Weaning:
At 3 to 4 weeks of age, a dish ofwater and dish of gruel should be introduced tothe pups. Feed a high quality drypuppy food, softened with warm goat milk orwater to make a gruel. This can befed in a low heavy dish 4 times daily. “Flyingsaucer” dishes, pie plates, ashtraysor rabbit dishes work well for this. Graduallydecrease the amount of time the pupsspend with their mother at this point. Thiswill make the transition from nursing toweaning smoother and will also lessenthe puppies’ demands on their mother.Beginning at 2 weeks of age, they shouldbe wormed with NemexR for the firsttime, then weekly until 2 negative fecalsamples results are obtained, unless thebitch was on the PanacurR protocolduring pregnancy. By 5 to 6 weeks of age,they should be weaned and eatingonly puppy food. After weaning, temporarilydecrease the bitch’s food and waterto aid in drying her up.
From this point on, thepups will become more fun and a lot more work. It canbecome difficult to keep thepups confined and they can be messy anddestructive. An exercise pen orplaypen can be helpful.
The first 3 weeks with the puppies are relatively neat andclean. Mom will lickthem frequently and ingest all of their urine and feces.However, upon starting onsolid food, the mom will give up this quest and you willnow have to deal withexcrement. There are many ways to keep the pups clean.My favorite is to placea 2’’ deep plastic tray in the enclosure filled with pineshavings or shredded orpelleted newspaper. This, with some practice, will givethe pups a place toeliminate thereby keeping their bedding clean.
In addition toproviding bedding to allow for good footing, the shavings tray, andfood and waterdishes, the pups should have a bed to sleep in and acceptablechew toys. StuffedKongs, soft toys, and rawhides should be changed regularlyto provideenvironmental variety and developmental stimulation.
By this time, they shouldhave increased human social contact. At 8 weeks, yourpups should beexamined, vaccinated, checked for worms, and wormed. Up to95% of pups mayhave worms by this age, unless the bitch was on the prenatalPanacurR protocol.Boosters should be administered every 3 to 4 weeks until 16weeks of age.
By 6weeks of age, they can go outdoors with supervision for brief periods, if theweather is acceptable.
Leaving The Nest:
Eight to ten weeks is an ideal agesocially to place pups in their new homes. Thepups should have a great deal ofhuman contact. A great challenge comes inselecting which, if any, pups are to bekept. It can be difficult to let them go outinto the big world. Potential puppy buyersshould be carefully screened to assurethey are the right home for your pup. Werecommend you sign a contract withpuppy buyers.
If you have a Dog Seller’sLicense from Wisconsin or are sending the puppy outof state, each puppy mustbe examined and the appropriate Certificate ofVeterinary Inspection will becompleted by one of our Doctors.
Contracting For Puppy Sales:
Werecommend all puppies sold be sold with a written agreement defining thedetailsof the the sale. For example, the health guarantee and conditions of salearetopics that need to defined prior to the sale to avoid any misunderstandings.Sheila Kessler at Animal Legal Resources, LLC can be reached at 715-544-6448for assistance.
Thanks to Dr. Marty Greer for sharing this valuable content from her Breeder’s Library
Her book “Canine Reproduction & Neonatology” is invaluable to breeders and is available on Amazon.
