The puppies are five-weeks old today and weigh between 5 1/2 and 6 pounds each. In another week, their combined weight will outweigh Picabo. They are eating three meals a day and don’t need their food mashed up or goat’s milk added to it. They have graduated to yogurt. :-) It took Picabo a couple of days to get over her illness but she did and is back to 3+ double portion meals a day. She will still allow them to nurse but on her terms. She softly growls and gently snaps at any puppy sneaking in for a snack. I don’t blame her. Their teeth are sharp and they don’t have much bite inhibition at this age.
Their fourth week was spent with me studying them and seeing what they were ready to do. For instance, up until now, the bedroom door has been open when they were out of the Dura-Whelp. While they were eager to explore the bedroom, crossing the threshold was a different matter. The hallway is dark with a vinyl floor whereas the bedroom is bright with carpet and newspapers. They would venture to the door but would not pass through it. That is, until Tuesday. Purple Girl just nonchalantly passed through the doorway and into the hall. When nothing happened to her, her littermates cautiously followed her. That was my cue to go to the end of the hall, get down on my knees, clap my hands, and call “puppy, puppy”. The hallway is only six feet long but that was a long six feet for them. We worked on walking down the hallway and into the living room (love that room) and into the kitchen (don’t like that room yet - too bright - too hard to walk on the floor). Now I have to have a baby gate up in their bedroom to keep them in!
With me gone all day and sleeping a few hours each night, I worry that they spend too much time in isolation. So this was the week I utilized the compost bin/x-pen in the living room. While the other dogs were crated for dinner, I would be in the living room with the puppies while they explored and used me as a jungle gym and living pin cushion. I would then put them in the x-pen with their toys and let the other dogs out. This is good for the puppies to be in the center of the house seeing dogs walk around, sniff them, hear them bark, etc. The puppies were put back in the Dura-Whelp for bed.
Week Five begins the socialization period. Deliberate socialization is necessary for the entire first year but weeks five through seven are critical in helping the puppy develop problem solving skills and a “shake it off” attitude as he faces the challenges and fear periods of puppyhood and adolescence. Sights, sounds, people, dogs, surfaces, toys, food, the list is endless. You don’t socialize a puppy by scaring it or forcing it to do things it isn’t ready for. You socialize the puppy by putting it in new and different situations (not scary) and letting the puppy get used to it. Besides exposing the puppies to things like vacuum cleaners, plastic bags, and TV sounds, I try to put the puppies in situations where they will go forward (toward) instead of backwards. I only get so close to the puppies and then encourage them to come to me. I also try to get out of the habit of carrying them. It takes us a lot longer to get to places in the house, but it is better for them mentally to make the journey themselves.
The puppies had a big journey today. My sister Debbie volunteered to take the litter for a week to give me a break and to give the puppies some great experiences. The journey to my van took about 20 minutes. With Picabo’s supervision, I carried two puppies at a time out the front door and since it was sunny (OK, it was only 32 degrees), I put them down on the lawn. The first pair out were Pink Girl and Green Boy. They were initially stunned but got to sniffing everything and slowly walking around. Green Boy stopped to pee and Pink Girl pooped. I scooped them up and put them in the warm van. Next pair was Yellow Boy and Purple Girl. Purple Girl sat at my feet and shivered. She didn’t like this. Yellow Boy on the hand, practically bounded off. He scampered through the grass, ran up to a tree and looked at it, then scampered over to the gravel. I had to chase him down before he noticed the deck. The cotton tails fit under there and so would he. They went into the van. The last pair out was Blue Boy and White Boy. Blue Boy was very funny because he kept pawing the air like he was afraid to take a step. The texture of the grass was giving him a sensory overload. White Boy sniffed around but stayed close to Blue Boy. I got down, clapped, and called them and White Boy bounded toward me. Blue Boy came too and once he took that first step on grass, he was OK with it. I wish it would warm up so they could have more outside adventures. It is a two-hour drive to my sister’s house. We met at the halfway town (Elko). They traveled well and didn’t hesitate to come out of the crate. We transferred them to Debbie’s van and she brought them home. She called to tell me that they needed zero time to adjust to their new digs. They like her kitchen and the stuff she put in it for them. They also like her and never shied from climbing all over her and biting her face. They do that pretty well. :-)
Monday will be “develop a daily routine” day for Debbie and her dogs. Beginning on Tuesday, she will be bringing the puppies to her fourth grade classroom in the afternoon. Her students are so excited! I am excited that both kids and puppies will be learning lots of stuff this week.
This week is going to feel like a vacation. I don’t have to get up at 4:15. I can sleep until 5:00! :-) I’ve already taken the Dura-Whelp down. This week I will clean the bedroom where the puppies have been and then redesign my dog room so the puppies can have a 4’X6' x-pen space when they come back next week. If I had a place to put my table, I would set up another x-pen in the kitchen.
One other thing happened this week. Green Boy had an “awakening”. He is now on the same clock as everyone else and is a different puppy. He thinks wide awake puppies are more fun than sleeping ones. :-)
Sheila Miller
Wolftree Acres
Nevada, USA
sdmiller@the-onramp.net
http://www.wolftreeacres.homestead.com
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