Wow, Piper’s puppies turn two weeks old already

Two Weeks Old Today

Our puppies are now two weeks old and progressing very well. We have had another busy week caring for Piper and her puppies. There is plenty to keep us busy while raising puppies, including ENS, cleaning, weighing, and laundry, just to name a few.

MILESTONES 

During the first two weeks of a puppy’s life, it is important to watch for milestones to confirm they are doing well. 

Doubling Birthweight

Piper has done an incredible job feeding her puppies. With a large litter, they sometimes need a bit more time to reach this milestone. However, no extra time was needed because all of Piper’s puppies doubled their birth weight, and then some. 

The puppies are doing well at their daily weigh-in

Puppies Eyes Open

In addition to the weight milestone, we were excited to see that two of Piper’s puppies reached another milestone on Wednesday, day 10. Yellow and Fluorescent Green Girl were the first puppies to open their eyes. It is always so exciting when I see the puppies looking back at me!

All the puppies eyes have opened except our little man. Blue boy has one eye open and the other partially opened. We will take their two week puppy singles in the next day or so.

Yellow and Florescent Green Girl were the first puppies to open their eyes.

Puppy Culture

We raise our puppies using many of the protocals from the Puppy Culture program.

Neonatal Period: Day 0-14 

The first 12 weeks of a puppy’s life are incredibly important. This is an almost magical time when a breeder has the power to change the outcome of a puppy’s life by what we choose to teach them. Consequently, by doing just the right things at just the right time, we can give the puppies the best start possible.

Early Neurological Stimulation

This week we continued our ENS Exercises with the puppies. As we have previously mentioned, ENS begins on day 3 and continues through day 16. Research shows that tiny struggles and stresses in small doses are good for puppies and will help them grow into strong, healthy well-adjusted adults. The benefits 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 – 16-day window.

Transitional Period @ Two weeks old

Now that the puppies’ eyes have opened, they have entered the Transitional Period. Every puppy is different so “Behavioural Markers” are used to identify the beginning and end of each developmental period. These timelines are simply guidelines. The transitional period (approximately Day 14 – 21) begins when the puppy’s eyes open and ends when they first startle upon hearing sounds.

Learning to Walk Hind Legs

When puppies are born, they crawl around the whelping box in an army crawl because their hind legs need to strengthen before they can support their body weight. The puppies are starting to walk on their hind legs, although very wobbly. It is so adorable to watch!

A Look Back At Week Two

Near the end, check for a couple of the puppies’ eyes!

Looking Ahead to Week Three

  • Puppies will continue to eat and sleep most of their day
  • Sight will slowly improved vision will become clearer
  • Ears will start to open and they will begin to hear 
  • Practice walking on all fours, strengthening their hind legs
  • Grow stronger and more mobile 
  • Become more aware and start to interact with their litter-mates
  • Start to vocalize

COMING SOON—Look for puppy two week single pics

L

Piper’s Puppies First Week

Looking back at first week

Whelping Day

The excitement builds as Whelping Day approaches. Piper lives with her loving guardian family. She arrived at our home on Tuesday to settle in before her puppies arrived. Each day, her tummy grew larger. And then, right on schedule, she began to deliver her puppies.

Piper was very independent during whelping and didn’t want me to touch her puppies. She took care of cutting the cord and cleaning each pup. Normally, I handle the puppy after birth to dry it with a clean towel, weigh it, and check its gender. Not this time; every time I tried to handle the puppies, Piper was very agitated. I was curious to see the genders and took the opportunity throughout the whelp to peek. All I could tell from a quick glance was that they were girls, except for the sixth puppy – a boy. 

When Piper was settled and taken out for a potty break, I did a final check. There was no mistake — Piper and Rocky’s litter of twelve had a gender split of eleven girls and only one boy! 

I wondered how rare this is since it’s usually a 50/50 split, maybe with one or two more of either gender. This is what Google said:

That is an incredibly rare and surprising litter gender split! A typical canine litter usually has a nearly even distribution, so a ratio of eleven girls to one boy is quite an unusual occurrence in a litter of twelve.

