Violet's 2025 Puppies ~ 6 Weeks Old

Life is full of surprises and new discoveries, especially if you are a six week old puppy!  You never know what new thing you'll experience next - a bath, a new chew toy, visitors, new sounds, and on and on.  Violet's puppies are becoming very active, curious, and social.  The pictures will speak for themselves... (Click on their names to access their individual pages and click on the photos to bring up a box where you can flip through the gallery with the full image.)

Starla

Anita

Cole

Naomi

Anne

Ethel

At six weeks old, the puppies' weights were as follows: Cole - 3lbs, 11oz; Anita - 3lbs, 10oz; Ethel - 3lbs, 9oz; Naomi - 3lbs, 8oz; Anne - 3lbs, 5oz; and Starla - 2lbs, 14oz.

Food for the puppies is changing quite a bit.  Violet only feeds them a few times throughout the day.  Violet no longer spends the majority of the day with them; she can come and go freely in the whelping area.  She pays a few visits to them a day, and lets the rest of their care up to us.  We feed them three times a day with softened food in milk.  We are upping the food to milk ratio in favor of the food.  The goal is to have them on dry food by seven weeks.  We also now offer them water.

And, we now have lots of puppy teeth!  Chewing is a very important part of a puppy's life - it aids in reliving teething pain, it helps them explore their big, new world, and it's simply an enjoyable activity.  Chewing is not a problem in dogs, but chewing on the incorrect items is a problem.  We begin their training by not allowing them to chew on our fingers and toes.  For some reason, puppies love toes!  Instead of people, we steer them towards some healthy chewing options.  We love Life's Abundance chew products because many of them are a single ingredient!  No unhealthy additives.

This is our go-to puppy chew product. It's also the first one we introduce to them. It is somewhat spongy and dry, and it does not have an offensive odor.

These are a favorite among the Russell canines. They are much harder than the buffalo lungs, and they do have a distinct odor. I like them because they last longer once the puppies are older.

We've given the puppies plenty of new experiences since our last update - hearing the lawn mower and weed eater from a distance, playing with various balls, playing with different textures of chew toys, going outside in the dark, meeting guests that came over (including a toddler who was in love with them), and much more.

On the house training front, these little guys are well on their way!  Thanks to the lovely weather we've been having (warm without a lot of rain), we take this litter outside every few hours.  It is amazing how quickly they prefer the outdoors to their "potty box" inside.  While I tell families taking puppies home that their puppy is not house trained, they are doing a very good job!  They are absolutely ready for crate training as they keep their bedding area spotlessly clean.  However, with puppies, accidents are inevitable - enter Life's Abundance Biodeodizer spray!

If you'd ask us what are some must-have product for puppies, this biodeodizer spray would be at the top of our list.  It is safe to use around pets and children, and it eliminates the odor naturally with viable bacteria cultures.  I haven't found a surface yet that I can't use it on - including ones that come in to direct contact with the puppy, such as crates and bedding.  

As this will be my last post for this litter, I will answer some frequently asked questions for those families taking a precious bundle home with them soon.

What bathing and grooming products do you use?  My crew of mini schnauzers gets a bath using Life's Abundance Revitalizing Shampoo and a mist of Life's Abundance Bath Fresh Mist. The mist is also helpful to freshen them up between baths.  For grooming, if I were told I could have only one grooming tool in my house, it would be a simple comb (as in the human kind).  When brushed weekly, mini schnauzers do not typically get mats and tangles.  I occasionally use a slicker brush.  Rarely, I pull out my dematting tool to get a stubborn tangle.

What flea and tick products do you recommend?  We do not treat our puppies with any flea and tick medicine.  (We do deworm and vaccinate them, but no flea and tick medicine.)  We choose not to use flea and tick products due to their small size.  In addition, they live in a low-risk environment because all our adult dogs and cats are treated with Bravecto.  You should discuss flea and tick prevention at your first vet visit.  Since Bravecto is not recommended for use until after 6 months old, I would recommend using Frontline on your puppy once he/she is 10 weeks old or five pounds.

What do I need to purchase before bringing my puppy home?  See my blog about puppy shopping here.

Will my puppy be house trained when he/she comes home at 8 weeks?  No.  Your puppy will be ready for crate training when he/she comes home.  We do the Misty Method of house training for our puppies.  They have a basic understanding of a place to sleep, play, and potty at 8 weeks old.  They are ready to begin crate training at 8 weeks, but they are not house trained!  This litter has been doing well with the Misty Method.  They consistently keep their bedding area free of potty accidents.  Most of their potty business goes outside or in their potty box on the newspaper.

Is it hard for your children when the puppies go home?  Yes and no, and harder for some than for others.  My children understand the responsibility and the training an 8 week old puppy requires because we’ve had the privilege of raising our adults from puppies.  They love playing with the puppies and are, of course, sad to see them go.  At the same time, they get to see the joy a puppy brings to someone else.  We try to encourage them as the puppies grow that we are helping get them ready for their new family.  Another thing that softens the blow of seeing their puppies leave is that new life is part of a homestead - every year we typically welcome puppies, goats, and kittens.  So, our children may or may not seem sad when you pick up your puppy, but they say their goodbyes before your arrival to limit any teary last-minute goodbyes.

Thanks for following along as these precious little bundles "grew up."  We will spend the next two weeks continuing their socialization and giving them the very best care.  They will have their first vet visit, and we will get them all ready to go home.  Thanks for joining us on this journey!