Four weeks old already – WOW, time passes by so quickly! I am a couple days late getting our four-week post out. This is because we have been busy with preparations for our daughters upcoming wedding in January, wedding invitations, and bridal showers. All these things and a little under the weather as well. Even though we have had these things added to our plate, our puppies care has not suffered, and they have had lots of love and attention.
It is hard to believe that our puppies are already four weeks old and have progressed so much. A lot has happened this past week. Such as, milk teeth have erupted, moving to the main floor, hind leg becoming stronger, better balance while walking, awake time increased, and more socializing with their littermates through play. Also, our puppies have been practicing their vocalizing and can now growl and bark as you will hear in the videos.
Weaning Under Way
Weaning is well under way. This process is achieved by reducing milk from mama, drinking water from their bowl, and getting most of their nutrition from their puppy food. The puppies are doing well on their food and are always excited for another meal!
Weaning Under Way
Potty Training Under Way
Potty training is also under way and the puppies are making great progress. Although we still have a lot of work to do in this area, I am pleased with their progress so far. This is because there have been less accidents in their whelping box and lots of success in the potty box. Because the puppies are doing so well with their potty training, yesterday we decided to give them more room by removing their whelping box and expanding their puppy area.
Socialization
As I have mentioned before, socialization is important when raising puppies. We have achieved this by introducing our puppies to different people young and old. This helps the puppies to be calm and seek out humans for companionship. The puppies love spending time with us, and it is very apparent when they all run to sit on our laps for a cuddle.
Socialization not only involves interaction with different people but includes many things. Some of these things are new noises, different walking surfaces, and the introduction of different toys as well as challenges. We will achieve these things throughout the coming weeks as we challenge the puppies with as many new experiences. It is through these new experiences that will help strengthen the puppies’ body and brain.
Listen for puppies growls and bark
Watch puppies play with littermate and new toy
Notice that the whelping boxes are gone in the puppy area. We still have the two litters separated .
LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK FIVE
Awake time will increase
Continued to socialize with each other through play
Balance will continue to improve and they will begin to run
Puppies will continue learning to use potty area
Daily visits to the Puppy Exercise Area where they will play and explore
Mama will now add the invaluable teaching phase to her caring & protecting responsibilities over the next weeks.
to the warm quiet space that the puppies have occupied since birth.
HELLO
to the main floor, many noises of a busy household and many life lessons.
Puppies packed up and ready for the big move!
THE PUPPIES ARE ON THE MOVE!
It was a busy morning preparing the new puppy area before the actual move began. Why you ask, because preparing the puppy area is a big job!
The main floor puppy enclosure is set up just off my kitchen located at the centre of our house. The reason I choose this area is because it is by the door outside and the puppies will experience the most interactions in this spot.
Atfirst, the puppies only have access to a small area – the whelping box and potty area only. The puppies will sleep and play in their whelping box and have access to their potty box just outside the entrance. The mama’s elevated beds are next to the whelping box which they can sleep on. Also, the beds help when she jumps into the whelping box to care her puppies.
We have fencing enclosing the whole puppy area, with a fence in the middle dividing the two whelping boxes to keep the litters separate. The fence gates will be left open so our mamas are able to come and go as they please to care for her puppies.
First we moved Willow’s litter. After that, it was Ellie’s litter’s turn to make the big move.
Willow’s puppies’ areaEllie’s puppies’ areaSide by Side with fenching separating the two litters
Puppies on the move
Next – potty training begins.
The puppies are now going potty without the help of their mother. Therefore it is important to begin “potty training” at this age. The reason for this is 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. So, for the next few days I will spend my time moving the puppies to the potty area when they wake and after they eat.
It is important that puppies start learning that they cannot go potty anywhere. So we teach them “there is an acceptable place to go potty” at young age. The reason for this is to stop 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.
Three weeks old already – how quickly time passes! This week the puppies have been progressing rapidly. They continue to gain weight and grow bigger with each passing day. Their eyes are fully opened, and vision is improving. Their ears are open, and they can now hear. Some of our puppies’ milk teeth have started to erupt. Their hind legs have become much stronger as they have been practicing walking on all fours. The puppies are much more aware of their surroundings and have begun to play with each other. They have become quite noisy as they practice their vocalizing. It is so cute in the daytime but not so much in the middle of the night 😴LOL.