GOOGLE
Eleven Girls, One Boy
Whelping day

The Beautiful Girls

The One and Only BOY

Light Blue Boy

Taking care of Mama …so she can care for her babies

It is important to care for our mamas so they can care for their babies. Our mamas receive lots of TLC after their whelp. They are given daily vitamins. We make a special mother’s pudding, which is full of calcium and usually the first thing all our mamas eat. We also feed them boiled chicken breasts for the first few days. 

Settling into a Routine

Neonatal Period

Newborn puppies are in the Neonatal Period. During this time, they spend their days eating and sleeping. 

Newborn puppies are very vulnerable, so it is important to watch them very closely during the first week. I sleep in the whelping room and spend most of my time watching them, making sure everyone is eating well and sleeping. If a puppy is complaining, it is a cause for concern. 

Puppies at this stage need to be kept warm as they cannot regulate their own body temperature. We maintain the room at 80 degrees with a space heater and have a heating pad under half of the whelping box, which the puppies can move to when Piper goes out for a potty break. Piper spends all her time with her puppies during the first few days of their lives, feeding and cuddling with them to keep them warm. 

Daily Weigh-in

Weighing the puppies daily is important. If a puppy isn’t gaining weight, it indicates a problem. We weigh the puppies each day and keep a record. This helps us know if each puppy is doing well. During the first twenty-four hours, puppies will often lose weight. With a large litter, gaining weight can be a challenge. I was so excited with the weigh-in results on day one because every puppy gained from their birth weight. Piper has done a fantastic job feeding her babies and rotating them through, as she can only feed eight puppies at a time. Such a good mama!




ENS exercises

We start ENS (early neurological stimulation) exercises on day three and continue until day 16. Through ENS, we introduce little stresses to the puppies, which has been proven to produce calmer puppies. It also results in greater tolerance to stress, resistance to disease, a faster adrenal system, stronger heart rates and heartbeats. 

  • 1. Touch feet
  • 2. Hold upright
  • 3. Hold head down position
  • 4. Lay on back in palm of hands
  • 5. Place on cold gel pack wrapped in blanket
  • above excerise stresses for three to five seconds each


Socialization

Part of raising well-adjusted puppies is socialization. We handle our puppies from birth. This helps develop a well-adjusted puppy. In the upcoming weeks, the puppies will have lots of socializing with young and old alike.

A LOOK BACK AT WEEK ONE

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 !!!

Millie’s Six Week Old Sweeties

Well, the past few weeks have been quite eventful. During this time, the puppies have grown and experienced many new things such as potty training, eating solids, new beds, crates, and a new play area, to name just a few.

Introduction to Solids

The puppies have now advanced to softened kibble. Initially, it is very waterlogged. Over two week period, we gradually decrease the soaking time until the puppies are seven weeks old and ready for hard kibble.

And then we soak the kibble – Notice the difference in the dry and softened kibble

The puppies are still nursing from their mama any chance they get but,Millie limits feeding time. We have always have plenty of fresh water available.

Socalization

It is important to socialize puppies by exposing them to many new experiences while they are young. The puppies have been introduced to different floor surfaces, new toys, and our other adult dogs. The puppies continue to receive plenty of interaction with humans of all ages.

During week five, Millie’s guardian famly came for a visit. The puppies had a great time getting lots of cuddles.

Potty Training

Our main focus during weeks five and six was teaching the puppies to use their potty boxes. They have done a great job of going in the right spot. Some of our puppies are more consistent than others, but all are making progress.

New Play Area

The puppies have been enjoying their new play area this week, with lots of new toys to discover, including a crinkle tunnel, slide, crates, and wobble disc. We also have a potty box that the puppies are encouraged to use.

Puppy Selection Day

One of the highlights of the eight weeks of raising puppies is Puppy Selection Day. We enjoy meeting the forever families and sharing in their excitement. 

We had a wonderful day meeting everyone, and I know that each of our puppies has found a fantastic forever home.

