top of page
231636632_194846439286629_1358401632412820034_n.png

What is my puppy doing for his/her
first 8 weeks of life? 

I am the first person that is going to hold your puppy, the first person who is going to love them and show them what an amazing life they are going to have. My goal as a breeder is to raise Heart-Dogs, that once in a lifetime dog that your heart connects to. In order to do that, newborns and puppies need to be empowered to think and do for themselves, they need to trust that people are good, and they need to transition well into their forever homes.

 

Here is an overview of what your puppy will experience while in our care.
*This list is not exhaustive or inclusive, curriculum may change based on needs of the puppies:

​

Day 1-3

Bonding time with Mom! Daily weigh-ins for the littles. Ensuring each puppy is fed every 2-3 hours around-the-clock is crucial in these first couple of days.

Day 3-16

ENS and ESI begins. When handling puppies during this critical period, the puppies will always be held close to the heart or the face with love and well-intentioned/soft sounds of encouragement. This will show the puppies that humans equal trust from a very early age. *It is very important to us that during the first weeks of your puppies lives, they never get put down if they are panicked or upset. We are building trust and the foundation of the relationship bond between human and dog and want every experience to end on a positive note.

Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) aka “Bio-Sensor” was first developed by the US Military to enhance the performance of future military working dogs. Based on extensive research, the US Military analyzed that the puppy’s first rapid neurological development is during the neonatal period (between 0-2 weeks old) and therefore puppy’s that experience a controlled amount of stress/stimuli can jumpstart their neurological system. The benefits are both behavioral and health based and can have these benefits: 

Puppies will be desensitized early to stressors making them better equipped to handle stress later in life.

Studies have shown puppies exposed to ENS are better problem solvers and have a more curious nature.

Improved heart health

Stronger immune system

Improved hormonal, adrenal and pituitary functions

Greater resistance to disease

1. Tactile stimulation

tickle a q-tip between the paws for 3-5 seconds

2. Head held erect

with support on the bum and neck

3. Head held down

with support

4. Supine position 

puppy cradled in the arms on its back

There are 5 key exercises that will be performed daily as long as puppies and Mom are healthy/happy and not experiencing any additional stress: 

5. Thermal stimulation

puppy placed on a chilled or frozen surface for 3-5 seconds

We introduce them once daily to different scents including but not limited to herbs, spices, animal fibers, tennis balls, leather, soil and food-grade safe essential oils. We never use harsh chemicals or anything synthetic (except for the tennis balls!) and each puppy is exposed to the new scent for 5 seconds. We will note either a positive reaction to a scent they like, a negative reaction to a scent they dislike or a neutral response meaning they don't care either way. The positive or negative reaction will not create any lifelong associations to these scents, it is designed to promote mental stimulation and increase awareness of the world at large.

Early Scent Introduction (ESI) is done in conjunction with ENS from days 3-19 and is also instrumental in desensitization and socialization of puppies during the neonatal period. There was a 17-year study done on Golden Retrievers in the US on this developmental technique and it is widely used within the breeder community today. The benefits have shown that it enhances neuroplasticity in puppies (ability for the brain to form connections) and has shown some benefit in future working/therapy/sporting dogs.

Weeks 2-4

Your puppy has now entered the “transitional stage”. Eyes will start to open, back legs will start to develop more strength, they will use their vocal cords more and puppies will start to use the bathroom on their own. At this age we start sound exposure, handling exposure and add daily novelty items into their whelping boxes to start bringing the world to them in a safe and controlled way.

Many people over the dogs’ lives will have to touch them from the veterinarian, groomers, children, adults and the elderly. The more tolerant the puppy is to these (sometimes rough and intrusive) touches, the more positive the experience can be. It is not fun to have a puppy bite and snap if a child tugs its tail and our goal is to raise tolerant dogs that you can trust with your family!

The 10-step handling exercises with the puppies are also known as our “puppy massage” and will start to formulate the bond between human & puppy that will last a lifetime and ensure your pup is tolerant of touch-stimuli. We start very quickly & gently at 2 weeks old and gradually build duration and tolerance up to 8 weeks. We encourage all our families to continue this from 8-16 weeks daily or every other day to cement touch tolerance in their puppy.

Puppies may get an upgrade to a bigger enclosed area, a potty area, and may start weaning at this age. Directly before every feeding, we will imprint daily with a “puppy recall cue” so they know that it is feeding time. This puppy recall cue can be used later in life in emergency situations if a dog slips its collar or runs out the front door. We will teach you this when the puppies go home and many dogs years later will still pick up this cue and come right away. It is a life-saver!

      10 steps:

  1. Rub ears

  2. Cover eyes

  3. Open mouth and run clean fingers over gums

  4. Rub belly in circular motion

  5. Run hand up and down back

  6. Run hand and fingers down tail

  7. Touch all 4 paws

  8. Tap nails

  9. Run fingers around neck and under any collar/ribbon

  10. Touch their nose

Puppies will have daily exposure to the following:

- different sounds at increasing volumes. 

Exposure to a collar and leash and walks in our yard.
(You'd be surprised how novel this is to a puppy!).

Weekly grooming sessions that include bath, blow-dry, face and bum trim and more.

Week 5-8

This is the "socialization phase" of a puppy's life and actually continues to 16 weeks old. It is very important for your puppy to have multiple positive experiences both with us and when they go home to you. Included in your go-home bag is ideas for socialization exposure, so you can continue the socialization phase at home.

 Playground equipment for playtime; tunnels, obstacles, etc.

Exposure to about 15-20 people ranging from young to old, different races, people wearing hats/sunglasses.

Positive crate exposure. They will not be fully crate or potty trained prior to leaving at 8 weeks, but a good-head start is always helpful!

***The goal is to have as much early safe exposures as possible so that these puppies become tolerant, patient and capable members of your family! 

***Week 7 we do our temperament evaluations so our families can find the most suitable match for their lifestyle and dog-goals. Find out more about our temperament testing HERE

***On their 8 week birthday, they get their first trip to the vet (if no major issues prior to 8 weeks). This is where they get a full health check, first set of vaccines, microchips and if all is well they receive a certificate of health signed by the vet. 

bottom of page