
19/08/2024
🌞🐶 Sunny Day Doxies: One-Week-Old Puppy Development Guide! 🐶🌞
Hello, Sunny Day Doxies family!
Let’s dive into what to expect from our precious one-week-old dachshund puppies and how we breeders can best handle them to ensure healthy development.
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🐾 One Week Old Puppy Development:
1. Sleep and Growth:
- Sleepy Babies: Puppies at this age sleep around 90% of the time. This sleep is crucial for their overall growth and development. 💤
- Weight Gain: They are rapidly gaining weight, often doubling their birth weight by the end of the first week. Regular nursing is vital for this growth. 🍼
2. Limited Senses:
- Eyes and Ears: Their eyes and ears are still closed, as these senses are not yet developed. Touch and smell are their primary senses during this stage. 👀👂
3. Movement:
- Wiggly Movements: Expecting some wiggling and crawling as they develop their muscles. Their movements are still very uncoordinated. 🐾
4. Vocalizations:
- First Sounds: We might hear tiny squeaks and grunts. These early vocalizations are a way for the puppies to express their needs and comfort. 🎶
📋 Breeder Handling:
1. Gentle Handling:
- We always handle puppies gently and support their entire body. This minimizes stress and prevents injury. We make sure to have clean and warm hands. 🤲
2. Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS):
- Incorporating ENS exercises for a few seconds each, like tickling their paws, holding them upright, and laying them on their back. This helps build resilience and adaptability. 🧠
3. Cleanliness:
- Keep their living area clean and dry. I change bedding regularly to maintain a hygienic environment. 🚿
4. Minimal Disturbance:
- I limit handling to short periods to reduce stress, and return puppies to their mother promptly to continue nursing and bonding.
5. Temperature Regulation:
- Ensure the whelping box is kept warm (around 85-90°F) as puppies cannot regulate their body temperature yet. 🌡️
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By following these tips and understanding their development, we can help our one-week-old doxie puppies thrive! Share your experiences and any questions in the comments below. 📸🐾