Luna’s adorable three-week-old puppies have been developing quickly this week. The puppies are becoming more aware of their surroundings and have started to play with each other during their brief “awake” periods. They have discovered their voices and are practising vocalizing when they are awake. Whether they are waiting for Luna to finish cleaning each puppy before their next meal or playing with their littermates, we have a very noisy whelping box.
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. Saturday 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 the 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.
- Communication – giving a puppy his voice, i.e. Communication manding and attention/distraction protocols
- Emotional stability – the ability to recover quickly 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, and meeting different people and dogs.
- 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.
- 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)
- 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.
- 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.
- Shaping emotional responses: happy and calm CER (Conditioned Emotional Responses). For instance, treats and encouragement during puppy training.
Three weeks old
The Girls
- Black colar blonde abstract with brown points
- Red colar blonde abstract with black points
- Purple colar blonde abstract with brown points
- Brown colar apricot abstract with brown points
- Orange colar chocolate Merle abstract with brown points
- Neon green colar blue merle abstract with black points
- Yelow colar black abstract with black points
The one and Only Boy
- Blue colar apricot abstract with brown points
Correction: Chocolate merle not Chocolate abstract as I mistakenly said in the video
A look back at week three
Notice that the puppies are making use of the pig rails. Although a few puppies still try to go underneath and only manage to get their heads under, many are climbing on top to lounge, and some use it as a headrest. This week, we will say goodbye to the pig rails as we divide our whelping box into a potty area and a play/sleep area, adding bolster beds.
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 strengthening their hind legs
- Becoming steadier on their feet
- Hearing will improve
- Puppy milk teeth will erupt
- Puppies will begin potty training
