Petite Multi-Gen Goldendoodle
Minnie is a lover of cuddles and can sense when her humans are needing extra love. When someone in her family is sick or sad, she becomes a watchful nursemaid and never leaves their side. She is the family alarm clock and takes her job very seriously waiting by each door until all 5 kids have been sufficiently kissed awake. She loves to be outside and walks to the school where she is loved on by dozens of elementary kids.15 lbs & 14" tall Wavy/Straight non shedding coat
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15 pounds, 14" tall, Wavy/Straight non shedding coat
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28.9% Golden Retriever, 42.7% small poodle, 28.4% standard poodle
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Birthday: February, 11, 2021
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Health: PennHIP: o.43/0.40 (Better than breed average) OFA Hip: Preliminary Good, OFA Elbow Preliminary Normal OFA Eyes, Heart, Patella, Dentition, Normal. Full Clear Embark Panel, CDDY Clear through Animal Genetics
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Coat & Color Genetics: FF -/- ee KyKy aya Bb SS mm
Buddy
Wavy Red
Male
Nick
Wavy Apricot
Male
Noel
Wavy Red
Female
Holly
Wavy Apricot
Female
Minnie/Brody "Christmas" 5 weeks
("Noell"Miss Pink) -wavy/straight/solid/red/apricot ("Holly"MissPurple)wavy/straight/solid/red/apricot("Buddy" Mr Green) -wavy/straight/solid/red/apricot ("Nick" Mr Blue) -wavy/straight/solid/red/apricot
This past week the puppies have began to spend time outside during the day. They are now spending time outside every day. 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 will introduce crates to the puppies this coming week. 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 are eating solids now. The puppies will have their first barrier challenge this week. For a mental challenge that encourages problem solving and stress tolerance, we introduce a barrier that they have to navigate to get to their food. It can be as simple as putting their food around a corner at first. We allow each puppy to negotiate the challenge at their own pace and we watch each puppy to make sure they successfully navigate to their food before we make things harder.
This is week three of the socialization period. This week 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.
We gave the puppies their Neopar vaccines this 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.
This is the week we begin "Manding" with the puppies. Manding is teaching the puppy to sit to 'say please.' This type of sit is not a cued behavior (we aren't asking them to sit), we are just instilling a natural instinct to settle down and sit calmly to get what they want. It's a way for them to communicate with us in a polite way. We simply approach them with a handful of soft treats and we give a treat to any puppy sitting quietly. We ignore the puppies that are jumping and pawing us. Eventually they all catch on that sitting nicely is what gets the reward. Peer pressure is a great thing with puppies! By the end of this week they will all have caught on and will begin expressing this very desirable behavior whenever we approach the pen.
Here at the Thompson home we will move the puppies over to the "toddler" area and introduce the dog door this week. We initially introduce the puppies to the door by physically helping them push the flap with their heads. Sometimes this takes a couple of days for them to get the hang of it and some puppies will take on the challenge more quickly than others. When we have a reluctant puppy we will pin the flap up out of the way so he can gradually explore going outside to get the reward of food. We teach them to go back in this same way--we just push them through the door and they figure it out in no time. We've never had a puppy that didn't figure the dog door out on their own within a couple of days. The puppies naturally follow mom out the dog door--usually hoping she will let them nurse for a minute which is a great reward for trying a new experience. As they spend more time outside (they go outside in all kinds of weather and at all times of the day...) they naturally go potty outside more and more. They also see mom go potty outside which helps develop that instinct.
Minnie/Brody "Christmas" 3 week
("Noell"Miss Pink) -wavy/straight/solid/red/apricot ("Holly"MissPurple)wavy/straight/solid/red/apricot
("Buddy" Mr Green) -wavy/straight/solid/red/apricot ("Nick" Mr Blue) -wavy/straight/solid/red/apricot
Everyone has their eyes open and this past week the babies all started to toddle around really well and have started to find their little voices. Tomorrow we will introduce a new bed/sleeping area along with our new pee/pooping area to help start these little ones on a path to easier potty training. In the beginning we have one soft bed area and the rest of the pen is potty area. We use the puppies' natural instinct to keep their bed clean to help with potty training--the minute they step off their bed to go potty they will be in the desired area. Once they are accustomed to use the paper/grate area for potty we will be able to make their play/sleep area bigger.
