Dogmatique Standard Poodles

Week Four

It's been another great week for the pups! Still growing like crazy, they're starting to look and act like real dogs all the time, with lots of running around, lots of play-time barking, and lots of coming up to us and our girls for pets and cuddles. At four weeks, the pups' teeth are coming in like crazy, and just like teething babies, they look for anything they can chew on. Their "chew toys" right now are wash-clothes that we wet with water and put in the freezer. It gives them a nice cool sensation for their teeth and they're easy to wash.

Pups tired out after playing with their "chew toys." The exercise pen is set up in the living room while we make the transition from the whelping box in the bedroom to their new home in the dog room downstairs.

Gwyn continues to be a great mom and it is awesome to see her and her pups interact. Week four is when the pups get their first taste of real food, and they have all now tasted (and worn!) the very best puppy pablum. The weaning process lasts for a few weeks, but the pups will continue to nurse throughout that time. Some breeders separate the pups and the mother at this stage, but we think it's important for them to have that bond continue. It gets harder for Gwyn to nurse as the pups get bigger and as their teeth come in (because they're sharp!). With real food filling them up, the pups nurse a little bit less each day, which causes Gwyn's milk to slowly stop. However, we let them decide their own pace.

Some of the pups are taking really well to lapping up their food (a mix of water, puppy formula for nutrients, and puppy kibble soaked in water and mashed smooth). Some aren't so sure yet, but they pick it up really quickly. This is also the time when they start to drink water on their own, which is especially important when it's as warm as it has been. As their teeth continue to come in, they'll graduate to puppy kibble thats been softened with water, and then to the straight crunchy kibble that they'll be eating when they head off to their new homes.

Gwyn taking a rest after nursing. At this stage, she gets anxious if she's not close to the pups even when they're napping.

At four weeks, the pups have outgrown their whelping box and will move downstairs into the dog room, set up just for them. Their bed is one of our big-dog crates, stuffed with blankets, which connects to an exercise pen set up with play space, eating space, and a bathroom. However, for the next couple of weeks, the bed, the play space, and the eating space all end up being used as the bathroom as well, until the pups' instinct to keep their "den" clean eventually starts to kick in. The pups are sleeping for longer stretches now (up to 6 hours). This will increase as they switch over more and more to real food, so they're not waking up to feed every few hours like when they were little. The dog room isn't their "kennel" but just their bedroom. Whenever they're not sleeping, they'll be coming outside with us or hanging out in the living room if the weather is bad. (Hardwood floors make for easier cleanups!)

Ten pups get comfortable in their new bed with room to spare. In a year, this crate will be the perfect size for just ONE of them!

Under close supervision, Gwyn has let daddy Danté and our other dogs meet and greet the pups for the first time. (This is something else that we let Gwyn set the pace for, and she knew when she was ready). She seems to be the most okay with Danté close by, but is warming up to Bé and Raine being there too. Raine is half-brother to these pups, but he seems a little overwhelmed by them. Bé is all set to mother the pups, and is having a hard time understanding that that's not her job. However, she'll be a great watchdog keeping an eye on them when they start to go outside for longer periods.

The pups had their first outside time this past week on our front porch, which we closed off with exercise pens. They had their first time on the grass today in an ex-pen in the back yard, which they loved. Over the next couple of days, we'll be getting a larger pen set up in the back yard for them, which will let them have lots of outside time (weather permitting) while staying safe. Our yard and garden are fairly large, and there are just too many places that ten pups can get into mischief!

More at Week Five!

Dogmatique's summer 2010 litter (from our dogs Danté and Gwyn) is here! Mama and babies (all ten of them) are doing great, and the pups will ready to go to their new homes starting in mid-August. Our family-raised puppies are vet checked, microchipped, and will have had their first vaccinations. They are registered with the Canadian Kennel Club and have a lifetime of support from Dogmatique.