Sheerah's 2020 Puppies ~ 2 Weeks Old

6/6/2020

Hello, world! We see you, and we hear you! The puppies change so much between week 1 and 2 as their eyes and ears open. Though they are still most concerned about food and warmth, they are beginning to realize there is world beyond their whelping box.

Eyes open means cuddle time for the children! Short, gentle cuddle time, but cuddles nonetheless! Below are some of the first times they were able to hold the puppies.

Sleep time is essential to their growth and development. About 90 percent of their lives is spent snoozing at 2 weeks old - and they sleep in some pretty adorable positions.

Food is essential, as well, and they are getting plenty from Mama! They weighed in this morning at 2 weeks old at Luna - 1lb, 13oz; Midnight - 1lb, 12oz; Hiro - 1lb, 10oz; and Bella - 1lb, 6oz. They are growing beautifully!

Sleeping and eating aren't their only skills. Below Luna shows how they can yawn, "swim" (propel across the ground), and lift their head. All my head lifting pictures were blurry because they don't hold them steady yet.

As the puppies grow and develop, Sheerah starts to take longer breaks from being in the whelping box. Above, she's resting outside the box. We are blessed that she is such an attentive mother. She makes mothering her litter look easy. She's eating, drinking, romping, and alerting us of any strange noises as she always does. We feed her extra food and give her vitamins to keep her energy level up as she cares for her babies.
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Another aspect of our care for the puppies continues to be keeping their whelping area clean. We change their bedding several times a day and clean the whelping area with Life's Abundance Biodeodorizer, a safe, deep-cleaning spray that helps keep odors away.

In the next week, we will be rearranging the puppies' whelping area as they become mobile. Some of them are taking tottering steps, but their little bellies barely get off the ground at this age. That changes quickly, though, and we want to take every opportunity as they grow to begin laying the groundwork of house training. In an effort to do so (and as we follow the Misty Method), we will add a potty box to their whelping area as they become mobile. They learn quickly to keep their bedding area clean (because we've kept it clean all along). We've found the Misty Method to provide great results when our puppies go home in preparing them for crate training.

I'll close this week with a few snapshots of the children holding the puppies for the first time. Early, gentle socialization is best! Notice how the puppies like to snuggle in the crooks of arms. Puppies at this age naturally look for a warm place to burrow into, which is why they sleep in a pile. We keep the holding sessions very short, usually only a few minutes, because the puppies really only want food and sleep at this age.