This week puppies will leave the transitional period and will enter the socialization period. During this time their ears open and they begin to hear. The puppies live in our living room so they are naturally exposed to a variety of noises that will help them adjust to family life: TV/movies in the background, children playing, vacuums running etc.are all familiar sounds to these babies. Over the next week we will also work on some startle recovery exercises. For startle recovery exercises we will randomly make sudden unusual noises that may startle the puppies ever so slightly to help shape their emotional responses. We watch closely to make sure there isn't a fear response and if necessary we will work with individual puppies more gradually to help them adjust to the noises.
Minnie/Brody "Christmas" 2 week
("Noell"Miss Pink) -wavy/straight/solid/red/apricot ("Holly"MissPurple)wavy/straight/solid/red/apricot
("Buddy" Mr Green) -wavy/straight/solid/red/apricot ("Nick" Mr Blue) -wavy/straight/solid/red/apricot
The puppies are all doing great. Everyone has their eyes open now. It will take a little while for them to be able to see clearly. They are starting to move around more and more. We've begun handling the puppies a lot more as mom isn't quite as nervous to have them away from her for a few minutes. Handling by young children is a daily occurrence here at the Thompson household because we have a built in 7 year old to help socialize them!
At two weeks of age the puppies leave the neonatal period and enter what is called the transitional period. Traditional period is typically between days 14-21. During this time we will begin to introduce them to a new novel item (toy, new bedding etc.) and or a new experience daily. These items and experiences will help to build a healthy startle/recover/curiosity/exploration cycle to lay the foundation for a confident puppy. This week we will take a dermal nail trimmer to the puppies nails for a few seconds at a time to begin to get them used to vibration and trimming of the nails. These puppies will have a lifetime of grooming and will need to be handled on their feet and toes on a regular bases. Early exposure to common grooming practices will help them be relaxed during grooming for the rest of their lives.
Minnie/Brody "Christmas" 1 week
("Noell"Miss Pink) -wavy/straight/solid/red/apricot ("Holly"MissPurple)wavy/straight/solid/red/apricot
("Buddy" Mr Green) -wavy/straight/solid/red/apricot ("Nick" Mr Blue) -wavy/straight/solid/red/apricot
Puppies are 1 week old and have all almost doubled their weight. These first 3 weeks they grow so fast!
Momma is still doing most of the work right now feeding, cleaning, and keeping them warm and happy. We are enjoying giving them short times of daily handling and ENS daily. After having a week to observe and watch Minnie and her puppies we were confident in Minnies ability to mother them well and in their health and ability to thrive. On Monday we moved to Minnies and the puppies to Minnies guardian home to finished being whelped. Our guardian to Minnie is excited to have them in their home. Puppies will be raised under our supervision and implementing all of our whelping protocols. We are excited for Minnies family to have this opportunity. Its really an amazing experience to have puppies in the home and we are excited to share this experience with them.
The puppies are entering their 2nd week of the Neonatal period. We will continue doing ENS until they are 16 days old. At this stage the puppies can't see or hear--scent is their main interaction with the world. They are surprisingly agile little crawlers but they aren't able to get up on their feet yet. Their eyes should open somewhere between 10 days and 2 weeks.