Daily Cuddles
The puppies continue to receive lots of cuddles daily. My grandchildren are great helpers with this. I love to share this learning experience with them; teaching them to love and respect animals and to be gentle. The older ones have learned this already but my one- year-old granddaughter is still learning and has to be reminded! Our puppies already love human interaction – when I enter the whelping box, it isn’t long before I have a lap full of puppies🐾😊🐾.
Nothing cuter than little boys and puppies!
Remember GENTLE!
Critical Socialization Period
Now that the puppies can hear and react to noise, they are entering the Critical Socialization Period. Socializing puppies by exposing them to as many new experiences as possible while the puppy is young is only part of the process of Socialization. Our goal is to raise dogs that have the emotional intelligence to connect with you. Emotional intelligence can be taught to young puppies. We will work with the puppies over the next five weeks on the Puppy Culture Protocols.
There are 7 key things that will nurture the emotional intelligence of a puppy:
Communication – giving a puppy his own voice i.e. 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 – familiarity with the maximum number of things (Puppy Parties, sound protocols, household noises , meeting different people, dogs etc.)
Enrichment – teach that novelty and challenges are opportunities for enrichment not things to be feared or avoided (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 (daily weight checks, grooming, proper nutrition, fecal checks, and deworming, if necessary, 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)
Look at these cuties
This morning (Saturday 19th), we took videos of the puppies when we returned them to their clean whelping boxes. Have a look at the videos to see our adorable three-week-old puppies.
Ellie’s Puppies
Willow’s Puppies
Looking Ahead To Week Four
Puppies will still sleep much of the day/night as they continue to grow rapidly
Puppies will play with each other developing important social skills
Puppies’ hind legs will continue to become stronger as they walk more
Hearing will improve
Puppy milk teeth will erupt
Puppies will be moving to the main floor mid-week and begin potty training
I always say, when the puppies eyes open, they seem to come alive. Have a look at our puppies two week singles. Don’t you agree? Over the next few weeks, we are looking forward to seeing their personalities develop as we introduce them to so many new things!
I tried to get these singles for our “two week old” blog but, it is never an easy job taking puppy pictures. I had to take these pics over a two day period. Willow’s puppies wouldn’t co-operate the first day so, I tried again the next day. If you think Willow’s puppies don’t look very alert, you are correct. I thought I would have better luck if they had a full tummy and that always makes them sleepy! d
Ellie & Brinkleys Litter
Dark Blue Collar Boy 1245 gramsGreen Collar Boy 1085 gramsLight Blue Collar Boy 1150 gramsPurple Colar Girl 1000 gramsRed Collar Girl 1295 gramsOrange Collar Girl 1165 gramsMagenta Collar Girl 1180 gramsPink Collar Girl 1240 grams
Approximately half Ellie and Brinkley’s puppies will be Flat Coat Goldendoodles (retriever type – no beard). It is not until the puppies are six weeks of age that it is apparent which will be Flat Coats and which will be Teddy Bear. Whatever type they are, Ellie and Brinkley produce smart, loving, gentle puppies. We have had great feedback from their forever families. Some of their past puppies are emotional support dogs for a family member.
Willow and Brinkley’s Litter
Mocha Collar Girl 965 gramsGrey Collar Girl 985 gramsGreen Collar Girl 940 gramsYellow Collar Girl 1005 gramsMagenta Collar Girl 950 gramsBlack Collar Boy 995 gramsCamo Collar Boy 895 gramsBlue Collar Boy 1020 gramsCayenne Collar Boy 1070 grams
Willow and Brinkley have the genetics to produce a vast variety of colours and patterns. All of their puppies will be Teddy Bear Goldendoodles. We have received great feedback from the families of their first litter.
