Our Opal x Laddie pups turned 4 weeks old on Sunday. They are becoming quite playful and active. ( I mentioned in the vid that Silver will definitely be a saddleback sable. I meant to add 'or shaded sable' but got distracted and forgot to say it). Opal is varying her feeding positions from laying to standing. It's quite a feat to figure out how to accommodate all ten of them.
**All green underlined words are links. With all videos, click on the link, then click on the thumbnail to open fully**
We switched from bottle feeding to bulk supplemental feeding all of the pups with a very liquid slurry of goat milk formula and pureed kibble twice per day this past week. Normally we start pups on food at 4 weeks of age, so this was a new experience for us.
We quickly discovered that some of the pups were inhaling the food quicker than others, causing belly aches in some, and hunger pains in others, so moved from using communal puppy feed bowls to muffin tins in order to separate the allotted amounts for each. Thankfully, that solved the issue.
Sound desensitization is going well. So far, pups show absolutely no concern with the different noises as they are very focused on filling their faces.
Litter training is progressing. As mentioned last week, the pups immediately moved to using the litter boxes for #2, and they have been consistent with their choices. Occasionally one will hang the business end over the edge of the box and miss the interior, but the intent is there. We're still working on full usage of the boxes for urinating, but they're following the expected timeline for that.
We added a second potty box this week just because of the sheer number of pups.
Most dogs raised in a clean environment dislike using an area that's contaminated by other dog(s) feces. So, as a preemptive measure, we gave them more space to go. At first we attempted to use a red sled we had on hand. However, after several pups crawled under the edge of it in an effort to lay on the cool floor and got stuck - not hurtful, but scary to be trapped - we managed to find the last yellow calf sled (no lip) in town and put it into use.
Crate exposure is being fairly well accepted thus far. We've had a few hot, humid days, so find that they are more comfortable with air con installed and fans blowing directly on them, especially while in the crate.
We try to make Infrastructure upgrades regularly in order to better care for our pups / dogs. So, in addition to adding air con this year, we've added a laundry sink with plumbing and running water as well as a commercial paper towel holder. This makes cleaning pups, floors, puppy dishes, visitor's hands, etc, so much easier.
We've also temporarily attached faucets & a hose in our puppy room tub, which facilitates us in situations where we need to clean our dam post partum, after vet visits, or after doing chores in the muddy cow pasture prior to allowing her to return to her puppies. Also useful for disinfecting ex-pens or crates. One of these days we'll actually get a properly supported faucet / tap structure & shower hose installed in the tub, along with steps into it, so as to further increase it's accessibility, but for now, it's a step in the right direction, and sooo much better than me having to lay across the tub with legs in the air to reach down behind to turn a valve!
In addition to handling, all puppies were given a coccidia preventative this week, got weighed regularly & their nails trimmed and collars changed as needed. They were also exposed to their dam's deworming via milk, but will also undergo individual deworming this coming week.
Puppy weights Jul 25, 2021:
VS
Puppy weights Aug 1, 2021:
Blue is the heavyweight this week at 5 lbs 2.4 oz. Bronze is still the smallest, but making headway at 4 lbs 7.6 oz.
Pics & vids of individual pups. PLEASE NOTE: Any temperament observations are EXTREMELY preliminary and fluid at this young age.
Normally I take pups outside for excursions around 4 weeks old weather permitting. However, it's been hot, humid and smoky here the past few days. Not only does it make for poor photos but it aggravates my asthma and has the potential to irritate puppies' lungs as well, so we have not yet done so.
Also, please forgive the puppies crying in the background for many of the individual vids this week; they wanted breakfast, but that was on hold briefly until after photo shoot so as to avoid gooey puppies, lol, and because Opal had recently nursed them. (It's not so much that they're starving, since they're still nursing, but that they associate me with food).
Please excuse the Tag / Search text overtop of one of the pup's pics. It only shows up on the published post; it does NOT show up on my editor, so still researching how to remove it.
1) Pink (f) Tri color - This girl is pretty relaxed about being handled and has given me a fair amount of eye contact the past few weeks; a waggy, personable puppy who has shown some dominant hierarchy towards her siblings thus far. She's a bit higher energy when interacting with me as well.
I have a cool story about Pink from Jul 27. She was sleeping on the far side of the nest - so out of reach - as I petted some siblings, praising each of them by name for sitting. Then I asked, "Where's Pink?" She picked up her head, made eye contact, and then, accompanied by verbal encouragement, made her way over to me through siblings who wanted to play, etc, from across the nest! At that stage they had only recently got their hearing! (A couple of her siblings have since done similar, but were several days older at the time).
4 week Video clip
2) Purple (f) Shaded sable This girl reminds me somewhat of her 1/2 sister from last year; she (along with Pink and Red at various times) has barked at me a couple of times to try to get my attention when I'm petting her siblings, lol, although she has a more submissive, gentle nature otherwise. She's also fairly relaxed about being handled. She's another one who has come when called.
4 week Video clip
3) Red (m) Tri color
Was the first pup with hearing. This boy used to try to escape the weigh scale, but had settled down by end of week 2. Red likes to make eye contact with me, and responds to his name. He's a thinker, as seen in his video.
4 week Video clip
4) Pearl (f) Saddleback sable This girl is fairly middle of the road thus far. Gentle, agreeable, thoughtful.
4 week Video clip
5) Peach (m) Tri color. He's got slightly longer fur than some at this stage. He's a bit more independent at this time than some of the others, but less than Sable.
4 week Video clip
6) Sable (f) Sable color with some shading. Smart girl; she gives me eye contact, is a bit of an escape artist, has demonstrated some persistence, and was first to voluntarily utilize the litter box. Of all the pups, she is demonstrating the most independence thus far (knows her own mind). She and Bronze can sometimes be a bit more vocal than others at this point.
4 week Video clip
7) Diamond (f) Tri color - probably going to be saddleback; sweet, laid back pup so far. She licks my chin when I pick her up.
4 week Video clip
8) Bronze (m) Tri color - He is the smallest pup in the litter, and naturally has a 3/4 tail. He's feisty and currently the most vocal - likely due to often being at a disadvantage for feeding, especially now that his dam frequently chooses to feed the litter standing up. We'll see how he goes once I've got them more steadily on a mush diet (have to introduce slowly this young). 4th week - They've been fed mush regularly and he's gained quite a bit of ground physically with his siblings this week. As he has been supplement bottle fed since he was 2 days old, he has the strongest food attachment to me of all the pups, yet is gentle about it - as seen in the video. 4 week Video Clip
9) Blue (m) Tri color This chunk is still reminding me a LOT of his dam at this age - she was a laid back, fat sausage, lol. He's quite self contained, and demonstrated an ability to ponder and then bounce back from a scare in his video.
4 week Video clip
10) Silver (m) Either a saddleback sable or dark shaded sable. Pretty gentle, laid back boy at this stage.
4 week Video clip
We currently have 4 puppy spots left available. Anyone interested in reserving a spot for this litter, or being on our wait list for future litters, please contact us & fill out our application form.
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