Another week has passed, and Millie’s puppies are now seven weeks old. They’ve experienced many new firsts, such as discovering new toys, learning “puppy call,” and entering and exiting the house on their own. As they grow, they are becoming a bit more independent.
Puppies exit the house for the first time. Some puppies are a little more hesitant. Notice the puppies have to discover the gate entrance to the puppy play area working on their problem solving skills.
Puppies’ Mealtime
Newborn puppies get all their nourishment from their mother’s milk. When Millie started weaning her puppies, it was time to introduce them to solid food.
During weaning, the puppies gradually start eating solids. First, they eat a ground, watery puppy mush. Second, we soak kibble in hot water to make it soft and waterlogged. Lastly, the puppies transition to dry kibble. This week, the puppies have completed the transition to dry kibble.
Feeding time has become much easier now. No more grinding puppy food to turn it into mush or waiting while the kibble is soaked in hot water. We simply scoop the dry kibble into the dishes and watch the puppies eagerly devour their meals.
The puppies compete for food and eat quickly, so we decided to feed our two smaller puppies separately to give them time to finish.
Puppy Cuddles
Our puppies receive handling from birth and daily cuddles. On top of the regular handling, this week our puppies had two evenings of extra puppy cuddles. My grandchildren are a great help in this area.
Grooming
Regular grooming is part of a dogs life. This is why we introduce grooming to the puppies, making it easier for their forever families. We clip the puppies nails clipped weekly and daily brushing.
Looking Back at Week Seven
Looking Ahead to Week Eight
- Puppies will continue exploring and playing together inside and outdoors as weather permits
- The puppies will get to run in the BIG yard where we will work on recall
- Millie along with our other dogs will continue teaching the puppies dog manners
- Crate training with the door closed during nap time will begin
- We will continue to encourage puppies to use the potty area
- Puppies will visit the vet and have their first car ride
- Puppies will continue to get lots of cuddle time
