Oreo x Sophie Litter Update - 4 Weeks Old

The Transitional Period (14 days - 21 days)

Rose - 3 weeks

Lily - 3 weeks

Violet - 3 weeks

The Oreo x Sophie puppies have been busy doing lots of growing here at Northrock.  At four weeks of age they now range in size from 4 1/2 lbs to just over 5 lbs.   During their 3rd week so much seems to happen from one day to the next.  Their motor skills develop rapidly, eyes and ears are open and vision is far improved from what it was initially.  

It is delightful to watch how the pups increasingly engage one another in play, rehearsing pawing, biting and pouncing behaviours with one another and with their dam.  Sophie is very patient with them and gentle in the way she encourages them to be silly with her.  Watching their little tails wagging rapidly back and forth and hearing the little barks, yips and growls they emit never fails to bring a smile to my face.  I could sit and watch them interact with one another for hours on end.  

During their third week week we rotated various stuffed toys in their whelping box for them to snuggle up against and crawl over and around.  The puppies began to be able to eliminate on their own during this time and from very early on they moved away from where they were sleeping or nursing to pee.  

The Awareness or Identification Period (21 days to 28 days)

At three weeks of age the puppies moved from the guest bedroom upstairs down into the main living space in the house.  They are now in a larger puppy pen that is situated in what would normally be our dining room and is adjacent to our kitchen and living room.  

Here they are exposed to all the sights, sounds and smells of everyday household activities.  They have many more toys and objects with which to interact and these are changed around on a regular basis.  Visitors are welcome and the puppies are exposed to many people right up until the time they leave for their new homes.  The radio is on playing mainly classical and jazz.  We also have a few sound cd’s that we play that have the sounds of dog shows, airplanes, gun shots, etc... and these get played for the puppies as well.  

We have also introduced the potty box which is a designated space where the pups will eliminate.  We have found that using the potty box not only helps to keep the puppy pen clean but it is a tremendous aid in teaching the pups to have good bathroom habits.  Sophie has been a very doting mother, keeping her girls spotlessly clean and yesterday morning was the first time I found a poop in the puppy pen.  Gold star for Lily as she did it in the potty box.

Sophie has begun regurgitating food for her pups and they have shown an interest in what she is eating.  We introduced the pups to their first meal of solid food (ground turkey with bone mixed with goat’s milk) on March 7th and it was very well received!  We are very much looking forward to the adventures that will unfold for these puppies in the weeks ahead.

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