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| Dolby at 5 mos. |
Right from the start they were more mobile than I thought they would be. After 1 week they already started to wander around and explore. We had to watch our steps very carefully. Their nails grew fast and were very sharp. I carefully clipped them every week until 8 weeks old (then they went off to their new homes, except for Dolby).
I was fortunate to have flexible work time, so I could stay with Bella and pups for the first 4 weeks - day and night. Few times I brought Bella and the pups to work (well… I am my own boss…). She was a great mom, but motherhood is exhausting (I know something about it) and maybe because of that, or maybe because she was a first time mother, almost every night I was waking up to a screaming puppy that got tangled under her body weight. Bella was too exhausted to wake up and move, so I had to help the pup to get out from underneath her. Otherwise I think some pups might have suffocated.
Busy, Busy, Busy
Early weeks were the time filled with a lot of work. I spent 5-6 hours daily to take care of the pups and Bella (feeding, cleaning and playing/training), but I enjoyed every moment. After the first week during which Bella, pups and I camped in my living room, I placed the crate in my master bathroom keeping the temperature at 70F. Several area rugs provided comfort and warmth. The pups and momma were near so I could hear them at night if they needed help. Bella still had to go out at night with #1 and #2 so it was convenient for all of us.
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| Dolby (4 mos) on his favorite chair. |
As soon as the pups could clear the step to the shower stall in the bathroom, I was teaching them to go to the shower stall for potty and poop. It was a slow learning process but they did learn to do that pretty well. I’d say by 4 weeks they understood the concept and 50% of the time went to the shower with potty and poop. I spent quite a bit of time teaching them the behavior, but that made my cleaning easier, so it was worth it. Especially when I was left with Dolby. By the time he was 8 weeks he used the shower stall 80% of the time. The cleaning was a breeze.
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| Dolby (4 mos) soaking in rays... |
As the puppies were growing up I wrote down few milestones:
- at 3 weeks they were playing with toys, small pull ropes, they were playing together and wrestling,
- at 6 weeks they were able to pick up a tennis ball in their mouth,
- at 9 weeks they started to bark; they were making a lot of noise since birth, but barking didn’t start until 9 weeks,
- at 9 weeks Dolby made a tennis size squeaky ball squeak,
- at 12 weeks the puppy breath was gone (!!!) and their paws got really big,
Keeping Mellow
All 11 puppies were healthy and strong. I don’t know if that mattered or not, but I didn’t let them play rough. Every time they started to play rough, I broke them up and placed them both on the side for a quick time out. They seemed to catch on quickly and carried on with more mellow attitude. We didn’t hear back from the adopters, but Dolby is growing up with submissive attitude towards my other dogs.
Not Bad For a Runt
Puppies grow fast… faster then we probably would want. I recorded Dolby’s weight periodically:
Puppies grow fast… faster then we probably would want. I recorded Dolby’s weight periodically:
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| Dolby at 4 months. |
- 5 weeks - 8 lb
- 9 weeks - 20 lb
- 3 months - 33.5 lb
- 6 months - 50 lb
- 7 months - 55.5 lb
- 8 months - 60.5 lb
- 9 months - 66.2 lb
- 10 months - 65.8 lb
- 11 months - 68.8 lb
- 12 months - 72.4 lb
- 20 months - 79.4 lb
- 22 months - 82.0 lb
- 24 months - 85.0 lb
Dolby was the weakest pup in the litter; left on his own, he would fall off the nipple during feedings. I supported his weight and gave him a little lift, so he could focus on feeding only. This went on for four weeks. When the pups started to get the wet puppy food, again, Dolby didn’t know what to do with it; he didn’t eat… For at least 3 days I had to hold him on one arm and feed the wet food to him with my fingers literally forcing tiny portions into his mouth. He finally got a hang of that and then become a great eater. That was certainly a relief and fun to watch him join the pack at the feeding bowl… at last.
All together, for a runt Dolby is doing well. By 6 months he was bigger than his mother and by 7 months he was bigger than his father. After 8th month I switched Dolby from puppy food to Lamb and Rice adult dog food, which is the food my other dogs eat. He used to eat 5-6 cups of puppy food per day. With the adult dog food he eats less, 4-5 cups per day. His growth slowed down, but... he is not done growing yet...
