During this week, the pups have been in the Awareness or Identification period and have use of all their senses (sight and hearing are functioning well) for the first time. A stable environment and a stable dam are very important during this period. A variety of noises (music, radio, bells, vacuums, etc) and sights (change in light level, moving objects and vibrations) should be part of their daily life. The exposure to sudden loud noises must happen during the third week when fear has not yet developed. The startle response should be encouraged so that the pup will startle and then return to normal on it's own - something it must be able to do throughout it's life. Puppies must now learn that they are dogs; recognizing their mother (filial imprinting), recognizing other species - specifically humans that are part of their social relations (fraternal imprinting) - and have experiences that mean survival of the species (sexual imprinting). A poorly imprinted puppy will have problems being a "good" dog in the future.
The first signs of humping (imitation of sexual behavior) begin as early as three weeks and we have seen some examples of this over the last few days. Puppies will begin play-fighting during this week (see photo of Angel and Blue from yesterdays post) with a loose pecking order starting to form. Barking increases.
As Stoker starts to wean the pups, they will learn a most important lesson - that of accepting discipline. At some point (she hasn't started this yet) Stoker will begin growling and baring her teeth when the pups try to nurse. The pups will then back off or roll over on their backs in submission and learn to keep away from Mama's teats when told.
Humans should do a lot of handling, cuddling and pick up the puppies regularly during this time. Such a burden for us! :-)
The pups teeth are beginning to come in and it seems like the molars are coming through first. Since the incisors have not come in yet, this might be why Stoker has not begun to wean the pups yet. I'll have to do some research and see if there is a normal order for the teeth to punch through the gums. In my last litter, several of the pups had incisors that were slow to cut through the gums. According to the person that evaluates my litters this (tough gum tissues and slow to erupt teeth) is becoming a problem in some breeds. I want to be sure to keep track of this and make sure it is not becoming a problem with my pedigree.
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