Food:
Puppies love their moist kibble and we are working toward dry kibble. As a litter they eat 45-50+ pounds of food a week currently, and that will only increase.
Intro to indoor crate:
In addition to the outdoor play crate, we placed a 42” x 28” huge crate in their indoor pen for a crate introduction. The door is fixed open and there’s a full size dog bed and again several rope & chew toys fixed inside. The inner pad of the bed is covered in painter’s plastic which makes a louder swishy noise than I prefer, but several puppies love the sound and pounced on it at first. There are usually 2-9 puppies in it at any given indoor time and a few of them love to stretch out and savor the comfort of the bed. No accidents in there. They are keeping it clean.
Potty training & poop:
Puppies continue doing well with seeking out the potty areas consistently. As is very common, their poop consistency can vascillate between normal, & very soft mushy, and I’ve seen a lot of that the past two weeks. Diet changes, exposure to new germs, vaccinations, dewormings and stress are some things that can cause these changes. As a precaution we did a fecal check at the lab and all is normal.
Car rides:
The puppies took their first car rides this week and did very well. Multiple rides were 10-30 minutes long each.
Lake walk;
We got to take the puppies on a walk around a lake this week. Puppies got to meet friends and their pets, but with the stroller and distance between them. Many passers by and a few photos were snapped for people to remember the moment; Even strangers that wanted to remember and share the joy. The puppies had their noses up sniffing the air often, taking in the flora and fauna smells of San Diego. Ducks gathered along the shoreline and we could hear their quacks and the honks of geese in the distance. Puppies crashed hard after that walk; So many new things to take in.
Vet check:
Vet checks were completed yesterday and the vet said they all look great, and everyone working there wanted to take one home. Puppies were little celebrities as everyone walking by couldn't believe their eyes with how many there are and how cute. The front office staff said seeing the puppies made their day. The vet is a 25 minute drive from us and there were no potty accidents the whole time. This tells me the puppies are starting to exercise “holding it” because as soon as we got home and let them in their outdoor pen several of them went straight for the potty area.
Temperament testing:
The service dog agency is here today temperament testing the litter and making their puppy selection. Findings from the temperament testing will also be considered in matching puppies.
First fear period:
Some puppies are starting to show signs of entering their first fear period. Where they were excited to try new things, they begin showing hesitancy and fear of things. This is normal, and every family needs to know that puppies go through multiple fear periods in puppyhood. It just means that you give them more time and assurance; and it does not in any way mean you did anything wrong.
Weights:
Puppy weights are 8 1/2 - 10 1/2 pounds at 7 weeks old.
Meetings:
I am looking forward to our meetings this week and can hardly wait for people to meet their puppies!
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