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This page has pictures, videos and weekly development reports for Tessa's Labradoodle puppies from 3 days old to five weeks old.
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2020 Labradoodle Puppies, six and seven weeks old just prior to Adoption Day.
Tessa’s Labradoodle puppies are now cuddly little bundles of furry energy, with strong bodies and sharp teeth. They are active and vigorous. During days of warmer weather earlier this week, they enjoyed playing in the backyard. They got their feet wet in a kiddie pool. They wrestled on the grass and rested in the shade of a playhouse before rushing off again. The puppies have graduated from a nutritious gruel to softened puppy kibble to kibble that has been coarsely ground and moistened but not soft. Their meal frequency is down to three times a day. Their mother nurses them only briefly a couple times a day, so they are almost completely weaned. Because of the pandemic surge, I’ve regretfully told my fabulous volunteer assistants to not come anymore. The puppies and I are already missing their enthusiasm and dedication. My son, husband and I continue to work with the puppies on their conditioning and training. Yesterday we began working on the “come” and “sit” commands. The puppies are also being exposed to desensitization sounds that I play from YouTube. These sounds include thunderstorms, fireworks, city traffic, children playing, babies crying, airplanes including helicopters, and dogs barking. The puppies will play outside as weather permits, and otherwise in a large area of a converted bedroom. Evenings my husband and I cuddle them one by one while we watch television in the living room.
Tessa's Labradoodle Puppies Playing in the Yard
During warmer weather this week, the puppies went outside to play. The wet their feet in a kiddie pool, then chased each other and wrestled. My son, husband and one of my fabulous volunteer helpers supervised and took pictures.
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Tessa’s Labradoodle puppies turned four weeks old this week. They celebrated with their first trip outside during gorgeous fall weather. They were at first hesitant about the sunny and grassy new world they found themselves in. Now (taking advantage of the warm spell) they have been out for a third time and are loving it! Today they ate their lunch in the yard. For the past week I’ve been feeding them a pablum of goats milk, rice powder cereal and softened ground up puppy kibble. The proportion of kibble is increasing and soon I won’t be grinding it up, although it will still be softened. They are nursing on their mom only occasionally. They are awake for longer periods and are more active and social with each other. They play after meals and some are forming play bonds with specific other litter mates. They jump, run, gallop, prance and ambush each other. If they find an unclaimed toy they hold it up and circle proudly. They play bite each other on the ears, tail and legs, and sometimes they get up on their hind legs and box each other with their forepaws. After play time they settle down and sleep again until their next meal. They are comfortable walking on a variety of surfaces including a wobble board, and now grass. During this past week the puppies have been introduced to grooming tools, including brushes, combs, the vibration of an electric clipper on their backs, and the sound and feel of a hairdryer.
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First Time Outside: Tuesday, November 4
Tessa's Labradoodle puppies are brought outside on their four-week birthday. The day is sunny and warm and the puppies experience grass for the first time. Looks like it might be good to eat!
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Tessa’s Labradoodle puppies were three weeks old on Tuesday, October 27. At birth they weighed as little as ten ounces. Now they are all in the neighborhood of three and a half to four pounds. Their teeth are already coming in! I have started to supplement their regular nursing with a thin gruel of goats’ milk and a high quality canned puppy mousse. Their ears are open now, so they can hear as well as see. They are becoming familiar with family activities and noises including cooking, microwave, vacuum cleaner, radio and human voices. You may have noticed the blue eyes on a couple puppies, especially the chocolates. This is temporary. The blue eyes will turn brown within a couple months.The puppies enjoy twice-daily cuddle and socialization sessions with family members and volunteer friends. I'm introducing them to toys and new surfaces to walk on. They now have an exercise pen to move around in, and a soft bumper pad to sleep on. They still spend most of their time sleeping together, and they play gently with each other before and after meals. The floor of their exercise pen is covered with newspapers while they learn about the new litter box.
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Labradoodle Puppies Settling Down After Lunch
After a good lunch it's time for a nap! The puppies play gently with each other, lick or mouth each other's muzzles and jockey for a good sleeping position. Pretty soon their eyelids droop and they are sound asleep again until the next meal or nursing.