The puppies were exhausted after a lot of interaction with their forever families. They ate their dinner and settled in for a long sleep.

Outdoor Play

A little late, but the puppies finally had outdoor playtime. It was a bit cold and snowy, but Millie and her babies enjoyed running and playing.

Sleep, Sleep, Sleep

LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK SEVEN

  • Puppies time spent awake will continue to increase
  • Puppies will begin dry kibble by the end of week seven
  • We will continue to encourage puppies to use potty area inside and out
  • Puppies will continue to socialize and learn from each other through play
  • Puppies will continue exploring and playing together outdoor 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.
COMING SOON—Look for puppy six week singles pics

Millie’s Adorable Four Week Old Babies

A Very Sad Update

💔

We are heartbroken to share that we lost one of Millie’s puppies this week—Purple Collar Girl. Losing a puppy is the hardest part of breeding, and it never gets any easier.

💔

Four weeks old already 

The puppies have developed so much in a short period. This week, their milk teeth have come in, their hind legs have grown stronger, and their wakeful periods have gradually increased. The puppies still sleep most of the day, but when they are awake, they enjoy socialising with their littermates through play.

Starting to Wean

Now that the puppies’ milk teeth have come through, it’s time to start weaning and introduce solids. Millie began nursing while standing. It’s so adorable watching the puppies try to balance on their hind legs to nurse.
The puppies have started eating puppy mush and happily lapped up the soupy food. 
The puppies are enjoying their first puppy mush. When they finished, we had very dirty puppies. 

Moving to the main floor

On Saturday, the puppies moved to the main floor, and we expanded their whelping box with the potty box extension. Puppies need to learn that they cannot “go” anywhere. We teach them that “there is an acceptable place to go potty.” Teaching them this early will prevent the development of bad habits that later need fixing. This effort will benefit forever families by making housebreaking easier when they go to their forever homes.

 

Checking Things Out

The puppies were eager to explore the new area. 

Adorable Faces

Millie’s puppies are exploring toys and their new play area. The puppies still sleep a lot of the time, and it wasn’t long before they fell asleep again.

My next task — puppy pictures.

📸

Keep an eye out on our website for the puppies four-week pictures.

Looking Ahead to Week Five

  • Puppies will continue learning to use the potty area
  • Puppy mush will get thicker and the puppies will start eating softened kibble
  • Awake time will increase as the puppies socialize with each other through play 
  • Introduce new toys
  • Mama will add the invaluable teaching phase to her caring & protecting responsibilities over the next weeks.
  • Lots of cuddles

Looking back at Millie’s Puppies First Week

Millie’s one week old puppies

I’ve had a lot to deal with over the past two weeks. My husband, Tom, underwent open-heart surgery, so I had to manage visits to the hospital alongside Millie coming to our home. We brought her here on Sunday so she could settle in before her due date. Millie unexpectedly delivered early, which was a surprise. I’m grateful for our wonderful family, who helped with hospital visits and looking after things at home. Due to some post-surgical complications, Tom’s stay in the hospital was extended. I’m relieved he was finally discharged on Tuesday to continue his recovery at home. With everything happening this week, I’m late in posting our First Week Blog.

Looking back at first week

Whelping Day

I spent the day at the hospital on Monday while my daughter kept Millie company. She had reported to me that Millie had been panting off and on, spending most of the day snuggling with her on the couch. That evening, I spent watching some TV and observing Millie. I thought that her puppies would come sometime on Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest. I looked over at Millie, planning to take her out for a potty break and sleep with her in our whelping room. To my surprise, I saw her starting to push. Quickly, we moved to the whelping room, where she kept me busy delivering her litter throughout the night. 

Sometimes first-time mamas know exactly what to do, and sometimes others need help. Millie was one of those first-time mamas who needed help. For the first six puppies she delivered, it was up to me to break the sack, clamp, and cut the umbilical cord, and dry them vigorously with a clean towel. When the seventh puppy arrived, Millie’s mother instincts kicked in, and she took over. When all was over, Millie and Rocky were the proud parents of a litter of twelve puppies with an even split of six boys and six girls.

