How We Care for Our Puppies

When the puppies are with us, we are constantly working with them and giving them the love and attention they need.

When the puppies are born, I sleep next to them for 3-4 weeks to ensure they all are getting well fed (often, this includes rotating puppies at each feeding to the higher production nipples to make sure the smaller ones get plenty of milk) and when they are strong enough to crawl to a heat source (mom or heating pad) and get out from underneath momma if they are getting squished. I weigh them daily for the first weeks of life to make sure they are gaining weight. If any are smaller than the rest, I weigh them longer. I keep their enclosure clean, sanitary, and healthy.

At 3-5 days old, they get their puppy health check up, dew claws clipped, and tails docked (if advised), and Mom gets a post-partum health check. At the appropriate times, our veterinarian will give them their deworming and shots. Our puppies will have at least their first 2 sets of shots when they go to their forever homes.

Our puppies spend the first 5 weeks of their life solely in the house. Once they begin the weaning process and Mom begins to not clean up their poop, I begin letting them enjoy the great outdoors and taking them outside multiple times and especially after each solid feeding to begin their potty training. We have a big, fenced backyard where they explore and romp around. It is so much fun to see the puppies experience everything around them and learn from their Mother how to act in the big world! They get daily socialization inside and outside once they are old enough.

Puppies will be ready to go to their forever homes at around 10 weeks of age. We will have them used to a schedule which helps with their training. We will have begun the process of potty training (pee pads in their enclosure and beginning command training to go potty outside), calling them by their names (if you have one picked out), and other basic commands.