Minnie/Brody "Christmas" Newborn
("Noell"Miss Pink) -wavy/straight/solid/red/apricot ("Holly"MissPurple)wavy/straight/solid/red/apricot
("Buddy" Mr Green) -wavy/straight/solid/red/apricot ("Nick" Mr Blue) -wavy/straight/solid/red/apricot
Minnie surprised us with Christmas puppies. She was kind enough to hold off having her babies until late afternoon. She gave us plenty of time to finish up all the Christmas morning fun. Minnie's first baby girl came at 4:06 and the last puppy was born at 6:08. In two hours she have four beautiful babies. Her labor went smooth. She is all settled and snuggling those little ones. We have two boys and two girls. Below you can see some of Minnie's previous puppies. These babies will have a thick non shedding loose wavy coat. They should be about 20-25. Some will have a black noses and some will have brown nose. Puppies will be ready to go home February 16th.
If you are interested in bringing one of these babies home please read through our adoption page. Give me a call if you still have questions after reading our adoption page. 208-731-0053
The puppies have transitioned through delivery are now in the Neonatal period. The Neonatal period last for two weeks. During this time we pay close attention to the little pups to be sure each is thriving and growing. We watch weights and observe feedings to make sure everyone is eating and gaining weight. Momma does most of the work right now and we just do a lot of observation. Mom will tend and care for her puppies instinctively and make sure all is well by keeping them fed, clean, and warm. She licks constantly to stimulate their elimination systems and to keep them clean. We will begin Early Neurological Stimulation on day three. ENS is a an exercise developed by puppy behaviorists and trainers that is designed to stimulate neuro-pathway growth and start the physiological basis for resistant and predictable neurological development. Is takes only a few seconds per puppy. We hold each puppy upright, head-down down and flat on the back. Then we apply pressure to one paw near the toes and then set them on a cold cloth. Each exercise is done for to 2-3 seconds. We will also clip sharp little toenails as needed.
mini/medium
Multi-Gen English Goldendoodle
30 pounds,
18" tall
Apricot, Parti, Wavy
non-shedding
Minnie/Tucker Waiting list)
1) Robert Yen (Dory "Miss Purple") California
2) Victoria Simmons (Arial "Miss Pink") California
3) Lori Coombs (Crush "Mr Green") Kimberly, Idaho
4) Nichole Fitzgerald (Sebastian "Mr Blue") Boise ID
Minnie & Tucker
Mini Multi-Gen Goldendoodles 20-25 pounds
Born: June 8th
Match day:
Go home August 1st
Minnie had her puppies June 8th. She started nesting and there temp dropped early in the morning so we new puppies would arrive soon. First little girl was born around 11:30 am. Last puppy came around 1:00pm. Minni had 4 babies. 1 Dark red female. one Abstract cream Female, 1 Abstract cream male, and 1 sold cream male. Minnie and babies are being watched after and cared for by her guardian these first few weeks. They adore having her with her little ones in the home with them. So much love and attention. Puppies will be ready to go home August 1st. They will have a low/non shedding wavy coat. We anticipate that they will grow to be about 20-35 pounds full grown.
If you are interested in bringing one of these babies home please read through our adoption page. Give me a call if you still have questions after reading our adoption page. 208-731-0053
These puppies will be $3000
Sold
Sold
Sold
Areal
Crush
Sold
Dory
Sebastian
Make sure you are prepared! Minnie's "Under the Sea" 7 weeks
(Pink Girl "Ariel") -wavy/red (Green Boy "Crush") -wavy/Apricot/Creaqm
(Purple Girl "Dory") -wavy/abstract/Tux/Apricot/Cream (Blue Boy "Sebastian") -wavy/abstract/Tux/Apricot/Cream
A few tips to remember when you first meet your puppy:
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Puppies use smell as their primary sense. Let them smell and greet you before you pick them up.
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If you are bringing kids, remind them that high pitch noises or squealing is stressful for the puppy. They should greet the puppy calmly and quietly and let the puppy smell them first.
-
Take them straight to your potty area first thing when you get home. Pick them up and carry them there. Bring treats to reward potty immediately then take them in the house and let them sniff around to get used to a new place.
-
Introduce your existing pets one at a time and only when both dogs are calm. If your dog jumps and barks and cries when you walk in the door then that is not a good time to introduce the new puppy. Outside or in a neutral house location is also best i.e. don't take the puppy to your older dog's favorite bed to meet him.
