Pleasant Meadows

✨ 2.5 Week Puppy Update: The World Awakens! ✨
 

We have entered one of the most magical phases of puppy development! Around the 2.5-week mark, a brand new world of sight, sound, and intellectual wonder has unfolded for the puppies. Their world has gone from a cozy, dark realm of touch and scent to an exploding spectrum of sensations!

 

🌈 Sensory & Intellectual Development 🌈

 

• The Big Reveal: Eyes and Ears Open! This week marks the incredible opening of both their eyes and ears, connecting them to the wider world around them! Every light, movement, and sound is a brand new, thrilling discovery.

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• The "Baby Blue" Gaze: The puppies are currently sporting beautiful, milky "baby blues" (a common temporary eye color) as their eyes begin to function. While their vision is only starting to form now, and they are still blurry, it will improve dramatically over the coming weeks as their retinas develop. Don't worry, the "baby blues" will soon fade as their true adult eye color emerges.

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• The Spectrum of Sight: Dogs generally see blues and yellows best, but providing them with a broad range of colours right now isn't just visually engaging—it gives them a richer, overall spectrum of shades and brightness.

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• Seeing is Knowing: Textures, patterns, and movement now have new meaning! The sensation of touch, which was their primary sense, now takes on a new intellectual depth as they can see where a hand or movement came from, allowing them to piece together cause and effect in brilliant, intellectual wonder.

🦴 Physical Milestones & Mobility 🦴

 

• Building a Frame: At this stage, their bones are strengthening rapidly, laying the foundation for a healthy structure. This bone growth is being fueled by their excellent nutrition.

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• The Wobbly Walk: We are seeing the little ones building the muscle required for walking! While they are still very much in the "wobbly" phase, every step, stumble, and attempt to stand is a vital part of growing up and developing coordination.
  
   

💖 Mama's Social Lessons 💖

Their amazing mother, Chanah, is their primary social instructor. Her care teaches them fundamental manners and social boundaries. Her presence teaches them about security and trust, while her gentle, occasional nudges teach them bite inhibition and respecting space. Furthermore, continued, gentle handling and tactile stimulation from us during this easy-going period is vital for positively developing their neurological system and cementing their trust in humans.
 

 

👂 Shaping the Future: Desensitization & Exploration 👂

 

• The Whelping Box as the First Classroom: As their senses explode, the whelping box becomes a place of active exploration! When paired with focused desensitization, the exploration of varied textures and visual elements in the box shapes their confidence and adaptability.

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• Structured Sound Socialization: Introducing a wide variety of sounds at this crucial stage helps them build resilience and a "startle-to-recovery" pattern, ensuring they grow into emotionally stable adults.

 

🎧 Preparing Paws for the World: Sound Desensitization 🎧

 

• Outdoors/Environmental: Thunderstorms, passing trucks, low-flying aircraft, fireworks (at low volume), chirping birds.

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• Household/Common: Vacuum cleaner, phone ringing, door slamming/knocking, alarm clock, TV static, blender/mixer.

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• Other Recordings: Crying baby, other dog barks/cries, running water, busy city traffic, playground noise.

 

Some of these sounds are here, and some are recordings.

 

🔍 The Next Chapter: Deep Dive into 2-Week Development ​🔍

As the world floods in through newly opened eyes and ears, the puppies are also undergoing critical internal and physical changes that mark their rapid transition from neonate to true puppyhood.

 

👃 Olfaction: The Guiding Sense 👃

 

• Nose Knows Best: Even with their eyes and ears awakening, the sense of smell remains the most dominant and sophisticated tool they possess. Their world is still primarily mapped through scent.

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• Essential Navigation: Their powerful noses guide them unerringly to Mother's milk, to the safest sleeping pile, and help them identify their siblings.

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• Gentle Scent Introduction: Now is the time to subtly introduce novel, safe scents into their environment. This could include things like a tiny piece of fruit (kept out of reach), a different type of blanket, or various spices, foods or other household items. This helps them build a rich library of olfactory experiences.

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🍽️ Readying for Weaning: Palate & Nutrition 🍽️

 

• The Transition Begins: While Mother's milk is still the staple, their growing physical strength and burgeoning teeth (though small!) mean they are getting ready for their first "real" food.