Willow’s puppies (left) and Ellie’sPuppies(right) two weeks old
Willow’s puppies (left) and Ellie’sPuppies(right) two weeks old
LOOKING BACK
We have had another busy week and the puppies have made so much progress. Our puppies are now two weeks old and growing more adorable with each passing day! We reached a couple milestones this week: (1) All our puppies have doubled their birth-weight and then some. (2) The puppies opened their eyes. Their sight will improve as the days and weeks pass.
Ellie and Willow continue to be loving attentive mamas who take wonderful care of their babies. The puppies are gaining weight daily and continue to do what healthy puppies do – Eat, Sleep, and Grow! Besides feeding and cuddling, it is important for our mamas to lick their puppies. The licking interactions between a mama and her pup have been shown to be essential to the physical and emotional health of both mama and baby. Newborn puppies need to be stimulated by their mother to eliminate. This is why the mama’s spend time cleaning each pup before and after feeding.
See How They Have Grown
NewbornTwo weeks old
Although their mama’s take care of cleaning the puppies, cleaning of the whelping boxes is my responsibility. Our whelping boxes are disinfected and a clean vet bed liner is replaced daily. We line the whelping box with a “vet bed fleece”. This is a financial investment on our part but, we feel it is well worth the money. It not only keeps our puppies warm and dry, it also provides excellent footing for the puppies as they learn to walk and stops their legs from slipping as they nurse. When it is time to clean the whelping boxes, I put the puppies into a laundry basket to keep them contained. I am going to have to find bigger containers because some of the puppies are starting to climb out. We have also had to add a panel to the whelping box entrance to keep them safe inside.
Laundry basket
Door Panel Added
A day in the whelping box consists of eating, sleeping, and cuddling with mama and grandchildren
Looking for a comfy spot to sleep
With Ellie locked out of the room, I took the opportunity to take a quick video to show the the puppies progress. Soon Ellie came back … She wasn’t too happy as you will hear in the video 😂 The below video shows the progress the puppies have made. Their hind legs have become stronger and they are moving more quickly around their whelping box. The puppies are starting to vocalize. Now that their eyes have opened they will start to interact with each other.
Things to look for: eyes opened, puppies using hind legs, puppies starting to vocalize
The excitement as mama returns and another meal
LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK THREE
Puppies will still eat and sleep most of their day
Puppies will continue growing
Sight will slowly become clearer
Puppies Ears will start to open and they will begin to hear.
Puppies hind legs will become stronger and they will practice walking on all fours
Puppies will become more aware and start to play with their litter-mates.
It is always a day that we look forward to – Puppy’s Eyes Opening. It can happen anywhere from ten days to two weeks. Last night at weigh-in and ENS exercise time, I was excited to discover that Cayenne Collar Boy from Willow and Brinkley’s litter was the first puppy to open his eyes! I always feel the puppies start to feel more alive once their eyes open and look back at me. 😊 Over the next few days, all the puppies eyes will open.
Milestone Reached
Our mama’s are doing a wonderful job caring for their babies. We monitor our puppies progress, comparing them to our previous litters and observe them during their short awake times. All the puppies are doing well, gaining strength in their hind legs as they exercise moving to their mama’s for their next meal.
From our past experience, the puppies should double their birthweight somewhere between 8 – 12 days. Ellie’s litter all doubled their birth weight on day 8 and 9. Willow has an extra puppy to feed and therefore are gaining a little slower. Yesterday on day 9, two of her puppies doubled their birth-weight. Over the next few day, the rest of her litter will have reached this milestone. After all, at this stage in the puppies life, all they do is eat and sleep 💤
Ellie and Brinkley’s LitterWillow and Brinkley’s Litter
LOOKING BACK
Wow, our precious puppies are now one week old. We have had a busy week! For the first few weeks of life, a puppy cannot regulate their own body temperature. We have added an electric heater to our rooms to help keep the temperature at a warm 28 – 29 degrees C. We gradually reduce the temperature as the days pass.