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During their first two weeks these newborn Labradoodle puppies did nothing but nurse and sleep. Three days ago their eyes began to open and now they are beginning to walk! For the first time they recognize each other as something other than a warm pillow and are beginning to play with each other. These are big steps in their young lives. It’s the beginning of their interactions with the world. Of course they still have a long way to go. Even when their eyes first open, they can’t see very well. Their vision will clarify over the next few weeks. Their ears remain closed but will open by the middle of next week. And whereas just a few days ago they were still pulling themselves around blindly on their bellies, they have now taken their first wobbly and uncertain steps around their whelping pool. Vision and walking are a powerful combination! They explore the limits of their confinement and return easily to their mother and littermates. It won’t be long before they are climbing out of the whelping pool and I will enlarge their world to an exercise pen about half the size of their room. Still, most of their time remains either nursing or sleeping. Their coats show hints of the curls and waves that will develop as they grow up. This nails have been clipped for the first time. Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) continues through this weekend. Soon I will encourage them to make direct eye contact with me. When their ears open socialization exercises will begin, and I’ll describe them to you each week.
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Tessa's Labradoodle Puppies 17 Days Old
A few days ago their eyes began to open and they are now taking their first steps instead of dragging themselves blindly along on their bellies. They are exploring their little world and each other. For the first time they recognize each other as littermates and playmates.Toward the end of the video one of the puppies is mouthing a companion's muzzle, then settles for licking her nose.
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Tessa's Labradoodle puppies are all healthy and are nursing vigorously. They have more than doubled their birth weight! They are pudgy little bundles of fur and very cute. They jerk and twitch while they sleep. This is not dreaming, but a normal automatic condition that helps with their early muscle development. Scientists call this myoclonic twitches, or "activated sleeping." It decreases quickly as they grow older, although adult dogs continue to jerk during REM sleep. The puppies are almost walking. They try to get up off their fat little bellies and wobble unsteadily toward their mom or their litter mates. This is usually not very successful and they often fall over comically. It's fun to watch their determination. They have a strong righting reflex and work hard to stay upright, except when sleeping! Their eyes will begin to open next week and their ears a few days after, so for now they still navigate by smell and by sensing nearby body heat. On Sunday I began Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) as I described in last week's report. ENS will continue daily through the end of next week. Click the thumbnails below to see full pictures and videos.
Tessa's Labradoodles Puppies 10 Days Old
The puppies sleep in a heap or next to each other for warmth and comfort. They frequently adjust their position which sends ripples through the heap. Their dew claws have been removed. Early Neurological Stimulaton (ENS) began Sunday and will continue through the end of next week. View full screen with sound for the best experience.
Tessa’s Labradoodle puppies were born early Tuesday morning, October 6, 2020. She delivered three boys and five girls. Their eyes and ears remain closed, but they are very vocal with squeaks and chirps and contented huffing while nursing. They are completely dependent on their mother who is with them constantly except for brief trips outside to relieve herself. The puppies are all healthy and nurse vigorously. They are growing rapidly and will double their birth weight by the end of next week. Their dew claws have been removed. Tomorrow I begin Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS). ENS consists of five gentle exercises for each puppy, once a day. First I tickle the bottom of one foot with a Q-tip, then I hold the puppy straight up with head pointed to the ceiling, then straight down with head toward the floor, then on its back (supine), and finally I set it down feet-first on a cold damp washcloth. Each of these five exercises is done for no more than five seconds. ENS improves their cardiovascular performance, stimulates their heart and adrenal glands, increases their tolerance and recovery from stress, and improves their resistance to diseases. (ENS was originally developed by the U.S. military in the 1970s as an effort sometimes called the “Super Dog Program.” The benefits have been subsequently confirmed in veterinary literature and renamed “Early Neurological Stimulation”.) ENS exercises continue until the puppies’ eyes and ears begin to open during their third week, when I will begin in-home socialization and training. Click the thumbnails below to see the full images and videos.
Tessa's Labradoodle Puppies Nursing
Tessa's puppies are healthy and are nursing vigorously! At this age they spend all their time nursing or sleeping. They twitch while they sleep to develop their muscle tone. Their eyes and ears will not open for a couple weeks. All the nourishment they get is from their mother's colostrum and milk. Tessa is very attentive and keeps them clean.
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