Weekly Puppy Update

Week 0-2
All babies are healthy and chubby with nice big paws and great shaped heads.  They are snuggling right into their humans and love to be held.  The amazing human-puppy bond is so gentle and peaceful.  I never cease to be amazed.  Mama is doing her job perfectly.  She is always ready to nurse and cleanup after her brood.  She is generous in allowing strangers in to see her babies and does so with poise and grace.


Beginning of Week 4
This week the puppies are teaching each other all sorts of new skills.  They are learning to run, then they get wobbly and fall over!  They have found their voices - sounding so ferocious!!  They also recognize their humans and whenever we come to play, they smell us, wake up and come over for hugs, kisses and some lap time. 

They have had their first "grown-up" food - they tucked into their yogurt and then stood in it!  These little ones have the sweetest personalities just gorgeous - we could not have asked for a more stunning first litter. 

Beginning of Week 5
This week the puppies are practicing toileting in the right place.  Some of them are doing great, some get close and some forget entirely - but they are all aware of it.  We'll get there!!  The crates are out and are currently being used as play houses by the puppies (see pictures).  Next week we will be shutting doors for very short periods and lengthen this over time.  The puppies are going to the vet tomorrow for a regular checkup.  Our vet is lovely, so we'll have a great time on our outing. 

This week we are starting our 7's by eating from 7 different bowls.  Our puppies are so curious about everything new, it is fun to watch them explore.

This week we are also playing with all sorts of new toys.  They love the baby's play mat and the rope toys.  Every puppy loves to chase the balls - soft and fluffy, small and hard all shapes, colors and sizes - they love them all.  I am convinced all our puppies are born with a "love ball" gene!

Beginning of Week 6
This week for our 7's we are going to be trying 7 different surfaces to play on.  We have wood floor, slippy and textured tiles, lino and carpets of various textures and colors, metal and concrete.  They have already tried a few but we do a lot of it this week.  It is too cold and snowy to try outside floors but we should have a good day soon (the puppies are dying to get out in the snow!).  They are interested in climbing, so we'll introduce an elevated (few inches off the floor) platform for them to play on and a toddler step. 

All the puppies love the wire crates now and do not care whether the door is opened or closed.  We'll be working on having them stay in longer and using them for one of their daytime naps.  We will be working more with the closed airline shipping crates this week.  We will make them super fun with lots of games and surprises inside for them  to discover.  They visited the vets in these and all had a good snooze at the vets while waiting their turn.  

The vet visit went great and everyone did well in the car there and back (25minutes each way) and were relaxed and calm during their exams.  Everyone loves them wherever they go! 

We are teaching our puppies to get attention by sitting on their bottoms or with four on the floor.  We are also teaching them what they can and cannot chew on - they are proving to be very good listeners and pick it up fast.

Late last week we completed the Volhard puppy aptitude test in a new environment with a neutral tester.  All puppies passed with flying colors.  This is exactly what you would expect from an Australian Labradoodle bred with Rutland Manor breeders.

Mama still loves to nurse and snuggle up with her puppies.  She is so patient with them.  Alfie on the other hand thinks all their toys are his and runs off with them.  When all 7 chase him around the kitchen we have to remind him to share...we forget he is barely older than they are sometimes!

All the puppies are getting bigger fast.  They think it is great fun to sprint and try to stop!  They are becoming more independent of each other and don't all huddle for sleep as much now.  They each go off to their favorite spot in the kitchen for their snoozes.  They are doing perfectly and they are right on track!


Week 7 & Beginning of Week 8
This week we have been playing in the snow (I mean toilet training outdoors!).  Everyone is listening to the "go potty" command although I'm not sure all have connected it to what they are doing yet.  They go outside and rush to their potty spot.  We have a quarter of an acre fenced in for the puppies and they have thoroughly enjoyed exploring every inch of it.  Some love to dig in the snow, others play with pine cones and jump in snow piles.  They are having a blast individually as well as a group.  We are having accidents in the house but we will reduce this over the next week or so as we concentrate on their schedule.

This week it was their first ever spa day.  My sister came over to help with this special event (a huge thank you Lynn!).  All puppies were bathed with a friend or two.  They were shown the bath, running faucets, shower sprinkler heads, bath toys in a leisurely and relaxed manner.  They fluffed up and storm then took a lovely nap all clean and warm from their bath.  When they woke up they had their nails clipped and a lovely brushing, which they all seemed to enjoy (after watching Alfie have his first).  A very successful first spa treatment!

Mama Siggy is turning out to be a champion nurser.  We were leaving it to her to wean the puppies naturally, but I think Siggy would prefer to be nursing them on the way to their new homes - so she can be sure they all arrive with full bellies.  So, we are starting to help her with this so that all puppies are independent of mama within plenty of time.

Over the last couple of weeks Siggy has been heavily involved with teaching her puppies.   She is spending a good deal of her time playing with, teaching and correcting her puppies.  This will prove invaluable to the puppies as they get older.  She is giving them the start in life that every puppy deserves the world over. 

This week we focused our sevens on seven different challenges.  We introduced the toddler stool and all have mastered climbing on top of it and getting off.  We have practiced going up and down the stairs to the outside for potty (4 wooden steps).  Now they have mastered this we will show them a staircase (being mindful of their joints, of course!).  We introduced various boxes for them to climb in, up and over as well as all sorts of different crates.  We will introduce a child's play hut tomorrow and they should have fun with the tunnels and hiding inside this. 

We have also started our 7 different locations.  Every day I take a single puppy to the bus stop.  There they meet all the local kids, hear the big yellow bus and various cars all from the safety of a blanket in our arms.  They are getting very excited now when they hear the bus as they know the bus stop means kids.  And kids mean fun, noise and chaos - they love it!  We plan to take the puppies in their crates to a very busy, very noisy road this week and hang out with the doors open to listen to the cars.  It has been too cold to do it before now, but we will work to fit it all in.

Week 9
At the back end of last week we realized that the puppies had made such amazing progress with their crates that we could move them forward to sleeping alone in their shipping crates (with all the doors facing out so they could see each other).  They have been amazing and are going through the night without a peep but up bright and early.  We have had no poop accidents and just a few tinkles that we are working to eliminate with improvements to their schedule.  They have moved to 4 meals a day and will be on 3 when they go home.  They are doing really well and could travel right now!

During the day we are teaching them not to get in the dishwasher, pull towels down, jump up at chairs, pull boxes of tissues down etc.  All the polite behaviors and house breaking rules that most homes will have.  They are doing great.  My husband commented, just yesterday, that the puppies haven't chewed any of the wood in the kitchen.  He's right - having gazillions of raw hides appropriately sized for puppy mouths have worked their magic!

We have totally stepped up with the people socialization  (we took it way, way beyond the 7's).  A huge thank you to all my family and friends (and their friends) and neighbors who have made time to stop by and play with the pups.  We have had a much needed revolving door and everyone has loved it.  Fantastic fun and lots of socializing!  We'll be having a last push on people socialization at the beginning of this week before we have our surgery and the required quiet rest time. 

We will be working more on our loose leash training as the sits (sit) and recalls (come) have been going so well.  All the puppies follow close to me around the garden and no leashes are required as the whole area is secure and safe for full exploration. 

We are thoroughly enjoying the new and creative names that everyone has come up with.  It is amazing how much a name means - each one really suits the puppy.  Fantastic work everybody!

So, we'll just keep going on track because the stork has almost landed at your home.   I will of course cry, but happy tear,s knowing that I have raised these little guys to be magnificent examples of the Australian Labradoodle. 
Hugs, Jillxx