Heidi & Moses’ 2025 Puppies

Week 1 Update:

It’s hard to believe that the puppies are already 1 week old! They are growing fast and thriving! They may seem incredibly small, but they have more than doubled her birth weight! We weigh the pups 2 times a day the first week, and once we confirm they are consistently gaining weight then we switch to weighing them once a day.

For the first few nights after the puppies were born, I was up quite a bit to make sure Heidi & the puppies were doing well. Heidi needed coaxing to go to the bathroom, drink, and eat the first few days. She’s so devoted to her puppy that she neglects her own needs! After the first few days, Heidi starts coming downstairs briefly to say hello, but then she quickly runs back upstairs to her puppies. Yesterday, I started taking her on short 10 minute walks so that she can get out and stretch her legs a bit. She seems to appreciate the break! We are letting Heidi eat as much as she wants since she needs a lot of extra calories to be able to produce enough milk for her puppy. And of course, she is getting lots of pets, pampering, and treats!
On top of making sure her puppies are fed around the clock, Heidi also has to stimulate her puppies to go to the bathroom. She licks them so that they will eliminate. Pretty gross! But if Heidi didn’t take care of it, then I would have to do it with a washcloth- so I appreciate it! At this point the whelping box stays fairly clean with Heidi taking care of the messes! We use fabric incontinence pads in the whelping box that we change regularly. As the weeks go on, I will be in charge of cleaning up more and more of the messes! So I’m relaxing now, allowing Heidi to do the work while I can!
On day 3 we started ENS (early neurological stimulation) and ESI (early scent introduction). Also known as the super dog program or bio-sensor, ENS involves stressing the puppies just slightly in very specific ways in order to improve their physiological response to stress in the future.
Early scent introduction is a training program of introducing new scents to a newborn puppy. ESI was designed to enhance a puppy’s ability to react and identify specific scents. It helps puppies gain awareness with their nose and boost their confidence. It’s an especially helpful training program for service and therapy dogs. Some examples are cinnamon sticks, dirt, cat fur, cloves, gravel, lavender, mint, and more. If doing something so simple and easy can improve a dog’s confidence and enhance a dog’s abilities at being a service or therapy dog- then I’m all in! The puppies seem to like smelling the different scents. They takes big whiffs!

It’s amazing how well equipped puppies are to be able to crawl and find their mama to eat. They bob their heads back and forth and drag themselves towards her. We have noticed the puppies pulling themselves up higher each day. The puppies are unable to see or hear at this point. Their eyes will start to open in the next few days (usually at about 10 days old). Their ears will stay closed for a bit longer- about 3 weeks. Currently, they spend their day just eating and sleeping! They twitch and pop involuntarily during their sleep as she develops muscle tone. This is known as “activated sleep.” The pups also had their first nail clipping with an infant nail clipper, this way they will avoid scratching Heidi and each other, and it helps them to begin to get used to having their nails clipped.
Before we know it, they will graduate from crawling on their bellies and be up on all 4 legs running around!
Getting Ready for your Puppy:
It’s never too soon to start getting ready for your puppy! Some things to consider are: Where will your puppy sleep? Have you considered a puppy socialization class? How do you get started on the right foot for potty training? There are many beneficial videos on YouTube that can help you get ready.
I highly recommend crate training your puppy. Before your puppy comes home, she will be acquainted with a crate. When I move her to a larger area at around 4 weeks, there will be a crate that she will be able to check out and explore in her area. At 6-7 weeks she will sleep in a crate. So a crate will not feel like a scary or isolating thing for your puppy. Crate training makes potty training and keeping your puppy safe & out of mischief much easier. I would also recommend having your puppy sleep near you in their crate when they first come home. It will help her have a better association with the crate and will prevent her from feeling isolated. While crates will not be brand new to your puppy, it will still be an adjustment for them when they go to their furever homes.
Here’s a video from Baxter & Bella on crate training your puppy
There’s also a shorter version you could check out.
Baxter and Bella offers an online training service & offers a wealth of information via YouTube and through their podcast. They have a wealth of information on how to prepare for your puppy, week 1 with your puppy, and many training videos. I used their program for my dog Ember, and highly recommend watching their videos before your puppy comes home. They give useful tips on what to do when you bring your puppy home, potty training, crate training, bonding with your puppy, socializing your puppy, and training your puppy. I especially appreciate the Junior videos they have- it helps to teach children how to interact with dogs and teaches them tricks they can do with their puppy. You can get a lot of their information free on YouTube & through their podcast, but if you would like to purchase their full program you can get 25% off with the coupon code “landofgoshen.”
Week 2 Update:

It’s incredible how much the puppies have grown in just one week! On day 10, we noticed their eyes beginning to open, and now they are nearly all the way open! It’s a gradual process that takes a few days, but it’s so exciting to watch it happen. Open eyes mean the puppies have entered into the transitional period, in which they will begin to be able to perceive the world around them and social behavior begins to appear. So we should start seeing more & more of their sweet little personalities! Now that they are able to see, I will start putting a small new item in their whelping box everyday for them to check out. The items will just be simple ordinary things that have different textures- like a package of wipes, a tennis ball, and different toys. I’ll keep the number of items in her whelping box to a minimum, as It’s important to not clutter their living area as they are learning to walk. The pups still spend most of their days sleeping and continue to have activated sleep, building their muscles for all the running and exploring they will be doing soon! We purposely ensure that the material in her whelping box is covered with a surface that will help them to have good traction to aid their developing bones and muscles as they begin to pull themselves up and walk more. They have just began taking wobbly steps! We plan to keep them in the whelping box until they start climbing out of it at around 3 ½ to 4 weeks old. Once puppies are attempting to climb out to explore, we know they are ready for a bigger living space with more interaction with people.

All the puppies are over 2 lbs now! We will continue to weigh them everyday, and ENS & ESI will continue until they are 16 days old. Frequent nail clippings have become a necessity, as their little thin nails are sharp and we want to prevent them from scratching Heidi when they nurse. Furthermore, it’s best to familiarize puppies with nail clipping young since they will have to have their nails clipped regularly all throughout their lives. The puppies also received their first worming treatment. We use a brand called Nemex 2 and they loved it, swallowing it willingly. They will be dewormed again at 4, 6, and 8 weeks. We also will take a fecal sample to the vet appointment (at 6-7 weeks) to ensure they’re free of parasites.

It’s important that we interact with the puppies everyday to start their socialization process- which is easy for us as it’s our favorite part about having puppies! We also do easy but intentional activities as we work to begin their socialization. Such as we put them on a tile floor for a bit so they could experience being on a different type of surface than they are typically on. And I also held each of them on our front porch for a minute so they could feel and smell the fresh air.
The puppies just keep getting cuter & are growing so fast! I can’t wait to see them running around and playing!

Getting Ready for Your Puppy:
How do you socialize your puppy? Your puppy’s socialization will start in my home and will need to be carried on by you. Proactively socializing your puppy is important. Puppies have what is called “critical socialization period” between 3-16 weeks of age. The puppy’s experiences during this period of learning and development can influence and shape their temperament and behavior as an adult. Providing plenty of opportunities to introduce your puppy to many new sights, sounds, smells, people, places, super friendly (healthy and vaccinated) dogs & animals, and experiences, keeping each interaction short, sweet, and positive- will ensure your puppy will grow into a well adjusted dog. It’s a big responsibility but one that can be fun & will certainly be impactful! I highly recommend that you look into puppy socialization classes. Here’s an article from the AKC that gives you a brief overview on puppy socialization.

