Maserati 

Puppies are preparing to go home in a couple weeks!  I know everyone is excited to finally meet their puppy and start this new venture with their baby.  A new puppy is always an exiting and welcome addition. We know that many of these babies will be going to families who have been planning and preparing for this little puppy for quite some time so the anticipation is very high.  In these coming weeks these little ones will go to see the vet for their vet check.  I will include vet notes and a medication record with your take home packet. 

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There are really just a couple of things that you really have to have before you bring a puppy home. 

1. Collar and leash.  get a size "small" collar and a plain flat leash. 

2. Crate and pad.  See our Supply page to determine the size of crate to get.  For the crate you go off of the expected adult height. 

Teacup Range: Height between 10-12 inches typically between 5-10 lbs.

Petite range: height between 12-16 inches typically between 10-25 lbs.

Miniature range: Height:  15-18 inches at wither, typically 20-35 lbs.
Medium range: Height: over 18 but under 22 inches at wither, typically 30-50 lbs.
Standard range: Height: over 22 inches at wither, typically 45 or more lbs.
(height is measured from the floor to the top of the shoulder (wither)

3.  Food.  You should already have ordered your food and it should arrive before your puppy comes home.  If not talk to me and I might be able to help you. 

3. Chew toys.  You need to have something for those little teeth to chew on.  We've given lots of ideas in our take home information.  If you don't provide something they will find something. 

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We gave the puppies their first full bath this week.  Usually at first they act a little reserved but quickly warm up to the idea. Lots of our doodles are influenced by their poodle ancestors and they absolutely love water. After their bath they had their first little mini grooming session.  We trimmed their back sides to help keep them clean (mom usually stops cleaning them when they started eating solid foods) and we cute the hair out of the corner of their eyes so that their vision development is unobstructed.  As always we keep their little razor sharp toenails trimmed as well. The puppies have gotten really fun to watch playing together.  

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This is week 4 of the socialization period. Puppies have now learned to take food from my hand and are doing great with manding.  Every time we feed the puppies we call them with a high pitch "here pup, pup, pup, pup, pup, pup" similar to how you hear people call a kitty.  They now have a great recall down and will come any time I call out like this.  It is so important to have a good "recall" with a puppy to help keep them from trouble.  This recall will transition to the dogs name once you have him/her in your home.

The babies are all doing great sleeping in crates.  They still usually pile into one crate together but we offer them a couple of sizes of crates and they sometimes nap all alone.  We don't close the door with them and we don't have them sleeping separately at this stage.

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The puppies have begun to spend more time outside during the day.  The spend time outside every day now, sun, rain or snow.  All dogs need to be comfortable with going outside in all kinds of weather.

The puppies are all very steady on their feet now and are getting really playful (especially with each other).  They are doing great with their potty training by using the potty area about 95% of the time and they are keeping their beds clean all of the time. We introduced crates to the puppies this past week and they love them. We put all their soft bedding in the crates to encourage them to choose the crate for sleeping.  They usually all pile in one crate together as they still need each other for warmth and comfort.  

Puppies have compleetly transitioned over to solid dry crunch kibble.

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The puppies have begun to learn and be shaped by other adult dogs in the household but especially mom.  Learning dog manners is a skill that can only be taught by other dogs! We always watch interactions with other dogs closely. Mom is really the best teacher as she will stop or pin puppies that are overly energetic or that aren't picking up on cues to settle down.  This interaction is important to learning good dog social skills. They are also learning how to use their teeth without causing damage.  They teach each other that lesson as they constantly mouth and play with each other.

 

The puppies had their Neopar vaccines last week.  Neopar helps develop immunity to Parvo--it is the only vaccine that is effective at this young age as these puppies still have passive immunity from nursing with mom.  Some vets prefer to give full immunizations at 6 weeks of age but shots at this early stage are less than 30% effective.  They have a much better immune response at 8 weeks. Our neonatal specialist recommends waiting until 8 weeks for full immmunization.  Parvo is the most prevalent puppy illness so getting a head start with Neopar is important.  We will talk more about vaccines in the take home information.