Time is flying. Pups are normally with their mum for eight weeks so we're half way through this fabulous game. The pups now have their eyes and ears open and have mastered the skill of standing and wandering around. It's still a bit of a stumble rather than completely controlled but their strength and co-ordination are improving rapidly.
Socialising the pups is getting more important now so that they get used to and desensitised to as many experiences as possible. Examining the pups is a great opportunity to stand them on different surfaces such as carpet, wooden floor, paving. It's also the time that they will spend time outside their whelping (sleeping) area so the introduction of a play pen where they can start to investigate each other along with toys and decorations is a great way of keeping them occupied whilst the inevitable cleaning and refreshing of the whelping box is undertaken.
I've been testing different locations for the play pen as my first attempt resulting in general access to other rooms and outside was restricted - Having removed and stored some furniture I've managed to create a better approach and cleared up more space for the pups to play as their inquisitiveness increases.
General mundane housework still carries on and it's important to the pups development to enable them to experience the sound and sight of the vacuum, washing machine noises (for some puppy related reason it's on every day now!) and general household chores. If the pups are content it's great to carry them around to different parts of the house and around the garden so that they get familiar with the sights, sounds and smells of the different areas.
Providing some form of routine is good for their continued development. Setting set times for feeding, sleeping, toileting and playtime is a great aspiration and one which will not have instant results but persistence and repetition from now on will certainly help. Now that their teeth have come through, mum will be pleased if the pups become happy to feed from the mushed up food in their bowls. The frequency of offering this food has therefore increased from the initial once a day to 3 times a day. The pups are allowed to investigate and feed from the bowls whilst I keep mum away. Mum is eager and happy to pinch their food prior to them having the chance. I let mum watch them and once I feel that they feel they are full or that they have lost interest then I let mum have access to them to clean them up and polish up whatever they have left. The aim with this type of feeding is to add a whistle once the pups show eagerness to get to their food. This eagerness isn't yet blatantly apparent with this litter so I've not introduced that yet. The whistle and it's association with food will also prove handy when they need to be recalled from the garden etc.
Having a litter in the middle of a UK winter adds a little more challenge in terms of housetraining. It means that having a completely separate area for sleep, play and toileting is harder. As it is too cold in the mornings to take the pups into the garden, the initial introduction to getting the pups used to toileting in a set area has been to lift them gently from their whelping box and place them in their play pen with newspaper spread out. A command 'Hurry up' is generally accepted as a command associated with toileting so repeating this when they are seen to toilet is good practice.
Their social skills are developing quickly now so taking time to interact with each pup individually as well as in their group is a great way of beginning to build a bond. It's also one of the immensely entertaining pleasures of being involved in the litter game!
Other posts in this new litter series:
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
The eviction
The pups won!
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