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The babies still sleep almost as much as they are awake. If your puppy is acting really hyper he may be overstimulated. Put him in his crate or on a bed in a quiet location to settle down. Add a chew toy if he is having trouble settling. If he still won't calm down then take him outside again for a few minutes and ignore him as he runs around then try settling down again.
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Remind kids that if the puppy is on his bed or in his crate he is off limits. Puppies should have a safe place to go to when they have had enough 'kid' time.
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It's not unusual for them to refuse food or eat only a little for a couple of days. Don't panic. They will eat when needed.
Feeding: We give our puppies free access to water all the time during the day. Take water up a couple of hours before bedtime. Your puppy is eating 2-3 times a day. If they are eating 3 times a day many will naturally start to "back off" or not finish one of those meals at about 3-6 months of age. This is fine, and this is a good time to go down to 2 meals a day, just distribute the same amount you fed as 3 meals into 2 meals. A similar thing can happen at about 8 months to a year when many puppies naturally go down to 1 meal. By the time your dog is a year old, unless there's a veterinary reason not to, it's best to bring your dog down to 1 meal a day. You can start this schedule as early as 8 months. In your take home folder your puppy comes home with you will find a 6 page document that will go over food and feeding to help you know what to do and expect.
Petite (expected 10-20 lbs) doodles are eating about ¼ cup – ½ cup of food split into thirds or half and eating 2-3 times a day.
Miniature (expected 20-30 lbs) doodles are eating about ½ cup – ¾ cup of food split into thirds or half and eating 2-3 times a day.
Medium (expected 35-50 lbs) doodles are eating about ¾ cup – 1 cup of food split into thirds or half and eating 2-3 times a day.
Pleas be sure to read through our preparation page found here ... Take home preparation page--
Minnies teenage guardian owner (Breah) loves to crochet. She made the puppies the cutest little bandanas to wear and go home with. We had to get their photo shoot wearing them.
Minnie's "Under the Sea" 5 weeks
(Pink Girl "Ariel") -wavy/red (Green Boy "Crush") -wavy/Apricot/Creaqm
(Purple Girl "Dory") -wavy/abstract/Tux/Apricot/Cream (Blue Boy "Sebastian") -wavy/abstract/Tux/Apricot/Cream
This past week the puppies have began to spend time outside during the day. They are now spending time outside every day. 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 will introduce crates to the puppies this coming week. 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 now transitioned over to solid dry crunch kibble. The puppies had their first barrier challenge this past week. For a mental challenge that encourages problem solving and stress tolerance, we introduce a barrier that they have to navigate to get to their food. It can be as simple as putting their food around a corner at first. We allow each puppy to negotiate the challenge at their own pace and we watch each puppy to make sure they successfully navigate to their food before we make things harder.
This is week three of the socialization period. This week 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.
We gave the puppies their Neopar vaccines this 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.
This is the week we begin "Manding" with the puppies. Manding is teaching the puppy to sit to 'say please.' This type of sit is not a cued behavior (we aren't asking them to sit), we are just instilling a natural instinct to settle down and sit calmly to get what they want. It's a way for them to communicate with us in a polite way. We simply approach them with a handful of soft treats and we give a treat to any puppy sitting quietly. We ignore the puppies that are jumping and pawing us. Eventually they all catch on that sitting nicely is what gets the reward. Peer pressure is a great thing with puppies! By the end of this week they will all have caught on and will begin expressing this very desirable behavior whenever we approach the pen.
Here at the Thompson home we will move the puppies over to the "toddler" area and introduce the dog door this week. We initially introduce the puppies to the door by physically helping them push the flap with their heads. Sometimes this takes a couple of days for them to get the hang of it and some puppies will take on the challenge more quickly than others. When we have a reluctant puppy we will pin the flap up out of the way so he can gradually explore going outside to get the reward of food. We teach them to go back in this same way--we just push them through the door and they figure it out in no time. We've never had a puppy that didn't figure the dog door out on their own within a couple of days. The puppies naturally follow mom out the dog door--usually hoping she will let them nurse for a minute which is a great reward for trying a new experience. As they spend more time outside (they go outside in all kinds of weather and at all times of the day...) they naturally go potty outside more and more. They also see mom go potty outside which helps develop that instinct.
