Suzy-Q

Breed: Moyen Poodle
Parents: Pierre and Molly
Color: Brown & White Parti 
bbEme ay/a KB/Ky
Coat type: Curly
Hair Curl: T/T
Furnishings: F/F
Shed: C/C
Parti: Yes
Birth Day: December 3, 2016
Height: 17 inches
Weight: 20 pounds
Penn Hip: right .51 left .53
OFA Hip: Fair
OFA Elbow: Normal
OFA Patella: Normal
OFA Cardiac: Normal
OFA Dentation: (Teeth) Normal
Eye Cerf: Clear
Disease panel: Clear of all 150 testable diseases through Embark

Lives with a guardian family in Utah

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6 weeks

 (Green Boy) -Tight Wavy Apricot Abstract (Blue Boy) -Curly  Black Abstract

 (Pink Girl) -Curly Black/Brindle Abstract (Purple Girl) -Tight Wavy Apricot Abstract

 (Yellow Girl) -Wavy Black Abstract

Because we didn't get any video or pictures of the puppies last week I decided that because I had time I would do an early update this week so you could all see how cute these puppies were getting.  We plan to give the puppies their first full bath this week.  Usually at first they act a little reserved but quickly warm up to the idea. Lots of our doodles are influenced by their poodle ancestors and they absolutely love water.

After their bath they will have their first little mini grooming session.  We trim their back sides to help keep them clean (mom usually stops cleaning them when they started eating solid foods) and we cute the hair out of the corner of their eyes so that their vision development is unobstructed.  As always we keep their little razor sharp toenails trimmed as well. The puppies have gotten really fun to watch playing together.  

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The puppies will receive fenbendazole (dewormer medicine) this week .

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This is week 4 of the socialization period. Puppies have now learned to take food from my hand and are doing great with manding.  Every time we feed the puppies we call them with a high pitch "here pup, pup, pup, pup, pup, pup" similar to how you hear people call a kitty.  They now have a great recall down and will come any time I call out like this.  It is so important to have a good "recall" with a puppy to help keep them from trouble.  This recall will transition to the dogs name once you have him/her in your home.

The babies are all doing great sleeping in crates.  They still usually pile into one crate together but we offer them a couple of sizes of crates and they sometimes nap all alone.  We don't close the door with them and we don't have them sleeping separately at this stage.  

5 weeks

 (Green Boy) -Tight Wavy Apricot Abstract (Blue Boy) -Curly  Black Abstract

 (Pink Girl) -Curly Black/Brindle Abstract (Purple Girl) -Tight Wavy Apricot Abstract

 (Yellow Girl) -Wavy Black Abstract

This week the puppies will begin to spend more time outside during the day when we have nice weather.  They will eventually spend time outside every day sun, rain or snow.  All dogs need to be comfortable with going outside in all kinds of weather.

The puppies are all very steady on their feet now and are getting really playful (especially with each other).  They are doing great with their potty training by using the potty area about 95% of the time and they are keeping their beds clean all of the time. We will introduce crates to the puppies this coming week. We put all their soft bedding in the crates to encourage them to choose the crate for sleeping.  They usually all pile in one crate together as they still need each other for warmth and comfort.  

Puppies are now transitioning over to solid dry crunch kibble as they are getting their teeth. We will keep offering soft food until they all have their molars.

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This is week three of the socialization period. This week the puppies have begun to learn and be shaped by other adult dogs in the household but especially mom.  Learning dog manners is a skill that can only be taught by other dogs! We always watch interactions with other dogs closely. Mom is really the best teacher as she will stop or pin puppies that are overly energetic or that aren't picking up on cues to settle down.  This interaction is important to learning good dog social skills. They are also learning how to use their teeth without causing damage.  They teach each other that lesson as they constantly mouth and play with each other.

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We will give the puppies their Neopar vaccines this week.  Neopar helps develop immunity to Parvo--it is the only vaccine that is effective at this young age as these puppies still have passive immunity from nursing with mom.  Some vets prefer to give full immunizations at 6 weeks of age but shots at this early stage are less than 30% effective.  They have a much better immune response at 8 weeks. Our neonatal specialist recommends waiting until 8 weeks for full immmunization.  Parvo is the most prevalent puppy illness so getting a head start with Neopar is important.  We will talk more about vaccines in the take home information.

