Watch
a litter grow from birth to adulthood.
Photo taken on day of birth, after all the pups
have dried off. They weigh between 5-6 oz. and are born with eyes
and ears closed.
1 week old
Pups
weigh 8-10 oz. From L to R, girl, boy, boy, girl; close-up
of 2 boys.
2 weeks old
Left & center
photos are the boys, right photo the girls. Eyes
are opening, pups are attempting to get up on their
legs and walk and they're beginning to respond to
sounds. They now weigh a pound each.
The girls - 3 weeks
The boys - 3 weeks
The pups are now walking and starting to play,
though they're mostly still sleeping. We've had
our first bark and first growl. They're getting
their first taste of food this week, but their
primary source is still mom. They weigh about 1
1/2 pounds.
4 weeks
The pups are now into everything, they like to
play with each other, they like to play with toys
- but mostly they still sleep. They're getting
teeth and relying on food more, but mom is still
very important. The 4th week is when they really
begin to transition to food as their primary source,
rather than mom (and mom is beginning to think
that's a good idea). They weigh about 2 pounds.
Socialization is extremely important at this point,
as they're really starting to take in their world.
5 weeks
The pups keep expanding their world. Their teeth
are in and mom's milk supply can't keep up with
their demands, so their primary source of nutrition
is now food, not mom. They weigh a bit over 2
1/2 pounds. They play longer at a stretch now,
but still spend most of the day sleeping.
6 weeks
The puppies' activity level has gone up another
few notches. They're weaned from mom now,
though she still likes to spend a bit of
time with them - as long as she can get away
from those sharp little teeth. Above, you
see their first foray onto gravel and grass,
as well as their first introduction to a
dog other than their mother. Ariel was very
sweet about playing "auntie" -
which is good, since she's expecting her first litter in early June.
To
see the continuation of "See Puppies Grow",
click on See
Puppies Grow2
