Watch me GROW!!
Check back each week to see new pics added as this little girl grows up.
Just a few minutes after birth.
When puppies are born their eyes and ears are closed.
They are totally dependant on their mother for survival. They spend most of the first two weeks eating, sleeping and being massaged by the mothers tongue.
A puppy at one week old.
At one week the puppy is still dependant on its mother.
They do crawl a little on their bellies at this time, but still spend the majority of their time eating and sleeping. Look for their eyes to open around day 10-14, and the ear canals to open a day or so afterward.
A puppy at two weeks of age. By the time the puppy is two weeks old, the eyes and ears should be open, however, they still have a limited range of sight. They still spend most of their time sleeping and eating.
By the time that the puppy is three weeks of age they are starting to sleep less and explore more. They are starting to test out their legs and trying to walk around a little. You can start giving the puppies soft food at this point, but most of them just want to play in it!
By the time the puppy reaches four weeks of age, they are much more active. They begin to play with their litter mates and the mother will play an important role in deciding how rough the puppies can play. This starts early socialzation. It is also important that the breeder handle the pups daily during this time to get them used to people. They should also be eating soft food now too, in addition to nursing.
When the puppy reaches five weeks, they are still very active. Instead of spending most of the day sleeping, they are spending most of the day playing. They also start to leave the nest to go to the bathroom, developing the first stages of housetraining. Start mixing a little bit of hard puppy food with water and offering it to them, gradually replacing the soft food.
When the puppy reaches six weeks, they look like little Christopher Colombus'. They are exploring everywhere that they can, running, jumping and playing. Make sure that they have lots of toys to play with during this time to accustom them to new things. Puppies should not leave their mother at this age because the initial socialization is still ongoing. The pups should recieve their first vaccination at this time. The puppy should be fully weaned by the time they reach eight weeks of age. This stage continues until nine weeks. At nine weeks the second shot should be given.