Today the puppies reached an exciting milestone with their very first meal of mush. First meals are often a messy affair, with puppies diving in, walking through bowls, and wearing more food than they eat. Today was a little different. This group approached the experience gently, and overall, they ate surprisingly cleanly for a first meal. Each puppy explored the bowl at their own pace, lapping thoughtfully and staying mostly focused on the food rather than the chaos that som

Today we introduced the potty tray using alfalfa pellets. We like to start with alfalfa because the natural scent instinctively draws puppies to it, making it much easier for them to understand where they should potty. It tends to be a very intuitive learning step for them. They caught on almost immediately and are already choosing the potty tray on their own, which is always so rewarding to see. You can also really see their development picking up. Play is increasing, toys a

Patsy snuck into the puppy pen again—but this time, it’s exactly what we want to see. These puppies are playful. At three and a half weeks old, their play is just very gentle and still developing. Their movements aren’t fully coordinated yet, so interactions are slower, softer, and more exploratory than what we’d see in older puppies. Mama is completely comfortable with Patsy being in the pen, and that calm acceptance sets the tone. When the dam is relaxed, the puppies feel s

You may notice momma standing while the puppies nurse. This is a very normal and healthy transition at this age. As puppies grow stronger and heavier, standing allows mom to stay comfortable while still providing milk. It also naturally shortens nursing sessions and encourages puppies to work a little harder, building strength, balance, and coordination. This is one of the earliest steps toward gentle, natural weaning and an important part of healthy puppy development.

Almost overnight, the puppy pen sounds completely different. Tiny barks, soft growls, little yips. It is as if they suddenly discovered they have voices and cannot wait to try them out. As adorable as it is, this is also an important developmental milestone. Around three weeks of age, the nervous system has matured enough for puppies to intentionally make sounds rather than reflexive squeaks. Their eyes and ears are open, social awareness is growing, and vocalizing becomes a

Today we are starting to see the very first signs of playfulness. The puppies are beginning to gently wrestle with one another, testing movements, bumping noses, and learning how their little bodies work together. Everything is still very wobbly and uncoordinated at this age, so their play is soft, slow, and brief, but this marks the beginning of true social interaction. At around this stage, puppies start learning early communication skills through play, such as how to appro

This is one of those stages that never gets old. This is the age when I really love watching them, because their eyes are open, their little faces have so much more expression, and their bodies are starting to figure out how all the pieces work together. Right now, all five puppies are learning how to get their feet underneath them. They have been a bit chunkier than some litters, simply because there are fewer puppies sharing mom. Smaller litters often gain weight faster, wh

1. Eyes and Ears Fully Open: By two weeks old, most puppies have their eyes open, but by Day 16, they’re beginning to really see and hear the world around them. Their vision is still a little blurry, but they’re starting to respond to light, shadows, and sounds. 2. Building Strength and Coordination: Their front legs are getting stronger, and they’re starting to lift their bellies off the ground for a few steps at a time. It’s an important stage between “army crawling” and wa

You may notice that in the first couple of weeks, mama dogs don’t always allow other dogs in the puppy pen, even dogs they normally love. This is completely normal and instinctive behavior. During the first two to three weeks, mama’s focus is entirely on protecting her puppies. Even well-intentioned visitors get told “not today.” Patsy is a wonderful mama herself and loves puppies, so she tries to sneak in for some baby cuddles. But Reba, being the mama, sets a firm boundary

These little polar bears are officially in their chunky phase. With only five puppies in the litter, there is no competition for milk, which means they are able to nurse freely and often. That abundance in these early days is exactly what supports steady weight gain, strong immune development, and healthy neurological growth. Day eleven is still firmly within the neonatal period, where puppies spend the majority of their time sleeping and nursing. Their nervous systems are im

Day 10 is a quiet but very important point in early puppy development. While the puppies still look much like they did a few days ago, their bodies and nervous systems are preparing for some major changes that are just around the corner. At day 10, the puppies’ eyes and ears are still closed. However, we are right on the verge of them beginning to open. Over the next few days, we will start to see the very corners of the eyes opening first, often just a small slit at the inne

These puppies are growing like champions. Every morning they look a little bigger and a little rounder. They are starting to resemble tiny polar bears with their soft coats and chunky little bodies. Their eyes and ears are not open yet, but we are getting close. This is still a quiet, restful stage of life where eating and sleeping are the main priorities. Even with such simple daily routines, they have already more than doubled in size since birth. Watching them develop day

During the first week of life, we consider this the NICU period for puppies. Their world is small, quiet, and very much centered on mom. In these earliest days, puppies need very little from us. Mama does the heavy lifting. We support from the sidelines. We carefully implement ENS and ESI, and we do only the gentlest handling. Soft, slow strokes from head to tail. Nothing extra. No overstimulation. Their little bodies are still learning how to regulate everything. And then, a

One week into life, and so much has already happened. In just seven short days, these puppies have nearly doubled in size, grown stronger by the hour, and settled beautifully into the rhythm of eat, sleep, and grow. While their eyes and ears are still closed, their world is far from quiet or inactive. Their sense of smell is already at work, guiding them to mom, and their tiny bodies are learning coordination, warmth, and comfort. You’ll see gentle wiggles, little stretches,

One of the most amazing things to watch this early is just how powerful a puppy’s sense of smell already is. Even while sound asleep, the moment mama steps into the pen, their bodies come alive. Wiggles start instantly. Heads lift. Tiny noses begin working. At just one week old, puppies rely heavily on scent to understand their world. Their eyes and ears are still closed, but their nose is already fully engaged. They can identify their mother, locate her, and move directly to

Today I am showing one of the ways we start building service dog foundations before eyes even open: Early Scent Introduction (ESI). ESI is a simple daily protocol done during the newborn window, usually days three through sixteen, where each puppy is briefly exposed to one new scent. It is gentle, it is short, and it is always followed by going right back to mom. ESI is not just about “novelty.” Studies looking at early scent exposure found that puppies who received structure

One thing you’ll see us doing very early with our puppies is ENS, or Early Neurological Stimulation. It’s brief, gentle, and always done during a very specific window of development, but it plays a powerful role in how the nervous system matures. ENS is performed during the first couple of weeks of life, when a puppy’s brain and stress response systems are rapidly developing. Research originally conducted through the U.S. military’s canine program showed that puppies exposed

By day three, the puppies are settling into a steady rhythm of nursing, sleeping, and growing. While much of their time is still spent resting, there is already a lot happening beneath the surface. You may notice tiny muscle twitches during sleep—little paws moving, whiskers fluttering, or even brief tail flicks. This is called active sleep (sometimes referred to as REM sleep), and it is a critical part of early neurological development. During active sleep, the brain is busy

The NICU Stage of Puppy Development The first several days of a puppy’s life are often quiet, but they are anything but passive. This period is best described as the NICU stage of development, where growth, regulation, and survival take priority over stimulation. Newborn puppies are born neurologically immature. Their nervous systems are still learning how to regulate body temperature, digestion, heart rate, and stress responses. During these early days, the goal is not activ