Six Girls and Six Boys

The Boys

The Girls

Looking back at whelping day

Settling into a Routine

Neonatal Period

Newborn puppies are in the Neonatal Period. During this time, they spend their days eating and sleeping.

Daily Weigh-in

Millie has a huge litter, which makes feeding all the puppies challenging. The weight gain has been slower than that of puppies in a smaller litter.


Because some Millie’s puppies’ weight was less than expected, I decided to supplement with puppy formula.

syringe used for feeding puppy formula
Millie checking in on her babies

Sleep, Sleep, Sleep

Taking care of Millie …so she can care for her babies

It is important to care for our mamas so they can care for their babies. Our mama’s get lots of TLC after their whelp. Our mamas are given daily vitamins. We make a special mother’s pudding. It is full of calcium and is usually the first thing all our mamas eat. We also feed them boiled chicken breast for the first few days. 


Socialization

Part of raising well-adjusted puppies is socialization. We handle our puppies from birth. This helps develope a well adjusted puppy. In the upcoming weeks, the puppies will have lots of socializing with young and old alike.

ENS

We usually begin our ENS exercises on day three and continue through day 16. Through ENS, we introduce little stress to the puppies, which has been proven to produce calmer puppies. It also produces greater tolerance to stress, greater resistance to disease, a faster adrenal system, and stronger heart rates and heartbeats. Because the puppies were slow to gain weight and many puppies were being supplemented with puppy formula, I didn’t want to put more stress on the litter, so I held off on starting ENS until day five. We will continue until the puppies are sixteen days old.

Looking back at first week

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 !!!

Already Seven Week Old and Learning so Much

Nova’s puppies are now seven weeks old. She has done a wonderful job raising them. She continues to be a loving and caring mama. During grooming time, while I brush each puppy, Echo licks them, giving them a good cleaning. Such a good mama.

This week has been busy. The puppies have mastered going in and out of the house on their own, were introduced to water, and had free play in the big yard. They puppies love to chase and wrestle with their littermates. They have also transitioned to eating dry kibble.

Seven weeks old

Water Play

It has been another hot week, so we added water play to help keep the puppies cool during outdoor play. In the puppy enclosure, we placed a container filled with water for the puppies to cool off in. It is important to let the puppies explore the water independently so they do not have a negative first experience with it. Pink girl and blue boy were brave and climbed in; the rest of the puppies use it as a giant drinking bowl and sometimes put their front paws into the water.

New Puppy Area

This week we moved the puppies to a new puppy enclosure. It is close to the back sliding doors. The puppies can now go in and out on their own.

Puppies Meal Time

The puppies have now transitioned to dry kibble. No more grinding puppy food to make it into mush or waiting while the kibble soaks in hot water. Feeding is simple now because I just measure the dry kibble into the dis and watch the waiting puppies gobble up their meals.

Teaching time from Willow

Nova’s mama Willow helps with the puppies. Willow was my strict mama who demanded her puppies listen. This week, she has been helping Nova with her puppies. This video shows her in the puppy enclosure working with them.

A look back week seven

Things to look for:

  • Puppies explore the big yard
  • Nova cleaning puppy
  • Willow visits puppy enlosure
  • Water play
  • New puppy enclosure
  • New bed
  • Playing in the red tunnel


Looking Ahead to Week Eight

  • Puppies will continue exploring and playing together inside and outdoors as weather permits
  • The puppies will contunie to explor in the big yard where we will work on recall 
  • Nova along with our other dogs will continue teaching the puppies dog manners
  • Crate training with the door closed during nap time
  • We will continue to encourage puppies to use the potty area 
  • Puppies go to the vet for their wellness check, vaccinations, and microchip
  • Puppies will continue to get lots of cuddle time

Nova’s Adorable Six Week Old Puppies

Nova’s sweet babies are now six weeks old and becoming more adorable each day. 

