.

Echo is an amazing, attentive mama. She has a large litter of ten and spends most of the day and night in the whelping box feeding, cleaning and caring for her babies.

With a large litter, we have to keep a close eye on the puppies making sure everyone gets their fair share of milk. So, to keep tract of each puppy’s progress, we weigh our puppies daily and keep a record. This charting showed that most of Echo’s puppies are gaining weight as expected.

Unfortunately though, it was apparent that Red collar girl has been slow at gaining weight. Lagging behind the normal progress is cause for concern.

So on Monday I had to intervene. I spent the day making sure when she was nursing, she wasn’t being pushed off by the larger puppies.

The Waiting Basket

Echo can only feed eight puppies at once so, during feeding, I now put two of the larger puppies in a basket to wait their turn. The basked is placed just outside the whelping box where Echo can keep watch.

Supplementing With Puppy Formula

On Monday, Red Girl was weighed throughout the day with encouraging results. They showed that she was making some progress. But, it was short lived because when I weighed her when we woke Tuesday morning she had lost weight overnight. Because of this set back, I decided I needed to intervene again.

The next step would be supplementing her with puppy formula in addition to her nursing from Echo.

The two puppies in this picture shows Green boy who is our largest puppy compared to Red girl who is our smallest puppy.

With the supplementing it has helped her gain weight. But, we still need to continue monitoring her closely, weighing her throughout the day, and supplement her nursing with formula.

Hopefully she will continue to gain weight and soon catch up to where she should be.

Puppy Pics

Now that is one relaxed puppy! Watch Black collar girl sleeping – her head is rested on Echo and she’s sleeping on her back, (a favourite doodle sleep position) 😂

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 !!!