Puppies' development stages begins before they even born. But there isn’t much to see at this point as puppies spends approximately 9 weeks developing inside their's mother. The mother dog has a womb or uterus, that has two long tubes, and the puppies grow in a row along each tube rather like peas in a pod. The puppies are joined to their mother by a placenta which provides all the nourishment they need for those few weeks. To begin with, the puppies have plenty of room to move but they grow fast and as the time for birth draws near they are packed in quite tightly.
and then new life....
Week ONE of puppies' life...it's all about eating, sleeping and gaining weight
Since puppies were born they are guided to suckle. The mother passes important antibodies and nutrients to their litter in these first hours and days that support their healthy development. They are born unable to see, hear or regulate their body temperature. Puppies rely on their mum for all their needs and we are supporting mother and her puppies by prepearing a specific environment with stable temperature and humidity. Between feeding times mother has break from them, and she can eat and drink and can be walked or she can take a nap. If mum doesn't have enough breast milk for her litter, then we feed puppies with special formula.
Mum's hormonal level is high, and she doesn't want to leave puppies even if she needs to rest...this is very challenging time for everyone, as we need to encourage mom to have her time for her needs...
During this first week, all puppies' energy will be devoted to sleeping and feeding so that they gain weight and become strong.It’s a busy time for us with sleepless nights to ensure that puppies are gaining their weight and mums feel ok.
Week TWO. Ears, eyes, nose and toys
By the end of the second week of puppies' life their eyes will start to open and while things will be a bit fuzzy, their sight will soon improve helping them to see the world around them. Around now a puppies hearing will start to improve – so far they have only been able to sense vibrations – they’ll be able to hear clearly by three weeks of age.
Their front legs will now be able to support their weight making it easier to seek out their mum … and the next milk feed! At around seven days onwards, the nose colour will begin to develop the darker pigmentation they have in later life.
The puppies’ mother is constantly attentive, only leaving her babies to eat or for toilet purposes. She licks the puppies bottoms to stimulate a bowel or bladder movement and eats the result.
We will begin to handle the puppies more though, and get them used to human contact. We will worm the puppies for the first time at the end of this week.
Puppies can't regulate their body temperature yet they will be under the heating lamps while mother is away for her needs.
Week THREE. Teething, weaning and playing
Puppies' front and back legs are now able to fully support their own body. This means they’re able to explore their world and play begins in earnest! First steps are taken and puppies begin to play fight with their siblings, and may even begin to practice growling and tail-wagging as social interaction begins; their body temperature is more regulated now. Red lamp can be switched off. In addition, this is the week where their sharp little puppy teeth start to appear which also means that it’s time to start weaning.
By this stage you can tell which puppy becomes more active, more loud and who is more or less dominant, as their personality begins to appear.
Puppies' mum is more settled now, we don't need to encourage her to have time for her needs, and by the end of the week she has more time as puppy weaning/feeding plan is already in place :).....
Week FOUR. Stronger and more active...Toilet training begins!
During the first four of these puppy development stages, puppies become really active and strong on their legs, and play actively with one another. They also start to move away from the sleeping area to empty their bowels and bladder.
They may try to climb out of the whelping box. So we transfer them from the whelping box to bigger area, placing a dog toilet mat. The toilet training begins.
The puppies’ mother will start to spend more time relaxing away from the puppies. She will gradually stop cleaning up after the pups, and puppies' cleaning after becomes our task now. Mum rejoin the family for more of each day.
The puppy food is actively integrated and puppy is getting more nutritions, and gaining weight more quicker. We also worm the puppies a second time.
If the mother is near the puppies after she has been fed, she may regurgitate her dinner for them. This is completely natural and normal.
Week FIVE. Active socialisation, new experience!
With all their senses now fully developed, puppies of this age will continue to learn through play. Active socialisation time – they meet new people, hear new sounds and getting used to being gently handled. This builds confidence and familiarity with experiences they’ll come across later in their life.
Puppies are barking too and some puppies can be quite noisy at this age! They chase after their mum whenever she appears and suckles hungrily, but she is starting to get fed up with it, she is running away from them. By the end of this week puppies doesn't require mother's milk anymore so mother can come back to her routine life and can meet puppies at the training area or whenever she will have a wish.
Week SIX. Puppies are little dogs!
Puppies start getting used to daily routine. By the end of this week puppies are fully weaned and eating 3-4 little puppy meals each day. Scheduled feeding times support toilet training. We worm puppies third time. Mum is still able to provide an important role in shaping positive interactions with other dogs and grow their confidence with new experiences.
Week Seven and Eight. Getting ready for the new life chapter!
This is very important time in puppies development. They are strong and big enough and starting to behave as big dogs, they still learning a lot through play, but already trying to stand by their "own marked" territory, they know which exactly feeding bowl belong to them. Some puppies are more or less dominant, and we are providing bigger area for them for them to feel more comfy.
Many puppies show the beginnings of fearfulness at this point and will startle or jump at strange sounds and sights. And this is part of their development. We help them to grow their confidence in a safe and managed environment that won’t be too overwhelming for them.
By the end of 8th week of puppies' age they are visiting veterinarian for their health checks, first vaccination and microchip implantation. A veterinarian will perform health checks and will sign the form for new puppies' owners.
Microchipping and vaccination can be stressful for puppies due to the unfamiliar environment of the vet clinic, handling by a stranger, and the physical sensations of the injections, which can lead to anxiety and fear, even if the procedures themselves are relatively quick and minimally painful; we will prefer to keep puppies for 24 hours before they will leave us, to provide positive reinforcement and to help puppies through the experience. After 24 hours puppies can leave us and join their forever home!