2026 Fall English Cream Goldendoodle Puppies
Week One Update: The Puppies are Here!
Heidi gave birth to 4 healthy puppies (2 boys & 2 girls) on Monday! The puppies were born weighing between 11.5 oz and 13 oz. All are healthy and dutifully gaining weight, which is our best indicator that they are thriving and doing well. Way to go, puppies!
Inspired by recently watching The Crown with my teenage daughters, we gave this litter royal, majestic names:
Boys: Phillip and Winston Churchill
Girls: Elizabeth and Margaret
Our other dog, Ember, loves the puppies and often takes a peek in at them as they rest and grow.
Altricial vs. Precocial
Puppies are altricial animals, meaning when they are born they are basically helpless and totally dependent on their mother. This stands in stark contrast to precocial animals who are born ready to hit the ground running.
Since we also raise Nigerian Dwarf goats here on the farm, it’s always so fun noting the contrast between the two! Our baby goat kids are up on their feet and ready to run around almost immediately after birth. Puppies, on the other hand, are unable to see, hear, walk, regulate their temperature, or even go to the bathroom on their own.
Amazingly, puppies are born with the instinct to drag themselves toward their mom and cuddle together to stay warm. It is beyond adorable watching them pull themselves toward Heidi with their little heads bobbing back and forth! Thankfully, Heidi is a fantastic mama; her natural instincts kicked in immediately, and she cares for her 4 little ones around the clock.
Activated Sleep
The puppies spend the vast majority of their time sleeping. As they snooze, you will see their little bodies twitch and pop. This twitching and popping is called activated sleep.
The functional purpose of activated sleep is to help build muscle tone and motor coordination. Seeing all that twitching is a wonderful sign that healthy, normal neurological and physical development is occurring!
ENS & ESI
On Day 3, we started ENS (Early Neurological Stimulation) and ESI (Early Scent Introduction):
ENS: First used by the U.S. military (and often referred to as the “Super Dog Program”), ENS involves gently introducing mild, brief stressors to a puppy daily from Day 3 to Day 16. This helps improve their cardio performance, stress tolerance, and immune system later in life.
ESI: Designed to enhance a puppy’s ability to identify and react to specific scents, boosting their nose awareness and overall confidence. It’s an exceptionally helpful program for future service and therapy dogs!
It has been my 11-year-old daughter’s job to implement ESI, and she has had a blast seeing the puppies’ varied responses to different scents. There is no right or wrong reaction, but the puppies make it very clear which scents they enjoy and which ones they don’t! When curious, they take big whiffs; when they don’t care for a scent, they flat-out refuse to smell it. Some of the scents we introduce include cinnamon sticks, dirt, cat fur, cloves, gravel, lavender, mint, and more.
Week 1 Conclusion
We have seen so much growth and development in just seven short days! It’s incredible how much the puppies’ bodies fill out during this first week as they nurse around the clock and begin looking more like miniature puppies rather than little sausages.
We’ve already seen tiny puppy tails wag, are beginning to hear sweet little barks, and are watching them pull their roly-poly bodies up off the floor. With every litter, our amazement is renewed at how perfectly designed these puppies are to survive and how swiftly they grow. Be sure to check out our Instagram & Facebook pages for more photos and video updates!
Preparing For Your Puppy
Now is the absolute best time to start getting ready for your new family member! Doing a little research each week will help you feel fully prepared by go-home day. There are so many topics to cover: crate training, potty training, introducing your puppy to kids or other pets, and teaching bite inhibition.
We recommend starting with Baxter & Bella. They offer a wealth of free resources through their podcast and YouTube videos covering the wide spectrum of bringing home a new pup. Here is a helpful video to get you started on navigating your first 24 hours together:
Crate Training Focus
Understanding crate training is near the top of our priority list. We highly recommend crate training because it makes potty training significantly smoother and keeps your puppy safe from mischief.
Early Exposure: Long before going home, your puppy will be well-acquainted with a crate. When we move them to a larger play area around 4 weeks, we place an open crate inside. It’s astounding how naturally drawn they are to enter and rest inside it!
Overnight Practice: At 6–7 weeks, the puppies begin sleeping overnight in crates so that it feels like a familiar, safe sanctuary rather than a scary or isolating experience.
Tip: When you first bring your puppy home, keep their crate near you (like next to your bed or opt to sleep on the couch next to your puppy’s crate). Transitioning from constant littermate companionship to a brand-new environment is a big adjustment. Keeping them close prevents feelings of isolation and helps them bond with you much faster!
Note on Baxter & Bella: If you opt for their full online training membership, you can use our discount code “LandofGoshen” for 25% off. While online modules are fantastic for early preparation, remember that in-person training classes also offer unique socialization benefits once your puppy is fully vaccinated!