Minnie's "Under the Sea" 4 weeks
(Pink Girl "Ariel") -wavy/red (Green Boy "Crush") -wavy/Apricot/Creaqm
(Purple Girl "Dory") -wavy/abstract/Tux/Apricot/Cream (Blue Boy "Sebastian") -wavy/abstract/Tux/Apricot/Cream
Puppies are all steady on their feet now and are starting to get more and more playful. They are doing great with their potty training by using the potty area about 75% of the time. When they don't use their potty area they are using their play area--they are keeping their sleep area completely clean.
This is week two of the socialization period. Their little teeth are starting to erupt so this week puppies will start on solids and begin the process of weaning. We take our cues from mama--when she starts standing up to nurse we know it's time to introduce soft solid foods. First we will use ground food mixed with water. As they get used to eating and swallowing we will use regular food soaked in water until it is soft. Mom has already started to wean by spending less time in the box with them. This time will gradually increase over the next 2-3 weeks until they are no longer nursing. Mom still interacts with them throughout the day but she does so in shorter amounts of time.
Puppies will participate in their first barrier challenge this week. Once they are really interested in their food I will place it behind of barrier of some sort so that they can use their problem solving skills to help work through problems or obstacles.
This week our puppies usually hit what is called a fear period. This period can last only an hour or a few days. We will take extra care to be sure that if they exhibit any fear towards anything we will scale back and individually help them overcome those fears slowly. Yawning, crying, hiding or avoiding are all signs of fear in a puppy.
Minnie & Goose
Petite Multi-Gen Goldendoodles 10-20 pounds
Born: Nov 27th
Match day: Jan 6th
Go home January 20th
Minnie had her babies early in the morning Sunday the 27th. She had 3 sweet little girls. They are so precious. This in Minnies first litter of puppies and she acted as if she knew just what to do from the very get go. She loves her babies and tends to them very well. Minnie loved to snuggle and be right in my lab the entire day she was laboring until she started in heavy labor. Once her first baby came that is the only place she wanted to be. Right there where her baby was. Its always a huge relief when a new mama takes to being a momma so well. We will be contacting those on the waiting list over the next week and we will know soon if their are any puppies available in this litter. I anticipate that we will have at least one available but there may possibly be two These puppies will all have a nice thick non shedding wavy coat. .
If you are interested in bringing one of these babies home please read through our adoption page. Please give me a call if you still have questions after reading our adoption page. 208-731-0053
These puppies will be $3500
Minnie/Goose Waiting list
1) Valerie Dildine (Meridian ID) Miss Daisey (White)
2) Sandra Romans (Filer ID) Miss Clarabell (Now Abby) (Pink)
3) Michael Burzi (Seattle WA) Miss Tink (now Lina) (Purple)
Minnie/Goose 11/27/2022
Minnie/Goose 11/27/2022
IMG_1786
Make sure you are prepared! 7 weeks
("Clarabelle"Pink Girl) -wavy/straight/solid/red ("Tinkerbell" Purple Girl) -wavy/straight/solid/apricot/red ("Daisy"White Girl) -wavy/straight/solid/apricot/red
A few tips to remember when you first meet your puppy:
-
Puppies use smell as their primary sense. Let them smell and greet you before you pick them up.
-
If you are bringing kids, remind them that high pitch noises or squealing is stressful for the puppy. They should greet the puppy calmly and quietly and let the puppy smell them first.
-
Take them straight to your potty area first thing when you get home. Pick them up and carry them there. Bring treats to reward potty immediately then take them in the house and let them sniff around to get used to a new place.