First 72 Hours
Willow and Ellie are great mamas. For the first 24 hours, I had to force them away from their puppies for a potty break. Then they went right back inside to their babies. I even had to feed them inside the whelping box. The next 24 hours, they would willingly leave when I called them to go outside but, still went right back to the whelping box after their short break. After 72 hours, they spent a little time away from their puppies to run the yard for exercise and eat a meal. As the days pass, time away from their puppies will gradually increase. We place an evaluated bed just outside the whelping box for our mamas to rest on. This allows them their own space away from their puppies but they can keep a watchful eye on them.
Neonatal Period
The puppies are in the Neonatal Period which is from day 0 to day 14. During this period, puppies spend their time eating and sleeping. On day 3 we begin ENS (Early Neurological Stimulation) which continues through day 16. We preform ENS daily during our weigh-in time. Research shows these tiny struggles and stresses in small doses are good for puppies. Benefits from ENS include greater tolerance to stress, greater resistance to disease, faster adrenal system, stronger heart rate and stronger heartbeat. This is a gift that a breeder can only give their puppies during the 3 to 16-day window.
PUPPY TWITCHES – The above videos show sleeping puppies “twitch” This is a sign of a healthy puppy.
Puppy socialization
Puppy socialization starts at birth. We handle our puppies as soon as their mamas feel comfortable and give them all daily cuddles. My grandchildren love to help me cuddle puppies!
Feeding
Before puppies are born, they receive immunity and everything they need to grow from the placenta. After birth newborn puppies do not possess immunity. A mothers first milk called colostrum is a protein-rich, nutritious, balanced, and protective food. The special milk provides passive immunity which can last several weeks and protect them from various infections and diseases. For this reason, the first twelve hours after birth it is vital for the puppies to nurse frequently and build up their passive immunity. (Passive immunity is the short-term immunity which results from the introduction of antibodies from the puppy’s mother. Compare with active immunity – the immunity which results from the production of antibodies by the immune system in response to the presence of an antigen)
Weigh-in
We weight our puppies and keep daily records. In the first 24 hours, it is not uncommon for puppies to loose up to 10% of their birth weight. We were very pleased at our first 24 hour weight-in, all our puppies had gained weight. Our mama’s are doing an amazing job feeding their babies.
Puppies are born with their eyes and ears sealed shut; they cannot see or hear. 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. The puppies are now experts at nursing! As you watch the videos below, listen to the cute little sounds the puppies make as they nurse – so precious !
LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK TWO
Much the same as week one – Eat, Sleep, Repeat!
Puppies will continue growing
Puppies still crawl; hind legs will become stronger
Eyes should begin to open towards the end the week – so exciting !!!
The emotions of Whelping Day is always nervous excitement! You plan the breedings and then wait nine weeks for the puppies to arrive.
Breeding Plans
When female dogs live together, their heat cycles sync-up. This was the case with Ellie and Willow. To avoid raising two litters together, the plan was to breed Willow and Brinkley for a Christmas Litter, then six months later, breed Ellie on her next heat cycle for a spring litter. Raise ONE litter of puppies at a time. So, when the girls went into heat, we sent Brinkley away to stay with one of my son’s in Brooklin. After about 10 days, Brinkley changed locations and went to stay at another of my son’s house; this time in Claremont – half a kilometre away from our house.
What happened next?
I am reminded of those words written over 200 years ago by the Scottish poet Robert Burns“the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry”.
My plans for one litter went awry – Brinkley made his escape from my son’s house, crossed our main road and came back home to be with his sweet Ellie. The result – Two litters of puppies.
Preparing
With two litters due together we needed two spaces for our whelping boxes. We set Willow’s whelping box in my bedroom and Ellie’s Whelping Box in another bedroom we use as our walk-in closet. I prepared my whelping cart with all our supplies and made sure everything would be ready. My “Whelping Cart” is on wheels making it is easy to move between the two rooms.
Whelping cart ready and waiting
Whelping Day
Whelping Day is always so exciting and this was no exception. We had double the excitement and whelped two litter in under 17 hours.
Ellie’s Whelp
When due dates are getting close, we keep our expectant mamas in our room with the door closed. We have learnt over the year that sometimes mama’s want to go off on their own LOL! Thursday night, Willow slept in her whelping box in our bedroom and Ellie had a little bed beside my bed that she likes to sleep on. Ellie was restless throughout the night and in the morning, it was obvious she was in labour.
