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