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This week our puppies usually hit what is called a fear period.  This period can last only an hour or a few days.  We will take extra care to be sure that if they exhibit any fear towards anything we will scale back and individually help them overcome those fears slowly.  Yawning, crying, hiding or avoiding are all signs of fear in a puppy. This is also the week we begin "Manding" with the puppies.  Manding is teaching the puppy to sit to 'say please.'  This type of sit is not a cued behavior (we aren't asking them to sit), we are just instilling a natural instinct to settle down and sit calmly to get what they want.  It's a way for them to communicate with us in a polite way.  We simply approach them with a handful of soft treats and we give a treat to any puppy sitting quietly.  We ignore the puppies that are jumping and pawing us.  Eventually they all catch on that sitting nicely is what gets the reward.  Peer pressure is a great thing with puppies! By the end of this week they will all have caught on and will begin expressing this very desirable behavior whenever we approach the pen.

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The puppies had their first barrier challenge this past week.  For a mental challenge that encourages problem solving and stress tolerance, we introduce a barrier that they have to navigate to get to their food.  It can be as simple as putting their food around a corner at first. We allow each puppy to negotiate the challenge at their own pace and we watch each puppy to make sure they successfully navigate to their food before we make things harder.

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We missed getting pictures of these little ones this week.  We will get photos when they turn 6 weeks old.

4 weeks

 (Green Boy) -Tight Wavy Apricot Abstract (Blue Boy) -Curly  Black Abstract

 (Pink Girl) -Curly Black/Brindle Abstract (Purple Girl) -Tight Wavy Apricot Abstract

 (Yellow Girl) -Wavy Black Abstract

Puppies are all steady on their feet now and are starting to get more and more playful.  They are doing great with their potty training by using the potty area about 75% of the time.  When they don't use their potty area they are using their play area--they are keeping their sleep area completely clean. They started to do this the day after I filmed this video. 

This is week two of the socialization period. Their little teeth are starting to erupt so this week puppies will start on solids and begin the process of weaning.  We take our cues from mama--when she starts standing up to nurse we know it's time to introduce soft solid foods.  First we will use ground food mixed with water. As they get used to eating and swallowing we will use regular food soaked in water until it is soft.  Mom has already started to wean by spending less time in the box with them.  This time will gradually increase over the next 2-3 weeks until they are no longer nursing. Mom still interacts with them throughout the day but she does so in shorter amounts of time. Puppies will participate in their first barrier challenge this week.  Once they are really interested in their food I will place it behind of barrier of some sort so that they can use their problem solving skills to help work through problems or obstacles.

3 weeks

  (Green Boy) -Tight Wavy Apricot Abstract (Blue Boy) -Curly  Black Abstract

 (Pink Girl) -Curly Black/Brindle Abstract (Purple Girl) -Tight Wavy Apricot Abstract

 (Yellow Girl) -Wavy Black Abstract

Everyone has their eyes open and this past week the babies all started to toddle around really well and have started to find their little voices. Tomorrow we will introduce a new bed/sleeping area along with our new pee/pooping area to help start these little ones on a path to easier potty training. In the beginning we have one soft bed area and the rest of the pen is potty area.  We use the puppies' natural instinct to keep their bed clean to help with potty training--the minute they step off their bed to go potty they will be in the desired area. Once they are accustomed to use the paper/grate area for potty we will be able to make their play/sleep area bigger. 

This week puppies will leave the transitional period and will enter the socialization period.  During this time their ears open and they begin to hear.  The puppies live in our living room so they are naturally exposed to a variety of noises that will help them adjust to family life: TV/movies in the background, children playing, vacuums running etc.are all familiar sounds to these babies.  Over the next we will also work on some startle recovery exercises. For startle recovery exercises we will randomly make sudden unusual noises that may startle the puppies ever so slightly to help shape their emotional responses. We watch closely to make sure there isn't a fear response and if necessary we will work with individual puppies more gradually to help them adjust to the noises. 

2 weeks

  (Green Boy) -Tight Wavy Apricot Abstract (Blue Boy) -Curly Black Abstract

 (Pink Girl) -Curly Black/Brindle Abstract (Purple Girl) -Tight Wavy Apricot Abstract

 (Yellow Girl) -Wavy Black Abstract

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The puppies are all doing great.  Everyone's eyes have opened.  It will take a little while for them to be able to see clearly. They are starting to move around more and more.  We've begun handling the puppies a lot more as mom isn't quite as nervous to have them away from her for a few minutes. Handling by young children is a daily occurrence here at the Thompson household because we have a built in 4 year old to help socialize them! 

