Seven Weeks Old
Willow and Brinkley’s puppies are now seven weeks old. Willow has done a fantastic job raising her puppies, teaching them to behave and listen to mama. She continues to be the strict mama, and you can definitely see the results. With a growl from Mama, when the puppies get too “wild,” they calm down.
This week has been busy. The puppies have mastered going in and out of the house on their own, had their first car ride when they visited the vet, were introduced to water, and had play dates with Maui’s puppies. They have also transitioned to eating dry kibble.
Water Play
This past week, we have been experiencing a heat wave. It was so hot that I had to restrict the puppies’ time outside. I would take them out in the morning for a couple of hours and then bring them back into the house, where it was cool. We would again give them some outdoor play time in the late afternoon.
We added water play to help keep the puppies cool during outdoor play. In the puppy enclosure, we put various-sized containers filled with water and a pool for the puppies to cool off in.
When we added water to the pool, all the puppies were curious. It is essential to let the puppies explore the water independently so they do not have a bad first experience with it. Some puppies were brave and climbed in; some stayed back and watched.
Puppies Meal Time
Newborn puppies get all their nourishment from their mother’s milk. When Willow started weaning her puppies at three weeks of age, it was time to start them on solids.
During weaning, the puppies start solids in progression. First, they eat a ground, watery puppy mush. Second, we soak kibble in hot water to make it waterlogged and soft. Lastly, the puppies transition to dry kibble.
When this happens, feeding time is so easy. No more grinding puppy food to turn it into puppy mush or having to wait while the kibble is soaked in hot water. Feeding time is easy now because I just scoop the dry kibble into the dishes and watch the waiting puppies devour their food.
The puppies are learning to exit the house on their own.
Puppies Visit the Vet
On Wednesday, the puppies had a couple of new firsts. They visited the veterinarian for their wellness check, vaccination, and microchip, and they also had their first car ride.
When we take the puppies to the vet, Tom stays at the truck with them in the large crate, and I take them into the office for their exam two by two. The weather was scorching that day, so we devised a different plan. We would take all the puppies into the office where it was cool. It worked out very well. We put the crate onto a dolly and rolled it into the office. Tom stayed with the puppies in the waiting room while I took each puppy into the examination room for their check-up
All the puppies behaved well and passed their Wellness Exam “with flying colours!” The car ride home was quiet because the puppies settled in for a nap after their big adventure.
A look back 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
- Willow 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 will continue to get lots of cuddle time
