Willow’s babies turn four weeks old today and are growing bigger with each passing day.
The Girls
The Boys
Looking Back
A lot has happened this past week! For instance, a move, potty training, and the addition of Solids added to the food to name a few. Although the puppies still sleep much of the day, when they are awake, they love socializing with their littermates through play and welcome the company of humans.
Moving to the Main Floor
Tuesday was a big day for our puppies because they left their warm quiet room where they have been since birth and moved to the main floor.
We put the puppies in a container and carried them to the main floor. Their Whelping box was set up waiting for them as well as the addition of a potty box. As you can image, change can be a little stressful. In fact, the puppies were all whining as they were checking out their new home.
Being the attentive mama, and hearing the stress of her babies, Willow quickly joined her puppies in the whelp box and reassured then that everything was fine by feeding them.
Finally, our puppies settled into their new area and began the experience of living in a home with all the noises that goes on in a busy household.
Puppies Start Solids
Although I consider all our girls great mama’s, just as human mothers different in parenting styles, the same holds true for dogs.
I have helped four of our girls raise their litters and have noticed that each mama has a little different style. Willow is my “Strict Mama“. Although she loves and cares for her babies, she certainly doesn’t baby them.
So, because Willow is the Strict Mama, it is no surprise that Willow always starts to wean her puppies early. This was apparent when I woke up Tuesday morning and went to check on the puppies. Because I saw a large area on the vet bedding had been soiled, I knew the reason why. It was apparent that Willow decided it was now time to wean her babies. She had regurgitated her food for them during the night.
Potty Training Begins
The puppies are now able to void without the help of their mother, so it is important to begin potty training. 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. Willow didn’t allow me the head start though. Nevertheless, we began potty training after they had eaten their first meal of regurgitated food.
For the first few days after the puppy move to the main floor, I 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” anywhere. So, we teach them “there is an acceptable place to go potty”. Teaching them this at a young age will prevent 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.
Extension to the Whelping Box
On my wish list for the past couple years has been to have an addition to the whelping box for the purpose of a potty area. Previously we used fencing for the potty area, but it is sometime problematic.
Thursday was exciting for me because my wish came true. My husband Tom made the addition for my whelping box.
Now the puppies have an extension to their whelping box that contains their potty boxes. Finally, no more fencing and the puppies are safely contained in their new extended whelping box.
Looking Ahead to Week Five
- Puppies will continue learning to use potty area
- Awake time will increase
- The puppies will continue to socialize with each other through play
- Toys will be added to our whelping box for puppies to explore
- Enlarging the puppy area, giving puppies room to play and explore
- Mama will now add the invaluable teaching phase to her caring & protecting responsibilities over the next weeks.