We’ve had another busy week caring for the puppies and introducing them to many new things. They have grown bigger, and you can see each unique personality developing. The puppies love the outdoors and enjoy running and playing together. We’ve experienced very hot weather this past week and had to limit the puppies’ outdoor playtime to mornings and early evenings. We brought them inside for their lunch, playtime, and a rest where it was cooler. The inside puppy enclosure includes crates, a potty area, and new toys. It is important to introduce the puppies to something new each day.

Puppy Selection Day

One of the highlights of the eight weeks of raising puppies is Puppy Selection Day. We love meeting the forever families and feeling the excitement. 

We had a great day meeting everyone, and I know that each of our puppies has found a lovely forever home.

The puppies were exhausted after a lot of interaction with their forever families and spent the rest of the day having long naps.

A look back at week six

LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK SEVEN

  • Puppies time spent awake will continue to increase
  • Puppies will begin dry kibble by the end of week seven
  • We will continue to encourage puppies to use potty area inside
  • Puppies will continue to socialize and learn from each other through play
  • Puppies will continue exploring and playing together outdoor 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.

Nova’s sweet babies are now five weeks old

Nova’s sweet babies are now five weeks old and have developed from helpless newborn puppies to the “mini dogs” they are today. The puppies are now awake for more extended periods and enjoy playing with each other, their toys, and cuddle time. We are starting to see their personalities develop.

It is important when raising puppies to socialize them, which means introducing them to as many new experiences as possible when they are young. The puppies have been introduced to different floor surfaces, new toys, our other adult dogs and Paisley, our eleven-week-old puppy. The puppies continue to get lots of interaction with humans of all ages.

Our main focus this week was teaching the puppies to go potty on the grass in their potty box and outside in the play area. They have done a great job of going in the right spot, so now it is time to remove the whelping box and add crates.

Introduction to Solids

This week, the puppies began eating puppy mush. Each meal we gradually increased the thickness.

The puppies have now advanced to softened kibble. Initially, it is very waterlogged. Over the next two weeks, we will gradually decrease the soaking time until the puppies are seven weeks old and ready for hard kibble.

And then we soak the kibble – Notice the difference in the dry and softened kibble

The puppies are still nursing from their mama any chance they get but, Nova limits this and makes a quick exit from the puppy area. They also get plenty of fresh water

Looking back at week five

Looking Ahead to Week Six

The puppies will begin their outdoor play. We have the puppy enclosure set up and ready to go – just add puppies!
  • Crates introduced
  • Awake time will continue to increase
  • Socialize with each other through play
  • Daily Outdoor play time as weather permits
  • Puppies will continue learning from their mama and our other adult dogs as they teach them dog manners
  • As always, puppies will get lots of cuddle time.
  • Puppies will meet their forever families in one more week ❤️

Nova’s Puppies Are Now Four Weeks Old

It is hard to believe that Nova’s puppies are already four weeks old. They have made significant progress in such a short time.

So much has happened this past week! The puppies’ milk teeth have come in, their hind legs have grown stronger, and their awake time has slowly increased. The puppies still sleep much of the day, but when they are awake, they socialize with their littermates through play and love to sit on my lap for cuddles.

Potty Training Begins

Last Saturday, on the twenty-first day, potty training began. We divided the whelping box into two sections— a potty area with potty pads and a sleep/play zone with bolster beds. Puppies naturally tend to move away from their sleeping area when they need to go potty. It’s impressive to see the potty pads being used on the very first day of training (see red arrows).

A Visit To The Main Floor

On Tuesday, the puppies visited the main floor, where they interacted with some of my grandchildren. It was an exciting day for humans, adult dogs, and the puppies alike. The puppies enjoyed all the cuddles.

Nova was especially excited to have her babies out of the whelping box. She remained very relaxed as our other adult dogs interacted with the puppies.

 The next day, before the puppies were moved, Nova had all the puppies out of her whelping box and walking around the whelping room with her. It was definitely time to make a move.

 

Moving To The Main Floor

On Wednesday, the puppies moved to the main floor. The puppies are in the Critical Socialization Period, where socializing them involves exposing them to as many new sounds and experiences as possible.  This is part of teaching the puppies Emotional intelligence, one of the goals of the Puppy Culture Program. 