Mid-morning, I took Ellie up to her whelping room and Tom took over caring for our two grandchildren and the rest of our dogs. I didn’t have my daughter’s help as I usually do because she was at her teaching practicum placement – I would have to go solo. At 11:42 am, Ellie’s first puppy arrived – a girl weighing 391 grams. When Tom came to see the newborn puppy, he told me that he thought Willow was also in early labour. Oh well, nothing we could do but press on. Over the next few hours while I continued helping Ellie deliver her litter and in-between puppy births, I popped in my bedroom to check on Willow who was staying in her whelping box. Yes, she was in labour, and I think she was missing me – she dragged my jeans into the whelping box with her to lay her head on. Tom kept Willow company while Ellie whelped.
Ellie’s newborns nursing
Ellie’s puppies in the warming box while she delivers another puppy
Below is a video of Ellie giving birth. NOTE: May not be suitable for children to watch or if you are a little squeamish (Like one of my son’s LOL)
Ellie gives birth
Ellie cleans her newborn baby – notice her tail is wrapped with compression tape to help keep it clean
At 2:48 pm, Ellie delivered her last puppy – a girl weighing 441 grams. Ellie is such a calm dog, even when she is whelping. Her whelp went very smoothly and she delivered eight puppies in just over three hours. Ellie did amazing!
Pics of Ellie’s Whelp
Ellie and Brinkley’s Newborn Litter Huddle
Willow’s Whelp
Willow started labour when Ellie started delivering her puppies. I went back and forth in-between the two rooms checking on Willow and Tom kept Willow company when I wasn’t there. (Our grandchildren are now down for their naps) Willow dragged my jeans into her whelping box – I guess my “scent” was a comfort for her.
In-between the births of Ellie’s puppies, I went to check on Willow.
Willow continued to labour throughout the afternoon and evening, staying in her whelping box in our bedroom. Finally, just after midnight at 12:30 am, Willow’s first puppy arrived – a chocolate male weighing in at 393 grams.
I know I say it after every whelp, but it still holds true! I am so in awe at the instinct God has given animals. They just know what to do! The miracle of birth is so amazing, and I am moved each time I experience it.
Willow is protective of her newborn
Willow cleans her baby
After a puppy is born it is important to get them nursing. New puppies receive important antibodies in colostrum – their mother’s milk during the first few days of nursing. Just like humans, mama dogs produce a milky-textured substance called colostrum which contain the mother dogs antibodies that give puppies’ bodies the ability to fight off infections in the first weeks of their lives.
As the puppy nurses, you can observe Willow’s contractions
Willow is very protective of her babies and didn’t want me to handle them right away. Each mother is different, and we interact with the newborn puppies as our mama’s allow. After Willow’s second baby arrived and she was occupied with his care, I was able to look after the first puppy. We first make sure their nose and mouth are cleared of fluid then, dry them with a towel. This process makes them cry which is good to help get them exercising their lungs by taking deep breaths. Next is weigh in and observation.
Whelping can be messy business. Willow is white and gets very dirty throughout the whelping process. I opted to give her face a clean shave, making it easier to cleanup. Below are a couple videos of the birth of one of Willow’s puppies NOTE: May not be suitable for children to watch or if you are a little squeamish
Willow gives birth
Willow cleans her newborn puppy
At 4:15 am, Willow delivered her last puppy – A chocolate merle weighing 378 grams.
Willow feeding all her newborns
Willow’s whelp lasted just under four hours. She had nine puppies in total – five girls and four boys. Willow did an amazing job and deserves a good rest!
Echo’s puppy is six weeks old today. As I mentioned in our previous post, her forever family has named her Finley. We have had another busy week introducing Finley to so many new things. All the challenges and hard work for the first three weeks of raising a singleton puppy has paid off!!! Finley continues to grow bigger and stronger and may even be ahead of our previous puppies from normal size litters navigating the yard because she tries to keep up with the BIG dogs.