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• The Mush Test: The introduction of a specialized puppy "mush" or slurry (a mix of high-quality food and milk replacer) is imminent. Even if they mostly walk through it, allowing them to lick their paws and mouths introduces new flavors and textures.

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• Building the Palate: Early, positive exposure to varied, soft food textures and flavors helps shape a healthy appetite and reduces the likelihood of pickiness as they grow.

💧 Early Elimination Control 💧

 

• Gaining Independence: This period marks a major biological shift: the puppies are starting to gain the muscular control needed to eliminate waste on their own, rather than relying solely on Mother's stimulation.

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• Substrate Awareness: You can take advantage of this new control by adding a designated elimination area with a distinct texture (a disposable or washable potty pad). This early exposure to varied substrate in the whelping area is the very first step in teaching them that different textures mean different things (e.g., this is for sleeping, this is for eliminating).

🌡️ Temperature Regulation 🌡️

 

• Growing Tougher: Their ability to regulate their own body temperature (thermoregulation) is rapidly improving. They are less reliant on the pile of siblings and external heat sources than they were a week ago.

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• Exploration Window: This improved control allows them to safely move and explore away from the central warmth for short periods, which is vital for them to practice walking and investigating their surroundings. However, constant monitoring and access to a reliable heat source remain essential.

 

💤 Sleep Cycles and Puppy Dreams 💤

 

• Less Napping, More Action: While they still sleep a lot, the periods of active waking and interaction are increasing.

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• The Power of REM: You will notice more pronounced Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. This is often characterized by twitching paws, soft vocalizations, and little jerky movements—the wonderful, visible sign of their brains actively processing all the new sensory input they have received from the world, confirming they are having "puppy dreams!"

🤝 Gentle Handling and Tactile Socialization 🤝
 

• Positive Human Imprinting: Continued gentle handling is paramount. Every interaction should be calm and positive, building a strong association between humans and comfort.

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• Tactile Stimulation: Varied and gentle tactile stimulation (stroking, soft massages, holding them in different positions) is vital for developing their neurological system, creating confident adult dogs, and cementing their positive relationship with people.

🛠️ Dedication to Care: Grooming, Health & Foundational Training 🛠️

This week has been marked by crucial care and the completion of the foundational training program that will support the puppies' development into confident, resilient adult dogs.
 

🛁 Weekly Wellness & Hygiene 🛁

 

• Grooming Practice: We have introduced gentle hygiene routines this week, including careful nail trimming to prevent scratches to Chanah and to ensure their comfort.

 

• Tidy-Ups: We are using soft, puppy-safe wipes for quick clean-ups, helping them to become accustomed to gentle human handling and different textures, which reinforces their positive association with touch.

🧠 The Super Dog Program: Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) 🧠

The puppies are nearing the end of completing the Bio Sensor Program (also known as the Super Dog Program) developed by Arskeisky, Kellogg, and Yeakes. This gentle, five-step program was conducted daily during the critical window of neurological growth (Days 3-16) to stimulate their systems and provide them with a competitive advantage in life, resulting in calmer, healthier, and more adaptable dogs.

The five steps we administered daily were:
 

1. Tactile Stimulation: Gently rubbing a cotton swab between the toes of one foot for 3–5 seconds.

2. Head Up Position: Holding the puppy perpendicular to the ground, head directly above the tail, for 3–5 seconds.

3. Head Down Position: Holding the puppy firmly with the head reversed and pointed downward, for 3–5 seconds.

4. Supine Position: Holding the puppy on its back with the muzzle pointing up toward the ceiling, supported in two hands, for 3–5 seconds.

5. Thermal Stimulation: Placing the puppy feet-down on a damp towel that has been cooled in the refrigerator for 3–5 seconds, allowing them to move freely.

 

🩺 Health and Administration 🩺

 

• First Deworming: As part of our comprehensive health protocol, the puppies have received their first scheduled deworming treatment. This administration was carefully measured and given according to their precise 2-week weight, ensuring their healthy development continues unimpeded.

 

We are thrilled to share the results of their 2-week assessments! Below you will find their individual photos, their unique identification names, and their 2-week weights: