Puppy Growth Timeline

 

Week One (Days 1-7)  5/27 – 6/2

DEVELOPMENT OF THE PUPPIES

  • 90% of time spent sleeping
  • 10% eating
  • Susceptible to heat/cold
  • Instinctive reflexes: crawl, seek warmth, nurse
  • They can right themselves if placed upside down
  • Needs stimulation for urination/defecation
  • Rapid development of central nervous system
  • Need constant care from Mabel
  • Rectal temperatures 94-97 degrees Farenheit
  • Pups may lose 10% of weight after birth, but will start gaining
  • Weight should double by end of week

CARE OF THE PUPPIES

  • Chart weight (2x daily)
  • Examine puppies daily
  • Trim nails weekly
  • Keep whelping box around 85 degrees Farenheit (this means if it’s hotter than that out, put a fan in the room or turn on the air conditioning, if it’s colder than that get a heat lamp to put above the whelping box)
  • When you handle the puppies, it’s a good idea use a towel when you hold them. The puppies urinate upon stimulation and will inevitably find your attention stimulating!
  • Dew claws are removed day 3.

CARE OF MABEL

  • Keep Mabel on fluids for first 24 hours (i.e.. chicken broth, etc.)
  • Feed three full meals a day after that
  • Check mammary glands twice daily (looking for signs of mastitis — swelling, hardness, pus, etc.)
  • Keep an eye on vaginal discharge (looking for signs of infection)
  • Make sure she eats, drinks, and relieves herself — once her mothering instincts kick in, I may have to force her to leave the puppies to do these things.

TO DO LIST

  • Keep detailed records on puppies’ weight and behavior
  • Keep charting Mabel’s temperature
  • Call puppy buyers with results of whelping

Week Two (Days 8-14)  6/3 – 6/9

DEVELOPMENT OF THE PUPPIES

  • Eyes should open around days 11-14
  • Ears should open around days 13-17
  • Temperatures should be around 97-99F

CARE OF THE PUPPIES

  • Keep whelping box around 80-83F
  • Begin holding puppies in different ways (applying light stress)
  • Trim nails weekly

CARE OF MABEL

  • Mabel should get three times her normal amount of food

TO DO LIST

  • Worm puppies (and Mabel)

Week Three (Days 15-21)  6/10 – 6/16

DEVELOPMENT OF THE PUPPIES

  • Teeth begin to erupt
  • Puppies stand up and start walking
  • Begin to lap liquids
  • Defecate/urinate without stimulation
  • Start becoming aware of environment
  • Start playing with littermates
  • Develop sense of smell (pheasant wings are added to the whelping box)
  • Puppies will start to discriminate as to where to relieve themselves

CARE OF THE PUPPIES

  • Start adding stimuli (toys) to puppies’ life
  • Start giving specific stresses when handling (i.e.. pinch an ear or toe gently).
  • Start giving pups milk replacer to lap for one meal a day — after two days, add some very mushy food
  • Weigh puppies every day
  • Start weekly grooming sessions (brush, trim nails, look at teeth, etc.)

CARE OF THE MABEL

  • Continue as above

TO DO LIST

  • Purchase milk replacer to feed puppies
  • Worm puppies (and Mabel)

Week Four (Days 22-28)  6/17 – 6/23

DEVELOPMENT OF THE PUPPIES

  • Begin to eat food
  • Begin to bark, wag tails, bite, paw, bare teeth, growl and chase
  • Use legs well
  • Tire easily
  • Depth perception starts

CARE OF THE PUPPIES

  • Keep Mabel with them a lot! Things can get overwhelming at this age and Mom will add stability for them
  • Each pup gets individual attention
  • Offer small amounts of food that is the consistency of cooked oatmeal (puppy food mixed with milk replacer and mashed up in a blender)

CARE OF MABEL

  • Start reducing amount of food to discourage milk development

TO DO LIST

  • Start limiting Mabel’s access to pups before offering them food
  • Worm puppies (and Mabel)

Week Five (Days 29-35)  6/24 – 6/30

DEVELOPMENT OF THE PUPPIES

  • Group activities and sexual play will begin
  • Dominance order starts
  • Rapid growth/development

CARE OF THE PUPPIES

  • Reduce fluids in puppies’ food
  • Make sure other people start coming to see pups
  • Begin weaning
  • Start working on their instinct to chase (and fetch)

CARE OF THE MABEL

  • To prepare for weaning: Day 1 — no food
    Day 2 — 1/4 normal maintenance meal
    Day 3 — 1/2 normal maintenance meal
    Day 4 — 3/4 normal maintenance meal
    Day 5 — full amount of normal maintenance meal
  • Keep her on puppy food for several weeks to help her recover from the strain of breeding, whelping, and raising puppies
  • Keep a careful eye on mammary glands

TO DO LIST

  • Check vaccination supplies

Week Six (Days 26-42)   7/1 – 7/7

DEVELOPMENT OF THE PUPPIES

  • Growth and development continue

CARE OF THE PUPPIES

  • Offer soft, damp food
  • Chart weekly weight
  • Individual attention crucial — each puppy gets time away from litter

CARE OF THE MABEL

  • Continue as above

TO DO LIST

  • Vaccinate and worm puppies
  • Introduce to clipped-wing Hungarians (note reactions)

Week Seven (Days 43-49)  7/8 – 7/14

DEVELOPMENT OF THE PUPPIES

  • Total hearing/visual capacity
  • Will investigate anything
  • Can’t respond to name yet

CARE OF THE PUPPIES

  • Pups are on regular puppy food
  • Pups can go to new homes (but they won’t!)

CARE OF THE MABEL

  • Keep careful eye on mammary glands until milk is completely dried up

TO DO LIST

  • puppies are introduced to the pheasant fields and the pond

Week Eight (Days 50-56)  7/15 – 7/21

DEVELOPMENT OF THE PUPPIES

  • First fear period
  • Start learning name

CARE OF THE PUPPIES

  • puppies spend as much time as possible in the fields and pond
  • puppies are introduced to the gun (28ga)
  • start training puppies commands in small steps
  • introduce to the boat/river (weather permitting)

CARE OF THE MABEL

  • Continue as above

TO DO LIST

  • Arrange pick-up times for new owners

Week Nine (Days 57-63) 7/22 – 7/28

DEVELOPMENT OF THE PUPPIES

  • Develops strong dominant and subordinate behavior among littermates
  • Begins to learn right behavior
  • Motor skills improve
  • Short attention span
  • Starts focusing attention on owner rather than other puppies
  • Separate littermates
  • Start house training

CARE OF THE PUPPIES

  • Continue lots of individual attention
  • started puppies get daily work

Week Ten – sixteen   7/29 – 9/15

  •  started puppies get daily work on commands.. behavior.. in the fields, boat and water… work with clipped wings and live birds, etc.