This past week, Finley was introduced to the outdoors and enjoys exploring the yard during this time. She is always keen to join the big dogs outside. If she hears the bells on our sliding door jingle, she lets me know she wants outside too. All our dogs are giving Echo a hand keeping watch over Finley in the yard and teaching her dog manners.
Echo is weaning her puppy – she feeds her in the “standing position” for a very short time and then makes a quick get-away. Finley has now progressed to eating softened kibble.
Learning to Submit
Echo has a laid-back personality and is not as strict as some of our previous mama’s. I have never heard Echo growl at Finley for discipline. Not to worry, our other dogs have taught her what a growl means – LOL! Echo is getting a hand from the nanny Maui in teaching Finley to “submit”. The goal is to get the puppy to lay on her back in the “submit” position.
Learning Commands
Teaching Finley her name and working on some commands – sit and come.
FUN OUTDOORS
LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK SEVEN
Puppy time spent awake will continue to increase
Puppy will begin dry kibble by the end of week seven
We will continue to encourage puppy to use potty area
Puppy will continue to socialize and learn from our dogs
Puppy will continue exploring the outdoors as weather permits
Puppy will continue learning from her mama as she disciplines and teaches acceptable behaviour (dog manner)
As always, puppy will continue to get lots of cuddle time.
Wow, four weeks old already – this week our singleton puppy has progressed so much. Echo continues to be an amazing mama, loving and caring for her baby. This past week has been a busy one. Echo’s puppy moved to the main floor, her milk teeth erupted, and she is beginning to learn to use the potty area. Echo’s puppy’s hind legs have become much stronger, and her walking has greatly improved. The puppy is vocalizing more and can now bark and growl . Although the puppy still sleeps much of her time, she spends longer periods awake socializing with her mama Echo, our dog nanny Maui, and her many stuffies through play. She also has lots of attention from our family – both canine and humans including my grandchildren who love to play with the puppy.
Critical Socialization Period
Echo’s puppy is now in the Critical Socialization Period. We raise our puppies using Puppy Culture protocols. Socializing puppies by exposing them to as many new experiences as possible while the puppy is young is only part of the process of Socialization. Our goal is to raise dogs that have the emotional intelligence to connect with you. Emotional intelligence can be taught to young puppies and is one of the goals of the Puppy Culture Program. (For more details, see Puppy Culture Page )
Moving To The Main Floor
Since birth the puppy has only know the cozy quiet space inside the whelping box in my bedroom. The main floor is very different so, I like to expose our puppies gradually for a few days before the big move. On Friday we took the puppy for a short period of time to the main floor for some exercise.
Basket Challenge
Just as physical exercise builds strong muscles, challenging puppies works on building the brain. This basket challenged the puppy to get out of the basket to get to her mama Echo. The puppy was a little timid at first, but she finally made it out to her mama.
Having the puppy area on the main floor exposes the puppy to many different household sounds. Not only is Echo’s puppy exposed to the normal sounds of a busy household, because we are in the middle of a basement renovation means a bonus of lots of different building noises for the puppy to become accustomed to.
On Monday we moved the puppy to the main floor of our house. This is when Potty Training begins. We have started with a potty pad at the far end of the enclosure. Teaching a singleton puppy will defiantly be less work than potty training a normal size litter. I corrected the puppy one time and showed her where to go potty. Many times, throughout the day, I observed her going over to the potty area on her own when she needed to go – what a smart girl! I’m sure she will have her “accidents”, but we are off to a great start!!!
Main Floor Puppy Enclosure
Stuffie Wrestling
The puppy loves her stuffies. Without littermates to interact with we use the stuffies for our singleton puppy to wrestle with.
Puppy At Play
This video shows how much more mobile the puppy has become. Watch how gentle she is giving my grandson kisses.
LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK FIVE
Puppy’s awake time will increase
Puppy will continue to socialize with both human and canines
Puppy’s balance will continue to improve progressing towards running
Puppy will continue learning to use potty area
Puppy will start on solid foods as weaning gradually begins
Mama will now add the invaluable teaching phase to her caring & protecting responsibilities over the next weeks.