-
Introduce your existing pets one at a time and only when both dogs are calm. If your dog jumps and barks and cries when you walk in the door then that is not a good time to introduce the new puppy. Outside or in a neutral house location is also best i.e. don't take the puppy to your older dog's favorite bed to meet him.
-
The babies still sleep almost as much as they are awake. If your puppy is acting really hyper he may be overstimulated. Put him in his crate or on a bed in a quiet location to settle down. Add a chew toy if he is having trouble settling. If he still won't calm down then take him outside again for a few minutes and ignore him as he runs around then try settling down again.
-
Remind kids that if the puppy is on his bed or in his crate he is off limits. Puppies should have a safe place to go to when they have had enough 'kid' time.
-
It's not unusual for them to refuse food or eat only a little for a couple of days. Don't panic. They will eat when needed.
Feeding: We give our puppies free access to water all the time during the day. Take water up a couple of hours before bedtime. Your puppy is eating three times a day. Many will naturally start to "back off" or not finish one of those meals at about 3-6 months of age. This is fine, and this is a good time to go down to 2 meals a day, just distribute the same amount you fed as 3 meals into 2 meals. A similar thing can happen at about 8 months to a year when many puppies naturally go down to 1 mal. By the time your dog is a year old, unless there's a veterinary reason not to, it's best to bring your dog down to 1meal a day. You can start this schedule as early as 8 months. In your take home folder your puppy comes home with you will find a 6 page document that will go over food and feeding to help you know what to do and expect.
Petite (expected weight 10-20 lbs) doodles are eating about ¼ cup – ½ cup of food split into 3rds and eating 3 times a day.
Miniature (expected weight 20-30 lbs) doodles are eating about ½ cup – ¾ cup of food split into 3rds and eating 3 times a day.
Medium (expected weight 35-50 lbs) doodles are eating about ¾ cup – 1 cup of food split into 3rds and eating 3 times a day.
Pleas be sure to read through our preparation page found here ... Take home preparation page--
6 weeks What do you need?
("Clarabelle"Pink Girl) -wavy/straight/solid/red ("Tinkerbell" Purple Girl) -wavy/straight/solid/apricot/red ("Daisy"White Girl) -wavy/straight/solid/apricot/red
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.
There are really just a couple of things that you really have to have before you bring a puppy home.
1. Collar and 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. If you haven't ordered your food you need to do that in the next couple of days.
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.
We plan to give 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 will have their first little mini grooming session. We trim 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.
The puppies received fenbendazole (dewormer medicine) this past week .
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.
"Minnie and Friends" 5 weeks
("Clarabelle"Pink Girl) -wavy/straight/solid/red ("Tinkerbell" Purple Girl) -wavy/straight/solid/apricot/red ("Daisy"White Girl) -wavy/straight/solid/apricot/red
This week the puppies will begin to spend time outside during the day when we have nice weather. They will eventually spend time outside every day 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 will introduce crates to the puppies this coming week. 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 are now transitioning over to solid dry crunch kibble as they are getting their teeth. We will keep offering soft food until they all have their molars.
The puppies had their first barrier challenge this past week. For a mental challenge that encourages problem solving and stress tolerance, we introduce a barrier that they have to navigate to get to their food. It can be as simple as putting their food around a corner at first. We allow each puppy to negotiate the challenge at their own pace and we watch each puppy to make sure they successfully navigate to their food before we make things harder.
This is week three of the socialization period. This week 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.
We will give the puppies their Neopar vaccines this 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.
This is the week we begin "Manding" with the puppies. Manding is teaching the puppy to sit to 'say please.' This type of sit is not a cued behavior (we aren't asking them to sit), we are just instilling a natural instinct to settle down and sit calmly to get what they want. It's a way for them to communicate with us in a polite way. We simply approach them with a handful of soft treats and we give a treat to any puppy sitting quietly. We ignore the puppies that are jumping and pawing us. Eventually they all catch on that sitting nicely is what gets the reward. Peer pressure is a great thing with puppies! By the end of this week they will all have caught on and will begin expressing this very desirable behavior whenever we approach the pen.