We placed the puppies in a large container while setting up their whelping box. Nova was surprisingly calm during this move. She is ready to progress to the next stage of motherhood – disciplining her puppies.

Notice the new addition to the puppies’ whelping box. Now that the puppies have had time using the potty pads in their whelping box, it is time for the potty box extension. This extension is lined with a washable pad and grass on top, and we encourage the puppies to use this area when they need to go potty. It is essential to keep their sleep and play area clean. Until the puppies are consistently moving into the potty box to relieve themselves, they will remain in the whelping box most of the day. We will take them out for a little exercise and exploring.

Puppies need to learn they can’t go anywhere. We teach them that “there is an acceptable place to go potty.” Teaching this early helps prevent bad habits from forming, which can be hard to break later. This effort benefits forever families by making housebreaking easier for puppies as they transition to their forever homes.

 

A Look Back At Week Four

Notice:

  • puppies making use of the potty area
  • toys have been introduced to the puppies
  • starting to nurse standing position

Looking Ahead to Week Five

  • Puppies will continue learning to use the potty area
  • Start on puppy food
  • Awake time will increase as the puppies socialize with each other through play 
  • Introduce different toys
  • Mama will add the invaluable teaching phase to her caring & protecting responsibilities over the next few weeks.
  • Lots of cuddles

A Look Back At the Puppies’ Second Week

Transitional Period

Nova’s puppies are now two weeks old and have entered the Transitional Period from day 14 to 21. Each litter is different and enters the next period, the Critical Socialization Period, when the puppies “first startle” at a sound.

The first twelve weeks of a puppy’s life are incredibly important. This is an almost magical time during which a breeder has the power to influence the outcome of a puppy’s life based on what we choose to teach them. By doing the right things at the right time, we can give your puppy the best possible start.

Two weeks old – We added a panel to the entrance of the whelping box because one of the puppies escaped.

Daily Cleaning

Newborn puppies are susceptible to disease. For this reason, we need to maintain a clean environment for them. We place the puppies in the basket while we clean and disinfect their whelping box.

Milestones

When raising puppies, we watch for milestones to gauge their progress. This week, Nova’s puppies achieved two important milestones.

Weigh-In

The puppies’ first milestone this week was doubling their birth weight. We pay close attention to this milestone because when a puppy isn’t gaining enough weight, it signals a potential issue. With Nova only having five puppies to feed, her pups gained weight more quickly than our larger litters. Three puppies—yellow, orange, and black—doubled their birth weight during the day seven weigh-in, while the other two puppies—pink and blue—achieved this milestone on day eight. 

Eyes Opened

Another milestone was reached later in the week—eye-opening. The puppies’ eyes opened between Days 10 and 14. Our Pink Collar Girl was the first puppy to open her eyes on Day 10.

So exciting!

ESI

DAY EIGHT – SOIL

Watch each puppy’s reaction when they smell the soil.

Such a Dedicated Mama

The puppies still require stimulation (lick) to void. Observe as Nova cleans each puppy before settling down to nurse.

During the upcoming week, the puppies will start going potty on their own. We will set up a sleeping area and a potty area in their whelping box.

Socialization

We expose our puppies to human touch from birth. We always consider the mother’s comfort level, as we don’t want to impose unnecessary stress on her. Nova stays nearby, watching over her puppies as they interact. This week, two of my grandsons visited to interact with Nova’s puppies. Sometimes, little hands aren’t so gentle—this serves as a teaching opportunity for children to learn to be gentle and to respect animals.

Looking back at week two

Looking Ahead to Week Three

  • ENS exercises will continue until day 16
  • Puppies will continue to eat and sleep for most of their day
  • Sight will become clearer
  • Ears will open, and they will begin to hear.
  • Puppies will practice walking on all four legs, strengthening their hind legs.
  • They will become more aware of their littermates and start to interact 
  • Puppies will start to vocalize