I like to put a post out the day the puppies turn a week older. Yesterday Willow’s puppies turned 5 weeks old and we had an extra busy day. By the time I had fed all the dogs/puppies and eaten dinner I was too tired to tackle a post. Sorry to those that were expecting Willow’s Puppies five week post yesterday – but, here it is – one day late.
Willow’s Puppies
LOOKING BACK
Willow’s puppies are now five weeks old. The puppies have developed from helpless newborn puppies to the “mini dogs” they are today and their personalities are developing. The puppies have learned so much over the past five weeks. We have been working hard on training puppies to use the potty box. It’s amazing to watch puppies wake up or stop playing and walk over to use their potty box. They still have an accident here and there but, all our puppies are making great progress. Nursing time has decreased, and they can now eat puppy mush, and drink their water. They love playing with my grandchildren and interacting with people of different ages. The puppies are now awake for longer periods and enjoy playing with their toys, each other, and cuddle time. They play hard, tire quickly and drop off for more sleep.
Outdoor Adventure
Yesterday the puppies had their first taste of the outdoors. My husband Tom spent the morning enclosing our deck in fencing. We then added a potty box, an activity centre, some toys, and then the puppies. It was a beautiful warm day, and the puppies had a great time exploring a new area. I was impressed with how well our puppies did using the potty box. This was the first time they have had such a big space and the puppies still ran over to their potty box when they need to – such smart puppies! Maui the nanny was on duty and the puppies loved playing with her too. The puppies even had their lunch outside. Tom and I enjoyed an afternoon of sunshine and watching Willow’s sweet five-week-old puppies play.
LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK SIX
- Puppies time spent awake will continue to increase
- Puppies food will become much thicker progressing toward the goal of eating dry kibble
- Puppies will continue learning to use potty box
- Puppies will continue to socialize with each other through play
- Puppies balance will continue to improve.
- Puppies will continue to have outdoor play time 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.
Ellie’s Puppies
We are still working on trying to get Ellie’s puppies to use their litter box. The puppies still have access to the Whelping Box and Potty Box. It takes time and I always get impatient thinking, will they ever get it? I know that they always do – something just clicks and progress is made. In the mean time, we continue to put them into their potty box when they wake and after they eat. I change out their vet bedding multiple times a day. It is important that the Whelping Box smells clean and the potty box smells like a potty box.
puppies first visit to play area
Yesterday I thought it would be fun for the puppies to visit the play area. I started off putting each puppy in the potty box we have in the corner to show them where to go potty. Then they started to explore and play. Soon after, Ellie wanted into play area to check things out. I let her in and of course her puppies were all over her – they thought it was time to eat again. She decided to jump out of the enclosure and went out of sight. But, a minute later she returned to watch her puppies on the other side of the fence. That was the end of play time in the enclosure. – the puppies were only interested in their mama. I took the puppies back to their Whelping Box and gave them some new toys to play with.