Here at the Thompson home we will move the puppies over to the "toddler" area and introduce the dog door this week. We initially introduce the puppies to the door by physically helping them push the flap with their heads. Sometimes this takes a couple of days for them to get the hang of it and some puppies will take on the challenge more quickly than others. When we have a reluctant puppy we will pin the flap up out of the way so he can gradually explore going outside to get the reward of food. We teach them to go back in this same way--we just push them through the door and they figure it out in no time. We've never had a puppy that didn't figure the dog door out on their own within a couple of days. The puppies naturally follow mom out the dog door--usually hoping she will let them nurse for a minute which is a great reward for trying a new experience. As they spend more time outside (they go outside in all kinds of weather and at all times of the day...) they naturally go potty outside more and more. They also see mom go potty outside which helps develop that instinct.
"Minnie and Friends" 4 weeks
("Clarabelle"Pink Girl) -wavy/straight/solid/red ("Tinkerbell" Purple Girl) -wavy/straight/solid/apricot/red ("Daisy"White Girl) -wavy/straight/solid/apricot/red
Puppies are all steady on their feet now and are starting to get more and more playful. They are doing great with their potty training by using the potty area about 75% of the time. When they don't use their potty area they are using their play area--they are keeping their sleep area completely clean.
This is week two of the socialization period. Their little teeth are starting to erupt so this week puppies will start on solids and begin the process of weaning. We take our cues from mama--when she starts standing up to nurse we know it's time to introduce soft solid foods. First we will use ground food mixed with water. As they get used to eating and swallowing we will use regular food soaked in water until it is soft. Mom has already started to wean by spending less time in the box with them. This time will gradually increase over the next 2-3 weeks until they are no longer nursing. Mom still interacts with them throughout the day but she does so in shorter amounts of time.
Puppies will participate in their first barrier challenge this week. Once they are really interested in their food I will place it behind of barrier of some sort so that they can use their problem solving skills to help work through problems or obstacles.
This is the week our puppies usually hit what is called a fear period. This period can last only an hour or a few days. We will take extra care to be sure that if they exhibit any fear towards anything we will scale back and individually help them overcome those fears slowly. Yawning, crying, hiding or avoiding are all signs of fear in a puppy.
"Minnie and Friends" 3 weeks
("Clarabelle"Pink Girl) -wavy/straight/solid/red ("Tinkerbell" Purple Girl) -wavy/straight/solid/apricot/red ("Daisy"White Girl) -wavy/straight/solid/apricot/red
Everyone has their eyes open and this past week the babies all started to toddle around really well and have started to find their little voices. Tomorrow we will introduce a new bed/sleeping area along with our new pee/pooping area to help start these little ones on a path to easier potty training. In the beginning we have one soft bed area and the rest of the pen is potty area. We use the puppies' natural instinct to keep their bed clean to help with potty training--the minute they step off their bed to go potty they will be in the desired area. Once they are accustomed to use the paper/grate area for potty we will be able to make their play/sleep area bigger.
This week puppies will leave the transitional period and will enter the socialization period. During this time their ears open and they begin to hear. The puppies live in our living room so they are naturally exposed to a variety of noises that will help them adjust to family life: TV/movies in the background, children playing, vacuums running etc.are all familiar sounds to these babies. Over the next week we will also work on some startle recovery exercises. For startle recovery exercises we will randomly make sudden unusual noises that may startle the puppies ever so slightly to help shape their emotional responses. We watch closely to make sure there isn't a fear response and if necessary we will work with individual puppies more gradually to help them adjust to the noises.
"Minnie and Friends" 2 weeks
("Clarabelle"Pink Girl) -wavy/straight/solid/red
("Tinkerbell" Purple Girl) wavy/straight/solid/apricot/red
("Daisy"White Girl) -wavy/straight/solid/apricot/red
The puppies are all doing great. Everyone has their eyes open now. It will take a little while for them to be able to see clearly. They are starting to move around more and more. We've begun handling the puppies a lot more as mom isn't quite as nervous to have them away from her for a few minutes. Handling by young children is a daily occurrence here at the Thompson household because we have a built in 5 year old to help socialize them!