At two weeks of age the puppies leave the neonatal period and enter what is called the transitional period.  Traditional period is typically between days 14-21.  During this time we will begin to introduce them to a new novel item (toy, new bedding etc.) and or a new experience daily.  These items and experiences will help to build a healthy startle/recover/curiosity/exploration cycle to lay the foundation for a confident puppy. This week we will take a dermal nail trimmer to the puppies nails for a few seconds at a time to begin to get them used to vibration and trimming of the nails.  These puppies will have a lifetime of grooming and will need to be handled on their feet and toes on a regular bases.  Early exposure to common grooming practices will help them be relaxed during grooming for the rest of their lives.  

Newborn

  (Green Boy) -Tight Wavy Apricot Abstract (Blue Boy) - Curly Black Abstract

 (Pink Girl) -Curly Black/Brindle Abstract (Purple Girl) -Tight Wavy Apricot Abstract

 (Yellow Girl) -Wavy Black Abstract

Suzy-Q started having puppies the afternoon of the 19th.  After puppy #4 arrived we thought she was all done. She settled in with her babies and relaxed.   After about 3 hours I was "confedent" she was done.  "Surprise" almost 5 hours after her baby #4 arrived I peeked in on her to find one more black abstract little female.  Suzy had her all cleaned up and already snuggled up with all her littermates eating.  

The puppies have transitioned through delivery are now in the Neonatal period. The Neonatal period last for two weeks.  During this time we pay close attention to the little pups to be sure each is thriving and growing. We watch weights and observe feedings to make sure everyone is eating and gaining weight.  Momma does most of the work right now and we just do a lot of observation.  Mom will tend and care for her puppies instinctively and make sure all is well by keeping them fed, clean, and warm. She licks constantly to stimulate their elimination systems and to keep them clean. We will begin Early Neurological Stimulation on day three.  ENS is a an exercise developed by puppy behaviorists and trainers that is designed to stimulate neuro-pathway growth and start the physiological basis for resistant and predictable neurological development. Is takes only a few seconds per puppy. We hold each puppy upright, head-down down and flat on the back.  Then we apply pressure to one paw near the toes and then set them on a cold cloth.  Each exercise is done for to 2-3 seconds. We will also clip sharp little toenails as needed.

Suzy-Q/Eli "National Park" 5 week

  (Green Boy "Denali") -wavy/straight brown (Blue Boy""Yosemite") -wavy/straight brown

 (Pink Girl "Rainier") -wavy/straight brown (Purple Girl "") -curly apricot 

This week the puppies will begin to spend a lot of time outside during the day.  

Puppies are all very steady on their feet now and are getting really playful (especially with each other).  They are doing great with their potty training by using the potty area about 85% of the time.   We have  introduced crates to the puppies this week and when they are in their whelping box this is where they will begin to spend most of their sleeping time as it is the only spot in their box with a soft pillow to lay their heads. 

Puppies began to eat soaked kibble this past week and are now eating solid dry kibble beginning the process of weaning.    Mom has already begun to distance herself a little by spending less time in the box with them.  This time away will gradually increase over the next 2-3 weeks. The puppies had their first barrier challenge this past week as well.  When they are really interested in their food I place it behind a barrier so that they can use their problem solving skills to help work through problems or obstacles for the reward of food.

This week is week three of the socialization period. This week the puppies have begun to learn and be shaped by other adult dogs in the household.  They have begun to teach them important dog manners.  This is the week our puppies usually hit what is called a fear period.  This period can last only an hour or a few days.  We will take extra care to be sure that if they exhibit and fear towards anything  we will scale back and individually help them overcome those fears slowly.  This is also the week we begin "Manding" with the puppies.  Manding is the behavior of the puppy sitting when he/she wants something.  It's a way for them to communicate with us in a polite way.  It's always best to have a dog approach and sit (without being asked) rather than jump up  because they want something!  By the end of this week they will all have caught on and will begin expressing this very desirable behavior when they are approached by a human (as long as we have a treat. LOL).

Suzy-Q/Eli "National Park" 3 week

  (Green Boy "Denali") -wavy/straight brown (Blue Boy""Yosemite") -wavy/straight brown

 (Pink Girl "Rainier") -wavy/straight brown (Purple Girl "") -curly apricot 

This past week they have all begun to toddle around really well and have become very vocal. They were introduced to a new bed/sleeping area along with our new pee/pooping area to help start these little ones on a path to easier potty training. 

