Introduction to Puppy Rearing
For the next eight weeks, you are going to be in charge of making sure that the puppies are raised correctly. It is going to be your job to make sure that the puppies you are providing are properly socialized and healthy.
Initial Care and Handling
First of all, they should be taken to the vet sometime after they are born. However, you want to make sure that they don’t get too cold or too hot, so make sure that this isn’t right away. For the first few days, leave them with their mama and try not to bother them too much.
Socialization and Handling
However, you should handle the puppies. A mother dog that knows you and that trusts you will allow you to pick up the puppies, to weigh them daily, and to pet them. You want the puppies to grow up being used to being held and you want them to recognize you right from the start.
Continued Socialization
Adults should handle the puppies after they are born. Don’t take them out of the mother’s sight, and don’t keep them any longer than she can stand. If she starts to get nervous, put the puppies back. However, be there with them and her often, so that she can get used to you and so that she can get used to someone else handling the puppies. This is very important if you want to be sure that the puppies grow up well socialized.
Health Monitoring and Vet Visits
Continue to handle the puppies and to weigh them each day. Make sure that they are gaining weight, and if a puppy is not, seek the advice of your vet right away. When they are a few weeks old they should visit the vet just to make sure that they are healthy.
Developmental Milestones
The puppies will be blind and deaf for several days after they are born. They should begin to hear you within a few days, and should open their eyes in about a week. Puppies will grow very quickly, and will look different from one day to the next.
Socialization Techniques
The best thing that you can do for the puppies is to make sure that you are present, that you are holding them each day, and that the mother has good food, clean water, and plenty of exercise and love. This is the best way to make sure that the family is healthy.
Early Socialization Practices
As the puppies get older, they will open their eyes and begin to be able to walk around. This is a good time to start to introduce them to other people.
Because you are going to be finding homes for the puppies, make sure that you are socializing them to everything. In order to socialize a puppy to something have them experience it.
Preparing for New Homes
Because you are going to be finding homes for the puppies, make sure that you are socializing them to everything. In order to socialize a puppy to something have them experience it.
Keep them in a room with a TV or radio on.
Have a ringing phone nearby.
Have children hold them
Have adults hold them.
Allow them to walk and run on different surfaces
Speak in loud voices and quiet ones
Have animals (who can be trusted with puppies) meet them – cats, guinea pigs, etc
Make sure they interact with the mamma dog and with other dogs that you might have.
There are some things, however, that you should not let your new puppies do.
Don’t expose them to dogs other than your own until they have had their puppy shots.
Don’t take them to the dog park until they have had puppy shots.
Don’t let people handle them unless they have washed their hands.
Don’t let the puppies get too cold or too hot.
Keep them out of drafts and away from windows.
Don’t get them overly excited
Don’t keep them away from their mother for more than a few minutes as long as they are nursing.
Don’t let them eat anything other than puppy food as they get old enough.
Raising puppies for the first 8 weeks can be interesting and time consuming .There are a few things that you will need to be sure that you start to do for the puppies so that you can be sure you are providing the people who buy your puppies with a good dog.
Get them socialized to a collar and leash
Take them for short walks
Start to work on potty training
Get them eating canned and solid puppy food, after their teeth come in ,around 6 weeks.
Socialize, socialize, socialize!
Then, your puppies should be ready for their new homes!