Week 1

It’s been a quiet first week with the Songs of Dolly Parton litter…and that’s great news! The pups are spending lots of time at the milk bar, dreaming of their new families, and growing. They have all doubled their birth weight, which is an important milestone. Here are their 1-week weights: Romeo is the smallest at 12.3 oz while Joshua is the largest at 15.4 oz. Joe weighs in at 15 oz. My vet came by and peeked in on them. He was impressed with how mobile they were and how good they looked!

Picardy is helping the pups potty and then keeping them fastidiously clean. In addition to licking their bottom half for potting, she licks their faces affectionately and keeps them tucked in around her. She is proving to be a very calm, attentive mom.

The whelping box is quiet, with just the occasional squeak as pups find their place at the milk bar. This means the litter is content and doesn’t need humans to intervene.

ENS has begun and you can find videos of them undergoing these exercises on our YouTube channel.

Early Neurological Stimulation for puppies is a brief, structured daily routine of mild physical stressors performed days 3-16 of a puppy's life.  Though lasting less than a minute each day, proponents of ENS suggest that it helps improve cardiovascular performance with stronger heartbeats, adrenal gland strength, tolerance and adaptability to stress along with resistance to diseases.

In addition to ENS, the puppies are being handled and cuddled every day by my grandchildren, daughter, and son-in-law.  This week, we’ll add a soft brush and nail clipping to this routine.  These routines will help prepare them for a lifetime of grooming.

Coming in Week 2:  The puppies were born with both their ears and eyes closed.  Look for videos at the end of this week to see how we discover when their ears have opened.  Then the fun really begins as we enter the critical socialization stage!

You can find more pictures of the puppy’s on Picardy’s litter page!