Two weeks of new life.

It's time to check in on the litter. They are two and a half weeks old, and a lot has happened since I shared their birth story.
The first two weeks are always one of my favorite times. The mom is content to snuggle and nurse her babies. They sleep quietly most of the day and night. They stay in one place and really don't make much of a mess at all. We change their towels once a day and that's all of the maintenance their area requires. The mom keeps them clean and manages their toiletry needs.

One would think the first two weeks are quite boring. Actually, these puppies have been through some amazing adventures already! After surviving the harrowing experience of birth, they were rubbed and licked and pulled and rolled. Some even got to swing head-down to clear their airways. What an introduction to life! They were deaf and blind and knew nothing other than to smell their way to mom and nurse. They couldn't walk but pushed around with a swimming motion, shoving their heavy head in front of them. Soon they were able to lift their heads, climb over siblings, and sleep in creative positions.

The first few days of life included a trip to the vet. This is my least-favorite part of being an aussie breeder. The puppies need their tails and dewclaws removed, and need it done in the first few days of life. I always supervise this, although I hate hearing them squeak. Honestly, they yell more about being restrained by the tech than the actual procedure. As soon as they are back in the box they snuggle in and go back to sleep. I'm not sure who is more relieved when this is over, me or the mother dog. She checks over her babies and cleans all of the vet cooties off of them. They nurse and sleep and forget all about it.

We leave them alone the following day, but then it's right back to their education. Besides tons of holding and fondling, we do ENS. That's Early Neurological Stimulation. It's also called "Super-dog Program". There are five exercises that are performed on the puppies that are shown to stimulate brain function. They include holding them in different positions, touch stimulation, and thermal stimulation. This conditioning has been shown to produce puppies that are stronger, healthier, and more resistant to stress.

We also begin to introduce different surfaces. The puppies have crawled on towels, linoleum, wood floor, and several types of fabric. They have been carried and held in different positions, smelled many different smells, and slept in our laps. They have had their nails trimmed and mouths pried open.

As they reached the 2-week mark, their eyes and ear began to open. Now, just a few days over 2 weeks old, they can wobble around on all four legs, even climb up on the piggy rail in the whelping box. One puppy had to show off and walked all along the length of one rail. They can bark and growl. They are beginning to play and wrestle with each other and one even tried gumming a puppy toy tonight.

I can already see personalities developing as I watch them greet the world and interact with what is around them. In just 18 days of life they have gone from helpless little beings, to wobbly, curious little puppies. I watch in awe as they develop daily into the dogs they will be come. In another 2 weeks they will be bouncing around, bringing chaos to the house. Just 2 weeks after that they will no longer need their mommy. And yet just two weeks later, they will leave us, ready to take on the world and live their lives.

Their 18-day lives have already had an influence on who they will become. They are innocent, but I dream of what lies ahead of them. A great group of people wait to find out which puppy will join their families. These individuals have big dreams, I have great hope. Take your time growing up little ones, let us enjoy you for a while.