This week puppies leave the transitional period and will enter the socialization period.  During this time their ears open and they begin to hear.  We will start some sound protocols with them this week.  Some of those include listing to classical music, exposing puppies to common "upsetting" appliances such as the vacuum and blow dryer,  and doing some startle recovery exercises.  For startle recovery exercises we will randomly make sudden unusual noises that may startle the puppies ever so slightly to help shape their emotional responses. 

Suzy-Q/Eli "National Park" 2 week

  (Green Boy "Denali") -wavy/straight brown (Blue Boy""Yosemite") -wavy/straight brown

 (Pink Girl "Rainier") -wavy/straight brown (Purple Girl "") -c urly apricot 

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Puppies are all doing great.  Everyones eyes have opened.  They are starting to move around a bit. Puppies are starting to get a lot of handling. Handling by children of this age is a daily occurrence here at the Thompson household because we have a built in 4 year old here to help socialize them.  

At two weeks of age the puppies leave the neonatal period and enter what is called the transitional period.  Traditional period is typically between days 14-21.  During this time we will begin to introduce them to a new novel item and or have a new experience daily.  These items and experience will help to build a healthy startle/recover/curiosity/and exploration cycle with the puppies to lay the foundation for a confident puppy. This week we will take a dermal nail trimmer to the puppies nails to begin to get them used to vibration and trimming of the nails.  These puppies will have a lifetime of grooming and will need to be handled by their feet and toes on a regular bases.  Doing these things with them early and using items like this that cause vibration regularly will help to start to set them up for success for their many groomings they will have.

Suzy-Q/Eli "National Park" 1 week

  (Green Boy "Denali") -wavy/straight brown (Blue Boy""Yosemite") -wavy/straight brown

 (Pink Girl "Rainier") -wavy/straight brown (Purple Girl "") -c urly apricot 

Puppies are 1 week old and have all almost doubled their weight. Oddly enough they all weighed the exact same this morning. The first 3 weeks they grow so fast. Momma is still doing most of the work right now feeding, cleaning, and keeping them warm and happy.  We are enjoying giving them short times of daily handling. Suzy-Q is really a great momma and very attentive.  She is defiantly one of those mommas who is concerned if her puppy is winning either when he/she is off by themselves or if I am holding them and they wine.  Yet she is not overly anxious with people or other dogs around like most mommas are.  We still keep all of that to a minimum (especially other dogs. We don't allow them in the room with her) right now while the puppies are so young.  We will begin to allow more and more of that once the puppies are closer to 2 weeks old.

Just an FYI I had surgery on the September 1 and it will require a long recovery.  I have lots of help with the puppies but I will be a little MIA when it comes to updating the website getting info out to you and responding to request.  Ideally I will do a video every even week and photos every odd week. But please know there may be times I do not get this done at all or  times if I do it does not come at their week mark so please be patient with me over these next few week. I will have a lot of extra time on my hands to get computer, email, website, and texting done because I will be down in bed a lot but I also likely will not feel up to it.  Also my extra time may need to be spent directing those around me to help me and also to do what needs done with the puppies on a daily basis.   

 The puppies are entering their 2nd week of the Neonatal period.  When the puppies were 3 days old we started Early Nejaurological Stimulation (ENS). We will continue doing ENS until they are 16 days old.  ENS is a combination of different tests and stimuli that is designed to get your puppy comfortable being handled, desensitize him/her to discomforting touch, and get their brains working.  We preform a serious of test (for lack of better works) from handling the puppy upright, upside-down, on his/her back, tickling his/ her toes, and setting them on a cold surface.

Suzy-Q/Eli "National Park" Newborn

  (Green Boy "Denali") -wavy/straight brown (Blue Boy""Yosemite") -wavy/straight brown

 (Pink Girl "Rainier") -wavy/straight brown (Purple Girl "") -c urly apricot 

Suzy-Q has had a long weekend.  After sleeping with Suzy/Q on the floor in the bathroom for three nights in a row they finally came early this morning.  We have two girls and two boys.  They all have a beautiful big white blaze down their heads and face that extends down under their chest.   

The puppies have begun life and are in what is called the Neonatal period. Neonatal period last for two weeks.  During this time we pay close attention to the little pups to be sure they are thriving and growing.  Making sure everyone is eating and gaining weight.  Momma does most of the work right now and we just do a lot of observation.  Mom will tend to and care for her puppies instinctively and make sure all is well by keeping them fed, clean, and warm. We will begin stroking them and handling them right away to get them used to touching and handling as much as momma will permit.    

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