5 weeks old!

Well, I’m not quite sure how Time does its thing, just steadily marching on without obstacle or permission, but here it is! This sweet litter is just 3 weeks away from their forever families!

So, what does 5 weeks old look like for little labrador puppies? Well, here are a few changes:

• we’ve added toys to their play time
• they’ve begun playfully chewing and tugging on each other (which leads to some conflict resolution,
• they’re eating more and more puppy food and introduced water
• daily individual attention, as well as small groups away from litter and mom for short periods
• we’ve started using barrier challenges so that they don’t get too “flustered” when something is in their way

You can see videos of the pups playing on our Facebook Page.

So far the biggest “hit” with the pups has been this squeaky, tug-o-war, crinkle squirrel toy. It’s such a joy to watch them run to it and tug on it and happily startle when it makes an unexpected sound. It might not be a bad idea for Kindred Pup families to pick one of these up.

https://www.petsmart.com/dog/toys/plush-toys/top-paw-realistic-squirrel-flattie-dog-toy—crinkle-squeaker-53188.html

Did you know that the youngest member of our Kindred Pup team is our daughter, who is 8 months old? Molly is so wonderful with her, and her noises and pats have, at least thus far, been very welcomed by all the puppies. This means that I have less time to post, though! Hopefully you are all following along on Instagram and Facebook for pictures and brief updates!

It’s important at this stage of Puppy Development to make sure to give each puppy individual attention and affection so that you see any needs/weaknesses that may be present (such as excess fear or aggression) to help coach them. You want to introduce louder “startling” noises around 4 weeks of age so that you don’t end up with a “skittish” puppy, afraid of every creek and sound. (Believe it or not, it happens! Read this if you’re interested in Puppy Noise Anxiety.) Thankfully, with 6 kiddos around, our pups don’t end up afraid of noises! One of the things most top experts agree on is the introduction of classical music to young pups, even from before birth, as a gentle step into sound. My oldest boys play competitive classical piano, so the pups get plenty of that around here!

The heat has been tricky in Colorado this last week, so we actually introduced the puppies to about an inch of water in a toddler wading pool out back. No fear reflex there! All the puppies did wonderful and enjoyed their time!

This next week we will moving them to their bigger pen and beginning manding training, which is one of my favorite things to do with the pups!

Make sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for updates! Visitation starts next week for our Kindred Pup families. We can’t wait to meet everyone!

Until next time…