Posted by Delores Smith on Monday, August 31, 2015
That was a fast week! I was home with the pups for their first week. Can see their growth quite easily...the weight gains have been decent. I weigh the puppies daily and a lot can be learned by handling them when I change the blanket in their whelping box. It has been a hot week - the puppies have been sleeping spread out instead of a heap....Its a temperature controlled room and I normally have a heat lamp on the first 2-3 weeks...the heat lamp has only been on sporadically the last two days....its supposed to be a hot week so the challenge may be to keep the room from becoming too warm.
Its too early to tell which pups will be outstanding, but I do know already that some have really nice heads. It is obvious that the puppies are responding to movement/sound already - when mom pokes her head in to check things out, they start to stir and get excited. Eyes should be open in a few days! The pigment on their noses and pads on their feet have turned black for the most part. There are a few puppies that are vocal....I hear some soft moaning from time to time and believe its from over eating - they love their mom's milk! This week I expect the pups to have longer periods of awake time and become more mobile in their whelping box.