At two weeks of age the puppies leave the neonatal period and enter what is called the transitional period. Traditional period is typically between days 14-21. During this time we will begin to introduce them to a new novel item (toy, new bedding etc.) and or a new experience daily. These items and experiences will help to build a healthy startle/recover/curiosity/exploration cycle to lay the foundation for a confident puppy. This week we will take a dermal nail trimmer to the puppies nails for a few seconds at a time to begin to get them used to vibration and trimming of the nails. These puppies will have a lifetime of grooming and will need to be handled on their feet and toes on a regular bases. Early exposure to common grooming practices will help them be relaxed during grooming for the rest of their lives.
"Minnie and Friends" 1 week
("Clarabelle"Pink Girl) -wavy/straight/solid/red ("Tinkerbell" Purple Girl) -wavy/straight/solid/apricot/red
("Daisy"White Girl) -wavy/straight/solid/apricot/red
Puppies are 1 week old and have all almost doubled their weight. These first 3 weeks they grow so fast!
Momma is still doing most of the work right now feeding, cleaning, and keeping them warm and happy. We are enjoying giving them short times of daily handling and ENS daily. After having a week to observe and watch Minnie and her puppies we were confident in Minnies ability to mother them well and in their health and ability to thrive. On Monday we moved to Minnies and the puppies to Minnies guardian home to finished being whelped. Our guardian to Minnie is excited to have them in their home. Puppies will be raised under our supervision and implementing all of our whelping protocols. We are excited for Minnies family to have this opportunity. Its really an amazing experience to have puppies in the home and we are excited to share this experience with them.
The puppies are entering their 2nd week of the Neonatal period. We will continue doing ENS until they are 16 days old. At this stage the puppies can't see or hear--scent is their main interaction with the world. They are surprisingly agile little crawlers but they aren't able to get up on their feet yet. Their eyes should open somewhere between 10 days and 2 weeks.
"Minnie and Friends" Newborn
("Clarabelle"Pink Girl) -wavy/straight/solid/red ("Tinkerbell" Purple Girl) -wavy/straight/solid/apricot/red
("Daisy"White Girl) -wavy/straight/solid/apricot/red
Minnie had her babies early in the morning Sunday the 27th. She had 3 sweet little girls. They are so precious. This in Minnies first litter of puppies and she acted as if she knew just what to do from the very get go. She loves her babies and tends to them very well. Minnie loved to snuggle and be right in my lab the entire day she was laboring until she started in heavy labor. Once her first baby came that is the only place she wanted to be. Right there where her baby was. Its always a huge relief when a new mama takes to being a momma so well. We will be contacting those on the waiting list over the next week and we will know soon if their are any puppies available in this litter. I anticipate that we will have at least one available but there may possibly be two.If you are interested in bringing one of these babies home please read through our adoption page.
The puppies have transitioned through delivery are now in the Neonatal period. The Neonatal period last for two weeks. During this time we pay close attention to the little pups to be sure each is thriving and growing. We watch weights and observe feedings to make sure everyone is eating and gaining weight. Momma does most of the work right now and we just do a lot of observation. Mom will tend and care for her puppies instinctively and make sure all is well by keeping them fed, clean, and warm. She licks constantly to stimulate their elimination systems and to keep them clean. We will begin Early Neurological Stimulation on day three. ENS is a an exercise developed by puppy behaviorists and trainers that is designed to stimulate neuro-pathway growth and start the physiological basis for resistant and predictable neurological development. Is takes only a few seconds per puppy. We hold each puppy upright, head-down down and flat on the back. Then we apply pressure to one paw near the toes and then set them on a cold cloth. Each exercise is done for to 2-3 seconds. We will also clip sharp little toenails as needed.