Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
This page has pictures, videos and weekly development reports for Tessa's Labradoodle puppies from two days old to five weeks old.
Use this link to a separate page for:
2021 Doubledoodle Puppies, six and seven weeks old just prior to Adoption Day.
Tessa’s Doubledoodle puppies were five weeks old on Wednesday, June 16. They are stout little things (not quite so little anymore) with soft thick fur, solid tails, strong legs and sharp teeth. They are very affectionate and make great eye contact! The puppies are eating a thick nutritious porridge and will soon graduate to softened puppy kibble. 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. After meals they enjoy tussling with each other and exploring toys including a pot “mountain,” stadium cushion, wobble board, tippy chair and chew toys. They have a raised bed which they play on and like to sleep under. They also have a crate in their pen which they use as a club house: playing vigorously inside it and falling asleep together in a heap. The puppies get outside on my patio at least once a day. During playtime and while they’re sleeping I play soft lullaby music. For a limited time in the afternoon I expose them to desensitization sounds. These include thunderstorms, fireworks, city traffic, children playing, babies crying, airplanes including helicopters, doorbells and dogs barking. The sounds are annoying to me but the puppies remain unbothered. For their birthday this week my wonderful volunteers and I gave each puppy a bath in the kitchen sink. They fluff up beautifully when they dry and their wavy fur is a delight to touch. Evenings my husband and I cuddle them one by one while we watch television in the living room. Click on the thumbnails below to see the full pictures and video.
The Doubledoodle puppies are playing on the raised bed, wrestling each other for chew toys and keeping an eye on other playmates. The tippy chair gets frequent visits. Both plush and plastic toys satisfy their urge to chew. Some of them have taken well to the litter box while others are slower to catch on. View the video full-screen with sound for the best experience.
Tessa’s Doubledoodle puppies were four weeks old on Wednesday, June 9. At birth they weighed as little as 11 ounces. Now they are all between four and five pounds! Their baby teeth are in and I’ve begun weaning them off their mother. Last week I began offering the puppies goat’s milk from a saucer. They lapped it up eagerly! Now they are getting a thin gruel of goat’s milk, puppy formula and high-end puppy mousse from a can. The next step is to substitute softened ground up puppy kibble for the mousse. They still nurse on their mom but less frequently than before and are no longer completely dependent on her. Since their exercise pen is at the end of my kitchen, they are slready familiar with family activities and noises including cooking, microwave, vacuum cleaner and radio. They enjoy twice daily cuddle sessions with family members and trusted volunteer friends. During this past week they’ve been introduced to grooming tools including brushes, combs, and the sound and vibration of an electric clipper on their backs. They have cloth mats and soft bumper pads to sleep on. They sleep in groups of twos and threes, and not always on the bumper pads! They still spend most of their time sleeping, but play loudly and actively with each other after meals. They are gradually learning to use a litter box in their exercise pen. This is a valuable thing for them to learn, even though it takes a while. Friday the puppies went outside for the first time. They enjoyed exploring the patio on a sunny day. Click on the thumbnails below to see the full pictures and video.
The puppies are awake for longer periods after meals and are social with each other. They jump, run, gallop, prance and ambush. They play bite each other on the ears, tail and legs, and sometimes they get up on their hind legs and box with their forepaws. They growl, yip and complain ferociously. After play time they settle down and sleep peacefully again until their next meal. View the video full-screen with sound for the best experience.
Tessa's Doubledoodle puppies were three weeks old on Wednesday, June 2. Their eyes are open although it will be a few more weeks before their vision is fully clear. Their ears are open as well and I’ve been playing lullabies for them. Their nails have been trimmed again. They were starting to climb out of their whelping pool so I replaced it with a low bed in their pen. They can’t climb into it yet; instead they take refuge beneath it. They still spend most their time nursing or sleeping, but during a brief wakeful period after nursing they explore their new playmates. Baby teeth have come in. They are being introduced to peanut butter as a treat, and to using the water bottles in their pen. They can now pee and poop for themselves, so a litter box is coming this weekend. Click on the thumbnails below to see the full images and video.
With their eyes and ears now open, they are recognizing their litter mates as separate individuals and playmates. They paw and mouth and climb on each other, even if their playmate prefers to nap. Walking is still tentative, especially on the slippery sheet vinyl. Everything they see is new to them. When they tire of playing, they huddle together for comfort and sleep until the next nursing. View the video full-screen with sound for the best experience.
Tessa's Doubledoodle puppies were two weeks old on Wednesday, May 26. I'm excited to notice that their eyes are opening and they are beginning to see for the first time. Their vision will clarify over the next few weeks. They still spend most their time nursing or sleeping, but during brief wakeful periods they are noticing and exploring each other as separate individuals (not just as warm pillows). Weight gain has been excellent and you can see how plump and healthy they are. Their sharp little nails have been trimmed once. They received Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) daily through the end of the week. I will begin socialization exercises as their ears open, beginning early next week. In preparation, I’ve moved Tessa's litter from the quiet seclusion of the whelping room to an area at the end of my kitchen where they will be more exposed to family sounds, activity and attention. Click on the thumbnails below to see the full images and video.
Their eyes are beginning to open and they are starting to walk, wobbly at first! When awake (briefly), they pull themselves around the whelping pool energetically. After nursing they lie exhausted in random groupings. I'm keeping the house warm since it will be another week or so before they can effectively control their own body temperature. View the video full-screen with sound for the best experience.
Tessa's Doubledoodle puppies are all healthy and are nursing vigorously. They have more than doubled their birth weight! They are pudgy little bundles of fur. 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. Their dew claws have been removed and I am working with them on 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 only 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. I continue with ENS until the puppies’ eyes and ears open during their third week, when I will begin in-home socialization and training. Click the thumbnails below to see full pictures and a video. (That's a big yawn in the middle picture!)
The puppies are almost walking, as you can see. They try to get up off their fat little bellies and wobble toward their mom to nurse. They are not quite up to the challenge yet and they often fall over comically. I admire their determination. They have a strong righting reflex and work hard to stay upright, except when sleeping! Since their eyes and ears are still closed, they navigate by smell and by sensing nearby body heat. View full screen with sound for the best experience.
Tessa whelped eight healthy, vigorous Doubledoodle puppies on May 12: four girls and four boys. The deliveries were normal and without complication. The puppies began nursing immediately. Tessa is a calm good mother. She is careful with her puppies, who nurse quietly and sleep next to her (and on her) when they are not nursing. At birth, the puppies each weighed about 11 ounces. They have all gained weight during their first few days. All the nourishment they get is from their mother's colostrum and milk. Tessa is very attentive and keeps them clean. When they sleep they jerk and twitch. This is a normal condition that helps their muscles develop. Their eyes and ears are closed and will not open until their third week. Picture on left below is of Tessa's four girls, on the right are the four boys. In the middle you can see all eight puppies. Click on the pictures to see them enlarged.
Tessa's Newborns at Two Days Old
The puppies pull themselves about on their bellies, using their sharp little claws for traction. Their vocalizations are mainly squeaks and chirps, but they complain loudly if separated from their mother and litter mates. Apart from their mother as in this video, they huddle together for warmth and comfort. They are very cute as they burrow into each other or use their litter mates as pillows. Click on the four-arrow icon to view full screen.
Copyright © 2019-2024 Northshore Doodles, LLC - All Rights Reserved.