🐾 The puppies are always excited to see Dad (Apollo)! Prior to the video they were barking and jumping at the fence and he gave a brief bark and they immediately settled down. He was “correcting” their behavior, and they GOT IT!
🐾 Many of our puppies go to homes with other dogs and it’s always amazing to see/hear how quickly they bond with their older siblings (or at least learn to respect them if the older dog wants to be left alone 😂) An older dog can be a great asset in helping to train a young puppy - as long as they don’t have bad habits you don’t want to recreate. If they do, make sure you reward the puppy for good behavior (being boring) as much as possible. 😊
When you are just so excited to see what your brothers and sisters are doing!!
🐾 Big day today - 6 weeks old!!! ALSO… and this is really more a gift to we humans- no accidents outside the potty/poo area overnight! You may have noticed in our videos a stray alfalfa pellet or 2, on the ground. While this it an issue for the clean freak in me, it’s virtually impossible to keep the pellets contained. That being said, the puppies are understanding that there is an appropriate place to do their business rather than just anywhere they get the urge. I know we keep saying this, but it’s yet another important step in future potty training for their adoptive families.
🐾 You’ll also note that the puppies are a LOT more active, and vocal. This socializing with siblings helps them to understand boundaries and bite inhibition. We have also introduced squeaky toys which puzzle the pups, but also is a form of assimilation to unusual noises. We are also running the stick vacuum which is a new sound for them as well. The radio you may hear in the background gives a nice variety of voices and music for the puppies to hear so our voices are not the only ones they hear.
🐾 We will also begin the pick process with our adoptive families this week!! We like to wait till 6 weeks as we can truly see their personalities emerge at this stage. Our goal is to set the puppies up for success, as well as their adoptive families, by helping to place the right puppy in the best home for them. 🥰
Hope you all had a happy Easter weekend! Just a quick look at what we see when we check in on the puppies! They are so excited to see us, and we love that they have bonded with us as their first “humans”!
🐾 Play time!!! The puppies are enjoying their new space and the ability to run (or hop 😊). This usually happens after a feeding when they’ve got a lot of energy! This is also the time where the puppies are actively seeking OUR attention. They want to be held and pet, and are “ankle-biters” at this stage. After playtime, it’s back to the box to nap. We do this to reinforce potty training as typically, puppies don’t like to potty where they sleep.
🐾 The puppies literally RUN to the big kennel in a group when we let them out of the box. Apparently, it’s great fun to pile in there and chew on the bed that’s in there! 😂
🐾 The puppies are being introduced to toys and they love them! So fun to watch them shake and play tug o’ war with one another just like our “big dogs”.
🐾 We’ve officially moved the puppies to feedings every 5 hours during the day. They will stay on this schedule until they go to their forever home. We’ll gradually increase their food intake as they continue to grow.
🐾 It’s been a busy few days around puppy world! The puppies officially have their teeth in and Lotte has definitely started the weaning process- can’t say that we blame her. Those teeth are SHARP!
🐾 So that means we have been mixing puppy formula and individually feeding all the pups out of a bowl. They all quickly figured out what to do and have steadily increased the amount they’re lapping up at each feeding. Tonight we will introduce a “mash” of ground up puppy starter food with their formula.
🐾 This is also the time that we start potty training with the pups. We have been laying down potty pads in their box and these smart puppies have very quickly figured out this is where they are supposed to go! 😁 We will eventually move the pads on top of alfalfa pellets in a tray, and then remove the pads.
🐾 As the puppies get this down, we will gradually increase their play/sleep area.
🐾 Mr. Blue trying to “chew” on mommy’s leg - just a mild correction by Lotte. 😂
🐾 Started to see the first signs of baby teeth pushing through on these guys today. This generally means that Lotte will start to wean them soon. Hard to believe they’ll be 3 weeks old tomorrow!
🐾 And just like that, the puppies are starting to “play” with each other! This is an important part of socialization for puppies, and how they learn to interact within the pack. This is how the puppies will determine who is “top dog”. There is always a pack order that gets established which will help to shape their future personalities, however, the puppies will establish a new pack order when they go to their forever homes.
It’s the stretching that gets me every time! 🥰
Can’t believe these puppies are 2 weeks old already! Lots of changes over the last couple of days- open eyes and starting to gingerly “walk” a few steps at a time instead of army crawling. They are also very much aware when mom steps into the whelping box to feed them! It’s chaos as they try to find a spot to nurse before they get pushed out by another puppy. The pups have to take “turns” at this point since they can’t all fit at once. This video is what taking turns sometimes looks like after the first round. Miss Pink is resting on Mr. Black after getting her fill. 😂
